My friend Cindy came over on Halloween for some pre trick-or-treating festivities. She came with a scrumptious option for an adult hot apple cider. Now I like Apple Cider but I don’t love it and often times will forgo the calories for something else – such as, chocolate…. In any event, she convinced me to take a sip from her mug and I was ruined. This was one delicious and super easy cocktail.
The secret ingredient is cinnamon whiskey such as Fireball or Sinfire. There is something so soothing about having a warm cocktail that I was never able to relate to since I can’t stand whiskey so I have never thoroughly enjoyed a hot toddy.
I feel so lucky to finally have a warm cocktail recipe that I love and have Cindy to thank. This recipe is delicious, inviting and so simple to make. While drinking this I felt like I was being wrapped in a warm, cinnamon-y hug. I definitely plan on making this for the holidays!
Delicious Cinnamon Spiked Hot Apple Cider
Ingredients
Hot Cider (any variety will work)
Cinnamon Whiskey (suggested Fireball or Sinfire)
Directions
Gently warm the cider in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour a shot or two into a mug and pour in warm cider. Enjoy!
Image Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love eating with reckless abandon and turkey day is the day to do just this – as far as I am concerned anyways…. Over the years I have come up with my traditional thanksgiving favorite recipes and I wanted to share them with you.
My normal menu consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, pumpkin crisp, gravy and cranberry sauce. In looking at this menu, the first thing I always notice is that there is nothing green – no vegetable or salad and I must say that is just fine with me. So without further ado…
The turkey recipe I use is Martha Stewart’s Turkey 101 which is amazing and turns out perfect every time. I am sure that it has something to do with the bottle of wine and pound of butter used to baste the turkey that makes it so succulent and amazing!
photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
As for stuffing…I used to make Martha Stewart’s standard stuffing recipe that can be found here, however about five years ago I was introduced to a stuffing recipe that won a Good Morning America stuffing recipe contest. OMG – this stuff is SOOOOOOOOOO freaking good! It is ridiculously fattening so I only make it once a year, however it is so worth it! The recipe dates back to 2007, however you can still find it online here. I have included the recipe below just so I always have it in the event that page ever gets taken down.
Corn casserole might sound a bit unusual for Thanksgiving but again, I make it once a year and just seems to mesh well with everything on the plate. Think cornbread but more delicate and buttery. The recipe is from AllRecipes and can be found here.
Now Gravy is so easy and I do cheat by using a bottled product, but it is so delicious nobody will ever, ever know and you don’t have to worry about lumps! Williams Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base is a gem! You can thank me later.
I am not a pumpkin pie fan. I think it is part texture and part overall pumpkin taste but I always had a pumpkin pie and an apple pie at Thanksgiving until I stumbled upon Pumpkin Crisp. This dessert is made with boxed yellow cake mix so if you have any nostalgia for a basic yellow cake then this could be one of your new favorites as well. I blogged about this a while ago and you can see the full recipe here.
The cranberry sauce I make is the standard Ocean Spray version that can be found on the back of the fresh cranberry package. Sometimes I will add some fresh orange zest to add an additional flavor element to the sauce but that is optional.
So….that is my run down for what I make for my family on turkey day. I hope you try some of these delicious recipes. They are tried and true for multiple years so I can vouch that they are all super yummy!
Down Home Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 extra-large yellow onion, chopped
- 7 large celery ribs, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 ounces pancetta, diced&
- 6 cups day-old, finely diced French bread
- 3 cups crumbled unsweetened cornbread
- ½ cup butter, cubed, cold
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1½ tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4-5 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- large Parmesan shavings
Directions
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium. Sauté pancetta for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
- Mix together breads and ¾ cup toasted pine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Add cheeses and cooked sausage to the breads. Mix together with the dried seasonings.
- Add sautéed veggies with any pan drippings.
- Slowly add broth and stir until mixed thoroughly. The consistency should not be soupy, but very moist. If not, add more broth.
- Test for saltiness and add a dash more if needed.
- Place in an extra deep 9-inch-by-13-inch greased pan.
- Dot the top with the cubed butter and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until slightly crusted on the edges.
- Top with remaining toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh sage. Add shaved cheese just before serving.
Have you ever gone out to eat and had something so delicious that out of the blue you will find yourself fixating on the sheer deliciousness of that meal and you can’t stop thinking about it? Well…I tend to get that way and the only way I know to satisfy the craving is to of course – honor it!
My husband and I went out to eat at a restaurant called Black Bottle that is located in Seattle. They have a Chicken Larb on their menu that is super spicy and amazing! My mouth waters just thinking about it. I have to warn you that this recipe is spicy, however you can adjust the spiciness based on how much Sriracha you add. I use a heavy hand which you can tell by the pictures but this recipe would be just as yummy if you used less. I concocted my own recipe using soy sauce and worcestershire sauce in lieu of fish sauce because I didn’t have any. If you do have fish sauce by all means use that option.
Do you have any favorite recipes that you concocted after visiting a restaurant? I would love to hear about them!
Chicken Larb
Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c. coarsely chopped shallots
1 garlic clove
1 T. fish sauce or 2 tsp. soy sauce + 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
3T. sriracha (or to taste)
2 T. vegetable oil
Lettuce Leaves (for serving)
3 T. cashews, finely chopped
Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over and pulse until chicken is very finely chopped. Heat remaining oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium–high heat. Add chicken mixture and sauté, breaking up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until chicken is starting to turn golden brown and is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Place 2 lettuce leaves on each plate. Top leaves with chicken mixture, dividing evenly. Garnish with cashews and serve.
My slow cooker is kinda like a bad boyfriend that I just can’t break up with. You know those boyfriends that will make promises but let you down – kinda like a casserole that looks amazing on Pinterest but it looks like roadkill in reality. Yet, just like a crap boyfriend (that is really good looking) I can’t give up on my slow cooker. Maybe one day things will change and some form of magic will occur in the form of a meal worthy of sharing with Martha Stewart, however I am not too optimistic of that, however I will continue to try out my “bad boyfriend” and see if I can make some magic with it.
Being that it is about 90 degrees in Seattle I am trying not to turn my oven on, yet I am wanting some loaded baked potatoes.
I have read that you can make baked potatoes in the slow cooker so once again I busted out my large oval device and hoped for the best. Rubbed down with olive oil and sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper I placed them in the pot, turned them onto low for 6 hours and went on with my business. Here you can see the beginning of what my Idaho russets looked like:
Here is my finished product. This slow cooker actually did what it said it would do – cooked a large baking potato until tender. They weren’t soggy or anything and man was this easy! Definitely give this one a try and let me know what you think.
Whenever I go to a BBQ or cookout I always bring my tried and true White Trash Potatoes. There are three things I LOVE about this recipe which becomes a favorite at all cookouts I attend:
1. They are super fast and easy to make
2. They are delicious
3. They are always a crowd pleaser. I have yet to take any home after a BBQ.
Now, these are not Paleo friendly, they are not Raw, they are not low carb and I would guess that a generous serving would all but obliterate your Weight Watchers points. So in a word – these are awesome!
I should also add that my family loves these as well so don’t feel like you need to wait for a potluck to make these. I have been known to make a batch and freeze half and bake the other half. When frozen I increase the cooking time about 20 minutes until they are warm in the center.
Ingredients
2 lb. frozen hash browns, thawed
1/2 c. diced onions
1 c. cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 stick melted butter
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
Directions
Mix all ingredients and add to potatoes. Pour into a 9″x13″ pan. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Can be made up to 2 days in advance before baking.
Here is a close up….YUM!
