Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake #BundtBakers #CranberryWeek

Happy Bundt Day!  Each month a group of us get together over at Bundt Bakers to bake a cake that matches the theme chosen by the host of the month.  This month's host is Sue of Palatable Pastime and she chose a pretty open theme of "Punt the Bundt".

Sue said we could make any Bundt that would be good to serve up on a game day. To me that meant something without any frosting or glaze so that it could be easily eaten out of hand.

It just so happens that we are also celebrating Cranberry Week, hosted by Caroline of Caroline's Cooking.  Bloggers in this event have been sharing their favorite recipes using Cranberries all week long.  I shared a Cranberry Coffee Cake on Monday and I will be back tomorrow with a recipe for a wonderful Holiday cocktail.

Tonight we are celebrating our Little Miss Melody's Christening Anniversary over at Amy's house.  Amy, being Melody's Godmother, celebrates with a dinner each year to commemorate this joyous event.

I volunteered to make dessert and then went on a search for a Bundt cake containing cranberries that would meet our Angel Face's standards.  I found this Orange Cranberry Bundt by Jeff Mauro of The Kitchen.

I adapted it slightly by omitting the orange liqueur and adding orange extract since it was meant for a three year old.  If you are making this for a Football Party feel free to omit the orange extract and replace with 2 teaspoons of orange liqueur.

Melody and I got up early and started baking. The batter was light and fluffy and seemed to fit perfectly in my pan.

Then, while the cake was baking, I could smell something burning.  I opened the oven and the cake had overflowed.  Of course, I had no baking sheet under it to catch the spills.  The overflow started burning, my house filled with smoke.  There was nothing to be done but turn on exhaust fans, open windows and pray for the best.  

I pulled it out of the oven and allowed it to cool for about 20 minutes.  Then I went to work trying to rectify the situation.

I trimmed off all of the burnt overflow and held my breath while I turned it out of the pan.  It slipped out beautifully.  I LOVE baking spray, especially when making Bundt cakes.

I dusted it simply with powdered sugar after it had cooled completely.  It was the perfect cake for transport to our Christening party or your Tailgate party.

I served it up with a dollop whipped cream but that is not necessary at all if you are in a situation where you aren't using plates and utensils.

Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

slightly adapted from Jeff Mauro of The Kitchen

1 c. fresh cranberries

2 1/2 c. + 1 T. flour

zest and juice of  2 oranges

1/2 t. orange extract

4 large eggs

2 c. sugar

1 t. baking powder

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 1/4 stick butter, room temperature

Toss the cranberries with the 1 tablespoon of flour, set aside.

Whisk together the orange juice and zest, orange extract and eggs. Set aside.

Place the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Turn on low speed and combine dry ingredients.  Start adding the butter, a little at a time, until it becomes crumbly with pea size pieces.  Turn the speed to medium and slowly add the orange mixture until combined.  Increase the speed to med high and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Fold in the cranberries.

Pour into a Bundt pan that has been liberally treated with baking spray.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

More "Punt the Bundts"

• Boston Cream Mini Bundts from Patty's Cake
• Brown-Sugar Ripple Buttermilk Bundt Cake from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Bundt cake de platano from La mejor manera
• Chili Cheese Corn Dog Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Coffee Bundt Cake with Espresso Glaze from Cookaholic Wife
• Chocolate Guinness Bundt Cake with Cheesecake Filling from Nunca es demasiado dulce
• Chocolate, Walnut and Prune Bundt Cake from Katin špajz
• Cranberry & Beer Breakfast Bundt Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Cranberry Pound Cake from Palatable Pastime
• Giant Party Sub Bundt from Making Miracles
• Lemon and Praline Cold Bundt Cake from Bizcocheando
• Maple Bundt with Cinnamon Glaze from Sweet Sensations
• Orange Cranberry Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Yellow Vanilla Bundt Cake with Hot Fudge Sauce from Tartacadabra
• Yogurt Bundt Cake from Sneha's Recipe

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

More Cranberry Creations

• Apple Cranberry Crisp from Everyday Eileen
• Cranberry Apple Jam from Cookaholic Wife
• Cranberry Chicken from Frugal Pantry
• Banana Cranberry Pistachio Muffins with Chocolate Glaze from The Crumby Kitchen
• Cranberry Pound Cake from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Tandoori Chicken from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Oatmeal Cranberry Pancakes from Jonesin' For Taste
• Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake from A Day In The Life On the Farm
• Sparkling Bay Breeze from Family Around The Table

Copy Cat Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki #FantasticalFoodFight

Our theme for this month's Fantastical Food Fight is Copy Cat Fast Food recipes.  We don't eat a lot of fast food in this house.  On those occasions when I do eat fast food , I tend to order the same thing each time.  McDonalds= Sausage McMuffin with egg or a Fish Filet Sandwich.  Taco Bell= Bean Burrito.  Arbys=Beef & Cheddar.  Subway= Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki.

This fight is refereed by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes. Each month, she provides us with a theme and then stands back and watches us duke it out.  It is a lot of fun and you are welcome to join us, just drop Sarah a note and let her know.

I decided to copycat the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sub for our fight this month.  Mostly because I prefer my own versions of egg sandwiches, bean burritos and beef sandwiches.  I have no idea where to get the fish fillets they use at McDonalds and not sure I really want to know what kind of fish it is, if it is fish at all.

But Subway.....at least the food is recognizable and I know how to make teriyaki chicken.

I also know what toppings and type of cheese I prefer on my sub so all that was left to do was find a recipe for the dressing.

I found 5 or 6 different recipes for Sweet Onion sauce that was supposed to be the same as that used by Subway.   I took a little of this and a little of that, combining until I felt the taste most reminded me of that I enjoy from Subway.

I put together the sandwich and drizzled the dressing onto the roll, allowing it to soak in a bit.  Frank thought it was almost exact.  I, personally, thought that Subway's was tastier but perhaps it was the sub roll.  Subway has really good bread.

It was much less expensive than going to Subway and I knew that the ingredients were fresh, healthy and organic.  

Copy Cat Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki

For Sweet Onion Dressing:

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. minced sweet onion

1 t. brown sugar

1 t. balsamic vinegar

juice of 1 lemon slice

pinch of garlic salt

pinch of poppy seeds

1 grind fresh pepper

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir for one minute.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For each 2 sandwiches:

1 large, skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/2 c. teriyaki marinade of choice 

2 slices cheese of choice, I used provolone

toppings of choice, I used spinach, tomatoes and cucumbers

2 whole wheat sub rolls

Marinade the chicken in teriyaki sauce overnight or for at least 4 hours.  Cook on a hot grill or grill pan until it reaches an internal temp of 165*, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to rest for a few minutes before cutting into slices.

Cut open sub rolls.  Cut the cheese slices in  half and place two pieces onto each of the sub rolls.  Place under the broiler until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.  Divide the sliced chicken between the sub rolls.  Add toppings of choice.  Drizzle with Sweet Onion Dressing and serve.  Print Recipe

  

More Fast Food Copy Cats

An InLinkz Link-up

Overnight Monkey Bread Pudding #BreadBakers

I didn't bake bread for this month's Bread Bakers.  Well, I did bake bread, but it was old, stale bread that had been baked once before.

Kelly of Passion Kneaded invited us to share a Pull Apart Bread this month.  I decided to make these adorable, little, individual monkey breads for Frank and I to enjoy for brunch yesterday.

I have been baking so much that my counters and freezer are overflowing.  I really didn't want to make up a huge Bundt pan of Monkey Bread that serves 12 people so I adapted a recipe that I found in Cuisine at home and made 4 miniature Monkey Bread Bundts, perfect for just the 2 of us.

I began with 2 cups of stale bread.  You can use whatever bread you have on hand.  This was one whole wheat sub roll and it was the perfect amount.

Combine the bread cubes with the wet ingredients and put them into your Bundt Pans.  I have this little cupcake size Bundt Pan that I am loving but you can use any size pan and just adjust the ingredients accordingly.  

Place them in the refrigerator overnight and in the morning they are ready to be popped into the oven for 15 minutes.  How easy is that?

You should really make sure that you treat the pan with baking spray.  I forgot and luckily my little breads came out perfectly anyway but I wouldn't trust that to happen again.

They do pull apart and can be eaten with your fingers or you can do as we did, drizzle them with hot, pure maple syrup and use a fork.  YUM!!

Individual Monkey Bread Pudding

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #90

2 c. cubed, stale bread of your choice

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. + 1 T. half and half

1 egg, beaten

2 T. brown sugar

Combine the butter, both sugars, cinnamon, cream and egg in a bowl.  Divide the mixture between 4 cupcake tins that have been treated with cooking spray.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake in a preheated *350 oven for 15-20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown and the top begins to crisp and an internal temperature of 165* is reached.  Print Recipe

Plenty of Pull Apart Breads

• Apple Pecan Streusel Pull Apart Bread from Hostess at Heart
• Bananas Foster Monkey Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Cheese Stuffed Garlic Pull Apart Bread from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread from Spill the Spices
• Christmas Tree Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Chrysanthemum Bread from Ambrosia
• Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Coffee Pull-Apart Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Coriander Garlic Pull Apart Bread from The Mad Scientist's Kitchen
• Cranberry Chutney Pull Apart Bread from Spiceroots
• Garlic Pull Apart Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Laadi Pav or Pull Apart Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
• Overnight Monkey Bread Pudding from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Paneer Pesto Pull Apart Rolls from Veena's Vegnation
• Pull-Apart Dill Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin, Garlic, and Sage Pull Apart Bread from Baking Sense
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pull-Apart Bread from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Savory Breakfast Monkey Bread from Sonlicious

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Concord Grape Pie #BakingBloggers

Cynthia who used to blog over at Feeding Big and ran our Fill the Cookie Jar group has decided to take a sabbatical from blogging.  Blogging can be very time consuming.  When it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure or when life is busy enough without the added stress of worrying about posts it is time to set it aside and just BREATHE.  I am glad Cynthia is taking this time for herself but we will miss her here in the blogging community.

My friend Sue of Palatable Pastime considered taking over the FTCJ group but then took a poll and decided to change it up a bit and just make it a baking group.  She asked for a co-host to this group and I agreed to give her a hand when the need should arise.  Running a group can create a lot of paperwork.  We dubbed our new group #BakingBloggers and decided that we would post a themed baked good on the 2nd Monday of each month.

Today is our first day of posting and the theme chosen was pies.  Perfect during this month when many of our readers are looking for an alternative or an addition to the Pumpkin Pie traditionally served this time of year.  Of course, not all pies are sweet so I'm sure we will find at least one savory pie to add to our repertoire this month.

My pie, however, is sweet.  Very sweet and very delicious but a little goes a long way. The reason my pie was so sweet was because the fruit I used was so deliciously ripe.  All this planning was going on in early September.  I had taken Little Miss Melody to my friend, Kim's house, to pick pumpkins from her garden  Kim said that she and Kurt had made all of the grape juice and grape jelly that they needed for the winter and their vines were still full.  She told me to help myself to all the concord grapes I wanted.  I grabbed a bucket and started picking.

Concord grape pie is not hard but it is a little time consuming.  First you need to peel the grapes.  This isn't as hard as it sound.  You simply hold the grapes over a bowl and squeeze.  The fruit pops right out and you are left with the skins.  Don't discard them, the skins are used in this recipe.  They are what gives those grapes the lovely purple color.

The next step is removing all the seeds.  This too is easy if you have the right equipment.  I use my food mill and it makes fast work of it.

Mix together the pulp and skins with sugar and lemon juice and it is ready to go into a pie shell.  Make sure you use a deep dish pan and that you place your pan on a parchment or silicone covered baking pan.  This pie has a tendency to drip and make a mess.

Sprinkle it with the crumb topping and it is ready to go into the oven.  When it is done, cool completely and then refrigerate.  This pie is best eaten the following day cold from the refrigerator.  If you try to cut the pie warm and don't give it time to set you will be having concord grape soup.

This pie is like eating a grape jam sandwich with sugar on top.  It is very decadent and rich.  It is a once a year treat that you will look forward to each time the grapes are ready for harvest.  I adapted my recipe from one found on Allrecipes.com.  The first time I made this I used the measurements as written and a regular pie shell.  Luckily, I had used a baking pan because there was more filling out of the pie than in.

The next time, I used a deep dish pan and there was still way too much filling.  This time I used a deep dish and reduced the recipe.  It was better but still overflowed quite a bit.  I am writing the recipe as I will make it next time, reducing the ingredients of the filling even more.

Concord Grape Crumb Pie

3 c. Concord Grapes

2/3 c. sugar

2 T. flour

1 t. lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 (9") deep dish pie shell

1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cold butter, cut into pats

Squeeze the end of each grape, opposite the stem, removing the skins from the pulp and dropping them into a bowl.  Reserve the skins in another container.  Place the pulp into a saucepan over med high heat and bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring for a minute or two.  Pour pulp into a food mill set over a large bowl.  Run through the mill releasing juice into the bowl and capturing the seeds in the mill.

Add the reserved grape skins, sugar, flour, lemon and salt to the grape juice and pour into the pie shell.  

Place the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Sprinkle over the grape filling.

Place the pie onto a baking sheet that has been covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper and put into a preheated 425* oven.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  Once cool, cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.  Print Recipe

Pies a Plenty

• Applesauce Pie by Making Miracles
• Blackberry Pie by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Concord Grape Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cranberry Apple Pie by House of Nash Eats
• Dairy-free Raspberry Jam Crostata by Manu's Menu
• French Silk Pie by Tramplingrose: Cooking, Baking & Ranting in Small-Town South Dakota
• Gingered Pear Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Pear-Apple Crumble Pie by Cookaholic Wife
• Pear Frangipane Tart with Cranberries by Caroline's Cooking /
• Seafood B'stilla (Moroccan Seafood Pie) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Stuffed Plum Tomato Tart by Food Lust People Love

Cranberry Coffee Cake #CranberryWeek

Happy Monday.  I hope your weekend was awesome.  We have a wonderful week ahead of us as we start sharing all of our favorite Cranberry recipes with you today.

Our host for this week long event is Caroline of Caroline's Cooking.  She invited us to join her as we kick off the holiday season by making recipes that contain cranberries in any form; fresh, dried, juice, etc.

I will only be participating today, Thursday and Friday but I will be posting with other groups on Tuesday and Wednesday so I hope to see you each day this week.

I am starting the week off with this coffee cake that I adapted from a recipe in one of my Cuisine at Home magazines.  We had our choir concert yesterday and were asked to bring desserts for the reception afterwards.

I like bringing coffee cake instead of frosted cakes to potluck type events because it is so much easier to cut into serving size pieces and pack up for transport.

This cake was delightful with tart little ribbons of cranberry jam woven through and topped with a nutty cranberry struesel topping.

This was perfect to offer for our afterglow.  It would make a wonderful addition to a holiday breakfast buffet or to serve to overnight guests in the morning as you visit over coffee or tea.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

adapted from Cuisine at Home

For Struesel:

4 T. butter

2/3 c. flour

1/3 c. pecans

1/3 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. sugar

zest of half an orange

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Set aside.

For Cake:

1 c. fresh cranberries

2 1/4 c. sugar, divided

zest of half an orange

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. baking powder

4 eggs plus one egg yolk

1 1/2 c. butter

Place the cranberries, 3/4 c. sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder and set aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and remaining 1 1/2 c. sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Add the egg yolk and beat well.  Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until well combined. 

Spread half of the batter into a 9x13" baking pan that has been treated with baking spray.  Top with the cranberry mixture and remaining batter and swirl with a knife to incorporate it into the bottom batter.  Sprinkle with struesel and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 50-60 minutes.  Print Recipe

See all the other cranberry creations being shared as we kick off Cranberry week today - follow #cranberryweek to see all the delicious recipes.

• Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cranberry Apple Pecan Bread from Cookaholic Wife
• Cranberry Apple Pie from House of Nash Eats
• Cranberry Butter from Family Around The Table
• Cranberry Coffee Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cranberry Loaf from Making Miracles
• Cranberry Moscow Mules from Books n' Cooks
• Cranberry Mousse Chocolate Dessert Bowls by The Freshman Cook
• Cranberry Swirl Bread from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Double Chocolate Cranberry Almond Bark from Frugal Pantry
• Frosted Cranberries from Bear & Bug Eats
• Pear Frangipane Tart with Cranberries from Caroline's Cooking
• Roasted Cranberry Chicken Salad from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Turkey and Noodles #SundaySupper

Our theme for this week's Sunday Supper is Holiday Casseroles.

This could be a casserole that you would serve on your holiday table, like these delicious Make Ahead Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.

Or perhaps a casserole that you put together the night before to enjoy for breakfast before heading out to the Thanksgiving Parade or opening Christmas gifts, like this sausage and vegetable strata.

Vegetable casseroles, like this cauliflower gratin, make perfect side dishes on your holiday table.

In our household the Christmas Holiday Season starts with Thanksgiving.  The Christmas China makes it's first appearance and is used for every meal until January 6th when we end our celebration with the Epiphany of our Lord.

We do a lot of entertaining during this time.  It is not unusual to host 2 or 3 dinner parties, of various sizes, in the course of a week.  Dinner parties mean that there is normally leftovers so I try to plan on how I will repurpose those leftovers for our meals when we don't have company.  The best way to use up leftovers, I have found, is by making casseroles.

Today I am sharing with you a recipe to use up some of that leftover turkey.  This Turkey and Noodle casserole is quick and easy to throw together, relying on canned soup for the rich creaminess it provides.  Made extra rich with the addition of buttered cracker and bacon topping, it is not a diet friendly meal.  It is, however, a delicious meal and a great way to serve up leftovers.  After all, it is the holidays and you will have plenty of time and motivation to watch your diet in the New Year.

Should you have leftover veggies this is a great use for them as well or you can just add some frozen mixed veggies as I did here.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

2 c. leftover turkey, skinned, boned and chopped

1/2 lb. egg noodles, cooked per package directions

1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2  c. asst mixed vegetables (leftovers or frozen and thawed)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. cracker  or dried bread crumbs

1/3 c. bacon bits or 5-6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Treat the inside of a casserole with cooking spray. Place the soups and sour cream in the casserole and stir until blended.  Add the turkey, noodles and vegetables. Stir to combine.

Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Place in microwave and cook on high heat for 30 seconds, stir and cook for another 10 seconds if not completely melted.  Place the cracker or bread crumbs in the bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle over the top of the turkey and noodles.  Sprinkle the bacon bits over all and bake in a preheated 350* oven for half an hour or until golden brown and bubbly.  Print Recipe

Holiday Casserole Recipes #SundaySupper

Breakfast Casseroles

• Apple Crumble French Toast Casserole by Pies and Plots
• Holiday Breakfast Casserole by The Freshman Cook
• Sausage Breakfast Casserole with Crescent Rolls by Sunday Supper Movement
• Christmas Chilaquiles with Eggs by Our Good Life

Classic Casseroles

• Buttery Baked Bread Dressing by Food Lust People Love
• Collard Greens Au Gratin by Soulfully Made
• French Potato Gratin by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Ham & Cheese Corn Casserole (Spoon Bread) by Palatable Pastime
• Leftover Turkey Noodle Casserole by Crickets Confections
• Lower Carb Green Bean Casserole by Positively Stacey
• Simple Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Dairy-Free) by Bites of Wellness
• Turkey and Noodles by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Creative Casseroles

• Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Quinoa by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Cheesy Orzo Pasta Bake by Caroline’s Cooking
• Mexican Cornbread Casserole by Restless Chipotle
• Shrimp Pineapple Rice Casserole by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Make Ahead Spaghetti Western Chili Casserole by Kudos Kitchen by Renee

The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.

Holiday Leftovers; Mediterranean Chili with an American Wine #WinePW #MerlotMe

Thanksgiving is coming......fast....so we, the members of Wine Pairing Weekend, decided to share some American wines that are perfect for serving up for this American Feast.

Most of us roast a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Some of us have a second or third meat.  I usually have fresh kielbasa and sometimes will include a beef recipe of some sort, depending on how many guests I am serving.

Mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, buttered corn and pumpkin pie always make the menu at our house for Thanksgiving.  I try to add variety each year by changing up the appetizers, soup, salad and second dessert that I offer.

We always have wine and normally that wine is an American wine, mostly because Frank and I are huge California wine fans.  When guests arrive we offer cocktails or sparkling wine with the appetizers and then I try to pair a wine with each course that I am serving as shown in the menu above.

There is no hard and fast rule that you must  drink white wine with fish and poultry.  Much of the decision on what wine to pair with these dishes depends on how they are prepared.  Roasted poultry, including turkey, pair very well with Pinot Noir and Merlot.

Today, I am showcasing a Merlot from Rutherford Hills that I received as a sponsor gift during the
#Merlotme event that takes place each October.  You can learn more about #Merlotme by going to this post or following the hashtag on social media.

I was not familiar with Rutherford Hills prior to being supplied this bottle so I went to their website and did a little research.  Rutherford Hills is located in Napa Valley, it was founded in 1972 and was one of the pioneers in the development of California Merlot.  The grape growers who started this winery Merlot grapes because the terroir is so similar to that of the Merlot growing regions of Bordeaux.

The Terlato family bought the vineyard in 1996 and brought the business into their guiding principle "Quality is a way of life".   Those of you familiar with my blog know that while I appreciate sponsors and getting free samples, I never allow that to affect my posts.  I always give my 100% honest opinion.

In fact, this bottle was not the bottle we originally opened to pair with this dinner.  The first bottle we opened was fine but not wonderful and I wanted to showcase a wonderful bottle for you to enjoy on Thanksgiving.  We set the first bottle aside to enjoy another time and opened the Rutherford Hills.

The wine poured deep and rich.  The first thing I noticed was the smoothness of the wine and the rich finish....reminding me a bit of chocolate that is left to melt in your mouth.  Not the sweetness of chocolate as this wine is not sweet at all but fruity and full. It reminded me of the feeling left in your mouth from melting chocolate.

I think this wine would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.  I was going to roast a chicken to pair with this wine so that I could, sort of, replicate a Thanksgiving meal.  I changed my mind though and decided to share with you this Mediterranean Chili made with turkey.

As with any good chili, the secret is layering the flavors.  In this case the flavors I have chosen come from the Mediterranean. I started off with ground turkey but this can easily be made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, just omit the first step of browning the turkey and add cut up cooked turkey along with the tomatoes.

I chose to flavor the chili with pepperocini, dried Italian seasoning and fresh oregano.  I used red onion, fennel bulb, zuchinni , chicken stock and some lemon juice along with canned tomatoes and canned white beans.  I was very pleased with the results.

I will be keeping an eye out for this wine the next time I go to the market.  I hope to find a couple of bottles to serve up with our Thanksgiving Dinner.  Join us again next month as we discuss Giving the Gift of Wine.

Mediterranean Chili

1 lb. ground turkey (or leftover turkey, chopped)

1 T. olive oil

1 fennel bulb, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 lg garlic clove, minced

2 t. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 pepperoncini, seeded, stemmed and diced

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes with juices

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 med. zucchini, diced

1 (15oz) can white beans (I used Great Northern)

juice and zest of 1/4 lemon

3 sprigs fresh oregano

Crumbled Feta Cheese for garnish, if desired.

Brown turkey in olive oil heated  in soup pot over med high heat. Add the fennel, onion and garlic.  Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until fragrant and vegetables start to soften.  Add the tomatoes, broth, pepperoncini, zucchini and oregano.  Stir to combine and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until flavors meld and vegetables are tender.  Stir in the lemon zest and juice.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese, if desired.  Print Recipe

Other Thoughts on American Wine Pairings

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla is Celebrating an American Holiday with Two Bay Area Darlings: Cowgirl Creamery + Donkey &Goat Winery.
• Wine Predator enjoyed American Wine, American Meal: Duck with Napa's Duckhorn Merlot.
• L'Occasion is sharing 5 American Wines for Thanksgiving.
• Cooking Chat will be sharing Roast Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce.
• A Day in the Life on the Farm will be discussing Holiday Leftovers; Mediterranean Chili with an American Wine.
• Pull That Cork is Celebrating Thanksgiving and Mercer Wine Estates