Cranberry Relish

Thanksgiving.  To be honest, I'm not a big fan of turkey...or stuffing...or gravy.  This doesn't mean I won't ever eat them, I just don't because I have other food items to look forward to on Thanksgiving.  Plus, I believe they taste better.

  Mashed potatoes, corn pudding, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie are what I lean towards eating.  Also, I can't forget cranberry relish.

Cranberries.  Apples.  Oranges.  Apricots.  Raisins. A touch of cinnamon.  Sugar.  Pecans.

It's perfect.

This recipe is from my Grandmother and was passed to my Mother, and now to me.  I hope you put this in your menu for next year.  You won't regret it.

Cranberry Relish
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

3 cups or 12 ounces fresh, whole cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 whole orange, quartered and seeded
1 tart apple, quartered and cored
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Coarsely grind cranberries, orange, and apple.  Stir in sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Cook raisins and apricots in 1/2 cup water over medium heat until raisins are plump, for about 5-10 minutes.  Drain the water.

Stir in raisins, apricots and pecans into the relish.  Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to be merry.

I hope you relish this relish as much as I do.

Take joy in!
~Victoria    

Making Clementine Marmalade

Marmalade.  

Some may be familiar with this type of preserve.  Some may not.  Whatever the case, it is tangy and sweet.

The other day, we brought home 3 five gallon buckets of clementines.  I just had to cook with them.  That is when I ran across a marmalade recipe.

Today, the recipe is from Caitlin from Roost.  Her concoction is simple and so delightful.  She also made almond meal biscuits to go along with the marmalade.  They are perfect together.  After you make this recipe, I hope you enjoy your very own clementine marmalade.

You can find the original recipe here

Clementine Vanilla Bean Marmalade
Yields about 2 cups

7 clementines
1/2 cup fresh clementine juice (I ran three clementines through my juicer and it yielded exactly 1/2 cup of juice)
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1/4 cup honey

In order to remove the bitter taste from the peel you first needs to blanch the clementines. Slice the clementines as thin as you can and place them in a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain. Pour more cold water into the pot, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and let clementines cool in the pot.

Chop clementines into small pieces and return to pot. Add juice and honey. Bring to a boil and boil for about 20 minutes or until the temperature gets to about 220F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla seeds. Allow to cool before adding to clean jars for storage.

~

Rosemary Almond Meal Biscuits
4 larger or 6 smaller biscuits

2 1/2 cups almond flour, plus 1/2 cup for dusting the dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon  honey
1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary or thyme

Combine almond flour (2 1/2 cups), salt, rosemary and baking soda in a bowl. Mix together the oil, eggs and honey in a separate bowl. Mix your wet ingredients into your dry until a nice dough forms.

Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper, sprinkling extra flour to avoid sticking. For larger biscuits roll dough to about 1 inch thick and cut biscuits using a biscuit cutter or the mouth of a mason jar. For smaller biscuits roll dough to about 1/2 inch thick.

Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake on 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.

Remove from oven, slather with marmalade and savor with tea!

You can also eat your marmalade by swirling it in oatmeal or yogurt.  I can imagine it paring perfectly with a creamy goat cheese.  Marmalade with soy sauce would make a great marinade for salmon.  The possibilities are endless, so enjoy it while it lasts.

You may also want to can it and give it as a gift.

Now go and make marmalade!

~Victoria

  

Favorite Teas

Straight in the morning while dew is outside one's window.  A cup right before bed.  Tea.  Iced or piping hot, it is treasure in a cup.

My tea schedule:

Morning:

Earl grey

English breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Chai

Jasmine

Oolong

Mid-Evening:

Rooibos

Mint

Night:

Chamomile

Anything herbal


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Making Almond Milk

A few days ago, I made my own almond milk.  It was such an easy process, very fun, & the milk is so delicious and satisfying.  Here is a video I found that explains how to make nut milk very clearly.  I found this originally on the My New Roots blog.  Enjoy!

Owner of video, My New Roots

Savor the sweet frothy treat in coffee, cereal or just plain.  

Drink hot or cold.

~Victoria

Carrot-Coconut-Quinoa Mini Muffins

Almost every time I find a recipe, I tweak it.  It is rare for me to keep the recipe completely the same as it was written.  That is one thing I enjoy about cooking.  You can make food with what you like to eat and incorporate it into a recipe.  For example, these muffins.  I made them gluten free and yummy.  NOTE:  The muffins are not super sweet.  I prefer them that way, but feel free to add more sweetener.  Also, I made them mini, but if you prefer to make larger ones, the cook time is 20-25 minutes.

Carrot-Coconut-Quinoa Mini Muffins

Adapted from here 
Makes about 2 dozen muffins

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tablespoon of honey + more if you want them sweeter
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup loosely packed grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a mini muffin tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, honey, meal, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, mix together coconut oil, applesauce, yogurt, vanilla and eggs. Stir into flour bowl, mixing well. Gently fold in carrots, until just mixed.

Divide batter evenly among the mini muffin tin, and transfer to the oven. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.   

Consume in the morning with some Irish Breakfast Tea or as a mid evening snack.  Enjoy!  

~Victoria