Honey Ginger Chex Mix

It's the time for holiday parties.  I always make a large batch of traditional Chex Mix every year but this year when I was shopping for the ingredients I noticed this recipe printed on the side of the box.  It sounded really good so I picked up everything and tried it.

This is a really good mix.  I gave it out with Christmas gifts this year and everyone thought it was delicious.  It is also gluten-free so you don't have to worry about making something different for those with gluten allergies.

Honey Ginger Chex Mix:
(adapted from Chex)

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice Chex and/or Honey Nut Chex cereal

1 cup dried banana chips

1 cup unblanched whole almonds

¼ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon apple pie spice

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup sweetened dried cranberries

½ cup dried pineapple

Directions:

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, banana chips and almonds.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter, brown sugar, honey and ginger uncovered on high for about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture is boiling; stir.

Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 4 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl every minute. Stir in coconut and cranberries; microwave uncovered on high about 3 minutes or until cereal just begins to brown.

Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

Spiced Fig Cake

I made fig jam this weekend and had some left over figs.  Figs are sweet and since I didn't have any bacon or prosciutto around I decided on a fig cake.

As I've said before chemistry is not my forte so I went looking for a basic cake recipe to use with my figs.  I came across this one on All Recipes and went nuts making to work for me.

I used Brown Turkey Figs for this cake (I used up all my Black Mission Figs in the jam I made earlier that day).  I don't honestly know what the difference is between them;  Publix didn't have a good explanation on the picture.

Spiced Fig Cake:
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped fresh figs

Frosting:
3 figs, finely chopped
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fig jam (optional, but it's super good)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with the two milks. Fold in vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped figs.

Divide into two prepared 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.  Let the cake cool before trying to frost.

To make the frosting:

Using a mixer mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and jam (if using) together in a small bowl.  Fold in the finely chopped figs and the fig jam.  If you want the frosting to be thicker add more sugar.  If it's too thick add a couple teaspoons of water or cream, but be careful not to add too much.


This isn't going to be a frosting that comes out beautifully in a piping bag but it'll make a really pretty, homey looking cake (and it's delicious... so who the crap cares?!).

Fig Jam

I spent my Labor Day weekend laboring away in the kitchen making jam.   Figs have been on sale recently and I decided to take advantage of the good deal.  Plus, I don't really do much with figs so I decided it was time to fix that.

I think that this jam is going to be amazing when Christmas comes around.  I want to get some puff pastry, a wheel of brie, and pour a bunch of this jam on top before I bake it off.  It's going to be delicious!  (Now I just need to go to a party)

Fig Jam:

4 cups chopped figs (about 27 medium)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 3-oz pouch Ball® Liquid Fruit Pectin
6 cups sugar
8 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water
until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. Prepare figs by
trimming stems and finely chopping them.

Combine prepared figs with lemon juice, water, and sugar in a 6- or
8-quart saucepan. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be
stirred down, over high heat, stirring frequently.
Add pectin, immediately squeezing entire contents from pouch. Continue
hard boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam
if necessary

Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim.
Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for
altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid
should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Peach Cobbler

I've been canning all weekend.  I have 1 quart + 19.5 pints of peach jam sitting on my counter.  Even after all of those jars of jam I still have 5 peaches in my fruit bowl.  To be frank, I'm tired of making jam so in order to use those last few peaches I decided to make a cobbler.  It's a classic dessert and easy to make.

There is something comforting about a cobbler.  It was my grandma's go to dessert when I was a kid and we always looked forward to it.

Peach Cobbler:
(basic cobbler recipe, measurements from Food Network- cause Grandma never measured anything)

Cobbler filling:

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour

Cobbler crust:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon brown sugar, for topping
   

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Place the sliced peaches in the dish and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour. Mix gently and spread evenly again. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine all dry ingredients for cobbler crust in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers, to make the texture like coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough.

Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on top. Sprinkle with last tablespoon of brown sugar and return to oven. Bake about 20 minutes, until fruit is bubbly and crust topping is golden brown.

Blueberry Jam

Summer fruits are wonderful.  The farmer's market has tons of berries right now and they are just begging to be made into jam... so that's what I've been doing.

This is a really easy recipe, it tastes fantastic, and doesn't take that long to cook or process.

Blueberry Jam:
(Ball Canning)

4 cups blueberries
4 1/2 tablespoons pectin
3 cups sugar (I used 1 cup lemon sugar and 2 cups regular sugar)

According to the recipe you should be able to get 6 half pint jars of jam.  I was only able to get 5.  If you prepare 6 jars you'll be good to go. 

Prepare boiling water canner. Wash jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water. Heat jars and in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set lids and bands aside.

Combine berries in an 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.


Add all of the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars. Apply bands and adjust to fingertip tight.

Place filled jars in canner ensuring jars are covered by 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner. Bring water to gentle, steady boil.

Process jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Strawberry-Margarita Jam

I got a canning set for Christmas this year.   Now that spring has officially sprung and there are beautiful strawberries all over the place I decided to get down to business!  I guess I could have started with a basic strawberry jam but when I saw this one I decided to go for it.  Go big or go home.

This turned out to be more of a sauce than a jam.  It could be because I didn't use the apples but it's also a good possibility that there was some user error.  I'm new to this whole canning thing.

Friendly canning reminder... make sure your jars and cleaned and sterilized before you start canning.

Strawberry-Margarita Jam:
 (adapted from Ball Canning Company)

8 cups halved hulled strawberries
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur
2 Tbsp strawberry schnapps, optional
6 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

Combine strawberries and lemon juice in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel. If liquid breaks from spoon in a sheet or flake, it has reached the gel stage. If gel stage has been reached, stir in tequila, orange-flavored liqueur and strawberry schnapps, if using. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot preserves. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Blueberry Pie

I was lucky as a child to have blueberry bushes in my back yard.  I didn't really appreciate them at that point in my life because my grandmother made my sister go outside and pick them in the heat, but we certainly enjoyed the pies and cobblers that my grandma made with them. 

This is not my grandma's pie but it's a really good basic pie.  There are many ways to top this pie.  The lattice topping is the most traditional and is really pretty.  Martha Stewart topped it with cut out stars, which is awesome for any summer party.

** See the splotchy spots on the pie crust?  It's because my egg wash puddled while it was resting.  It will still taste fine but it's not the prettiest pie in the world.  Just something to remember to check on when baking.

Blueberry Pie:
(Martha Stewart Baking Handbook)

All-purpose flour, for dusting
8 cups blueberries, picked over
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Pie crust

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out one disk of the pie crust to about 12-inches round.  Dust off the excess flour and fit into a glass pie pan.  Trim the dough so that there's only 1/2-inch overhang all around the pie plate.  Crimp the edge however you'd like.  Roll out the remaining dough and chill both for about 30 minutes.

Place the blueberries in a large bowl.  Crush about a 1/2 cup of the berries.  Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Gently stir to combine.  Pour the fruit mixture into the chilled pie crust, mounding the berries slightly in the center.  Take the butter pieces and dot them all over the pie.

Take the second pie crust and decide how you want to to your pie.  I decided to go with the basic lattice pie so I cut the pie crust into strips.  Arrange the strips on the top of the pie.  In a small bowl mix the egg and half and half.  Brush the egg mixture all over the top of the pie.

Let the pie chill for an additional 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  After the pie has chilled move it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the bottom third of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust is starting to turn golden.  Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, turning halfway.

Let cool on a wire rack.

Citrus Cranberry Sauce

It's the time of the year for cranberry sauce.  I love it and I tend to stock up on the fresh berries when they go on sale and then I pop them in the freezer to keep until I need them.

Citrus Cranberry Sauce:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 bag cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon

In a sauce pan bring the sugar, lemon zest, and water to boil.  Add the fresh and dried cranberries and citrus juices to the pan.  Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and let cook for about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and let everything come back to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Apples

My grandma made us cinnamon apples all the time when I was a kid.  They were awesome and I still enjoy them.  Plus, they make the house smell wonderful!

Cinnamon Apples:

1 apple (whatever you have around the house), cut into cubes
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon sugar or 2 packets of Splenda

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Melt the butter.  When the butter has melted add the apples, spices, and sugar/Splenda to the pan.  Stir everything together and cook until the apples are soft.  Stir throughout the cooking time to make sure nothing sticks or burns.

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting

This is one of the most interesting cake recipes that I've seen.   I associate rosemary with savory things, like chicken, not in a sweet dessert cake.  This cake is really good and a great surprise for me.  

I decided to put a strawberry frosting on it.  I think that the flavors in the cake can really stand up to the sweeter frosting.

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups turbinado sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
¼ cup lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
3 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
¾ c buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. Cream together the
butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and a pale yellow color, approximately
5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time making sure they are completely incorporated before
adding the next one. Add zest and rosemary.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine lemon juice, buttermilk and
vanilla in another bowl.
 

Alternate adding flour and buttermilk mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with
the flour.
 

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 tablespoons strawberry jam (not jelly)

Mix everything together in a mixer.  Taste as you and and feel free to add more extract, sugar, or jam as you go.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

I had some left over apples from Thanksgiving and decided to make some cinnamon apples.  Then I decided that pancakes would be good.  THEN I decided to just make some cinnamon apple pancakes.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes:

Pancakes:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda


To make the pancakes:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Apples:
1 apple (whatever you have around the house), cut into cubes
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon sugar or 2 packets of Splenda


Directions:

Pancakes:
In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.


Apples:
Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Melt the butter.  When the butter has melted add the apples, spices, and sugar/Splenda to the pan.  Stir everything together and cook until the apples are soft.  Stir throughout the cooking time to make sure nothing sticks or burns.

Mix the apple, 1 egg, 1 cup pancake mix, and 3/4 cup of milk or buttermilk together. 

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown

Pineapple Nut Cake

Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits.  This cake is so moist and is perfect with a good cream cheese frosting.  It was a very easy cake to make and most of the ingredients are pantry staples.

Pineapple Nut Cake:

Cake:

2 cups flour

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 #30 can crushed pineapple - do not drain

1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Grease & flour 9 x 13 pan. Mix all ingredients by hand. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese  1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup butter or margarine

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Mix with electric mixer & frost while cake is warm.  Sprinkle top with 1 cup chopped nuts.

Key Lime Pie

I love Key Lime Pie.  There have been many birthdays where i've had key lime pie instead of a cake.  It's one of my favorites.

Here are two very important things to know about key lime pie.

#1: Key lime pie should NEVER been green.  If it is, run far far away.
#2: Nellie & Joe's is the best key lime juice to use.  Don't use store brand.  It's not worth it.

Key Lime Pie:
(Nellie & Joe's)

9" graham cracker pie crust
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
½ cup Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. 

Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Since it's Friday and we've all made it to today I thought it would be nice to have a treat for the weekend.

This is something that I made for my Grandma's birthday.   She always loved blueberries.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake:
(Adapted from my mom and Food Network)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon juice, plus 1/3 cup
Zest of one lemon
2 pints of blueberries
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan or bundt pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.


In a mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add 1 cup of the sugar.  With the mixer running at low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.

Working in alternating batches, and mixing after each addition, add the dry ingredients and 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and the zest to the butter mixture. Mix until just smooth.
Fold one pint of blueberries into the mix.

Pour into the prepared pan and add second pint of blueberries to the top of the batter.  Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out dry and almost clean about 65 to 75 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice, and more zest until the sugar is dissolved.

When the cake is done, let cool in the pan 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack.

After the cake is cooled put on a platter and spread the glaze all over the top and sides of the cake and let soak in. Repeat until the entire glaze is used up.

It goes great with vanilla bean ice cream.  I do however think it needs more lemon flavor.  Next time I make it i'm going to add more lemon and zest. 

Watermelon Granita

It's officially summertime! Mr. T and I have been snacking on a watermelon for a couple of days.  I love it.  With it being summer in the south we are seeing temperatures that are pushing 100* on a regular basis.  It's the perfect excuse to eat something cold.

I like granitas.  They are easy to make and don't require an ice cream maker.  This one can even be made with a sugar substitute for those watching their sugar intake.

Watermelon Granita:

(Food Network)

Ingredients:

4 cups seedless watermelon chunks

1/2 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Pour into a shallow, wide pan and freeze for 1 hour. Rake mixture with fork and freeze for another hour.

Rake and freeze for one more hour. Rake and serve in cups.

Strawberry Scones

Someone at work brought in a whole bag of strawberries. I'm trying to branch out and make new things.  I was looking around at strawberry options and came across this recipe.  As luck would have it I just bought a container of Greek yogurt.

Strawberry Scones:
(adapted from Chobani Yogurt)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1-2 tsp for flouring work surface
1/4 cups sugar plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on top
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup chopped strawberries
3/4 cup Greek yogurt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add butter, using hands or fork, work until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in strawberries, and then Greek yogurt to hold dough together. Do not overmix.

Turn dough onto floured surface and with floured hands, knead 2 to 3 times. Gently press dough into rectangle, about 1½-inches thick. Fold rectangle into thirds, like a letter. Press dough into 9-inch round.  Cut into 8 wedges.

Arrange wedges on a parchment-paper-covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle each wedge with a little sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Strawberry Sauce

It's strawberry season!!  Mr. T and I picked up a couple of pints this weekend and had a slice of angel food cake with a strawberry sauce on top.  It was awesome.

Strawberry Sauce:

1 pint of strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 sprig of mint, chopped

Cut the large strawberries in half. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and mint. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a potato masher and mash about 1/3 of cooked berries. Store in refrigerator.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

It's cold and gross looking outside. I decided that it was a sign that I needed to do some housework, which means time to do the dishes.  With a clean kitchen I decided it was a perfect time to make some bread.  I've had a bag of cranberries in my freezer since Thanksgiving and I have some fabulous pecans laying around.  Cranberry-Pecan bread... FTW.

Cranberry Nut Bread:
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 cup pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity), and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg, vanilla, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan and top with some sanding sugar, if you want.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to cool completely.


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Meyer Lemon Cranberry Sauce

I love cranberry sauce. My grandma made it fresh every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Canned cranberry sauce was a 4-letter word in our house.  I have found out that a lot of people get overwhelmed with it and just resort back to the stuff in a can.  I promise that this is beyond easy and will take almost no time, better yet... it'll sit in the fridge fine so there is no problem with making it ahead of time.

I'm using meyer lemons in this version.  They were on sale at the grocery store and I decided to go for it.  My mom usually makes it with orange juice and zest.  My grandma left out the citrus all together.  Go nuts, try new things.

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Sauce:
(adapted from my Grandma)

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice from 1 Meyer Lemon
Zest from 1 Meyer lemon

In a saucepan add sugar and water.  Boil until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the lemon juice and zest.  Add cranberries and let them boil until the skins have popped.

Let them come back down to room temperature then place in an air tight container and place in fridge to finish cooling.













See?  Cranberry sauce is easy and takes almost no time.  There's no reason to get all freaked out about it.

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are perfect for a holiday cookie exchange.  They're small and something a little different.

Thumbprint Cookies:
(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces), room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of chopped nuts or coconut (optional)
3/4 cup of blackberry or strawberry jam
Parchment paper

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes.

Separate the eggs. Add the yolks and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. If using nuts place the egg whites in a shallow dish on the side and whisk them until bubbly and frothy (the egg whites will be used to keep the nuts on the cookies).

Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350F.


Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place the balls on parchment lined cookie sheets.

Press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of the cookie. Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I rolled some of the cookies in coconut before I put them in the oven.  Just give them a little bit of an egg wash before you put the coconut on them so it sticks.