Italian Gianduja Chocolates

Packaged with a pretty gold ribbon, and ready to give as
a gift or put into a pretty serving bowl to add alongside
any holiday dessert or buffet table.

unwrapped, you can see the rich dark chocolate shape.

Once cut open you can see the smooth filling, that has an
excellent true Gianduja flavor!

These can be found at Trader Joe's in the New Item section!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Porchetta Roast at Trader Joe's

This Italian Style, Bacon wrapped roast, is now
being featured as a seasonal item at Trader Joe's.
Perfectly seasoned and ready to go!

While this was cooking, the kitchen smelled so wonderful!
It roasts up to perfection!  Save all the pan drippings to make a
tasty gravy or sauce to put over the sliced meat.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Raclette Sliced Cheese

Trader Joe's is now featuring some amazing items.
Usually this is around the holiday time, so they call these items
seasonal.  But please take full advantage of all these goodies!
And the ones you love..... stock up on!! They only come once a year!

Adding Raclette cheese as a topping to steamed potatoes bings something ordinary to another mouth watering level.   Watching as the cheese is just starting to melt over hot potatoes.

I can't wait to dig in!!!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Thai Style Fried Rice

What a great way to use up leftovers, or clean out 

the refrigerator. 

With a bit of leftover pork and chicken, and some shrimp

in the freezer, plus a big tupperware full of cooked rice, 

this seemed like the most appropriate dish to make. 

Something about the way all these flavors come together

is just so satisfying, especially since I had not prepared

any Thai food in awhile. 

I love the flavors in Thai fried rice compared to Chinese fried rice. 

The Thai style incorporates the eggs directly into the rice, while Chinese style 

usually makes an egg "pancake" and then dices that

and adds it. 

Plus, I love the flavors of fish sauce and cilantro, which are not part 

of chinese cooking fried rice.

Overall...... amazing comfort food!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

leftover cold rice

oil

garlic

pork

chicken

shrimp

green onions

cilantro

fish sauce

eggs

lime to taste

chili to taste

Chai Spiced Pear Crisp

At our house, a fruit crisp is a common occurrence.

However, this one is really dialed up on its spices.

I saw a recipe for chai spiced pear pie, and just converted it 

to a crisp.  My niece can not have gluten, and it seems like most 

Thanksgiving desserts, pies, tarts, cakes etc. contain gluten.

So, since crisp is a crustless dessert, it was on the list to try. 

The fruit is peeled and cut and tossed with spices.

The topping has no flour.  In place of all-purpose flour, I used

almond flour and Teff flour with the oats, sugars and butter.

Plus, lots of spices.  The combination of spices I used were

Cinnamon

Cardamom

Ginger

Nutmeg

Black Pepper 

and salt

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source:  thekitchn.com

Cranberry Walnut Tart

The top can be decorated with cut orange segments.

Walnuts are added to the partially baked crust.

The partially cooked caramel syrup is added over the walnuts.

After the tart is completely baked and the caramel syrup

has bubbled and thickened in the oven.

This crust can be baked a day ahead and stored with plastic wrap.
The cranberry filling can be made and stored a day ahead as well.
The orange segments can also be carefully cut and stored in
a container in the fridge.

When ready to serve, just assemble and cut.
The textures and balance of sweet and tart are so yummy on this tart!

As Always

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens, Nov. 2018

Pumpkin Bread Trifle

The top is covered with candied pecans.

The trifle dish is layered with pumpkin bread and

the enriched whip cream.

Upon serving, you can add caramel sauce, or a liquor, or 

brittle chips, 

or as I did here, broken chunks of honeycomb candy.

Adding a topping, especially one with texture, gives not 

only a beautiful presentation, but is an added

crunch when eating the trifle.

This is a great do ahead recipe, and can be assembled

shortly before serving, or if you have space in the refrigerator, can

be assembled up to 8 hours ahead. 

This was the easiest of all my Thanksgiving desserts, and it was a 

huge hit!  I think with all the whip cream and spiced up pumpkin bread, 

and lastly the homemade honeycomb candy, everyone enjoyed

the variety it was from just having pie.

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

Pumpkin bread(homemade or store bought)

Candied pecans(homemade or store bought)

Enriched Whip Cream

  2 1/2 cups heavy cream

  8oz. sour cream

  1 cup powdered sugar

  2 Tbsp. bourbon

 Just before assembling, whip the cream, then add the sour cream, sugar and bourbon to blend. 

In a large trifle dish, add one layer of 1" cubed pumpkin bread squares, then a layer of whip cream(1/3 of the mixture) then a sprinkling of the candied pecans.  Repeat this 2 more times.  The top can be decorated with extra pecans or caramel sauce or brittle chips.  

Cranberries from Wisconsin

I was delightfully surprised to find these wonderful, large 

sized bags of Cranberries at Trader Joe's!  

I love the 2 lbs. package, since I use so many cranberries at

Thanksgiving and Christmas time, for pies, sauces, desserts

and breads.

Even better, they came from the great state of Wisconsin! Which of 

course I am partial to, since my daughter and nephew live in that state. 

My grandfather was born and raised in Madison WI, and he was a 

huge berry lover, both cranberries and blueberries!

Stock up on cranberries, they freeze well too, for later use!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Pie Parade 2018

The assortment of pies, tarts and desserts

are lined up waiting to be cut! 

And the Thanksgiving Feasters are patiently waiting

to make there selection.

This year we had a number of classic favorites.
Mince Pie, which is my mother's favorite, she even eats
leftovers for breakfast! Crimson Pie, which is a wonderful twist
on a berry pie, but with cranberries, makes it so appropriate for the holidays.
Two pecans pies!  Always favorites! One which was classic pecan and one that was
a Texas Pecan Pie. This pie has chocolate, layering the bottom of the crust.

The new recipes tested this year were a Pumpkin Bread Trifle, which was a big hit!
A Cranberry walnut Tart, which is an easy do ahead recipe, and lastly was a
gluten free, Chai Spiced Pear Crisp, which we included especially for my niece.

Everyone always wants to try all the pies, which sometimes is a challenge
to cut enough skinny slices.  Luckily, we all meet again on Friday for an after
Thanksgiving dinner party, which gives an opportunity for folks to
try any leftovers, that they didn't already try the day before!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Italian Cookie Assortment

Trader Joe's always brings in so many wonderful new items

during the holiday season. 

This package of "A Classic Selection of Cookies and Meringues"

caught my eye.

I really enjoy good Italian cookies.  I love to make them myself,

especially my favorite varieties, but they always make so many,

it is nice to just buy a few.

Inside the box, the cookies are very nicely displayed in a tray. 

The tray helps to keep the cookies from breaking, but also keeps

them from being covered in crumbs from the other cookies. 

I really appreciate the tray design, especially if you are going

to put the cookies out in a pretty fashion on a plate or platter for serving. 

I have opened bags of cookies before that have been all tumbled 

together and they are a mess to try and serve.

There are many cookie choices in our markets these days, but enjoying

something traditional from another country, even if it is very simple

is always a fun treat for me and I hope for any guest I may serve!

As Always,

ENJOY!

St. Tropez Restaurant and Wine Bar

Lamb shank cooked to perfection!

Melt in your mouth seared Sea Scallops!

Mushroom stuffed chicken breast, delicate and moist!

Classic Frisee salad, a must have at any French restaurant!

Chocolate Mousse, a recipe from the chef's grand-mere!

Who can resist all the amazing cuisines of NYC!

On a recent visit to NYC, to see my son, we were able to enjoy a wide 

range of restaurants and cuisines.  The first stop, a little French restaurant with great 

ambiance and character, an amazing chef, and the friendliest owner. I never

have difficulty striking up a conversation in a restaurant, and when 

food and wine is the main subject, the conversation has no end. When pride of the 

restaurant is shown by the owner, chef, waiters and kitchen staff, you know you 

have found a gem of a place.

When you are treated like family, you know immediately that it is a 

restaurant to be frequented as often as possible.

A great wine list and, a menu that has so many good choices,

you know instantly that to try it all you will have to return. 

As Always,

ENJOY!