Italian Roast Beef

It's time to get away from the turkey and leftovers and on to something different.  This is a delicious way to make a roast and you can either make it in the oven or crock pot.  If you do not have red wine to use in the pan, you can substitute red cooking wine, just don't use any salt in the rub or double the beef broth.

Italian Roast Beef

3# roast beef, I used a sirloin roast

1/2 small onion, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

Combine all the spices in a small bowl and rub them on the roast.  Place the roast in the bottom of your crock pot and pour the broth and wine around the edges.  Cover and cook over medium for 6 hours.  Let rest 10 minutes before slicing on a plate.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'd like to wish everyone celebrating today a very happy Thanksgiving full of good food and time spent with those who mean the most to you.

Michele

Sparkling Cranberry Dessert

Lots of layers to this cranberry dessert and they all combine to make a delicious bite. It's not overly sweet...just right for the holiday season.  I saw this recipe on the Taste of Home website and tweaked it by using my own graham crust recipe and the addition of sparkling water to the Jello layer.

Sparkling Cranberry Dessert

Bottom layer ~

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix together and press in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Second layer ~

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

8 oz Cool Whip

Mix together and spread evenly over the bottom layer.  Return to the refrigerator.

Mix together ~

1 1/2 cups hot water

2 - 3 oz packages of cranberry Jello

Stir until completely dissolved.  Add in 1 - 14 oz can of whole cranberries and 1 1/2 cups of sparkling water.  Put in refrigerator for one hour and then pour over the second layer.  Return to the refrigerator for 4 hours before cutting into squares.  Top with the remaining whipped cream.

Pumpkin Biscotti

I woke up feeling ambitious this morning.  After reading the news, I had a choice - craft, read or cook.  I had some pumpkin that I had baked this fall and froze in small packets so I grabbed one of those and thawed it in warm water.  Plus it was chilly outside (18) so warming up the kitchen was a nice start to whatever happens next.

Pumpkin Biscotti

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl ~

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Add in ~

1/2 cup pumpkin
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

This mixture will seem really dry at first.  Walk away, start the oven, grease the pan...the pumpkin will gradually work it's way and moisten the flour mixture.  When the flour is all incorporated, shape into a log shape - about 12" long and 3-4" wide, 1" high.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.  Cut at a diagonal in 1/2" slices.  Place back on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 300°.  Turn biscotti over and bake another 10 minutes.  Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Potato Chip Chicken

This is an fast meal to put together on a busy work/school night and a good way to use up an open bag of potato chips.  I had gotten a free bag from the grocery store and it wasn't my usual brand.  I found these to be way too salty so I wanted to find a way to use them up.  Of course, Sunday rolled around and I had chicken to make for dinner so I combined the two.  The chicken stays very moist thanks to the sour cream and chip coating.

Potato Chip Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp parsley

3 cups ripple potato chips, crushed

Combine all of the spices together in a small bowl.  Rub each chicken breast with sour cream on both sides.  Sprinkle the spice mixture, also on both sides and then roll in the crushed potato chips.  Place in a non-stick foil lined pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350°.  

Cinnamon Cranberry Butter

Give me a bag of cranberries and I'm going to make sure I find a way to use it all.  This recipe is easy to make and a nice added touch to serve on your holiday table.  It also is great on a turkey sandwich for the leftovers you'll have to contend with.  And you can whip this up in your food processor so very little handwork.

Cinnamon Cranberry Butter

1/4 cup frozen cranberries, chopped

1 stick butter, softened

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Chop the cranberries in your food processor.  Add in the remaining ingredients and combine until completely mixed.  Refrigerate in an airtight container.  Take out of the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Cranberry Lemon Bread

Cranberry and lemon flavors mingle together in this easy to make quick bread.  Normally I use orange and cranberry together, but I wanted to try using lemon this time and I was really pleased on how well they blend together.  Chopping the frozen cranberries was quick and mess-free using a food processor. 

Cranberry Lemon Bread

1 cup frozen cranberries, chopped

3/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp lemon extract

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix together cranberries, sugar, oil, eggs, milk, lemon extract and zest.  Add in dry ingredients and pour into a greased loaf pan or 3 small pans.  Bake for 50-60 minutes for a large bread or 40-45 minutes for 3 smaller ones at 350°.  Let cool for 10 minutes before turning out and placing on a cooling rack.  Icing is optional ~

Icing ~

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Drizzle over the top of the cooled bread and let sit until it hardens.

Sour Cream & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes are one of those easy sides that everyone loves.  I was making baked chicken breasts that weren’t going to have gravy so I decided to make a potato that would stand on its own.  It’s an easy variation to the mashed potatoes you normally make.  Just reduce the amount of milk and add in the sour cream and cheeses.  I opted for  cheddar to create a nice color.  

Sour Cream & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

2 ½# red potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½” thick slices

2 tbsp butter

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup milk

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp chives

Boil the potatoes in a salted water.  When fork tender, drain and mashed together with the butter.  Add in the sour cream and milk.  Fold in the cheese and stir until melted.  Season to taste.  Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle chives on top.

Caramel Apple Dip and Cinnamon Dippers

This is a versatile dip that can be served warm or cold.  I do recommend making the dippers fresh to go with them.   I originally intended on making these for Halloween and using cutters of cats and ghosts for the dipper but I’m running a little behind so I went with fall leaves.  You can make these for any season or event since apples are always in the market. 

 

Caramel Apple Dip

3 lbs apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup honey
11 oz caramels

Put chopped apples into a crockpot with the lemon juice.  Cook until apples are tender. Puree apples in a food mill or just simply mash with a spoon.  Add in caramels and stir well.


Cinnamon Tortilla Dippers

8 small Flour tortillas
3 tbsp butter melted
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cut flour tortillas into desired shapes.  Brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Bake for 5 minutes at 325°.

Sweet Potato Bread

I always keep an abundance of fall vegetables on hand since they are my favorites.  I had a couple sweet potatoes and some buttermilk in the refrigerator that needed to be used and this is what I created.  It's very moist and dense and has all the spice flavors of Fall.  You can even see the orange flecks of sweet potato in every slice.

Sweet Potato Bread

2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1 3/4 cups flour

Microwave the sweet potatoes (remember to poke with a fork a few times) until completely baked.  Allow to cool completely.  In a medium bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, oil, buttermilk and eggs.  Stir in the sugars, baking soda and spices.  Gradually fold in the flour.  Spread out evenly in a greased loaf pan.  Bake for 70 minutes (it's dense so it takes awhile) at 350°.  Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out and placing on a cooling rack.

Kentucky Hot Brown Pizza

I’ve been fascinated by this sandwich ever since I saw it on a Bobby Flay throw down.  Since I had made a small turkey breast and had some leftovers, I decided to incorporate it into a pizza instead of a sandwich.  There’s still the dough, it’s just spread out instead of stacked and it doesn’t take long to make it but you can buy a ready made dough too.

From now until Thanksgiving, I'm going to be making different recipes using Thanksgiving ingredients but in a non-traditional way.  My cranberries will not be in a sauce, sweet potatoes not covered with marshmallows...you get the idea.  This is how I'll be using leftover turkey because it's that good.

 

Kentucky Hot Brown Pizza

Toppings –

1 ½ cups turkey breast, cooked and diced

3 thick slices of bacon, cut into 1” pieces, cooked and drained

2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced

1 ½ cups Pizza cheese

1 tsp parsley

Dough –

1 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water

Mix sugar and yeast into the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp sea salt.  Slowly mix in water.  Mix together (using your hands works best) until it forms a ball.  Knead for a couple minutes on a lightly floured surface and return to the bowl and rub 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil on top.  Cover with a towel and let rest for about 45 minutes.

 

Sauce –

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1/3 cup Romano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Stir in flour and allow to cook for a minute.  Gradually stir in milk ¼ cup at a time, allowing to thicken after each time.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese and spices.

 

Spread out the dough to your desired shape.  Spread the sauce on top.  Sprinkle the turkey, tomato and bacon pieces over the sauce.  Top with the pizza cheese and then sprinkle the parsley on top.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Apple Cider Glazed Chicken

This is an easy and spicy meal.  Perfect to start off on a Sunday morning before the football games begin in the crock pot and then all you have to do is make the glaze and sides and you have dinner.  

Apple Cider Glazed Chicken

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix the brown sugar and spices in a bowl or on a plate.  Rub the chicken pieces with the mixture and place in your crock pot.  Cook over medium heat for 5 hours.  Make the glaze and brush it on 15 minutes before serving.

Apple Cider Glaze

3/4 cup apple cider

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp salt

Cook in a small saucepan until completely heated and brush on your chicken.  Save some for dipping.