Thanksgiving Countdown: Cranberry Pineapple Minis

Thanksgiving is about 2 weeks away and I'm getting the craving for some of the traditional foods of Thanksgiving.
Since there is just the three of us, I don't do the whole traditional dinner. I usually do prime rib. It's easier and I don't have all the trimmings to worry about. Besides, I'm the only one who eats the cranberry sauce, the sweet potato souffle, or the dressing. So, I'll just mix in some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes into our regularly scheduled dinners over the next few weeks.
Like this dish.

Simple ingredients that one usually has on hand this time of year, this was as quick as making jello. That's because you are making jello. With a few mix-ins. The original recipe had walnuts in it. I chose macadamia nuts because it sounded good with the pineapple. Pecans would also be good. Add whatever your favorite nut is.

These minis were made in cupcake papers but it would be a lot easier to make one big bowlful. Just not as much fun!

The family's verdict. No one liked them but me. But I thought they were tasty and I would make them for Thanksgiving. If I were making Turkey with all the trimmings.

Cranberry-Pineapple Minis
Recipe by Dole

1 can crushed Pineapple in juice, undrained
1 lg. pkg Raspberry Gelatin
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
2/3 cup walnut pieces
1 apple, chopped

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add water to measure 2 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil. Add to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 minutes untill completely dissolved. stir in pineapple, cranberries, nuts, and apple. Spoon into 24 paper-lined (2 1/2 inch) muffin cups.
Refrigerate 2 1/2 hours or till firm. remove liners.

Enjoy!

**********************************************************************

My favorite Salad!

When we had our wine pairing dinner last month, one of the dishes I wanted more of was the salad. Now, if you know me, that would surprise you. A six course meal and I want more salad? Yea, kind of blew me away too. But when I got home, that was the first dish I recreated. It wasn't hard since the title says it all.

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Peaches with Baby Greens, Macadamia Nuts, Goat Cheese and Wild Flower Honey Vinaigrette

I didn't have any wild flower honey but I had my favorite honey straight from the farmers market. Raspberry Honey. And I found a recipe that not only compliments this salad but any salad. And it was quick, easy, and only has 1 teaspoon of oil. Pretty low fat, don't you think?

I wrapped the prosciutto around the peach slices and the first time we grilled them on the BBQ. The next time I grilled them on my grill pan. And the third time, yes, I've made this quite a few times. I used pears. Or you could use apple slices. I was thinking Autumn when I tried the pears. I thought they were all good so try your favorite fruit.

I grilled them with the toothpick in them but be sure to remove it before serving!



Grill them just till the prosciutto is crisp.




My goat cheese came from the farmers market too, and I got the one rolled in Herbs de Providence. But I've also used plain store bought goat cheese. Just use your favorite!




I've used baby spinich in place of the baby greens.
Mix it up!
Baby greens or spinich, peaches or pears,
herbed cheese or plain.
Make it your own, but do try it!
You'll be comming back for seconds!!!


Honey Vinaigrette:
recipe by Mccormick

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Camping Tips and a Panzanella

As you are reading this, I'm on my way to Bodega Bay by the way of Calistoga in the Napa Valley. We take the travel trailer out as much as we can and now that summer is winding down, it's time to squeeze one more camping trip in. I spent yesterday packing, organizing and cooking.
You see, I'm a planner. I plan out the meals and pick the recipes before we leave. So tip #1: I like to bag up the spices to whatever recipe I'm going to be making.Then I don't have to pack all these spices that I only might use once. Or God forbid should I forget a spice. Here's a spice pack for Chocolate Chili! This works great for me. Try it on your next outing.



Tip #2: I also like to make cookie dough and keep it in the freezer. Then I can just slice and bake and we have home made cookies. Here I made a batch of World Peace cookies. They seem to becoming a favorite around here. Much requested by my daughter, a cookie you need to try if you haven't yet! I have the recipe in a cookbook, but you can just Google it if you need it. Believe me, you need it! These cookies are the new Chocolate Chip!

I also had the Barefoot Blogger recipe to make. And I'm so glad I made the time. This recipe was picked by Melissa from It's Melissa's Kitchen. Its a Panzanella. Don't let the name scare you off.

This is just an Italian dish of bread salad. Tip #3: It's also known as leftover salad and it sure was the perfect salad to make before I left for a week. Helped clean out the fridge.

I halved the recipe because there was only 3 of us and I didn't want leftovers. (EDIT: This does not keep.) I also left out the capers because I didn't have any. The yellow pepper was replaced with a green one and I would of love hard boiled eggs in it . But, I didn't have any. This is a great way to use leftovers.

I also used a golden balsamic vinegar that I got from the farmers market along with a really good olive oil in the vinaigrette. That was perfect with the bread!

I just cant say enough good things about this salad. It was that good!!! Even my picky teen loved it and wanted more. Ya gotta try it!!!

Panzanella
By Ina Garten

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick (Hubby cant eat cukes so I just garnished my plate with these!)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used green)
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced (I forgot to add this)
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained (I didn't have any so I omitted)
For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar (I used Golden Balsamic)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

Day late and a pasta short. I signed up to be a Barefoot Blogger! We're a group of bloggers cooking our way through Ina Garten's cookbook Barefoot contessa. This recipe was chosen by Elizabeth from Ugg smell food. I was suppose to post this on the 2nd Thursday of the month. Oops! Day late.

This is the second recipe the group has done so I'm in from almost the beginning. I missed Baked eggs. I'll have to make up for that, maybe for fathers day breakfast. They looked fabulous.

Anyway, back to the pasta. It called for bow tie pasta and fusilli pasta. I didn't have any bow tie so I skipped it. A pasta short!

I also couldn't justify buying the basil (it was more expensive then the the pesto) so I bought pesto. I used half the pesto and half the mayo that the recipe called for. You would of never missed it, if I didn't tell you. That made this a quick and easy side dish.

Perfect with grilled chicken or a burger, this was a refreshing summer pasta salad. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did. Trust me!

PASTA, PESTO & PEAS

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups pesto, packaged or see recipe below(I used 3/4 cup)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

PESTO:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes:
Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Yield: 4 cups

******************************************************************