Craisin Spinach Salad

Craisin Spinach Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

I found this recipe a few years ago on the back of the Ocean Spray Craisin package but i haven't been able to find it since. It pairs well with ham and turkey, great for holiday meals. I have included guesses on the measurements of the salad ingredients but it is really up to you how much of each is used.

Ingredients

one bunch of spinach washed and cleaned

one package ocean spray craisin or dried cherries

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup sliced almonds toasted

1/2 purple onion sliced

orange zest to top (optional)

Orange Vinaigrette

follow the 3:1 ratio

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp orange juice concentrate (or 2 clementines squeezed, include some of the pulp in the vinaigrette)

Directions

Wash and dry spinach. Toss together all the salad ingredients except the almonds. In a nonstick pan over medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter. Brown the almonds. Put in a separate container and save until serving.

In a jar combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Shake well. Set aside until serving.

Right before serving add the almonds and dressing. Toss and serve.

notes: This salad can be made the night before to save time on meal prep. Keep the almonds separate to keep them from getting soggy. Toss everything together in a large bowl prior to serving. Refrigerate if making the night before.

Baked Brie with Apples and Brown Sugar

A wonderful appetizer especially for entertaining guests during the colder seasons. The combination of the fruit, brown sugar, and cheese is a delight that will keep you coming back for more. Besides apples I would recommend trying other fruits such as pears or peaches instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (see note)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, cut in half vertically
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Brie cheese round (8 ounces), sliced in half horizontally

Directions:

1. Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine egg and water in a small bowl; reserve.
3. Cut the apple into thin slices, about 1/2 to 1/3 centimeters thick.
4. Melt butter in a 2-quart Saucier over medium heat. Add apple slices and brown sugar; sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
5. Unfold pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle.
6. Place one half of Brie, cut side up, in center of pastry sheet. Top with half of apple mixture. Place remaining Brie, cut side down, on top of apples. Top with remaining apple mixture.
7. Brush edges of pastry with egg mixture and fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2-inches from edge of cheese, brush with egg mixture and fold onto the cheese. Press edges to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet and brush with remaining egg mixture.
8. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

Notes:

- I found it's best to roll out the pastry sheet somewhat and cutting some off because the pastry sheet is originally so thick by it's self, don't worry it won't compromise the structure of it when it's baked.

- It's not necessary to cut the pastry sheet into a circle because you can fold the sides up into a neat looking fold at the top.

- taken from: http://www.kitchenkapers.com/brie-with-apples-brown-sugar.html

Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

NOTES: the directions say that it takes 70 min but it always seems to take longer... Adding semi-sweet chocolate chips is always a tasty addition. You can also freeze over ripe bananas and use them. However, to keep the banana texture in the bread i recommend using 2 frozen and one regular banana.

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 15-oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup oil

cream cheese frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar (start with 4, and add up to 1 more cup if needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350. Line a 10x15-inch baking sheet with foil, with the short ends folded over the sides, and spray the foil with non-stick spray.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on medium for 2 minutes.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

4. While the bars are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, and mix on low until it's mostly combined. Add the vanilla and 2 teaspoons of the milk. Mix on low for 60 seconds; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix on medium-low until the frosting is very smooth and creamy. If it seems too wet add a little more powdered sugar; if it seems like it is too thick and will be hard to spread, add another teaspoon of milk. Be careful, though; cream cheese frosting is gooey by nature, so it can be tricky to know when you have the right consistency. If in doubt, try spreading some on the bars.

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

bars:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 15-oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup oil

cream cheese frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar (start with 4, and add up to 1 more cup if needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350. Line a 10x15-inch baking sheet with foil, with the short ends folded over the sides, and spray the foil with non-stick spray.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on medium for 2 minutes.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

4. While the bars are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, and mix on low until it's mostly combined. Add the vanilla and 2 teaspoons of the milk. Mix on low for 60 seconds; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix on medium-low until the frosting is very smooth and creamy. If it seems too wet add a little more powdered sugar; if it seems like it is too thick and will be hard to spread, add another teaspoon of milk. Be careful, though; cream cheese frosting is gooey by nature, so it can be tricky to know when you have the right consistency. If in doubt, try spreading some on the bars.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (I didn't use)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup cooking oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/flour/spray the bottom and sides of a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan.Combine 1/3 cup of sugar, pecans (if using), and cinnamon. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl or mixer bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg. Then, stir in milk and oil. Add the egg mixture. Stir just until mixed.

Pour half of the batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Repeat. With a wide rubber scraper or spatula, swirl mixtures together with a down and up circular motion.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then, cool completely on a wire rack.

Glaze

( I used left over cream cheese frosting YUMMMMMM! but here is an alternative glaze recipe)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blueberry Muffins

I had some frozen blue berries left over in the freezer from summer so I made some muffins.

HELPFUL HINT: if you put the berries in frozen the juices don't color the dough blue. You are left with juicy berries and golden brown muffin. It may take a bit longer to bake but having the extra juice and moisture in the muffin is worth it.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the top of the muffin

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

( I had left over fresh berries from summer that i tossed in the freezer and then used I put them in frozen... see hint above)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mix well after each addition.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Take care not to over mix the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.