CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

I've been playing around with different cranberry recipes the last few years and the one I made last year was the biggest hit with my family. I was shocked that it became my teenage son's favorite Thanksgiving food, except for chocolate pie. Nothing will ever replace chocolate as his favorite food.

I'm not sure what to call it. It's not really a salad, maybe more of a chutney or relish. Adding a little jalapeno and serving it over a block of cream cheese really put it over the top. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the sweetness of the orange and pineapple plus the little kick from the jalapeno is delicious.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 - 12 ounce pkg of fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup Stevia or Ideal
1/2 cup orange juice (or zest & juice of one orange)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

OPTIONAL - chopped pecans or walnuts

                       1 jalapeno (seeded & chopped)

Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. The cranberries will burst open and will spit at you, so be careful and keep little ones away.

Once it thickens, stir in crushed pineapple, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts or jalapeno, if using. Stir for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

It will be chunky. If you want to leave it chunky, that is fine. Or, ONCE IT HAS COOLED, you can take an immersion blender and blend it up a little. You could also put it in a blender. This does help break up the tiny seeds that you get from the fresh cranberries.

Let it chill for a few hours or overnight. Can serve alone or over a block of cream cheese with crackers. If you love cream cheese as much I do, you are definitely going to want to try this.

NOTE: If you want to thicken it up a little more, add a little Wondra or cornstarch mixed with water. I found a great thickener online at King Arthur Flour Company. It thickens without clumping.

P.S. I just looked up chutney in the dictionary and it says chutney is a mixture of sweet and sour flavors, such as fruits, combined with spices. So, Cranberry Chutney it is!

Wishing you all a very blessed Thanksgiving,

Lori

CHILI FOR A CROWD

The annual Red River Rivalry is this weekend. Oklahoma and Texas football fans will be glued to their television screens. It is supposed to be cool and rainy. All of these things add up to perfect chili weather. Here is my family's favorite chili recipe. Enjoy!    BOOMER SOONER! 

LORI'S CHILI FOR A CROWD

6 pounds of ground beef, ground turkey or ½ of each

3 packages Williams original chili seasoning unsalted

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

3-4 cans tomato sauce (depending on how moist you want it)

1 large onion – chopped

Minced garlic (to taste, I use about 3 teaspoons)

Salt

Paprika

McCormick Hot Shot (Black & Red Pepper blend)

McCormick Mexican Chili Powder

Louisiana Hot Sauce (OPTIONAL – a few shots or more if you like it hot)

Shaved or chopped dark chocolate (OPTIONAL – 1-2 ounces at the end – adds great depth)

Brown beef and/or turkey with chopped onion in a family size skillet or 2 regular skillets.  Salt meat and add 3-4 shakes of Hot Shot (depending on how spicy you want it) while browning.

In a large saucepan, Dutch oven or crockpot, add browned meat, Rotel tomatoes and chili seasoning packets. Thoroughly mix together.  Add 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can tomato paste and mix thoroughly. If you need more moisture, add more tomato sauce.  After it reaches desired consistency, add minced garlic and a few shakes of Mexican Chili Powder.  You can also add the dark chocolate at this time. Mix thoroughly and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

All ingredients can be adjusted to your specific tastes. If you don’t like it too spicy, leave out the McCormick Hot Shot and Rotel tomatoes.   

NOTE: I use a meat mixture of 80-90% ground round or ground chuck and ground turkey. It cuts down on the fat content, but when allowed to simmer so spices can meld together, you can’t tell it has turkey meat in it. I've also used 1/2 beef and 1/2 deer meat and it was just as good. Deer meat is extremely lean and good quality protein. 

Using low fat meat in this recipe makes it really healthy. Lots of lean protein, very low fat and loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. 

Blessings to you all,

Lori 

Italian Cheesy Bread

I don't know anybody that doesn't like cheesy bread. It's great with pasta or a salad or as an appetizer. It is so simple, yet so delicious. Topping with fresh chopped herbs really puts it over the top. I hope you try it & enjoy.

I also sprinkle a little garlic powder over the crust before the Italian Seasoning. BUT, you have to be careful not to use too much. Too much garlic will make the whole dish bitter & inedible. 

HEALTHIER VERSION - use an organic or whole grain crust or pita bread. Since I don't eat white bread anymore, I use whole grain pita bread & it is just as delicious. When using the pita, I follow steps 1-6 then put in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
 

ITALIAN CHEESY BREAD

1 refrigerated pizza crust

2-3 cups of shredded Italian cheese

1 medium tomato – chopped

Olive Oil

McCormick Italian Seasoning

Chopped fresh or dried parsley

Chopped fresh or dried basil

1)               Spread pizza crust onto a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

2)               Drizzle olive oil on crust.  Using a pastry brush or your hand, spread olive oil all over crust.

3)               Sprinkle Italian seasoning all over crust.

4)               Spread Italian cheese onto crust being sure to cover completely (otherwise it’s not cheesy bread).

5)               Add chopped tomato on top of cheese.

6)               Top with parsley and basil.

7)               Bake according to directions on pizza crust.

8)               Cut into squares & enjoy!

Party food - mini cheesecake bites

It is only April and this year has already been full of parties, showers & weddings. My friend's daughter had her Sweet 16 party a couple of weeks ago. They allowed me the privilege of preparing food for the party. I only have sons, so I am used to doing "guy food". My boys & their friends like meatball sliders, taco cheese dip, sausage balls, barbecue, etc. I decided it was best to stay away from messy foods & wanted to keep it simple with bite-size foods they could eat with their hands. Since we are in "party season" with graduations, weddings, etc. I thought I might share some quick and easy party food recipes with you. They are not healthy by any means, but sometimes we all need to indulge and party.

The menu was ham & turkey wraps, crackers & cheese logs, garlic cheesy bread & mini cheesecake bites.
Each of these recipes are very easy and make a beautiful presentation. I will post the other recipes in separate posts so they are easy to find. Please let me know if you try them and if you liked them or not.

I didn't get a great picture of these, but I can tell you they are very pretty and yummy.

MINI CHEESECAKE BITES

 

2 – 8 ounce blocks cream cheese (ROOM TEMPERATURE)

2 – 7 ounce jars marshmallow cream

1 – 8 ounce tub Cool Whip

Nilla Wafers (or Oreos)

 

1)     Beat cream cheese & marshmallow cream together.

2)     Fold in Cool whip

3)     Place a Nilla Wafer in mini muffin liners

4)     Spoon or pipe mixture onto Nilla Wafers

5)     Place in refrigerator for a few hours to set up

Makes about 60 mini cheesecake bites.

NOTE:  I add strawberries, blueberries, maraschino cherries and/or kiwi on top. I also like to drizzle melted chocolate over the top.

Other additions could be: toasted coconut, slivered almonds, etc. Make it your own. Add whatever toppings you like. 

For Easter, green coconut would be pretty on top with a couple of jelly beans.

For July 4^th or Christmas, red or green coconut would look great and of course, strawberries & blueberries for July 4^th would look great also. 

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