The BEST mashed potatoes EVER...

I know this is sort of a lame post, especially since I won't have a picture until tomorrow, but hey...a girl has to post what a girl CAN post...

These can be made ahead and reheated in the oven or kept warm in a crock pot. I've mostly made them a day ahead and then warmed them up in a crockpot or baked them in an oven for 45-60 mn.

I promise that these are great - super delicious. I found the recipe 4 years ago and haven't looked back. I'll post a picture tomorrow, (or sometime this wkend). Seriously, make them tomorrow!

RECIPE:
5 lbs potatoes (preferably yukon gold, but russets work well too), peeled and diced
1 8 oz container Top the tater OR 8 oz cream cheese plus 1 tsp garlic powder
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 package  fresh chives, snipped/chopped into little pieces :)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender
Drain
Add the rest of the stuff and mash! mash! mash!
salt and pepper to taste

EAT!

or...put them in the fridge and re-warm tomorrow. That's what the original recipe was intended for :)

ENJOY!

Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is coming! Thanksgiving is coming!

My favorite holiday of the year...no surprise there, but really, this is my least creative holiday...we just stick with the basics - turkey, potatoes, stuffing, etc. What I really love about this holiday is that it's just about getting together with people you love, sharing a good meal, maybe a glass of wine, and relaxing. No worrying about presents or baskets or anything else, just good old fashioned family time :)

My Mother used to always buy Cranberry sauce from this fancy grocery store around here and they were SO good - I decided this year to try making my own and I am SO glad that I did - they are delicious! ...or as my cranberry making cohort and I would say:  some kind of...AWESOME!

(I'm still working on that label!)

I was skeptical about roasting them, but I think it really makes the dish. It just adds a depth to them that you won't find otherwise. Thank you Bon Apetite for the inspiration.

p.s. We didn't have the fresh herbs so we used this blend that Shellville had in her cupboard that contained ALMOST the same stuff...or was at least close enough for us to decide that another shopping trip wasn't worth it. It was really good all the same. I think we probably used 1-2 Tbsp per batch.

Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Grand Marnier and Pecan
(Makes 2-1/2 pints)

1 - 12 oz bag fresh cranberries, or frozen, thawed
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil (the original recipe called for walnut, we made 1 batch without because we forgot, and 1 batch with peanut - both were really good)
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp minced fresh sage
1/2 fine sea salt

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier
2 Tbsp Sherry
1 orange - zested and juiced
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Mix first 7 ingredients on heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast until the edges begin to bubble, about 15 mn.
Meanwhile, mix together Grand Marnier, Sherry and orange juice.
Remove cranberries from oven and add liquid mixture and orange zest, stirring to deglaze the pan and coat the berries.
Return to the oven and roast 10 mn more. Add pecans, toss to coat, and roast an additional 5 mn.

Fill jars and refrigerate or, if you're canning a larger batch, like we did, fill the pint jars to within 1/4" from top, process in a boiling water bath for 10 mn, take cover off pot and turn off heat and let rest 5 mn, set on towel on counter and let cool - at least 24 hours.

YUMMY!

A Refreshing Step Forward...

Just got this email from the school...and I'm happy that they're starting to change things. This is good news!!!

Healthy Food Options for Students

At YOUR SCHOOL, learning doesn’t stop when students enter the lunch line. The food services program is helping students make healthy choices that are good for kids and the environment.

With childhood obesity rates soaring, choosing healthy meal options is becoming more important than ever before. That is just one reason YS is launching a new initiative to offer healthier foods that are lower in fat, salt and sugar while serving meals kids love to eat.

The following are some ways YS is beginning to change the way they offer school lunch to students:

• In all six of the district’s elementary schools, the a la carte options including fruit roll-ups, baked chips, flavored water and more are no longer being offered.
• Schools, K-12, are no longer offering 2% milk. The three choices available are skim white milk, 1% white milk, and skim chocolate milk.
• All schools are embracing the Farm to Table philosophy of supporting locally based agriculture through purchasing apples from AppleWood Orchard in Lakeville, watermelon from Prior Lake and rice blends from Indian Harvest in Bemidji.
• A COUPLE OF YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS have implemented a Birthday Book Club to replace student birthday treats. Instead of students bringing treats to school, they now have the option of purchasing a “birthday book” for the media center with the child’s name featured in the front of the book.
• THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS are reducing the portion size of cookies in their a la carte selections.

WE'RE is also working to reduce its impact on the environment.

• All schools have switched from using Styrofoam trays when dish machines are down to a totally compostable tray.
• YOUR HS is also using eco-friendly cleaning agents in its kitchens from Minnesota-based company, Sunburst Chemicals.
• Elementary and middle schools have contracted with a local pig farmer who picks up the food waste after lunch. Students have learned how to separate all of their lunch trash so that only food goes to the farmer.
• Students in every school are trying to improve their recycling efforts from last year. In the 2009/10 school year, YOUR HS recycled nearly half of its trash.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

What can I say...I pretty much loathe squash but my google reader has been filled with nothing BUT squash recipes the last couple months. Some of them would appeal to me in a certain kind of way...the photography was beautiful or the chef talking about the dish appealed to me, but I never really thought about actually cooking any of them myself. Yuck! I would post all of the recipes on my sisters facebook wall or my cousin H, since they both adore squash.  Not me. Nope. Definitely not this girl.

And then they went on sale for .48/lb at my local market and my grocery budget was UBER tight that week and I had just read an article about how they last forever, so I thought to myself - Hey! Be brave! Try something new! and so I left the market with 5 locally grown, beautiful to look at (but probably not to eat), squash.

I made the acorn squash ala my mother - with brown sugar, rosemary and butter - and they were ok. My kids and husband love them. I can eat a couple bites, but it's really not something I choose to have in the house. Sort of like tuna fish. Or plain mayo. Or...salmon loaf? Yeah...that's one I'll never make. No matter how many times my husband says his Mom made it and it was good? Nope...never going to happen.

I digress...

I also bought a butternut and a spaghetti squash. The spaghetti squash is still in my basket - we'll see where we get with that. The butternut squash? Well....I sort of fell in love with this soup. The original inspiration for the soup came from one of my favorite food blogs, Simply Recipes. I knew that I would prefer it a little spicier though - and my pot is small and I thought of a couple other things to maybe give it a little more pizazz and wow...be still my beating heart! I actually love something with squash!

Not only was it delicious, but it made a TON of soup and it was SO inexpensive and SO easy...and healthy! I've been converted. And while I probably won't post a hundred new ways to fall in love with squash, I'm going to make a point to keep re-trying things that I used to hate. Sometimes I discover something great - like this soup - or how wonderful mustard is on a hot dog, or how sauerkraut doesn't make me gag anymore...

Go make this soon...while there's still beautiful butternut squash hanging out at your market.
I promise that you won't regret it.

Butternut Squash Soup (for people who think they hate squash):

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2 - 3/4 inch cubes.
Olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
Sea Salt (or regular - it's just what I had on hand)
2 small yellow onions, diced small
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
about 1" or 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 cups chicken stock
water as needed (I ended up using 2 cups)

To Garnish:
sour cream
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges (DO NOT SKIP THIS PART!!! It totally makes the dish - lightens it up, whatever...I cut a lime into 16 half-wedges and 1 was enough for a cup of soup.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Toss squash with olive oil and put in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and roast 15 mn, stirring/turning/tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large dutch oven. Add onion and cook until translucent - about 4-5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, cook about 1 mn or until it releases it's fragrance - add the curry, cumin and mustard powder and stir constantly, letting it toast for just a bit - maybe 30 seconds to a minute. You'll be able to smell the change.

Add the chicken stock and make sure you scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan - add the roasted squash and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer about 20-30 mn or until the squash is tender.

Get out your immersion blender (or you can also put it in a regular blender or food processor) and puree the whole mess of it until it's smooth. At this point it's up to you to determine how thick you want your soup. I don't like soup that reminds me of baby food...or baby poo for that matter. Ishy.

I ended up using 2 cups of water and that was exactly perfect. Not too thin, not too thick.

Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream (can also use plain yogurt), a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Serve with pita bread or whatever else your kids will try it with (mine like saltines and garlic bread!)

p.s. I feel like I must've used black pepper in here somewhere, but I can't think of where? Maybe I didn't...Hmmm....maybe I should make it again and find out!

Updates on the Non Cooking Parts of our Lives...

It's been awhile since I've posted anything other than recipes...I tend to just post the kids pictures and cute stuff on facebook but we did a little traveling recently out to Michigan to see my sister and I couldn't resist sharing some of our trip with you :) Enjoy!

My beautiful baby sister...

Monkey enjoying the great outdoors!

Bobalu taking a little break halfway up the mountain...

Moo and my nephew sharing some water...

climbing the stairs...

Pipps and my sister sharing some love...

silly boys...

entering the beach to Lake Superior...

awe inspiring...and fun!

running on the beach...

silly kids...

self portrait!

Cowgirl Candy

My new love is sweet/spicy. It used to just be salty, but now...oh man...this whole venture into canning has been so much fun and I've loved the things that I've made. The strawberry jalapeno jam, the raspberry habanero sauce, these lovely little gems that I nicknamed cowgirl candy...they all taste great on a cracker with cream cheese, by themselves, even on a grown up PB&J...mmmmm

The original recipe for the candied jalapenos was from one of the food blogs that I follow, Foodie With Family. (here's the link) I originally posted the link to this recipe on my facebook page long before I even made them - it was spring and there weren't any peppers at the market yet...I had a gazillion comments from people that wanted a jar and so when August finally rolled around, I bought out all the peppers from my favorite hippy farmer, much to his amazement (and happiness!)

They were a cinch to make, which was really the loveliest part. Canning is so simple that I can't believe I was ever afraid to try it! I love preserving the flavors of the summer and really even enjoy giving away half of what I make- although I wish I would've kept a couple more jars of these around.

My jars ended up with a bit of sediment in them, which is what really prevented me from even trying them until I was visiting my sister out of state recently...but after a couple jameson gingers (I'll post her fabulous recipe later), we cracked open the jar and OH MY GOODNESS...devoured the whole thing right there on the spot. SO GOOD.

One of them even turned up looking like a heart...awwww...

So you're probably waiting for the recipe...and so I'll just quit talking about how great these are and post it! (...and then I'm running to the store for wheat thins and cream cheese because now I just want a huge jar of these...)

COWGIRL CANDY:

Yield: About 9 half-pint jars of Candied Jalapenos plus additional jalapeno syrup.

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed2 cups cider vinegar6 cups white granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon turmeric1/2 teaspoon celery seed3 teaspoons granulated garlic1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Slice of the stem ends of all the peppers and then slice each pepper into 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. (You can wear gloves if you like. Personally, I really enjoy forgetting and then later, when I've forgotten that I've been handling hot peppers, rubbing my eyes and then screaming and crying like a baby while my husband just shakes his head...)

2. In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. (Side note, (again), if you're new to canning, like I was this summer, I think there's something to be said along the lines that you can really fit a ton more stuff into jars then you'd think. Pack it in there! It's totally fine!)

3. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil.  Boil hard for 6 minutes. (or maybe longer, like 8 minutes, because I'm sure a kid is screaming about something and you'll get distracted...it's all good)

4. Use a ladle and funnel to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices to within 1/4-inch of the rim.  Insert a cooking chopstick or air bubble tool thingy to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air.  Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

5. Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches.  Bring the water to a full rolling boil.  When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints.  When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack.  Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.  When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.

Fig and Blue Cheese Bundles...

I always preface a post after a long absence by telling you how busy life has been, how crazy my kids are, or maybe how crazy they've been making me.

This will never change.

If you're new, I'll tell you that I have 4 kids. If you know me, you'll agree with my father when he says that watching all of them is akin to herding cats. 3 boys, 1 teenage girl...enough to make a person crazy, indeed!

I have a bunch of recipes that I've made or taken pictures of tucked away in my camera and desk drawer. My full intention is to start posting something at least once a week. No promises this time. I know you're tired of them...I never seem to be able to be regular with them. 5 posts in a week and then nothing for months.

What can I say, that's how this Mama rolls.

I hosted Bunco at my house in July. It was the day before my birthday and I had decided to go with a tapas theme. I went a little overboard, to say the least. I think I was in the kitchen for maybe 10 hours by the time the party started. The food was good, but 10 hours worth of cooking?!?!?! Like my husband said...is this really worth all the trouble? Well, if you make these fig bundles, I'm sure you'll say YES - YES IT IS.

My mother brought me a package of dried mission figs from Texas when she was here last and I was like...Ohhhh....Figs.

I didn't know if I'd like them or not. I do. I really really do. I also really really hope she starts mailing them to me on a regular basis along with those sun dried tomatoes (hint hint!).

Sorry to those of you that requested this recipe back in July. I've been busy/crazy/lazy and August was NOT a good month. Nor, apparently, was July :)

Without further ado, here they are: (granted, not the best picture, but I promise that they were divine...)

The Stuff That Goes In 'Em!

4 Oz Maytag Blue Cheese (or other high quality blue cheese)

24 dried black mission figs

8 - 6 x 4 slices of thin prosciutto, cut lengthwise in thirds

1/2 package frozen phyllo pastry, thawed

3/4 cut butter, melted

2 cups red wine or port (I didn't have port, nor the inclination to run to the store that day, but by all means...)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp Honey

Prep: (The instructions, not that annoying kid in HS)

1. Cut each of the dried figs in half lengthwise and place in small bowl

2. Bring 2 cups wine to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and pour over halved figs. Let sit 15-20 mn or until you're done with the other stuff and ready to "roll". Drain the wine back into the small saucepan for using later for the sauce/glaze.

3. Spray 2 mini muffin tins with olive oil or other good cooking spray

4. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, (keeping remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out), and brush with melted butter. Top with second phyllo sheet, brush with phyllo, top with 3rd sheet, brush with butter, top with 4th sheet. (You will make 4 sets of these but only do 1 at a time to prevent the dough from drying out)

5. Cut sheet into 1" wide strips, down the short way (I believe they're 8 x 12 sheets, so your strips should be 1" x 8")

6. On each strip, lay a piece of prosciutto, half a fig and a tsp of blue cheese and roll up. Place in mini muffin tin and repeat until all the strips have been used. once the sheet is done, repeat step 3 and 4 with the remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough until all gone.

7. Bake in 375 degree oven about 15 mn or until golden.

8. While baking, make the glaze: in the small saucepan, add the honey and balsamic to the wine and cook down until it resembles a thick syrup. When the bundles have come out of the tins, drizzle with some of the sauce and serve the rest in a small bowl if people want more. Can be served warm or at room temp.

FYI - You can make these vegetarian as well if you just leave out the prosciutto. I did that with quite a few for friends that don't eat meat and they were equally as delicious :)

ENJOY!