For Thanksgiving...

Here are two recipes I used last Thanksgiving, and will use again!

Cranberry Granitas


Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network

2 cups cranberry juice

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup lime juice

Fresh cranberries, for garnish

Whisk the cranberry juice and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour the cranberry mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2 inch glass baking dish. Cool completely. Whisk in the lime juice. Freeze until the granita becomes slushy, about two hours. Using fork, stir to blend. Continue freezing the granita until frozen, stirring every hour to form crystals, at least five hours.

Divide the granita into six dessert glasses. Garnish with fresh cranberries, if desired.


Variations: Add 1 shot of Southern Comfort to make a frozen “Scarlett O’Hara”. Or add 1 shot of vodka and ½ shot of Triple Sec to make a frozen “Cosmopolitan”. The original recipe calls for the vodka to be added before freezing, but I prefer to make mine virgin (so the kids can have some!). Ginger ale or any lemon-lime drinks are also good additions.


Pineapple au Gratin

3 cans pineapple chunks, drained, and the juice reserved

1 and a half tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

2 stacks of Ritz crackers, crushed

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 stick of butter, melted



Place pineapple in a buttered casserole dish. Top pineapple with grated cheese. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, and juice. Heat until thickened and clear. Pour sauce over pineapple and cheese. Top with Ritz crackers. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.


This is a delicious side dish perfect for any holiday meal, but it goes especially well with a honey-baked ham. Yum!


Enjoy! These aren't just for Thanksgiving. My mom likes to serve the pineapple for Christmas and Easter as well. The pineapple recipe is my aunt's.

Pumpkins- not just for Halloween!

My mom has had some success in growing pumpkins. These aren't for carving Jack'O Lanterns- they are for eating! Here is a recipe for a casserole that's just divine:

Cinderella’s Coach

1- 1½ pound pumpkin

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rum (I use Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Ro-Tel (chopped tomatoes and chilies), medium to hot
1 can coconut milk
1 cup uncooked white rice

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

4 tablespoons butter

1. Pre heat oven to 375°.
2. Cut lid off of the pumpkin, and scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers. Scrape some of the pumpkin out of the shell, about one cup, and set aside.
3. Place pumpkin in a large, heavy roasting pan and bake for half an hour, until tender but still firm.
4. Rinse rice, and cook in 2 cups of water (salt to taste) for 20 minutes or until tender. Add one tablespoon of butter. When the water has been absorbed, add coconut milk and set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, rum, and soy sauce. Set aside.
6. In a skillet, melt remaining butter and sauté the onion. Add shrimp, and cook until pink and firm. Stir in the lime juice mixture, and then add the pumpkin, tomatoes and chilies.
7. Add the contents of the skillet to the coconut rice.
8. Fill the pumpkin with the rice mixture.
9. Bake pumpkin for another 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8


I don't know what makes this dish great. The combination of rice, coconut milk, pumpkin, shrimp, and lime juice is very satisfying. All this dish needs on the side is a nice green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread.



This variety of pumpkin is called Long Island Cheese. No, it doesn't taste like cheese- it just looks like a big wheel of cheese!

More cookies!

More treats from "I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas"!




These are "Mocha Madness" cookies.

MOCHA MADNESS COOKIE

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and softened
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, melted
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces dark chocolate covered espresso beans, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

GARNISH

4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

2. In a sifter, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on medium for 2 minutes, then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Mix again on medium for 2 minutes, then scrape down again. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down again. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium for 15 seconds, until incorporated.

4. Turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and gradually add the dry ingredients; mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the espresso and vanilla, and mix on low until thoroughly combined. Add the espresso beans, and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

5. Using 3 slightly heaping tablespoons or 1 level #20 ice-cream scoop, portion 10 or 11 cookies on each baking sheet, spaced about 5 inches apart widthwise and 2 inches apart lengthwise. Place the baking sheets on the top and center racks of the oven, and bake for 12 minutes, switching the sheets between top and center racks and rotating each sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking.
6. After the cookies have cooled, drizzle each with melted chocolate.

Makes about 32 cookies.

They are to die for! Caution- these are not the type of cookies to eat with milk before bedtime. One or two cookies is almost like a cup of coffee!

Make sure that the espresso beans are chopped well. I didn't chop mine finely enough, and had whole beans in some cookies. They still tasted great, but it's not fun to bite into a hard bean!

Muffins!!!!

Mom got me yet another new cookbook:



This is the first recipe I tried. It is absolutely divine.

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

MAKES 24 MUFFINS
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
72 cup granulated sugar
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried tart red cherries
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line each of the 24 muffin
tin cups with paper liners.

2. In a sifter, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

3. Place the cherries in a small bowl and dust them with
the remaining tablespoon of flour.

4. Heat the oil and the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven, and stir until melted
and smooth.

5. Place the buttermilk, melted chocolate, eggs, brown sugar, and honey in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and
the brown sugar has almost completely dissolved. Add the dry ingredients, and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the cherries, chocolate chips, and walnuts, using the spatula to fold the ingredients together thoroughly.

6. Portion 3 slightly heaping tablespoons or 1 slightly heaping #20 ice-cream scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Place the muffin tins on the top center racks of the oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out almost clean, about 16 minutes if you prefer slightly underbaked, and 18 minutes for fully baked. (Switch the tins between top and center and rotate each 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.)

Let them cool for at least 20 minutes so they can be removed from the pan easily. They taste best warm. No need for any butter or jam!



Yum. I left out the walnuts.

This book is great- I've already marked about a dozen recipes from it.

Baby cakes and brownies!

I promised this recipe to some friends. I tried to simplify it a bit from the original found in Death by Chocolate Cakes .


Lemon Poppy Seed Cakelettes with Chocolate Lemon Drop Tops

Cakelettes:

6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½ ounce pieces, plus one tablespoon (melted)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Lemon Drop Tops

½ cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1 ounce pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced lemon zest
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted

Make the cakelettes:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325°. Use the melted butter to lightly coat the bottoms and sides of two 12 cup nonstick miniature muffin tins.

2. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

3.Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with a paddle. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then medium speed until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat an additional 3 minutes until very soft. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Scrape down the bowl with each added egg.

4. Operate mixer on low while gradually mixing in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, poppy seeds, and vanilla and mix on low speed for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for an additional 30 seconds on medium.

5. Place two level tablespoons of the batter into each miniature muffin tin. Place tins on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove cakelettes from tins.

Make the chocolate lemon drop tops:

1. Sift and set aside the powdered sugar.

2. Place the cream cheese, lemon juice, and zest in an electric mixing bowl with a paddle. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium for 2 minutes until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the melted chocolate. Beat on medium for 45 seconds.

3. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small straight tip. Pipe several “drops” of the icing onto each cakelette. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 24 cakelettes





Mine turned out a little bigger than they were supposed to be. I used regular muffin tins, so there were only 12 cakelettes!

My mom bought me a new book, Presidential Cookies . (my version is the newest one, not yet available through amazon.com!) It's a great book filled with historical tidbits about the Presidents and First Ladies of the United States. There are many good recipes, some well known, some unusual. I tried a "brownie" made during the James Madison presidency:

Apple Date Nut Brownies

1-POUND BOX DARK BROWN SUGAR
3/4 CUP BUTTER (1 1/2 STICKS)
2 EGGS
2 TBSP, VANILLA
2 MEDIUM COOKING APPLES, PEELED, CORED, AND CHOPPED
2 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
2 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1/2 TSP. SALT
1/2 CUP CHOPPED PECANS
1/2 CUP CHOPPED DATES

1. Preheat oven to 350 °
2. Combine sugar and butter in a large saucepan.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and cool to room temperature.
5. Beat in eggs and add vanilla.
6. In a small bowl, toss apples with 1/4 cup of the flour and set aside.
7. Add remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt to sugar mixture and mix well.
8. Fold in apples, pecans, and dates.
9. Pour into a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan.
10. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
YIELD: 2 TO 3 DOZEN BROWNIES.

Squash!

Another sure sign of autumn- the abundance of squash in farmers markets and grocery stores. This isn't really a recipe- just an idea of what to do with yummy squash.

This variety is called sweet dumpling:



I stuffed it with a creamy mushroom and Italian sausage risotto:



The basic cooking technique: Preheat the oven to 350°. Carefully cut the top of the squash off and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Scoop out some of the flesh and set aside (to add to filling). Bake the squash for 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, and then fill with any kind of rice or pasta you like, and bake until hot.

Any squash will do. The dumpling squash is especially sweet.

A snack for halftime!

Deviled Nuts

From The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

This is a real crowd pleaser. I always add just a little more hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

1 pound pecan halves
1/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce such as Tabasco
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon dried pepper flakes

Combine ingredients, toss with pecans, Spread pecans on an ungreased baking pan, bake at 325 degrees for twenty minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Yields 4 ½ cups.


This is great for game day nibbles or to serve with pre-dinner cocktails. You can use just about any type of nut or a combination of nuts!