Halloween Sherbet Punch

Soon it will be the weekend when reaching into a bowl of witches' eyes (peeled grapes) and another bowl containing the guts (stirred cold slimy gelatin) is FUN!!!  It's also the time to quench your goblins thirst with Halloween Sherbet Punch!

For so many years this beverage has been a fave in my fam.  There is not too much preparation going on here.  Find your Punch Bowl!  Remember to purchase the 7-Up Soda and the Sherbet.  Trying to cut a few calories, I use Diet 7-Up.  For the Halloween Brew, Orange Sherbet is the flavor and the color of choice.

Halloween Sherbet Punch

Ingredients:
For each 1 Quart of Orange Sherbet
Use 2 Bottles Diet 7-Up (refrigerated)

Method:

1. In a large punch bowl place 1 Quart Sherbet.
2. Pour 2 bottles 7-Up Soda in punch bowl, pouring some over Sherbet.
3. Stir a little to mix.  Results in frothy, softened Sherbet.
4. Ladle into cups adding some of the Sherbet.
5. Replenish the 7-Up + Sherbet , as needed.

It's time to add 7-Up and Orange Sherbet to your grocery list!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

~Craisin Raisin Oaties~

Craisin Raisin Oaties

Yes, four had been taken out of the orange cookie canister and stored in a small Ziploc Freezer bag, then placed in my freezer!  WooHoo! 
On Monday the outside temperature on our thermometer read 83°F and it is October!  We do enjoy Indian Summer here in Western MA, but who would have guessed that it would feel like a day in the mid summer?  Who would also guess that I would be baking Craisin Raisin Oaties on a very warm day?  Well, I made the commitment to bring refreshments to a Docent Class I was attending on Tuesday and  a promise is a promise. 

From the "get go" I knew that old fashioned oats would be used when I was baking the goodies.  Craisin Raisin Oaties definitely rank as one of the three fave cookies in my fam.  While growing up, my mom would bake them, but she did not include the Craisins.  They were not an ingredient we were accustomed to, even though I did live in MA.  Driving back from Boston after a Boston College Football game one Saturday many years ago, we stopped at a Rest Area on the Mass Pike.  One of the snacks offered in the "goodies" case was Oatmeal Cookies containing both Raisins and Craisins.  What a combo!  From that day I always added both whenever I baked Oatmeal cookies.

Usually when I bake these yummy nutritious cookies, I make a double batch.  They freeze very well when stored in Ziploc Freezer bags, so the small amount of extra time and effort is totally worth it.  However, the heat of the day on Monday called for only one batch to be baked.  So glad that I stored those four cookies in the freezer!  :)  Yummy!

Craisin Raisin Oaties

Oven :  350°F
Yield:  About 3 and 1/2 Dozen

Ingredients:

1 Cup (2 sticks) Butter/Margarine, softened
1 Cup Brownulated Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs (OR 1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt (optional) - I do not use any Salt.
1 and 1/2 Cups Flour
3 Cups Quaker Oats (Old Fashioned, uncooked)
1/2 Cup Craisins (dried Cranberries)
1/2 Cup Raisins

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat Butter/Margarine with Sugars until creamy.
3. Add Eggs, (Egg Whites) & Vanilla Extract.  Beat well.
4. Add Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, optional Salt & Flour.  Mix well.
5. With large spoon or spatula, stir in Oats. 
6. Add Craisins & Raisins.  Stir well.
7. Place 12 rounded Tablespoons of batter on ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10 - 12 Minutes until golden brown. 
9. After removing from oven, cool cookies in pan about 2 minutes before removing cookies from pan and placing on wire rack to cool.
10. Cool & Enjoy!

The infamous four cookies found in my freezer were defrosted last night.  Using two cookies and a small amount of Vanilla ice cream the Craisin Raisin Oatie Ice Cream Sandwich tasted scrumptious!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp

It's Apple Season in New England!  Oh Yes!  Every autumn baking the first Apple Crisp using fresh, local Cortland apples tastes so good!  It's filled with Craisins, Raisins, Old Fashioned Oats & slices of Cortland apples (a hybrid of a Ben Davis + a McIntosh).  When these crispy Cortland apples are cut, they do not turn a brownish color quickly.  This characteristic also makes Cortland apple slices a great addition to a salad. 

However, when I purchased the bag last week, salad was not on my mind.  It was Apple Crisp!  This is a wonderful dessert - Yum.  It tastes very similar to an apple pie, but there is no crust to roll out.  The baked apples are covered with a delicious topping of old fashioned Oats, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Butter/Margarine. 

In Produce Aisles of grocery stores I've noticed a "mix" for the topping sold in boxes.  Butter/Margarine is added to the dry ingredients.  A 1 lb. canister of Oats, a small bag of Flour, along with the spices always come in handy in a kitchen, so I always view this "premeasured topping mix" as a waste of $$.

Quaker is my brand of old fashioned Oats.  I must admit that once the fall season begins I use oats in many foods, so Costco is my "go to" place for oats.  That large box really is not that big.  :)

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp is a dessert that my fam always enjoys.  In the spring I use a combination of Empire and of Granny Smith apples.  The photo above shows our dessert one evening before a small scoop of vanilla ice cream was added on top.     

Apple Crisp 
       click for printable recipe card

Oven Temperature:  375°F
Time:  45 - 50 Minutes

Ingredients:
6 - 7 peeled sliced large apples
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon softened Butter or Margarine
1/4 Cup Craisins &/or Raisins - I use both!

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spray PAM in 8" x 8" glass pan.
3. Place sliced apples in pan.
4. Sprinkle in Craisins & Raisins.
5. Thoroughly mix remaining ingredients together in small bowl.
6. Sprinkle over apples.
7. Bake 45 Minutes or until apples are tender. 
8. Serve warm or chilled with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
9. When cool, cover & refrigerate any leftovers.

Today, I was in the Big Y purchasing groceries.  The first bag of Cortland apples just disappeared, so another bag was placed in our grocery cart along with a half gallon of Apple Cider.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!!!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

      

Where is...

... that 5 lb. bag of all purpose Flour that's always waiting in the wings in my pantry???  A 5 lb. bag of King Arthur Unbleached Flour was the only flour to be found.  That was totally surprising to me!  My plan for breakfast Friday AM was Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes and everything was good to go.  Well, maybe with the exception of locating flour.  We've had an HHH summer and I have not heated the oven too often, so my recollection of my flour quantity is a bit hazy.  After staring into my empty flour canister, I usually just walk down the hall to my pantry and the needed ingredient is located.  I always purchase an extra when on special.

Not on Friday.  One makes due with what one has, so the King Arthur bag was opened.  I learned that King Arthur Unbleached Flour makes some mighty tasty pancakes!  I will be using this again.  Could not even taste a difference.  WooHoo!

So the day continued along on a very bright note!  In the afternoon my other plan was to use my West Bend Slow Cooker.  Chicken Florentine a la Slow Cooker would be bubbling along on my counter top.  Once again, the pantry door was opened.  No Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup to be found!   There always is a Plan B in my kitchen.  Using 12 oz. of Light & Fat Free College Inn Chicken Broth along with 3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour as a substitute for the condensed soup, my West Bend bubbled along as planned.  The Chicken Florentine tasted soo good!

***First the Flour was combined with about 4 oz. of the broth before adding in the remaining amount of broth. 

You might be wondering just how 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour suddenly appeared.  Years ago I took a suggestion from my younger son:  Fill a 2 Cup container with all purpose flour, so whenever a small amount of flour is needed, the heavier canister does not need to be taken down from the shelf in my cabinet.  From the day he made that suggestion, I heeded it.  I find that my sons have wonderful ideas very often!   

I was 2 for 2 on Friday!  Now that made my day!  I also have two more tips to add to the "Thoughtful Tips" page located at the top of my blog.  WooHoo!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Chicken Tenderloins with Craisin Mustard Sauce

Reheated in the microwave the second night - Yum!

Cranberries add a great zing to foods!  The dried cranberries, Craisins, are also very delicious.  Maybe I also enjoy them because I live in MA and cranberries are harvested here in autumn.  While traveling past cranberry bogs when we were at the Cape two weeks ago I kept thinking about a recipe that I had bookmarked on the Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. website.  Chicken!  Craisins! Yellow Mustard! And Wine!  My DH & I enjoy so many dishes where chicken is a main ingredient, so adding the tangy Craisins + spicy Yellow Mustard just sounded wonderful. This recipe makes four servings, so we enjoyed it for two evenings.  This sure is not a meal that I would put in the "leftover" category.  This is one delicious colorful chicken dish bursting with flavor!

Chicken Tenderloins with Cranberry Mustard Sauce

Adapted from Ocean Spray Cranberries

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Craisins
1/2 Cup cold water
*******
1 Lb. Chicken Tenderloins
1/2 Cup Flour
1-2 shakes from my Pepper shaker
2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (Cooking & Sauteing)
2/3 Cup Dry White Wine
2/3 Cup Chicken Broth
3 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Cornstarch

Method:

1. Place Craisins in small bowl and cover with 1/2 Cup Cold Water.
2. Combine Flour + Pepper in Ziploc bag.
3. Rinse Chicken Tenderloins under cold water and place in Ziploc Bag containing Flour/Pepper.
4. Close bag and coat Chicken.
5. Place 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil in large saute pan, heat over Medium heat.
6. Add Flour coated Chicken.
7. Cook Chicken about 2 minutes on each side, until Chicken is cooked.
8. Place cooked Chicken on a large dish.
9. Remove saute pan from heat.
10. Using about 2 Tablespoons of the measured Chicken Broth, dissolve Cornstarch in small cup.
11. Place remaining Chicken Broth in saute pan.  Stir around scraping up browned bits.  Add Wine + Yellow Mustard, stir together.  Turn on heat.  Add Cornstarch mixture and stir.
12. Stir mixture and bring to a boil.  Boil 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens.  Add drained Craisins and cook 1 minute longer while stirring.
13. Add browned Chicken to sauce and heat until Chicken is hot.
14. Serve with Rice. 

The ingredients for this tasty dish are usually found in my kitchen.  I can picture a cold dark winter evening with the snow falling quickly while the aroma of mustard, Craisins and wine float from my kitchen.  This is one quick, delicious way to prepare chicken.  So happy I stopped in to visit the Ocean Spray website. Thank you Ocean Spray!   :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Freezing Green Peppers Strips

History is fascinating and the state where I live is filled with the early history of our glorious country!  Last week my DH & I spent a few days at one of our fave places - the Cape (Cape Cod).  After the torrential downpours on the east coast, the Cape did not offer sunny beach weather, rather overcast skies.  That is the perfect time to enjoy a bit of history.  Coast Guard Beach in Eastham is beautiful and also filled with history.  As school children we all learned that in 1620 the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth, MA.  Quite often we do not realize that their journey was not a direct route to Plymouth.



Click Photo to Enlarge
Photo Taken at Coast Guard Beach



Click Photo to Enlarge
Photo Taken at Coast Guard Beach

There's always time for a little Culture and for a little History!
 
There's also always time to purchase local produce to store for the colder months.  Slices of Green Peppers can be stored so easily.  Now in September, the local fresh vegetables are still found at roadside stands or in the grocery stores.  It's the perfect time to purchase these fresh firm veggies, prep & freeze them in strips. 

The process is very simple!  First, the Green Peppers are washed in cool water and dried.  Then, cut each pepper into strips.  Discard seeds and tops.  For me, one handful is placed in a plastic sandwich bag.  Then, the sandwich bags are closed and placed in a Ziploc Freezer bag, labelled and placed in the freezer. 

In the colder months whenever a recipe calls for Green Pepper, the frozen strips are at my fingertips.  They defrost quickly.  No need to purchase the costly vegetable that is out of season.  The 6 Green Peppers that were purchased today are waiting in my fridge.  Tomorrow, they will be prepped & packed away to join the other two Ziploc Freezer bags filled with locally grown Green Pepper strips.  WooHoo!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  

Grilling the Swordfish

So often we think back and say, "What a difference a week makes!"  This surely has been the case on the east coast of our country this past week!  Irene changed a bit while moving up and sure left her mark!  Our neighbors to the west and to the north here in MA are dealing with washed out roads and flooding.  Our relatives in CT are still without power.  The national news is covering the affected states.  It's been a most challenging year of weather and one we will not easily forget!

Continually our outdoor grill is used.  Tonight, Grilled Swordfish made for an easy and delicious dinner!  Our local grocery store, Big Y, has a wonderful fresh Seafood Dept.  There's a special on fresh Swordfish this week, so it was an obvious choice for dinner.  Local Green Beans and a microwaved "Baked Potato" also tasted yummy! 

This fish hold its own while grilling, so no grilling basket is needed.  No fancy sauce (with added calories) accenting the fish is needed, either!  Plain, simple and delicious! 

Grilled Swordfish

Ingredients:
1 lb. Swordfish Steak
Olive Oil
Paprika - about 2 shakes from the bottle.

Method:

1. Preheat outdoor grill.
2. Pour about 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil on a large dish.
3. Sprinkle a little Paprika on top of Olive Oil.
4. Rinse Swordfish Steak under cold running water.
5. Place on Olive Oil/Paprika in dish.
6. Turn Swordfish over to coat other side.
7. Place on heated grill and put grill cover down.
8. Grill for 7 minutes and 30 seconds.  The fish is turned over one time while grilling.
9. Grill other side for 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

*** The amount of needed grilling time depends on the size of the piece of Swordfish Steak and the grill.  Using our gas grill turned up 3/4 heat a 1 lb. piece requires 7 minutes and 30 seconds on each side.  The cover is down while grilling.

Grilled fish tastes great!  Before we know it the season will change and the grill will not be used.  I'll be baking fish for dinner and the variety will change.   :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!