Sugared Cranberries

Hello everyone! It’s officially the holiday season once again. It’s also my favorite time of the year for baking and cooking. I thought I’d start off with something really easy to make. Sugared cranberries are great for garnishing your desserts or dessert trays or even as a sweet and sour treat all on it’s own.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups granulated sugar divided (2 cups & 1 cup)
• 2 cups water
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine 2 cups of sugar with the 2 cups water in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Do not bring to a boil!
2. Remove from heat as soon as sugar is dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, add cranberries. Top with the sugar syrup you just made and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight is best.
4. After your cranberries have soaked, drain off syrup completely and allow to sit in strainer for at least 15 minutes.
5. Pour remaining  1 cup of sugar in a gallon Ziploc bag.  Add cranberries and shake until all cranberries have been well coated.
6. Empty contents of bag onto a wire rack (with pan or foil underneath to catch excess sugar.)
7. Let cranberries dry for at least an hour.
8. Store in refrigerator until ready to use as garnish.

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All Fruit Popsicles

It is summer time. Days of 100 F degree weather are the norm here. The nice thing about summer is the abundance of fruit available. And I tend to buy more than we can eat before they go bad. Here is a great way to use some of your extra fruit up and a healthy alternative to store bought corn syrup and whatever else popsicles.  Plus, who doesn’t like a nice cold popsicle on a hot day? If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can use plastic cups and popsicles sticks with cling wrap to hold them in place. Feel free to switch up your ingredients. I just used what I had on hand, but there are tons of different combinations out there. This recipe yields 6.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups watermelon chunks
• 2 strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 nectarine, sliced
• 1 kiwi, sliced
• 1/4 cup blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a blender, puree the watermelon chunks.
2.  
3. Fill 1/4 of your molds with watermelon puree.
4. Add equal amounts of each fruit into the molds. 
5. Pour the rest of the watermelon puree to the fill line on each of the molds. 
6. Freeze your filled molds for 4 to 6 hours; overnight is best. 

What’s In My Refrigerator Salad

Sometimes, not often mind you, I want to eat a great big salad for dinner. Not your little foo foo salad. I mean something that is so delicious and satisfying that you won’t be hungry 4 hours later type of salad. I like to use whatever fruits, nuts and vegetables I have on hand. And of course, I always have an extra cooked chicken breast in my refrigerator that I can add as well. Feel free to make as much or as little as you like. And also feel free to add or substitute more/less ingredients to suit your tastes. I know this is just salad and not much of a recipe, but sometimes you just need to see how simple everyday items you have on hand can make a delicious meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• romaine lettuce cut into ribbons
• grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• red grapes, sliced in half
• toasted almond slices
• dried cranberries
• strawberries, sliced into quarters
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• your favorite salad dressing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut romaine lettuce into ribbons and add to bowl. 
2. Add grape tomatoes.
3. Add grapes.
4. Add almond slices for extra crunchiness. 
5. Add dried cranberries for extra sweetness.
6. Wait, I found some strawberries. Add those in too.
7. Add some grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Add sliced chicken breast pieces. (I know Sue, you will skip this part.)
9. Mix up your ingredients so you get a little bite of everything. And serve with your favorite salad dressing. (And maybe some extra shredded cheese…)