Jellied Brandy-spiked Cranberry Sauce

Before my mother learned to make her famous Baked Cranberries, our Thanksgiving cranberry sauce always came from a can. There were two kinds at the table: whole berry sauce for the grownups and the shivery, quivery jellied stuff for the kids.

At some point I tried my hand at homemade jellied cranberry sauce and yes, it is still shivery and quivery (but not so much as the canned kind). I made it in a can too, as a joke, so it could have those can-stripe-indentations. 

But no one was fooled after taking a taste. They knew it hadn’t come from a can because I had spiked it with orange brandy.

I’ve made several versions of this recipe by now, sometimes with ginger brandy instead of orange, sometimes using juice or cider plus water instead of all water; sometimes mixing in bits of crystallized ginger to give it some extra texture.

But this is the basic version. I make it in a ring mold because I usually don’t have empty cans in the house.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries (one pound)

1-2/3 cups water, approximately

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, ginger brandy or other flavored liqueur

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger, currants, raisins, etc., optional

Wash the berries and remove any stems that remain. Drain the berries and place them in a saucepan. Add the water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes until the berries pop open. Crush the berries with a hand blender or in a food processor, then place them in a strainer over a bowl and press down to extract as much liquid as possible. There should be 2-1/4 cups. If not, add some water, juice or cider. Place the liquid in a saucepan, stir in the sugar and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook until the mixture reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer or until it is rich looking and dark and can form a gel when you place a drop in cold water. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the brandy and optional ingredients, if used. Pour into clean cans (best to use #2 cans, about 15-16 ounce size). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. To umold, use the tip of a sharp knife around the edges, invert the can over a plate and shake it out. Makes 8 servings

Bean and Pasta Soup with Harissa

I have a cold, which means I need soup. Hot, thick, comforting soup.

But I don’t feel like going out, especially to a supermarket, to buy the stuff I need for soup.

Fortunately I have a well-stocked cupboard and fridge. I have everything I need to make Bean and Pasta Soup. I am adding Harissa because I want that extra kick of heat to help clear my head.

Here’s some advice to consider: keep certain items in your house so you can always make something delicious to eat when you can’t, or don’t want to shop. Canned or packaged tomatoes, beans, stock, pasta and crisper items such as onions, carrots, celery and lemons are just a few of the staples I stock.

If you don’t have fresh basil, substitute with about a teaspoon of dried oregano; if you don’t have Harissa, add a few drops of Sriracha or Tabasco sauce.

Bean and Pasta Soup with Harissa

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, including liquid

4 cups vegetable stock

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup elbow macaroni

2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, with liquid

1 teaspoon Harissa

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 2 minutes or until softened slightly. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, parsley and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Add the pasta, beans and Harissa and cook for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve the soup sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Cranberries

The words “holiday season” usually conjure up notions of Christmas and Hanukkah, decorated trees and candle-lit menorahs, because these two celebrations usually come at about the same time during December. But this year is different, because for the first time ever — maybe — Hanukkah is on the same day as Thanksgiving. And it won’t happen again until the year 79811 — maybe.

I say maybe because Jewish holidays always begin at sundown the night before, and so Hanukkah actually begins on Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving. 

Also, in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation changing the the day we celebrate Thanksgiving from the last Thursday to the 4th Thursday. So if you consider that, then Hanukkah and Thanksgiving actually did fall on the same day back in in 1888.

There’s more, much more to this story, including the usual political nonsense that happens when a president of one party says something, does something or is eager to try something and the other party doesn’t like it. In 1939, for example, one Republican (Tom Taggart of Atlantic City) was so incensed by FDR’s proclamation that he referred to Thanksgiving as “Franksgiving.”

Btw, in case you watch Boardwalk Empire, you might like to know that Taggart was a one-time favorite of Enoch L. “Nocky” Johnson, (the GOP party leader on whom Nucky Thompson is based).

But all of this amusing stuff aside, the question for the actual celebration is:

"what do we eat?"

With two holidays overlapping (it’s being called “Thanksgivukkah”), there’s a lot of cooking involved. And a lot depends on when families will be getting together — Wednesday night for Hanukkah and Thursday for Thanksgiving? Only on Thursday?

Because Thanksgiving is a meat meal; Hanukkah is typically dairy and for folks who keep kosher, you don’t mix the two.

Thanksgiving usually involves a roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes; Hanukkah is potato latke time plus anything fried.

My first thought: sweet potato latkes, stuffed with cranberries. Takes care of two Thanksgiving essentials and delivers it in a form familiar for Hanukkah. Suitable for a meat meal. 

I tried them out to see if this was something we could sink our teeth into this year and the answer was a resounding “yes” so this is one of our “Thanksgivukkuh” recipes this year.

Sweet Potato Latkes/Pancakes with Cranberries

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and finely shredded

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

Vegetable oil for frying

Shred the potatoes in a food processor. Squeeze the shreds to remove as much liquid as possible. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Chop the cranberries into small pieces. Add to the potatoes and toss to distribute the ingredients. Stir in the flour, orange peel, salt, ginger, cinnamon and baking powder and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the eggs and blend them in thoroughly. Heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil in a saute pan. Form portions of the mixture into pancakes about 3-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Fry the pancakes in batches over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 20

My Dad’s Special Hot Chocolate

I think Hallowe’en should be in September.

Before you say I’m a crackpot, hear me out.

On Hallowe’en night it’s always cold and usually rainy too (I’ve kept track over the years). That means kids have to put heavy outwear over their costumes so you really can’t see the Batgirls, Ariels, doctors or Ninja Avengers outfits that you spent a fortune for or weeks on to make yourself.

OR your kid refuses to wear outwear and is either cold and irritable or gets a cold and then is irritable. Or you are.

But in September it’s still warm. There are enough pumpkins already harvested that it feels like Hallowe’en already.

Like September 10th or so.

I am past walking door to door with my kids. They’re now doing that with theirs. Back in the day Ed took the kids trick-or-treating. My job was to stay at home making the hot chocolate so they could warm up as soon as they came in the door because they were always cold and irritable. Until they had a sip or two of my Dad’s famous Marshmallow Hot Chocolate and emptied out the trick-or-treat bag to see how much candy they collected.

My Dad’s Special Hot Chocolate

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

• pinch of salt

• 3 tablespoons boiling water

• 2 cups milk

• 4 marshmallows

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add the boiling water and stir to make a smooth mixture. Stir in the milk and add two of the marshmallows. Bring to a near-boil over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir, or place liquid in a blender and process until frothy. Pour into two mugs. Top each with one marshmallow.

Makes 2

Any votes for September?

Kuri Squash Curry Soup

Mmmmmmm.

When I hear that from Ed and he doesn’t say anything else, I know I’ve cooked a winner. Like this soup. He just said Mmmmm a few times until he finished. He actually did then pronounce it “excellent,” which was redundant by that time. 

I used kuri squash to make this soup. Kuri comes around for only a short time. I’ve written about it before. It’s my favorite squash, drier flesh than most of the others and a sweeter, more intense flavor and velvety texture.

This is going to sound silly but I wanted to taste whether kuri and curry would go together. Hence, this soup.

They do.

Kuri Curry Soup

1 kuri squash, about 3 pounds

2-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

1 medium clove garlic, chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups coconut milk, approximately

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into pieces and scoop out the seeds (roast the seeds separately). Brush the squash with about a half tablespoon of the vegetable oil, place the pieces on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. When the squash is cool enough to be handled, remove the flesh and discard the rind. Mash the squash and set aside 2-1/2 cups for the soup (use any extra for muffins, quick breads and so on). Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the squash. Add the curry powder and cayenne and blend them in. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, bring the soup to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender or with a hand blender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add more coconut milk if necessary to thin out the soup. Makes 6 servings

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pepitas 

As soon as I see that pumpkins have replaced the corn and tomatoes at the market I start hungering for food that’s autumn-like. Mostly pumpkin bread and muffins to snack on when I need a little something in the late afternoon with my last cup of coffee for the day. 

I don’t make pumpkin muffins as often as I do banana bread, but almost. This is my latest version, which has kefir because I happened to have some in the fridge. But buttermilk is fine too. 

Reheat leftovers in a toaster oven for a few minutes if you need a quick breakfast. 

Btw, I used to bake and mash the pumpkin insides to get the puree, but most of the time I use canned pumpkin or squash. NOT pumpkin pie mix. I want to mix in the spices of my choice, not theirs.

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

• 3  tablespoons butter

• 1-3/4 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 cup mashed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

• 3/4 cup kefir

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1 large egg

• 2-3 tablespoons crushed pumpkin seeds 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9 muffin tin cups. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, kefir, molasses, egg and cooled, melted butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix only long enough to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin cups. Scatter the pumpkin seeds evenly on top of each muffin. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 9

Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings

Who can resist chicken wings?

Not me. Not since I was a very little girl. My mother would pick out the piece of chicken meat between the two bones of the center part of the three-part wing. There isn’t a lot of meat there, but it is the sweetest, most tender part in the entire chicken and my mother wanted me to have it. It was enough for a very little girl. 

Someone else ate the “drumstick”part.

Of course back then the chicken was mild tasting. My mother cooked it to make soup.

These days I spice things up. Like with these Sriracha wings I served yesterday when we were home, hanging out, watching an old movie with my brother and sister-in-law.

I ate that middle portion with the soft, sweet meat.

The others ate the drumstick part.

Hot and Spicy Wings

1 dozen chicken wings

1/3 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons Sriracha

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 large scallion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the wings and separate the parts (discard the tips or use them for stock or bake them along with the other parts). In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, Sriracha, soy sauce, honey, sesame seed oil, ginger, garlic and scallion. Mix the ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Add the wings and coat them completely. Place the wings in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the wings over and bake for another 15 minutes or until the wings are crispy.

Makes 24 pieces, 6-8 servings for hors d’oeuvre

Banana Bread with Fresh Mango

Recently I not only bought too many bananas and then, as they got brown spots and no one would eat them I had to think about using for banana bread, I also bought too many mangoes. I mixed some with chicken for salad and for smoothies and ice cream and so on.

But there were still some left.

So I baked a banana bread WITH mango.

It was tender, moist, sweet and absolutely perfect with a smoothie. But you can have some with coffee or tea.

If you have leftover fruit, and even if you don’t try this one:

Banana Bread with Fresh Mango

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

3 medium very ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut milk, almond milk or other milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped fresh mango

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”´5”´3” loaf pan. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set it aside. Beat the sugar and vegetable oil with a handheld or electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mash the bananas and add them to the sugar mixture. Beat thoroughly until the ingredients are well blended. Add the flour mixture, stirring only enough to moisten the dry ingredients and blend them in. Gently stir in the milk, vanilla extract and mango. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cake rack.

Four Ingredient Roasted Butternut Squash

Few side dishes are easier than this one.

This recipe for roasted butternut squash has four ingredients (not including salt) but is a powerhouse of flavor because just a little olive oil, cinnamon and cayenne pepper are enough.

And ….. it also goes with: meat, poultry, fish or other vegetarian dishes.

Roasted Butternut Squash

1 small butternut squash

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch or two cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds. Peel the halves and cut them into small chunks. Place on a cookie sheet. Pour the olive oil on top and toss the squash to coat each pieces. Sprinkle with salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Roast for 25 minutes. Makes 4 servings

Apple Brown Betty

Last week my daughter Gillian, her husband Jesse and their three kids made their annual autumn orchard visit and then baked a spectacular Pear Brown Betty with some of the pickings.

When I read the post on her blog it brought forth a rush of memories. This is a dish I cooked when I was a young mother and my daughters were still living at home. Except I always made it with apples. Everyone in the family loved it.

It was a dish my mother made. Everyone in our family loved it.

Brown Betty. So simple. The fragrance, the warmth in the kitchen, the memories of my girls waiting patiently for a bite of dessert while they watched Mr. Rogers. Of my Dad humming with every forkful.

This is more than dessert. It’s a feeling of security. That all is well.

Try it, you’ll see.

Apple Brown Betty

5-6 apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cups diced homestyle bread

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the apples and remove the cores. Cut the apples into bite sized pieces. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apples. Place the apples in a baking dish. Combine the bread dice, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Toss the ingredients to coat the bread completely. Put the coated bread on top of the apples. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crusty. Let cool slightly, but serve warm, preferably topped with vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 servings

*Note here: my husband likes this COLD, doused with sweet cream