Honey Almond Cranberry Crostatas

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup honey
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
3 tablespoons almond paste, softened (from 3 1/2-oz tube)
1 ½ teaspoons sliced almonds
8 teaspoons honey

Heat oven to 425°F. Place cooking parchment paper on cookie sheet. In 1-quart saucepan, heat water and honey to boiling. Stir in cranberries; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until berries have popped and mixture is thickened. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, unroll crust on work surface. Roll crust out slightly; cut into 8 (4-inch) rounds. Reroll scraps and cut remaining rounds if necessary. Place rounds on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Discard scraps.

Gently press 1 heaping teaspoon almond paste in center of each crust round. Divide cranberry mixture evenly over almond paste. Fold 1/2 inch of each crust round over filling, pinching slightly so crust lays flat on cranberry mixture. Sprinkle each with almonds.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Drizzle 1 teaspoon honey over each crostata. If desired, serve warm with ice cream.

Apple Slice Sugar Cookies - Pillsbury

2 tablespoons red decorator sugar

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Black string licorice, cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat oven to 350°F. Cut 17x12-inch piece of plastic wrap; place on work surface. Sprinkle red sugar evenly over plastic wrap. Roll cookie dough in sugar to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes.

Remove half of dough from wrapper; freeze remaining dough until needed. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 2 inches apart. Place 3 chocolate chips in center of each slice to resemble seeds. To form slice shape, make 2 indentations on 2 opposite sides with fingers. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until unsugared edges are light golden brown. Insert 1 licorice piece on top of each cookie to resemble stem. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

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Pillsbury Sangria Pie Yummm

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

2 cups raspberry sherbet, softened

2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® 99% Fat Free raspberry yogurt

1 cup frozen (thawed) raspberries

1/2 cup sangria

1/2 cup fresh raspberries, if desired

 

Heat oven to 450°F. Place pie crust in ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Press crust firmly against side and bottom; flute. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Mix sherbet, yogurt, raspberries and sangria until blended. Spoon into crust. Freeze uncovered until firm, about 3 hours.

Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish each serving of pie with fresh raspberries.

 

PUMPKIN BREAD

1 ½ cups Sugar
2 Eggs
½ cup Veg or Canola Oil
1 cup Pumpkin
¼ cup + 1 Tblsp Water
2 ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 ¾ cups Flour
¾ tsp Salt
1 tsp Soda
½ cups Walnuts (optional)

Cream sugar, eggs & oil together. Add pumpkin & water and mix in well. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl and add them slowly to creamed mixture. Pour into loaf pans or muffin pan with muffin liners. Fill 2/3 full.

350 degrees.
Makes 2 loaves or about 20 – 25 muffins

Loaf pans bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out with gooey crumbs but not liquidy.

Bake muffins for 16 – 20 minutes. Test with toothpick as above.

Flaky Buttery Pie Crust

Makes one double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
6-8 Tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a chilled bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or 2 table knives (cut with a criss cross motion through the butter and dry ingredients). Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and continue to cut through the mixture. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Cutting again through the mixture. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, cutting through after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you can let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. (A pre marked pastry rolling sheet that has the pie circles already marked is handy.) Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

If you are only making a single crust pie, use kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use your fingers in a pinching motion, or the tines of a fork to crimple the edge of the pie crust.

If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice glossy sugary finish).


Egg Wash

A glossy sugary coating for your pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.
1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 large egg yolk

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush. Sprinkle a dusting of granulated sugar over the top. Bake as directed.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing:

1/2 cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon of vanilla


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add pumpkin and egg and beat well. In a separate large bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture, beating well to blend.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and flatten into cookie shapes. Place on parchment-covered backing sheet
and bake until light golden, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove and cool.

Icing:

Combine brown sugar, milk, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and vanilla until smooth. When cookies are slightly cooled, generously glaze the icing over the tops and allow to cool completely before serving.

Bacardi Rum Chocolate Cake

1 Package chocolate cake mix (2 layer size)
1 Jell-o chocolate instant pudding mix (4 serving)
4 Eggs
1/2 c Bacardi dark rum
1/4 c Cold water
1/2 c Wesson oil
1/2 c Slivered almonds, optional

Filling
1 1/2 c Cold milk
1/4 c Bacardi dark rum
1 Jell-o chocolate instant pudding mix (4 serving)
1 Dream whip topping mix

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 - 9 inch layer cake pans. Combine all cake ingredients together in a large bowl. Blend well, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn into prepared pans/ Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Do not under bake.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, finish cooling on racks. Split layers horizontally. Spread one cup filling between each layer and over top of cake. Stack. Keep cake well chilled. Serve cold. Filling: Combine milk, rum, pudding mix and topping mix in deep, narrow bowl. Blend well at high speed for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Makes 4 cups.

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Is Thanksgiving at your house this year? Here are some tips to help you out so your guests are impressed!





Fresh or Frozen?

Before you buy the turkey, figure out your guest list. You should have
1 to 1½ pounds of turkey per person.

Your next decision will be selecting between a frozen or fresh turkey.

• A fresh bird is more expensive, but will save you time and precious
  refrigerator space. Buy the bird the day before you wish to roast it, but remember to reserve your turkey with the butcher. Most grocers don’t keep a
  large stock of fresh birds on hand.


• You will need to plan ahead if buying a frozen bird as well: it can be catastrophic to find that the only turkey available for your intimate four-person dinner is a 26-pound glacial beast.


• A frozen turkey needs to be defrosted. The preferred method is to defrost it in the refrigerator. (Yes, the one filled with the rest of the holiday fare.) Allow one day per 5 pounds. A 15-pound turkey will require three days to defrost
  thoroughly.


• An alternate method is to defrost the bird in a cold water bath. Allow 30 minutes per pound. That 15-pound turkey will require only 7½ hours to defrost using this approach. It is also possible to use a combination of these methods.

How to Roast Your Turkey

To prepare the turkey for roasting, first remove the giblets! Not only is it is concerting to find these paper-wrapped lumps when carving the bird, but you may also wish to use the giblets in your gravy or stuffing. Next, rinse the bird inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.

If you are stuffing the bird, stuff it loosely, allowing about ½ to ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.

Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Tie drumsticks together with string (for stuffed birds only).

Lastly, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The thermometer should point towards the body, and should not touch the bone.

Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Use the following chart to estimate the time required for baking.
Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent.

During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but helps promote even browning.

Weight of Bird Roasting Time (Unstuffed) Roasting Time(Stuffed)
10-18 lbs 3-3.5 hours 3.75-4.5 hours
15-22 lbs 3.5-4 hours 4.5-5 hours
22-24 lbs 4-4.5 hours 5-5.5 hours
24-29 lbs 4.5-5 hours 5.5-6.25 hours

Apple Brown Betty

4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 pounds Gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup packed light- or dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse bread until coarse crumbs form (you should have about 2 cups). Spread breadcrumbs on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl, add butter, and toss until coated.

Place apples in a large bowl, and toss with lemon juice. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half the breadcrumbs. Transfer mixture to an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake until fruit mixture is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Then remove foil, and continue baking until breadcrumbs have browned and apples are easily pierced with a paring knife, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Top, if desired, with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon.
6 servings

RAISIN APPLE CRISP

3 Apples
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Chopped nuts
1/8 cup Water
3/8 cup Brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon Lemon juice
2 tablespoon Flour
2 tablespoon margarine
1/8 teaspoon
Salt

Wash, pare, core and slice apples thinly. Mix with raisins. Place in a greased casserole Add cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and water. Work sugar, flour and margarine together to form crumb like consistency Spread over apple and raisin mixture Bake in 380 degree oven for at least 30 minutes.

Copy Cat Recipe Cracker Barrel Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

1−1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cups butter
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Nestle's semi−sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1/2 cups nuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter; cut with pastry blender until crumbs are size of large peas. Melt over hot (not boiling) water, Nestle's semi−sweet chocolate morsels. Remove from heat and cool
slightly at room temperature (about 5 minutes). Add milk and egg to melted
chocolate and mix well. Blend chocolate into flour mixture.

Spread cherry pie filling in bottom of 2 quart casserole. Drop chocolate batter randomly over cherries. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bake at 350 F for 40 − 45 minutes. Serve warm with heavy cream.

Herbed Potato Slices

•3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
•1 medium onion, thinly sliced
•1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
•2 tablespoons melted butter

Put half of the sliced potatoes and half of the sliced onions in a buttered 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with half of the dried herbs and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Repeat layers, ending with remaining melted butter.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover plate with foil. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender.

Serves 4.

Sweet Potato Cashew Bake

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 cup broken cashew pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 lbs sweet potatoes (canned), drained
1 - 8 oz can sliced peaches, drained
3 T butter

Cut sweet potatoes into about 1" thick slices. Slice peaches into 1/2 " slices. Combine sugar, nuts, salt and ginger. In 10x6x2" (approx) baking dish, layer 1/2 of the sweet potatoes and 1/2 of the peaches and 1/2 of the sugar / nut mixture. Repeat. Dot with butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 min. Serve.

Frosted Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350º. Beat brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in pumpkin and egg. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in pecans.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Frost with Spiced Frosting.

SPICED FROSTING
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk (3 to 4 tablespoons)

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Set aside or make while cookies are baking.

Chicago Style Pizza

DOUGH:
1 Package active dry yeast
2 teas. Sugar
1 1/4 cups Warm water
2 3/4 cups All−purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tbls. Olive oil
1 teas. Salt

TOPPING:
1 cup Pizza sauce
12 oz. Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb. Ground beef, crumbled, cooked
1/4 lb. Italian Sausage, crumbled, cooked
1/4 lb. Pork Sausage, crumbled, cooked
1/2 cup Pepperoni, diced
1/2 cup Canadian bacon, diced
1/2 cup Ham, diced
1/4 lb. Mushrooms, sliced
1 small Onion, sliced
1 Green bell pepper, seeded, sliced
2 oz. Grated Parmesan cheese

For dough, sprinkle yeast and sugar into warm water in small bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Mix flour, cornmeal, oil and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center and add yeast mixture. Stir to form a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary. Turn onto a floured board and knead until dough is supple and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down.

Roll dough to a 13−inch circle. Transfer to an oiled 12−inch pizza pan, folding the excess over to make a small rim. Spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with all but a handful of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with meats and vegetables. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Let rise in a warm spot about 25 minutes.

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Bake pizza until crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Pork Tenderloin with Orange and Rosemary Glaze

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate,
thawed
1 scant teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1 tablespoon balsamic
vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
Salt and pepper

Combine corn syrup, orange juice concentrate, rosemary, and vinegar. Heat over medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat oven to 450°. Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with foil; brush with
olive oil.

Trim excess fat from pork tenderloins. Place the pork in the prepared baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and roast the pork for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Put about 1/3 cup of the glaze in a dish to use for basting pork. Brush the pork all over and continue roasting for about 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until pork is cooked through. Brush with glaze every 10 minutes or so.

A meat thermometer should register about 160° when inserted in the thickest part of one of the pork tenderloins.

Slice tenderloins and serve drizzled with remaining glaze.
Serves 6.

Handy Charts for your Kitchen

Click the image to enlarge and print to keep in your kitchen!

Best Ever Waffle's

2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Package Active Dry Yeast
1/2 Cup Warm Water
2 Cups Milk
3 Cups Flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Scald milk and cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs well, then add other ingredients. Stirring until mixture is blended. Then beat until the batter is smooth.

The batter may be stored in a large fruit juice container so that it does not rise over the top.
This will keep in refrigerator for a long time.

Chocolate Almond Pound Cake

1/2 c Finely chopped almonds
1 1/2 c Sugar
4 oz Butter, melted
4 Eggs
4 oz Bitter chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tsp Almond extract
2 c Flour
1 c Corn meal
1 tsp Salt (optional)
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 c Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 12 c bundt pan. Coat sides with almonds.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Stir in chocolate and almond extract.

Combine flour, corn meal, salt and baking powder. Add alternately with milk to chocolate mixture, mixing at low speed until well blended. Spoon into pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
Serves 16