Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Tuesday's Table - Countdown to Christmas!








Welcome to Tuesday's Table, where we get together to fill up our table with food, drinks and entertainment.  For the next 5 weeks, we're looking for holiday-themed recipes and ideas.  Have you got some great recipes for a tree-trimming party?  Decorating ideas for Christmas?  Cookie swap party recipes and ideas?  Bring them all over and share them here!

Wow - we had some great ideas last week!  Choosing a favorite was crazy difficult.  For today, I was most intrigued by these Lemon Basil Cookies from Tumbleweed Contessa.  They sure look delicious!



Thanks for sharing Tumbleweed Contessa - grab a button here!


I'll feature my favorite entries from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:

  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Sign up for my email reminder here.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party - remember, holiday recipes and ideas!






Zentmrs

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas Verde


Years ago I bought a Bon Appetit cookbook called The Christmas Season.  Love this cookbook.  On the cover is a photo of an incredible cake decorated like a present that I made for Christmas one year.  Inside are loads of great recipes and menu ideas for holiday meals.

One of my favorite recipes - and one I have made every year for dinner at the end of our Thanksgiving weekend when we've spent hours and hours putting up Christmas - is corn and chicken enchiladas.  Over the years, I've modified this recipe...  I even usually make it with leftover turkey!  And it's the first of our meals to be plated on our Christmas dishes.  I love our Christmas dishes.

This weekend, we didn't have any leftover turkey  (so I used some chicken leftovers that we did have), and we had a super busy weekend.  So I chose to make my enchiladas in the crock pot.

But before that?  This weekend we saw Straight No Chaser, a fantastic a capella men's group from Indiana. They put on an incredible show and we had a great time!




Then we started on our Christmas decorations.  While I'll give you a glimpse of the insanity that is our Christmas decor later, today I thought I'd show my "helper".



Morgan loves Christmas and is in the midst of our decorating as soon as the boxes come down from the attic.  (Don't tell him  but he's not as much help as you'd expect...)

Anyway, on to dinner.  I loved the way this turned out.  It's not much to look at - one of the problems with crock pots and casserole dishes in general I guess, but it is delicious, and easy to make!  Plus, I was able to keep my enchilada tradition and work on "Christmas-ing" the house at the same time.  Can't ask for more than that.


Leftover Turkey Enchiladas Verde

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked turkey or chicken, shredded or chopped
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 28 ounce can enchilada verde sauce
  • 6 corn tortillas or 6 flour tortillas
  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)









Directions:

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray.  Cover the bottom with one or two tortillas (they may need to be ripped to fit); top with 1/4 of the meat, 1/4 of the corn and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.  Pour about 1/4 of the enchilada sauce over the top.  Repeat layers with tortillas, meat, cheese and sauce





Once all the layers are complete, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the top.


Cover; cook on LOW heat for 5-6 hours, or cook on HIGH heat setting for 2 1/2 hours.


Cut into wedges, serve and enjoy!



Delicious!  This would also be great with red enchilada sauce - and, if I were making it for only The Mr and me, I'd add some jalapeno or ghost peppers for a little kick.  Hope you try it!


Zentmrs
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Friday, November 23, 2012

Black Friday

Last night...



Today...


We may have holiday "issues".



Zentmrs
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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Pastry Cornucopia with Cranberry Mousse


Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are spending the day surrounded by loved ones.
We are at my in-laws today.  The Mr and his brother are grilling the turkey.  I brought my favorite hash brown potatoes, and I also brought cranberries.  Not just any cranberries either.  Cornucopia-ed Cranberry Mousse!  Looks pretty impressive, but super easy (shh... the family doesn't need to know).


Pastry Cornucopia with Cranberry Mousse

Ingredients:


  • 1 cup cranberry juice
  • 1 package (3 ounces) cranberry or raspberry gelatin
  • 1 bag fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 box puff pastry sheets
  • 8 sugar ice cream cones


Directions:

Heat the oven to 400ºF.



Wrap each cone tightly in aluminum foil, covering it completely and tucking any excess foil into the cone cavity. Spray the foil cones with the cooking spray.






Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Cut the pastry sheet along the fold marks to form 3 rectangles. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 4 strips, making 12 strips in all.
Press the ends of 2 pastry strips together. Starting at the pointed end of the cone, wind the pastry strip around 1 cone, slightly overlapping edges of pastry (strip will not reach the bottom of the cone).






Spray the pastry cone with the cooking spray and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Place the pastry cone on its side, with the end of the strip facing down, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry strips.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.




Let the pastries cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Carefully remove the foil cones from the baked pastry.






Heat cranberry juice cocktail, cranberries, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until boiling.  Simmer until the cranberries are softened.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the cranberries, and stir thoroughly.





Chill until mixture begins to thicken, but not set.  Gently mix in whipped topping, using a rubber scraper. Chill until firm.  Spoon into pastry cornucopias.

Enjoy!










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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Italian Sausage Pizza




I love pizza (doesn't everyone?) and this is one of my favorites.  The Mr likes deep-dish pizza and I prefer thin crust.  I think this recipe is a good compromise - tasty crust, crispy but not too thin, and a flavorful assortment of toppings.  I've never had a complaint with this!


Italian Sausage Pizza

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. active dry yeast

For the Topping:
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 links Italian sausage (either sweet or hot, depending on your taste)
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup low-fat Italian blend shredded cheese


Directions:
In the bread pan of an electric bread machine, combine (in the manufacturer's recommended order) the warm water, olive oil, salt, flour and yeast. Set the machine for dough cycle according to the manufacturer's instructions and process through the cycle.

When the cycle is finished, remove the dough from the bread machine bowl.  Divide the dough in half, and form two balls.  (This recipe makes enough for two 12 inch round pizzas.  If you don't want two pizzas, you can freeze one of the balls at this point.)  Lightly oil your pizza pan.  Carefully stretch the dough into a round and place on the pizza round.  Stretch the edges to the edge of the pan and let rest on the counter while you prepare the toppings.


Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray, and saute the onions and peppers for 2 -3 minutes.  Add the sausage links and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the onions and peppers are soft.  Remove the onions and peppers from the pan and set aside.  Continue to cook the sausage until it is cooked throughout.  Remove the sausage and slice into 1/4 inch round slices.




Spread the pizza sauce over the crust.  Add the onions, peppers and sausage.  Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the pizza. 



Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden.  Remove from the oven, slice (the U.S.S. Enterprise pizza cutter is optional) and serve!


I love this pizza - easy to make and always a hit!




Zentmrs
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tuesday's Table: Holiday Ideas!








Welcome to Tuesday's Table, where we get together to fill up our table with food, drinks and entertainment.  For the next 6 weeks, we're looking for holiday-themed recipes and ideas.  Do you have some great ideas for that leftover turkey we'll have on Friday?  Decorating ideas for Christmas?  Bring them all over and share them here!

We had some great ideas last week!  I'll feature my favorite entries from this week on next week's post.

Only a few guidelines:

  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Sign up for my email reminder here
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party - remember, holiday recipes and ideas!






Zentmrs

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Monday, November 19, 2012

Birthday Cheesecake!


This beautiful cheesecake is in honor of The Boy and his 12th birthday today.

He's grown so fast.  Here we are at my wedding - he was not yet three... he loved that tuxedo.



And just this summer, I took this reflection picture of us... he's taller than me!




He had his birthday party last night, and had a blast playing mini-golf and riding go-carts with his friends.



The Boy loves cheesecake, and I was inspired by Beth's recipe for cheesecake leaves over at Hungry Happenings.  I adapted the recipe - here it is:


Snowflake Cheesecake


Ingredients:

  • butter, to coat the inside of your leaf mold
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:

Butter your snowflake mold. Place the silicone mold on a baking sheet before filling.



Combine cream cheese, sugar, heavy whipping cream, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a food process or pulse until smooth.



In a small bowl, mix blue food coloring and about 1/3 of the cheesecake mixture.  Spread most of it on the bottom of your buttered mold.



Add 1/3 of the white cheesecake mixture to the remaining blue cheesecake mixture and mix, making a lighter blue color.


Spread the light blue over the top of the dark blue in your mold.


Add the remaining white mixture on the top of the blue.



Swirl the mixture around so that it will be marbled when it is sliced.



Bake your cheesecakes for about 30 minutes, or until cheesecake center barely moves when pan is touched.


Allow your cheesecakes to cool for an hour then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.


You may need to trim your cheesecake a bit before unmolding.  Because the side that is currently up will be the bottom, you want it to be as flat as possible.


With a paring knife, trim any edges that are uneven.



Now, check the sides of the mold to make sure it is not sticking.  Center your serving plate over the cheesecake and carefully turn the cake over to unmold.




Doesn't it look pretty?



They are ready to serve, but can be kept in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container.  This cheesecake has a lovely flavor.

I am certain The Boy will be happy to see it tonight when he gets home from school.  I hope he has an incredible 12th birthday - he deserves it!


Zentmrs
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