Not Bogged Down with These Cranberries

My mom makes this amazing Cranberry Relish each holiday. Believe me it is fab-u-lous!!!! People who think they don't like cranberry relish have got to try this kind because you will loooooove it! It is a perfect combination of tart and sweet. And it is so incredibly simple to make.

So all you do is take a bag of frozen cranberries (You just buy them at the grocery store and freeze them) and an orange. You grind these together. You grind the orange peel and all.

My mom uses this old fashioned food grinder that suctions onto the table and you put the cranberries and the orange in the top and turn the handle which pushes the fruit through the grinder. I'm sure you could also use a food processor. But, to me, there is something nostalgic and nice about using a machine that has been used for probably well over 30-some years to make so many dishes that so many others have enjoyed. I love that idea.

Okay, so once you have the cranberries and orange ground, you simply add in 1 cup of sugar and mix it all together. That's it!! Yes, really. That's all there is to it. Next, you just take spoonful and enjoy! How do you make your cranberry relish?

Scalloped Oysters!

I love oysters and make this Scalloped Oyster side dish . My one brother actually requests it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is so so simple, yet so so good. Seriously it is fab-u-lous!!!

Here's what you do.

You first melt 1/4 lb. (that's 1 stick of butter) in a skillet. Next you take 1 cup of crushed saltine crackers and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and add that to the skillet, mixing completely with the melted butter.

Put half of the cracker mixture on the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish.

Drain 1 pt. of fresh oysters. Make sure you save the liquid.

Place the oysters in a single layer on top of the cracker mixture. Sprinkle with salt.

Use 1 tbsp. of cream or evaporated milk and mix with 2 tbsp. of the oyster liquid. Also throw in a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. I shake the bottle of Tabasco about 3-4 times. It really depends on your preference for the spicyness you like. Spoon this liquid mixture over the oysters. I always reserve about 1 cup extra of the oyster liquid and about 1/2 -3/4 cup of cream and mix that with more Tabasco and then I have it to sprinkle on the next day before reheating them. It just moistens it more.

Place the other half of the cracker mixture over the oysters.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

That's it!!! Fab-u-lous!!! Really, to die for!!! Once you make these for one holiday, believe me, they will started being requested for every holiday!

Fried Pies???

When my mom and I were touring Tennessee this past summer we stopped by Loretta Lynn's Country restaurant and store. I love me some Loretta Lynn (she is being honored on the CMAs tonight too!!!!!) and so we had to stop.

While there I bought these fried pies. I remember Kelley over at Kelly's Korner always blogging about Fried Pies. She always talked about the chocolate ones, which sounded so yummy, but we could only find the peach ones. We got them and then pulled over on the side of the road before even getting back on the highway and ate them. They were good. Not fantastic, but good. I would probably get them again definitely, but probably not the peach ones. Now if I can ever find the chocolate ones, I am all over that.

Have you ever heard of Fried Pies and if so, where can I get more of them???? Keep in mind that I live way up north in Pennsylvania and have seriously never heard of them around here, but can I order them somewhere?

Here are some more pictures of Loretta Lynn's place. We also stopped by her mansion and also her daughter Sissy Lynn's store.

This is a remake of the house she grew up in.

Porkchops and Applesauce...That's Swell

Sorry for being incognito for the past month. I lost my job and am moving back home to Pennsylvania. While I am extremely happy about moving back closer to my whole family and friends, I wish it would have happened differently.

Okay, well Peter Brady had it half right with the applesauce. A couple of weeks ago I made my annual homemade applesauce. If you remember reading from last year's post I love to make my own applesauce. Yes, I know I could easily buy it, but mine tastes so much better!!!! Seriously, you should make your own and then you'll understand. Plus it is super simple.

First I washed off of my apples.

Then I slice them all. I tried to use my Pampered Chef Apple Slicer and that worked for some of the apples but the majority of them were way too large and I kept getting the apples stuck in the slicer (not fun!). So, for the larger ones you can just slice and core them yourself.

Then, I put all of the apple slices in a huge pot of water and turn the burner on high. I let them boil for about 10-20 minutes until they get soft.

Next, I use a food mill to get the skin off of the apples. Trust me on this one, it is MUCH easier to boil the apples and get them soft so the skin just peels off, rather than peel them all by hand ahead of time. That's a big waste of time plus you run the risk of wasting so much of the apple in the peeling process. So anyway, you take a bunch of the boiled apple slices and place them in the food mill and then take the wooden utensil and swirl it around the food mill and the apple sauce falls out the bottom and the skins stay inside. So Simple!!! Amazing! I don't think you can even buy these anymore.

Finally, you have this wonderful container of applesauce. I add in some of the Cinnamon Red Hots and some Cinnamon. That's it! Soooo simple and yet so fab-u-lously delicious!!!!!!

Do any of you make your own applesauce and if so, how do you make yours?

Bleeding Hearts and Mummy Dogs

Okay, so continue on with yesterday's Halloween post, I also tried out two more recipes. Again soooooo incredibly simple and yet soooooo delicious!! Your kids are going to love these and you will too!!!!

Sorry for only the one picture and of course the pre-baking picture. The foods were so good, I started eating them and then realized that I forgot to take a picture first! Ha!

The first one was for Mummies. They were so easy and so cute. You just take a package of hot dogs and some of the Pillsbury Breadsticks. Unroll the breadsticks and then separate into pairs (two breadsticks together). Roll the breadsticks out so they are really really long and thin. And then wrap the rolled out breadstick around the hot dog. Leave a space at the top of the hot dog for the mummy's head. You really have to roll these out. You will think it is way too long and too thin, but trust me once it is wrapped around the hot dog it will start to unwrap itself. That part is a huge pain. Put these in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes and then remove, put mustard on the face for two eyes and that's it! So cute and so good. I used the Nathan's Hot Dogs. They are pricey but OMG!!!! so good! It is really the only hot dog I eat anymore.

Now onto the next one. This is called a Bleeding Heart. It is basically Baked Brie! OMG!!! Baked Brie is one of favorites!!! Soooo good. All you have to do for this is buy an 8oz. round of Brie Cheese or you could buy the large round if you like. Then you take a package of the Pillsbury Croissants and lay that out flat and then separate into two separate squares. Place the Brie Cheese on one of the squares and then pour 3/4 of Cherry Preserves over the top (you can use whatever preserves you want but bleeding makes me think red and that is what the recipe called for too). Then you place the other croissant square over the top and seal along the sides. Brush with a beaten egg and then place this in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and that's it! I always thought Baked Brie was so extravagant and hard, but boy was I wrong. It is just so simple. But the finished plate is gorgeous!

So, now go out and make them for your little ghosts and goblins! :)

Bat Wings and Spiderwebs!

I am getting ready for a Halloween Party and decided to work out some spooky and scary recipes. Ha! :)

I made these adorable Bat chips. They were so simple, but so good!!!

You just take a bag of flour tortillas and a Halloween cookie cutter and cut out some shapes. I had a bat coookie cutter and so that is what I used. You have to hit the top of the cutter a few times and wiggle it around some so you know it went the whole way through the tortilla.

They are so cute right!?!

Spray a cookie sheet and then place the cut-outs on the cookie sheet and spray the cut out shapes.

You then mix together 3/4 tsp. of coriander, 3/4 tsp. of paprika, 3/4 tsp. of garlic salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Sprinkle the cut out shapes with the spice mixture. The place in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes and remove.

That's it!

I also then made this fab-u-lous Spider Web Dip to go along with the bats. It is gorgeous!!!

All you do is combine 3/4 cup of salsa and 1 8-0z. block of cream cheese and then spread it on a pie plate. Next put a layer of guacamole over the cream cheese mixture. And then put some sour cream in a zip lock bag and snip the corner off and then make circles over top of the guacamole. Just keep making circles until you've reached the center. Then you take a knife and run it from the center outward. Do this the whole way around. That's it! Simple right. But look at the fantastic final project. Perfecto!

Sandra Bullock and Fabulous Grilled Cheese

Back in August I went to Austin, TX for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. We stayed in an amazing house right along the Indian River in Bee Cave. One of the days we traveled in to Austin and went to Sandra Bullock's deli, Walton's, for lunch. The decor was so awesome, very relaxed and comfy.

I ordered this fab-u-lous Grilled Cheese with Bacon sandwich. OMG!!!! Can I just tell you how incredibly good it was!!!! There was soooooo much cheese and huge, thick pieces of bacon! Seriously, it was nothing I have ever had before and believe me, I consider myself a connoisseur of Grilled Cheese!!! :)

This is a picture of the inside of the restaurant.

And this is the front window.

We didn't run into Sandra that day, but last year when my friend Jessie was there, Sandra was sitting at the next table writing. So cool right? Love her!