"Sandy" and Cranberry Relish

The infamous Hurricane Sandy passed through our grand state of Pennsylvania yesterday, leaving 400+ closed bridges and roads, 1.3 million residents without electricity, and a plethora of fallen trees, limbs, and leaves in her wake. The hubs and I are fortunate enough to have very little aftermath to deal with. A small but steady leak in the roof has caused some ceiling tile issues in our upstairs bathroom, but no much more. We did, however, both happen to have off work yesterday and today, which was a pleasant surprise!

Our free time included sleeping in (which I for one NEVER do) and spending some rare quality time together, as well as catching up housework, playing music (or, if you are my husband, playing PlayStation), sewing, rearranging my living room, and of course COOKING. 

I LOVE to cook, especially when I have endless amounts of time to do so! Waffles, fresh bread, stew, and apple crisp were a few highlights of the past two days (all made from scratch of course). I also made one of my all-time favorite dishes...something that can only be made in certain seasons because the main ingredient is only available for part of the year...my grandmother's Cranberry Relish! A delicious and very healthy dish, Cranberry Relish is simple, yet unique, with a nice mix of sweet and tart flavors. 

To make it you will need a food grinder.  My parents use an old meat grinder that they attach to their counter and grind by hand.  I prefer my kitchen aid attachment food grinder. =)

Cranberry Relish
6 whole apples (red delicious work well)
2 whole oranges
1 can pineapple slices
1 bag fresh cranberries

Wash all of the fresh fruit, then slice the apples and oranges.  Drain the juice from the can of pineapple slices. 

 

 





Set up your grinder and turn it on. Begin to feed the fruit through the grinder, rotating among the different fruits for a nice mix of flavors. 

 

When you have ground all of the fruit, mix the relish to ensure an even flavor. *Optional: If you find this mixture to be too tart for your palate, add 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar, to taste.* 

 

 

Refrigerate before serving and to store.  This will stay good in your refrigerator for at least 3-4 days.  I often eat a batch over the course of a work week. 

 

ENJOY! :)

 

 

Lacey



Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Last night for dinner I decided to try something new. I have been "trying something new" a lot recently, which Christopher is always wary of because sometimes he doesn't like it (he is a hearty eater, but a little picky). Although he constantly tells me that he doesn't like onion or zucchini or any number of "new" foods, he often eats them and even enjoys them, so I have learned to either avoid telling him what is in the meal (which is difficult because he likes to snoop in the kitchen when I am cooking), or just convince him to try it, which is harder said than done and usually depends more on how the food looks than how it smells or tastes.

Regardless, this recipe was Christopher approved (he helped himself to a second serving, which means he liked it)! I hope you enjoy it too.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper, chopped

Directions:

Place zucchini in strainer; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture.
Combine zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper. Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 6-8 servings.


http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zucchini-Pizza-Casserole

Crepes

Today I made crepes for breakfast! They were delicious. I used the recipe below:

Crepes

2 cups of flour (I use whole wheat)
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
4 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs
Dash of Salt
1 cup milk (to desired consistency)

Mix the batter and allow time for it to rest before cooking. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Pour three tablespoons of batter and swirl around the pan into a thin circle of batter. Cook the crepe for one minute until the edges set up and the top is slightly moist. Work a spatula or fork under the crepe and flip. Cook 45 seconds to one minute more, and transfer to a plate. Serve with your favorite jam, jelly, marmalade, or other spread or filling. Dust with powdered sugar (optional).