Monday, November 9, 2009

Recipe of the Week! Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

There is NOTHING I love more on a cool evening than a warm apple cider. It smells heavenly and warms you when you're chilled. This is an easy recipe that will make your house smell wonderful. You could also substitute your favorite red wine for the juices to make an adult version if you're having company... A variation of that recipe can be found at the bottom... It's slightly different because you don't want to boil the wine...

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
  • 4 cups apple cider or apple juice
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 5 (3 x 1-inch) strips orange rind
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 4 whole allspice
  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, halved
  • 1 whole nutmeg

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, and discard solids. Serve cider warm.


Mulled Wine :

Ingredients

  • 1 navel orange
  • 4 cups apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
  • 6 whole allspice berries
  • 10 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 bottle dry red wine

Preparation

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the orange in long strips. (Reserve the fruit for another use.)

In a large saucepan, gently simmer the zest, apple juice, honey, ginger, allspice, and 2 cinnamon sticks for 20 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook just until heated through. Serve hot with the remaining cinnamon sticks.

Holiday Baking & Parties!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh, it's that time of year where the thoughts of a hearty Thanksgiving meal are swirling in our heads... Most of us don't make a 12 course meal on a regular weeknight, so what a treat to look forward to the great and wonderful things that abound during the Holidays!

A lot of people in our families do things 'Pot Luck' style, encouraging different dishes to be brought to the table... For instance, in the Schmitz household... It's Grandma's scratch spinach ravioli's that get requested time and time again... Yum.

If you're hosting this year, you may be wondering what to serve, especially if you like to do things a little differently... What if you only have a small family that's gathering and you don't want to spend your time dealing with a messy kitchen {OR cleaning for that matter}... Yuck.

Call Paulette at Country Catering and Cakes to help you out with your Holiday masterpiece. Whether you just need some tasty breads and desserts or the whole nine yards with homemade dressing that is to die for, you won't be disappointed. Have problems making the perfect gravy? Just about anything you need is available.

Imaging having everything set up, ready to eat and then the entire mess taken away again so you can relax with your friends and family... That's MY idea of a good time!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Recipe of the Week! Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits {Perham, MN Catering}

Here's a GREAT addition to the upcoming Holiday dinners whether you're a guest or the hostess... Make these and turn some heads! Not your traditional biscuits, but a nice and almost sweet taste to compliment any meal. Make up some Honey Butter {easy : softened butter + honey + quick stir = yum!} to melt between the flaky layers and watch out, because they're sure to disappear!

Ingredients
  • 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 3 tablespoons honey

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.

3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.