Cranberry-Three Pepper Jelly (Gluten-Free)

I must apologize for my extended absence. I blame my blog negligence on home improvement. For the past three months, various subcontractors have been taking apart and rebuilding our bedrooms and bathrooms. Month three was particularly messy, and although things are going well and looking very nice, my internet activity has taken a back seat. Hopefully, all will be finished in January.

There is a chill in the air, it's slightly overcast, and Thanksgiving is next Thursday! That means it's time to cook! The electricians and drywall guys have left for lunch, so I am free to plug my iPhone into the dock and cook to my favorite tunes. Today, I made jelly...

I found this delicious recipe in the November 2011 issue of Bon Appetit. The author said it was perfect for adding to turkey sandwiches. However, I found that it is EQUALLY as delicious poured over cream cheese and enjoyed on a gluten-free Glutino plain cracker. YUM!!!!!

So this little bit of goodness can be served two ways: as an appetizer over cream cheese (with crackers), and as the perfect complement to a turkey sandwich. It's the perfect mix of "tartness and fiery spice!"

Cranberry-Three Pepper Jelly
Ingredients:

3 Red Bell Peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 red jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (I was out of flakes, so I used a two generous "shakes" of cayenne)

1/2 salt

1/4 c. liquid pectin (I use Ball's, available at Central Market/HEB)

1 T. fresh lemon juice

3 cups of fresh cranberries (or frozen and thawed) -- I use fresh ones.

Directions:

Mix the first five ingredients together in a heavy, wide pot (I use 5-quart Le Creuset) over medium heat.

ingredients before heating 

Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then stir in the liquid pectin and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

After sugar dissolves, mixture looks like this

Stir in 3 cups of fresh cranberries and simmer until cranberries burst and juices thicken, about 10-15 minutes longer. 

Cranberries added along with liquid pectin and lemon juice

My favorite liquid pectin

Thickened mixture

on top of cream cheese on a cracker!

 Transfer jelly to a jar, let cool and then cover.

This will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Makes about 2-1/2 cups. 

Sunday Evening pizza night and October fun!

We had a very relaxing Sunday. Lots of lounging around and baking. We sure needed a down day after the last few weeks and Sunday delivered.

Pizza making is going to become a Sunday tradition in our house again. We used to do it all the time! Have no idea why we stopped. With all the craziness around here with kid activities and such,  we had started ordering take out pizza (blek) and there is just no comparison to homemade.

I usually make my own crust (it is VERY easy and so worth it) but I had bought some crusts from the Schwann man a week or so ago and decided to give them a try. Have you heard of the Schwann man? He drives his little yellow van around town selling all kinds of yumminess door to door. I have certain things I buy from him (the ice cream is heavenly) and from time to time he will tell me to try something new and I am always game for that. He swore by the pizza crusts so I bought a pack of two. I love the Schwann man. He always is right.


I made one traditional pepperoni and one veggie. Both were excellent, but the veggie one was over the top good. I used a good jar of pizza sauce (Mama Marys Gourmet from HEB), some fresh mozzarella balls, sun dried tomatoes in oil (these just MADE the pizza....make sure you get them in oil, or make your own by soaking dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil...mmmm) and thinly sliced mushrooms. It was excellent. The crusts were soooo good. Just like homemade. You put the toppings on while the dough is still frozen, then bake. They came out perfect and were just as good as my homemade crusts. The Scwann man came yesterday evening and I bought 2 more packages of crusts (2 crusts per package) @ $7 per package. Cheaper than ordering out any day!!















For desert we made pumpkin shaped spritz cookies and decorated them.

 I am sooo in the Fall/Halloween mode.  I have deserts planned out for this month and they will be so fun to make.  Every year I have good intentions about making October a family fun month, but daily life always seems to get in the way. I used to do all this with my two oldest when they were young, but somehow adding 2 more to the mix made things busier. Who woulda guessed. ;*) One thing I don't want to do is slack off and miss the blessings of making holidays a blast for the 2 little ones. So this year I have the cookie cutters out, the recipes and ingredients ready and we are enjoying the pleasures of Fall and the fun that Halloween can bring.

More to come.....

Easy Gluten-Free Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli with Mustard Seeds and Horseradish

It's Tuesday, and I am finally feeling back to normal. But last night, I was still too tired to stage a big production in the kitchen. So thank goodness for gluten-free pasta -- and broccoli, which is always on hand, and always easy to dress-up.

Start with some 100% corn pasta -- I used this fettucine by Sam Mills, available at Central Market/H.E.B.

 

Then  select the perfect jar of gluten-free pasta sauce. There are so many to choose from -- the HEB House Brand with Vodka is my favorite. But they were out of that, so I tried this Rao's Homemade with Vodka Sauce. It was delicious!! These jars provide plenty of sauce for four people. So double if you need to.

The last step is to saute slices of gluten-free chicken sausage. I like Pederson's Mild Italian chicken sausage. It is not only GF, but also low in fat and great tasting. Like the other items, I picked it up at Central Market. And I use one sausage per person, do double if you need to. 

After sautéing the sausage, I add it to the already warm pasta sauce. Then pour the whole thing over the noodles that have been put into pasta bowls -- easy to make and ready to serve!

The crowning touch on the meal requires a teensy bit of effort, but it is sooooo worth it!!

Broccoli with Mustard Seeds and Horseradish

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 med - large broccoli crowns with the florets cut off

3 Tablespoons of Brown Mustard Seeds

1/2 stick of butter

1 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of Prepared Horseradish

Steam the broccoli until it is cooked, but slightly crisp. Drain and pour broccoli into a large serving bowl. 

Then using a sauté saucepan (like mine by All-Clad) melt the butter and saute the mustard seeds until they begin to pop. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the horseradish and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then drizzle the sauce over broccoli and toss to coat. You will LOVE it, and my kids loved it, which is saying something! Horseradish is such a great addition to so many tasty dishes. 

 blurry broccoli!

The finished product. Eat well!

Best Gluten-Free Pimento Cheese

We love pimento cheese around our house. It's great on a stick of celery, between two slices of Udi's Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread, or open-faced on bread and toasted under the broiler. And the best thing about this recipe is how EASY it is to make. You won't buy the cheap stuff in the tub again! And this recipe lasts in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks!

Pam's Perfect Pimento Cheese

4 cups of freshly grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese**
1/2 Texas sweet onion (or Vidalia/New Mexico variety) grated
1/4 c. homemade mayonnaise (see my earlier post)
1 (4 oz.) jar of pimentos, drained and finely chopped
Dash of Tabasco
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper


Combine grated cheese, grated onion and pimentos in a bowl. Stir well. Add pimentos and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and you're ready to go!

**you MUST grate it yourself -- pre-grated cheese doesn't make creamy pimento cheese

Easy beef stir fry (gluten-free too!)

This is another busy week. Between football, birthdays and surf contests I found a night to make a quick, fresh meal.

I think the key to cooking with a packed schedule is planning. Make sure you have all your ingredients together way in advance (HA-haaaaahahahahahaha, oh how I slay me). I actually bought only the foods I would need for the week and did not freeze any of the meats. Eat fresh!!

This was very simple. I am trying to eat clean (she says as a hand full of candy corn goes in her mouth) so I didn't add too much the the beef and veggies to season them.

Don't raw veggies look yummy?! Chop some red pepper, savoy cabbage, and some cilantro.

Next, stir fry some beef strips in olive oil until brown. To this I added some Rice Wine vinegar, ginger, and some 5 spice oriental seasoning.  Oh, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. And salt. All to taste.

Then you should add in your longer cooking veggies. I added broccoli and sugar snap peas. Mmmmm. Cook until these veggies are crisp tender. 

Now add in some red peppers. Use your imagination on the veggies.  The more veggies the better for you!  When the red pepper is tender, toss in some Savoy cabbage.  Cook until wilted.

Top with cilantro.....be heavy handed here.  Cilantro is just so yummy and adds a punch of yumminess to everything.  Serve over a bed of rice noodles and enjoy!

**Sister Pam says that this dish is GLUTEN FREE!!! Just don't add any soy sauce to this lovely creation!

Kitchen Tip: Spinach without the Grit

Last night I made some delicious spinach -- with just a little butter. I had two bunches of organic spinach from last week's co-op delivery. And it looked beautiful! But, of course, dirt clung to the stems and leaves. This used to be daunting to me -- I've cooked one too many gritty spinach dishes. But no more! And with this cooking tip from the good doctor, yes my husband does know a thing or two in the kitchen,  I'll share my secret to no-grit spinach.

First, do a preliminary wash of your spinach. Cut the stems off and wash again. Now here comes the key part: get a large bowl -- I use a giant plastic tupperware bowl that I bought 20 years ago. Fill it with salted water -- I dump about 1/4 c. of salt per 3 to 4 quarts of water. Stir to dissolve the salt. Then submerge your spinach. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then gather the spinach with your hands and rinse in the sink. If you look in the bottom of the bowl, you'll see all the dirt bits on the bottom! Yay salt (which makes it do that). Now pour out the salted water (and dirt) and rinse the bowl.

We're not done yet. Repeat the process with the salt and water in the big bowl with that same bunch of spinach. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then rinse. Now you're ready to cook the spinach however you desire. No grit, not too much fuss. Bon Appetit!

Maker's Sweet Potatoes

I've dubbed this sweet potato dish "Maker's Sweet Potatoes." Here the "Maker" is God (Maker of all sweet potatoes), but also the whiskey that he inspired down yonder in Kentucky -- Maker's Mark (the jewel of all whiskeys). Can you tell I've jettisoned my wine in favor of the hard stuff?

Actually the recipe is taken from Virginia Willis' Bon Appetit Y'all. I think Virginia must be a cousin of mine from my granddaddy's Atlanta roots because I am severely in love with all of her recipes. It must be in the Atlanta blood -- like Coca-Cola. 

I served these along with the Swiss chard on the previous post and some of that great grass-fed ribeye from the co-op. I also made a killer horseradish sauce to serve on the beef. That recipe might show up tomorrow!

NOTE: These are so good that double portions can be made for dessert!! And my non-bourbon loving kids loved them. 

Virginia Willis' Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter

4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup bourbon (Maker's Mark is gluten free!!)

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Make it!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. I used my Le Creuset oval casserole dish. Arrange the slices of sweet potato around the casserole. Season with salt and pepper. 

In a large sauce pan, combine the sugar, 4 tablespoons of butter, bourbon, and syrup and bring to a boil. Use a LARGE sauce pan because I used a small All-Clad saucepan, and I had FLAMBÉ going on when the mixture came to a boil. Not clever. So use a big and deep pan. As soon as the sauce is boiling, pour it over the sweet potatoes. 

Bake the casserole, basting and turning the potatoes occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. This should take about 60 minutes (even in my convection oven). Adjust your seasonings and eat it up!!

 Cheers! It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

The finished product -- definitely a bit of heaven!!