FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Cranberry sauce is always one of many holiday highlights. You can make it fresh at home instead of using that stuff in the can that's loaded  with high frutose corn syrup. It's easy and only takes 15 minutes from start to finish.


FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE

(1) 12 oz. bag of Fresh Cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Bring the sugar and the water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan. Add the fresh cranberries, then return to a boil reducing heat to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour into a heat/cold proof bowl and cover. Refrigerate until serving time.

Happy Homemade Eggnog

Nothing hits the spot  like a rich and creamy cup of delicious eggnog. With or without rum it is one of my all time favorite things. Added to a  morning cup of  coffee it is simply spectacular! So today I am sharing with you my all time favorite eggnog recipe. Enjoy!

Happy Homemade Eggnog

Ingredients: 

3 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teas. salt
4 cups whole milk
1 Tab. vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 teas. ground nutmeg
1/8 to 1/4 teas. cinnamon
*1/4 cup dark rum (optional)

1/4  pint  heavy whipping cream
1 teas. powdered sugar
1/4 teas. vanilla extract



Ingredients: Yields 32 cups

12 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teas. salt
2 quarts whole milk
3 Tab. vanilla extract
1 teas. ground nutmeg
1 teas. ground cinnamon
*1 cup dark rum(optional)

1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 teas. powdered sugar
1/2 teas. vanilla extract



Directions:

In a heavy 4 qt. saucepan, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt. Gradually stir in half of the milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the eggnog custard thickens and coats the back of a large metal spoon, about 25 min. The mixture should reached 160 degrees, but don't bring to a boil or it will curdle. Stir in dark rum if desired, otherwise omit. Stir in the vanilla extract, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon and the rest of the whole milk.

Pour the eggnog custard into a large heat/cold proof bowl or container. Cover, then place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  Before serving prepare the whipped cream by whipping the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer just until soft peaks form. Whipped cream can turn to butter quickly, so stop mixing immediately when the soft peaks form.

With a wire whisk, gently fold the whipped cream into the eggnog custard. Pour eggnog into cups, glasses or punch bowl. Garnish each cup or glass with a dash of ground nutmeg.

DELICIOUS!!!

Easy Quick Skillet Quiche

Quiche traditionally takes anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes to prepare in the oven, but this Easy Quick Skillet Quiche takes only 15 minutes to prepare and is just scrumptous!

"EASY QUICK SKILLET QUICHE"
   (4 servings)

8 ounces frozen broccoli florettes
6 large eggs
1/4 medium onion chopped
1/4 chopped red, green or yellow pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
1-2 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
dash ground nutmeg
salt/pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a medium skillet cook the broccoli, onion, peppers and garlic in the olive oil until broccoli is just tender. Add the eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stirring with a spatula until the eggs are incorporated and cooked throughout. Remove pan from the heat. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the cooked mixture.  Cover, then let set a couple of minutes until the cheese melts. May be served with toast, bagels,  muffins or fresh fruit.

*To receive all of my recipes as they are posted here on my blog, just leave your email address in the "Subscribe" button on the upper righthand of this page. Then, as my new recipes are added, they will automatically be delivered to your email address.  I guarantee that I never share your email address with anyone.

***And please follow me on "Twitter".   :)

PERFECT PECAN PIE

 Pecan is one of my favorite pie's in the whole world! Interestingly, I had never even tasted a Pecan Pie until about 5 years ago. However, after that first bite there was no turning back.... I was addicted!

This recipe comes down from my Aunt's finest old time recipes. It was the first Pecan Pie that I ever baked and the first Pecan Pie that I ever tasted. I have made a couple changes to the original recipe, however,  this an  absolutely devine pie.

PERFECT PECAN PIE

4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tab. + 1 tsp. melted butter
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Single uncooked pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix, roll out pie crust and place in  a pie pan.

Place the pecan halves into the bottom of the crust. Mix all of the pie ingredients in a medium size bowl, then pour into the pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes.

Let filling set up  by cooling for several hours or overnight before serving. Do Not cover while cooling and Do Not place in refrigerator, to avoid failure of the filling setting properly.

Here is a great video showing how you can  make "Pie Crust the Easy Way".
http://uniquecozytreasures.blogspot.com/2011/11/pies-made-easy.html

"NO FAIL" BANANA BREAD

Ymmmm..... It's Banana Bread time again. With Banana Bread being one of my most "favorite things",   I've struggled to find just the perfect recipe that I can always count on to bake perfectly inside and out.  This recipe turns out a beautifully baked Banana Bread with just the right amount of moistness on the inside, yet is perfectly baked inside and out.

Have you ever experienced the disappointment of cutting into your freshly baked Banana Bread only to find that it is undercooked on the inside? Most of us have, I know I have had that experience  and it left me very frustrated so I avoided baking it at all for many years.

Several years ago I stumbled upon a Banana Bread recipe in a vintage cookbook. I baked it up and it was very good. However, I felt that it could definately use some improvement. So, I many a few adjustments and also added a few ingredients to come up with this fantastic Banana Bread that I am certain you and your family will enjoy eating with your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, as well as, many other occasions.  Enjoy!


"NO FAIL" BANANA BREAD

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 water
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of  ground cloves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan with a little softened butter. Grease only the bottom of the pan being sure to grease the corners. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

In a separate bowl slightly beat the eggs then set aside. In another bowl mix the granulated sugar with the butter. Stir in the eggs and blend well. Add the mashed bananas, blend.  Add the water. Manually beat the mixture for 30 seconds.

Mix well all of the  dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add it to the moist ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated and are moistened. Add the walnuts and stir well again. Pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake on the center rack of your oven at 350 degrees for 72 minutes. Cool for  5 minutes, then loosen sides of loaf with a knife; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Pies Made Easy

With the Holiday Season in full swing, cooks everywhere are planning their special pies for the upcoming festive dinners. Some may find making pies to be a real chore, as I did, until I finally mastered the skill of making pie crust from scratch.

My mother helped me with the first pie crust that I ever made when I was about 18 years old. She made it seem so simple and the cherry pie that she tutored me though came out perfectly. It was a fact widely known that mom was a wonderful pie baker. She always made those pies look so easy to make and she could whip one up in no time flat.

Mom once told me that her first pie was a disaster. The crust was a mess and she became very frustrated with the whole ordeal. Well she kept at it to become one of the best pie bakers around. I found it frustrating too and it took me a good amount of time to achieve her status as pie baker.

With that said, I'm going to share with you some tips on how to make the perfect pie crust the easy way. You can learn how quickly and avoid a lot  the frustration by viewing my YouTube video here.

How to Make Flakey Pie Crust From Scratch the Easy Way

I hope this video will make your Holiday pie baking just a little easier.

Please view my other pie how-to videos:

"How to Easily Place a Pie Crust into a Pie Pan"
http://www.youtube.com/user/videohomeandgarden#p/a/u/2/EZDYmYjDC-U

"How to Flute the Edges of the Pie Crust"
http://www.youtube.com/user/videohomeandgarden#p/a/u/1/7Jg0NpoChoo

Deb