Tag Archives: cranberry

Holiday Pizza Pizzazz

Posted on 14 December 2011 | 1 comment

Tonight’s pizza was an interesting combination of ingredients that turned out to be fabulous! It reminded me of Ina Garten’s Sausage Cranberry Stuffing for her Roasted Turkey Roulade.

I started with our homemade white wheat sourdough crust and prebaked that for 5 minutes at 425F. Then I drizzled the crust with some black raspberry vinaigrette (2 parts organic black raspberry jam, 1 part blueberry red wine vinegar, 1 part organic olive oil – whisk together over low heat until evenly combined).

For the toppings, I used cooked, crumbled sausage along with goat cheese,  caramelized onions, thinly sliced granny smith apples, chopped fresh mushrooms, chopped pecans, dried cranberries and fresh cilantro. Then I baked it for another 8-10 minutes at the same temperature, until the crust was golden and the cheese was just beginning to brown. Wow! I will definitely make this again! It was delicious! The crust was thin and crisp, the vinaigrette, cranberries and apples added a nice, sweet tang that paired beautifully with the creamy goat cheese and fresh nuttiness of the pecans. I think I’m craving another piece just writing this post!

What crazy toppings have you put on your pizza that gave it some pizzazz?!

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Whole Wheat Harvest Tarts by Melissa McKinnon

Posted on 4 December 2010 | 2 comments

Whole Wheat Harvest Tarts by Melissa McKinnon

Whole Wheat Harvest Tarts Recipe

  • Yields: 16
  • Prep Time: 50 minutes
  • Bake Time: 35 minutes

Well, I made the plunge and altered my grandmother’s “Perfect Flaky Pie Crust” and it turned out great! Follow the link above for the instructions, but use the ingredients below:

  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks butter (1 c.)
  • 9 Tbsp. iced water

Divide dough into 16 equal portions and, on a floured surface, roll out each ball into a 6-7″ circle.

Now for the fillings. Mix together the following ingredients and divide into two equal portions (about 1/2 c. per bowl):

  • 2/3 c. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

The rest of the ingredients:

  • 6 medium apples, peeled and sliced (4 in one bowl, 2 in second bowl with rest of ingredients)
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries
  • 1/2 c. dried cherries
  • 1/2 c. golden raisins
  • 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Mix 1/2 of the sugar and spice mixture into the bowl with four of the apples and the other 1/2 of the sugar and spice mixture with the remaining ingredients.

Place ½ c. filling in the center of each dough round, fold in half and pinch edges together either with fingers or a fork. Place on a wax paper lined baking pan (I used stoneware). Brush the tops of the apple tarts with the remaining juices from the filling. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. For the mixed fruit and nut tarts, brush with melted butter (about 1 tsp. each) and place a pecan half on the top of each.

Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes.

Cool on wire racks.

Transfer to serving platter. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Bon Appetit! ~Melissa

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My Idealistic Thanksgiving Feast

Posted on 19 November 2010 | Leave a comment

Most people wait until Christmas to have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. I, on the other hand, dream about food often. The funniest part is it usually doesn’t include sugar plums (or desserts in general, for that matter) and I’m usually day-dreaming. Food is, always has been and always will be a passion in my life…especially delicious, nutritious and aesthetically pleasing food!

With Thanksgiving less than one week away, I have been dreaming of turkey and cranberry-everything! If I could create my perfect Thanksgiving feast, I think it would include the following recipes:

Fresh Pomegranate, Sliced Apples and Honey

Ina Garten’s Roasted Turkey Roulade (I would use boneless, skinless turkey breast and a lean turkey sausage instead of pork sausage for the stuffing)

Giada De Laurentiis’ Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini

Roasted Red and Sweet Potato Wedges, Carrots, Garlic and Brussel Sprouts (drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, 450F, 45 minutes)

The Pioneer Woman’s Green Bean Casserole (I actually really like green beans, so I might reduce the cream sauce by half)

Mom’s Cranberry Relish

Ina Garten’s Ultimate Ginger Cookies

Mom’s Cran-Apple Pie with Pecan Crumble Topping and my Great-Grandmother’s Perfect Flaky Pie Crust recipe

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Recipe: Vegetarian Black Bean and Quinoa Fiesta

Posted on 17 September 2010 | 2 comments

Talk about a Vegetarian Delight!

Get ready for a nutritious and delicious explosion of flavor in your mouth. This is a new recipe I created last night that was so yummy I had to share! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today! And it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c. dry quinoa
  • 3/4 c. 2% organic milk
  • 3/4 c. water
  • 2 tsp. organic butter
  • 1 tsp. garlic infused oil (you could use 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 organic leek (white and light green portion only)
  • 1 can organic black beans (about 10 oz.)
  • 3 oz. feta cheese crumbles (1 good size handful)
  • 2 organic roma tomatoes, chopped
  • sour cream and paprika to top
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced

Instructions:

  1. Prepare quinoa: combine water, milk, and quinoa in a medium pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cover, simmering for 15 minutes (until moisture is absorbed).
  2. Heat large saute pan with butter and garlic oil. Slice leeks into strips or rounds and add to pan. Sautee with salt and pepper.
  3. Drain black beans and add to cooked leeks.
  4. Add feta cheese and stir till beans are warm and feta is melted into mixture.
  5. Add diced tomatoes and warm through.
  6. Serve black bean mixture over the quinoa; top with a dollup of organic sour cream and avocado slices; sprinkle with paprika. Goes well with all natural tortilla strips and Publix Greenwise Organic Salsa.

Servings: 2 good source dinner portions or 4 side dish portions (in case you want to serve tacos, grilled chicken or steak strips on the side).

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Trail Mix Cookies – a twist from my Great Grandmother’s Oatmeal Crispies (Feb. 17, 2010)

Posted on 27 March 2010 | 1 comment

Cream together:

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. Crisco (if someone knows of an organic substitute that doesn’t change the taste, please let me know by posting a comment)
Add wet ingredients:

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine and add dry ingredients:

1 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
Gradually add the rest of the ingredients:

3 c. oats
¾ c. raisins
¾ c. chopped pecans
½ c. chopped, dried dates
½ c. dried cranberries
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on pan for a minute before transferring to paper towels to finish cooling (if they last that long).

For Grandma-Great’s original recipe, increase raisins to 1 c. and don’t add the nuts, dates, or cranberries. Everything else is the same.

Another option would be to replace the pecans with peanuts and the dates with chocolate pieces (like M&Ms). You could also add sunflower seeds or whatever you like in your trail mix. Enjoy!

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