Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

This is one of my favorite things to eat when it's warm out! No real directions. I took the picture before I added the fresh ground pepper and balsamic dressing.

Fresh Bruschetta

Ingredients:
6 Fresh plum tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic, smashed and minced as finely as possible
3 Green onions, sliced
2 teaspoons Dried Basil or 2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Basil Infused Olive Oil
Generous amount freshly ground Pepper and Sea Salt

Directions:
Cut up the tomatoes into a fine dice. Remove the gloppy inside from them and discard. (This is called "seeding.") Put the tomatoes in a bowl with the onions, garlic, salt, dried basil and pepper. Stir to combine. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil you used on the bread. Allow to sit for about an hour before serving. Add a pinch of ground hot peppers for a kick!

Mini Meatballs ala Kristi!

I had been searching for different recipes to make when a friend, Kristi suggested this. It was a hit! Everyone loved them and they couldn't have been easier! (I forgot to take a picture but I am making them again and will take one then!)

Mini Meatballs ala Kristi!

Ingredients:

(14 oz) bottle of ketchup
1 cup water

1 cup sugar
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 (16 oz) can sauerkraut, drained
1 bag frozen meatballs

Directions:

Mix ketchup, water, sugar, cranberried and kraut in saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Put meatballs in crockpot and cover with sauce. Cook on Low for 5 hours (roughly just check to make esure meatballs are cooked through)

Beth's Baked Brie

I love Baked brie! I had never thought of making it beofre. I saw this recipe on http://bethnnates-sweetlife.blogspot.com/ and loved it! It was so easy and looks impressive!! You can change the fillings to suit your tastes- I used exactly what she did and it was amazing!!!

Beth's Baked Brie

Ingredients:
1 Sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
1 wedge of brie cheese
a few dried apricots
some dried cranberries
some slivered almonds

Directions:
Put the brie in the freezer for 15 minutes before beginning. Slice the brie in half (like a hamburger bun, horizontally). Lay the dried fruit and the nuts in a layer on the bottom half of the cheese, and place the top half back on top of the filling. Wrap the stuffed up brie in the sheet of puff pastry and pinch to make sure it is sealed. Some folk brush it with butter- I did not. Then wrap the whole mama in saran wrap tightly and place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour, I froze it for about 4 hours. Take brie out of the freezer and place it on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers.

Thanksgiving!!!

So many of you know that not only was I taking on the challenge of cooking all of Thanksgiving Dinner but we also had just moved into our new house the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. So needless to say it was a little hectic. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent unpacking so I could get to my cooking supplies with everything going on I forgot to take pictures of everything I made. :(

As always I overcooked, but I think that is common when it is a Holiday. After all who wants to be the host that didn't have enough food??????

Below you will see all the recipes I made and my reviews!!!

Prosciutto Purses

(served as an appetizer)

Ingredients:
1 medium cantaloupe (about 3 pounds)

1 medium honeydew (about 3 pounds)

1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced prosciutto (about 36 slices)

2 bunches fresh chives, blanch 36 and save remaining for garnish

Directions:
Working with 1 melon at a time, cut in 1/2. Gently scrape out seeds and membrane and discard. Using a melon baller, scoop out rounds from flesh and place in large bowl. Discard skin.
Keep the prosciutto loosely covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out as you start to assemble 1 purse at a time. Place 1 melon ball in the center of a prosciutto slice, gather all sides to the top and secure with a blanched chive. It may be necessary to overlap a few pieces of prosciutto in order to completely wrap the melon ball. Place finished purse, seam side down onto a baking sheet and keep covered. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and melons. Can make it only up to 2 hours ahead of time because the salt in the prosciutto will break down the melon.
Scatter the chives onto a decorative platter. Place prosciutto purses on top and serve.

Review: YUMMY and REALLY Easy!!!!

(Picture & Recipe from Food Network)

Roasted Turkey

Ingredients:

1 Thawed Turkey

Butter
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Herbs ( Thyme, Rosemary, Sage)
Celery Stalks with Leaves
Carrot Sticks
Roasting Pan with Rack

Directions:

Rinse and dry turkey. Be sure to remove neck and gizzards beforehand. Preheat oven to 475. Place cut up carrots & celery in the bottom of the pan. This helps the flavor of the gravy. Insert bundles of fresh herbs and celery stalks into large cavity of the turkey. Rub turkey with Olive Oil and Butter and the place about a half of stick of butter into cavity with herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Place Turkey on rack and put in oven. Once in, drop heat to 325 and cook for recommended time. Mine was 22 pound so it took about 5 hours. Baste a few times during cooking and cover turkey with foil if it begins to brown too much.

Review: This came out picture perfect and was really juicy!!! In fact people commented on how perfect it looked- they thought I had bought it! It was YUMMY!!!!!!!

Sausage and Dried Cranberry and Apple Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 pound mild bulk breakfast sausage

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only,

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped celery with leaves

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

7 cups stuffing bread ripped up

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

(Or put in for the last 45 minutes of the turkey cooking at 325)

Saute the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the croutons and parsley. Next add the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Be sure not to overdo it; it shouldn't be mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a casserole dish. (The stuffing can be made to this point 2 days before Thanksgiving, refrigerated.)

Bake in a 14-inch oval or 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot. Remove and serve immediately.

*Cook's Note: If stuffing a turkey, the stuffing must be cold before being placed in the bird.

Review: This was the best stuffing I have ever had!! I doubled the recipe so it was a lot of chopping but well worth it!!!

(Recipe from Food Network)

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Spinach

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups mixed wild mushrooms (any combination of shiitake, porcini, chanterelle, oyster, portobello, and cremini)

3 tablespoons dry sherry wine

1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 (10-ounce) bags fresh spinach

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Add spinach (add spinach in batches if necessary), and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach wilts, turning frequently.

Review: I loved this also! It was so easy to make!!!

(Recipe from Food Network)

Orange Scented Green Beans

Ingredients:

Peel of 1 orange 2 pounds trimmed green beans

2 tablespoons butter

Salt 3 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped

Directions:
Fill a pan with 2 inches water and bring to a boil. Add orange peel and beans. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, beans should remain bright green with a snap to them. Drain beans and return to pan. Remove peel. Toss with butter, salt and chives then transfer to a serving dish.

Review: These were good but not amazing. Basically were plain Green Beans

(Recipe from Food Network)

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

Directions:
Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Review: Again another thing I loved!

(Recipe from Food Network)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Bag fresh Cranberries

1 cup water

1 cup Splenda

Orange Zest

Directions:

Bring to a boil water Sugar and Orange Zest. Add Cranberries and continue to boil for approx 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Poor into glass/ceramic bowl cover and let cool fully at room temperature. Once cool place in refrigerator

Review: I like cranberry Sauce but don't really like the canned stuff. This will last for awhile and tastes great!!!

I finished eveything off with salad, mashed potatoes, pureed squash , store-bought stuffed artichokes, and my MIL brought over 2 trays of lasagna