Cranberry Sauce

I adore cranberries.  Also, here in Wisconsin, cranberries are kind of a big deal.  Every week at the Farmer's Market, you can pick up huge bags of fresh cranberries!  I know they are not everyone's favorite cup of tea, but I think this recipe could change a lot of cranberry non-believers out there into believers.  The recipe is crazy simple and crazy good.  I basically used the recipe that was on the bag of cranberries and used Orange Juice instead of water.  Please put down the canned stuff, go get some fresh cranberries, and make this sauce.  It's perfect for Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1 cup Orange Juice

Directions:
1.  Heat the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan until boiling.  Add in the cranberries and let boil until they all pop.  Remove from heat and place in a bowl to be refrigerated   As the sauce cools it will thicken.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I found out where I am teaching next semester! And, if it all works out, I will be teaching high school Trig, Pre-Calc, and AP Calculus.  Woah! I have to go remember all that now!  But actually, I am so excited.  Plus, this is going to be such a different experience from teaching middle school algebra.  I can't wait! The high school has block scheduling, which will be new for me, and periods are 90 minutes instead of the 50 that I am used to.  Overall, I am going to learn a whole lot and I can't wait to get started!

Also, today I am sharing the recipe I used for Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes from my Thanksgiving Feast!  This was a yummy recipe that was totally simply.  Make it and you won't regret it!

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:
7 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled
4 tbsp salt
32 fluid oz. half and half
12 cloves garlic, crushed
12-14 oz grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and place potatoes in the pot.  Cover and let cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.  Drain and place potatoes back in the pot.
2.  Heat the half and half in a saucepan until simmering and add in the garlic.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Pour the half and half into the pot with the potatoes and mash with a potato masher.  Add in salt and Parmesan.  Season with pepper and more salt.  Serve immediately, or keep warm until ready to serve.

Enjoy :)

Thanksgiving Stuffing

This stuffing recipe was amazing! I adapted it because we decided against stuffing it into the turkey, but it was simply fantastic.  I am definitely going to be bring this one to the Thanksgiving table in the future.

In other news, I am currently watching Gossip Girl.  I haven't been into this show since high school, but something about it is drawing me in this season.  Plus, I don't really feel the need to get a good nights sleep lately.  This week is funky because the students had testing today and all I did was help hand out books, calculators, pencils, and whatnot.  Then, I got to get a lot of work done for both my university classes and 8th grade classes.  I'm feeling pretty relaxed about now.  On Wednesday, though, I am getting observed.  I'm a little nervous because I'm trying out a new sort of classroom arrangement for an activity, but I am also excited because I think that my lesson plan looks really good and thoughtful.  Finally, I am supposed to find out where I will be teaching next semester any day now.  I am extremely excited and nervous.  More on that as soon as I get details!

Sorry about my random ramblings.  I guess I am just a little unfocused, it must be the gossip girl, or the fact that I am still STUFFED from the crazy Thanksgiving Feast I had this weekend.  I mean...check out this stuffing!

Thanksgiving Stuffing (adapted from the Food Network)
serves about 40

Ingredients:
2 loaves Challah bread, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 quarts chicken broth
8 oz mushrooms
4 cups chopped white onion
4 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped green pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp salt
12 oz dried cranberries
8 oz chopped pecans
8 eggs, beaten
8 tsp dried rubbed sage
8 tsp dried parsley
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and heat until simmering.  Place the mushrooms in the broth, remove from heat, and let sit, covered, for 35 minutes.
3.  Place the copped onion, celery, and green pepper in a large bowl.  Toss with the vegetable oil and salt.  Spread the vegetables out on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes, place the cubed bread on top and continue to cook.  
4.  Reserve 1 cup of the chicken broth and then drain the mushrooms.  Chop the mushrooms and place in a bowl with the rest of the roasted vegetables and bread.  Mix in the cranberries, pecans, and season with sage, parsley, and pepper.  Pour the beaten egg over the mixture and toss to combine.  Place the stuffing in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm.

Also, you can pour some of the cooked turkey juices over the stuffing.  This will moisten the stuffing up a bit and make it taste as though it was cooked in the turkey!

Enjoy :)

My First Turkey

I participated in making my first turkey this past weekend.  The Little Sisters of Delta Theta Sigma threw a Thanksgiving Feast-Harry Potter Style for an event we call, Dinner/Auction.  We have dinner, we have an auction, and its a great fundraiser.  We dressed up like Harry Potter characters and it was a blast!  For the next few days, I will be updating this menu with posts on the Thanksgiving recipes that we made for this awesome feast.  Stay tuned...

The Menu:

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Roasted Herbed Carrots

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

Butterbeer