Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
“Kick the Can” String Bean Casserole
“Kick the Can” String Bean Casserole – Thanksgiving Super Sides!
Leave it to Good Housekeeping to come up with a fresh new take on the old green been casserole. I love that this recipe kicks the cans and uses all fresh ingredients. I will try it out this Thanksgiving and know that the adults at my table will appreciate and love the new take on an old classic. Not so sure about the younger guests, so I am keeping a can of fried onions in the pantry to pull out in case of mutiny at the kids table! I will let you know how it goes and as always would love to hear your thoughts.
New Green Bean Casserole from GoodHousekeeping.com – use this link to visit the site for more great make-ahead sides that are perfect for Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
* 3 pound(s) green beans, trimmed and cut in half
* 4 large shallots
* 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
* 1 1/2 cup(s) coarse fresh bread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme leaves, chopped
* Salt and pepper
* 3 cup(s) lowfat 1% milk
* 3 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
* 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon(s) freshly ground nutmeg
* 1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
* Heat covered 8-quart saucepot of salted water to boiling on high. Add beans and cook, uncovered, 6 minutes or until bright green and just tender. Drain well and transfer to shallow 3-quart glass or ceramic baking dish.
* Meanwhile, finely chop 2 shallots. Thinly slice remaining shallots; set aside. In 12-in. skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add chopped shallots and cook 4 to 7 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Add bread crumbs and cook 2 minutes or until dry and golden, stirring. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Stir in thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
* In microwave-safe measuring cup, microwave milk on High 4 minutes or until milk is warm.
* Meanwhile, in same 12-in. skillet, melt margarine on medium. Add sliced shallots and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown and tender, stirring occasionally. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Gradually pour milk into flour mixture in slow, steady stream, stirring constantly; heat to boiling, stirring. Stir 2 minutes longer or until thickened (mixture should have the consistency of heavy cream). Stir in nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
* Pour sauce over green beans; gently stir until green beans are evenly coated. Stir Parmesan cheese into bread crumb mixture; spread evenly over green bean mixture in casserole.
* Bake casserole 30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown and sauce is bubbling.
Friday’s Featured Cocktail – Sparkling Cranberry Blush
Friday’s Featured Cocktail – Sparkling Cranberry Blush
Here is a terrific cocktail to serve this Thanksgiving. The Sparkling Cranberry Blush combines lemon with cranberry, which makes a refreshing flavor teaser for the meal ahead. The addition of Champagne gives this punch its special, sparkling holiday touch. When hosting a bunch or trying to put out a meal like Thanksgiving, punch is perfect. It looks festive and pretty, plus guests can help themselves (saves you the time of mixing cocktails one by one). You’ll be busying with the finishing touches on dinner and if not, you’ll be able to join your guests as they enjoy some Thanksgiving Cheer!
Dawn’s Note: This cocktail calls for champagne flutes not the traditional punch cups, so I recommend serving it from a pitcher not a punch bowl. Set the pitcher out on a pretty tray and let guests help themselves.
Sparkling Cranberry Blush
Yield: 6 quarts (serving size: 3/4 cup)
Ingredients
* 3 cups cold water
* 2 (48-ounce) bottles cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
* 2 (6-ounce) cans thawed lemonade concentrate, undiluted
* 2 (750-milliliter) bottles brut champagne, chilled
Preparation
* Combine the first 3 ingredients in a punch bowl, and stir well.
* Add chilled champagne, and stir gently.
* Serve immediately.
“November Month of Thanks” Fall Feast Book Giveaway!
“November Month of Thanks” Fall Feast Book Giveaway!
November is here and Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. This month it’s all about being thankful, so we will bring you simple and special ways to show your thanks and celebrate.
Here at The Partybluprints Blog we have so many reasons to be thankful and you are one of them! Elizabeth and I would like to thank you, our readers for visiting, commenting and helping this blog to grow. We began in July 2007 with just a few readers, after 2 years and over 500 posts we now get ten of thousands of visitors from all over the world!
So thank you for visiting and please continue to do so this holiday season. To kick off “The Month of Thanks” we begin with the Fall Feast Book Giveaway!
We have two great foodie books for the giveaway, retail valued at $70! Just in time for the holidays with great recipes for everything from seafood to sundaes! We love chocolate and love the Bald Man of Chocolate, Max Brenner. His book, Chocolate: A Love Story, has 65 chocolate dessert recipes from his private collection. Rising food star Michael Psilakis is co-owner of a growing empire of modern Mediterranean restaurants, and
one of the most exciting young chefs in America today. In How to Roast a Lamb, the self-taught chef offers recipes from his restaurants and his home in this, his much-anticipated first cookbook. We are so excited about both these book and can’t wait to start cooking!
WIN both books a value of $70!
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316056625.htm
Chocolate: A Love Story
By Max Brenner
Illustrated by Yonatan Factor
Scrumptious Sweet Potatoes – Thanksgiving Super Sides
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch
Change up your typical mashed sweet potatoes with this colorful, easy side dish.
Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Ginger, Ground, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons butter, cut up, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon each of the cinnamon and ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat well. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cranberries. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger in medium bowl. Cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and stir gently. Sprinkle evenly with pecan topping.
3. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes longer or until sweet potatoes are tender and topping is lightly browned.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
per serving
Calories: 439
Fat: 19 g
Carbohydrates: 63 g
Cholesterol: 23 mg
Sodium: 257 mg
Fiber: 6 g
Protein: 4 g
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Zesty Salsa Dish
A vibrant mix of bright-red tomatoes, garlic, onions, and tangy cilantro, salsa is a nutrient-dense condiment that can transform an ordinary dish into a savory meal. This easy-to-prepare vegetarian chili features an avocado salsa that is both flavorful and nutritious.
Vegetarian Chili With Avocado Salsa (Phase 1)
Description
This flavor-packed chili features fiber and protein, rich black beans, and avocados, which contain healthy monounsaturated fat.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Avocado Salsa:
1 medium California avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 large lime
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetarian Chili:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 can (14-19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
3/4 can (14 ounces) vegetable broth
1 can (4 ounces) green chili peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 lime, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
To make the avocado salsa: In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and pepper. Lightly toss. Let stand for 30 minutes.
To make the avocado chili: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, chili peppers, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and oregano and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with the avocado salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges. Sprinkle with the cilantro.
Nutritional information
Per serving:
181 calories
17 g fat (1 g sat)
25 g carbohydrate
7 g protein
15 g dietary fiber
665 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol
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