Cranberry Jelly

On By sarafillmerIn Appetizer, Gluten-Free

cranberry jellyMy husband saw this in the Food Network magazine and requested it especially this year because he missed the canned jelly and I was so happy with how it turned out.  It was so much better than the stuff that comes out of the can.

  • 1 pound cranberries, thawed if frozen
  • 2 oranges
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the cranberries in a sauce pan.  Remove wide strips of zest from 1/2 an orange with a peeler; add to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup).  Add the sugar, coriander, pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and remove the orange zest; stir in the vanilla extract.  Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving dish (I put mine in a mason jar), pushing the sauce through with a spatula.  Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

Pumpkin Pie

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert, Pie

Best Pumpkin Pie FillingThis recipe came from the Cooking on a Budget blog via Pinterest.  The title to her post was “the BEST Pumpkin Pie Filling”, and after making it, I would have to agree.  It is light and fluffy, but still has the pumpkin pie flavors we all love. Sorry Eagle Brand, but I will be making this filling as my go-to from now on.

  • 1 refrigerated pie crust
  • 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, beat your eggs.  In a larger bowl add your pumpkin puree, eggs, and the rest of ingredients.  Mix until fully incorporated. Pour into your pie crust and bake at 350 for approximately and hour, or until the filling is slightly risen and firm in the middle.

Pear Apple Crumble

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert

pear appleThis was the second of the three pies that I made for Thanksgiving.  The lemon juice really gave the pie a brightness, and helped cut the sweetness a little bit.  I simplified the steps in the recipe because I feel like the Food Network directions make it seem a little more complicated than it needs to be.

Filling:

  • 1 refrigerated pie crust
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 pounds pears, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds baking apples, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
  • 1/2 cup honey (I actually only used 1/4 cup so it’s your preference)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • `1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

  • 3/4 rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Prepare the crust in a greased pie plate, set aside. Preheat the oven to 375.  For the filling, combine the flour, pears, apples, dried fruit, honey, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and toss to coat. Pour into the crust and then make the topping.  For the topping, whisk the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Using your fingers, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry mixture until small clumps form.  Mound the topping over the fruit mixture and bake until the topping is brown and bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Toffee Pecan Pie

On By sarafillmerIn Dessert, Pie

toffe pecan pieThis recipe came from the Food Network magazine.  I have never been a big one for pecan pie, but the addition of the toffee pieces really made this recipe go a notch above.

  • 1 refrigerated pie crust (or if you feeling adventurous you can make it from scratch
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon butter extract (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (leave out if you use salted butter)
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits

Prepare your crust in a greased pie plate and scallop the edges or decorate as you want. Whisk eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla and butter extracts, lemon juice, salt, pecans, and toffee bits in a large bowl until combined. Pour filling into prepared crust.  Bake at 350 until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is set around the edges but still jiggly in the center, about 55 mins.  (Tent crust with foil if it browns too quickly.)  Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Bacon Crumble

On By sarafillmerIn Untested

seet potatoI found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine and plan to make it for Thanksgiving. Although I haven’t made it yet, I don’t see how any recipe that uses bacon crumble can be bad.  Also seems like a perfect candidate to make a couple days before Thanksgiving, then warming in the oven before serving.

Sweet Potatoes:

  • 3 lbs medium sweet potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 sprig rosemary, broken in half
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Crumble:

  • 2 slices bacon, chopped into pieces
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • salt to taste

Heat oven to 375. Prick the sweet potatoes, place on baking sheet and roast until soft, approx. 1 hour.  Let cool slightly. Warm butter and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter starts to brown. Discard rosemary.  Scoop sweet potato flesh out of skins in to a food processor. Add infused butter, egg, cream, sugar, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and puree until smooth.  Grease an 8×8 baking dish and spread the potato mixture in.

For the crumble, cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes.  REmove to a paper towel and reserve fat. Combine flour, pecans, sugar, butter, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons back fat in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.  Toss in bacon. Sprinkle crumble over sweet potato mixture.  Bake casserole until lightly browned and potatoes are hot, about 30 minutes.

Cowboy Casserole

On By sarafillmerIn 30 minute meal, Entree

My son came home from school the other day with a Betty Crocker Bisquick cookbook he had checked out of the library.  This recipe is one of the ones we picked out together to try and I’m so glad we did. It was simple to prepare and incredibly hearty. If you don’t have Bisquick on hand you can use the prepared Pillsbury biscuits.

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 16 oz can baked beans
  • 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
  • 2 cups Original Bisquick mix
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Brown ground beef in a oven-proof skillet (I use my cast-iron one). Drain off the excess fat, then add in the beans and barbeque sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix the biscuit ingredients until a soft dough forms.  Drop by large spoonfuls on top of the meat mixture.  Bake for 15-20, or until brown.  Take out the skillet and sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, returning to the oven to melt the cheese. Serves 6.

*If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet you can transfer the meat mixture to a ungreased casserole dish and finish the dish in that.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast

I love, love, love this recipe.  It is so easy, and it is great to serve to a crowd.  One of the best things about Pioneer Woman’s recipes is that they make even the most daunting tasks (making gravy) very doable.  If it’s just my family of four I make a 1/2 batch of biscuits, but a full batch of gravy so I can freeze half of it to have later on down the road. Recipe and photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

Biscuits:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cubed
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Sausage Gravy

  • 1 lb breakfast sausage, hot or mild
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2-2 teaspoons black pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl.) Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl.) While pulsing (or stirring) drizzle in the buttermilk until dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly. Drop in clumps on two baking sheets, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: Brush with melted butter when biscuits first come out of the oven.)

With your finger, tear small pieces of sausage and add them in a single layer to a large heavy skillet. Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add a little more until just before the sausage looks too dry. Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!

Island Pork Tenderloin

On By sarafillmerIn Entree, Gluten-Free

The thing I loved most about this recipe was it only took about an hour, so you don’t have to prep it in the morning before leaving for work.  A lot of times with pork tenderloins they need to be cooked low and slow, but this recipe is just as flavorful, with a lot less time. Recipe and picture courtesy of littlebcooks.blogspot.com.

  • 2 lb. pork tenderloin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For Glaze:

  • 3/4 dark (or light ) brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco

Stir the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl and rub all over the pork.  Heat oil in ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Brown pork, turning occasionally, about 4-5 minutes total.  Remove from heat, but leave pork in skillet. Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl.  Pat the mixture on top of the pork.  Place skillet in the oven at 350.  Roast until thermometer inserted diagonally into the center of each tenderloin registers 140* degrees, about 20 minutes.  Let pork stand in skillet, loosely covered with foil for 10 minutes.

*Despite the USDA saying 140 degrees is the proper temp, it left the roast a little too pink for my tastes.  Next time I will get it to 150 at least.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

On By sarafillmerIn Appetizer, Gluten-Free

I first made this recipe for the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit.  It is great for a crowd and will please even the pickiest of eaters.

  • 1 1/4 lb chicken breast, cubed
  • 1 1/2 lb of thin sliced bacon
  • 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, chili powder and cumin. Mix well.  Clean and trim about 1 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Cut the bacon into thirds, roll around the chicken cubes and secure with a toothpick.  If making ahead, put in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Prep a jelly roll pan with aluminum and rack, then spray with PAM.  Roll the pieces in the brown sugar mixture, making sure to pack some in the ends.  Place on the rack.  Bake for about 35 mins, or until golden brown and the bacon is crispy.  You can then put them in a heavy dish and cover with foil, or keep them in a crockpot until ready to serve.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

On By sarafillmerIn Cookies, Dessert

These cookies are, in a word, amazing.  They are 10 times better than their grocery store counterparts because they are chewy, not crunchy.  You should really go make them right now; then give them all away because you will eat them all if left in your vicinity. Recipe and photo courtesy of motherthyme.com

Cookie:

  • 2 cups oatmeal
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar; packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • vanilla

Icing:

  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray or line your baking sheets and set aside.  Placed rolled oats in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds until coarse.  Mix oats with the rest of the dry ingredients.  Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugars.  Add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.  Gradually add in flour mixture until combined.  Roll dough into 2 tablespoon size balls and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown.  Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

After the cookies are completely cool, mix together your glaze ingredients and proceed to dip the tops of the cookies into the icing.  Let the glaze dry then store in an airtight container.