Pear and Brie Crostini
By Andrea | Sunday, December 7th, 2008
Cranberry Sauce
I am a lover of cheese, but I’m not a lover of all cheese. Blue cheese or anything that has a mold as an ingredient is not something I really want to eat. Stinky cheeses and sheep’s milk cheese are also not cheeses I care for much.
This may surprise you, but brie is also not a cheese I care for too much. I know people love it but for me, brie basically tastes like what an old musty basement would taste like if you could spread it on a cracker and serve it during cocktail hour.
However I can appreciate the creamy perfection of this cheese and how when melted, it envelops everything it touches. I have discovered that I like and enjoy brie when something sweet is accompanying it.
Because brie is a cheese that almost everyone else on the planet loves and it shows up often during the holidays, I wanted to create a recipe that could be served as an appetizer. Something other than brie en croute because let’s face it, that is an old worn out technique. I also wanted something where the color would stand out and incorporated classic fall/winter flavors. Pear and Brie Crostini is the answer.
Andrea’s Pear and Brie Crostini
- French Baguette
- Red Pear
- Brie slices
- Cranberry sauce
- Chopped or crushed walnuts
- Olive oil
This is a recipe where you determine how much you want to make, that’s why I didn’t provide specific amounts. You can make this for a crowd or for a couple of friends, or just for you!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch or slightly thicker slices. You want it thick enough to hold the ingredients but not so thick it becomes difficult to take a bite. Place slices on a cookie sheet that is lined or sprayed with nonstick spray. With a pastry brush, brush a bit of olive oil on the slices and place in the oven till golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice the red pear into thin slices. Use a pear that is ripe but not too soft. Place slices of pear on the baguette slices, about 2-3 per piece. Top that with brie slices and place back in the oven until the brie is melted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with cranberry sauce and top with walnuts. Serve warm and enjoy!
About to be served
This recipe exceeded all of my expectations and that makes me drunk with happiness. I love when an idea I have swirling around comes together more perfectly than I could have imagined. This little appetizer is amazing and as my husband put it, “This is really smooth. Everything flows together.”
The pear gives the dish a little more umph and the brie provides a nice creamy warm cheesy goodness. The cranberry sauce creates a nice sweet-tart contrast to the smooth pear and cheese while the walnuts bring crunch and added texture. The brie slices make it feel very indulgent while the nuts and pear provide the protein and fruit boost.
Pear and Brie Crostini
I used red pears because they are my favorite and I wanted to stick with the red and white colors. However a green pear would be fine as well. You could probably even use apple slices here if you prefer. Serve this up on a pretty serving dish, maybe garnish with some whole cranberries and you’ve got a very fancy appetizer that only took a few minutes to make!
Enjoy guys! And remember, always play with your food!
Happy Holidays from OHC!
Topics: Side Dish, Snackies | 4 Comments »
Tags: Breads, Cheese, Fruit, Holiday, Nuts
Leftover Idea: Stuffing Frittata
By Andrea | Sunday, November 30th, 2008
The cast
Still plowing your way through leftovers? This is one of my very favorite leftover recipes. I look forward to this all year long! I started doing this a few years back with leftover stuffing and have made it every year since. It’s so easy and so yummy! Perfect if you are hosting guests at your house and they are threatening bodily harm if you feed them another leftover. Disguise it!
Andrea’s Stuffing Frittata
- 1 C overloaded with stuffing
- 1 C of leftover chopped turkey
- 4 eggs
- 1 TBSP of olive oil
- Shredded Cheddar for topping
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium sized skillet, drizzle in the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Then add in the turkey and stuffing. Whisk the four eggs and pour that mixture over the turkey and stuffing. Making sure the egg mixture covers the whole thing. Turn off heat and plop in the oven for about 5 minutes until just slightly shy of being set. Turn off oven and remove frittata. Sprinkle top with as much shredded cheddar as you like. Put back in the oven for about 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and frittata is fully set.
Remove from oven, cut into four slices and serve!
Out of the oven
This dish is so easy to make and takes leftover stuffing to that next level of awesomeness. Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, so I’ll look for any excuse to keep eating it! I have made this with just stuffing and no turkey. This year I had a few bites of turkey still in the fridge so I dumped it in. But omitted, the frittata is still just as yummy.
If you have leftover cranberry sauce, some of that warmed and drizzled over top would make a really nice sauce for the frittata. You could also use egg whites in this as well. It’s up to you! Even playing around with the cheese and maybe using a pepper jack for some kick would be great! Get creative with those leftovers!
Stuffing Frittata
Have fun guys! And remember, always play with your food!
Topics: Breakfast, Main Dish, Side Dish | 7 Comments »
Tags: Breads, Cheese, Eggs, Holiday, Turkey
Leftover Idea: Potato Puffs
By Andrea | Friday, November 28th, 2008
Thanksgiving OHC Style
Hi guys! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of yummy food, laughs, and naps! Over at OHC HQ we had a beautiful day, the skies were clear with a very mild temperature outside. Perfect for an afternoon stroll to help digest the big meal.
Here we are the day after and while some of you may be shopping and scoring deals, others of you may be wondering how to handle all those leftovers in your fridge. My suggestion is to turn them into something else!
For example, if you have leftover mashed potatoes and the last thing you want is another scoop of them, try my little Potato Puff recipe!
This is a recipe you can play around with and discover new combinations! Possible mix-in ideas can include:
- Leftover greenbean casserole
- Leftover corn or corn pudding
- Turkey and cranberry sauce
- Corn and stuffing
Or you can even make a sweet potato puff! Don’t get in a leftover rut, use your imagination and get creative with leftovers!
Happy Holidays from OHC!
Topics: Side Dish, Snackies, Tips | 6 Comments »
Tags: Cheese, Holiday, Veggies
TT: Simmering stock on the stove with veggie trimmings
By Andrea | Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
Use those ends
This is it! The big week and there’s only two more sleeps till Thanksgiving. I hope you are ready to tell Thanksgiving who’s boss!
Remember when we talked about freezing the veggie trimmings? Now is a great time to put those veggie end pieces to good use! I honestly can’t think of another day when such copious amounts of stock are used and needed than on Thanksgiving day. Some goes on the turkey, some is used for casseroles, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. You name it and the probability of it needing stock is probably high.
I don’t know about you, but I love using stocks and broths to add flavor to things. As much as I love them, I still think the flavor intensity could stand to be kicked up a bit. I love things with big bang flavor, I am not a subtly girl. And I’m talking store bought stock here, because I’m sure your homemade version has plenty of flavor.
One thing I do on Thanksgiving day is fill a huge pot, one you would make soup or cook pasta in, with lots of chicken broth. And I mean LOTS. I actually don’t care for Turkey stock/broth much but feel free to use that if you prefer.
Asparagus ends
Once I have it full of the stock, I add in the turkey neck, veggie ends that I saved, garlic, onions, carrots, and plenty of herbs. I let that simmer while I have everything else cooking. I keep the pot on low and let it hang out doing its thing. This bumps up the flavor of the stock/broth while keeping it warm and at the ready for whatever I need it for.
A good bit of my stock goes in the stuffing and adding cold stock to the warm pan of veggies and bread increases the cooking time. Which results in longer prep time getting that stuffing ready. With warm, kicked-up stock, I don’t have to worry about that.
Yes I use drippings for gravy and as much as I love them, I don’t use the whole pan of drippings. I do half and half; half drippings, half simmering stock. This method allows me to use the flavor from the roasted turkey without all the fat of straight drippings.
Planning ahead and knowing that the pot will be on the stove the whole day, means I won’t run out of space. I make a list of what gets cooked when so everything flows smoothly on the big day. If you end up not using the whole pot of stock, no worries. Save some to help reheat leftover gravy and freeze the rest. You can put it in ice cube trays and freeze small portions that way. Or you can measure out the stock by 1 C increments into freezer bags. If you go the freezer bag method, line a measuring cup with the bag, pour in the stock, seal and freeze in the cup. Remove the bag from the cup once the liquid is frozen or close to being frozen. Rinse, repeat until all the stock is separated and frozen.
Put those leftover ends to good use and bump up the flavor on store bought stock or broth. You can always play around with flavors too and add in an apple or maybe a jalapeno. Whatever would compliment your turkey dinner.
In addition, to make things easier, here is a list of the previous Thanksgiving Tuesday Tips:
Chop and Prep Veggies Ahead of Time
P.S. Yes, I am aware that stock and broth are two different things, however at OHC the terms are interchangeable.
T-day Schedule
Just in case you thought I was kidding about printing out a schedule and sticking it on the fridge, I assure you I was not. My current schedule with Thanksgiving menu on the bottom. Plus room for notes and last minute changes.
Happy Thanksgiving from OHC!!! Have a safe and most awesome holiday!
Topics: Tips | 4 Comments »
Tags: Holiday
Sage Sausage Biscuits
By Andrea | Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
Right out of the oven
One of the things I love making are handheld food stuffs. Especially if it’s for a party, potluck, or just something simple to have on hand for holiday gatherings.
Another thing I love is sausage. I grew up eating all kinds and being Polish, you know you have to eat kielbasa as required by law. Back in the day on the rare occasions that I had a McDonald’s breakfast (I know, totally ew, but hey who hasn’t had one? Uh huh.) naturally it was all about the egg sandwiches right? I took off the egg and tossed it because it was icky. I only ate the muffin and sausage. That’s where it was at for me because it was all about the sausage.
I still like that combination but worked on making it a little more healthy. Yes, the dish has sausage but that doesn’t mean the dish has to be a total unhealthy fest. I worked on looking at it from a different perspective and presenting in a different form. Sage Sausage Biscuits are the result!
Andrea’s Sage Sausage Biscuits
- 1pound of bulk sage breakfast sausage, cooked, drained and cooled
- 1 C self-rising cornmeal
- 1 C of all-purpose flour
- 1 C of shredded cheddar
- 1 C of half & half
- 1 egg
- Garlic powder to taste
Preheat oven to 350. With nonstick spray, spray a 12 count muffin tin. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, half & half, egg, and garlic powder. Then add in the sausage and cheese and mix until well blended. Spoon into the muffin tin and fill about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until the biscuits are brown and start to pull away at the sides of the tin. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 2 minutes then remove from the muffin tin. Serve warm. Makes 12 biscuits. If it seems like you have more mixture, make more biscuits!
Sage Sausage Biscuit
I prefer using self-rising cornmeal because it makes life easier. But if you can’t find it or don’t use it, you will need to add 2 tsp of baking powder to the recipe so the biscuits will fluff up.
I love this little biscuit. The muffin tin makes them the perfect sized portion. They are a great dish to serve at brunch and can be made the day ahead. Just gently rewarm before serving. They can even be frozen and reheated right before serving. Or freeze and pull out one (or two) when needed.
They are also a great little treat to have during the holidays. Heat up and serve as an easy breakfast on Thanksgiving day. Since they can be made ahead, it’s one less thing to worry about on the big day.
Feel free to play around with it too! Maybe use spicy breakfast sausage and add some chopped jalapeno. Or shredded pepper jack instead of cheddar. Or both! It can be adapted to your personal tastes.
Enjoy guys! And remember, always play with your food!
Happy Holidays from OHC!
Topics: Breakfast | 7 Comments »
Tags: Cheese, Holiday, Pork
Cranberry and Pecan Stuffed Acorn Squash
By Andrea | Sunday, November 16th, 2008
Roasted Acorn Squash
I’ve been experimenting with winter squashes lately. These are a new item at OHC HQ and one that we are thoroughly enjoying. I didn’t grow up eating winter squash aside from pumpkin, and that was only in pie. Perhaps a cookie, but that’s as far as it went. All the other varieties of squash never crossed the threshold and I’m pretty sure it was the same way over at young Scott’s house as well.
During my experimentations, both of us have decided that we love the winter squashes and currently we have not met a squash we didn’t like. A familiar squash this time of year is the little acorn squash. Perfect as a meal on its own or playing costar as a side dish. And one thing that seems pretty typical is a stuffed acorn squash. Meat of some sort seems to be a common ingredient, sausage taking a top spot.
When I created this dish, it was a veggie day for us so there’s no meat contained in this stuffing. I was looking for something a little sweet and a little savory. Filling, yet light, so as not to weigh you down after eating.
Andrea’s Cranberry and Pecan Stuffed Acorn Squash
- 1 medium-sized acorn squash
- 1-2 C of cooked brown rice
- 1/2 C of dried cranberries
- 1/2 C of crushed pecans
- 1 TBSP of maple syrup
- 1 TBSP of olive oil
- Salt, pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. On a foil lined cookie sheet place the acorn squash cut side up. Rub each half with 1/2 TBSP of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (to taste). Also sprinkle each half with 1/2 tsp of chili powder, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Roast for about 1 hour or until fork tender.
While that is roasting, cook the rice according to package directions. I always use chicken stock for cooking rice. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine rice, cranberries, pecans, and maple syrup. Mix to combine.
When the squash is fully roasted, remove from oven. Place each half on a plate and fill with the rice mixture. Serve immediately.
Cranberry and Pecan Stuffed Acorn Squash
Both of us were really pleased with the way the dish came out. The acorn squash is sweet but it isn’t quite as sweet as a butternut, allowing the maple syrup and cranberries to shine through. The pecans give it some crunch and a little protein boost. The brown rice keeps things filling yet light.
I used a brown jasmine rice but you can use whatever rice you love or happen to have on hand. Another common way of roasting squash, is in a shallow roasting pan with a little water, about an inch or so. Roast at the same temp for the same time or until fork tender. The steam from the water will help keep the squash moist.
If you’re looking for something a little different this holiday season, or perhaps an easy side dish to bring to a party, this is definitely a winner.
Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!
Topics: Main Dish, Side Dish | 4 Comments »
Tags: Fruit, Grains, Holiday, Nuts, Rice, Veggies