Sugared Dates

My grandfather tells the story that his older sister Ruth went off to College in the late 1930s and returned home one semester with this simple yet wonderful method for preparing sugared dates. He was eleven at the time and the treats made quite an impression on him.  My grandfather has always had a knack for creating comfort foods and these dates are among the top three recipes I think of when I think of him. 

I can't imagine Christmas without envisioning a bowl of these sitting around.  They are easy and an especially great "busy" task for children. Package some up for host/ hostess gifts or bring along with cookies to the office party. Sugared dates are a unexpectedly tasty treat that are reminscent of Christmases past.

INGREDIENTS:

pitted dates

walnut halves

granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1 – Fill shallow dish with granulated sugar (approximately one cup)

2 – Break walnut halves into pieces small enough to fit snugly inside opening left when dates were pitted.

3 – Stuff approximately 2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) of walnuts into each date, making sure to put walnuts in each open end.

4 – Roll in sugar.

5 – Store in an air tight container; will last for several weeks.

Nutritional info for one (1) stuffed date (incl. 2 g walnuts, 1/4 tsp. sugar):   

Nutritional information calculated per ingredients and deemed close but not exact. 

Chesapeake Crab Dip

Almost every Chesapeake family has a recipe for crab dip. None of them vary terribly much and they all are fairly simple. In fact, most crab recipes in this region are simple and have few ingredients that let the sweetness of the crab shine through. Whenever I see a recipe for a Traditional Maryland Crab recipe, I always look at the length of the ingredients. If it's long, it's not traditional. If it has thyme or jalapenos, it's not from Maryland. But hey, we don't know how to make a good Brooklyn bagel here, either. Thank goodness even Walmart can't mass-distribute everything local. Some things will always be better from the source :)

Crab dip is very rich and is nice served in a bread bowl or even in a casserole dish. A common restaurant offering is Steak or Burgers Chesapeake, in which they are topped with some version of this (often called Crab Imperial).

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Maryland crab meat.
1 package cream cheese (eight ounces), softenend
3/4 cup sour cream
2/3 cup real, good quality mayonnaise
1 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped (optional, not traditional)
1 tablespoon Worchester
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
2/3 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon paprika


DIRECTIONS:

1 – Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove crab meat from container and into bowl, a little bit at a time, carefully picking through for shells. If it is machine-picked, there will be considerably more shells and you will need to be a bit more thorough. Set aside.

2 – In separate, large bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, capers, Worchester, mustard and Old Bay Seasoning.

3 – Gently fold cleaned crab meat into this mixture. Place into bread bowl or oven safe bowl.

4 – Top with cheddar and paprika. Cook in oven for about ten minutes or until the dip is bubbly and cheese is melted.

~ Serve with thin slices of crusty French bread, pita chips, or an assortment of crackers. ~



Recipe makes Twenty-six ¼ cup servings. Nutritional data per serving:

**Nutritional data calculated per ingredients and is deemed close but not exact.***

Mushroom & Quinoa Stuffed Pork Chops

When I was a child, one of my favorite meals was my mother's pork chops that were stuffed with a rich and creamy bread stuffing. This is my more healthful homage to a favorite childhood comfort food. These certainly could be overstuffed but I opt to spread the stuffing out over twelve chops two ounce chops, allowing two chops per serving. These freeze well in individual portions and are great later on for a quick meal for one or for packing lunch for the office.


INGREDIENTS:

3 Shallots, approximately 3 tablespoons chopped
1 teaspoon olive or canola oil
2 oz White Wine, approx. ¼ cup
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 ounce dehydrated mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1.5 cups chicken stock plus 1 cup water, to make 2.5 cups
1 rosemary stem with leaves, approx 3”
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
½ cup kamut flakes (also called rolled kamut grain)1 large egg, lightly beaten slightly
1 egg whites from large egg, lightly beaten ¼ tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. ground pepper

12 Pork lion chops, thinly cut, approximately 2 ounces each

DIRECTIONS:

1 – In a saucepan over med-high heat, sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent and they begin to caramelize.

2 – Add wine to pan, scraping bottom of pan slightly to release any of the caramelized bits.

3 – Add quinoa, mushrooms to pan and then add stock and water. Add rosemary and bring to boil; cover with lid. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 12 minutes or until all of the cooking liquid is absorbed. Stir in heavy cream and allow to cool to warm.

4 – While quinoa cooks, place kamut flakes in food processor and grind into a coarse meal. I chose kamut flakes because of their high nutrient value. If you do not have kamut, 1/3 c. finely ground corn meal could be used as a substitution.

5 – After quinoa has had some time to cool, discard rosemary stem and put grain into a large bowl. Mix in kamut meal, salt, pepper and eggs and set aside while preparing chops.

6 – Pull chops out of refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (about twenty minutes). Lightly coat pan with canola or vegetable oil and heat on high until very hot. Add one to two chops to the pan at a time, and cook just until lightly brown on each side but not cooked through. Move to oven-safe baking dish.

7 – Top each chop with ¼ cup stuffing mixture.

8 – Bake in a 375 degree oven for twenty minutes or until stuffing has set. Be careful not to overcook as the chops were already pre-cooked and will begin to dry out if left in the oven for too long.

Below: Nutritional info for stuffing, only. Serving equals ½ cup.

**Nutritional data calculated per ingredients use and deemed close but not necessarily exact.**

Roast Duck with Apple Chestnut Quinoa Stuffing

This recipe which is close cousin of a Mushroom Quinoa Stuffing that I make. For the holidays, I plan on stuffing this into a duck. I accomodated for approximately 1 cup of homemade stock in the nutritional info. As always, the nutritional data is close but might not be exact.

If you are not planning on stuffing this into the cavity of a bird, you may wish to cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock for enhanced flavor.

STUFFING INGREDIENTS:

3 Shallots, approximately 3 tablespoons chopped
1 teaspoon olive or canola oil
2 oz (approx. ¼ cup) White Wine (I used Rose)
3 ¼ cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water, (see note at top)
1 ¼ cups quinoa, uncooked
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp. thyme leaves)
2 medium rome or golden delicious apples
½ kamut flakes (also called rolled kamut grain; optional)*
4 ounces chestnuts, steamed and coarsely chopped**
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 large egg, beaten slightly
2 egg whites from large eggs, beaten slightly

1 5-6 pound duck

Kamut flakes optional. I forgot to use them during Christmas dinner and it came out great!

**Chesnuts can be purchased steamed and in pouches at well-stocked groceries. I purchased mine from Trader Joe's.


DIRECTIONS:

1 – In a saucepan over med-high heat, sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent and they begin to caramelize.

2 – Add wine to pan, scraping bottom of pan slightly to release any of the caramelized bits.

3 – Add quinoa to pan and either stock or water to equal 3 ¼ cups. Add thyme and bring to boil; cover with lid. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 12 minutes or until all of the cooking liquid is absorbed. Allow to cool to warm.

4 – While quinoa cooks, use a cheese grater to shred apple, skin and all, discarding the core.

5 – Place kamut flakes in food processor and grind into a coarse meal. I chose kamut flakes because of their high nutrient value. If you do not have kamut, 1/3 c. finely ground corn meal could be used as a substation.

6 – After quinoa has had some time to cool, discard thyme stems and put grain into a large bowl. Mix shredded apple, chestnuts, kamut meal, salt, pepper and eggs together with quinoa.

7 – To prepare bird, place in roasting pan and allow to sit at room temperature for twenty minutes.

8 – Stuff into cavity of bird or into baking dish that has been wiped lightly with olive oil or a nonstick spray to prevent sticking.

9 – Pierce skin of duck with fork or knife (do not pierce skin) to allow the fat to run away from the meat while the bird cooks. Bake duck in 300 degree oven for three hours, then raise temperature to 425. Cook for about 20 minutes or until skin is golden and crispy.

10 – Allow meat to rest for 15-20 minutes prior to cutting to prevent it from losing too much moisture. Remove stuffing from the cavity to serve.


Stuffing makes twelve 1/3 cup servings. Nutrtitional info for stuffing, below:

**Nutritional data calculated per ingredients use and deemed close but not necessarily exact.**

Fire Roasted Figgy Bread Pudding

As the Christmas carols began playing on the radio this year, it caused me to wonder what exactly figgy pudding is. I did a bit of research on it and found it to be a 16th century English recipe for stewed figs; thickened with stale bread crumbs. At first this sounded rather unappetizing to me but then my husband pointed out that it wasn't a far cry from bread pudding.

Having a more-than-ample amount of dehydrated figs from my grandfather's fig tree tucked into my freezer, I thought maybe I'd better rethink this whole figgy pudding thing. What transpired was the alteration of what is already an amazing bread pudding recipe that we traditionally serve Chistmas day. I assemble it and my husband cooks it over the embers that are left behind after he fire roasts our pork loin that has butterflied and stuffed with proscuitto and fontina.

So, here you have it. Sort of a Charles Dickens meets the Country Tart if you will.

INGREDIENTS

15-20 dried figs (approximately 2-2 1/2 cups, chopped)
2/3 cup Southern Comfort
1 1/2 loaves stale crusty artisan bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
3 cups milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


SOUTHERN FIGGY SAUCE
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 c tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
2 egg yolks, beaten
Approximately 1/4 c. of reserved liquor (more to taste)


Directions

1 - The night before, tear or cube cooking bread and leave out on baking sheet to allow to become stale.

2 - Place walnuts and chopped figs in a shallow dish and pour Southern Compfort over the top. Soak for two hours. Drain but save the soaking liquid for the sauce.

3 - Place bread pieces in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Add figs to dish. In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, heavy cream, sugar, brown sugar, molasses, lemon zest, and salt, and mix well to ensure the sugar has been dissolved. Add the reserved fig soaking liquid to the milk mixture and pour over bread. Let sit until bread has soaked up all of the milk mixture (about an hour).

4 - Turn on grill and, keeping grill cover down, heat to medium heat. If using charcoal or wood, prepare fire and allow to cook down to almost embers (or a low flame).

5 - For best results, place baking dish in another large pan and add water about halfway up the sides of the baking dish and place atop grill. This will set and remain creamy without the water, if cooked over indirect heat.

6 - Cook, with lid shut, for 30-45 minutes, checking often. Continue cooking for one hour or until pudding has set. Remove bread pudding from oven and let cool slightly.

7 - To serve, serve with sauce: combine sugar, heavy cream, egg and yolks in a saucepan and cook, stirring well, until thick. Keep warm until ready to serve. Whisk in Southern Comfort just before serving. Serve drizzled over pudding.

Chia Bon Bons

Really? You never know! Check back and see

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Pumpkin Frosting

Check back...this is coming very soon!!!

Holiday Nog Quinoa

Unlike dairy eggnog, which packs in 180 calories for ½ cup, this recipe is made with Silk Soy Eggnog; which will be available for the next several weeks. The Silk Nog is 90 calories per 1/2 a cup but full of flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. uncooked quinoa
1 c. water
1.5 cup Silk brand nog
1 tbsp. raw honey (or coconut sugar or maple syrup)
1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

In saucepan on stovetop, combine quinoa, 1 c. water, and 1 cup of the nog, honey and half of the nutmeg (reserve 1/2 a cup nog* and remaining nutmeg for serving).

Bring to a boil and cook and lower temperatre to medium-low heat. Continue to simmer for until all liquid has been absorbed and germ has begun to sepearte from grain. You will know this is happening as the germ creates little white rings.
Remove from heat and separate into three bowls. Divide remaining 1/2 cup of nog into the three dishes by pouring over grain. Sprinkle each with remaining nutmeg and serve hot.


* I did just find some Egg Nog icecream for 120 calories per 1/2 cup. In place of the extra nog used for serving, a tablespoon or two of icecream would increase the nog flavor and the creaminess; all for about 15 calories per tablespoon.

Recipe makes 3 servings. Nutritional Data per serving (based on 2,000 calorie diet):

Peppery Peppermint Cocoa

Here's another really decadent warming beverage that has just enough fat for to really satisfy the craving for decadence without blowing the calorie bank. Oftentimes we forget that fat is replaced in "low fat" foods with sugars. Adding sugars can fool us into thinking that the foods taste good without the fat but they also leave us wanting more food in a shorter time. The addition of the bittersweet chocolate chips, along with the peppermint oil and ground pepper, create a complex and satisfying treat that'll have you rummaging for a good book to read rather than more to eat!

INGREDIENTS:


1 ½ c. 2% milk
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp. bittersweet chocolate chips, 60% cacao (16 chips)
1 tbsp. raw honey
1-2 drops peppermint oil*


DIRECTIONS:

In saucepan on stove top, combine milk, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and honey. Wisk together and heat until chocolate chips have melted but mixture has not come to a boil. Remove from heat and add peppermint oil. Pour into two mugs and serve while hot.

Makes two ¾ cup servings. Nutrtional info, per serving:





* If unable to find peppermint extract, fresh leaves may be added in the beginning and heated in the cocoa. Strain before drinking. 4-5 peppermint extract may also be substituted after removing from heat.

Warm Spiced Cocoa

This is both nutritious and decadent. The undetectable addition of the molasses adds a layer of richness and boosts the calcium and iron content. The cinnamon, cayenne and vanilla round out the flavor of this good-for-you treat. The recipe calls for 2% milk for increased thickness and richness but 1% or even nonfat milk could be used to lower caloric and fat content.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ c. 2% milk
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp. raw honey
¾ tsp. cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

In saucepan on stove top, combine milk, cocoa powder, molasses, honey, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Wisk together and heat until hot but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Pour into two mugs and serve while hot.

Makes two ¾ cup servings. Nutrtional info, per serving: