Cranberry-Rosemary Vinegar
This is a favorite food gift of mine. It is so festive and it tastes good, too.
I happen to love cranberries. I buy a lot of them this time of year. They are in season, so the price is good. I buy extra, and throw a few bags in the freezer to enjoy all year long. I also preserve some by using cranberries to flavor vinegar. By adding rosemary, the end result is a great tasting vinegar that is perfect for winter salads. It is also a lovely gift.
I love to give homemade gifts. Time isn’t always on my side, though. I doubt my niece will be getting that scarf I was going to crochet for her. But I can get several bottles of this vinegar made in no time.
All you need are bottles with corks or screw top lids. If using corks, be sure they are food grade. You’ll also need cranberries, bamboo skewers, fresh rosemary and vinegar- 5% acidity. I use red wine vinegar. Other vinegar will work, too. If you use white vinegar or cider vinegar they will pick up color from the cranberries and turn a pretty reddish shade. Not as red as with the wine vinegar, but still very pretty.
Since I bring my rosemary plants inside for the winter, I have access to fresh rosemary. Your local grocery store probably has some in the produce department. You can use other herbs, if you can’t find rosemary.
Make sure the skewers will fit in the bottles. Cut them down to fit, if needed. Skewer the berries on the skewers leaving a little room on the top of the skewer. If your cranberries are really big, test to make sure they will fit the neck of the bottle. The skewers keep the berries from floating around.
Place a few sprigs of rosemary in each bottle and then add the berry- filled skewers. Pour in the vinegar, leaving a little room for the cork. Sometimes you need to add a little more vinegar the next day as some will absorb into the cranberries and the skewers. I make decorative labels and give them as gifts. Ready to use in a week.
Mini Turtle Cheesecakes- No Bake!
These might be one of the easiest desserts ever!! The base is filo (phyllo) shells you can buy at most grocery stores. The filling is a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, melted chocolate and whipped cream that is piped into the shells. Add a few toppings, chill and you are ready to serve. They look and taste amazing.
When you are pressed for time these are a nice dessert to make. Plus, they actually taste great and look adorable. Since we used mini chocolate chips to melt, a few were saved to sprinkle on the top. I thought that was a great idea. Thanks, Teresa!!
If you can’t find filo shells I have also included directions to make your own using phyllo dough, Recipe is at the bottom of the post.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy.
No Bake Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packages (15 count each) Athens Mini Filo Shells
Caramel sauce and finely chopped pecans, for garnish
In a large mixing bowl (with whisk attachment if using stand mixer), beat the heavy cream until it thickens and stiff peaks form, roughly 3-4 minutes (when you pull the beaters up, peaks will form and not fall over). Transfer to another bowl and keep cold in the refrigerator. In the same mixing bowl (no need to clean bowl – switch to paddle if using stand mixer), beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
Pipe the cheesecake filling into each filo shell then top with caramel sauce and pecans. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Best served the same day as making.
How to Make Phyllo Cups
5 sheets phyllo pastry
¼ cup unsalted butter melted, more as needed
Preheat the oven to 375°F. If phyllo dough is frozen, completely thaw it according to package directions. Lay one sheet of dough out and brush with a light coating of butter. Top with a second sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 5 layers. Cut into 3.5″ x 3.5″ squares. Gently press into a mini muffin tin. Poke the bottom of the dough with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press the center using a small spoon. Return the cups to the oven and continue baking 4-6 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and immediately remove from the muffin pan. Phyllo cups are very delicate and should be stored in a single layer in a hard container. They can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and refrigerated.
Note: I have also made these with 4 sheets instead of 5 and they still worked.
Using Phyllo (or Filo) Cups
Whether they are store bought or homemade, phyllo cups are a fun and easy way to make both savory and sweet treats. They can be filled with cheeses, veggies, smoked meats, nut and herbs for appetizers. For desserts, use puddings or custard, fruits, nuts, chocolate, whipped cream and small candies. Be creative and have fun. You can bake in them, or add ingredients that don’t need to be baked.
Phyllo Cheese Rolls
We made these fun appetizers in class last week. The filling is pretty simple, feta cheese and parsley. Then you just cut phyllo pastry intro strips and roll up the filling inside. More detailed instructions are in the recipe. They are pretty easy to make, once you get started.
A lot of people are nervous about working with phyllo dough. So many warnings about the dough drying out. It always sounds like you are working against the clock. Phyllo isn’t really that hard to work with. It can dry out, but covering the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap while you work with it helps so much.
So here is the recipe. I kind of wish I had gotten better pictures. The ladies making these had little experience with phyllo and did a great job.
Phyllo Cheese Rolls
2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup chopped parsley
10 phyllo sheets, thawed
1 tablespoon water, to brush the phyllo sheets
½ cup oil to fry the rolls
In a bowl, combine the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley. Mix them together until they are well combined. Lay one phyllo sheet flat on a clean surface. Cut the sheet into 4 equal strips. Cover the remaining phyllo sheets with a damp towel to keep them from drying out while you’re working. Place about a tablespoon of the feta and parsley mixture at one end of a strip. Fold the end over the filling, then fold in the sides and start rolling up the strip towards the other end, like a cigar. Repeat with the remaining phyllo strips. Once you reach the end of each strip, use a bit of water to brush the end and then press it onto the roll to seal it. Repeat this process until all your filling is used.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add a few rolls at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry them until they’re golden brown on all sides, which should take about 2-3 minutes. Once the rolls are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining rolls. Once all the rolls are fried and drained, they’re ready to be served. Enjoy them while they’re hot and crispy!
Feel free to play around with the filling a bit. Maybe use fresh dill and some lemon zest or a dash of cayenne.
Mom’s Pumpkin Chiffon – Gluten Free
I fondly remember when my Mom used to make this dessert. I think of her whenever I make it. From a technical cooking standpoint, it’s not really a chiffon, but that is what my Mom called it, so I will leave it as Pumpkin Chiffon.
It’s more like a pumpkin pie, without the crust. Super easy to make and quite tasty. I bake it in a casserole dish but you could also make it in individual ramekins. This recipe is always a big hit when I make it for friends.
You could use canned or fresh cooked pumpkin or winter squash, like butternut or Hubbard. I always cook up and freeze pumpkin and squash for later use, so frozen would work, too. Because there is no crust, it is also gluten-free. I sometimes serve it with gingersnaps and whipped cream. It is a lovely Fall dessert. Perfect for Thanksgiving, too.
Mom’s Pumpkin Chiffon
½ c. applesauce
1 c. cooked or canned pumpkin or squash puree
¾ c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
½ t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves
4 eggs, well beaten
1 c. half and half or evaporated milk
Stir together first seven ingredients. Beat in eggs and stir in milk. Place mixture in 1 ½ quart casserole and bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve alone or with cookies. Serves 6-8.
Pumpkin Fritters
These tasty fritters are a fun fall dessert. This is a great recipe when you have a little cooked pumpkin or winter squash to use up. The recipe only uses a cup of cooked pumpkin or winter squash.
It is a pretty simple recipe. I started with cooked butternut squash puree. I added eggs, flour, baking powder and a few other ingredients, then fried them up in oil, and ended up with a really good fritter. Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. I drained them on paper towels and then rolled them in cinnamon sugar while still warm. You could also dip them in a powdered sugar glaze. I think I might make a maple glaze for the next batch.
Pumpkin Fritters
1 c. cooked, mashed pumpkin or winter squash
2 eggs
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
oil for frying
cinnamon sugar for rolling- powdered sugar would work, too
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in flour. Batter will be thick. Heat oil to 350 degrees.* There should be enough oil in the pan top be at least 1 inch deep- or deeper. To save oil I used a smallish pan and cooked 3-4 fritters at a time. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into hot oil and cook, turning once until golden brown on both sides. This will take about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels then roll in cinnamon sugar while warm. Makes 24-30. Best served warm.
* Fun way to know when your oil has hit 350 degrees. Place an un-popped popcorn kernel in the oil. Popcorn pops at 350 degrees.
Chili Braised Oxtails
Oxtails will always remind me of the oxtail soup my mom used to make when I was a kid. It would simmer all day and smelled wonderful. I wanted to do something other than soup with these oxtails, so I decided to braise them instead.
Oxtails need a long, slow cook to get them really tender. Moist heat is the trick here. Soup is one way. Braising is another. Yes, you can also cook them in a pressure cooker to get the meat tender faster. I went more traditional though, and opted for a braise of several hours. While the cooking takes a bit of time, there really is nothing to do once the dish is moved to the oven. You just have to start them early enough. Longer cooking generally won’t hurt them. It just depends on how tender you want your oxtails to be.
Oxtails are pretty fatty and you want to trim off excess fat before cooking or your sauce will be greasy. My local butcher trims them for me, saving a step. It also means I am not paying for fat that I am going to cut off and throw away. Oxtails were once an inexpensive cut of meat, but that has changed in recent years. It pays to save where you can.
So here is the recipe. I had a friend try them and he really enjoyed them. I think you will, too.
Chili Braised Oxtails
3-4 lbs. oxtails, excess fat trimmed, if needed
2 T. oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups stock- beef preferred
½ c. sherry or red wine
¼ cup chili powder
Salt and pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
In Dutch oven brown the oxtails in oil until browned. Remove from the pan, add the vegetables and brown them for about five minutes. Return shanks to the pot. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add sherry and seasonings. Place lid on pot and place in a preheated 350-degree oven for 3-4 hours. Check them after 90 minutes and add a little more stock, if needed. It is normal for some of the stock to cook down. I did not need to add more stock. Remove pan from the oven. Remove oxtails and keep warm. Puree the vegetable mixture to make a gravy. Adjust seasonings. Serves 3-4.
Hazel’s Sweet Potato Pie
I love sweet potato pie. I am always surprised when someone tells me they have never had it. Maybe it is a north/south thing? I have made it for friends several times, and there is always someone who says they never had a sweet potato pie before. Once they taste it, they love it.
I used to work with a wonderful woman named Hazel Pruitt. She grew up in Alabama and taught me so much about southern cooking. I first made collard greens with Hazel. She also taught me how to make sweet potato pie. This is her recipe and I want to share it with you. I think of her every time I make it.
I used a family recipe for the crust, but use whatever crust you like. The recipe makes two crusts, so you can l use the other half of the dough for another pie or freeze for later
.
Hazel’s Sweet Potato Pie
½ c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. allspice
½ t. salt
¼ t. cloves
1 ½ c. cooked, mashed sweet potato, about 1 very large sweet potato
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk or half and half
2 T. melted butter or 2 T. olive oil
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
Combine sugar with seasonings. Stir in remaining ingredients and combine until smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until filling is set.
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening or butter, chilled
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt and cut in shortening or butter. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using.
Grape Jelly Coconut Peanut Bars
This delightful dessert came about because I hate to waste stuff. I found myself with an open jar of grape jelly. It was far more than I could use up on toast. I started looking around and found a number of recipes for using them in cookie bars. I used those recipes as inspiration for the bars I ended up making. I took some to a friend’s house and got some very positive feedback.
The crust is a simple shortbread dough, topped with grape jelly, peanuts and shredded coconut. Some recipes added eggs and other seasonings. I kept mine pretty simple. Some called for pre-baking the crust a little, but I opted not to and they baked up just fine. You could certainly add more nuts or coconut. You could use any flavor of jelly or jam, too.
Grape Jelly Coconut Peanut Bars
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. sugar
½ t salt
½ c. butter, room temp
1 c. grape jelly
1 c. peanuts
1 c. flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 pan and set aside. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together, then work in the butter. Mixture might be a little crumbly. Pat the crust evenly into bottom of the baking dish. Spread the jelly over the top of the crust evenly. Sprinkle peanuts on top of the jelly , then top with the coconut. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. You should see a little bit of color around the edge of the crust. Remove and cool completely, then slice and serve! These freeze well.
Cinnamon Coffee Scones
Scones should be tender, a little crumbly, and still moist in the middle. These scones are delicate, full of coffee flavor, and not too sweet. You might think of only serving scones with tea, but these are wonderful with a cup of coffee.
As with any scone, the secret is not to over work the dough. You can eat these plain or with a bit of butter or jam. I’m having mine with a cup of coffee. They really make a tasty start to the day.
When someone tells me they don’t like scones, I am sure it is because they haven’t had good scones. In a cooking class, one of the students said she only had scones once, and they were heavy and dry. I encouraged her to seek out better scones. I think these would win her over.
Cinnamon Coffee Scones
2/3 c. half and half
2 T. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter
1 T. half and half, for brushing the scones
2 T. cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling on the scones
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze- recipe follows
In microwave safe container combine half and half with the coffee powder and heat 30 seconds or so. Stir to dissolve coffee and cool down before using. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add vanilla and egg to cooled coffee mixture and beat until smooth. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Some small pieces of butter can still be visible. Stir in coffee mixture and mix gently until a soft dough forms. At this point you are supposed to press the dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet. To get a really neat circle use an 8-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the pan with a little flour and put the dough in the pan. Press the dough into the pan. Turn the cake pan over onto an ungreased baking sheet. Do this part fast. Slam it down and then remove the cake pan. You will have a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half. If the dough is too sticky sprinkle the top with a little more flour. Cut in half again and then 2 more times. You will have eight wedges of dough forming 8 scones. Pull dough apart slightly using a spatula. They grow a lot when baking and this will give them more room to expand. Brush with the extra half and half and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly. Make glaze and drizzle over the warm scones. Makes 8.
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze
2 T. half and half
2 t. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. powdered sugar
Heat half and half and coffee powder together in microwave safe container for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth and drizzle over the scones.
Wine Jelly
I decided it was a good day to make some wine jelly. I have to say, all that wine simmering in a pot, makes the house smell very nice. I will make several batches, some red (Merlot) and some white (Chardonnay). I might even have time to make a blush wine jelly. Any wine that is good enough to drink, can be turned into wine jelly. Having said that, I would not recommend using a really expensive wine for jelly making.
Wine jelly can be served on toast, or with bagels and cream cheese. I love it on a croissant with a little butter, or served with cheese and crackers. You can use the wine jelly to glaze meats. I have been known to use wine jelly in my thumbprint cookies, too. It always makes a nice gift.
Wine Jelly
5 c. wine
1 box (1.75oz.) pectin
7 c. sugar
Wash jars and lids and keep jars warm. I just fill them with hot water. You can also run them through a dishwasher and keep them in there until ready to use. Get a water bath canner filled with enough water to cover the jars by an inch or two of water. Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, in large put combine wine with pectin. Cook over high heat, stirring often until mixture reaches a boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil 1 minute. Add sugar, continue stirring, and return mixture to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil 1 minute. Skim off any foam. Ladle jelly into hot jars, filling leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids comfortably tight. Place jars in water bath. Return water to boil and start timing. Process 10 minutes, then remove jars to towel covered counter top to cool. Check lids the next morning to make sure they all sealed. Makes 8-9 half-pint jars.
Note: To reduce foaming you can add one teaspoon of butter to the wine and pectin in the beginning of the cooking process.
