Recipe #16 - Apple Cranberry Crisp

How to prepare cranberries:

1 package fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water

In a medium size saucepan bring 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil. Over medium heat, add cranberries and stir until the cranberries start to pop. Turn the heat down and cook for about 10 minutes. Cool and serve


To make Apple Cranberry Crisp

3 or 4 peeled and cored large apples (Golden delicious)
1 cup cranberry sauce
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup Ogilvie quick oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soft butter or becel
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

In an 8 in square pan, coat the bottom and sides with becel. Place apple slices on the bottom and cover with cranberry sauce. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix with becel or butter to make a crumbly mixture. Cover the fruit and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm or cold.

This recipe is a variation taken from the Five Roses - A guide to good cooking. On page 93 you will find Cherry Oatmeal Crisp but one day I had leftover cranberries I wanted to use up, so I substituted and created this combination.

Cinnamon - did you know?

Using cinnamon in our everyday cooking is a healthy choice. By adding this simple condiment to our daily foods like yogurt, cereal, or coffee, we can improve our health on a daily basis. Making wise food choices can have long term effects on our health. For more information about cinnamon, visit the following website:

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/18-facts-about-cinnamon.html

My recipe choice for this week, will combine 3 favourites - apples, cranberries and cinnamon. We always have fresh cranberries at Christmas dinner but with all the trimmings there is usually a cup or so of leftover cranberries, so I make cranberry apple crisp.

Its a quick and simple way to serve an awesome and wholesome desert.

Recipe #15 Holiday Punch

Ingredients:

• 1 can frozen pineapple juice
• 1 can frozen orange juice
• 1 bottle cranberry cocktail (approx 1 litre sizel
• 1 bottles of ginger ale, 2 litre (diet, if you like)

• Add water or ginger ale as need to fill the bowl as there is a lot of concentrated juice in this one.

Making an ice ring

In a plastic ring pan, place slices of orange and lemon around the ring. Then add raspberries for colour. Fill with water and freeze. The ring will keep your punch perfectly chilled for about 3 hours.

This punch is a favourite at my office... for pot luck lunches at Christmas or anytime there is a reason to party. They absolutely love it!

Making healthy choices

Over the Christmas season, drinking cranberry juice is a very good choice. It tastes good and it's very healthy... see http://cranberryjuice.com/

According to the website, "dark chocolate and cranberry juice are two of the most studied types of food right now regarding health benefits."

I was especially interested in this website because I am a survivor of ovarian cancer and believe that diet plays a very important role in staying healthy.

Not only can we make healthy choices, we can form good eating habits for the rest of our lives. That's the key because honestly, humans are creatures of habit, we don't like change and love routines, so make a healthy food choice one of your priorities.......make a New Year's resolution to eat healthy!

Recipe #14 Baked Brie Appetizer

Filling:
1 small yellow onion
2 shallots
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp butter or becel
1 tsp olive oil

Saute ingredients over medium heat until onions are transluscent.
Add 1/4 cup white wine and 1 tsp brandy
Increase heat and reduce liquid to dry
Let mixture cool completely - makes approximately 2 cups

Preheat overn to 450 degrees F

To prepare dough:
Use Tenderflake Puff Pastry dough (makes 2)
Roll dough to form a rectangle (approx 10 in x 15 in)

Spread 2 tsp dijon mustard
Spread 1 cup of filling
Spread 3 tbsp of cranberry sauce
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup toasted pecans
Cover with Sliced brie or camembert (1/2 of a small round)
Cover cheese with thin slices of pear
Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cut the edges of the pastry approximately 2 inches from outer edge making 1 inches short cuts forming a V pattern. Cover the edges with an egg wash (one egg mixed with 1/3 cup water) to help the dough stick. Gently cover the filling forming a braid with cut edges. Completely coat with egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm!

The story of "Special Cheese"

My cookbook would not be complete without telling the story of "Special cheese". When our daughters were young girls, they loved camembert and brie cheese. We always served it when we had company and on special occasions. In our house, we simply called it "Special cheese". At Christmas, the girls would be thrilled to bits to get a tin of "special cheese" in their stockings. They would put their names on their individual boxes and could eat it anytime they wanted. It truly was a "special treat". They never questioned and we never did tell them the true name of the cheese and it was only when they were teenagers they discovered the cheese was not really called "special cheese" but actually camembert and brie. Some children enjoyed oranges in their stockings, some children enjoyed brie and camembert.

Recipe #13 Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

4 1/2 cups (1.125 L) all-purpose flour
2 tsp(10 mL) baking soda
2 tsp (10 mL) each allspice, cinnamon and ground ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) fancy molasses
1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

1. In a medium bowl, using a fork, stir flour with baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, beat butter with brown sugar and 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar until well mixed, about 1 min. Beat in eggs one at a time, then molasses and oil. With electric mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture just until mixed. Scrape down side of bowl if necessary. Using a spoon, gently stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough into 4 portions. Form into round discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
2. When ready to bake, position oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with oil or line with parchment paper. Place remaining 3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar in a bowl.
3. Remove one portion of dough from refrigerator. Pinch off about 1 tbsp (15 mL) and roll into a ball. Roll in sugar, then place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining dough, spacing balls at least 3 in. (7.5 cm) apart because they spread out while baking.
4. Bake on 2 racks in oven, switching sheets halfway through baking, until cookies begin to set around edges, 8 to 10 min. Remove baking sheets to a heatproof surface. Let cool on sheets about 5 min. Then remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. If making ahead, store in an airtight container in a cool place up to 5 days, or freeze up to 1 month.
First published in Chatelaine's 11/2007 issue. © Rogers Media Publishing Inc.
Preparation time 25 min

Anita Jones: graphic designer and mom of two, Waterloo, Ont., 2nd place, Holiday Cookie Contest. Anita Jones discovered this recipe, written in Polish and tucked away in a drawer, at the home of her mother, Monica. Monica had recently passed away, and Anita was pleased that she could translate the recipe on her own. ("Kitchen Polish is a lot easier than, say, political Polish," she laughs.) Today these outstanding spice cookies are her absolute favourite.

Nutrients per cookie
3 g fat
17 g carbohydrates
15 mg calcium
97 calories

Christmas Cookies for Santa.....

December has arrived and with it all the traditions of Christmas. Christmas carols, Christmas Cake, and of course Christmas Cookies.

I researched the origins of a few of these traditions. There are many websites featuring the history of Christmas traditions. Some even let you "Share your Christmas miracles, traditions and cookies"
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20091203/NEWS06/91203022/1002/NEWS01/Share-your-Christmas-miracles--traditions-and-cookies

My favourite was Laura Legend’s tale of the Christmas cookies…
All around the world children practice the tradition of leaving Christmas cookies out for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. As the myth goes, Santa gets hungry flying around all over the world delivering Christmas gifts to all the good boys and girls and he needs a snack.
http://www.christmaslore.com/christmas_cookies_for_santa.html

My recipe for this week is a favourite of Santa's in our house.