Happy New Year 2013!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I LOVE Thanksgiving because it is all about is Giving Thanks and simply that! So, be grateful, enjoy your family, eat a wonderful dinner and appreciate the freedom we all have here in America. God Bless Us Every One! Thanks be to God!

Punch? Here's 3 to make for the holidays!

When I was growing up, almost every gathering included some kind of punch. I am not sure why it's gone out of style -- maybe it's because you have to make it as opposed to buying it? I don't know, but I do know that if you want to entertain with style and stay on budget, punch is a great way to go!

My MIL entertained beautifully, as did my mother and grandmother. These southern ladies almost always served punch when they partied. So, party like it's 1965 and serve punch next time you host a gathering!

                                                    

Here are 3 to try during the holiday season. All of them include alcohol in the recipe, but give options to serve them with or without. You can add or subtract the alcohol, according to your taste and preference. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Cranberry Punch

1/2 gallon cranberry juice
2 750ml bottles champagne or other fizzy wine, such as prosecco OR ginger ale
1/4 c. triple sec or Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
Sliced oranges
Chill your ingredients and pour it them into a punch bowl.
This is nice if you freeze an ice ring made from cranberry juice with a splash of orange juice. Put some sliced oranges and a few maraschino cherries in the ring before freezing, and it will look pretty while it keeps the punch cold! Use a plastic ring mold, like you'd make jello salad in or a bundt cake pan. We served this last Christmas -- with the champagne -- and it was a BIG hit!

Hot Spiced Apple Cider

1/2 gallon apple cider
2 c. orange juice
2 tsp. whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg
2 - 3 whole cinnamon sticks OR 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 pint apple brandy (optional)
1 orange, sliced
Combine cider and sugar in a large pot. Add the spices to the pot. If you like, you can tie the spices up into a little pouch, like a bouquet garni. (**see cooks note). Bring the punch up to a boil and add the orange juice, lemon juice and brandy, if using. Turn it down to low and allow to simmer about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
** You can purchase cheesecloth specifically for this purpose at most fabric stores or kitchen supply stores (like Bed Beth and Beyond). I don't tie my spices up. Instead, I stud some orange slices with the cloves and let the oranges, nutmeg and cinnamon sticks float around in the punch.  I pour the finished punch into a crock pot set on low heat and let it simmer on the counter or the table. That way frees up your stove and lets people serve themselves. Lovely hot drink to serve at Thanksgiving or on New Years Day!

Pink Lady Punch
1 quart cranberry juice cocktail
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 quart pineapple juice
1/2 quart grape juice
2 quarts ginger ale OR 2 bottles club soda OR 2 bottles brut champagne
Chill all the juices and ginger ale or champagne. Dissolve sugar in the juices. Add the ginger ale or champagne. Makes approx. 32 1/2 c. servings. A ring mold made from grape or cranberry juice would be nice in this punch, maybe with some maraschino cherries in it. Even ice cubes made from the juices with one cherry in each would be cute! This is CLASSIC Lady Punch!
Break out that punch bowl and PARTY!

Quick and Easy, Healthy Marinara Sauce

When we say spaghetti at our house, we mean meat sauce. That's what spaghetti meant to my family when I was growing up and that's what it means when my kids ask for spaghetti. My mom was a pretty good cook, but there were a few dishes she really made well. One of them was meat sauce. She simmered it all afternoon and made enough to freeze so that we could have it again. I've tinkered around with her original method over the years, but it's still pretty close to what she made and what her mother made.

All that being said, over the years I've added different sauces to my cooking rotation (here's one). Lately, I've been making a super healthy marinara sauce. I got my inspiration from Giada on the Food Network, but have tweaked it just a little but, like I almost always do. For one thing, since it's just me and the hub around the house most of the time these days, I only make enough sauce to feed the 2 of us. It's a quick and easy sauce and full of veggies, so you can feel very virtuous when wolfing down your pasta. I found some delicious chicken meatballs by Sabatini at my local big box store, and often add 2 or 3 per person. Couldn't be easier! Whether you are vegetarian, trying to cook a little healthier of just need something good and quick to get on the table, you are going to love this recipe, I promise! If you are serving more than two, just double it. (This picture shows the sauce with the chicken meatballs added, but it's super good without them, too.)

Vegetarian Marinara Sauce with Chicken Meatballs

Vegetarian Marinara Sauce
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion
2 - 3 garlic cloves
4 baby carrots or 1 regular carrot
1 stalk celery
1  14.5 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil or 1 T. minced fresh basil
1/4 tsp. sugar
Put the onion, garlic, carrots and celery into a mini food chopper and pulse until they are of uniform size and well chopped. If you don't have a mini food chopper, chop them all together until they are finely diced. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed, deep skillet over low heat. Add the veggies and saute' them until they are soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cover the skillet, turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta. If you are adding meatballs, simmer them for at least 20 minutes along with the sauce. This is a thick and chunky marinara, so stir it often and keep the heat low. Serves 2.

Do it the right way: Baked Potatoes and Bloody Marys

Loaded baked potato

This may seem like a silly, almost no recipe kind of post, but I think that lots of people have forgotten how to make "real" baked potatoes. I am guilty of it myself, at times. You're in a hurry, you wash a potato quickly and then shove it into microwave. Edible? Yes. Delicious? NO.
When you've got the time, do it the right way, especially if you've got company coming. The potatoes really do taste so much better done this way.

Company Baked Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry your potatoes. Rub them lightly with some olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Pierce them 2 or 3 times with a fork. Sprinkle them liberally with some kosher salt. Bake for at least 45 minutes -- it may take as long as 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Test them by inserting a slim knife; they are done when the blade slides in smoothly and meets no resistance. The skins will be crispy, and the insides fluffy. Delicious!

And while I am on my high horse about doing things the right way, here's the way we make Bloody Marys at our house, without using a mix. It's my husbands favorite cocktail, so it needs to be right!!

Bloody Mary Cocktail for 1
Fill a tall glass with ice about 2/3 of the way full. Pour in 1.5 oz. of vodka, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, 3-4 drops of hot sauce, a pinch of celery salt and a pinch of hot pepper flakes (optional) or Old Bay Seasoning. Squeeze a wedge of lime into this mixture and then fill the glass with V8 juice. Stir well. Garnish with black pepper, celery, olives and a pinch of kosher salt. Voila, a wonderful cocktail! Cheers!

Best Bloody Mary

The Very Best Homemade Rolls

The Very Best Homemade Rolls

A while back, in a holiday post, I wrote about making the "Best Dinner Rolls on the Food Network" for my Christmas Eve dinner (see post here ). They  were good, but even using a bread machine, took a lot of time. The reason for this was that the flour had to be added in increments, so you couldn't really leave them alone while the machine did the kneading for you. In addition to the time commitment, the rolls were slightly hard or crisp on the top, and that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. That experience has sparked the detective in me to search for an easier way to make rolls that had the delicious, soft, yeasty taste that I have memories of from childhood. And, after several tries at different recipes, I think I've nailed it! I found the recipe on food.com and made only one little change. Voila, I've found the perfect roll for your holiday feasts. It's easy, it's delicious, they freeze beautifully and everyone will LOVE them, I promise! Gather up the ingredients, dust off your bread machine and prepare to be praised for your wondrous cooking abilities! These rolls are the bomb!

Very Best Homemade Rolls
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
2 T. of sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 c. bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (I use the kind in a jar labeled "Bread Machine Yeast")

Put all ingredients into your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. The ingredients above are listed the way they go into my machine.
Select "dough" setting and turn it on. When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 pieces ( think I only did 22, chalk it up to my spatial dysfunction!). Shape them into balls. Place on a greased 13" X 9" cookie sheet as shown:

Rolls after they have risen

Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 - 16 minutes, until rolls are golden brown. Serve or freeze and enjoy the compliments. Start counting down now and Happy Holidays!

Chicken Fricasse with Mushrooms

Chicken Fricasse' with Fresh Green Beans on the side

Here's my next installment of cooking like Julia: Fricasse' de Poulet a' L'Ancienne. Roughly translated, this means, Old Fashioned Chicken Fricasse with Wine Flavored Cream Sauce, Onions and Mushrooms. I guess the Ancients were into cream sauce with wine and mushrooms? Who knows.
I must confess that my impressions of chicken fricasse were not memorable. I don't recall having had this dish as a child but do remember hearing it spoken of... in a book? on TV? I honestly don't remember. I came across this recipe while continuing my random experiment of Cooking Like Julia (see here ). My choice was also dictated by the fact that I had a ziploc bag of random chicken parts in my freezer that looked like they needed to be cooked. I scaled down the recipe to feed the two of us, since the offspring are currently off doing their own things.
I kept the spirit of the recipe true to Julia, but added in a little of my own kitchen knowledge, tailoring it to suit our tastes. The final dish was creamy and tasty, with tender chicken and savory mushrooms. This scaled down recipe will make about 3 servings. We like to have one extra for someone to eat for lunch later in the week!

Chicken Fricasse' with Mushrooms
4 - 5 pieces of chicken (I had 2 thighs, 1 breast and 2 wings)
2 T. butter
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
4 baby carrots, sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 T. flour
salt and pepper
1 1 /2 c. chicken stock or broth
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 small bay leaf or 1/2 of a larger one
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
8 oz. cleaned and dried white mushrooms, halved
1 tsp. butter + 1 tsp. olive oil
1 egg yolk
1/4 c. half and half or light cream
a little lemon juice
pinch of nutmeg
fresh parsley for garnish
Prepared egg noodles, risotto or rice
Dry the chicken on a few paper towels. Melt the butter over medium heat, in a heavy skillet ( I used a non-stick one). Add the sliced celery, carrots and onions. Cook the vegetables until they begin to soften. Push them aside and add the chicken, skin side down, to the skillet. Raise the heat slightly and let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes, until skin starts to stiffen slightly and just begins to brown. Turn it over and let it cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and sprinkle the pan with the flour, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir the flour into the drippings so that it is completely absorbed. Cook the flour and veggies a few minutes, and then add the broth and wine. Stir well so that the flour mixture dissolves into the broth. Return the chicken, add another pinch of salt and pepper, the bay leaf and parsley. The chicken should be almost covered by the liquid: You may add a little more broth or water if you need to. Bring the dish up to a simmer. Cover and cook, covered, over low to medium heat for 30 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when pierced by a fork or knife tip.
In a separate skillet, melt 1 tsp. butter, with 1 tsp. olive oil. When the foaming of the butter subsides, add the halved mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown. When they are browned, squeeze a little lemon juice over and add them to the chicken and vegetables in the larger skillet.
At this point, you may put the dish away to be served later that day or as much as 2 days later. Refrigerate the entire fricasse' covered to be reheated and finished as you like.
To finish the dish, remove any loosened skin from the chicken (this is especially easy to do w/the thighs. I used a boneless skinless breast so had no skin to remove from that). Skim off any accumulated fat from the top of the sauce. (Reheat the sauce if you have refrigerated it.) Beat the egg yolk into the cream with a fork or whisk. Take a spoonful of the sauce from the hot dish and add it into the cream mixture. (This is called tempering -- you do it so that the yolk won't "scramble" when you add it to the sauce in the pan.) Mix in the hot liquid and then add another spoonful. Repeat. Once the cream mixture is heated stir it into the sauce in the skillet, mixing well to incorporate and distribute the cream completely.
Grate in a little fresh nutmeg if desired. I think this gives the dish some depth and flavor. Taste the sauce and correct the seasoning. Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange it over some buttered egg noodles, rice or risotto. Pour over the sauce and garnish with some fresh parsley. Garnish with fresh parsley. I prepared fresh green beans to go along with it, but Julia suggests Petit Pois or asparagus. Broccoli would be good as well.