Eggnog Cranberry Bread Pudding

As another holiday season comes to an end, I hope everyone has had wonderful times filled with family, fun, and lots of tasty food! Personally, I ended up with a rather obscene amount of eggnog and cranberry orange relish after all the other leftovers had been dispatched. What to do... what to do...

To be honest, I'm not at all sure what made me devise this recipe, but I'm sure glad I did! It's not terribly sweet, and I think even people who don't care for eggnog will enjoy it.

1 large loaf cheap French bread (you know... the kind that's mostly air...)
5 large eggs
2 C eggnog
1 C leftover cranberry orange relish
2 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 stick butter, melted

Tear French bread into bite-sized pieces and place in large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, eggnog, cranberry relish, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir egg mixture into bread and let stand for about an hour. Place bread mixture in greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish; drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with additional cranberry relish, maple syrup, bourbon sauce, or whatever moves you.

I even had some for dessert!

Seared Ahi With Wasabi Mayo And Asian Slaw

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are fortunate to have access to some of the freshest fish and produce around. I try to take advantage of that whenever possible! This does take a bit of prep work, but most of it can (and should) be done ahead of time, making this super-quick to actually get on the table.

Wasabi mayo-

1/2 C mayonnaise
2 t wasabi paste
1 t grated fresh ginger
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
Pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Slaw-

2 T vegetable oil
2 T grated fresh ginger
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T brown sugar
2 1/2 T soy sauce
2 T mirin
1/2 t sesame oil
3 T rice wine vinegar
2 C thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 C thinly sliced green cabbage
1 grated large carrot
1/2 C thinly sliced red onion
1/2 C thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 C thinly sliced bok choy
1 C bean sprouts
1 C julienned snow peas
1/4 C sliced green onions

In a small saucepan, add oil, ginger, and garlic; saute until soft. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. When cool, whisk in sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.

Mix all vegetables in a large bowl. Toss with dressing just before serving.


1 lb. fresh sushi-grade ahi steaks, about 3/4" thick
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 t minced garlic
2 t wasabi paste
2 T vegetable oil
coarsly ground black pepper


In a baking dish large enough to fit ahi steaks flat, combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and wasabi; mix well. Coat all sides of fish and marinate for 7 minutes. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan until smoking. Remove fish from marinade, coat generously with pepper, and sear for 45 seconds on each side. Remove to plate and slice.

Serve sliced ahi over slaw, drizzled with wasabi mayo, with furikake seasoned rice on the side.

Cranberry Orange Cheese Spread

My husband's holiday favorite! Even if I have someone else bringing appetizers, I still make this. It's fast, easy, make-ahead, and most of all, delicious!

2-8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
few dashes hot sauce
pinch of kosher salt
8 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
2 T. orange marmalade
1/2 t. garam masala or curry powder
3/4 C. Craisins

Combine all ingredients except Craisins, mix thoroughly (I use my KitchenAid). Spread into shallow dish, top with Craisins (pressing in lightly), cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers.

*Note- I just discovered this stuff is brilliant on a leftover turkey sandwich!!

Most delicious vegetarian-friendly stuffing

My sister-in-law is vegetarian. Even though my Thanksgiving dinner has always been vegetarian-friendly, I have tried to come up with dishes that she can eat while also satisfying the rest of us carnivores. This year, I think I have come up with the ultimate stuffing recipe that EVERYONE loved. The guys were shocked when I said it was completely vegetarian!

1 large bag stuffing cubes with seasoning packet
1 small onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1 C chopped crimini mushrooms
2 T. butter
1 C cooked wild rice
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 large apple, diced (I peeled the apple because Brian doesn't like the peel, but you don't have to)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 C vegetable broth
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Saute onion, celery, and mushrooms in butter until tender. In a LARGE mixing bowl, combine stuffing cubes, sauteed vegetables, wild rice, cranberries, pecans, and apple. In in a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together mushroom soup, vegetable broth, stuffing seasoning packet, and pepper. Combine soup mixture with stuffing; mix thoroughly and let stand for about an hour. Scoop stuffing into a large greased baking dish. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.

Chicken and Snow Pea Stir-fry

I came up with this recipe back when I had a garden containing an abundance of snow peas. It is both fresh and hearty, and one of my favorite things to eat.



Chicken and Snow Pea Stir-fry

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced or cubed
3/4 lb. fresh snow peas
2 t. fresh ginger, grated
1/2 lb. fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 can sliced waterchestnuts, drained
2 T. oil (give or take)

sauce-
1 C. chicken broth
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. Mekong seasoning sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. chili flakes
1/2 t. garlic powder

hot cooked Calrose rice


In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Heat wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add oil and quickly stir-fry chicken until just cooked (a little pink is okay at this point); remove to plate. Reheat wok, adding more oil if necessary.
Stir-fry onion for 1 minute; add ginger and mushrooms, stir-fry 1 minute. Add snow peas; stir-fry 1 minute; add water chestnuts, stir-fry 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, return chicken to wok and add sauce mix. Stir-fry until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Linguine and Clams

I belong to a cooking group on Facebook (big surprise, I know). Recently, one of the members suggested we have a weekly contest. Every Wednesday, we take photos and post what we made for dinner that night. Everyone votes by "like", and whichever photo gets the most votes by the next day is used as the cover photo for the week.

Last week, I was wracking my brain to come up with something. Something beautiful. I had a couple ideas in mind when I happened to drive past one of our local fish shops. The reader board said they had Manila clams. BINGO!! Of course, it was as tasty as it is pretty!!

And yes, this dish won.

Linguine and Clams

1 lb. linguine
2 T. olive oil
3 lbs. Manila clams (steamers)
3/4 C. white wine
4 T. butter
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pinch red chile flakes, or more to taste
few sprigs of parsley (stems and all)
1/2 C. minced parsley, reserving some for garnish
Grated Parmesan

Cook linguine for minimum time according to package directions (you want it to be al dente); drain. Toss with olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, scrub the clams and place in a large pot with the wine and parsley sprigs. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes or until all of the clams are open (mine were done just about the time they came to a boil... try to not overcook them). Remove clams to a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth, to remove any debris. Remove clam meat from shells, reserving a few in shell for garnish.

Melt butter in the same pot you cooked the clams in. Add garlic, chile flakes, and parsley. Sauté for a couple minutes, then add the strained cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Add the clams and pasta. Toss everything together to heat through, allowing the noodles to soak up most of the liquid. Garnish with clams in shells, reserved minced parsley, and Parmesan.

Fluffy Angel Berry Dessert

Best Husband Ever and I finally got a chance to take our full-week vacation at our family lake place. It's not too far away from home, so I invited our neighbors to come join us for dinner.

Ribs, baked beans, potato salad, and corn... oh my!!

Even though I don't usually go out of my way to make any sort of dessert, I got an idea in my head... and you all know where that leads. Light, fluffy, refreshing, easy, and NO BAKING!! It was the perfect ending to this classic summer meal!

Angel food cake ring, cubed

16 oz container strawberries, sliced

18 oz container blueberries, washed

5.1 oz box instant vanilla pudding

Zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 t vanilla

2 C milk

1 C plain Greek yogurt

16 oz container Cool Whip

In large mixing bowl, combine zest, juice, vanilla and milk. Whisk in pudding mix until it starts to thicken. Add yogurt, whisk until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in 2 C. Cool Whip, reserving the rest for topping. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

In a large bowl, layer 1/3 each of cake, berries, then pudding mixture. Repeat twice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with reserved berries and/or Cool Whip, if desired.

This is especially pretty if assembled in a large clear glass bowl.

Slave To The Craving

Everyone gets a craving for certain foods. Sometimes it's just a passing whim; the thought "Oh that sounds good", fluttering around the edges of your mind. Other times, it's a full-on invasion of your brain. Something that simply will not leave you alone until you've had it. 

This meal has been a complete onslaught in my head for the past week (at least). I had to have it.

Yesterday, I finally had the time, ingredients, and energy/motivation to get this deliciousness on the table. Craving vanquished!

Kafta, tabouleh, tzatziki, and pita

First, get the tabouleh and tazatziki going. They only get better the longer they sit. 

Tabouleh

1 C. bulgur wheat

2 t. kosher salt

boiling water

1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped

3-4 green onions, sliced

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 large tomato, diced

juice of two large lemons

1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

1 t. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place bulgur and 2 t. salt in a large mixing bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover by at least 1". Let stand for 45 minutes. Drain VERY well in a fine-mesh strainer, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Place bulgur in a large mixing bowl (just use the same one you used to soak in), add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Mix again before serving.

Tzatziki

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated

1 t. kosher salt

1 1/2 C. plain Greek-style yogurt (I love Zoi brand... so thick and creamy you don't even need to strain it!)

1/2 C. sour cream (yeah I know... not traditional, but trust me)

2-4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 t. dried dill (or 1 T. fresh)

juice of half a lemon

1/2 t. kosher salt (or to taste)

freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Place grated cucumber in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Thoroughly mix in 1 t. kosher salt and let stand in strainer for about an hour. With your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine cucumber and remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Stir well and taste for additional seasoning before serving.

Kafta

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (80/20), or equal parts ground beef and lamb

1 T. finely minced garlic

1/3 C. grated onion

1/3 C. finely chopped parsley

1 large egg

1/4 C. plain dry bread crumbs

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. ground coriander

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground allspice

1/4 t. cayenne

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

6-10 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix with hands until well blended. Take a small handfull of meat mixture and press around a skewer to form an oblong, about 1 1/2 x 5" (see photo below). Place on baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 12 hours). Preheat grill to medium-high. Remove meat skewers from refrigerator, brush lightly with oil, and grill until desired doneness, about 15 minutes. Let rest a few minutes while you heat the pita of your choice on the grill.

Stir-fried Pork and Noodles

Words cannot describe how delicious this is!! Somewhere between pad thai and peanut noodles, this recipes hits all the sweet/salty/savory Asian flavors your face is craving!

In a small bowl, whisk together-

1/2 C soy sauce

1/3 C water

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T honey

1 T mirin

1 T fish sauce

1 T rice vinegar

juice of one whole lime

5 cloves of garlic, mashed (about a tablespoon)

2 T fresh grated ginger

1/2 t Korean chili flakes

3 T hoisin sauce

1 1/2 lbs. pork loin

Thinly slice 1 1/2 lb pork loin across the grain, into strips 1 1/2" wide. In medium bowl, toss pork with 1/2 C of marinade. Set aside. Let marinate an hour or so.

3 T extra crunchy peanut butter

Whisk PB into remaining marinade to make sauce. Set aside.

Prep-

snow peas

rice (pho) noodles, 14 oz. noodles soaked in boiling water for 10 min., drained

1 lg carrot, grated

4 green onions, sliced

1/2 C cilantro, chopped

Cook-

Heat large wok to just smoking. Add 2 t oil. Drain marinade from pork and stir fry until half done. Add snow peas, and stir fry about 30 seconds.. Add carrot, noodles, and sauce mix; stir and cook one minute. Add green onions and cilantro; cook and stir another minute. Remove from heat. Garnish with more hoisin and cilantro, if desired.                                                                                    

More fun with leftovers... hash!

Hash has become one of my favorite go-to dinners when I have leftover cooked meat. You can make it with just about anything... beef, pork, chicken, even meatloaf! Plus, you probably already have all the other ingredients on hand. Diced raw potatoes, carrots, and onions are great, but if you have some leftover roasted vegetables, that's even better! Got some cooked beets? Make it red flannel hash! The possibilities are almost endless. Hash is perfect to serve any time of day, too! Break out your biggest cast iron (or other ovenproof) skillet and whip up a batch soon!

This particular batch was diced meatloaf, diced raw potatoes, carrots, and onions, leftover roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions, with farm fresh eggs baked on top. I love it when people give me fresh eggs from their chickens and ducks!

Since this recipe is always made with whatever you happen to have on hand, all amounts are approximate and/or to taste.

diced cooked meat of your choice

diced raw potatoes, carrots, and onions

other chopped veggies you may have (bell peppers, celery, etc.) - optional

chopped leftover roasted vegetables - optional

fat of your choice (butter, oil, BACON GREASE!!!)

milk or half and half

salt and pepper

eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat fat in a large ovenproof skillet. Fry raw potatoes, carrots, and onion until just starting to brown around the edges. Add meat and cooked vegetables (if using) and fry for a couple minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Start adding milk, a little at a time, until the whole thing looks like it's about to fall apart into mush. Continue to cook (don't stir it too much at this point) until a nice crust starts to form on the bottom. Remove from heat. Make depressions in the hash for your eggs, and break them in. Season the eggs with more salt and pepper. Put the whole shebang in the oven for 8-9 minutes. The whites should be set and the yolks runny. Serve immediately, before the eggs overcook.

In defense of Top Ramen... and leftovers...

Oh, packaged dry ramen... you get such a bad rap. You're cheap, easy, and not particularly attractive on your own. Your little foil packet of seasoning can leave one dehydrated and puffy if misused. Leftovers don't have a much better reputation with a lot of people. I am here to say you CAN make something tasty, beautiful, and marginally nutritious with a package of ramen and pretty much anything you have in your fridge. It only takes a small amount of creativity.

BEHOLD!! 

Ain't it purdy?

For this particular bowl, I started the ramen according to the package directions. At the 2 minute mark, I tossed in some leftover cooked broccoli and carrots, just long enough to heat them up. Add the seasoning packet TO TASTE! This is where a lot of people go astray with instant ramen. You don't have to add the full packet! I usually start with half, then add a little more if I need to. Top with fried ham, a boiled egg, sliced green onions, sliced mushrooms, and a little sprinkle of furikake seasoning (look for it in the Asian section at most grocery stores. I get mine at Walmart!). I had some pork egg rolls in the freezer, so they joined the party too. 

Here's another one with leftovers from a previous stir-fry dish of some sort... baby bok choy, carrots, snow peas, fresh shitake mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, Chinese bbq pork, sliced green onions, and a poached duck egg. Omnomnomnom...

I know Top Ramen and leftovers will never make the culinary elite greatest hits, but you can make them into something much greater than you think!

Tamale Pie

Easy, hearty comfort food at it's best!

Tamale Pie

1 lb. ground beef 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1-2 cloves garlic, mashed 

1 (15 1/2 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained 

1 C. tomato sauce 

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained 

1 (15 1/2 oz.) can corn, drained (or about 1 1/2 C. frozen)

1/2 C. sliced black olives 

1/3 C. chili powder 

1 t.oregano

2 t. cumin 

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten 

1 C. EACH milk and cornmeal 

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. In large skillet, brown beef, onion, and garlic; drain. Add tomatoes (with liquid), tomato sauce, kidney beans, corn, olives, chili powder, oregano, and cumin; simmer 10 minutes. Spread mixture into 3 qt. casserole. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and milk, then stir in cornmeal. Spoon evenly over meat mixture, making sure cornmeal is well distributed. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until top is set and lightly browned.

Sloppy Joes

If your idea of Sloppy Joes is frying up a pound of ground beef and dumping in a can of Manwich sauce, you really need to try this recipe! With only slightly more effort, you can make something from scratch and adjust it to your own tastes.

Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 lb. ground beef 

1/2 C. chopped onion 

1/4 C. chopped red bell pepper 

1/2 C. chopped celery 

1 large carrot, grated 

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 

1 T. yellow mustard 

1/4-1/3 C. brown sugar 

1/3 C. ketchup 

1 heaping teaspoon chili powder 

few dashes Worcestershire sauce 

Brown meat with the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot; drain well. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat to desired thickness (about 20 minutes). Serve over toasted hamburger buns.

Mongolian Beef

In almost the time it takes to boil rice, you can have this delicious dinner on the table! Throw in a veg and some frozen egg rolls or pot stickers, and you have a complete meal on the table faster than getting takeout!

Mongolian Beef

2 T. oil

1 lb. beef of your choice (I use the "special trim" beef I get from Cash & Carry... flank steak, sirloin, or top round would work just as well), very thinly sliced across the grain

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 T. grated fresh ginger

4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

Marinade-

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. soy sauce

2 T. water

2 t. mirin or rice wine vinegar

Sauce-

2 T. hoisin sauce

1/4 C. soy sauce

large pinch Korean chili flakes

1 t. sesame oil

2 t. sugar or to taste (you can omit this if using mirin)

Salt to taste

Combine marinade ingredients, mix with beef and let stand about 30 minutes. Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat wok with 1 T. of oil and stir-fry beef until half done (should still have some pink). Remove from wok and set aside. Heat remaining oil; stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant but not browned. Add back beef and sauce mixture. Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the scallions. Do a few quick stirs. Serve with hot cooked rice.