All posts tagged: Winter Recipes

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

Hi there! I took a little break, but I’m back!⁣⁣⁣⁣I’ll admit, I’m a fan of canberry (canned cranberry) sauce. It’s a terrible confession, I know. ⁣⁣⁣⁣This year, though, I’ve been craving some fresh, homemade cran. I haven’t made it in years and was reminded of a recipe from my old friend, Travis, who I’ve reconnected with recently. So, I decided to wing it, with his recipe in mind, and the result was fabulous! This cranberry sauce is spicy and flavorful. Enjoy! ⁣⁣⁣⁣• 12 oz fresh cranberries⁣⁣• 1 12 oz can of ginger ale (𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘋𝘳𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘦)⁣⁣• 1/2 cup orange juice⁣⁣• The zest and juice from 1 orange⁣⁣• 1 cup sugar⁣⁣• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon⁣⁣• 1/2 teaspoon cloves⁣⁣• 1/4 teaspoon allspice⁣⁣⁣⁣𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘪𝘭. 𝘉𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝟷𝟸-𝟷𝟻 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝟸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.⁣⁣

When In the Midwest…

I’m going to say something I know is shocking.  I am not a pizza person.  Sure, I like it.  Who doesn’t?  However, given the choice between pizza and something else, I am more likely to select the second option, whatever that happens to be. My husband, on the other hand, can eat pizza every day of the week. So, imagine his surprise and joy when we moved to the Midwest and I discovered Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  I’ve had deep dish before, but not like this.  Suddenly and without warning, I became a pizza person…or at least, more likely to order pizza than I had been before. Then it happened…one morning a video for making pizza showed up in my Facebook feed.  I watched the dough get rolled out and toppings heaped onto it.  I craved pizza for the rest of the day. I subscribe to the “if you crave it, you should have it” camp.  I ran to the store and picked a few items so I could make my very first deep dish …

Winter Carbs – Part II

As I mentioned in my last post, there is something about winter that makes me crave carbs.  I tried my hand at bread, why not try pretzels? I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be walking through an airport or a mall and I will smell Auntie M’s Pretzels.  The scent is intoxicating.  It’s that beautiful combination of honeyed dough with butter and garlic.  It instantly makes my tummy rumble, and I need to have it. There is also something about a pretzel that’s special.  I’m not sure if it’s that hard layer on the outside, followed by tender chewiness on the inside or if it’s the slightly sweet, but savory flavor, or a combination of all of these things that make pretzels so yummy, but they just are. So, I browsed through a few recipes, and it didn’t seem so hard.  Like bread, the yeast gets prepped, then flour and the good stuff is added.  It takes some time to rise and then it gets shaped.  Unlike bread, pretzels get boiled before they …

Winter Carbs

This LA Girl just experienced her first Midwest winter.  I’ve been told it was a “mild winter,” but it was cold and snowy enough for me and for my little, Southern California Mini Cooper. While my car craved a new battery, tires, brakes and fluids, I craved carbs! What is it about carbs that is so comforting?  Is it the warmth?  The feeling of fullness after eating them?  The satisfaction of eating something just so yummy?  I’m not sure, but I do love them! When it comes to carbs, I love nothing more than a warm, fresh from the oven, loaf of bread. As I mentioned, it was cold and snowy.  I had zero desire to go outside.  Thank goodness I was working from home!  However, there are certain disadvantages in that.  If I was confining myself to the house, I had to find a way to get a hot loaf of bread. That’s when the idea came:  I had to make my own. I never made bread before.  I don’t own a bread machine.  Regardless, …