Holiday Ideas (Straight from Facebook!)

I've been saving these photos from Facebook for a couple of years.  They are such good ideas for holiday parties, even gifts.  I'm going to be using them over the next few weeks! 

This Turkey needs some green parsley to perk it up a bit!

Cucumber Cups filled with your favorite--could be egg, tuna, ham or chicken salad, or even pimento cheese.

Shown here as lady bugs, imagine just the tomato and parsley without the black olives topping turkey slices, ham and cheese, or  smoked salmon. 

The star is my favorite!

Home Grown Olives

 We're trying a new food project this month. About ten years ago a friend sent me two olive trees for my birthday. They were about two feet tall, and looked like rooted sprigs. I potted them and have loved and nursed them ever since. They grew to about four feet after several years and several new pots. Not until we took them to the NC coast and planted them in the ground did they really grow. After two years they are taller than our heads, and for the first time, filled with olives.

My husband and I disagreed about what to do with the crop. He wanted to press them for their oil, but with only two trees I didn't think they would yield very much. I thought curing them made more sense, plus if they tasted good, there would be lots of opportunities to share, and I could say each time we ate them, 'You won't believe this, but we grew these olives!' So, cure them we did.

As it turned out, it was fairly simple. There are several different methods. I chose gently cracking the olives and soaking them in cold water for several days, changing the water a couple of times a day until the bitterness is leached out of the olives and into the water. Then you pack them in salt water with a little vinegar, and any other additions you want—garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon, jalapeño, etc., and let them brine for thirty days in the refrigerator. You can store them for up to a year in the frig.

I have since learned that where olives are grown, raw olives are sold each season and many people brine their own. I'm hoping we'll have another successful crop next year, and if we keep adding trees, maybe someday we'll have a large enough crop to press for oil!

Pimento Cheese Rolls

Pimento Cheese Rolls

This is a variation of the mayonnaise rolls my mother-in-law used to make. They were so delicious, and easy. But wait until you try them with added cheese, pimento and a couple of secret ingredients I'm going to share. Add a little butter to the warm roll and they are downright decadent!

Pimento Cheese Rolls

2 cups self-rising flour

One-fourth cup mayonnaise (I use Dukes!)

1 cup buttermilk

2 T finely chopped pimento, very well drained

1 tsp. Smoked paprika

Dash hot sauce (I use Tabasco)

Dash Worcestershire Sauce

1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (or your choice)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Spray muffin tin with Pam.

Combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, pimento, paprika, hot sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and shredded cheese. Add flour and stir make thick batter.

Dip about one-third cup batter into each of twelve muffin cups.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden on top and feel firm.

Serve warm with butter.

Merry Christmas!

Only a few days left 'til Christmas—but don't panic. I have good tips for all things 'Christmas' including gifts!

I've learned that the world won't stop turning if I don't finish everything on my Holiday To Do List. No one even notices. It seems that we're all trying to do too much, so I'm asking myself more often, 'what really matters today?'. That's Tip #1. Ask yourself, and then listen quietly for the answer.

I remember the year we made all our tree ornaments. That's all we could afford, and they mattered. The homemade ornament year was followed by several years of homemade gifts. When I spot one of those hand crafted treasures, and some are still hanging around, it takes me back to a much simpler time. Then came a string of Santa Claus years when the absolute thrill of believing was most important, even if it meant driving half way across the state to make it happen. I loved those years, and I'm told they'll come around again.

A bunch of years have passed since the Santa Clause era, and I'm ashamed to admit I can't really say what mattered from one year to the next. We were busy. We did it all, but I don't remember much about what 'it all' was. Here's Tip #2: Try not to let that happen to you. Whatever you're doing this year, whatever matters most to you, take the time to acknowledge it, and really enjoy the moment!

Tip #3: a Pecan Bar from Martha Stewart that can replace pecan pie in a snap, or be wrapped for a lovely gift.

Tip #4: David Libovitz Spiced Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix—quick, easy and delicious as a party snack or for a gift that will be appreciated by everyone.

Tip #5: Artichoke Spread—again, serve it yourself, or put it in jelly jars and share with your friends and neighbors (must be refrigerated).

Have a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy each precious moment!

Pecan Bars

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, December 2004

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients

Makes 24

FOR THE CRUST:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

FOR THE FILLING

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (about 2 cups) pecans

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg; pulse just until a dough forms.

Transfer dough to prepared pan; with floured fingers and an offset spatula, press firmly into bottom and 3/4 inch up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Prick bottom of dough; bake until lightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool while preparing filling.

Make the filling: In a large saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until smooth; continue boiling, without stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Whisk in cream and salt; mix in pecans.

Assemble and bake: Spoon hot filling evenly over crust, using spoon to arrange and press in nuts so they fit snugly (create as flat a surface as possible).

Bake until bubbling and amber-colored, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Using foil, lift cake from pan; peel off foil. With a sharp knife, trim edges (if desired). Cut into 6 even strips; cut each strip crosswise into 4 even strips to make 24 bars.

Spiced Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

2 cups (200 gr) mixed raw nuts (untoasted); any combination of cashews, whole almonds, peanuts, pecan halves, and hazelnuts

1 tablespoon (15 gr) unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons (45 gr) dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or another red pepper)

1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt

2 cups (100 gr) small pretzel twists

1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in a 350F (180C) oven for 10 minutes, stirring once for even toasting.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and maple syrup.

3. Add the warm nuts, stirring until coated. Then mix in the salt and pretzels, and stir until the nuts and pretzels are completely coated.

4. Spread the mixture back on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 12-18 minutes, stirring twice during cooking. Remove from oven and cool completely, separating the nuts and pretzels as they cool. (12 min. was plenty for mine)

Once cool, this mixture can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Artichoke Spread

2 cups packed artichoke hearts, drained

zest of half a lemon

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoons sea salt

2 generous tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (or curly if that's all you can find)

1 cup toasted pecan pieces (you can substitute almonds or pinenuts)

One and one-half cups shredded parmesan cheese

4 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a food processor, pulse artichokes, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic clove, salt and parsley until combined and artichokes are coarsely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spoon. Add pecans, and pulse just until chopped. Scrape down again. Add parmesan cheese and olive oil, and pulse several more times to combine. Add more olive oil if needed.

Store in refrigerator for two weeks, or freeze in freezer containers.

Use as spread with crackers or crostini, or you can add to hot pasta as a sauce.

Turkey--More than the main event!

The Main Ingredient that Keeps on Giving!

With the Thanksgiving Feast fast approaching, I cook with left-overs in mind, especially when there's lots of company and many more meals to come. Extra turkey for later is almost more important to me than the warm slices that will nestle against the dressing and cranberry sauce.

I cook an extra turkey breast to assure that everyone gets a turkey sandwich or two. That's one time I highly recommend white bread (specifically Pepperidge Farm House White): turkey, mayo (Dukes of course), lettuce and plenty of salt and pepper on really fresh white bread. I'm already there!

I'm a big turkey fan. I learned to do the carving long before I was actually doing the cooking. I can admit now that it was a selfish gesture. No one seemed very interested. We didn't do the dramatic carving at the table, so while Mama whipped the potatoes and kept the rolls from getting too brown on top, I sliced my way through the bird, which meant that I could also steal the very best bites of crispy skin that dislodged from the meat and would never make it to the table anyway! My very favorite part of the turkey!

I learned a lesson from those carving days. Now I want everyone to enjoy their favorite bite, so while the turkey rests, waiting to make its way to the table via carving board, I encourage those who are so inclined to snitch a little bite. It's our Thanksgiving 'amuse-bouche'!

I also take care of the entire bird while carving, right down to cleaning the bones. The tiny little pieces that fall apart or cling to a bone get stored in a ziplock bag and refrigerated. When the feast is over, I store the sandwich pieces in a separate ziplock, and all the extra little pieces left on the platter join their friends in the scrap bag. These little scraps are going to turn into two of my favorite post-feast turkey meals: Curried Holiday Turkey Salad and Turkey and Corn Chowder. Both of these recipes have such nice flavors, and are distinctly different from their origin. You don't really notice that you're eating leftovers.

There's no better place to count our blessings than around the Thanksgiving table. May yours be especially thankful and delicious this year.

Turkey and Corn Chowder

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 slices of lean bacon, diced

1 sweet onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 T butter

2-3 cups cooked turkey, diced (or chicken)

1 small can green chilies

1 teaspoon cumin (or more, to taste)

1 T hot sauce

One-half tsp. Salt

2 (~15oz.) cans white and yellow corn, drained (or fresh or frozen corn)

32 oz. chicken broth

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or your choice of a flavorful melting cheese)

Chopped fresh cilantro to garnish

Lime slices to garnish

Extra shredded cheese to garnish

Extra hot sauce to garnish

Pour olive oil into soup pot over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook for a couple of minutes, then add diced onion and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Now add butter, and when melted add diced turkey and stir to combine. Next add green chilies, cumin, hot sauce and salt, along with corn and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add half and half. Next, add cheese, and stir until melted and combined. Taste and adjust for salt and hotness.

Serve with chopped cilantro, lime slices, extra cheese and hot sauce as garnish.

The garnishes add great 'kicks' of flavor!

Curried Holiday Turkey Salad

Tip: for a really pretty presentation, cut the ends from croissants and fill with turkey salad. They look like little cornucopias.

1 cup dried cranberries

One-third cup orange juice (or wine, or apple juice)

7-8 cups chopped cooked turkey (light and dark meat)

1 cup quartered seedless grapes

1 cup toasted pecan halves, roughly chopped (want big pieces)--

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 T cider vinegar

2 T sugar

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Curry powder

1 cup mayonnaise

Add dried cranberries and orange juice to small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stir, remove from heat and let the cranberries plump while making the rest of the salad.

Add chopped turkey, grapes, pecans and celery to large mixing bowl. Gently toss to combine.

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt and curry powder. Then add to mayonnaise and thoroughly combine. Add more salt or curry to taste.

Pour dressing over turkey mixture.

Drain cranberries and add to mixture. Gently fold together until everything is well combined.

Store in refrigerator.

Super Super-Bowl Snack--Shrimp Ceviche!

Shrimp Ceviche

This recipe is more 'to taste' than specific quantities, so use your own judgement, but this will give you guidelines to get started!

2 lbs. peeled and deveined medium-sized shrimp, cooked for only one minute (I saute over medium heat with a little olive oil). Place in colander and immerse immediately in ice water, drain, then coarsely chop—either with knife, or pulse in food processor, CAREFULLY. You want chunks of shrimp.

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped—knife chop. (I buy whatever tomatoes offer the best flavor. On this day it was the smaller vine tomatoes, so I used more.)

half a large sweet onion finely chopped, or equal amount of green onions. Chop with knife.

one-third cup finely chopped carrot—pulse in food processor

cilantro, roughly chopped—knife—about a cup of leaves and then rough chop

sea salt to taste

Zest of the limes (remember to zest before juicing)

red pepper flakes (or one seeded, and finely chopped jalapeno pepper) to taste

1-2 tsp. smokey sweet paprika

lots of fresh lime juice (probably four limes)

Mix your shrimp, tomatoes, onion, carrot, cilantro, lime zest, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add enough lime juice to barely cover. Top evenly with smokey sweet paprika, and garnish with cilantro leaves. Needs to ‘marinate’ in frig for about an hour.

Serve with good tortilla chips. We like the blue chips. Offer a bowl of celery sticks for those who are watching calories.

It's also nice to serve alongside good guacamole.

Careful with the food processor. Everything can be knife chopped except carrots, which are easier to finely chop in the processor.


I use the zest from all the limes it takes to cover the ceviche.

Go Saints!

Tarallini--Wine Crackers From Your Kitchen!

An ambitious undertaking? Not at all! You can make your own crispy, savory specialty crackers with very little fuss, especially if you have a friend who will join you to form the Tarallini--that's the time consuming part! My dear sister-friend from Canada was here for a visit and we had lots of catching up to do, so we chatted as we rolled.

These are little Italian crackers that are rolled into shape, boiled briefly, dried, and then baked.

Tips: I perused and tested several recipes, and the one thing I found for sure: some recipes suggested a shorter drying time, but drying overnight produced a much crisper cracker after baking. We also began making the crackers very small, but the medium size, with a nice hole in the middle are the most pleasing to me.

You can flavor the Tarallini to your own taste. I added one-half cup Parmesan Cheese to each recipe, along with rosemary, and smoked paprika. The possibilities are endless.

Finally, the amount of flour and water needed changes, but it's very easy to determine by the consistency of the dough, and then adjust as you go.

Tarallini

2 cups all purpose flour, or more

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 T sea salt

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. minced dried rosemary

1 tsp. yeast

3 1/2 oz. extra virgin olive oil

3 1/2 oz. white wine

5 oz. water, more or less

In the bowl of a standing mixer, add all your dry ingredients, and whisk to combine.

With dough hook in place, slowly pour in olive oil and wine while mixing on low speed. Stop and scrape down dough.

Add water slowly with mixer on low speed, and when dough comes together into a nice ball, isn't wet, but soft and elastic, you're done! Don't worry if you have to add a little extra flour to find you right texture.

Remove dough, shape into a log, cover with saran wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Cut about an inch off log, roll into long 'snake', cut into 4-5 inch lengths, roll each length around your finger and press to connect. Repeat with all dough.

Have a large pot of water boiling on stove, and add a handful of dough rings to boiling water. Let them cook just a couple of minutes. They will float to the top.

Remove with a skimmer, and dry on counter covered with dish towels or cloths overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place parchment paper on sheet pan. Add dried Tarallini to pan, and bake each pan for about 20 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

Enjoy with wine, cheese and fresh fruit.

Bon Appetito!

Savory Caprese Fried Pies with Fire Roasted Tomato Dipping Sauce

1 T extra virgin olive oil
One-half sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15oz.) can fire-roasted, crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar

One pie crust recipe for 2 crust pie, or 2 prepared, unbaked pie crusts
24 pieces fresh mozzarella, about 1'' by 2 ''
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (can substitute pieces of sun-dried tomato)
One-half cup basil pesto, divided
4 very thin slices prosciutto

1 qt. Peanut Oil

Add olive oil to medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until becoming transparent. Add tomatoes and sugar, stir to combine, reduce heat to low, and let slowly simmer while making pies. This will cook down to a thick dipping sauce.

Prepare filling 'stacks' before rolling crust. Top each piece of mozzarella with a half teaspoon of pesto, then a cherry tomato half, cut side down, and finally a bite sized piece of prosciutto.

Roll out half of pie crust very thinly on floured surface. Cut about twelve (approximately) 4 inch circles of dough. Place a prepared mozzarella stack on each circle. Wet the outer edge of the circle with a little water, fold over and seal with a fork or with your fingers. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining crust.

Add peanut oil to ten inch iron skillet over medium heat. Skillet should be about half full of oil. Heat oil to 365°. Fry 4-5 pies at a time for 3 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Remove to a rack to cool.

Add 2 tablespoons pesto to reduced tomato sauce and stir to combine.

Serve savory pies warm, or room temperature with fire-roasted tomato dipping sauce.