Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

• 3 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnish)
• 2 honeycrisp apples, chopped
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine (I suggest a light-bodied Spanish variety)
• 1 and 3/4 cups apple cider*
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup orange juice (or juice from 2 medium oranges)
• juice from 1 lemon
• club soda, to taste

Place the cinnamon sticks, apples, and orange slices in a large pitcher. Add wine, apple cider, brandy, orange juice, and lemon juice. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for 6 - 24 hours. Taste; if you'd like it to be sweeter, add 1-2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, honey, or agave.

If you'd like a cinnamon-sugar rim (highly recommended), simply moisten the rim of your glasses with water, turn the glass upside down and dip it into a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Pour in the sangria with fruit* and add a splash of club soda (this unsweetened fizz is wonderful with the sangria!). Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if desired.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for Thanksgiving Day.  It's really good!!!  I used Fuji Apples and an Italian Red Wine and Calvados instead of plain old brandy and I think I'll be making this Sangria again and again! Oh, and since I definitely have a sweet tooth, I used a splash of Sprite instead of club soda.  Yumm-oh!

Cajun Honey Roasted Turkey Breast

1 whole thawed turkey breast (about 6-7 lbs)
Salt
5 Tbsp softened butter
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
3+ tbsp honey
4 slices bacon
1 really big onion, cut into 8ths

Preheat oven to 325^F.

Combine the butter, cajun seasoning, thyme and 3Tbsp honey in a small bowl until well mixed.

Wash the turkey breast and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt all over it and place on a rack in a roasting pan.  Spread half the honey butter between the skin and the meat and then smear the rest all over the outside of the breast.  Drizzle with a little more honey and then lay the bacon strips over the top.

Roast at 325^F for 2.5 hours or until completely cooked through. 

Very good!  Nice and juicy!

Sweet Potato Pie 2012

2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 - 3"x 5" potatoes)
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dash allspice
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Drizzle of pure maple syrup (maybe 1 Tbsp)
1/4 cup Praline liqueur
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 pie shells, thawed

Preheat oven to 425^F. 

Prick the bottom and sides of the the thawed crusts with a fork and bake for about 6 minutes.  Let cool.

Combine the potatoes, butter, sugars, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined.  Add evaporated milk, maple syrup, liqueur, eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Pour into the pie shells and swirl the top with a spatula (it's just not a good pie without those little peaks on top!)

Bake at 425^F for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350^F (don't open the oven!) and bake another 45 minutes or until the pie is set in the middle. 

Remove from the oven and cool. 

Yum!!!

Blue Cranberry Sauce

Blue Cranberry Sauce

1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pint fresh blueberries

Wash and pick over cranberries. Place in a medium saucepan with water, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, stir and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

Slightly mash the cranberries with the back of a wooden spoon to insure all skins are broken. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Mix well.

Remove from heat and mix in the blueberries (don't be afraid to break a few, but don't over mash either). The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Transfer to a bowl, cool slightly and place plastic wrap directly on top of sauce to cover. Refrigerate until chilled.

Excellent sauce!

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

Snickerdoodle layer:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Layer:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

Topping
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Drizzle
• 1 oz white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

To make snickerdoodle layer:
1. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
2. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

To make pumpkin pie filling:
1. In a mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.
2. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

3. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely. They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.

4. After the bars are completely cool, place the chopped white chocolate into a bowl or zip-lock bag and melt on low power. When it's completely melted, add the pumpkin pie spice and mix (or knead if using a zip lock bag). Use a spoon or cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and let it cool and harden.

5. Store in a covered container.

This was good...not great and a lot more "cakey" than I thought it would be.

OK, I'm going to amend my opinion of this recipe. It is EXCELLENT the NEXT DAY! So, imo, this should be made one day before you serve it. I would also reduce the amount of baking powder in the Snickerdoodle layer from 2 teaspoons to only 1 tsp!

Sausage, Apple, Bacon and Cornbread Stuffing

Sausage, Apple, Bacon and Cornbread Stuffing

1 (9x9 inch) pan cornbread, cut into small cubes
1 (12 ounce) package dry bread stuffing mix
8 ounces pork sausage links, finely chopped
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1/2 pound bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup parsley
1 large Fuji apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried sage leaves, or amount to taste
32 oz carton chicken broth, or as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
Place the cubed cornbread and bread stuffing mix into a large bowl. Set aside.

Place the chopped sausage links and ground sausage in a skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Drain, and place sausage into a bowl. Using the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain bacon on paper towels. Drain excess bacon fat from the skillet. Stir the cooked sausage and bacon into the cornbread mixture.

Using the same skillet, cook the celery and onion over medium heat until transparent and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir into the cornbread mixture.

Stir the parsley and apples into the cornbread mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and sage. Pour enough chicken broth over the cornbread mixture to moisten thoroughly, and toss to distribute evenly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until top is toasted and the center is firm, about 45 minutes.

This makes more than will fit into a 9x13" pan! It was quite good, but (sorry!) not as good as mine. I added extra sage and some poultry seasoning, but I'll stick with my good, old traditional recipe from now on. Adapted from allrecipes.com

Roast Turkey Breast 2010

Roast Turkey Breast 2010

6lb turkey breast, thawed
1 cup sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups Welch's White Grape Cherry Juice
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp sliced dehydrated garlic
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp Poultry seasoning
1 heaping Tbsp dried parsley
Iced Water
2 stalks celery, cut into 3 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
4 Tbsp softened butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup white wine

Wash the turkey breast. In a large pot combine the salt, sugar, Juice, onion powder, garlic, celery seeds, poultry seasoning and parsley and stir until salt is dissolved. Place the turkey into the pot and add iced water to completely cover the breast. Keep chilled and let stand for about 6 hours. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry.

Place a small rack in a roasting pan (at least 2 inches deep) and place the turkey breast, skin side up on the rack. Place the celery and onion around the turkey. Combine the butter with the thyme and rosemary and rub under and over the skin of the turkey. Pour wine into pan. Cover tightly with foil making sure the foil is tented over the turkey and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue roasting for 1 - 1.5 hours or until turkey is completely cooked and browned.

Use the pan drippings to make gravy! This was truly a perfectly cooked turkey breast. It was very tender and extremely juicy and I'll definitely be cooking turkey like this again! Excellent flavor. No recipe, John and I both threw things into the brine and we're very happy with the results.

Green Beans with Ham and Baby Potatoes

Green Beans with Ham and Baby Potatoes

1-1.5 lb bag fresh green beans, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 lb baby potatoes, washed and cut in half
8 oz smoked ham cubes
1 stick butter
1 sweet onion, chopped
Salt & pepper
32 oz carton chicken broth

Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours or until done. Excellent!

Adapted from a Southern Living recipe.

Brandied Cranberries 2010

Brandied Cranberries 2010

2 bags cranberries, washed
1 large Fuji apple, peeled and diced
1 heaping tsp crystallized ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Blackberry Brandy

Preheat the oven to 300^ F. Place the berries and the apple into a 9x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with ginger, cinnamon and cloves and stir in the sugar. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the Blackberry Brandy. Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Delicious!!!

Not My Usual Sweet Potato Pie

Not My Usual Sweet Potato Pie

2 lbs sweet potatoes, baked until tender and peeled (about 6-2.5"x5" potatoes)
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup half & half
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 pie shells, thawed

Preheat the oven to 424^F. Combine the potatoes, butter, sugars, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Add half and half, eggs and vanilla and beat well. Pour into pie shells and bake at 425^ for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350^ and bake about 45 minutes or until pie is set in the middle.

This Sweet Potato Pie is BETTER than mine! John very tactfully said "it's as good as yours" but I know...it's definitely better. This is the best Sweet Potato Pie I've ever eaten!!!

Adapted from allrecipe.com's "Sweet Potato Pie I".