Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

This past weekend we got into the Halloween spirit in the one way guaranteed to bring out the autumn merriness in everyone.  We went to the pumpkin patch with my adorable nephew, aka the cutest little boy on the Planet Earth.  It was a gorgeous, crisp fall day.  The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and there were pumpkins as far as the eye can see.  There's nothing like a good old pumpkin to brighten your day, especially if you are one-and-a-half.

"Mama, look at this PUMPKIN!!!"

There were farm animals to be petted...

There were funny wooden cut-outs that you could put your adorable little face into...

There were, of course, pumpkins...

And to top it all off, there were apple cider donuts to be eaten.  I mean seriously...does life get ANY better than this?

I don't think so!

By the end of the pumpkin patch adventure I was in a complete pumpkin trance.  Luckily I had in my possession a recipe from the ever wonderful Two Peas and Their Pod blog for pumpkin cranberry granola, and one short hour later my kitchen smelled like pumpkin heaven.  This is a super-simple, super-delicious granola that is flexible enough to make pretty much any way your heart desires.   First you mix up a wonderful concoction of pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and applesauce, and try very hard not to just eat this mixture with spoon right there in the middle of your kitchen.  You pour it over a nice pile of oatmeal that has been mixed with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and nutmeg, and pop it all in the oven until it is just a little bit crispy.  Once it comes out of the oven, you can toss in cranberries, pumpkin seeds, nuts...whatever your little pumpkin-lovin' heart desires.  Pumpkin Granola Heaven.

The end.  (Except for the recipe below!)

Pumpkin Cranberry Granola, from Two Peas and their Pod

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• Optional: additional nuts, pepitas, raisins - whatever else feels good to you!

1. Heat over to 350.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Stir oatmeal, spices and salt together in a large bowl.

3. Whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract until smooth.  Pour into oat mixture and mix until oats are coated.  Spread the mixture onto baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and stir.  Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Remove from oven and stir in cranberries and any other mix-ins.  Let cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Click here for printable recipe

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Summertime is most definitely chicken salad season, and I don't mean the old chicken plus mayo plus celery version. Although there's definitely nothing wrong with that. But there are SO many chicken salads out there that are a perfect fusion of all that great summer produce that (yahoo!) springing up all around us. (Remind me that I just said that in about 6 weeks when I am complaining about being surrounded by my basil.) Mediterranean Chicken Salad, with fresh string beans and tomatoes. Tarragon Chicken Salad, with the delicious sweet taste of fresh tarragon. And one of my absolute faves, Chicken Salad with Corn, Fresh Thyme and Goat Cheese Dressing. Yum, yum and yum again.

The great thing about chicken salad -- one of the great things -- is that you can throw it together in practically no time if you remember to toss a few chicken breasts on the grill every time you fire it up this summer. Bathe them in a little Italian salad dressing, or even just some olive oil and vinegar with fresh pepper, and grill them until they are just cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side. Then store them in the fridge until you are ready to use them later in the week. When chicken salad time rolls around, tear the chicken with your fingers so you have some nice bite sized pieces, and then you are ready to roll.

This particular chicken salad is loosely based on a recipe from Cooks Illustrated, and features chopped cheddar cheese, chopped apple, dried cranberries, candied walnuts and romaine lettuce, tossed with a simple viniagrette. In this case, I had a bag of mixed candied nuts left over from something, and that's what I used. (Chicken salad is all about improvisation.) Toss it all together in pretty much whatever portions you like (I like LOTS of chicken) and summertime, super-easy dinner is served!

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad, adapted from Cooks Illustrated

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into small chunks
• 1 cup candied or spiced walnuts (or any variety of nuts that you like)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot, peeled
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

1. Process all dressing ingredients except oil in food processor until shallot and garlic are finely chopped. Add oil and continue to process until emulsified.

2. Combine all salad ingredients and toss with 1/2 to 3/4 cup dressing. Divide salad among plates and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Coconut Fusilli with Pineapple, Cranberries and Shredded Chicken

The Southern husband and I have this thing going on called "The Restaurant Project." At least I call it that -- I think he calls it going out to dinner to a new place that involves the GPS every Saturday night. Actually, he doesn't call it anything at all, but he is a great sport about letting me call the shots on the Saturday night restaurant every week, and at some point I decided that we needed to start experimenting with someplace other than our beloved barbecue joint...and thus The Restaurant Project was born, and it goes like this.

I started looking through local blogs and websites for restaurant ratings, and handily enough I was doing this at the exact right time of the year, because I started this little project in January when lots of place were doing their yearly round-ups and top ten ratings and so on. (For those of you in the northern New Jersey area, there are some links at very end of this post.)

Anyway, as part of the project we have been to a different place almost every Saturday night, and so this past Saturday we went to RoCCA in Glen Rock, New Jersey. Where they had this amazing dish on the menu that was, yep, Coconut Fusilli with Pineapple, Cranberries and Shredded Chicken. And so I went home with a mission: Recreate That Recipe!

So I took some grilled chicken...

Sprinkled on some dried cranberries...



And some chopped fresh pineapple.



At this point I realized that I had forgotten to get red onion, which made me hop up and down in frustration for a minute or two, but then I pulled myself together. (If I had a red onion, I would have sliced it and sauteed it really slowly in olive oil until it was soft, so let's just pretend I did.) Then I put some coconut milk and cream of coconut into the skillet where the imaginary red onion was and heated it to simmering.

Next I added a slurry of one tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cold water to the simmering coconut sauce and simmered it until it was thick and creamy. I added the chicken mixture to the coconut sauce, added some flaked coconut, gave the whole thing a stir and voila! Pretty much good as the original -- although I may have to go back a few times and test it. So with thanks to RoCCA, here's my version.

Coconut Fusilli with Pineapple, Cranberries and Shredded Chicken

1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cream of coconut
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
8 ounces cooked fusilli
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Fresh ground pepper

1. Combine chicken, cranberries and pineapple in bowl, set aside.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook until soft. Add coconut milk and cream of coconut and heat until simmering.

3. Add dissolved cornstarch and stir until slightly thickened.

4. Add pasta and chicken mixture to skillet and heat through

5. Stir in flaked coconut and fresh ground pepper.

6. Divide among plates and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

"Best Of" Links:

201.net 2009 Best Of Bergen.

tommy:eats Best Of List

Turkey, Cranberry, Brie and Bacon Panini

I know, I know, I am a good two weeks late sending you this one, because at this point your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are just a happy memory. But there is always next year, and in the meantime this sandwich is delicious enough to go get some new turkey to work with. And cranberry sauce.

Here's the deal. You fire up the panini maker -- get that baby good and hot. Brush the outside of two pieces of bread with olive oil, flip them over and layer as follows:

1. Turkey slices
2. Cranberry Sauce (the whole berry kind if you have it)
3. Slices of Brie cheese
4. Bacon

Now put the other piece of bread on top. Put it in the panini maker and press it down. Leave it in there for about 3 minutes. This will make the cheese all melted and wonderful, and will heat up the other stuff and toast the bread. Now take it out, let it rest for a minute or so, and cut it into triangles. That's it -- you are ready for turkey panini heaven.

I think that's all I have to say about this one. It's one of those simple yet perfect recipes that you just have to make and see for yourself. Happy Turkey Sandwich!

TURKEY, CRANBERRY, BRIE AND BACON PANINI

Serves 2

• 4 slices country bread
• Sliced turkey
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
• Sliced Brie cheese
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and cut in half
• Olive oil

1. Heat panini maker to medium high
2. Brush one side of bread slices with olive oil (this will be the outside)
3. Lay bread slice oil side down on work surface. Layer with turkey, then cranberry sauce, then cheese, then bacon. Top with second slice of bread, oiled side on the outside
4. Place in panini maker and press down. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for a minute, slice in quarters and serve hot.

Click here for printable recipe

Ham with Chunky Apple Walnut Cranberry Sauce

Fall is really here, and all those summer tomatoes, all that never-ending basil, the sweet corn...it's all a memory now. But that's okay, because now we have butternut squash, and pumpkin, and apples, apples, apples. And they aren't just for dessert, no ma'am. This super-quick recipe is a luxurious tasting number that would be perfectly wonderful on a holiday table if you used a spiral cut ham...but this version uses ham steaks and therefore cooks up in about 10 minutes. The absolute longest and most challenging part is cutting up the apple (which you don't even need to peel -- we are talking coring and chopping only).

I like to get the large ham steaks -- usually sold next to the bacon in the supermarket -- and I cut them into quarters and pop them right into a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. They are fully cooked so you are just looking to heat them through and maybe get a little bit of brown on them. If you are feeling really feisty, you can send your significant other out into the brisk fall evening to grill them. Whatever way you choose to heat them up is just fine with me.

Meantime, you can throw together this chunky sauce in just about the amount of time it takes to heat up the ham. Chopped walnuts are browned briefly in butter, and then you quickly cook up the apples, with some dried cranberries, maple syrup and brown sugar. It all combines into a syrupy, succulent sauce that you ladle over your ham slice (here comes that sweet and salty combo that I love so much!) to make a quick and happy dinner that practically sings "Fall is here!" It's enough to make you not even miss those summer tomatoes. Well...almost.

HAM WITH CHUNKY APPLE WALNUT CRANBERRY SAUCE

Serves 3-4

• 1 large ham steak
• 1 medium apple, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Heat ham over medium low heat in large skillet until heated through and slightly browned.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium skillet over medium high heat and add walnuts. Stir until walnuts are browning, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add apple, walnuts, cranberries, syrup and brown sugar. Bring to boil and stir until sugar is dissolved and apple softens slightly, about 3 minutes.

4. Place ham slices on plates and ladle sauce over top. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe