Leftover Cranberry Sauce?

                                                 

Every year since my grandma died, I've let my mom contribute the homemade cranberry sauce, to carry on grandma's traditional recipe.  And every year my mother goes way overboard on how much she makes and always brings at least TWO batches of the stuff, very likely in an effort to one up my sweet grandma in heaven. Hahaha!  

Since no one takes more than a tablespoon at Thanksgiving, I always get really upset about the waste....until now.I had a second Thanksgiving, a Friendsgiving on Sunday and really wanted to make another apple pie, particularly since we had a visitor from Australia.  He's a vegetarian so we had all the traditional foods minus the turkey.  I used this Smitten Kitchen Apple Pie Recipe, although I used all Granny Smiths.  Also, I added about 1/2 cup of sour cream and about 1/4 cup of brown sugar when I made it on Thanksgiving.  But for Friendsgiving, I added an extra apple, 1/2 cup sour cream and about 3/4 cup of the leftover cranberry sauce.  Oh. My. God. Yum.

This is what it looked like before i added the cranberry sauce (actually pictured is sauce above and cranberry covered apples):

Then I added the sour cream and poured into the shell:

The finished product is, of course, at the top of this post.  My mouth is watering for it as I type this!

Another thing I did with the leftover sauce was add it to my Australian house guest's oatmeal.  It looked so good I had to have some too!  Now I'm considering making a batch to always have in the fridge!  It's quite possible cranberry sauce is good in everything!  It is now my favorite accent for oatmeal.  With a few toasted pecans thrown on top - perfection!

I didn't grab a pic of it with nuts on top but it was lovely and colorful!

Grateful now for the leftovers that used to feel so wasteful.  I will now forever covet the leftover cranberry sauce.

Lazy Days of Summer -- Perfect Lunch for a Hot Day!

 

It's been really hot lately in LA.  So coming up with a refreshing menu for a luncheon that would be light yet filling was a fun challenge.  Finding the right drink to greet people with at the door was key.

 

 

 

 

I can't more highly recommend this drink.  For those who need alcohol, it would be great with Vodka added, but it is one helluva refreshing delicious Summer drink.  It is the prettiest drink I have ever made.   I forgot to snap picture of the filled glasses!  OOPS!  Trust me:  GORGEOUS and so refreshing!  You can't go wrong with these three ingredients on a hot Summer day:  cucumber, lime and  mint.

 

Also, I used Agave instead of Sugar.  It was perfect.

 

And, finally, hours after the party ended I realized I hadn't cleaned the pitcher.  It was on a side table and I had missed clearing it.  There was a littleof the drink left in the pitcher. The integrity of that bright green color definitely diminished, but this was 10 hours after I made it (I made 2 hours prior to party starting), and it wasn't refrigerated. 

 

RECIPE:  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cucumber_lime_mint_agua_fresca/

 

 

It was too hot for a tablecloth!!! 

 

 

 

The above salad was the starter.  My favorite meal in the Summer:  avocado, fresh tomatoes, lime, course salt and hemp seeds for a little bump of nutrition and texture.  

This pic is before I added the arugula and burrata...just had to take it because, come on, those COLORS!

RECIPE: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickled-nectarine-salad-with-burrata

 

 

Since my friend, Sa, turned me onto this Daphne Oz salad early this Summer, I haven't been able to stop making it.  People love it.  Don't put the red peppers on too soon, like I did today, or they will add a wee bit too much spice.  Also, I keep using shaved Reggiano for the sake of is (I can always find shaved and don't like grated in salad), but Pecorino is ideal balance for flavors.

 

RECIPE: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/King-Greens-Salad-Daphne-Oz

 

I made this one up inspired by Farmers' Market:  tri-colored baby new potatoes, asparagus (super thin in thise case), fresh chives and parsley.  Dressing of walnut oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt.  Then toasted walnute on top.  OH MY GOD DELISH!

Smitten Kitchen is my favorite food blog. I did her Raspberry Ricotta Scones. I added candied ginger, only because I had a craving for ginger, but they are not needed. I also brushed them with cream at the end. Neither of these extra steps was necessary.

RECIPE: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/07/whole-wheat-raspberry-ricotta-scones/

Scones were all just an excuse to taste all the JAMS from the Jam Fest we had on Friday night where three of us chicks got to jam making!  Wooohoooo!   Then fresh whipped cream with no sweetener.  Everyone loved ALL the jams. 

Normally I would have served sorbet or ice cream at the end of this meal, but I had ulterior motives:  SHARE THAT JAM!


Buon Cooooooooooooooooooling Appetito to ALL!