Cranberry Crumble bars

During the winter, when the cranberries are on sale, I like to stock up and and buy several bags and freeze them.  Then later when I'm in the mood for the wonderful taste of cranberries, I can easily pull out a bag, thaw the berries, and make something wonderful.  One of our households favorite treats is cranberry crumble bars.  It's a dessert that has just the right amount of tartness from the cranberries, and not too much sweetness.  This desert will easily feed 8 people for very little money, and is quick to make.

You will need:
1/2 cup sugar
1 large orange
1/4 cup water
2 cups cranberries
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, (or margarine), softened
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking, (or old fashioned), oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teas salt

Zest the orange, (you will need 1 Tablespoon of orange zest).
Then, squeeze the juice from the orange, (you will need 1/4 cup of orange juice).

In a medium, (1 1/2 quart size), saucepan, mix the sugar, orange juice and water together, until sugar is dissolved.  Heat to boiling over medium heat. 

Add in the salt.

 Add in the orange zest.

Add in the cranberries.

(note:  make sure to wash your cranberries before using).

 Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened.

After about 10 minutes, this is what the sauce will look like.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  This smells wonderful.

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the softened butter and brown sugar.

Add in the oats, flour and salt.

Mix together until the mixture is crumbly.

Press 1/2 of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 X 8 inch ungreased baking dish.

Pour the cooled cranberry sauce onto the crumb mixture.

Spread the cranberry sauce filling out over the crumb mixture, evenly.

Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture evenly over the top of the cranberry sauce.

Lightly pat the crumb mixture topping.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until light brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Cut into 8 bars, (4 rows across, 2 rows down).  Allow to cool until 15 minutes, (or even completely), before eating.

And you can now enjoy your cranberry crumble bars.  Notice how you have a nice thick filling between the oatmeal crust and top.

It holds it's shape, and it taste wonderful.  Not to sweet, and not overly tart.  A glass of milk is great with it.  Or with a scoop of ice cream on top, (my husband's favorite way), is wonderful.


Enjoy !

Chicken and Spaghetti Casserole

If you've tried my husband's recipe for Spaghetti Casserole, (crock pot style), you know how good it is, and how it can feed a crowd.  I decided to try to freshen it up and also cut down the portion size, (so it was more family-size).  Here is my version.

You will need:
4 to 6 ounces of spaghetti
1 Tab butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick spray

Chop your chicken, peppers, mushroom, celery, and onion.

Start your spaghetti cooking in a salted water.  Cook the spaghetti until it is al' dente.  Drain and set aside.

You can use whatever kind of spaghetti you want, I like to use the thin spaghetti.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the peppers, onions, celery, and mushrooms.  Cook until the vegetables have softened, (about 4 or 5 minutes). Remember to salt and pepper your vegetables to taste, (I use about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper).

In a medium bowl, combine the soup and milk.  Stir until smooth.

Add in almost 3/4 of the cheese, (I save about a handful for the top).  Stir in the cheese until combined.

You can use whatever kind of blended cheese you like.  You can even use just cheddar.  I like to use a Monterey Jack cheese blend.

 Pour the cheese and soup mixture over the cooked vegetables..  Continue to cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and starts to thicken.

Add in the chicken and stir until combined throughout.

Make sure to taste the sauce for seasoning.  Does it need a little more salt or pepper?  If so stir a little more in.

Stir in the spaghetti.  Make sure to combine it in well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.   You can also use any type of casserole dish, (as long as it will hold about 2 quarts.  Sometimes I bake this in a round or oval casserole dish).

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake for about 35 minutes, (or until the casserole is hot, bubbly, and golden brown).

 Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

And you have my version of chicken and spaghetti casserole.  A complete meal, just add a green salad.  I smells wonderful, it's filling, and it tastes wonderful with the fresh vegetables.  It's a great way to use up leftover chicken.  And of course cheese makes everything taste great.

Moist Tender Pork Loin Roast Dinner

This is a delicious and super tender pork roast dinner, and the best part is it's all done in ONE pot.  You almost don't need a knife to cut the meat.  It easily feeds 6 people with only a 2 or 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast.  You don't need to make the gravy, but I've included the gravy recipe, just in case you want to make it.  It's so easy.

You will need:
A 2 pound, (or 2 1/2 pound) pork loin roast
1 small onion
1 1/2 Tabs Italian seasoning
1/4 teas crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces beef broth)
1/8 teas ground black pepper
2 teas salt
1 bay leaf
1 pound baby carrots
6 to 8 small potatoes
1 Tabs water
4 teas. cornstarch

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the onion, very thin
Wash and quarter the potatoes, (I like to use red potatoes, but you can use whatever you have on hand). 
In a small bowl mix together the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and salt.

Note:  If you want to stretch the meal to feed more people, just add a few more potatoes

Using a paper towel, dry off the pork loin.  Cut about 6 horizontal cuts down the center of the roast, and stuff each one with a slice of onion.  Reserve the rest for the pot.

 Place the roast in a dutch oven, and sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the roast.

Pour the beef broth around the roast.

I am using my homemade beef broth, but you can use store bought.

Place the remaining onions slices, the pound of baby carrots, the quartered potatoes, and the bay leaf around and over the roast.

Place the cover tightly on the dutch oven, and bake for about 2 1/2 hours.













Once the vegetables are tender, remove the meat and vegetables and meat to a serving platter.  Cover with foil to keep warm while you are making the gravy.

We like lots of carrots so we always use the full one pound of baby carrots, when we prepare this roast.

Now, it is time to make the thickening agent for the gravy.

In a small bowl, mix the water and the cornstarch, and blend until smooth.  Remove the meat and the vegetables to a serving platter.

 Bring the pan drippings back to a boil over medium heat, and reduce down to half, (about 10 to 12 minutes).  Add the cornstarch thicker, and blend in until smooth and the gravy begins to thicken, (about another 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and serve over meat.

And dinner is ready, without a lot of fuss.  Add a green salad and you have a complete balanced meal.  So yummy, and this will fill any tummy.

The key to stretching a little meat, it to add lots of vegetables with them.  Try this delicious pork loin recipe.

Pumpkin and Orange Bread

If you liked my pumpkin bread, you'll also like this pumpkin orange bread.  The addition of the orange peel and orange juice gives just the right amount of sweetness to counterbalance the saltiness of the addition of the pepitos for a pop in your mouth.  This recipe make one 9" X 5" loaf.

You will need:
1 stick (8 Tabs) of unsalted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teas Kosher salt
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/4 teas grated nutmeg  1/4 teas allspice
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1 large size orange
1 teas vanilla extract
1/3 cup pepitos (Mexican pumpkin seeds)

Spray a 9' X 5" baking loaf pan with baking spray and then lightly flour.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together;
flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and  allspice, (make sure to whisk until it is combined well).

Melt the butter.  Remove the zest from the orange, (You will need 2 teas. of orange zest).  Squeeze the juice from the orange, (you will need 1/4 cup of orange juice).

In a medium bowl, combine the butter, orange zest, orange juice, pumpkin puree, slightly beaten eggs, and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.

Note:  I am using pumpkin puree from pumpkins grown in my garden.  If you use store bought, be sure you do not buy pumpkin pie mix.  Buy a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree.  Also, let your eggs set out for 1/2 hour at room temperature before using.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  Pour the pumpkin mixture in the center and stir together just until combined and no dry flour remains, (it is important not to over mix).

It is OK to have some lumps in the batter.

Turn on the over to 375 degrees.  Get your sprayed and floured pan.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly.  Top with the pepitos.  You can even press the seeds down into the batter to make sure they adhere.
Note: I usually buy my pepitos in the bulk section of the grocery store.

Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes, (depending on how hot your oven bakes), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Within 15 minutes, you begin to smell the orange and the pumpkin aromas in your kitchen - yum.

Transfer to a cooling rack to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.  Then remove from pan and let cool on the cooling rack.

This bread stores well at room temperature very well.  And the next day the flavors are even better.

If you look closely you can see the orange zest, and you can taste the orange and the very slight saltiness of the pepitos.  It is a wonderful change from the usual pumpkin bread.

Enjoy.