Spiced Cranberries

Thanksgiving is getting close, one of my favorite parts is the cranberries. My house was a can house growing up, but I like the real stuff. I have experimented with cranberries quite a bit. Last year I shared a spicy southwest cranberry sauce, this year I am sharing a spiced cranberry sauce. Spiced cranberries have a similar flavor to ginger cookies. The pomegranate juice is a nice touch, if you don't have any pomegranate you can use another juice.
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries (readily available during the holidays)
1/2 cup pomegranate, apple, or cranberry juice
¾ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated citrus rind (lemon, tangerine or orange)
also juice the citrus fruit you use and add that to the fruit juice you decide to use
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Mix the cranberries and juices together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries start to pop and juice is boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and juices thicken, about 25 minutes. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Stir in citrus rind and spices.

This will keep in the refrigerator for a month. Serve at dinner as a side dish or my favorite on a turkey sandwich.
If you like the spiced cranberries try spiced caramel fondue.

How to Dress Green Beans Up

I was at my Safeway and these pre-packaged green beans were on sale. They are already trimmed, washed and you can cook them in the microwave right in the bag. I figured they were worth a shot. I cooked them up to go along with the Salmon we were eating for dinner. At our house typically I eat all the veggies with our dinner and I force Matt to eat a bite. I was determined that he was going to eat these so I dressed them up. Here is how I did it.

Cook the green beans. Put them in a medium size serving bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a shake of Cavender's and 2 tablespoons of feta. Toss all ingredients and hope your husband will eat his veggies. For the record Matt ate 3 bites which is an improvement.

Pot Roast in the Crock Pot

When the weather turns cooler, well its in the mid 60s here, I like to make heartier meals in my crock pot. If you don't have a crock pot this is a great time of year to get one. Most stores have sales on them before the holidays. You can buy the one pictured for $20 at Kohl's. You really don't need a fancy one either, I have made many great meals in my crock pot, which was the one my parents had when they were first married. Making a pot roast is a great traditional Sunday dinner but you won't be trapped in the kitchen, this can cook while you are still at work. You can vary the vegetables depending on what you like. I add extra carrots, since they are my favorite in a roast!

1 yellow onion or 4 cippolini onions , chopped 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound turnips chopped 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1 cup tomato sauce 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 fresh rosemary sprigs (we have lots of rosemary around, if you don't use thyme or a teaspoon of Italian Herbs) 1 bay leaf 1 beef rump roast, 3 to 4 lb. (Try to trim away the extra fat, pot roast doesn't have to be fatty) Shake of Cavender's 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Place in your crock pot all the vegetables, tomato sauce, garlic, Cavender's, rosemary and bay leaf, stir it. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Brown the roast on all sides, about a minute per side. Place the roast in your crock pot, cover and cook on high for 6 hours, if you will be at work longer just lower the heat a little. Rump roast is a tough cut, so the longer you cook it the more tender it will be. Take the roast out to carve it when you are ready to eat, let it stand a few minutes before you carve it. Scoop out the vegetables to serve with the roast. Don't forget to throw away the bay leaf. You can use the extra sauce as a gravy.
Jason our favorite wine blogger has offered a pairing to have with this dish:
Well comfort food calls for comfort wine. What's yours? Mine is Zinfandel. In particular for me something from Sausal like this Cellar Cats Red Zinfandel which is made from 50-90 year old vines and cost $12. Unfortunately I think it is only available at the winery. No worries, just grab the comfort wine of your choice and enjoy!
Jason, my comfort wine is Red Zin too, I like Ravenswood or Gnarly Vine from Lodi.

Delicious Fall Candles

I love having Delicious smelling candles in my kitchen. (After you chop an onion you might need one!) I recently got some Pacifica Candles and they are amazing! The candles are hand poured so they burn perfectly level, you won't get that flame crater in the center. All the fragrances are from natural oils so they are not perfumey. The wicks are lead free for a clean burn. With the holidays coming up I might need to stock up on a stash of these lovelies to have for hostess gifts! So my favorite scents?

The Tibetan Mountain Temple smells like ginger bread cookies! Perfect except your husband will think you made sweets. Tuscan Blood Orange is a fresh and feminine scent, according to some the smell of Blood Oranges is an aphrodisiac, perhaps perfect for a quiet dinner at home with your beau? Mediterranean Fig smells like a perfect fall day with its crisp sandalwood notes and delicious fig. This scent is so likable, I would pick this us if someone invited me to dinner as a little gift. Finally Nerola Orange Blossom smells like winter at home to me. Since I live in Arizona the citrus trees have blossoms at Christmas. The smell is intoxicating, it just smells dreamy! My sweet neighbor will often offer me a branch of her orange blossoms for a vase in my house since she knows I love the smell. Now I can have it year round!

Thai Green Curry

I have had a recipe for Thai Green Curry for a long time, I typically make it with cilantro, but after my trip to the farmer's market I had some Thai Basil. (According to CuisineNet, Thai basil is a lighter green than European basil. It has a lemony aroma and slightly spicy flavor and is used in salads in Thailand.) So with my Thai Basil, I was all set to make this curry dish. It is very spicy so adjust the curry and jalapenos to your tolerance of spice. Be sure when you saute the curry and pepper that you open a window, the fumes are potent but the end result is worth it!

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Thai Green Curry Paste (you can adjust depending on how hot you like it, this is as hot as Matt can take!)

2 carrots sliced (I have this great crinkle cutter from Pampered Chef, when you go to a party you have to get something)

1 jalapeno sliced in small pieces (remove the seeds)

1 large chicken breast (boneless skinless) cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 pound large raw shrimp peeled and deveined

14 ounces lite coconut milk

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup chopped Thai Basil (use cilantro if you don't have Thai Basil)

3 Green Onions sliced thin (green and white parts)

1 15 ounce can baby corn

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add curry paste, jalapeno and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken and saute until cooked. Add carrot saute briefly, add coconut milk, broth, fish sauce and lime juice to skillet, simmer, stirring occasionally, it will start to thicken. (About 5 minutes) Add shrimp, basil, green onion and corn. Simmer 2 - 5 more minutes until the shrimp are cooked. (Not to long the shrimp can get tough) Serve over rice. We like Basmati rice. I thought Jason would be excited we were done with the sweets. I was right:

yum, Thai Green Curry! Finally Halloween is over and we can get back to wine pairing...The spicier the better to pair it with this Dr. Beckermann Riesling Spatlese. A perfect match! If you don't like Riesling grab this Gewurzt.

Election Day

I have long be coveting the Ottimista/Pessimista glasses from Sur la Table. (For the record I am an Ottimista) Sur la Table has a political glass perfect no matter who you are voting for today, show your party love with these liberal/conservative wine and beer glasses! These cheeky pint glasses are perfect for your election night soirees. Conservatives can soberly monitor their half-full glasses, while liberals let it flow! and really, the drinking game options are endless. Just remember…liberal consumption makes for loose tongues! Have fun watching the numbers come in!

Mexican Baked Fish

Today is our first wedding anniversary, Matt and I have been together for 3 1/2 years, I can't imagine not being with him. We are so happy, and I love being his wife. I still love cooking for him and I think most people if they thought of cooking as feeding their loved ones would love it too. We are going to Cozumel later this month to celebrate and spend time with my family, I was thinking of all the delicious fish at the resort. Most people think of Mexican food as taco, enchiladas and burritos, while those are amazing, the Mexican seafood is wonderful. Here is a simple fish that you can bake for the one you love.

1/3 cup sour cream (go for low fat not fat free)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chipolte chili powder (I love Penzey's)

1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 pound orange roughy, red snapper, cod or grouper fillets (any mild white fish)
1 1/4 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 tablespoons butter

Combine sour cream, lime juice, cumin and chipolte chili powder. Dip fillets in this mixture and dredge in tortilla chips, coating well. Place fillets in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with rice, beans and a salad. You could make a chipolte aioli if you like. And now a wine pairing from our friend Jason:

Darn, to bad I didn't know ahead of time I could have sent you a bottle to celebrate. From Trader Joe's I would have to recommend the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc. If you can find it I think this Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc would be a great match as well. A lot tangier than the Geyser Peak. Enjoy!