It’s been a while! Life has been busy and full of ups and downs the past couple years! My husband Jim was deployed to Afghanistan and got back just over a year ago. So with Jim being away and then returning we spent much of the time after he returned traveling and visiting family and friends we have finally started to settle down and get back into our normal routines.
We recently spent a few days in Cape Cod Massachusetts with friends. We went to Provincetown and did some shopping and dined at a terrific Italian restaurant on the water, visited the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. While we were there we purchased 3 pounds of fresh cranberries right from the bog. When we got home I could not wait to do some baking with all the cranberries. This cookie recipe is a new holiday favorite, I’m already planning to make them again! I shared them with some of our neighbors and they loved them as much as we did!
I made just a couple very small changes to the frosting recipe and you will see those notes in the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of butter softened
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons orange juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 Tablespoons hot water…..for this I used fresh squeezed orange juice (not warmed) I also added some of the zest from the orange.
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl cream butter and sugars. Add milk, egg and orange juice, mix well.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and add into the creamed creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Drop by Tablespoons 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
For the frosting-
Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat until golden brown , about 5 minutes. Cool for a couple minutes and transfer to a bowl. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Beat in the hot water or in my case fresh sneezed orange juice 1 Tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency. I kept my frosting on the thicker side.
Frost the cookies and enjoy!
Fire and Spice Bistro at 70 NH Route 108 in Newfields NH has quickly become a favorite restaurant of both Jim and me. This was the first restaurant we dined out at when he returned from Afghanistan. Fire and Spice have only been open a few months, and they have made a big splash in the restaurant community already. I can see why. We went for Happy Hour and sat outside on the patio with heat lamps, so it was very cozy. Happy hour is every Wednesday through Saturday from 4-5 pm where they have a number of different items to choose from. We had a tough time deciding, so we went for it and ordered three items from the Happy Hour menu.
The first item we tried was the Cajun Fried Chicken and Red Corn Waffle Sliders. This is an amazing combination of spicy fried chicken tenders tossed in Naked Hot Sauce (honey-chipotle) with pickled ginger, baby greens, daikon sprouts served between Tuckaway Farms Floriani red roasted cornmeal waffles. ($12.00). Jim took the first bite and all he could say was WOW, that’s never his first reaction. Needless to say, I took a bite and had the exact same reaction. This is hands down the best chicken and waffle dish either one of us has ever had. It’s sweet, spicy, crunchy with so many bursts of flavor all at one time. This is not on the dinner menu so be sure to get there for Happy Hour. This is one dish you do not want to miss.
The next dish we had was the Fire and Spice Nachos with house-fried tortilla chips, topped with shredded red Chile braised pork, diced tomatoes, scallions, Fresno, and bell peppers. All of this smothered in green chili cheese sauce. ($11.00). This was another dish we could not get enough of. The braised pork was incredibly tender and juicy and full of flavor with red Chile. The chips were perfectly fried and that green chili sauce tied everything together in one perfect bite.
The last dish we ordered was the flatbread with blue cheese, caramelized onions, and chipotle bacon jam. ($13.00) All three of the dishes we had were packed full of flavor and this dish was no different. The blue cheese on this pizza packs a full flavor bomb. The caramelized onions add some sweet and the house-made bacon jam adds a sweet smoky flavor. We would order every single one of these dishes again, but in all honesty, we still talk about the chicken and waffle sandwich and have raved about it to everyone we see. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Fire And Spice Bistro is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but is open for Happy Hour, dinner, and brunch. Check the website or Facebook page for more information. You can order online for takeout and they have just announced they now have local delivery. If you or your friends have a gluten allergy, they have options for food sensitivities as well. Don’t forget to bring your kids as they have a kids menu too. Reservations are highly recommended. I should also mention the chef-owner of Fire and Spice also owns the Naked Hot Sauce lines and those products can also be purchased at the restaurant. What are you waiting for? You know that chicken and waffle sandwich is calling your name! I’ll meet you there!
http://fireandspicebistro.com/?fbclid=IwAR04D9VqwsQllGc292NC-I9yZis1tpFhasjNppai7umwb3iWQOG10OKl0RQ
Enjoy!
Each year when fall rolls around and the pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin makes it into the house Jim always reminds me he does not like pumpkin. Each year I remind him of all the pumpkin recipes he likes! This year was no different and the result this year was the same. He took a bite of this pumpkin cranberry loaf by Molly Yeh, a Food Network chef and he said how much he really liked this loaf! Needless to say, I really liked it too, it’s sweet but not too sweet and the coarse sugar on top makes it feel like it came from a bakery. There is just enough tart from the cranberries.
This is a delicious loaf and would make any friend or neighbor happy they received it!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used all purpose flour for this)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Put the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and let simmer until the butter browns. You will see tiny little brown specs on the bottom of the pan and the butter will begin to smell nutty. About 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Combine the brown butter, pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth, trying not to over mix. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Press the cranberries into the top of the batter. Sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar, don’t skimp!
Bake until the top is browned and crusty and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 50-55 minutes. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes. then Un mold to cool completely.
Enjoy!
What a year we are having. I don’t know about you but my cooking has been up and down partially because of the pandemic, but also because Jim, was deployed to Afghanistan during much of this time. He is home and we are enjoying getting back to some normalcy, but that’s still difficult with Covid 19 not letting go. I have some great recipes coming up for you and a few restaurants we were able to go to while the covid numbers were low in our area.
Today’s recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I made this a couple of times this fall when the apple orchards opened up. I made my own apple crisp, but your favorite store-bought will work just as well.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups prepared apple crisp, cooled
- 1/4 cup prepared caramel sauce, more to drizzle if desired
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
DIRECTIONS
Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix until slightly thickened. Fold in the apple crisp and caramel. Put the mixture in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for six hours. When ready to serve, drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.
Enjoy!
This recipe comes from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, I found this recipe on Pinterest but have made many items from the Gluten-Free on a Shoestring blog. They are tried and true and this recipe is no different. Not only did Robby enjoy these gluten-free bites, but I did too. I like to use flour from Karma Baker. She specializes in Gluten-free /Vegan baking products. You can find her products online. I have ordered a number of things from her including her cookies and baked goods and I’m always pleased with the quality. https://karmabaker.com/shop/
INGREDIENTS
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour has it in it already, Karma Baker includes it)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice and zest of one lemon, reserve 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice for the glaze
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- more lemon zest to sprinkle on top of cupcakes, I forgot this step!
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line the wells of a standard muffin tin and set aside. In a large bowl place the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice (reserving the ! tablespoon for the glaze) beat to combine. Add the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt mix to combine. Add the sour cream to the batter and mix until just combined. The batter will be light and fluffy but not too thin.
Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Place into the center of your preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on a baking rack allowing them to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes are cool, make the glaze. Place the confectioner’s sugar in a medium-size bowl and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the reserved lemon juice. Mix until you have a smooth and thick paste then add more lemon juice until you have a slightly thick but pourable glaze. Pour or spoon the glaze over the cupcakes once they have completely cooled. Sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.
Enjoy!
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