Baileys & Chocolate Freezer Pie

This past weekend we served an early Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends just for fun.  Thanksgiving is such a great holiday, why not celebrate it twice in one week?  While discussing side dishes with my Turkey Day compadre, her husband chimed in that as long as we have turkey and pies, it really doesn't matter what the accompanying items might be ... I think he might be right!

On a lark, I decided to make a chocolate pie.  Although not a traditional choice, this pie was the hands-down favorite of the evening.  It tasted just as good for breakfast this morning!  This pie is surprisingly easy to make but it will WOW your guests.

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/3 cup milk
1 shot Baileys liqueur (I used a caramel Baileys)
1 pint whipping cream (use organic if you can)
1 cup Heath bar bits
1 9-inch chocolate cookie crust

Directions: 

1. Combine marshmallows, chocolate and milk in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat on 50% power for about a minute and a half - have your children watch the marshmallows expand exponentially!  Stir.  Heat for another minute on 50% power.  Stir.  Add about a shot of Baileys (or your favorite liqueur).  Stir.  The chocolate will be shiny and smooth.  Set it aside and let it cool.

2. In a stand mixer, mix the whipping cream on med-high to high until it looks like delicious whipped cream.  Organic whipping cream will really taste better!  

3. Take about 1/2 to 2/3 of the whipped cream and fold it into the cooled chocolate.  By folding, I mean to plop some whipped cream into the chocolate and then use a spatula to incorporate the two together - do not use a spoon and stir it or the whipped cream will deflate.

4.  Spoon the chocolate cream mixture into a 9-inch cookie pie crust.

5. Fold about 1/2 cup of the Heath Bar Bits into the remaining whipped cream.  Spoon evenly over the chocolate.  Sprinkle the remaining Heath Bar Bits over the top of the pie.

6. Cover and freeze for at least a few hours.  This is obviously a great pie to make a few days ahead to save yourself some last minute hassle.    Enjoy!!    

Ready for the freezer... 

Sausage and Cabbage in A Crockpot

We have been making an incredible effort to avoid trips to the grocery store during the week - in fact, I am trying to limit my forays to Harris Teeter to just twice a month.  So far, so good.  Instead of impulse shopping, I try to get creative with what I already have in the house.  Through the summer and fall months, I order local veggies, fruits, and meats from local farmers, some are consumed immediately (apples disappear like hotcakes around here!) but other veggies, like cabbage, can be set aside until I have a need for it.  This week, I was tempted to hit the grocery store for a mid-week run, but I took a second look around my fridge, freezer, and pantry, and realized that I had everything I needed to make an easy and delicious meal.

Cabbage, tomatoes, onion... 

From the freezer ... I took out a package of fresh pork sausage from Charlene's Garden - a farm in Rutherford County that produces amazingly delish sausage.  The biggest challenge is making sure that the sausage makes it to the dinner plates and is not consumed by picky little fingers before the proper hour.

From the fridge ... 1/2 head of cabbage ... I had set a cabbage aside in my crisper ... just waiting for the right moment ... cabbage has a high water content and almost zero calories so it is a great addition to soups, stews, and other crockpot meals.

From the pantry ... 1 large can of diced tomatoes.  I always keep diced tomatoes on hand!  So versatile!

Directions for this incredibly fancy meal... 1 large can of diced tomatoes, half a head of cabbage sliced, 1 pound cooked fresh sausage, and a few slices of red onion.  Throw in a crock pot.  Cook on high for about four hours.  Enjoy.  We served this simple yet yummy goodness over gluten free angel hair pasta.  It is so deliciously flavorful you could enjoy it all by itself or perhaps serve it over rice.

To season it... While it was cooking I added some dill, mustard seeds, 2 dried bay leaves, some minced garlic, and salt.  There were no leftovers!  That is always a good sign in this house.

Pumpkin Bread (or muffins!)

It's a good month for pumpkin!  I served this bread the other night to my Bunco ladies, handed out pumpkin muffins to little people at playgroup, and still have 2 loaves left over just in case someone pops over for coffee.  I mixed all the ingredients in one bowl and was not too particular about exact amounts and it came out fine... I hope you like it!

Ingredients: 

1 to 1 1/2 cans of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions: 

Cream butter, oil, and sugars together in a large mixing bowl.  Add pumpkin.  Mix well.  Add eggs.  Mix well.  Add flour (I added about a cup at a time - with the 2nd cup I also measured in the baking powder, salt, and spices.)  Mix well.

Cook at 350 degrees in small loaf pans or cupcake tins for about 30 minutes.

These pumpkin bread loaves and muffins freeze really well!  Make extra and freeze some for later.  Serve with your favorite jam ... we tried it with fig jam last night and it was incredibly tasty.  Enjoy!

Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry

Doesn't this look delicious?  I love the abundance of greens available in North Carolina in the fall ... the choices are overwhelming!  Last week I decided to include some baby bok choy in my weekly local veggie order (Farmers Fresh Market, of course!).  These greens were so tasty raw, I almost did not want to cook them for dinner.  Alas, I gave in and decided to do an easy stir fry using grass-fed beef from C-Saw Farm, some thinly sliced carrots, and 1/2 an onion.  So easy.  Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients: 

1 lb. stir fry beef, thinly sliced
1 or 2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 heads baby bok choy, chopped (use everything but the very bottom)
1/2 red onion, sliced
olive oil

For the sauce ... I combined about 1/3 cup soy sauce, some fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, a tablespoon or so of cornstarch and some water (about 1/4 cup) ... stir well, taste test it, and set it aside until the end.  (You could also add garlic, ginger, scallions, etc. if you have any on hand.)  You can truly make a yummy stir fry sauce using a combination of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce with just about any ingredients added to spice it up!

Directions ... Lightly saute the stir fry beef in a little olive oil.  If you are using grass fed beef, you will need a bit of olive oil because the beef is so lean!  Add the onion and carrots and cook until they are slightly soft.  Add the baby bok choy and the stir fry sauce.  Stir well to coat.  Turn heat to medium low, cover and let it cook for just a few minutes while the bok choy wilts.  Serve by itself or over rice.  Enjoy!

Beef, carrots, and onion

Add the bok choy and let it wilt

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin!!!

I love everything pumpkin so when my son's kindergarten teacher asked for volunteers to make goodies for pumpkin taste testing, I instantly agreed.  I was assigned to make roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin cookies.

This recipe results in an almost bread-like cookie - very light and a bit fluffy.  Definitely delicious.  I hope you like them.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 or 4 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 eggs
1/2 can canned pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon each - cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie seasoning
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.  Add maple syrup and eggs.  Beat.  Add canned pumpkin and spices.  Mix together well - batter will be slightly lumpy.  Add flour (1 cup at a time), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Spoon equal amounts onto a cookie sheet.  Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Enjoy!

** (This batch made about 4 dozen - 8 to 12 per cookie pan.)

Apple Cranberry Sauce

My children love apple sauce and so do I.  I recently discovered how easy it is to make at home!  The best part about making applesauce on your own stovetop is that you can add in any ingredients you want.  Now that it is November, I was noticing fresh cranberries available in mass quantities at the grocery store so I had to pick some up.  This past weekend we had friends and their children over for dinner - we grilled some pork tenderloin, steamed some butternut squash and lima beans, and cooked up some delicious apple cranberry sauce to serve on the side.  The pinkish apple cranberry sauce was devoured!  (The color was almost as much of a hit as the taste.)  I will definitely make this again - maybe for Thanksgiving (maybe sooner).

Ingredients: 

Apples (peeled and diced)

Cranberries (a handful - fresh)

Honey (maybe 1/4 cup or so)

Directions:

Combine apples, cranberries, and honey in a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat.  Stir.  Once the apples start getting soft I turn the heat down to medium.  Keep stirring and crushing the apples.  When the apple sauce looks and tastes the way you like it, turn off the heat.  Serve warm or cold.  Enjoy!