A new cranberry sauce to share....

Have you read my Special SRC and Muffin Monday post yet today?  If not, feel free to do so now.  I will wait.

Welcome back.  Don't those muffins sound absolutely delicious?  They were and my Mom and her "gang" were very appreciative.  I did have a half pint of raspberries left with no plans for them.  Thanksgiving was looming and I was too busy preparing for the feast to spend time looking for a raspberry recipe when inspiration struck.  I could add them to my cranberry sauce!!

My normal cranberry sauce is a combination of cranberries, orange juice and sugar. Easy, Peasy and Delicious.  This new version is just as easy but has a little more depth of flavor.  It has become a new favorite.

It turned out lovely the tartness of the cranberries and raspberries, sweetened with freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest and brown sugar.  YUM!

Raspberry Cranberry Sauce

4 c. fresh cranberries

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

juice and zest from 3 oranges

1/3 c. brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat.  Simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 to twenty minutes.  Let cool and then chill before serving.  Print Recipe

Bursting Raspberry Muffins for #SRCHolidayTreats #MuffinMonday

Here it is the last day of the month and it is a Monday.  You know that the last Monday of each month is Muffin Monday but this is not only the last Monday of the Month but also the fifth Monday of the month.  That, my friends, means a special edition of the Secret Recipe Club.  In this special SRC, if we choose to join, we are assigned to others who also participated and are not necessarily in the group to which we are assigned.  I always participate because this gives me a chance to meet others who I would not normally get to meet.

This time I am assigned to My Hobbie Lobbie who also owns the blog Claire's Party Supplies.  I am assuming that her name is Claire but I am not sure because while I learned a lot about her while browsing her about and recipe pages I did not learn her name.  What I did learn was that she loves to cook and craft and by going over to her other blog I learned that she is very, very good at crafting.  I also learned that she is very happily married to her best friend and that she offers recipes for traditional Goan food that she learned from her mother.  

I have to confess that I had to google Goan.  Since I don't believe I am the only one who is unfamiliar with Goan traditions and food I will share this definition from Wikipedia.

Goans (Konkani: गोंयकार, Romi lipi: Goenkar, Portuguese: Goeses) is the demonym used to describe the people of Goa, India, who form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Indo-Portuguese and Austro-Asiatic ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.

I am definitely going back to this blog in the future to try some of these recipes like this delicious Baath or this Cabbage Fugad.  But for this month I was looking specifically for a recipe to use up some raspberries that I had in my refrigerator and that also met the theme for Holiday Treats.  Only one recipe came up when I searched raspberries and that was for a smoothie. So I turned to her recipe Index and found recipes that used berries but not necessarily raspberries, one of which was a recipe for Bursting Berry Muffins.  This recipe used mixed frozen berries but I knew it would adapt well to fresh raspberries, it fit the theme of Holiday treats and it also took care of Muffin Monday.  I did a little happy dance and started making my muffins.

Wouldn't these be the perfect treat to add to your Holiday Brunch table?

They are light and fluffy, not overly sweet, with bright bursts of tart raspberries.

I also made a few other adaptations.  My Hobbie Lobbie had decreased the baking powder from 1 T. to 1 t. I split the baby and added 1 1/2 t. to my version.  I increased the sugar from 1/2 to 3/4 c since I was only using raspberries instead of mixed berries and they were more tart than sweet.  I also used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt because that is what was in the refrigerator.  My Hobbie Lobbie has temperature at 180 C. so I adapted to 350 F.

These went to with me to visit my mother in the Memory Care center.

She and her "gang" were very happy to share them.

They are quick and easy to put together and only take a short bake.

They are going to make many appearances here over the Holidays I think.

Bursting Raspberry Muffins

adapted from My Hobbie Lobbie

2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. buttermilk
1 T. canola oil
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. fresh raspberries coated in 1 T. flour

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.  Whisk together remaining ingredients except raspberries in a small bowl.  Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the raspberries.

Divide batter evenly into a 12 cup muffin tin that has been fitted with paper liners or sprayed with baking spray and place in a preheated 350* oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center removes cleanly.  Print Recipe


Would you like to join the Secret Recipe Club?  You can learn how here.  Now let's see what Holiday treats the others are sharing today.

An InLinkz Link-up

Here is what others from the Monday Muffin Crew have made

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

• Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins from Making Miracles
• Bursting Raspberry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins from Kelli's Kitchen
• Corn Dog Mini Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cream and Cereal Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Mince Pie Muffins from Food Lust People Love

The Strike is over, let's celebrate with a Quiche and the Weekly Menu

You may remember me moaning and groaning that my hens were not giving me any eggs for the past few weeks.  Of course, they went on strike right in the middle of the holiday baking season.  Well, the strike has now ended and I am getting a couple of eggs each day.  Management conceded to the hen's demands.  What were their demands you ask?  Well, they are the same as any employees....a safe and warm working environment with regularly scheduled breaks.  That is not too much to ask, is it?

You can see from the disparity in size that the new little girls started laying as well.  I have raised laying hens for many years and every year, when the weather starts to get colder, I have provided them with a heat lamp.  This year, I read that you should not do that as it prevents them from getting the feathers they need to stay warm.  So I didn't and they went on strike.  Last week, I broke down and put the heat lamp on...4 days later I got eggs and have gotten eggs each day since.  

Now that I had eggs again, I decided to celebrate by making a quiche.  I pulled out my Julia Child cookbook and followed her recipe for Quiche au Fromage de Gruyere but adapting it to include bacon.  I also used Julia's recipe for the pastry dough, however I did not partially blind bake it before adding the filling.

Quiche Lorraine au Fromage de Gruyere

 adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Pastry Crust:

1 c. flour

dash salt

dash sugar

3/4 stick butter

2 T. chilled shortening

1/4 c. ice water

Place flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Cut the butter into smer with the processor running. Pulse several times until the dough starts to form a mass on the blade, add water by dribbles if needed until it does mass onto the blades.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and rapidly push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand to blend the fat and flour.  Gather into a ball, cover and refrigerate for an hour or up to 3 days.

When ready to use, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a round 2" larger than your pie plate and about 1/4" thick.

Quiche:

6 slices bacon, diced and cooked crisp

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Line pie plate with pastry, crimping edges.  Sprinkle the bacon on the bottom of the crust.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour into pie shell over bacon. Bake in a preheated 375* oven for 25-30 minutes or until quiche is puffed, browned and a knife inserted removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

I know it is a couple of days late but here is the Weekly Menu for this first week of December.  Stop back each day for photos and recipes.

Tonight I made a Beef Stroganoff from the Prime Rib Roast that I had left from Thanksgiving.  I used my normal recipe but with the prime rib instead of sirloin steak and I added the meat after the onions and mushrooms were cooked so it wouldn't get over done.

We will be finishing up leftovers all week long and then preparing for our next party on Saturday.

Saturday

Quiche Lorraine au Fromage de Gruyere

Sunday

Beef Stroganoff (using leftover beef)

Mixed Vegetables

Meatless Monday

Corn Chowder (leftover from Thanksgiving)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday

Turkey Pot Pie (from leftover turkey and gravy)

Wednesday

Turkey Frame Soup (end of the leftovers, wooohooooo)

Thursday

Tranches de Jambon Morvandelle

Sauteed Spinach

Red Skin Potatoes

Fish Friday

Shrimp Scampi over Angel Hair Pasta

Eggplant Rollatini for #SundaySupper

This week Sunday Supper is being hosted by Crazy Foodie Stunts and he has chosen the theme, Vegetables as a Main Dish.  Thanks DB for choosing such a versatile and fun theme.

I could make vegetables my main dish every night but unfortunately my family does not feel the same way.  So when I want to give them a meatless meal, I often turn to pasta.  However, I think that would make pasta as the main dish.  There are some exceptions that my family will not only eat but enjoy and sometimes even request.

Eggplant Rollatini is one of those dishes.  It is basically Monicatti using thinly sliced eggplant in place of the noodles.  I also add a little lemon zest and chili paste to the filling, the lemon brightens the dish and the chile gives it just a tiny bite.

The recipe I am sharing serves 2 but you can easily double or triple the recipe with great results.

I use a mandolin to get even, thin slices of eggplant.

Then I blanch the eggplant to make it pliable.

Place some marinara in the bottom of your baking dish.

Roll the eggplant around the filling and nestle them in the dish.

Top with more sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake in a hot (400*) oven for 20 minutes.

Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad and some crusty bread.

I guarantee your family will not miss the meat.

Eggplant Rollatini

adapted from Cuisine at Home

1 eggplant, sliced 1/4" thick

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

3/4 c.  shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

2 T.   grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 t. garlic paste

1 t. Italian herb paste

lemon zest from 1/2 small lemon

1/8 t. chili paste

3 grinds of black pepper

small pinch of salt

1 egg

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 c. Marinara Sauce, my recipe can be found here

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place eggplant slices in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the boiling water onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and blot completely dry with additional paper towel.  Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients except for marinara sauce in a small bowl and stir with a spoon until well combined.  Set aside.

Pour 1/2 c. marinara sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.  Place a dollop of the cheese filling on each of the eggplant slices, dividing the filling equally among the slices.  Starting at the small end roll the eggplant around the filling and place the rolls, seam side down, in the baking dish.  Cover with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 20 minutes.  Allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

Here are what the others have brought to the Sunday Supper table this week

• Baked Eggplant Parmesan by The Crumby Cupcake
• Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Butternut Squash Portobello Tacos with Garlic Sage Cream Sauce by Daily Dish Recipes
• Butternut Squash Risotto with Crème Fraîche and Fried Sage Leaves by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Easy Veggie Bake by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Eggplant Rollatini by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Eggplant Rollatini by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Flourless Oatmeal Nutella Pumpkin Muffins by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Grandma Pizza with Dried Tomatoes by Get the Good Stuff!
• Greek Stuffed Baked Zucchini by The Weekend Gourmet
• Harissa-Roasted Vegetables with Couscous by Caroline’s Cooking
• Moroccan-style Lentil Chickpea Stew by Food Lust People Love
• Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Polenta with Aged Gouda, Chard & Wild Mushrooms by 30A Eats
• Portobello Stack by The Freshman Cook
• Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake by gotta get baked
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Roasted Potato and Spinach Soup by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Shiitake Mushrooms with a Balsamic Glaze Over Polenta by Fearless Dining
• Stuffed Butternut Squash by Life Tastes Good
• Vegan Sandwich with Fresh Veggies by Healing Tomato
• Vegetable Pizza by Feeding Big and more
• Vegetable Strudel by Palatable Pastime
• Vegetarian Chili by Wholistic Woman

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

It's a #Cookielicious special event for #SundaySupper today

Are we all thankful that Thanksgiving is over?  I love Thanksgiving, spending time with family and dear friends, mindful of all we have for which to be thankful.  But it is a lot of work putting on a feast and I love cooking and entertaining so I know for some of you, who are not a glutton for punishment as I am, it is tremendously stressful.

Well, my friends, the Sunday Supper crew is getting together today to share all of our favorite cookie traditions with you to help ease some of the stress you might still be feeling as you are getting ready for Christmas or the next big Holiday gathering at your house.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up and take a look at all the wonderful recipes we are bringing to the table today.  You are sure to find one that pulls on your heartstrings and calls you to the kitchen with your loved ones to spend an hour or two of quality time together during this busy Holiday season.

This is an easy peasy butter cookie recipe.

Mix it all together in one bowl.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

Roll into balls and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Press half of an Ande's mint candy into the center and bake for 10 minutes.

I am sharing a recipe that is very special to me because it is my son, Chuck's, favorite Christmas cookie and I have made it for him each year since he was a toddler.  This year, Chuck isn't able to come home for Christmas. He is in the Navy and is currently stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia.  So as I made these cookies this year I shed some tears.  Most were tears of happiness for wonderful memories of Christmases past and a few were selfish tears because I won't get my Christmas hug in person this year when he reaches for one of these cookies that I will be shipping to him.

Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

This recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

These are a wonderful, tender butter cookie with a minty treat included. 

 They are easy to make and quick to disappear. 

I packed up a dozen and a half to send to our son.

And quickly sealed the package so that they all didn't get eaten before I had a chance to mail them.

Brown Eyed Susans

slightly adapted from BHG

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

dash salt

1 3/4 c. flour

15 Andes Chocolate Mint Candies, broken in half

Cream butter, sugar, egg, salt and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Reduce mixer speed to slow and gradually add flour until combined.  Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

Using about 2 t. of dough, shape into 1" balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Press a mint half into the middle of each cookie, flattening it.  Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately from hot pan to cooling rack. Print Recipe

Let's take a look at some more Cookielicious recipes!

• Adaptable Marshmallow Bars by Get the Good Stuff
• Alfajores by Curious Cuisiniere
• Amaretto Apricot Oatmeal Cookies by Magnolia Days
• Amaretto Balls by Palatable Pastime
• Brown Eyed Susans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chewy Gingersnaps by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chocolate – Pear Biscotti by What Smells So Good?
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Coffee Cake Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Cowboy Cookies by Party Food and Entertaining
• Cranberry Orange Rugelach Cookies by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Dark Chocolate Mint Cake Mix Cookies by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Espresso-Ginger Sandwich Cookies by Wholistic Woman
• Espresso Snickerdoodles by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Frosted Ginger Spice Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
• Funfetti Marshmallow Cookies by Brunch with Joy
• Gluten Free Hazelnut Truffle Cookies by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Gluten Free Nutella Stuffed Linzer Cookies by Fearless Dining
• Green Tea Macarons with Chocolate Ganache by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Holiday Nutrolls by Delaware Girl Eats
• Kolaczki by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Lemon Thumbprint Cookies by Cookin’ Mimi
• Macadamia Nut Butter Crisps by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mocha chocolate Chip cookies by Monica’s Table
• Mudslide Cookies by Books ‘n Cooks
• Nana’s Russian Teacakes byThe Crumby Cupcake
• Pfeffernüsse by Feeding Big
• Pistachio oatmeal cookies by Caroline’s Cooking
• Pizzelles by The Freshman Cook
• Snowball Cookies by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Spiked Eggnog Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Thai-Kissed Cookies by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Tipsy Chocolate Cherry Cookies by Christmas Tree Lane
• Toffee Squares by Ruffles & Truffles
• White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps by Sunday Supper

Join us for a #Cookielicious chat at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 1, on Twitter We will be sharing tips for cooking baking along with stories about our favorite family recipes. Follow the #Cookielicious hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great cookies recipes, check out our Cookie Jar Pinterest board.

The Girl on the Train and Pork Lentil Soup

Last weekend, before things got absolutely crazy around here, I finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.  I have never read this author before and even though this book made the best seller list, I had not heard of it until my friend,Tami, recommended it.

I am very glad she recommended it and even happier I listened.  This is a novel about 3 women and how their lives intertwine and are affected by relationships in their lives.  It is told in first person by each of the 3 women.  It is often compared to Gone Girl, a book that I loved even though I disliked every character in it.  I can see how it is similar inasmuch as it is written from several points of view and the characters are not very likable but I thought they were still more likable than Gone Girl.  It is the story of manipulation and low self esteem and how women, so often, think they need a man or a relationship to define them.

A couple of days ago, I shared with you a new recipe that I made for Hungarian Pancakes.  The stew called for cubed pork so I had pulled some chops from the freezer, trimmed them and cut them from the bone.  I then put the trimmings, bones, and vegetable trimmings from the stew into a stock pot. Added some seasonings and made pork stock.  I strained the broth, cut the meat from the bones and started thinking about what I wanted to make with it.  I had some red lentil in the cupboard left from when I had made Misr Wat from the Marcus Sammuelson autobiography, Yes Chef, and decided to make a Pork and Lentil soup.

Pork and Lentil Soup

adapted from Epicurious

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped

1 T. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. cumin

1 bay leaf

1 t. dried thyme

1 c. red lentils

8 c. pork stock

3/4 c. pork in bite size pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in oil with salt and pepper in a large soup pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin, bay leaf, thyme and cook 1 minute more.  Add lentils and broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer partially covered until lentils are very soft and falling apart, 30-45 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and partially puree the soup using an immersion blender.  Add the meat and allow to heat through before serving.  Print Recipe

Catching up on blogs instead of following my plan....Let's start with a Hungarian Pancake

Here it is the day after Thanksgiving.  I had scheduled this weekend to decorate for Christmas as next weekend we are having a get together for the people who work with Frank.  It is noon, I am still in my pj's and just now eating breakfast, scrambled eggs and kielbasa over homemade crescent rolls.

I can tell that I am getting older.  My back aches, my legs ache and my fingers feel like someone took a hammer to them.  So instead of decorating as planned, I was sitting here playing games on my computer.  I decided since I am on the computer anyway I may as well catch up here since I have a stockpile of recipes and blog posts that are waiting to be posted.

I am starting with a delicious new dinner I made the other night and told you about the other day.  A couple of weeks ago we went to our favorite Polish restaurant in Hamtramck.  I decided to order something new this time instead of my regular favorites so I ordered their Hungarian Pancake....I now have a new favorite!!  I brought my leftovers home and Frank had them for lunch the next day and he now has a new favorite as well.  He asked if I could make it and I told him I would give it a shot.

I did a google search and as luck would have it, Diners, Driveins and Dives, on the Food Network had showcased this restaurant and guess which recipe they shared??  Yep, their Hungarian Pancake recipe!  I was happy, happy, happy.  There was a disclosure on the recipe that Food Network had not made it and so could not verify the results.  I read the recipe, it sounded like what we had eaten so I adapted it to fit our family and the ingredients available and went for it.  Folk's......I don't want to brag but I think, I just think, it might be better than the restaurant's version.  This is going to become a regular in our household for sure.

The stew called for pork butt, I did have a pork butt roast but it would have made way too much stew and I didn't want to have a lot of leftover pork to use before Thanksgiving.  I was going to pull out a lb of pork stew meat but I came across a package of bone in pork chops first so pulled those out.  Cut the meat from the bones and used the scraps to make a soup that I will be sharing with you soon. I also deleted a jalapeno pepper because I didn't have any in my refrigerator.

The potato pancake recipe was easy, peasy and tasted exactly like those that we get from the restaurant.  This is going to be my new go to recipe for potato pancakes.

Hungarian Pancakes

slightly adapted from Polish Village Cafe

Stew:

4 pork chops, trimmed, removed from bones and cubed

2 t. paprika

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

2 carrots, scraped and sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 Hungarian wax pepper, seeded and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 oz) can beef broth

Combine all ingredients in a dutch oven and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 2-3 hrs or until pork is fork tender.  Alternatively, place in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hrs or low for 8-10 hrs.

Pancake:

1/2 of a small onion, chunked

3 potatoes peeled and chunked

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. flour

vegetable oil for frying

Place onion and potatoes in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.  Pour into a large bowl and add eggs, salt, pepper and flour.  Batter should be thick but not too thick, add more flour if needed.  Heat oil in a large skillet over med high heat until hot.  Pour batter into skillet and cook until bottom is browned and top is partially set about 5-10 minutes. Flip out onto a plate and then flip the pancake from the plate into the skillet to brown the other side, about 5 or 6 minutes.

To serve:

Flip potato pancake onto a plate and top with the stew.  Garnish with sour cream if desired.  Cut pancake into 4 wedges and serve with additional sour cream.  Print Recipe

Here is what's been happening in my life....

I didn't make it to my painting class on Saturday.  I had to get ready for our Thanksgiving basket distribution for the Food Pantry and going to painting class would have been stressful...that is not why I paint....I paint to lose myself and to relax.  We picked up our little snuggle bug and had a great evening.  We ate leftover deconstructed stuffed cabbage, she is an amazing eater, she loved it.

Sunday morning we went to Mass. Ting brought Melody and joined us. We sang and Melody screeched, and screeched and screeched.  We will be very happy when the screeching phase passes. We went to breakfast after Mass and then they hung out and spent the day with us.  I ended up making the Hungarian Pancakes for dinner since we had eaten meatballs the night before and didn't feel like the meatloaf so soon afterwards.  The Hungarian Pancakes were amazing and a story in themselves so I will be sharing them in another post.

Monday was a crazy, crazy day.  I left here early in the morning and didn't get home until late at night.  I was exhausted after the Thanksgiving distribution we had nearly 50 families that needed baskets this year.  That is more than last year.  I was hoping things would improve in 2015 here in Michigan but they seem to have gotten worse.

Tuesday was another busy day and since we had the Hungarian Pancakes on Sunday we were going to have the Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes for dinner tonight.  We got home too late for baked potatoes and had to eat before we left for choir so I made a dish that my Pops (and evidently every other person who has been in the military) called Sh*t on a Shingle.

My Mom used to make this for dinner quite often.  She didn't use leftovers.  She made it to make a small amount of meat go a long way because she had a family of 8 to feed each night.  Five of those eight were growing boys and men.  The other three were Mom, my sister and me.  My Mom and sister were never huge eaters but I could give those guys a run for their money.  I used the meatloaf that I had made earlier in the week.  I simply made a gravy, crumbled the meatloaf into it and served it over toast.  I don't know another name for it so I am calling it Sh*t on a Shingle.  Enjoy.

Sh*t on a Shingle

Leftover Meatballs or Meatloaf, crumbled (or 1 lb ground beef for each 4 persons, seasoned and browned)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. beef broth
1 or 2 slices of bread for each person, toasted

Melt butter in a large skillet over med high heat.  Add the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until flour starts to brown and smells nutty.  Whisk in the beef broth.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add the leftover meatballs or meatloaf and allow to cook until heated through.  Ladle beef and gravy over toast and serve. Print Recipe

Today we did some work around the house to prepare for Thanksgiving.  Then we met Nicole, Pierre and Amy for lunch.  Nicole and Pierre will not be able to join us for dinner tomorrow.  Nicole has to work for part of the day and then they will be seeing Pierre's Mom before having dinner with Nic's Mom and Anthony who also will not be able to join us for dinner.  Frank got to see him yesterday for lunch but I was busy at the food pantry.  

On the way home from lunch we stopped and got our Little Miss Melody because I was missing that little angel face.  We got home in time for our new furniture to be delivered.  I LOVE it!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.  Enjoy your day tomorrow.

Easiest Nut Brittle in the World for #handcraftededibles

Let's go Nuts!!!  It is the holiday season and my family tree must be the pecan because we are a family full of nuts.  I mean that in the best way possible.  We love to have fun.  We love getting together to share stories and laughs.  Play some cards or board games.  Eat and drink and eat and drink and laugh and eat and drink....well, you get the idea.

So it is very fitting for me and my clan that Camilla's theme for this weeks Handcrafted Edibles is nuts.  I had previously shared with you a recipe for spiced cashews. Spice is always good right?  But sometimes you want sweet and spicy so I shared with you this peach and jalapeno cheese spread. Then there are times that you just want sweet so today I am sharing with you the easiest nut brittle in the world.  It is done in the blink of an eye and it is delicious. I was able to make this recipe found on Allrecipes. com AND write this post during Little Miss Melody's one hour nap.  Perfect for the busy holiday season and perfect to serve to guests or give as a gift.

I adapted the recipe slightly using mixed nuts instead of peanuts, lowering the amount of baking soda and varying the cooking times for the individual ingredients.  I can tell you that it turned out perfectly using the recipe as I am writing it.  I sprayed my wooden spoon with cooking spray before stirring which helped keep the brittle in the bowl instead of on the spoon. Once done cooking, spread it onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let it cool.

Break it into pieces.  No science here, just pick it up and snap it.  All different shapes and sizes with different kinds of nuts scattered about.

Transfer them into individual bags, wrap them with a bow and they are all ready for sharing with your family and friends.  Nuts for the nuts, in my case!!

World's Easiest Nut Brittle
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 can (10 oz) roasted mixed nuts
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. white corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla
1 T. butter
1/2 t. baking soda

In an eight cup glass measuring cup or comparable bowl, combine sugar, salt and corn syrup. Cook in a microwave at 100% heat for 5 minutes.  Stir and add in the nuts.(mixture will thicken but loosen up again upon cooking)  Cook at high heat again for 2 minutes.  Stir in the butter and vanilla, microwave for another 2 minutes at 100% power.  Quickly stir in the baking soda to add air and foam.  Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool completely.  Break into pieces and enjoy. Print Recipe 

In an effort to make all of her holiday gifts this year, Camilla has us sharing recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones, or things to serve at holiday parties. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule: here.

This week, we are "going nuts" and sharing all sorts of recipes with nuts. Think spiced nuts or nutty fruit cake or whatever floats your nutty boat!

Here's what we're posting this week...

• Amy's Cooking Adventures shared her Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter
• Cookaholic Wife cooked up Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
• Making Miracles made Honey Roasted Almonds
• Christmas Tree Lane posted Crockpot Spiced Nuts
• A Day in the Life on the Farm wrote about the Easiest Nut Brittle in the World
• Sew You Think You Can Cook prepared Orange Rosemary Roasted Almonds
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla rolled some Lentil-Chestnut Stuffed Grape Leaves
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla blended together some Pistachio Dukkah

Next week - week 10 - check back for our recipes to inspire you as we let our confectioner’s skills shine. Think truffles, barks, anything and everything with chocolate. Don't forget to check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.