Apple Cranberry Chutney

I made this for Thanksgiving with baked brie. It was so good Kelly asked me to bring it to Christmas. Here is a new favorite. Apple Cranberry Chutney. I used apple/pear mix and dried cranberries instead of raisins.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/508/AppleCranberry_Chutney39726.shtml

Freezing Scalloped Potatoes?

Can you freeze Scalloped Potatoes? Do you bake them first?

To the fifth holiday party
I brought along with me
five homemade liqueurs
(limoncello, kahlua, amaretto, Irish Cream, and cranberry, yum!)
red & green sugar-coated popcorn
chile-rosemary infused olives,
homemade Bloody Mary mixer,
and a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

So, instead of a recipe, I was going to tell you the story of how I will NOT be giving cranberry liqueur as gifts this year. Let’s back up to Thanksgiving weekend: I set up cranberry liqueur to cure for the three weeks. Fast-forward to Tuesday of this week: I went to have a facial and left my 5-year-old home with my 12-year-old and two of his friends. I made the decision to leave my cell phone in the car, because the last two times I had a facial, my phone rang off the hook—“emergencies” from my older two sons, not very relaxing.

When I returned to the car from my facial, my cell phone read, “18 missed calls” (17 from 12-year-old son at home; 1 from 15-year-old son who was called by 12-year-old son after I didn’t answer my phone 17 times). Problem? Yup, from what I have ascertained, 12-year-olds were getting a snack from the pantry. They returned to the video games. They heard a dripping sound in the kitchen. They walked into the kitchen.

“Jude, why is your pantry bleeding?”
“I don’t know.”
Jude opened the pantry.

Apparently when the pantry door was closed, the 2-gallon glass canister of flour banged against the 2-gallon glass canister of just 3-week-old cranberry liqueur. Guess which canister got a hairline fracture? Yup, cranberry liqueur.

Anyway, Jude is a good boy. He did a good job cleaning up the very sticky cranberry-sugar-water-vodka mixture. He called me, his brother, finally his father, to make sure he was doing the correct thing. But, boy, did that floor need a good washing the next day!

What did I learn? Next time I have a facial it is going to be while the kids are in school.

Now I’ll share another little family anecdote with you. When I was a Freshman at UMass-Amherst I bought a cookbook that had been put out by the staff and faculty as a fundraiser for my father for Christmas. In that cookbook there was this recipe for Irish cream that became a family favorite. Each of us makes batches each Christmas (and St. Patrick’s Day). Years later I found out that my brother, Brendan, will not share the recipe. He tells his friends that it’s a “secret family recipe.” Well, I don’t think it’s a secret. Try it, enjoy it.

To the fourth holiday party
I brought along with me
red & green sugar-coated popcorn
chile-rosemary infused olives,
homemade Bloody Mary mixer,
and a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

Red and green sugar-coated popcorn

1 c sugar
1 T unsalted butter
3 T water
Couple drops red and green food coloring
6 c popped butter-flavored popcorn

In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, combine sugar, butter, and water. Stirring constantly, cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Working quickly, remove from heat, divide in two, and add red food coloring to one, and green food coloring to the other. Immediately add popcorn and stir to coat evenly. Turn onto a sheet of parchment paper to cool. Package in holiday takeout food containers.

To the third holiday party
I brought along with me
chile-rosemary infused olives,
homemade Bloody Mary mixer,
and a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

Chile-rosemary infused olives

1¼ c olives, preferably a mixture of black and green
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 thin-skinned orange, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into small chunks
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 fresh green chile, deseeded and thinly sliced

Place the olives in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice, chunks of orange, rosemary sprigs and chile. Stir together, then cover (or transfer to a jar and seal). Place in the refrigerator.

For the next 2 days take the olive mixture from the refrigerator, uncover and stir gently, every 12 hours or so. Cover again and return to the refrigerator to continue marinating.

After 2 days of marinating in the refrigerator, remove orange pieces and place in canning jars according to manufacturer’s instructions. Tie with a ribbon, and voila, a gift!

Pumpkin Bread

When I was first working in New York City, my friend and co-worker Bridget brought her Mom's Pumpkin Bread in for Thanksgiving. It has been a favorite fall treat of mine, every since.

Thanks Spunky. I think of you every fall!:)

Mix:
 3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinamon

1 tsp nutmeg

3 c. sugar

Add in:
1 c. vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 c. pumpkin

2/3 c. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour mixture into into 2 greased 9X5X3" loaf pans.
Bake 1 hour 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool before removing from pans.

It is so moist and delicious.
It is also great to make mini-loaves and share as gifts. My kids love to bring them in for teachers.

To the second holiday party
I brought along with me
homemade Bloody Mary mixer,
and a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

Bloody Mary mixer
makes enough mixer for 8 cocktails

3 c V-8 juice
2 t prepared horseradish
1 t salt
½ t freshly ground pepper
1½ T fresh lemon juice
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ to ¾ t Tabasco

Stir ingredients; pour into an airtight bottle. Mixer can be refrigerated up to 1 week.

For each cocktail, combine 3 ounces of mixer with 1 ounce of vodka, and pour into a glass filled with ice.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any time, you know that I like the idea of giving friends homemade food gifts, especially around the holidays. However, with holidays being what they are, I do not like the idea of adding stress to the holidays. Here are some simple and stress-free gifts for friends this Christmas.

To the first holiday party
I brought along with me,
a flavored olive oil with a fabulous loaf of crusty bread

Flavoring olive oil is a relatively easy prospect:

1. Heat your oil in a saucepan.

2. Add your desired flavorings: garlic, basil, rosemary, orange zest, or lemon zest and let sit for a few minutes until the ingredients are very fragrant.

3. Cool, strain and store in an airtight container. Add a fresh sprig of your herb or piece of your zest for a decorative touch. Add a note for the recipient that once opened the oil should be stored in the fridge and used within 10 days.