Recipes – Page 91 – The Pajama Chef

Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce

December 19, 2011November 22, 2013 Sarah

So, for a long time, I thought there was only one kind of acceptable cranberry sauce. And let me give you a hint: the stuff in the can is most definitely not it. See, I like it sweet and tart… like a cranberry, ya know, not all gelatinous, uber sweet, and shaped-like-a-can. However, over the past few years, I’ve tried some other varieties besides the traditional cranberry relish… and guess what? Some of them are pretty fabulous. I still like the original, but trying new things is fun.

My latest try combines sweet pineapple and tart cranberries and is nothing short of fabulous. It was on our Thanksgiving table, and I wanted to share it before Christmas so it can be on your table in a mere six days!! It was delicious atop turkey and with the traditional holiday spread, but it was the leftovers that really made this Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce stand out. I enjoyed it stirred into vanilla yogurt and as a dipping sauce for apples, and I hope you’ll try it too!

Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce [from Skinnytaste]
printable version

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries
20 ounce can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Drain liquid from pineapple into a measuring cup. Add water so that there is a a total of 1 cup of liquid. Pour liquid into a saucepan, stir in sugar, and bring to a boil.

Next, rinse cranberries and place in a food processor and pulse several times until roughly chopped. Stir into sugar mixture, then cook over medium heat until thick, approximately 10 minutes. Then fold in pineapples and cook for another minute. Cool then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Time: 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 cups.

Breads, Recipes

SRC: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls

December 5, 2011November 22, 2016 Sarah

December already?!? Where has 2011 gone? The good news is that another month brings another session of The Secret Recipe Club. If you missed it in November, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. It’s a fun way to find new blogs and be stretched to try new recipes, cooking styles, etc. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day. It’s so fun–if you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining.

For December, I was assigned Jen’s blog–Beantown Baker. Jen is an engineer by day, and a baker/chef extraordinaire by night! I was so tempted by many recipes on her blog including Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies, a family recipe for Rice and Beans, and Pumpkin Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars. I’ve definitely bookmarked more than a few recipes to try in the future. And although I don’t yet have my very own kitchen to customize [yay renting… sigh…], I loved/coveted reading about the kitchen renovation she and her husband did in their Boston home. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I would love to cook there. Basically, if you haven’t gotten the drift, Jen and her blog are pretty awesome. Her Ohio roots don’t hurt matters any. 🙂 This Indiana girl loved her six years in Ohio and always appreciates meeting Ohioans. But getting on with it…

Out of all the recipes on Beantown Baker, I decided to try my hand at Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls. I was looking for some bread to take to Thanksgiving in OHIO with Ben’s family, and since Jen served them last year, it was obviously meant to be that I should too. These rolls were a huge hit. They were denser than most other rolls I make, which, admittedly is not many, but they were still quite soft, tender, and chewy. These rolls were a little fancy and sweet from the honey, making them the perfect accompaniment to our holiday spread. I highly recommend them for yours as well!

Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls

Servings: 12 or 16
Time: 3-4 hours
Print

from Beantown Baker

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water [105°-115° F]
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Add yeast and warm water to the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend until combined then add honey, oil, salt, and egg. Mix well. Add 3 cups of flour, mixing on low until the dough comes together. With the mixer still running on low, add the last cup of flour and mix until combined.

Switch to the dough hook and run on low for about 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. When dough is ready, form into a ball and place in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm area [my kitchen was warm enough the day I made these, but sometimes I place in a sink full of warm water to help matters along] until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.

Turn out dough onto a floured countertop and knead for about 30 seconds. Cover again and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal portions, and continue dividing until you have 12 or 16 equal pieces, depending on how big you want them.

Grease a baking dish with cooking spray, then roll each piece into a ball and arrange evenly. Cover and let rise again for about 20 minutes [my rise time was a little longer due to an unfortunately timed errand and it was just fine].

While the rolls are doing their last rise, preheat oven to 400 degrees [well, not if you aren’t at home… fires are no good. Duh.] Then mix together melted butter and honey and brush on each roll. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Click on over to check out other posts from today’s reveal of the SRC. Have a great day!

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Turkey, Black Bean, and Sweet Potato Chili

November 30, 2011 Sarah

So, it’s winter. It isn’t calendar official yet, but there’s snow on the ground so that makes it winter in my book. While I can’t say that I am the biggest fan of that cold season, I do love warming up with some hearty chili.

I recently tried this hearty chili when we had company, and it was a huge hit. I’m not a fan of thin soups and this chili is anything but. Each bite is chock-full of spicy ground turkey, black beans, sweet potatoes, and lots of other flavorful veggies.

Don’t get me wrong–regular chili is good too, but this amped-up chili has tons of healthy additions that make it even better. The original recipe was vegetarian, but to satisfy a certain man in my life, I added ground turkey. I also added some extra vegetables, like zucchini, to use up the contents of my fridge. The zucchini wasn’t too noticeable so you could probably leave that out without missing it. I wasn’t sure initially how well potatoes, even my beloved sweet potatoes, would work in chili but I am happy to report that they are great, blending in naturally so even sweet potato haters [Benjamin] don’t object ~~too loudly~~. 🙂 The leftovers are fantastic served out of the fridge for a few days and also freeze nicely for lunches during the work week. Hope you enjoy!

Turkey, Black Bean, and Sweet Potato Chili [adapted from goodLife(eats)]
printable version

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped [I just washed it really well and didn’t bother peeling it.]
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
28 ounces petite diced tomatoes
2 large carrots, diced [I just washed it really well and didn’t bother peeling it.]
3 cups diced sweet potatoes
15 ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups cooked black beans [Mine were dried + cooked, but you could sub 30 ounces canned.]
1 cup salsa
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Jack cheese, for serving
Cilantro, for serving
Sour Cream, for serving

Directions:

In a skillet, brown ground turkey until fully cooked. Drain grease and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes, until tender. Add the garlic, pepper, and zucchini and saute for a couple more minutes, until fragrant. Add cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and oregano and stir well, cooking for another minute or so.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Next, stir in ground turkey, tomatoes, carrot, sweet potatoes, beans, and salsa. Reserve 1/4 cup broth, but add the rest to the stock pot.

In a small measuring cup, whisk together reserved broth and cornstarch. Mix until smooth, then pour into pot. Stir until combined, then cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes then uncover and reduce heat to low, simmering for 60 minutes. Cover and simmer with lid for an additional 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with cheese, cilantro, and sour cream as desired.

Time: 2 hours [30 minutes active].

Yield: a lot of chili. At least 10-12 generous servings.

Appetizers, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Recipes

OTT: Thai Peanut Ginger Chicken Wings

November 25, 2011November 21, 2011 Sarah

This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!

———-

Ah, it’s that sweet time of year again. The air is aflutter with the sounds of helmets crashing, pads popping, players trash talking, fans whining, and coaches alternating between tirades and smug silence. Football season has returned (and sadly, is now closer to being over than beginning) and with it, so has OTT. And I’m here to bring you recipes you might not otherwise find around these parts. Recipes that embrace manliness. Like these chicken wings.

Chicken wings are quite manly in general. This is evidenced by the distressed look on my wife’s face when I came home with a 10 pound bag of chicken wings with the intention of shoving it in our already jam-packed freezer. Bigger is manlier. Meat covered in sauce is manly. These chicken wings do appeal to the ladies though too. Just a little bit spicy with an Asian twist. It doesn’t get much better than that. So without further ado, here’s the recipe.

Thai Peanut Ginger Chicken Wings
printable version

Ingredients:

1 can evaporated milk
1 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c soy sauce, divided
2 1/2 t ground ginger
2 t rice vinegar
1/2 t red pepper flakes (add more for a delightful increase in spiciness)
5 lbs frozen chicken wings

Directions:

Put the evaporated milk, peanut butter, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, ginger, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor. Blend until it’s smooth and looking like something you’d want to lather on chicken. Combine 1/2 c of the blended sauce, the remaining soy sauce, and chicken wings in a large bowl. If you thawed the chicken wings, you can let it marinate for an hour. If you’re cooking them from frozen, then there’s not as much point. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two (probably) baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray. Put the chicken on the baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes thawed, or 55 frozen. Spoon the remaining sauce over the wings. Grab several napkins and turn on some football. Enjoy.

Time: 65 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 5 regular servings or 2 man-sized servings.

And in case you’re curious… the best kind of football you can turn on is THE Ohio State Buckeyes. You can do that tomorrow, if you wish. Beat Michigan!

Question of the Day — Recently, we visited the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. It was lots of fun watching big cats play with pumpkins filled with a surprise! I think my favorite (maybe, they were all pretty awesome) one there was a black leopard appropriately named Blackie. What’s your favorite type of exotic animal?

Recipes, Sides, Vegetables

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

November 22, 2011November 22, 2013 Sarah

I have another recipe to share with the Healthy Holidays series, hosted by Carly at Createlive. I’ve been so inspired by her series to cook up delicious but healthful treats for the holiday season. I just can’t wait for Christmastime when I can do this apart from a school schedule!

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods of all time. While working at home during the day, it’s not uncommon for me to whip up a batch of baked sweet potato fries for a quick lunch [that was one of the first recipes I posted here on the blog! haha!] and I often incorporate them into random, thrown-together leftover dinners, to the chagrin of my husband. While family tradition often finds this root vegetable to be served in a delicious brown-sugar and nut topped casserole, last year we tried a new dish: Whipped Sweet Potatoes.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes are sweetened with apple, spiced with cinnamon and allspice, and made richer with butter. Don’t leave that out for health reasons–studies have shown that the addition of some fat to sweet potato dishes increase the amount of beta-carotene that our bodies can absorb. Pretty cool, huh? Regardless of the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes over their white counterparts, I’m happy to munch away on them instead because to me, the taste is far superior. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

They are also delicious sprinkled with pomegranate arils for a little crunch of sweetness!

Whipped Sweet Potatoes
printable version

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ cubes [about 7-8 cups]
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into 1″ cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash allspice

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, combine sweet potatoes and apples. Cover mixture with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce for a simmer, cooking for 20-25 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat. Reserve about 1 cup of cooking liquid, then drain well. Return mixture to pan and add butter, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir and then blend with an immersion blender until smooth, adding reserved liquid by the tablespoon as necessary. [I added about 2 tablespoons.] Alternatively, you can mash with a potato masher or blend in a blender/food processor. Enjoy!

Time: 45 minutes [20 minutes active].

Yield: 6 servings [can be doubled].

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]