Turkey Apple-Cranberry Bake

After all those hours in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day you need an easy recipe that uses up some of those leftovers- this is that recipe. You don't need to be precise with the amount of turkey or stuffing that you use, just use what you have. This recipe also works well with chicken.

Turkey Apple-Cranberry Bake
Recipe by Kraft Foods
Pictures by Caroline

Recipe:

1 cup stuffing
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 10 ¾ oz. can Cream of Celery Soup
½ cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 medium apple, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecan halves, chopped

Directions:

1. Stir the stuffing and butter in a small bowl and set aside (if you are using left over stuffing that is already moist, you don’t need to add the extra butter unless you want to).
2. Stir the soup, milk, apple, celery, cranberries, and pecans in a 12x8x2 shallow baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the stuffing mixture over the top.
4. Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 30min or until hot and bubbly.

Note: I had fresh cranberries left over from making cranberry sauce, so I substituted 1 cup of fresh cranberries for the dried cranberries. They were a bit tart, but I liked the taste. If you wanted you could boil them in some sugar water for a few minutes before adding them to the casserole to make them a bit less tart.

Cranberry Nut Bread

If you've ever had any reservations about eating cranberries (reservations that were not dispelled by our delicious Cran-apple Torte), I promise they will be gone after tasting this bread.

Just be careful when removing the bread from the pan- you wouldn't want to leave the bottom crust stuck to the pan, like I did.


Cranberry Nut Bread
adapted from Gourmet October 1991
pictures by Caroline

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits*
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)**
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

1. In a food processor or in a bowl with a pastry blender blend together the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the salt, the baking soda, and the butter until the mixture resembles meal and transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
   
2. In a small bowl whisk together the zest, the juice, sour cream and the egg, add the mixture to the flour mixture, and stir the batter until it is just combined.
   
3. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts and transfer the batter to a well-buttered 9- by 5-inch loaf pan.
   
4. Bake the bread in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 1 1/4 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.
   
5. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and turn it out onto a rack.

*If you're looking for a healthier option, substitute 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup butter for the 1/2 cup of butter.
**The sour cream will make this bread a bit more moist, but isn't mandatory.

-Kelly

9-pie Pie crust

My grandma is famous for her fantastic pie crust. Honestly, I've tried dozens of different recipes, but this one beats them all every time. Every major holiday my Grandma brings 6 or 7 pies of every imaginable flavor out to feed the pie-loving family of about 40 (including children, grandchildren, and a few great-grandchildren), rendering it extremely necessary to have a recipe that makes 9 pies.

However, if you, unlike my grandma, may not have such a pressing need for mass quantities of pie dough, you're in luck; this dough will keep well in the freezer for up to a year. I've actually found that it is much easier to handle after it has been frozen for a few days, so if you're planning on trying this recipe for any Thanksgiving pies, you should freeze it the day before you plan to use it.

9-pie Pie Crust
by Grandma K
Pictures by Caroline

5 lbs white flour
5 tsp salt
3 lbs shortening
5 tbsp white vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
4 eggs

1. Mix the flour, salt and shortening together until it looks like putty.
2. In a blender, mix the vinegar, water and eggs.
3. Slowly add the water mixture to the flour putty and mix until smooth, being careful not to over mix.
4. Divide the dough into 9 balls and place individually into air tight bags.
   
5. Freeze for up to 1 year.

*To thaw, remove the dough from the freezer a few hours before use, or defrost in the
microwave on a very low heat setting.

-Kelly

Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry

We eat a lot of stir-fry in our house; it is one of those fall-back dinners we make when we aren’t sure what to cook. This recipe is a nice twist on an old favorite. (The picture below is the sauce before it is mixed; I think it is interested how everything separates.)

Generally I don’t thaw chicken entirely before I cut it, this makes it much easier to handle and cut.

When I make this stir-fry for me and my husband I just use one chicken breast and loads of vegetables.

This is a great dinner to use all your favorite veggies, making it quite healthy, plus it is quick and easy to make.

Honey –Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry
Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Pictures by Caroline

Recipe:

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons orange juice
6 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking oil
4 cups cut –up vegetables, such as broccoli, red sweet peppers, onion, carrots
2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces; set aside. For sauce combine in a small bowl honey, vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce, and cornstarch. (I have doubled the amount of sauce the original recipe called for because I like to have enough sauce to put over my rice.)
2. Pour oil into a wok or large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat; cook chicken on first side for about 3-4 minutes; flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Once the chicken is mostly cooked through add vegetables to the wok and cover with a lid and let cook for another 3-4 minutes (don’t stir yet, just let the vegetables sit on top of the chicken and steam). Note: I add the carrots first because they take the longest to cook, and then I add the other vegetables.
4. Stir vegetables and chicken together. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and chicken and pour in sauce. Cook the sauce until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir everything together about 1-2 more minutes. Serve over rice.

-Caroline

Pesto pasta with salmon and vegetables

Whenever I make fish, I often end up with just a little too much left over to eat for lunch the next day, but not quite enough for dinner. This recipe is easy, fast, and flavorful with the inclusion of some pre-made pesto (either from the store or homemade). Plus, it makes use of some of those extra vegetables you have sitting around in the fridge.


It's also extremely flexible. You can add or subtract vegetables as you like: red pepper, asparagus tips, peas, etc.


Pesto Pasta with Salmon and Vegetables
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

Makes 4 servings

1/4 pound cooked salmon (grilled, seared, baked, or broiled)
1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons pesto
10 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta

1. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté until tender.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender. Drain.
   
3. Meanwhile, reheat the salmon.
   
4. Add the pesto to the pasta. Add the vegetables to the pesto pasta and stir.
   
5. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Old Fashion Ginger Snaps

I have been in search for a good, crispy, ginger snap cookie recipe; a cookie that actually snaps (as opposed to being soft) and a cookie that has the right combination of molasses and spice.

The nice thing about these cookies is that you don't have to roll them out. You just roll them into ping-pong sized balls and flatten them our with your fingers (or you can use a fork or the back of a spoon if you want to keep your fingers clean).
These cookies flatten quite a bit in the oven, so watch them closely so that they don't over-brown.

Old-Fashioned Ginger Snaps
From Janienne Jennrich found on the website www.suite101.com
Pictures by Caroline

3/4 cup shortening
1-cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves (I used 1 tsp to make the cookie a bit more spicy)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Cream together shortening and brown sugar until well mixed, light, and fluffy.
2. Mix the egg, salt, and molasses together and then mix these into the sugar mixture.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, ground cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
4. Add dry ingredients to other ingredients and combine well.
5. Chill in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
6. After chilled, shape dough into ping-pong sized balls and place balls on a greased cookie sheet, allowing room for expansion. Flatten balls with a fork (I just used my fingers).
7. Bake in 350-degree oven 12 to 15 min. Do not let get too brown. I baked mine for 12 minutes and they were just perfect.

Fall Pork Dinner

My husband really likes pork. I really like squash. And we both really like apples with cinnamon and sugar (really, who doesn't?). You won't find a better compromise than this "fall pork dinner." Speaking of which, I should really give this dish a new name. Fall Pork Dinner? Is that the best you can come up with, Betty? It really doesn't do justice to the squash or delightfully cinnamony smells that will fill your kitchen.  But on second thought, I'm going to leave the name as is. We've been making this dinner for years now...and calling it the Fall Pork Dinner. So thus it shall remain.

Anyway. The pork gets a lovely bisquick-saltine treatment. Throw everything together in one dish and you have your meal. Now depending on the thickness of your pork, you may want to cook the squash (covered) for 10-15 minutes before adding the pork (if it's thin). Otherwise you'll end up with rock hard squash and dry-as-bones pork. 10-15 minutes before the pork is done, add the apples. And then have a taste of autumn with every bite.

Fall Pork Dinner 
Recipe adapted from bettycrocker.com
Pictures by Caroline  

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 small acorn squash, seeded and cut into thin rings
2 small unpeeled red cooking apples, cut into chunks
2/3 c Bisquick 
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 saltine crackers, crushed
2 egg whites (or 1 egg)
1 tablespoon water
5-6 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.
2. In shallow dish, stir together Bisquick mix, salt, pepper and cracker crumbs. In another shallow dish, mix egg white and water. Dip pork into egg mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture.
3. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook pork in skillet 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until coating is brown.
4. Place pork in ungreased 8-inch square or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Arrange squash and pork. Sprinkle with 1/2 brown sugar mixture. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes. Add apples and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Cook about 15 minutes more or until pork is no longer pink and squash is done through.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia

This focaccia mixes the flavors of olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, and red onion.


A focaccia is a type of Italian flat bread, and is made in a similar fashion to other breads, meaning you still get to punch the dough down (there is something that is so enjoyable to me about punching down the risen dough).

Once you add all the toppings to this bread you get to put your fingers in it, literally! Try other toppings too, such as red ripe cherry tomatoes and basil.

This bread is great as a side to many types of pasta or with a green salad. It is also great dipped in an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
Adapted from Classic Vegetarian Cooking by Linda Fraser
Pictures by Caroline

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
3 tbsp olive oil
½ small red onion
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp coarse sea salt

1. In a small bowl mix ¼ lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar; let yeast proof (foam) for 10 minutes.
2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add salt. Mix in 2 tbsp olive oil, remaining ¾ cup lukewarm water, and yeast mixture. If mixture seems dry, add more water.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down dough and knead for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Roll out dough until about ½ inch thick and transfer to a greased baking sheet or baking stone. (I cut the dough into a rectangle, or you can leave it round.) Brush the dough with the remaining oil.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425° F. Halve the onion and slice into thin slices. Sprinkle the sea salt and rosemary onto the dough and add onion slices. Using your fingers, make deep indentations in the dough. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Serve warm either plain or with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar mixture.

-Caroline

Lemon Ricotta Cake

This is a lemony cake from Sardinia, Italy and is different from a traditional cheesecake. If you like the flavor and smell of lemon, you will love this cake.

The lemon zest and fresh juice will fill your kitchen with a fresh citrus smell.

This is a great lite-tasting cake. I think that it would go very well with some fresh berries or hot chocolate. I found the cake was a little dry; next time I make it I plan to try doubling the amount of ricotta.

Lemon Ricotta Cake
From The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking by Carla Capalbo

Pictures by Caroline

Makes 6-8 servings

6 tbsp butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
generous, 1/3 cup ricotta (more if you want)
3 eggs, seperated
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan or springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper; grease the paper and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the ricotta (I used the 1/3 cup that the recipe called for, but the cake was a bit dry for my taste. Next time I am going to increase the amount of cheese.)
3. Beat in the yolks one at a time. Add 2 tbsp four, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sift in the remaining flour and add the baking powder and beat until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold them carefully into the batter.
5. Pour the mixture into the greased pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Before serving generously dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
* I would also suggest topping this cake with a glaze.

-Caroline

Broiled Zucchini and Potatoes with Parmesan Crust

We often have trouble thinking of a good-tasting, interesting way to serve vegetables. Honestly, sometimes a green salad gets a bit old. Here is a great way to serve fresh seasonal vegetables.

The combination of the rosemary and thyme in this recipe not only tastes fantastic, but also smells great. And the buttery, cheesy goodness is just too delicious to resist!

Cran-apple Torte

Cranberries have long been one of my food obsessions. I love their tartness and how they pop when they're slightly undercooked. They're delicious! As soon as they're available in stores, you can find half a dozen packages stocked in my freezer.

This is one of my favorite family recipes. My mom used to make it whenever she had friends over for dinner. Now I make it anytime anyone gives me an excuse to make a dessert.

If you, like Caroline's husband, prefer not to eat nuts, you may omit them. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Cran-apple Torte

Recipe by Kelly

Pictures by Caroline

Serves 6-8

Filling:
1 1/4 cups fresh/frozen cranberries
2 apples, unpeeled and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Batter:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine filling in a medium sized bowl. Spoon into greased 9 inch pie pan or 8 in round cake pan.
2. Cream together eggs, sugar and butter. Stir in flour. Add vanilla.
3. Spread batter over filling. Bake 325° F for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

As pasta lovers, we're always looking for new ways to incorporate fresh vegetables and herbs. This is a great recipe with just the right amount of kick to keep things interesting.


Sure, you can substitute green bell peppers for red, but we found red peppers to have an extra sweetness that makes a great contrast to the saltiness of the sausage.

The best part is, this recipe is easy, fast, and serves a crowd.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis

Pictures by Caroline

Makes 4-6 servings

¼ c olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausages (or ground sausage)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced
1-2 yellow onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
½ cup fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried basil)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausage.

2. Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and basil. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir, and then add the wine, tomatoes with juice, and red pepper flakes. Stir everything together to combine. Bring to a simmer.

3. Cut the sausages into bite size pieces (unless you used ground sausage). Return the sausage to the pan. Simmer until the sauce is thickened about 20 minutes.

4. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta until slightly firm. Drain, then add to the sauce; toss everything to combine, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Pumpkin Cookies

I'm in love with pumpkin cookies. But it took me far too long to find a good recipe. I tried at least 5 before finally coming up with this concoction of my own. It wasn't as easy as you might think. Some were too gooey, others too dry, some flat as pancakes, and others tasted like, well, not much at all. I decided that what I like in a pumpkin cookie is something cake-y in texture with strong, but not overpowering, spices. And, of course, a hint of chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla.
3. In another bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Spoon out 1 tablespoon mounds of dough onto baking sheet. Bake approximately 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies on baking sheet for about 1 minute and then transfer to cooling racks. Makes about 3 dozen.

Two Little Chefs

We are two friends (a linguist and a photographer) living, working, and more importantly, eating and cooking. This blog will be dedicated to our experiments, successful and otherwise, cooking and baking anything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between. Look here for a plethora of delicious recipes!