Black Friday

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I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving here in the USA. I sure had a nice time. There is nothing better than roasted turkey and gravy with cranberry sauce. Don't forget the pumpkin pie and apple pie.

Recently I went to the movie theater and saw the latest Harry Potter flick...Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. It was really enjoyable and those kids have definitely grown. They have been awfully lucky.

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Today I watched a much older movie, Hooper starring Burt Reynolds and Jan Michael Vincent. Renolds plays a stuntman, and Field is his girlfriend. This is their third or fourth film together.


The Ivoryton Playhouse next show will be opening soon with the show Barnum. I can't wait go. It stars Bruce Connelly and Beverley Galpin.  It opens December 9.  I can't wait to see it. I also was interested in the world of Phineas Taylor Barnum. He is the founder of publicity.

Whip up new things in the kitchen and try new things,

Cassandra

Apartment Organization

I live in a one room apartment and have a galley for a kitchen. I have three counters  to work on and they all have other items on them and they are not exactly large counters. My food was competing for the same space as my plates, pots, pans, etc. I miss my parents home and the pantry cabinet.  My boyfriend did something he had done to lend more room in the places he lived in. He stuck a shelf unit into the closet.

In the CNS Store I found this great Pot Wall Hanger at a great price. My Mother bought it for me as a birthday gift. She couldn't believe the item arrived at the house in 3 days.

Here is the unit without anything on it on the wall.

Here is the shelf all filled with pots and pans.

Isn't it just beautiful. I love it and it freed a lot of room to reorganize the kitchen.

Cassandra

Cherry-Glazed Chicken

Last night I got into the kitchen to cook my next meal. I began interested in this recipe called Cherry-Glazed Chicken from the Cherry Marketing Institute. You see the finished product above. it tasted wonderful. I am not use to having chicken with cherries.

Here is the recipe.

Cherry-Glazed Chicken
Makes 6

1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut up (or 6 chicken breast halves)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste (used ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 16-ounce can unsweetened tart cherries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Pour milk into a shallow container. Combine flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Dip chicken first in milk, then in flour mixture; coat evenly. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken; brown on all sides. Put chicken in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven 30 minutes. Meanwhile, drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine cherry juice, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a small saucepan; mix well. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add mustard; m ix well. Cook 5 minutes, o runtil sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in cherries. After chicken has cooked 30 minutes, remove from oven and uncover. Spoon hot cherry mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per serving: 493 cal., 26 g total fat (7 g sat. fat), 33 g carbo., 117 mg chol., 31 g pro., 1 g fiber, 231 mg sodium. Daily RDA values: 15% vit. A, 8% vit. C, 6% calcium, 20% iron.

Here is the ingredients I used.

Of course in my photo I forgot the flour. I used chicken breasts instead of a cut up whole broiler-fryer because of value. I also could have bought a whole broiler-fryer and cut it up because to my knowledge that is what Alton Brown would have done (along with other cooks and chefs I know of on television).

Here is the flour and milk mixture that I dipped the chicken in before I browned them.

Here is the chicken browning in the pan.
Note: When you brown in this fashion, you should not turn the chicken until the chicken is completely browned or you will take off the flour-milk mixture which is used as a sealant to keep in the juices.

Here in this chicken in the 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan which I am preparing to cover with foil and put in the 350F oven.

After this it is time to prepare the cherry juice and mustard mixture.

 What would the mixture be without the cherries.

 The only thing left to do is put the cherry mixture on top of the cherries and put it back in the oven. When it comes out of the oven it looks like this when it comes out of the oven.

 Then you have this lovely dish out of the oven. Anyone who hasn't tried chicken and cherries really should. I choose to have my chicken with rice and grilled zucchini from the frozen aisle of Trader Joe's.

A new recipe to whip up in the kitchen.



Cassandra

Purchases

I went shopping yesterday and look at what I bought for myself -- a garlic keeper. Something handy to have around the kitchen. It looks nicer than putting your garlic in a brown paper bag on the counter. I could just see it being accidently thrown out.

 Has anyone ever tried Stacy's All Natural Pita Chips? I have never bought pita chips before. It was a new experience for me. The one thing I know is that they are for the health conscious. I put myself in that dietary category.

 Here is a picture of the chips. They taste nothing like potato chips are crackers. Their is no flakiness to them. They don't taste bad or anything, but I won't rush out to the grocery store and purchase more.

 Try new things and whip things up in the kitchen.

My First Pork Roast

The time has come for me to make my first pork roast, and that I did.  I thought it looked so beautiful when it came out of the oven. I roasted some potatoes while I cooked it. Here is the recipe I used.

Honey-Ginger Pork Roast

Weathertop Lodge Bed and Breakfast, Waitsfield, Vermont

Ingredients

One 5-pound center cut boneless pork loin

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger root

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons salt

honey

Run knife between fat and meat to form pockets on top of roast. Using a long-bladed knife, insert grated ginger into pockets. In small bowl, mix olive oil, ground ginger, and salt. Place pork in roasting pan and brush with oil, ginger, and salt mixture. Bake at 350 degrees, allowing 30 minutes per pound. About 15 minutes before roast is done, brush meat completely with honey. Allow roast to stand 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)

I did make a small change to the recipe myself. Instead of using a 5 lb center cut pork loin I used a 2.5 lb mini pork loin.  It took an hour and a half to roast.

 It was scrumptious. You pour honey over the pork once it comes out of the oven. It lends a nice sweet taste to the pork.

 Here it is on a plate. I know -- the vegetables are missing! I ate mixed vegetables on a different plate. I know how important it is to get those greens.


And have you tried salsa and chips from Trader Joe's?

Here is a closer look at the salsa.

What makes it even more appetizing is to see what it looks like in a bowl and with a chip.

 It is so good. I love the flavor of the peaches. I never knew peaches in salsa could be so heavenly until I tried it. It would serve as a wonderful appetizer for Thanksgiving.

Try something new, and whip something up in your kitchen.

My Homemade Italian Meatballs

I love cooking in the kitchen. Oftentimes I make recipes by chefs everyone has heard of. This is the first recipe I put together from scratch.  I love watching all the greats, Giada DeLaurentiis, Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Alton Brown, Jamie Oliver, etc. I also watch Top Chef and Iron Chef. I have been bitten by the bug.

Here is a picture of the ingredients I am using for my recipe minus the basic which I forgot to include.

Italian Meatballs
Makes 4 servings

1 egg, beaten
1 lb ground meat (I like to use meatloaf mix  and my Mom uses ground chuck and ground pork if I remember correctly)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c milk
1 c bread cubes (best us French or Italian bread)
4 garlic cloves put through a garlic press
1 T oregano, fresh or dried
2 T parsley, fresh or dried
1/4 t salt or to taste
1 t black pepper or to taste
1/8 c olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl mix all ingredients starting with the wet ingredients first, then the bread, meat and spices. Shape them into balls and place them on a cookie sheet.

 Put them in the oven for about an hour or until brown and nicely done.

 Of course, here is the finished product in the tomato sauce.



If you haven't figured out I have a kitchen the size of a galley on a sailboat and am squeezed for space.

Have you ever tried Pringles Multi-Grain Potato Chips.

Here is what they look like out of the container. Now really I am not a big potato chip fan but chips made of whole grain every once in a while (or a blue moon) is okay.  They taste light and fluffy. Have them with your sandwich you eat at work.
Cook something new and try something new. Have a great day.

Cassandra

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup

Trying things is my thing, and I personally love butternut squash soup. When I saw the soup at Trader Joe's I couldn't resist wanting to try it.

Butternut Squash Soup from Trader Joe's. Sorry about the glare.

 Here is the soup in the bowl with some crackers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I really should do is make my own. I haven't made soup but someone told me it is not very hard.

In a previous blog I also mention Swiss Miss hot cocoa, so I decided to add it to the things I add to try that taste wonderful. I love having marshmallows in my hot cocoa. My Mom often purchased it at the grocery store. 

I know the cup is a little messy. This hot cocoa is made with milk. You can make Swiss Miss with either water or milk. I choose milk over water all the time.


Enjoy the day, try new things and stay warm.

Cassandra

Have You Tried Trader Joe's Apple Smoked Uncured Bacon?

On a couple of cooking television shows I have heard the chef's talk about uncured apple smoked bacon. When I found it at my local Trader Joe's I couldn't resist trying it.

 I cooked myself some breakfast and decided to have a couple of slices.

 As you can see I cooked the bacon on the stove.

 I decided to fix myself an egg. I love the over easy. Have you seen this pan in the store before? It is really quite handy and easy to clean.

 Here is the finished product--and if you haven't tried that apple smoked uncured bacon, you really should.


Cassandra