Blackberry Wine Cake

This recipe comes from my friend Jan. She served this for dessert once and I thought it would be the perfect cake for Christmas dinner. The recipe calls for the cake to be made in a bundt pan, but my sister gave me this snowflake cake pan for Christmas and I thought it would look nice. As it was, the cake turned out very nice in the pan and the flavor is amazing. Since the cake uses Jell-o and wine, you can use any flavor combo, like peach Jell-O and peach wine if you so desire.

Blackberry Wine Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 3 oz. box blackberry Jell-O

4 eggs

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 cup blackberry wine

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grease bundt pan and sprinkle nuts on the bottom. Mix the rest of the ingredients, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter over nuts. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup blackberry wine

Combine in a small saucepan and bring to a hard boil. When cake is done, remove from oven and pour 2/3 of glaze over the bottom of warm cake while still in the pan. Let it cool for 30 minutes and turn out of pan. Add more powdered sugar to thicken glaze (approx. 1/4 cup) and drizzle over cake.

Classic Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is one of my favorite desserts. If I order dessert at a restaurant , it's usually creme brulee. This is a very easy recipe that I have been using for years. I served it Sunday night for some friends and they thought it was wonderful. The recipe comes a little book called Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee by Debbie Puente. Along with this recipe comes some very nice variations and other custard type desserts.



Classic Creme Brulee


8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated white sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide among 6 ramekins. Place in a baking dish and pour warm water 1/2 the way up the sides of the ramekins, making sure not to get any on the mixture. Bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Larger, deeper ramekins may require more time. Remove from oven and leave in water bath until cooled. remove cups and chill at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of sugar over each. Melt sugar with small, hand held torch. If you do not have a torch, place under broiler to melt sugar. Rechill for a few minutes before serving.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I recently purchased Tyler Florence's new book Dinner At My Place and so far have not been disappointed. The cook book is full of what look like some great recipes. I prepared this chicken soup the other night and it was good and simple. using a store bought rotisserie chicken makes this one a no brainer.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 store bought deli roast chicken
2 Qts. cold water
2 carrots, washed and sliced into circles
3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4 bunch fresh thyme sprigs (4 sprigs), leaves only
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dried pasta noodles
1/2 lemon, juice only
1/4 bunch fresh parsley (about 4 sprigs), roughly chopped

Place chicken in large stockpot and add water, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and thyme. Place over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil to extract flavors of chicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, then remove chicken. Remove meat from chicken; shred meat. Discard bones and skin. Season chicken stock in pot with salt and pepper; add chicken and pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked. Finish with lemon juice and parsley.

Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Marshamallow-Sour Cream Topping & Gingersnap Crust

Forget the pumpkin pie this year, here is the dessert you need to serve for the holidays this year! This recipe comes from the November 2008 Bon Appetit and it's a keeper. The cheesecake rises out of the springform pan to make a spectacular dessert. The only issue I had with this recipe was the crust. You use a combination of gingersnaps and pecans, but the end result tastes too much like pecans. I would use only a 1/2 of a cup next time or leave them out all together. Pecans are one of my favorite nuts, but it seems like a perfectly good waste of the cookies, since you don't really taste them.

Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topping & Gingersnap Crust

Crust:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs ( about 9 oz.)

1 cup pecans

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin

5 large eggs

3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

2 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

Crust/ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Grind crumbs, pecans, brown sugar and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulsing, to blend. Transfer to pan and press into bottom and 2 inches up sides. Bake until set ad lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling/ Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer to crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack ( filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill uncovered in pan overnight.

Topping/ Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Add sour cream; fold gently just to blend. Pour over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set at least 1 hour.

Can be made a day ahead, keep chilled.

Fennel Pistachio Cookies

I have found my new favorite cookie recipe!! This recipe was in an ad for real butter and the cookies are amazing. Even Dan liked them and he's a big fennelphobe. I actually never told him that they had fennel in them, so he'll read it here first. The recipe is simple and other than the nuts, I had all the ingredients at home. Set out a plate of these for the holidays and watch them disappear.

Fennel Pistachio Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. amaretto
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add egg; beat well. Add amaretto, lemon zest and fennel seeds; mix to combine.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture; beat well. Stir in nuts.
Shape into 1 inch balls, place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks and cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

Arroz Con Pollo

I was skimming through The Joy of Cooking searching for something to prepare for dinner when I came upon this recipe. It looked simple enough and I had most of the ingredients, so it became the winner. Once it was done, I was a little disappointed in the recipe. The flavor was okay and the aroma was wonderful, but the rice was a little on the gummy side for me. I will look for another version and try it at a later date. The only thing I did differently was I added 3 cloves of garlic as opposed to 1 tablespoon and I omitted the green olives.

Arroz Con Pollo

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lbs. chicken parts
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 oz. ham, finely diced
2 cups medium or long grain white rice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. loosely packed saffron threads
1 cup unthawed frozen peas
1/3 cup drained roasted red peppers cut into 1-inch thin strips

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to platter. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onion, peppers and ham. Cook , stirring occasionally, until onions are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add rice, cook, stirring, until all grains are coated with fat. Add garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook , stirring for 1 minute. Add stock, oregano and saffron. Bring to a boil over high heat, scraping the bottom to loosen brown bits. Place the chicken in the rice and pour in any accumulated juices. Cover pan and simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes. Stir in peas and red peppers. Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

Crispy Pork Cutlets

Like so many of the meals I prepare these days, the recipe for this one comes from Cook's Country Magazine. They have a section of recipes under the heading of 30-Minute Suppers and they seem to be pretty good. I always have good luck with the ones I try. This was very good and simple to prepare. The magazine served theirs with buttered noodles, but I used mashed potatoes as a side. I reheated the leftovers the following night on a pizza stone and served them on sandwiches.
This recipe comes from the December/January 2008 edition.

Crispy Pork Cutlets

5 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
8 boneless pork cutlets (3-4 oz. each), about 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground; transfer to shallow dish. Place flour in second shallow dish. Beat eggs and mustard in 3rd shallow dish. pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat pork lightly with flour, dip in egg mixture and dredge in bread crumbs, pressing to adhere.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over medium- high heat until just smoking. Fry half of cutlets until deep golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towel-lined plate and transfer to oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.
Serve.