Put the Can Opener Down!

That's right...put down the can opener!  Put the canned cranberry sauce back on the shelf to be used another day and step up to the best homemade cranberry sauce EVER.  Yes...even if you are reading this blog late Wednesday evening, you can make this recipe and amaze family and friends! 

In fact, this might be the first year at my house that the cranberry sauce is the star! 

And it is so easy it would be a crime to serve it out of the can this year.  I'd even wager that it is just as fast to throw this together as it is to wrestle with that can. 

These sauce variations are all slow cooked, so once you get them in the cooker, just go about all the other kitchen tasks ~ or house cleaning ~ or even last minute shopping if needed.  It is that easy and care free. 

All three of these recipes start with 3 basic ingredients:

• 10-12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup orange juice

All of this goes into a slow cooker that has been set on high. 

Then add any one, some, or all of the following ingredients:

• 12 kumquats, thinly sliced
• 4-6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 oz (1/4 cup) crystalized ginger, chopped
• 1 Homemade Gourmet Spiced Dip Mix (brown sugar and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg)

You can combine as many of these flavors as you like.  Here were my three favorites:

4 apples with 1 Homemade Gourmet Spiced Dip Mix

12 Kumquats with 1 Homemade Gourmet Spiced Dip Mix

2 oz of crystalized ginger (THIS WAS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE OF THEM ALL!)

I've never worked with crystalized ginger before, but I now have a new favorite indgredient! Can't wait to see what else I can do with this.  In fact, I think that I will pair this with the kumquats for our Christmas Cranberry sauce.  For the sauce, you need to chop it up...like this:

Once you have all of your ingredients in the slow cooker, just cover and let is simmer for 2 hours on high.  At that point, mash it a bit to break up the cranberries.  If apples was one of your ingredients, you will want to mash them up as well.  Chunky is good though.  No need to get them mashed completely. 

You can serve any of these sauces warm...DEEEEEElish!  Or, make them ahead and chill till ready to serve.  Just as fantastic chilled as it is warm.  The sauce will thicken up as it sits or chills. 

I cannot stress enough how much you need to do this!  It is fast and it is fabulous. 

You can do this! 

Run to the store right now, get the simple list of ingredients and do this.  Then come back and tell me how you the sauces were the star of the day!

Today I am hooking up to the following blogs to share even more recipe ideas. 

Hop over and hop around and enjoy!!

Tasty Tuesdays
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Crock Pot Wednesday

God Bless this Meal and the Hands that Prepare It,

DON'T FORGET...you ARE INVITED to some fun parties in December!

Every Tuesday...SHARE THE LOVIN' FROM THE OVEN! ~Virtual Cookie Exchange.  We'll link up and share cookie recipes.  Pick your favorites and schedule a day of baking for all of your Christmas parties, pot lucks and presents.  I'll add a post to my Tips page for making a baking day fast and easy!

On Thursdays...Gifts from the Heart ~ of the kitchen that is!  We'll link up and share homemade gift giving ideas.  Times are tight, but a homemade gift from the kitchen can be as good as gold!  I'll pass along my Grandmother's Pickling Spice recipe (suuuuuuper easy and suuuuuper delicious) as well as flavored instant cappuccino and cocoa mixes.  You share yours too and we'll all have a Very Merry Christmas! 

Shake, Shake, Shake / Shake, Shake, Shake...Shake Your Butter. Shake Your Butter!

So did you sing the tune when you read the title?  *grin*

Seriously though...as the day of Thanksgiving approaches, menus are being finalized and the finishing touches are being done to recipe selections.  You may even be planning the details down to place settings and center pieces.  How about the butter?  Have you thought about the butter for the fresh baked rolls or for topping the mashed potatoes? 

May I suggest you let the kids pitch in?  In fact, keep the kids busy making butter while you are running around the kitchen with dishes coming in and out of the oven in various stages of being done.

THIS IS REALLY FUN!

The kids can make fresh butter with these simple ingredients:

Some heavy cream and a container with a screw top lid! 

Put some heavy cream into the jar of your choice.  How much is up to you, but fill the jar no more than half way.  You need the head space to get the friction when shaking. 

I have put 1 cup in this 3 cup container.  I screwed the top very tightly and started shaking.  Actually, I took it to son #4 to shake while I did some baking in the kitchen (I'll show you that recipe shortly!)  I have no photo of him shaking because he INSISTED he not be photographed!  But he actually shook and shook and shook in between rounds of video games.  You see, you can't mess this up.  You can shake and break all you want.  Eventually it turns to butter! 

A few things to know:

• Needs to be a screw top cause snap tops will come off (trust me!)
• Shakers will inevitably decide it is NEVER going to turn into butter.  This is a good sign that it is about to turn!
• Just before it turns into butter, it will turn into whipped cream!  The shakers will insist that nothing is happening, that it is so thick it isn't moving around in the container.  Assure them it is and to not give up (great life lesson there!)
• Soon after it turns to whipped cream your shakers will suddenly see that the contents have changed.  There will be a lump in the container surrounded by a creamy liquid.  Butter is ready! 

Looks like this:

Just strain it...(sorry for the fuzzy pic)

and it is now ready to be put in a dish to serve immediately or chilled to serve later. 

You can also season it at this time.  A little salt is nice, but even better is an HERB BUTTER! 

I've done 2 versions here:

You can use any combination of herbs and spices you like, but I have used Homemade Gourmet Garlic Basil seasoning in one and Garlic Parmesan Dipping Mix in the other.  They are fantastic!  In fact, I spread some on slices of French bread later that day...

Then threw them under the broiler.  While they were toasting, I melted some of the other flavored butter and served it as a dipping sauce with our asparagus for dinner.

It was all fabulous...and the seasoned butter made it so easy and elegant! 

You really need to let your kids do this.  From the littlest to the oldest, they really do get a kick out of it.  My sons are older now, but we've done this for years. Today they had a friend over who took on the task of making the second batch of butter.  He is almost 20 years old and got the biggest kick out of the result (and yes...he too came to me when it reached the whipped stage and said it wouldn't shake anymore.  I sent him back to shake some more!)

Of course, you can make seasoned butter without the shaking; so if are excited about the idea of herb spiced butter on your Thanksgiving table but not so jazzed about the shaking, just soften a stick butter and whip it with your choice of herbs and spices.

I actually whipped this butter up with some brown sugar and spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg (the actual ingredients were 1 stick softened butter and 1 Homemade Gourmet Spiced Dip Mix).  Just whip and serve or chill. 

This is wonderful on cornbread, pancakes, waffles, french toast or for special muffins you might serve Thanksgiving morning.  It's even a fun way to make cinnamon toast!  My kids love this and we keep some in the fridge quite often.

Remember those muffins I refered to earlier? As they were coming out of the oven, son #3 came walking in the door from a long day of working at the local Christmas Tree farm.  He was STARVING and proceeded to consume a large number of these muffins covered with the spiced butter...

He couldn't even wait to take a shower and wash off the tree sap from loading all those Christmas trees!

Would you like the recipe for those muffins he was lovin'? I didnt' tell him, but they were actually quite healthy, filled with things like oatmeal and wheat germ and made with applesauce instead of eggs and butter.  Here ya go...

Set out the ingredients first:

• 
  
  Start with a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies.  I've used Homemade Gourmet's Awesome Oatmeal Cookie Mix, cause I personally think it is the best *wink*, but you can probably make this work with any Oatmeal Cookie recipe that will make 3 dozen cookies.  It needs to be filled with spices though...to make them 'Awesome!'.  You just need the dry ingredients ~ we will add these other ingredients to it:
  
  
  
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Now that you have all the ingredients...just dump them into a bowl and stir!

When blended, fill mini muffin tins with 1 tablespoon scoops of the batter:

and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Let cool (if you can wait that long!) and serve, with or without the spiced butter! 

For those that are counting...each muffin has only 1GRAM OF FAT!  They also have 1 gram of fiber each and are just 80 calories.  So ENJOY!

So will you and the kids be shaking things up at your Thanksgiving dinner?  What else do you do to get the kids involved with Thanksgiving traditions?  Leave a comment and if you have a great post...do share the link in your comment!

God Bless this Meal and the Hands that Prepare It,

COMING SOON and YOU ARE INVITED!
I wanted to give you a heads up that starting next week I am going to host a couple of parties!  One is a 'virtual cookie exchange' and the other a 'gifts from the heart...of the kitchen' party. 

I will confess though...I am a little nervous.  I mean, what if I throw a party and no one comes!  Will you come? 

• For the cookie exchange, I'll post cookie recipes that I love and you can leave a comment with your recipes OR you can leave a link to your blog where you have a recipe posted as well. I'll also share my organizing tips and ideas for making a day of baking easy and fun for you and the family.
• For the gifts from the heart of the kitchen party, I'll share gift ideas I make from my kitchen including some of my favorite homemade mixes for cocoa and pancakes. There is even a pickling spice mix my Grandmother taught me that makes the best gift idea.  All coming in December...so please come by and join in the party by sharing your ideas as well. 

UPDATE...
Just found a great blog with ideas for getting kids engaged for Thanksgiving.  Check out The Classic Housewife and play along!

I'm Full and the Holiday Feasting is Just Beginning

Today is a Fill Your Freezer Friday.  And this time of year is when I really depend on a freezer full of easy meals for my family. 

These are the meals I turn to between the flurry of parties, events and long days filled with chaotic schedules. 

These are the meals that let me enjoy time around the table with my family even when my 'to do' list is pressing in on my thoughts. 

These are the meals that are fast and fabulous without the fuss!

So do you want "these meals" in your freezer?  No problem.  It's easy.  Let me show you...

First, line up the ingredients.  This lets you fill your freezer with 4 meals in 4 minutes. 

Today I filled my freezer with the following four meals:

1. Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken
2. Spiced Cranberry Pork Chops
3. Chipotle Raspberry Pork Loin
4. Beef Burgundy

They will be great for the family but also offer some variety for last minute dinner guests. 

Let me show you how easy this is with the Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken.  Label a gallon sized freezer bag with the name as well as the date.  (ok...so I didn't do as I said.  There is no date on this bag, but I am 100% sure I am going to consume this in the next 30 days, so I'm good!)

Into the bag put your seasoning.  For this recipe we are using 1 Homemade Gourmet Jalapeno Ole Soup Mix:

To that we add the liquid.  For this recipe it is 1 can diced tomatoes:

Now the next part is crucial to the success of the freezer meal recipe.  This is a cooking method that I went to school years ago to learn and perfect...

SMOOSH!

(ya...everything I needed to know about cooking I learned in Kindergarten!)

Seriously...you seal the bag and smoosh it.  I mentioned my friend Cindy on yesterday's blog, and she gets a shout out again today.  She is the one that shared with me her masterful meal smooshing technique years ago. 

Ok..once done playing with our food, we open the bag and put in 3 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts:

If this chicken had been thawed, I could have put it into the bag before and smooshed it with all the other stuff...but frozen breasts don't smoosh very well.  With the chicken in the bag, I reseal it and lay it flat, letting the sauce cover each breast. 

1 down....3 to go! 

Let's do the

Cranberry Spiced Porkchops

Into the freezer bag we put

• 1 Homemade Gourmet Spiced Dip Mix
• 1 can cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup honey

Close bag and smoosh, and then add 6 pork chops.  (if they are boneless and not frozen, you can smoosh them with the other ingredients) Label and set aside.

I was just thinking how having these cranberry seasoned pork chops in the freezer before Christmas gives me a great last minute dinner option for a pop up dinner party! 

NEXT..

Chipotle Raspberry Pork Tenderloin

This time my 3 pounds of tenderloin was fresh, not frozen, so I put it into the freezer bag with 1 Homemade Gourmet Chipotle Steakhouse Rub Mix and a 10oz jar of Raspberry jam. 

SMOOSH!

Has it been 4 minutes yet?

Quick...lets do the last one!

Beef Burgundy

• 
  
  3 pounds stew meat (or 2...that works too)
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 can cream of mushroom soup
  
  
  
• 
  
  1/2 cup red wine
  
  
  
• 
  
  1 Homemade Gourmet Sunday Roast Mix
  
  
  

Into the bag and smoosh away! 

Can I tell you it feels so good to have these meals waiting for me to prepare as I need them!

And even better is the fact that they are going into the freezer with these other meals I have been accumulating the last few weeks...

That's the four meals we just made in the center there, sitting on top of 3 meals I made about a month ago.  To the left are 3 other meals also ready to go for December.  Looking to the right, you can see a black container...it is filled with 10 pounds of precooked ground beef.  Under that are several bags of various sauces (spaghetti, tomato basil...).  If you look up on the top shelf, you will see some precooked ground turkey (white container), some leftover roast with its juices to the left and on the right a meatloaf ready to go in the oven and then behind that, a couple of Season n' Steam meals in the steamer bags ready to be zapped in the microwave for great last minute meal solutions. 

OK, that was so fast and fabulous that I think I have a few minutes for Q&A...so who has a question?

Q.  How do you cook these when you want to serve them for dinner? 

A.  Great question.  By the way, great to see you here today!  This time of year, I'll most likely put each one into the slow cooker (low for 6 hours or high for 4).  Most of them could also be grilled if it was a warmer season (well, not the beef burgundy...slow cook only on that one) If I think ahead enough to defrost, I can also bake them (again...not the beef burgundy) at 350 for about 45 minutes. 

Q.  So do you have to thaw them before putting them into the slow cooker?

A.  Absolutely not.  Just peel off the freezer bag and plop the frozen contents into the cooker.  Sometimes I have to zap the bag in the microwave just long enough loosen it up.

I think I can squeeze in one more question...yes, you in the back. What's your question?

Q.  Once it is ready, what do you serve it with? 

A.  One of the reasons I love making these meals in the slow cooker is because of the sauce made at the end.  Each of these recipes creates its own amazing sauce so I highly recommend serving each with some type of rice or pasta.  The Beef Burgundy definitely needs to be served over egg noodles. 

I hope you are inspired to fill your freezer today.  Let me encourage you to bring your family into the kitchen to join you with all the smooshing and stacking.  Once you get the assembly line set up, they can all pitch in and label bags, fill them with ingredients and smoosh to blend!  When my kids were younger, it was fun to have them write their name on the bag.  When it was time to serve the meal they 'smooshed' they got bragging rights around the dinner table when everyone oohed and ahhed over the great meal.  So get the kids in the kitchen and build some great self esteem in the future generation!

What's in YOUR freezer? 

God Bless this Meal and the Hands that Prepare It,

You're still here?  But the others have already gone.  Is there something you needed?  Oh...you had a question for the Q&A time.  Go ahead, let me see if I can help. 

Q.  Loved seeing your freezer and how you can get so many meals in the simple space, but uh...where's the frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets and ice cream? 

A.  You must be a mom!  Ya...me too.  This is the freezer over my second fridge.  I will confess that I have a second fridge and freezer on our back deck, which is handy.  But for years I did not have this option and while I could not have as many meals stacked and ready, I did still have room for one stack of meals, one container of cooked ground beef and then the pizza, nuggets and ice cream (lots and lots of ice cream!)

Ok...now I really need to go.  I've got kids to feed : )  But I would be glad to answer more questions when I they are fed and in bed...so leave your questions in the comment section (or just a howdy ~ that's always fun too!)

By the way ~ I've linked this up to Finer Things Friday ...cause there's nothing finer that a full freezer!

Leftover Turkey Isn't Just for Sandwiches Anymore!

Quick...run to the store and buy as many turkeys as your budget will allow.  Right now, there are fantastic prices on this big bird so don't limit yourself to just the one for the Thanksgiving table!  Whether you roast your birds, smoke your birds, deep fry them or slow cook them, the cooked meat can be pulled off the bone and used in a variety of ways. 

TIP:
Put 2 cup portions of cooked turkey into quart sized freezer bags and freeze to use in things like soups, casseroles and 'other dishes' that call for cooked chicken.  Each bagged portion is equal to about 1 pound cooked poultry. 

For some 'other dishes' ideas to use that cooked turkey, let me help. 

I'm going to start with a basic turkey filler that can be made into eggrolls, a pot pie or turnovers. 

INGREDIENTS FOR TURKEY FILLER

• 4 cups of cooked turkey
• 1 can cream of 'something' soup (it can be chicken or celery or mushroom...whatever cream of soup you have on hand)
• 2 cups of leftover gravy (or equal portion of cream of 'something' soup...)
• 12-16 oz frozen mixed vegetables

Stir this all together and you have a very versatile filling for the following recipes.

Let's start with the appetizer.  These Turkey Eggrolls would be fun served as finger foods for any party in December, as a hearty appetizer to a soup and salad meal or just as snack foods. 

 Before I get to the recipe...let me offer a little direction on eggroll wrappers.  For years I avoided eggroll recipes simply because I wasn't sure where to buy them or how to use them.  So...for those who, like me, wondered around the store seeking these asian pastries, they come package something like this:

and are located in the PRODUCE SECTION of the store. 

OK...now to the recipe!

Take the turkey filler and put about 3-4 tablespoons onto an eggroll wrapper, about 2 inches from the edge:

Brush the edges of the wrapper with an egg wash and the pull the top edge over the filling.

Then fold in the left and right edges:

and finish rolling the wrapper down to the bottom edge:

See...it's an eggroll!

Pay no attention to the one laying FLAT in the back.  That was me learning how to do this for the first time! 

The turkey filler recipe will make about 20 of these, so if you don't need that many, cut the recipe in half!

Once they are 'wrapped and rolled', pop them into a frier that has been preheated to 375 (I suppose I should have put preheating at the top of the recipe, but really...are you actually cooking this as I go through the steps? *grin*...so remember, when you try this at home, start heating the oil before you wrap and roll!)

As you can see above, I don't own an actual fryer.  It is for this reason I always tell my friend Cindy P. that I don't fry things.  (she has a fry night once a month!)  What I have here is a deep electric skillet that allows me to heat the oil to 375.  What you don't see is the puddle of oil on the floor covered up by a towel so I don't fall.  Now that I have tried frying...I think an actual fryer needs to go on the Christmas list (Santa...do you read my blog?)

But for this time it worked and we had delicious eggrolls with a Thanksgiving spin! (see earlier picture) WAIT...OH YA...the dipping sauce!  Real quick...here it is:

Yep... that's it.  A can of mandarine oranges and a can of whole cranberry sauce (or whatever portion or type of cranberry sauce you have left over) put into a blender, pureed and poured into a bowl. Easy!! (note to self...next time I think I will drain the oranges to make the sauce a little thicker)

Now I promised that the turkey filler recipe would make several things, so lets move to one of my family's favorites...Turkey Pot Pie.

Just put 1/2 of the filler into a 9 inch deep dish pie crust

Top it with another 9 inch pie crust

then crimp the edges and cut a slit in the top to vent the steam...

Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.  It is done when crust starts to brown and the center is bubbling. The turkey filler recipe will make 2 pies.  You can serve one and freeze the other if you like.  Be sure to cover completely with foil if freezing. 

AND FINALLY....the third use for the turkey filler ~
Turkey Turnovers!

These are like individual turkey pies that you can bake all at one time, and then freeze those that you don't need for the day's meal.  So...

Cut a 9 inch pie crust into 4ths and put about 4-6 tablespoons of the filler onto each 4th. (the filler recipe will make 8 turnovers...or 2 9 inch crusts)

fold it over, crimp the edges and cut a slit in the top to vent the steam. 

Fill up a baking pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes

As I sit here and relive the flavor of these turnovers I am thinking they would be fantastic with some of that cranberry mandarine sauce we made earlier.  I will certainly have to try that the next time! 

So this time next week, as you are sitting down to your Thanksgiving meal, remember to leave a little for leftovers.  Or better yet ~ stock up on those amazing sales and fill your freezer!

Well...which one are you going to try first? I think I'll be making the Turkey Eggrolls the Friday after Thanksgiving to add to our traditional snack platter as we put up our Christmas tree! 

God Bless this Meal and the Hands that Prepare It,