I am SO in the holiday mood. I love thanksgiving because I love cooking for everyone. A couple of years ago, I made like four different kinds of cranberry sauce (well, my little sister helped). They were all to die for, so this is one of my favorites.
This is what you'll need:
1 pear, peeled and diced
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 cups of fresh cranberries
1 cup Chardonnay, apple juice, or water
1 1/2- 2 cups light brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want)
2 tbs candied ginger, chopped
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla OPTIONAL (The cranberries and ginger can be pretty heavy and tart; vanilla can make it lighter and more mild, especially for kids. I don't put vanilla in this particular recipe, although I do when I make pomegranate and cherry sauce. It's up to you.)
Bring the pear, celery, cranberries, ginger, and Chardonnay to a boil, then add the remaining ingredients while stirring constantly to avoid sticking.
Turn the heat down to medium/low and simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the cranberries are done "popping".
Mmm... you will be able to smell the ginger and cinnamon cooking. That's the best part:-)
This sauce will be very thick and chunky, not a jelly consistency like the canned kind.
Serve warm or cold with your Thanksgiving Dinner. The sauce will save for 10 days in the fridge so it can be eaten with leftovers:-)
Alright, so I have been hesitant to let this recipe go because I couldn't get it "perfect" for a long time. I couldn't get it to taste exactly like the real thing. Then I realized: whatever. These babies are delicious, and OF COURSE they don't taste EXACTLY the same. I mean, Starbucks has access to ingredients I don't, preservatives I don't, and the way they package and flash freeze them is obviously different.
So, this is it. It tastes pretty freaking similar, and DELICIOUS. So, if you like Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, this is my best guess at a copycat recipe, just in time for the holidays:-)
First, you make the cake/ crust part on the bottom. You'll need the following ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 whole eggs
3 tbs crystallized ginger, chopped finely (You could also use powdered ginger, but the candied kind tastes so much better)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped finely (I used Craisins and it was perfect)
6 ounces white chocolate chopped into chunks
Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter and sugar together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the ginger, vanilla, and salt. After mixed well, gradually mix in flour and baking powder 1/4 cup at a time. This will make a nice cake consistency. At the end, add the cranberries and white chocolate by hand and mix in with a wooden spoon.
Pour into a greased 9x13 dish with sides (I greased my pan, but you could also put tin poil or parchment down and I think it would still work okay). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then cool COMPLETELY before adding the frosting in the next step.
For frosting, you will need:
4 ounces cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp orange juice (fresh squeezed is always best!) - Actually, the second time I made this I used lemon instead because I was out of oranges. Although I like the taste of the orange better, the lemon tastes closer to the Starbucks recipe. You can also use orange zest. If so, make sure you don't get the pith. Directions are here on my blog.
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (if you don't have vanilla bean paste, you can sub vanilla extract. If you use white vanilla, it won't color the frosting and it turns out "prettier", but they taste equally amazing!
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and slowly add in powdered sugar (if you add it to fast you'll make a mess:-) Trust me). Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix well. Spread over the cake (make sure the cake is completely cooled down, otherwise this part will not look pretty).
Next, chop 1/4- 1/2 cup dried cranberries and sprinkle evenly over the frosting.
To make it LOOK more like the Starbucks recipe, drizzle some icing diagonally over the bars. Icing doesn't add a lot of taste, so you can use the typical recipe of 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 tbs of heavy cream or milk (or even water or orange juice) OR you can melt white chocolate in a double boiler method over the stove and drizzle that.
Let it cool in the fridge for about an hour so the icing can set before you cut them into triangles.
Enjoy! :-)
Yum! I might make this for dinner.
What you need:
One zucchini
One large tomato
Fennel Bulb (you won't use the whole thing)
Feta Cheese
Box of pasta
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Thyme, and Oregano if you want
Julienne the whole zucchini into long strips (use either a mandolin or a peeler). Seed and dice the tomato. Sliver about 1/4 a cup of Fennel Bulb (save the rest for a different dish). Saute the vegetables in about 2 tablespoons of oil for about five minutes, or until they are starting to brown and they are tender. You can add a couple cloves of crushed garlic if you want.
Toss in salt, pepper, and other spices (you can use whatever you would like. I am in a Thyme mood, but Basil sounds good, too).
Serve tossed with pasta (I prefer spaghetti or angel hair) and top with feta cheese (or parmesan).
Yum!
Pairs well with Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or a Chardonnay.
The photo below is the pasta I made tonight (in progress). It's the same recipe except I added asparagus instead of tomato, and I ended up using mozzarella cheese instead of feta because it's what I had one hand. I also added carrots since my grandpa's garden is full of them. My motto: Eat seasonally! It's cheaper and healthier.
BTW, ignore the cut quality on the veggies. My seven year old step son cut them up for me. Cute<3
