Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
3/4 cup sugar

Mix orange juice, sugar and cinnamon stick in a 2 - 3 quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium low heat.  Add cranberries.  Return to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the cranberries have burst.

Remove from heat, remove the cinnamon stick, cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bread Making Pointers

My favorite website to get bread recipes is cooking bread is cooking bread and can be found by clicking the blog title above.

If you have a recipe that calls for self rising flour but don't have any, you can make your own.  Mix 1 cup of the flour called for (bread, all purpose or cake) with 1 1/4 tsp baking powder.

If you want to make muffins but only have a bread recipe, use the same oven temperature and reduce the baking time to 20 minutes.  If not done, cook another 5 minutes and check again until done.

If you want to make bread but only have a muffin recipe, use the same oven temperature and increase the baking time to 45 minutes.  If toothpick inserted in the center is not clean, check at 5 minute intervals until done.

English Muffin Bread

  2 Cup milk                                                                      1 Tbl sugar

  1/2 Cup water, Lukewarm                                              2 Tsp salt

  3 Cup whole-wheat flour                                               1/4 Tsp baking soda

  3 Cup all-purpose flour                                                   Cornmeal

  4 Tsp yeast                                                                     

Put water in a large bowl and add yeast.  Meanwhile, Heat the milk over low heat in a small saucepan until

 warm, stirring frequently - test on arm.  Should be not too hot.

Meanwhile, place 3 cups of whole-wheat flower, 3 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and  baking soda in a large bowl. Stir to mix.

Pour the milk into the water mixture and stir gently.   Stir in the flour mixture about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time  until a dough forms and it becomes too difficult to stir.

Place dough on lightly floured cutting board and knead in the rest of the flour (including remainder of all-purpose flour, if needed). The dough may be slightly sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth  and elastic.

Divide dough in two, shape into logs, and place in two rectangular pans (9" x 5" x 3") that have been oiled  and sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover the loaves with a tea towel and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake loaves for 25 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped on the  bottom. Remove from pans right away and cool on wire racks.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

  6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts                            

  1/2 Cup dried sweetened cranberries                            

  1/2 Cup chopped dried apple                                        

  1 Clove garlic very thinly sliced                                    

  2 Tbl brown sugar

  2 Tbl water

  1 Tsp lemon juice

  2 Tsp butter

                                                                                         

Place chicken breasts in a 2-quart (or larger) crockpot. Add remaining ingredients in the order given, dotting

evenly with the butter last. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.  Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

  2 Cup cooked chicken, deboned and                               1 Cup canned corn, drained

  -cut into bite size pieces                                                   2 Clove fresh garlic, minced

  14 Oz can low sodium chicken broth                               3/4 Cup sour cream

  1 1/4 Cup canned, petite diced tomatoes                          3 Tbl fresh cilantro, chopped

  1 Tsp chili powder                                                            1 bag tortilla chips

  1/2 Cup canned diced green chilies                                   2 limes cut in wedges

  1 Tsp cumin                                                                   

 

Put chicken, chicken broth, tomatoes, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, corn, and garlic in crock pot. Cook on low for four hours. At end of the cooking time add cilantro and stir in sour cream. Serve topped with tortilla chips and a squeeze of lime.

Southwest Meat Loaf

2 Lb Ground Pork                                                            1 Tsp Cumin

  1 Tsp Cooking Oil                                                          1/4 Tsp Dried Thyme

  2/4 Cup Onion, Finely  Chopped                                   1/2 Tsp Cayenne

  4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed                                               1/2 Tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika

  1 Tablespoon Jalapeno, Chopped                                   1/2 Cup Panko

  4 Tablespoon Smoked Dried Tomatoes                         1/2 Cup 1% Milk

  1 Tbl Chili Powder                                                        

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Sautee onion and garlic until soft.  Remove from heat.  In a food processor, mix Tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, thyme, cayenne, Paprika, Panko and milk.  Pulse until tomatoes are chopped.  Add Onions and Garlic, pulse to mix.  Add Ground Pork - mix thoroughly.  Press into a 9 x 4.5 bread pan and bake for 1.5 hours.  Remove from  the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan and slicing.

Cinnamon Chip Cheesecake

Crust                                                                                

  1 1/2 Cups Cinnamon Graham                                       

  -Crackers, Crushed                                                         

  5 Tablespoon Butter, Melted                                          

  Filling                                                                             

  16 Ounce Cream Cheese, Softened                               

  3 Large Eggs, Slightly Beaten                                        

  1 Cup Sugar

 10 Oz Cinnamon Chips

 1 Tsp Almond Extract

 1 Tablespoon Cake Flour

24 Ounce Sour Cream

Topping

1 Teaspoon Shortening

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and 5 Tablespoons melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.  Bake 8 minutes

Increase oven to 350 degrees

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, cake flour and almond extract on medium speed until well blended.  Add sour cream, beat on low speed until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low speed until blended.

  Do not overbeat.

Pour half of filling in prepared crust.  Reserve 1/3 cup of the chips, put remaining chips evenly over the filling.  Carefully spoon remaining filling over the chips.  Place on a shallow baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until center is almost set.  Remove from oven.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack then use a knife to loosen the cheesecake from the  side of the pan.  Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine shortening (MUST use shortening, not butter, oil, margarine or spread) and reserved chips.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir until melted.  Drizzle over cake.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.