Sweet Red Holiday Cranberry Sauce

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

Christmas 

is approaching quickly.  I made this cranberry sauce to go with the 

Roasted Crown Loin of Pork that we will be serving over the holidays.  It will keep well in the refrigerator in a container until it is ready to serve for one of our holiday meals.  It is festive, healthy, and delicious.

We served this at Thanksgiving with our traditional turkey.  It makes a great accompaniment to most entrees.

Crown Loin of Pork

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sweet red wine
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1- 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed

(recipe found on line at finecooking.com)

Printable Version of Recipe:  Sweet Red Holiday Cranberry Sauce PDF

Gather the ingredients.

In a medium sauce pan pour in white sugar.

Add 3/4 cup sweet red wine.

Zest orange and measure 1 teaspoon.

Add 1 whole cinnamon stick.

Bring to a slight boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer just until the sugar dissolves.

Add the rinsed and drained, fresh cranberries and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
You will hear popping noises from the cranberries, don't worry, they are singing to you.

When the sauce has thickened slightly, remove from the heat.
Cool to room temperature.  Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator  and chill.

Enjoy!

Why eat cranberries?

Cranberries - a traditional holiday side dish in North America - are more than just a tart and tasty meal accompaniment. A rich source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, cranberries are packed with healthy antioxidants and are used traditionally to help prevent urinary tract infections. Recent studies have also linked consumption of cranberries and cranberry juice with healthy cholesterol levels, improved gastrointestinal health, and the prevention of kidney stones - all good reasons to increase your intake no matter what the season.
Fresh cranberries provide the most antioxidants and are in season from October through December. When purchasing fresh cranberries, look for those that are a deep red color and firm to the touch. They can be used in a variety of ways, including in breads and muffins or as a cold or warm relish.
(from drweilblog.com)

Our Christmas Dinner 2012

My grandsons visiting Christmas 2012.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Serrano Poblano Chili Con Carne

Serrano Poblano Chili

This is a chili that will satisfy a man's hunger, but is still figure-friendly for females. This chili is fast and easy to fix and tastes like it has been simmering on the back burner of the stove all day.  It will taste great coming inside from the chilly days of winter and will warm you up.

Ingredients:

• 1- lb.  Ground beef
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano pepper (seeded)
• 1 poblano pepper (seeded)
• 3 Tbsp. chili pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1-14.25 oz. can beef broth
• 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1-15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

This recipe is a version of the Serrano Chili in The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook.

Printable Version of Recipe: Serrano Poblano Chili PDF

Gather the ingredients.

Prepare the vegetables by dicing them into uniform pieces.

The serrano pepper  is a type of chili pepper that originated in the mountainous regions of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hildago. The name of the pepper is a reference to the mountains (sierras) of these regions.

Their flavor is crisp, bright, and biting, notably hotter than the jalapeno pepper and they are typically eaten raw. Serrano peppers are also commonly used in making pico de gallo It is also commonly used in making salsa, as the chili is particularly fleshy compared to others, making it ideal for such dishes.
It is one of the most used chili peppers in Mexico.

Serrano Pepper





The poblano is a mild chili pepper originating in the state of Puebla, Mexico.. Dried, it is called a chile ancho ("wide chile"). The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably, they can have significant heat. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity.
(from Wikipedia.com)

Add vegetables to ground beef  in frying pan.

Season with chili powder.

Add one of the two secret ingredients... 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and saute 1 minute.
Cinnamon is a nod to the dish's Mexican heritage.

Add the broth.

Add the tomatoes.

Reduce heat to medium.  Partially cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chili is thick. 

Drain and rinse beans.

Stir in beans and salt.

Add the second secret ingredient... 1 tsp. cocoa powder.
Chocolate is a key ingredient in Mexican moles.  The cocoa adds a
certain richness to the dish.

Add 2 tbsp. of fresh cilantro. 

Stir and cook until flavors are blended. 

If you are not serving this immediately, you can keep warm in a crock pot.
It just gets better the longer it is cooked.

The History of Chilli con Carne

The name "chili con carne" is a variation of the Spanish chile con carne, which means "peppers with meat." Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants.

Some say that chili was invented in Mexico during the 1840's, possibly in Chihuahua, as a complimentary dish served at cantinas for outsiders, who wanted something spicy and cheap. Others contend it was born in Ensenada, Mexico in the 1880's as a way of stretching available meat in the kitchens of poor Tejanos. Many Texans maintain that it was the invention of Texas cowhands who ate it by the bucketful as the drove their herds across the plains. The most imaginative origin traces its roots back to pre-Columbian Aztec chefs.

What is known for a fact is that in the 1880's, colorfully-dressed Hispanic women called "Chili Queens" began to operate around Military Plaza and other high traffic public places in downtown San Antonio, Texas, where they would reheat cast iron pots of pre-cooked chili and sell it by the bowl.

Sanitation laws in the late 30's shut down the Chili Queens, but not the public appetite for this tasty Western dish. Chili parlors opened by hundreds. These small, family-run chili joints spread from Texas to the rest of the USA, and became a part of the pre-WWII American landscape.

Regional variations add a certain level of enjoyment for chili lovers. Traditional Texas style chili is thick and uses few to no vegetables. New Mexico chili is famed for it's thinner consistency and the use of green rather than red chili peppers. 

(from squidoo.com)

Enjoy!

Doug's Apple Dumplings

This is Doug's Apple Dumpling recipe he has been making on and off for fifteen years.

The recipe comes from the Kitchen-Klatter Cookbook that his Mom gave him and each of his siblings in the 1970's.  Use this Apple Dumpling recipe with the previous blog, Doug's Perfect Pie Dough. 

You will love the results.

Favorite Apple Dumplings

Dough: Use the Perfect Pie Dough Recipe PDF
or click here blog.

Filling:

• 8 apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 tsp. butter or margarine

Syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1/4 tsp lemon flavoring

Printable Version of Recipe:  Favorite Apple Dumplings PDF

Kitchen-Klatter Cookbook.

Use Doug's Perfect Pie Dough from previous blog.   

Divide pie dough into quarters.

Roll out each quarter.

Doug prefers using Braeburn apples because they hold up well 
when baking and have a  good flavor.

Braeburn Apples are one of the most popular eating apples, and are wonderful when baked. Braeburns are sweet with a hint of tart, and a firmness that stores well. These traits plus the fact that they bake well have made them a very versatile apple.

Peel and core the apples and lay one on each square.  Fill the cavity with sugar and cinnamon.  Pinch opposite sides of dough together, sealing well.  Place a chunk of butter or margarine on top of each dumpling.  Place in a buttered baking dish, leaving about 2 inches between dumplings.

Then make the syrup by combining all the ingredients and boil up the syrup for a few minutes and pour around the dumplings.  Bake in a 450 degree oven until light brown and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes longer.  

A little apple trivia while you are waiting for the dumplings to cook.

Apple Tips & Trivia

• Braeburn Apples are thought to be a cross between Granny Smith and Lady Hamilton.
• Braeburn Apples are named after the orchard where they were first grown commercially.
• Rub cut apples with lemon juice to keep slices and wedges creamy white for hours.
• Apples are the second most important of all fruits sold in the supermarket, ranking next to bananas.
• The history of apple consumption dates from Stone Age cultivation in areas we now know as Austria and Switzerland.
• In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage; catching it was acceptance.
• Folk hero Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) did indeed spread the cultivation of apples in the United States. He knew enough about apples, however, so that he did not distribute seeds, because apples do not grow true from seeds. Instead, he established nurseries in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
• from produceoasis.com

We served this warm with Caramel Praline Vanilla Ice Cream.

Enjoy!

from Mahalo.com
National Apple Dumpling day is an unofficial food holiday observed in the United States on September 17 of each year. The day celebrates the food item it is named for. Apple dumplings are fruit desserts.

These dessert items are made from an entire apple which is cored, has butter and sugar added and is wrapped in dumpling dough before baking with a syrup. Apple dumplings may have additional flavorings added like rum or vanilla. The dumpling may be made from scratch or from purchased dough. The apple dumpling is the subject of a festival each year in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania.

National Apple Dumpling Day History

Dumplings are first mentioned in print documentation in the 17th century. These ancient food items were found in many cultures and included grains, vegetables, and fruit. Dumplings in ancient days were steamed, fried, and boiled depending on the food item and the culture. Dumplings range from small bits of dough like gnocchi to finger noodles like spatzle. In Europe, larger dumplings were made using local seasonings. Dumpling mixtures varied using flours, cereals, stale breads, potatoes or cheeses.  There is no documented mention of the evolution of the dumplings to the current day baked apple dumpling.

 This dessert is the perfect ending for your Thanksgiving dinner!