What’s On the Menu

One of my many favorite Christmas movies is A Christmas Story.  Often this time of year, we end up ordering out because we’ve been too busy or it’s too late to cook, and for some reason — I think because of this movie — I crave Chinese food the most in December.  And every single time I eat it, I think of one of my absolute favorite Christmas movie scenes:  the Chinese restaurant scene.

For whatever reason, I usually end up ordering too large a portion of Wonton Soup.  After all the broth is gone, I have wontons leftover.  This happened again recently, and I found a clever way to reuse of them.

Asian Fusion Wonton Soup

• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 2-4 leftover wontons, diced
• 1 head bok choy, chopped
• 2-4 tbsp chunky peanut butter

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and simmer until bok choy is soft and peanut butter dissolved.  Ta-da!  Now you can deck your hars with Thai and Chinese food, all in one!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, filled with the most important things of all: friends, family, love, and Jesus. 🎄💝🎄

Joe Cocker said it best: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”  Around the holidays, sometimes my friends are bourbon and rum.  Ha!  I stumbled across this recipe for a Holiday Old-Fashioned and decided to give it a whirl.  But first, you gotta get some other friends together – rosemary, ginger, and grapefruit…

Rosemary, Ginger, and Grapefruit Syrup

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
• 5 2-inch-long slices peeled fresh ginger
• 12 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 2-inch strips grapefruit zest

Combine sugar, water, and grapefruit and stir over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Gently bruise the ginger and rosemary with the back of a spoon to release their oils.  Add them to the pot along with the grapefruit zest.  Lower heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, being careful to not allow it to boil.  Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

At this point, you can keep the mixture in a container for personal use, or make yet another great stocking stuffer!  (For the grown-ups, of course!)  Divide the ginger slices, rosemary sprigs, and grapefruit peel evenly among jars, then fill with syrup.  Write down or print the recipe for the Holiday Old-Fashioned on a slip of paper, punch a hole in it, and tie it around the jar with some twine.  Stockings stuffed!

Holiday Old-Fashioned

• 1/2 oz Rosemary, Ginger, and Grapefruit Syrup, plus a piece of zest
• 3 dashes of bitters
• 2 ounces of bourbon
• 1 tablespoon club soda
• ice

Add syrup, bitters, and bourbon to a shaker full of ice.  Shake and strain into a rocks glass.  Top with the club soda and garnish the zest.

That is the “official” recipe.  I tend to use whatever tastes good to me, or what I have on hand.  I enjoy it with rum and a splash of Sprite or club soda, my husband enjoys mixing it with whiskey.  Or skip the alcohol altogether and just add it to plain club soda.  A little bit goes a long way, so play around with it and have yourself a Merry Little Christmas … with your friends!

Ahhh, Christmas dinner.  Family, friends, loved ones alike.  And all of that FOOD!  If you’re lucky enough to not be in charge of the turkey or ham, you may be wondering if there is something you can bring that will stand out.  Something different than the norm.  Something to really add some wow your banquet table.  There is!

My husband is a huge fan of blue cheese.  Several years ago, I surprised him with a big batch of Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes.  He and my family loved them!  Now I make them every Christmas.  I will totally get the evil eye from my oldest stepson if I don’t.  They’ve become a staple, a tradition, and they are asked for by name.  It’s pretty much a given.  “And will you be bringing your Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes?”  Why, yes.  Yes I will.  Now you can, too.

Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• 5 pound bag Russet Potatoes
• 10 oz of crumbled Blue Cheese
• 1 Blue Cheese salad dressing, to taste
• salt, pepper, & milk, to taste

Dice potatoes and boil in a large pot until soft.  Drain, then put back into pot.  Add crumbled Blue Cheese.  If you like, you can save a little to sprinkle on top when the potatoes are done for a prettier presentation.  I use all of mine for maximum flavor.  Smash together with a potato masher (I like the square faced ones) until cheese is fully mixed.  Add dressing until you get your desired consistency.  I prefer mine to still be somewhat thick and chunky.  If you like yours a little looser, you can add more dressing and/or some milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This should serve your average family of about 10-15 — hopefully with some leftover for you to take back home. 😋

Holy holidays, Batman!  Christmas is NEXT WEEKEND!  If you’re anything like me, this month has really gotten away from you.  I’m not even sure what I have on hand.  I need to take present inventory, wrap some stuff, and buy for anyone I may have forgotten.  And then just when you think you’re done, you come face to face with those empty stockings!  Or some holiday party!  Or your delivery people!  Or, or, or!

Have no fear!  I have yet another great and easy stocking stuffer / quick goodie / nice token of appreciation:  Candy Cane Hearts.  Crazy easy, I whipped up a bunch of these and put them in goodie bags last year for friends, made a tray of them for my buddies at the post office (they don’t get much love this time of year!) , and gave them to anyone I suddenly realized “Oh, shoot!” when I encountered them.  And the way this month has gone, I’ll definitely be making them again!

Candy Cane Hearts

• mini candy canes
• bag(s) of chocolate chips (dark, milk, or white – or all of the above!)
• decorations of choice (sprinkles, jimmies, non-pareils, edible glitter, etc.)
• small sandwich bags
• wax paper
• food dye (opt)

On a baking sheet lined with wax paper, align 2 mini candy canes tip to tip, creating the shape of a heart.  Repeat to create as many hearts as desired.

Pour chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave until melted, in 30-second increments so as not to scorch.

Once the chocolate is fully melted, spoon into the corner of a small sandwich bag.  Cut off a very small piece of the corner end.  Squeeze out chocolate gently, filling in the middle part of the candy canes.  Make sure that the chocolate goes all the way to the edge of the candy canes.  This is what holds them together.

Here is where you can get creative!  If you want to add a different color of chocolate, melt another type and create swirls and patterns of your choice.  Go even further with white chocolate mixed with food coloring.  I went with simple dark chocolate and Christmas colored non-pareils last year, but this year I think I’m going to go crazy.  ‘Tis the Season, after all!

Once all the chocolate is in place, sprinkle with decorations of choice.  Again, get creative!  Mix them up, alternate, make patterns.  Whatever your little heart desires.

Refrigerate for at least an 30 minutes to be sure chocolate is fully solidified.  Gently peel off wax paper and place in decorative baggies tied with ribbon or whatever packaging you prefer.

These are super easy to make and great for kids to help with.  Go classy or sassy or silly.  Just do whatever makes you happy!  I promise, they’ll make whoever receives them happy, too!

I never thought I liked lamb.  I had only had it served buffet-style, usually overcooked and rendered very gamey.  Then my husband had some that was prepared correctly.  Fresh and cooked perfectly.  The heavens opened and angels sang.  As with most things we enjoy, he and I decided to try to it at home.  We opted for lamb chops, grilled rare, with a red wine rosemary reduction.  Nailed it.  We never went back to the buffet again.

Last year, I made another great stocking stuffer: a slow cooked tomato confit made with rosemary, thyme, and garlic.  Because it was slow-cooked in my crockpot, the tomatoes and garlic were soft enough to spread and the herbs were actually palatable — even the rosemary (which is usually too stick- or needle-like and strong).  The confit was great mixed with eggs, spread on crackers, or added to a sandwich.  I put it in cute little jars, attached a label, and put them in gift bags along with my Gingerbread Latte Spice Mix (recipe here).

Slow-Cooked Tomato Confit

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 6-10 cloves of garlic, cut in chunks
• 3-4 stems of rosemary
• 4-6 stems of thyme
• 2-4 cups olive oil, enough to cover ¾ of tomatoes 
• salt & pepper, to taste

In a crockpot, add cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover ¾ of the way with olive oil.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until tomatoes and garlic are soft.  Remove bare stems left from rosemary and thyme.

The rosemary and tomatoes reminded me a lot of our rosemary lamb chops, and I got the idea to slow cook those in the crockpot with the confit mixture.  To the recipe above, I added lamb chops, seasoned with salt, pepper, plus onion and garlic powders.  I threw in some green olives for a nice briny kick and some potatoes.  It turned into a warm and gratifying meal for a cold December night!

Slow-Cooked Rosemary Lamb Chops

• slow-cooked tomato confit
• 4-6 lamb chops
• green olives, to your preference (I use about 1 cup’s worth)
• 2-3 potatoes, diced large
• salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook on low for the same 4-5 hours, spooning juices over lamb chops periodically until all ingredients are cooked through and lamb is at that roast-like point of falling apart.  Spoon potatoes into dish and smash for a base layer.  Add lamb and confit.  Top with some Paremsan cheese, if desired.

I’m a coffee freak, and I love all the holiday flavors that come out this time of year.  Because I can’t afford a REAL pumpkin spice latte everyday, here’s something really similar that I do at home.  With the aromatic blend of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and the comforting hint of chocolate, it’s like the holidays in a mug.  You’re welcome.

Gingerbread Spice Latte

Equal parts of the following:

• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Dark Cocoa Powder

For a little more kick (about 1/3 of above amounts):

• Cloves (opt)
• Allspice (opt)
• Salt (opt)

Combine all ingredients and mix a spoonful into your coffee grinds before you brew, about 1 tablespoon per 4 cups.

Layering the spices makes for an attractive presentation.

These are great for stocking stuffers, too!

In between all the holiday craziness, I still enjoy cooking, though I try to pick meals that don’t take very much work to prepare.  Nobody wants more dishes to wash than necessary, ya know?  This is a great and hearty dish that is bursting with flavor and won’t cause you to be in the kitchen all night.  Bonus:  it still reads “fancy” enough to impress!

Sweet Sausage & Feta Polenta

You will need:

• Sausage (I prefer sweet; the fresher the better, from local butcher or farmer’s market)
• Polenta, prepared per box instructions
• Sweet Onion
• Arugula
• Feta
• Basil
• No-Cook Tomato Sauce (see recipe here)

I don’t have exact measurements for any of this.  It was literally all “to taste” or “preference.”  So go for it, have fun, and see what you come up with!

Sauté sausage with sweet onion, then serve atop a polenta and wilted arugula blend.  Top with freshly made No-Cook Tomato Sauce, crumbled Feta, and basil.

Lots of leftovers floating around in the next few weeks.  Don’t miss an opportunity to create an easy meal out of them!  Below, a few of my family’s favorites.

Leftover Turkey Soup

Easy peasy!  Pick through your turkey carcass and get every drop of that meat off of it.  Add carrots, celery, onions, and whatever else your little heart desires (think bok choy/cabbage, kale, tomatoes, turnips, etc.).  Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients.  Add spices of your choice – we use rosemary, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper.  Simmer until all veggies are soft.  If desired, add some pasta.  I used whole wheat egg noodles for this post-Thanksgiving batch.  I find them to be less filling; they don’t swell as much after you eat them.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Another of my favorites is a quick roast of pumpkin seeds. My little secret is that after I spread them out on the baking sheet, I spray them lightly with a cooking spray (like Pam) before sprinkling liberally with seasoning salt. The spray boosts their nuttiness by giving them some added buttery flavor. Bake at 350 for about 20 mins or until golden, tossing about halfway through. Great and (relatively) healthy snack to sit out for any of those unexpected holiday guests!

Bacon.  Mushrooms.  Gravy.  This is a surefire win with your Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing.  Also pairs well with beef, chicken, and pork.  Hearty and satisfying, with classic familiar flavors plus a little extra pizzazz.  And very easy to do.  I literally whipped this up in about 15 minutes.  Ready…set…GO!

Bacon Shiitake Gravy

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 8 oz of shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4-6 large cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 ¼ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 tablespoon flour (optional)

Sauté onions until carmelized.  Add bacon, garlic, paprika, and thyme.  Cook and stir until bacon is browned but not crispy.  Add mushrooms and let them sweat out and soften.  Add chicken broth and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Pour small batches into blender until all is pureed.  It’s not going to be silky smooth, but rather a hearty texture.  Return to skillet, whisking in flour if desired for extra thickness.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gravy is not pretty.  I mean, it’s gravy.  But these ingredients have that rustic look that match the flavor this gravy brings to your dish.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and of course … PUMPKIN PIE.  Want to really wow your family?  Before hitting the frozen isle or the grocery store “bakery,” try making your own.  I decided to do that very thing one year and now I swear I’ll never buy Mrs. Smith’s again.  Using fresh pumpkin, my own ground spices, an easy buttery flaky crust, and homemade whipped cream, I am now able to proudly present a pumpkin pie worth being thankful for.  But not before a faux pas or two….

One of the things I love about this recipe is how much more flavorful the spices are.  While many store bought pies can be bland, this one really shines.  So for the first year I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws’ house, I doctored it up a bit to ensure lots of flavor.  I was super excited.  Homemade pumpkin pie….what a great daughter-in-law I turned out to be, right??  Dessert time rolled around and I took a slice first, because I just knew this was going to be awesome.  As I watched others try it, I noticed they were chewing slowly, sort of obligatorily, and smiling that smile.  You know that smile.  The something-is-wrong smile.  Nobody would say it out loud, but my pie was awful.  I had gotten too heavy-handed with the allspice and cloves, and it tasted like medicine.  Even I couldn’t finish it.  I apologized, we all had a good laugh, and I promptly threw my failure away.

I skipped making pumpkin pie the next year to help the memory fade, but this year I’m back.  Pay close attention to my spice notes.  They are on point this time, as was evidenced by my husband, daughter, and brother-in-law, who could only mumble “mmm mmm mmm…” while being my guinea pigs.  So I’ve finally got it figured out …. and we can all be thankful for that!

Buttery Pie Crust

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter, chilled and diced
• ¼ cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  I hand-mix mine for the best results.  Stir in water, one teaspoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Spray a little nonstick spray on bottom of pie dish.  Roll dough out to fit a 9-inch pie pan, pressing evenly into the bottom and sides of dish.  With a fork, poke holes in bottom of dough.

My REAL LIFE confession to you:  I have not yet gotten my pie crust to not shrink.  I have heard that glass pie dishes amplify the problem, but my husband gave me these dishes and I love them.  So, there.  But when I finally perfect it, and I will, you’ll be the first to know!  (Okay, maybe the second.)

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Cut a pie pumpkin in half, remove seeds, and place open side up on baking sheet.  Cover with foil and bake on 350 for about an hour.

Once pumpkin is cooked, mix together the following:

• 1/½ cup pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ²/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs

For your spices, put the following in a spice grinder or coffee grinder:

• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon whole clove
• 1 teaspoon salt

Grind until spices are processed as much as you can get them.  When you’re done, take a small strainer and strain powder into a separate bowl.  What’s left should just be small pieces.  Take out any larger pieces (sometimes cloves leave behind stems).  Anything else that didn’t strain through can be ground more in a mortar and pestle or with a meat tenderizer.

Mix all the spices together very thoroughly, then spoon 3 teaspoons into the pumpkin mixture.  (You will have about half of the spice mixture leftover, and some of that will be used later for the whipped cream.)  Stir and blend pumpkin mixture thoroughly, then pour into pie shell.  Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure pie has completely set up.

Honey Spiced Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (from above)

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Pipe or dollop onto pie.

Eat and be thankful.

Am I the only one who can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is this week??  Sheer craziness.  This year flew by … but then, I always say that come November.  If I’m perfectly honest with you, traditional Thanksgiving food doesn’t excite me that much.  Even more than that big juicy bird, I enjoy the different, the interesting, and the non-traditional.  And so, Apple Raisin Sausage & Pierogies!

What I love most about this dish is … well, there are a lot of things I love about this dish!  It has an unexpected flavor profile with many different notes that come together in a surprisingly pleasant way.  It screams holiday, with its apples and raisins, comforting creaminess, and potato pouches.  And it’s versatile!  I use a chicken sausage, which is lighter and healthier, but you can also get this in tofu form, giving your vegan guests an option at your Thanksgiving table.  Plus, it’s easy!  Yay!  There’s nothing I like more around these crazed holidays than something that is versatile, satisfying, and easy to prepare.

Apple Raisin Sausage & Pierogies

• 8-10 links of Apple Raisin Chicken Sausage
• 3 medium peppers (I used yellow & green)
• 1 medium red apple
• ½ small onion
• 1 pat of butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• Salt & onion powder, to taste
• Olive oil for sautéing
• 12 oz Cheddar Onion Pierogies

Brown sausage links, then put aside.  Sauté onion, peppers, and apples until softened.  Add butter, milk, and flour, mixing thoroughly until it creates a thick sauce.  Add sausage back to pan and keep on medium-low to keep warm.  Stir occasionally to take care the sauce does not scorch.

Bring pot of water to boil and and cook pierogies.  They don’t take long!  Strain from pot as soon as they rise to the top of the water.

Plate sausage and veggies over the pierogies, adding more of the sauce on top.  Serves about 2-3 people.

It would seem a grievous error for the very first Saucy Tomato blog post to not be about, well, SAUCE!  And today, you will get an Official Blog Launch 2-for-1 Special!  I’ll share a nifty trick for creating a thick and hearty tomato sauce in my next post, but for now let’s start with something that’s easy, yummy, and doesn’t even require a stove top…

No-Cook Tomato Sauce

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 basil leaves, cut in ribbons
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (opt)

Mix tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar (opt) in a bowl.  Marinate for 3-4 hours.

If you don’t have 3-4 hours of advance prep time, you can microwave all ingredients except the basil for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes have begun to break down, then toss in the basil at the end.

After marinated (or microwaved), add salt and pepper and smash all ingredients together with a fork.  Serve over warm pasta, topped with Parmesan or goat cheese and extra basil leaf ribbons.

Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes are juicy and sweet, plus add an attractive pop of color to your dish.