Holy Smokes I haven't updated in how long??

Ok, I realized it's been a little while since I've updated my blog... when I actually checked it out, it's been over a year! My goodness I'm such a slacker! Anyhow, with the holidays around the corner I thought it would be good to try and update with a few holiday inspired recipes. There is nothing like a creamy butternut squash soup and hot apple cider to warm you up on a cold night, or a change in the typical pumpkin pie dessert. Most of these recipes are quite easy especially if you can find ways to take shortcuts! Because you probably know me and have figured out that I'm all about the shortcuts! haha! Ok so here goes, feel free to improvise, change or experiment! I mean that's what cooking is all about! :)

Hot Caramel Apple Cider:

Ingredients:

1 Jug Apple Cider (I like the unfiltered kind)
4-5 Cinnamon sticks
1 C Orange juice
1 C Caramel sauce

Prep:
Put all ingredients in a pot or slow cooker and Heat on High heat to hot. Reduce heat to medium low and ladle into mugs. Drizzle top with caramel sauce and add a cinnamon stick for garnish.


Creamy Butternut Squash Soup*

Ingredients:

1 2-3Lb Butternut squash (or two packages of the pre-cut cubed butternut squash from Costco)
2 boxes of Chicken stock
1 qt Heavy Whipping Cream (no not the sweetened kind)
1 Tbs Nutmeg
1/4 Cup Butter
1 large Onion chopped

Prep:

If you purchase a whole squash, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush olive oil on the flesh and place in a preheated oven 350 degrees for 45 min to an hour to soften up the flesh. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Pour the chicken stock into a heavy stock pot. Add onions and squash and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 1/2 hour. In a food processor or blender, ladle the squash and onion mixture in batches and process until smooth and creamy. Return the processed squash and onion mixture to the stock pot and add nutmeg, butter, and cream. Stir and cook on medium heat for 20 min. Add salt to taste. Serve with pepitas for garnish

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake*

Ingredients:

Crust:

9 whole graham crackers
¼ C granulated Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ C Melted butter

Filling:

4 – 8oz Packages Cream Cheese room temperature
1 – 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree
1 ½ C granulated Sugar
3 eggs
1 C Heavy Whip Cream
9 oz White Chocolate chopped
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preparation:

For Crust: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Wrap double layer of heavy duty foil around the outside of a 10” springform pan. Combine graham crackers, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Blend until graham crackers are very finely ground. Drizzle butter over graham cracker mix. Using pulse on the processor, blend until crumbs stick together. Press crumbs onto bottom (not sides) of the pan. Back until crust is slightly golden, approx. 10 min. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing the filling. Maintain oven temperature.

For Filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin, whip cream, and spices. Beat until just blended. In a double broiler, melt chocolate on stove at medium – low heat. Cool to luke warm but still pourable. Add to filling mix and stir until just combined.

Cook in a water bath ½ “ water, 1 – 1 ½ hours until slightly puffed and softly set, and top is golden. Transfer to a rack and cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with whip cream and white chocolate shavings.

As a side note, I'm going to try making this with a gingersnap crust this year. But like I said, experiment and see what you like! :)

* As another side note these are not low fat recipes

Hearty Taco Soup

I made this soup the other day because it was cold and icky out and just a good day for a hot hearty soup. This is one of my favorites because it is so easy to make and just really hits the spot on cold days. I serve it with warm skillet cornbread, and it just makes a nice meal that really is filling. The great thing about this soup is that you can make it on the stove or in the crockpot and... there's always leftovers! YAY! Who doesn't love leftovers? I find it almost always tastes even better the second day! How's that possible? All the flavors have a chance to really blend in together. Even my kiddos like this soup, so it makes for a good family meal. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Hearty Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 can tomato sauce
2 - 15oz cans kidney beans - undrained
2 - 15oz cans stewed tomatoes - undrained (cut up, I use kitchen shears and it works great)
3 Cups water
1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 pkg frozen white corn kernels
1 envelope taco seasoning (if you like it spicy get the spicy mix or add peppers)
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

Preparation:

Brown meat with onions in a frying pan on the stove and drain excess liquid. (Another way is to cook your meat in the microwave and drain, don't add the onions if cooking in the microwave). In a large pot add all ingredients except cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. Crock Pot Method: Brown meat in microwave, drain. Add all ingredients to the crockpot including chopped onion. Cook on High for four hours, or low for 6 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Easiest Marinated Flank Steak EVER!

One of my favorite recipes for steak is something we found in the newspaper in San Jose, CA. It was so simple yet so amazingly flavorful. I tell you, nothing beats a good grilled flank steak, the way it melts in your mouth as you take that first yummy bite... Mmmmmm! We serve this at the Lodge and it is probably one of our most requested dishes ever. Everyone seems to love this steak. It is so flavorful, but the flavor doesn't overpower the taste of the steak itself, it enhances it. This is a great dish for summer or anytime as long as you have access to a grill. This dish is definitely one that needs to be barbequed. I like a longer marinating time, if you can marinate the steak for 48 hours that is ideal, but 24 hours works well too. Hope you enjoy this steak as much as we do!

Ingredients:

1 large flank steak
1 bottle dark beer (guiness, port or stout work best)
1/2 bottle soy sauce
12 garlic cloves

Preparation:

Place steak and all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours prior to grilling. Place steak on preheated grill (Medium - High heat). Grill approximately 10-15 min per side, or until desired "doneness".

Cedar Plank Salmon...

My mouth waters just thinking about it. We were figuring out a recipe for salmon for our summer menu at the lodge and trying to come up with a way of cooking the salmon that was different than how we'd been serving it thus far. Not that the salmon from the winter/spring menu wasn't super yummy, but mostly just to change things up a bit. I'd always wanted to try making cedar plank salmon but wasn't sure how or where to start for that matter. I did a search for recipes on cedar plank salmon and it was a bit overwhelming. I finally decided to try a recipe for cedar plank salmon with a toasted pecan beurre blanc sauce. Oh my goodness! It was amazing, and after a couple of trials and errors, figured out the perfect amount of time to soak the cedar planks for a wonderful cedar flavor with a hint of smokiness to it. The salmon alone melted in your mouth, but when you add the beurre blanc sauce to it, a whole new dimension in taste explodes in your mouth! If you have cedar planks available to you, I'd highly recommend stocking up on them, because once you make this, you won't want to go back to regular salmon again!

Cedar Plank Salmon with Toasted Pecan Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ingredients:

3 TBS Shallots Finely chopped
3/4 Cups white dry wine
1 TBS Champagne wine vinegar
3 TBS Heavy Cream
1/4 Lb sweet cream butter
3 TBS Chicken Stock
3 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/3 cup toasted pecans
5 salmon fillets

Preparation:

*Soak Cedar Planks in water for two hours prior to grilling.

STEP ONE: Toasted Pecan Beurre Blanc Sauce--
Combine all ingredients except the salmon, butter, and pecans in a medium saucepan and bring to a vigorous boil.
Reduce stock down to about 1/3 and adjust heat to a medium flame.
Whisk in butter, one tablespoon at a time, until completely melted, and strain.
Add salt, pepper, and toasted pecans.

STEP TWO: Preparation of the Fillets-- brush with olive oil, and and place on a prepared cedar plank and grill until fish is tender and flaky (about 6 to 7 minutes on each side). Serve fillets topped with Beurre Blanc sauce.

The Perfect Scone...

I don't know about you but a good scone hot from the oven on a cold day is one of my favorite treats, especially if that scone is a white chocolate raspberry scone. I made up this recipe on a whim, and now make it fairly regularly at the Lodge. One guest said that "this scone puts other scones to shame, it was out of this world." I think he liked it a little bit... LOL. My favorite kind of scone is one that is crusty and golden on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Now with this recipe I recommend using a food processor as it saves tons of time but if you don't have one your hands'll do. One thing I like to do is to brush on a little left over buttermilk (or milk is fine) on top of the scones and sprinkle on a layer of large crystaled sugar (you can usually find this in the cake decorating section of your local store). It gives it a nice little crunch and added sweetness with out it being overpowering. Hope you like this recipe just as much as we do!


Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup frozen chopped raspberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chilled buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into large bowl. Add flour mixture and butter to a large food processor and pulse (or rub in with fingertips) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in raspberries and white chocolate chips. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 18-25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.

Bery Yummy Berry Risotto

Well I'm not sure about where you live, but for us the weather has changed drastically. We went from 70 degrees one day to 30 degrees and snowing the next! So I figured I'd add one of my very favorite breakfast recipes, which is especially good for a cold morning. Again, when it says to add Vanilla... like the previous posts, go for the Mexican vanilla! It will yield the tastiest results. If you can't get fresh raspberries, frozen ones work too! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Berry Breakfast Risotto
(6 servings)

4 and 1/2 cups water (you may need additional water)
1 cup uncooked arborio or medium grain rice
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

In two-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat the water until it reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to low. This step is just to have hot water on hand.
Take a large saucepan and place it over medium heat. Combine the rice, half-and-half, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in this pan and cook for 1 minute - stirring gently.
Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in 1 cup of the hot water. Stirring frequently, cook until the water is absorbed. Continue stirring, adding water 1 cup at a time - allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next.Cook until rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency - about 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in raspberries and strawberries. Stir gently until risotto is light pink - about 1 minute.
Serve warm.

Linking the Recipe World Together

Ok, so today I'm not going to be posting any recipes, I'm on a bit of a time crunch, but I did want to make sure that I did my daily dose of blogging.  I promised to try and keep it up, so I'll at least put something on here that's hopefully useful.  A lot of people ask where I get my inspiration for recipes etc.  I would have to say I do a lot of perusing on the web for different recipe sites and good recipes.  I figured that I'd share some of those sites with you.  The nice thing is alot of them have options for searching for specific recipes or guidelines, for instance, those with allergies to nuts or gluetin, can search in advanced search at Epicurious for recipes with out nuts or wheat product, a handy little tool for those of us who have to cook for specific diets.  It was especially useful for when my son was allergic to eggs.  Do you know how hard it is to bake things with out eggs in them?  Anyhow, a lot of specialty grocery stores have alternative options for those with special diets and often time have cook books there or recipes for those looking for ways to make healthy and well rounded meals.  So I'm putting down a few links of my favorite sites for recipes.  Hope it helps inspire you on your way to becoming a creative cook!

http://www.epicurious.com   - Probably my absolute favorite all around site

http://www.mrbreakfast.com  - Great breakfast site

http://www.recipezaar.com   - Good all around site, most recipes are user donated.