#74 Orange {Julie}us

Christmas day is definitely one of my very favorite days of the year. It's one of those days that I do nothing but spend time with my family. As a mom this is very hard to do while I am in my home...because ordinarily all I see around me are things that need to be done. Impossible to relax! So I try my hardest to turn a blind eye to my "ever-present" to-do list and devote myself to them. Sure...I have to wash some dishes and prepare some food, but I try to do as much as I can ahead of time. Our Christmas brunch menu is: Ham and Cheese egg bake (done ahead), Popovers with cinnamon honey butter and Orange {Julie}us. Huge spoiler alert here....once you try this yummy frothy OJ, you will never buy it again.....I warn you not to do it...I speak from experience, you will be disappointed...sorry DQ!

Orange {Julie}us- Renamed cause my recipe is better!

1 (6oz) can orange juice concentrate- I use a 12 oz. can and make two separate batches with it
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
12 ice cubes


Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth!

 

So yummy...so good.....so {Julie}licious!!! Perfect with Christmas morning brunch!

#73 Hot Cocoa

We have a very time honored sacred Christmas morning tradition in my house....homemade hot cocoa and blueberry muffins while we open presents. Then a super yummy breakfast brunch menu for after! It is such a special day, mostly because it is a day for our family alone. Which I love so very, very much! Hot cocoa is always made homemade on Christmas morning. Here's the great part....it's easy!

Homemade Hot Cocoa

1 1/2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 cup whole milk

Adjust this basic recipe for how much you want to make. I followed this recipe using 6 cups of milk which then needed 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. each of cocoa and sugar.

Use a pot suitable for your desired amount.

 

I use the best cocoa I can find.

Use a wire whisk to mix the cocoa and sugar into the milk. It takes a bit for the cocoa powder to incorporate. Just keep whisking.

 

Mmmm! Super rich chocolate....hot cocoa fit for beautiful Christmas mornings for wonderful family traditions!!!

#72 Simple Fudge

Merry {day after} Christmas! As always, busy, busy, busy. And it is not until Christmas is over that I have time to blog Christmas recipes. I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will not meet my goal of 101 homemade recipes in one year. But I got awfully close *smile*!!! But I will keep plugging along and meet my goal...even if it's a tad late! So on to the fudge.....I love it, this time of year. But not all fudge is created equal in my eyes. I'm not a fan of the{crystalie- sugarie} super sweet fudge. I like creamy goodness. And who knew you could get that kind of homemade fudge so simply.

Simple Chocolate Fudge

1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1 tsp. vanilla


So this is how simple this fudge is....add all the ingredients (except the vanilla) to a make-shift double boiler i.e. stainless steel bowl over pan of simmering water.

 

 

Also butter an 8 inch dish.

 



 

Stir until melted.

 

Then add the vanilla to the melted yumminess.

If you would like nuts in your fudge...which I love, then add to the bottom of your buttered dish. I added chopped walnuts to half.

Then add your fudge to the dish...voila....fudge!

After it is cool, cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for a couple hours to harden enough to be sliced. Yummy! Yummy!

#71 Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

I know there are people out there who just love their Thanksgiving cranberries sliced up straight out of the can. Really? Why? When it is really one of the easiest Thanksgiving side dishes to make homemade. I am proud to say that my state of Wisconsin is the largest producer of cranberries. So, that is another great reason to make this iconic Thanksgiving side dish using...what else?...actual cranberries!!!

Thanksgiving Double Cranberry Sauce

1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/3 cup mild-flavored molasses
1 T. orange zest
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

 

Wash and pick through the cranberries. Aren't they pretty:)

To a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients.

Bring to a simmer.

Cook until cranberry skin start to burst. Taste to adjust for sweetness.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover and chill any leftovers sauce for up to 2 days.
Yummy! They are the perfect blend of slightly sweet and tart. Perfect with all the savory Thanksgiving food. And soooo easy to make homemade!

# 70 Thanksgiving Dressing

Do you know the difference between dressing and stuffing? For the longest time I thought those two titles of my favorite Thanksgiving side dish were used interchangeably. And as far as the recipe goes they are the same except stuffing is stuffed into the bird and dressing is baked in a casserole. I know....that seems pretty obvious, but it wasn't until I was first married 14 years ago and I hosted my first Thanksgiving that I discovered the difference. Now this is the most basic recipe for dressing. There are lots of recipes out there with all sorts of ingredients...like giblets, sausage or dried fruit. But I love it best scaled way back with the most simplest of additions.

Thanksgiving Dressing

2 (1 lb.) loaves cubed dry bread
2 T, butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 T. parsley, dried
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3 tsp. sage, dried
5 cups chicken broth
4 eggs, beaten
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 stick cold butter, for finishing

Start by sautéing the onion and celery in butter until soft. Add herbs.

Add the dry bread cubes to a very large bowl, or two bowls.

I had to work with two bowls. Next add your vegetables and herbs to the dry cubes. Divide between two bowls if need be.

 

Then, stir together eggs and chicken broth.

Pour broth, egg mixture over the dry mixture and combine until bread has absorbed the liquid. Add salt, pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

Butter a large casserole dish. Or if using a crockpot, butter it as well.

 

 

Add your dressing to the prepared dish. Dot with 1/2 a stick of butter. Cover with parchment and foil and it's ready for the oven.



 



If you are putting it right into the oven it will bake covered in a 325 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Or 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. But if you are taking it cold out of the refrigerator then it will likely take longer and you will have to adjust. If you are putting it into a crockpot. Then set to low for 4-5 hours. Can't wait to eat this later today. Happy Thanksgiving!

#69 French Silk Pie

When I was in high school, I had to do a fundraiser for a trip I was going on. Among the items to buy were pies. I bought myself a French Silk Pie and ate the whole thing myself. Not in one sitting of course! Truth is, I love chocolate pie. Pie would never be my go-to dessert of choice, but I like it alright. Blueberry and pumpkin are some favorites...but if you add chocolate to a buttery flaky pastry crust...that would come out on top as my very favorite pie!!!

French Silk Pie
Recipe from another favorite ,The Pioneer Women:)

4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 whole eggs, organic and as fresh as possible
Single pastry crust, baked- you can find my recipe here. You will only need half of that pie crust recipe.
Real whipped cream (in a can or homemade)
Chocolate curls

In a microwave safe bowl melt the 4 oz. of chocolate until stirrable (about 45 sec). Set aside to cool. Make sure it is truly cool but still stirrable before proceeding, or it will ruin the recipe.

Meanwhile line pie plate with rolled out pastry crust. Trim edges and flute then dock crust bottom and sides generously with a fork. Place crust in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes.



Next line chilled crust with parchment, then foil and add pie weights. I used navy beans.

Bake in a 450 degree pre-heated oven for 8 minutes. Remove parchment, foil and weights and bake for an additional 5-6 minutes or until golden. Set on wire rack to cool completely.

Oh...and if you have any extra pastry...make sure to make cinnamon sugar pie cookies....yummy. Reminds me of Grandma's house:)

Next in a bowl of an electric mixer using the beater attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrap sides of bowl. Then drizzle cooled chocolate into the fluffy butter sugar as it beats.

Scrap all the chocolate from sides of bowl before moving on. Then add the vanilla and give it a whirl to combine.

Next comes the eggs. I used organic cage-free eggs for this recipe because they will not be cooked. Yes, this recipe uses raw eggs, so I wanted to be as safe as possible. I do have hens of my own, but with the shorter days and their age, I don't get many eggs this time of year. I have never attempted to use pasteurized egg product because I didn't know for sure it would turn out right, so I'm taking a chance on the raw eggs. I did taste test some of the chocolate mousse yesterday while I was making this and I'm feeling good today, so I know my pie is good to share for Thanksgiving today.

So next turn your mixer to medium speed and over a period of 15-20 minutes add in four eggs one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Stop the mixer and scrap down sides before the third eggs. What you are making is a smooth velvety chocolate mousse.

Once the pie filling is mixed, pour it into the baked pastry shell. Smooth out the filling and place in refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. I chilled mine overnight.

After it is chilled, finish it by adding real whipped cream to the top. I used canned whipped cream so I could get the pretty star pattern.

Finally, curl some chocolate and add you the top as a pretty garnish.

Doesn't that look yummy. Can't wait to try a small slice of this today! Hmmmm, so much yummy food! No wonder people gain weight over the holidays. Enjoy:)



#68 Pumpkin Puree

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I love the autumn season so much. And if I had to give a reason why, it would be because I love pumpkins!!! I love gourds!! I love squash!! I love to grow them, decorate with them and (in the case of pumpkins) bake with them! And pumpkin spice is my all-time favorite smell!!!  Below is a picture of some of the beauties from the Cucurbitales order that I grew this year!

To make all the delicious pumpkin desserts you will need pumpkin puree. It is mighty easy to get it at the grocery store in the can, but if you grow pie pumpkins like I do....it's fun to actually bake a pumpkin pie from the fruits of the garden! Here's how!

Pumpkin Puree

All you need is pie pumpkins....make sure you are using the pie variety, because the jack-o-lantern pumpkins are not the same!

First you will need to cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. Then slice up the pumpkin into wedges and cut the rind from the "meat" of the pumpkin.

Add your pumpkin meats to a steamer basket over boiling water.

Cover and steam until they are soft when poked with a fork. About 25- 30 minutes.

Add the soft pumpkin to your food processor and process just until smooth.

Then add your puree to freezer bags in one and two cup portions, depending on what your favorite recipes call for. Label your bags.

That's it! Now use your puree to make yummy pumpkin recipes. Martha Stewart's is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Below are a couple pies I made a few years ago. Which I might add was also when the pictures above were taken....pre-kitchen remodel.

 

This year I was not asked to make pumpkin pie...so I made blueberry instead!

 

Yummmy!! I can't wait to eat a small slice of this tomorrow......along with a small slice of the French Silk pie that I also made today. I will blog that one next!