This is a great fresh cranberry sauce that is great for sandwiches as well as thanksgiving dinner. Rich in flavor – even non-cranberry sauce eaters will love this dish.

• 1 pkg fresh cranberries
• 1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
• 3/4 cups dates
• 1 cup sugar (in the raw or white)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 t real vanilla extract

Wash and pick through cranberries – looking for dirt or debris.

Add all ingredients to a non-reactive pan. (stainless) Turn heat to medium. Stir occassionally and cook uncovered until cranberries pop and sugar is completely dissolved – about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool and let sit overnight in fridge to allow flavors to meld.

My latest obsession addiction is Pinterest. Not only is Pinterest an amazing place for discovering new designs, inspiring photography, and DIY goodness – but it is a great place to discover fantastic new recipes, food loving blogs, and all things yummy.

Here is my Exploration Food pinboard. Bon Appetite!

Mamas Champorado
This is the perfect bite of my mom’s champorado. served with crumbled bacon… a taste sensation of salty and sweet. trust me, this is oh so good. This was the first thing to come to mind when creating a post for the Denny’s Baconalia/ Foodbuzz challenge!

ingredients
3 cups cooked white rice [preferably short grain]
5 cups water
1/3 cup cocoa powder [use a good one]
1 can coconut milk [NOT coco lopez or sweet coconut used in pina coloadas]
1/3 sugar
evaporated milk

bacon [see perfect bacon recipe]

1. simmer rice and water in a med sized pot over med or med low heat. cook until the rice is pretty well cooked into small bits. this will take approx. 30 min. how far you take this is really up to you. you may need to add water along the way, you do not want it to burn. be sure to stir frequently.
2. in a small bowl, dissolve in a little warm water to make a smooth slurry. this step will prevent you from getting cocoa powder lumps in the porridge. stir into rice. stir in sugar. let simmer on med low or low heat for another 10-15 min. stir constantly to keep from sticking to bottom of pot and to further break down the rice.
3. when you add the coconut milk, separate the thick creme and the water. [you will know exactly what this is when you open the can stir in the water, and cook for another 5 min. then add the coconut creme stir in well and take off the heat.
4. serve in bowls. drizzle the evaporated milk  (like you would add milk to oatmeal). you can add more sugar to taste. finally, top with a slice or two of crumbled bacon.

perfectly crunch-chewy-crisp not hard or burnt bacon.
now, the quality of your bacon will effect outcome, so experiment…
i use a thin sliced prepackaged bacon from the market. never the cheapest brand, never the most expensive.

preheat oven to 400. line baking sheet with foil.
line up the strips of bacon in a single layer onto pan.
bake for 10 min.

turn on broiler to hi, and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp. now don’t take it too far. the bacon will crisp up a bit after you take it out of the over. i find this second step only takes 2-4 min.

immediately transfer bacon to paper towel lined plates and blot off the excess oil. let stand for a minute.
crumble onto your porridge. sigh.

Italian Beef Sandwiches is a great meal for crowd, or any time you want a simple set and forget meal. Probably not really “authentic” – but it is certainly delicious.

This is an adaptation of an Italian beef sandwich that my dear friend Kristen served to us once. Her recipe is also really good, I just never had italian mix in my pantry. In fact, I have been ANTI CROCK POT for quite sometime… and this recipe finally got me to go buy one.

Ingredients

• 4lbs of Beef – I like CHUCK but you can use another roasting cut that you prefer.
• 4 cups beef stock (broth)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed – just to release oils
• 1 onion quartered
• 12oz jar Pepperoncini peppers with liquid
• 2t dried italian herb mix
• 1T garlic powder
• cracked pepper to taste

For finished sandwich

• spicy giardiniera
• provolone cheese
• split hard rolls

Preheat Oven to 450 – place roast inside oven for 30 min. {note: I have made this recipe skipping this step, and it turned out great. So if you are in a hurry you can omit this step}

Put all other ingredients into a crock pot. (I still can’t believe that I just said that) Add in beef. Note: I have some in my household that don’t like it too spicy – so I just use half the peppers and liquid.

cook for 6 hours (as long as 8 or more)or until soft enough to shred with a fork.

To serve: Shred beef and return to cooking liquid.

Serve beef on split rolls with Pepperocini, Spicy giardiniera, or provolone cheese. Serve cooking liquid in a bowl for dipping.

Simple, easy, and satisfying. Serves 8-10

Add a smokey twist to an old favorite. I love Corned Beef – boiled with cabbage, sliced onto a sandwich, and chopped into hash with a side of fried eggs. But for the summer, I decided to give corned beef it’s moment in the sun. Grilled corned beef and twice cooked potatoes was a happy experiment that turned out oh so good.

Ingredients

• Packaged Corned Beef
• 1# Potatoes – yukon gold or other creamy variety
• oil for frying

Start by boiling the corned beef in water for about an hour. Replace water with fresh. Put the corned beef back in along with the potatoes and continue to boil until tender but NOT falling apart. {Replacing the water allows you to pull some of the salt from the corned beef} When done, pull from water and allow to dry for a few minutes.

Cook potatoes until just fork tender. Potatoes should still be firm.Cooking the potatoes whole will help them retain their shape and texture. Place onto paper towel and allow to dry and cool to room temperature. {Potatoes will be done before the meat.}

When ready to serve:

Corned Beef:
Heat the grill to very high heat. Grill the Corned Beef until a nice toasty crust is created. The fat cap of the corned beef will crisp up, almost like bacon.

Potatoes
Heat oil to 375.
Cut potatoes in half. Drop into hot oil flash frying for just about a minute. This will seal in the creamy center and crisp the outside.
Drain on paper towels and immediately toss with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

This recipe is great for a simple but delicious summer dinner.
For the best flavor be sure to use only the most fresh shrimp you can get your hands on. I prefer head on for full flavor. If you prefer yours headless.. just be sure they have their shells on.

Ingredients

2-3 lbs shrimp
2 limes – juiced
2 T oil (NOT olive)
1t garlic powder
salt & pepper

Toss all ingredients together.
Grill over SUPER high heat.
Turn over once, and serve hot!

I love the BLT…what’s not to love really. So today I mad the girls and I a simple lunch of BTA crostini with a side salad of arugula drizzles with a buttermilk dill dressing.

To make these tasty morsels is simple.
Light brush sliced baguette with garlic infused olive oil and broil for about 3-5 min. Keep close eye on them as they will go from toasty to burnt in an instant.

Once toasted, let cool.smear lightly with a little mayo and then top with sliced avocado, fresh sliced tomatoes, and of course.ll crisp thick sliced bacon. Serve with a green salad for a delicious lunch.

They are also great as appetizers.

Please note, was created as part of the Denny’s and/or Foodbuzz BACONALIA challenge and is an entry for a chance to win.

.=

I first tasted this recipe while travelling through Amish country a few years back. We stopped to have dinner a great little restaurant and this was one of the items they served. (family style of course)

This recipe is so easy… but really quite yummy. Great for sandwhiches or served at breakfast with eggs. This is pretty much homemade spam!

Ham Loaf

• 1lb. ground pork 
• 1lb. smoked ham)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 eggs
• 1/2cup milk
• Salt (use sparingly) and pepper to taste

Glaze

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar

Ham Loaf : Mix all the ingredients. Shape in a loaf and place in a roasting pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. After 1/2 hour pour the following sauce over the loaf.

Glaze: Mix and bring to a boil before pouring half of mixture over ham loaf before baking. Pour remainder of liqud over ham load during last half of cooking. Serves 8.

I love donuts of all kinds. Little local shops, Krispy Kreme… I even have fond memories of early morning Winchel Donut runs. So today I decided to try my hand at making them homemade. After doing some research… there are as many recipes as there are varieties and flavors! I used the recipe found on the Pioneer Woman and made a few minor adjustments. The results - total donut bliss. Here is my version. (you have to check out her post though for some gorgeous photography and great cooking tips!)

Donut Bliss

• 1  1/4 cup milk (NOT SKIM) heated to 115
• ¼ C Sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons SAF Yeast or 1 packet dry yeast
• 3 Eggs, Beaten
• 1 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
• 5 cups Sifted All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoons Salt
• oil

• GLAZE
• 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoons Vanilla (or Maple Syrup)
• 1/4 cups Cold Milk

To Make the Dough

1. Add sugar to warm milk. Stir to dissolve.
2. Add yeast, stir gently – set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Add beaten eggs, melted butter, and yeast mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.
4. Allow the dough hook to stir this mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure it’s thoroughly combined.
5. With the mixer still going, add salt and flour 1/2 cup increments until all the flour is gone.
6. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on the same speed for five whole minutes.
7. After five minutes, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
8. Turn on the mixer for 1 minute.
9. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit in the bowl undisturbed for 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place straight in the fridge. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
To Make the Doughnuts:
1. Remove bowl from fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to ½” thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can.
4. Place both doughnuts and holes on floured baking sheets.
5. Cover with large tea towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen or in the oven set to proof.
6. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least 1 hour; 1 hour 15 minutes if necessary. Doughuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy. They will be VERY delicate.
To Fry the Dougnuts
1. Heat oil or oil/shortening in a large pot until the temperature reaches 350 -375. Donuts should fry in about a minute or so on each side. You don’t want them to turn dark brown too fast. Keep the thermometer in the pan to continually monitor the temp.
2. One to two at a time, gently grab doughnuts and ease them into the hot oil. Allow them to cook 1 minute on each side.
3. Remove doughnuts from the oil allowing all oil to drip off. Place doughnut immediately on several layers of paper towels
5. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the doughnuts; about 30 seconds per side.

To Glaze
1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until completely smooth.
2. One by one, dip doughnuts into the glaze until halfway submerged
3. Remove from glaze, then turn right side up on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (to catch dripping glaze.)
4. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature.

Donut Holes

1. After frying the donut holes, place them into a paper bag filled with granulated sugar or granulated sugar and cinnamon. Shake to coat.

Enjoy 1, 2, or 12!

Today I had a mediocre lunch… I should have know there were going to be issues when my samdwich came out with this creepy garnish.

A canned peach is never a good thing. Putting an olive in the middle of it doesn’t help. And who still uses that curly parsley. This is truly garnish gone wrong.