Coconut Cranberry Bars

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm officially on vacation, thanks to the Federal government letting us have a few hours off to get ready for the big day tomorrow.

Well, I had grand plans to make all sorts of Christmas cookies this month and post all the keeper recipes. Alas...the month has somehow gotten away from me and until today, all that I've made was my standard favorites...Oatmeal Scotchies (from the Nestle bag, I think). I did go out on a limb and made those with half butterscotch and half chocolate chips (and only because I didn't have a whole bag of the butterscotch...) Where has the month gone? Ah, experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a 3-year-old. It's been fun, and I'm not quite sure what I'll do once tomorrow's over and I no longer have the threat of Santa Claus bringing rocks to hold over his head for good behavior. Or worse yet, the threat that the Grinch will come take all the presents that are already under the tree...

This morning, I did manage to get my son to school early enough to get home and try out a new (to me) recipe before I was on the clock, teleworking at 8am. You know it's a quick and easy recipe when that can be accomplished. These are some treats that my former boss used to make. She was great to have around the office because (in addition to being a real nice person) she loved to bake and to use us as her guinea pigs, and we were all very willing subjects. These were a standard of hers, though...in my opinion second only to her rum cake. She gave me the recipe years ago, and I've finally gotten around to trying it out. Delicious...

Coconut Cranberry Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cold butter

Topping:

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup Craisins

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cups sugar in larg bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

4. Combine all filling ingredients (eggs & vanilla first, then sugar and flour and finally coconut and cranberries) in large bowl; mix well.

5. Spread over hot, partially baked crust.

6. Continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Cool completely.

8. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

Cranberry Delight Spread

It's December already...I can't believe it! I figured I would wrap up the Thanksgiving season and segue into Christmas with a recipe that can be used as an appetizer for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I got this recipe from one of my favorite recipe sources, the Sunday coupons. This was from an advertisement for Town House crackers, and is available on the Kellogg's web site.

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Crackers Keebler® Town House® Original

1. In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, orange juice concentrate, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy.

2. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers.

YIELD: 12 servings

Tradition

Circa. 1995, our friend Val invited a group of friends over around the holidays for a "potluck." Somewhere around 13 years later, Val has long become a permanent resident in Bosnia, but her holiday potluck tradition is still going strong. Times have changed...there are now more kids running around than there are empty wine bottles on the counter (maybe because half the women this year were pregnant???)...but the feeling remains the same...good friends and a holiday tradition that we are thankful to share. (P.S. I made those lovely mashed potatoes! Many thanks to Mandy and Johnathan for hosting this year...)

It's Been a Long November...

I lost two grandparents this month. As soon as you tell someone this, you'll hear how it happens all the time...as soon as one goes, so does the other. But I don't think any of us thought, watching my wonderful, strong grandmother hold herself oh-so-together at 3 days of funeral events for my grandfather, that we would be losing her, too, in two weeks. I'm still utterly in shock, and trying to be happy that they are back together, rather than selfishly mourning the time that I thought I would still have for visits with my grandma. Here's to you, grandma and grandpa...I miss you...happy thanksgiving...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

The jury is still out on this one. I'm not even sure how much I LIKE pumpkin bread, actually. But I took a loaf of this into work today and it got devoured by the vultures in my office :) and I got some positive compliments...so I figured I would go ahead and post it. The original recipe is from the Washington Post. I modified just slightly. Also, the recipe says to make it in 8 by 4 inch bread pans, and mine are 9 by 5. I think this might be a problem because the top middle didn't get cooked enough but the sides were getting too dry. I tend to have this problem with banana bread, etc. so maybe I need to try different pans. Anyway, here it is...

2 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (original called for 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and nutmeg, I only used one, but might up it a little bit if I make it again...)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
2 eggs, beaten
6 to 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 8-by-4-inch aluminum foil loaf pans or two 12-compartment muffin pans (or use paper cupcake liners).
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, spices, salt and baking soda.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, water, pumpkin puree and eggs.
Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and combine thoroughly, making sure no unblended dry ingredients linger at the bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Divide the batter equally among the pans; muffin cups should be two-thirds full. Bake the loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the top of the loaves are springy to the touch. (Muffins will take about 40 minutes.) Let cool completely before cutting and storing.

Maple-Glazed Carrots

I made this one Thanksgiving as a side dish, and I think it's a keeper. Nothing like Thanksgiving recipes to take a healthy vegetable and turn it into a sweet, buttery, not-so-good-for-you dish...YUM...! If I remember correctly, this makes A LOT. (This is another epicurious.com recipe...what happened to their photos, I know this one used to have a photo with it???)

4 1/2 cups water
4 pounds carrots, peeled, cut on sharp diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick ovals (about 11 cups)
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Combine 4 1/2 cups water, carrots, 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, and coarse salt in heavy large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until carrots are just tender when pierced with knife, about 10 minutes. Drain. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add maple syrup and brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Add carrots and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer carrots to large bowl. If desired, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Bourbon Pecan Smashed Sweet Potatoes

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that I found needed some modification, but with my changes, I really like it. I'm always looking for new sweet potato recipes, because they're oh so good, and good for you, too. And what could make something good even better but a little bit of bourbon?

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 ounces bourbon
about 1/8 cup orange juice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I've never been able to find fresh nutmeg, so I just use the kind in a spice jar. Someday I'll figure out where to look for it in the produce section, though...)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (a couple of handfuls)
Salt and pepper

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook 12 to 15 minutes until very tender. Drain sweet potatoes in a colander. Return pan to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Add sugar and let it bubble. Add bourbon and cook out alcohol, 1 minute. Add orange juice and the cooked sweet potatoes. Smash with a masher and season the sweet potatoes with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toast the pecans for 2 minutes in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and put on top.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Scallions

This one is a favorite. I make it almost every year, no matter who is hosting Thanksgiving. Even people who claim to hate brussels sprouts will enjoy it (just don't tell them what it is...I bet they won't even guess...) It's from epicurious.com, and is one of the few recipes that I don't modify, although I usually double it, at least (NOTE: this Thanksgiving, I quadrupled it. We had 12 adults and 4 children, and we probably ate about half of what I made). I usually have to make it ahead of time (since we are often travelling) and it reheats just fine in the microwave.

10-ounce container Brussels sprouts (about 26), trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 scallions, sliced thin diagonally
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, or to taste

Cut sprouts in half and slice thin lengthwise. In a heavy skillet melt butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté sprouts and scallions, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. In a bowl toss vegetables with lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. Everything it stands for, I love...eating, drinking, relaxing with family and friends, and just generally being thankful for the blessings in our life. It's a low-stress holiday, especially compared with the holiday that's on deck. So, what better time of year to start my recipe blog, when I can add all of my Thanksgiving favorites!

Inspiration

Inspired by my sister-in-law's and my cousin's recent forays into food/recipe blogs, I decided it was time to start my own. I'll mainly be posting recipes, with maybe a photograph here and there, or who knows what else...we'll see how it goes...

One of my favorite parts of my baby book is a section that my dad kept in which he wrote down funny things that I said when I was 2-ish. One of the many gems goes something like this: my mom and dad pointed out to me that "Joelly" rhymes with "belly." I came back with, "Yes, and broken jelly." I love it because it just makes no sense...only in the mind of a 2 year old...