Holidays
I don’t make many new dished for Thanksgiving or Christmas as my family loves the dishes I have been making for many years but this past Thanksgiving I added the mushrooms that you saw yesterday along with these easy green beans. This recipe comes from the Food Network and makes a great colorful side dish. This is such an easy side dish I will be adding it to any of our weeknight dinners.
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/4 cup of hot pepper jelly (I used stonewall kitchen brand)
1/2 of fresh lemon
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the green beans , allow to blister and sear on one side for 2-3 minutes then toss to blister again. Add salt and pepper.
To finish add the hot pepper jelly and let melt into the pan. Add lemon and toss to coat. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
A
I have to say there is no good way to take a picture of marinated mushrooms so I apologize for the picture!
If you are from anywhere in New England you know about warrens lobster house in southern maine. They have been open for over 78 years! Sadly they will be closing their current location right on the water. It’s unsure if they will be re opening in another location.
Warren’s is know for the fresh seafood and their AMAZING salad bar. I love the salad bar it has everything imaginable including these marinated mushrooms.
We stopped by Warren’s a few weeks ago to grab not only lunch but a small cookbook that they publish that has many of their famous dishes including the mushrooms and their pumpkin bread that has a cult following!
I made these for our Thanksgiving and it was a hit! My Dad along with Jim loved them. I don’t care for mushrooms but I loved that it was a make ahead recipe! These would also be great with a charcuterie board.
Each year Warren’s goes through 6 tons of these mushrooms!
Makes 4-6 portions
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of medium sized mushrooms
3/4 Tablespoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of oregano
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon of sugar
Juice of one fresh lemon
DIRECTIONS
Place all of the ingredients into a heavy, thick bottommed pan.
Stir all ingredients together gently so all the spices are dispersed evenly.
Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and maintain a simmer for 12-15 minutes. Stir frequently and be gentle so you don’t break up the mushrooms.
When the mushrooms are tender to the touch they are finished cooking.
Remove from heat and chill for at least 12 hours.
Enjoy!
A
I was watching Food Network not to long ago and on came Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman and she was making these Cherry Pie Cookie Bars. Jim was in the room and declared that he and my Dad would like those. Well sure enough these cherry pie bars were a big hit with everyone! I served them with vanilla ice cream this helped cut through some of the sweetness. I will certainly be making these again!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks plus 5 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 orange, zested
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons whole milk
30 ounce can of cherry pie filling
GLAZE
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon whole milk
1 lemon, zested
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixer cream together granulated sugar, butter and orange zest until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time mixing in between. Add the vanilla and mix again until incorporated.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add half of the dry mixture to the butter sugar mixture and mix then add half of the milk. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk and mix until the dough comes together.
Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Pour over the cherry pie filling and spread it out evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough I’ve the pie filling . Bake until the edges and top are golden and the center is set. 35-40 minutes. Let the bars cool and set, 15-20 minutes.
For the glaze add the confectioners sugar , milk and lemon zest in a bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the bars. Slice and serve. Add vanilla ice cream If desired.
Enjoy!
Anne
This is a dish that I made a couple weeks ago when we were in the motorhome. This bread is so, so good. It’s ooey and gooey, cheesy and chewy all in the same bite. the hot honey took it over the top for us. The hot honey added a little sweet with a little heat. Let’s not forget that crispy pancetta, that added the crispy salty element!
I did have to adapt this recipe slightly as my grocery store did not have ANY round breads or French/Italian boule’s! Not a single one! So I ended up getting an oval shaped sourdough loaf that worked just fine! So no matter what your grocery store has you can make this work.
INGREDIENTS
1 sourdough round or French/Italian boule.
12 ounce double cream Brie round-remove top rind and cut into cubes
2 ounces cubed pancetta-I browned and crisped in advance
1 garlic cloves minced
Drizzle of olive oil
Hot honey for drizzle
OVEN DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Crisp pancetta in a small pan on the stovetop, once crisp remove from heat and set aside.
Cut the top off of your bread and hollow out the inside of the bread making a round in the center of the bread. Reserve the bread pieces and slice the top of the bread you removed into bite size pieces for Serving and set aside.
Place the bread round on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, about a tablespoon.
Add your cut Brie, garlic into the round of the bread top with crispy pancetta. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly toasted.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with hot honey. Serve warm with the reserved bread and crackers if desired.
GRILL DIRECTIONS
I cook this over a 350 degree grill. I inverted a pie plate over the grill grates as I did not want the bread directly on the grate. I followed the instructions above except I covered the bread completely in foil and placed the bread on the inverted pie plate. This cooked for 20-25 minutes but this could vary depending on your grill, the weather and or wind. I checked this a number of times and kept an eye on the bottom as to not burn it. It’s definitely a little more tricky on the grill but it was worth the effort as it was delicious!
Enjoy!
Anne
Jim received a new cocktail bar set as part of his retirement so we decided to put it to use while on our trip. Since our campsite was a waterfront site we decided the drink of choice was going to be the Sea Breeze Cocktail. It was the perfect choice. This is sweet and tart all in one. Perfect for sipping on the deck overlooking the ocean.
This recipe makes 2 drinks
INGREDIENTS
Crushed ice
3 ounces of vodka, we used great goose
6 ounces of cranberry juice
3 ounces of grapefruit juice
Lime slices for garnish-optional
DIRECTIONS
Fill and old fashioned glass with ice.
Pour the vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice over the ice. (Equal parts in the 2 glasses) Stir to combine. Can use shaker if desired.
Garnish with a slice of lime.
Enjoy!
Anne
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