Cranberry Relish

The cranberry is Wisconsin's No. 1 fruit crop in both value and acreage. The cranberry industry supports about 7,200 jobs across the state. This simple recipe is one of my favorites.

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

3 c. fresh or frozen cranberries

Bring water and sugar to a boil over high heat. Add cranberries. Simmer 10 minutes. Cool. Cover and refrigerate.

Did you know that there are only 3 fruits native to North America that are commercially grown? They are cranberries, blueberries and concord grapes.

Equipment Review: Microplane Zester/Grater

The Microplane grater is a great tool. It's modeled after a rasp--a tool used in wood working. The Microplane is great for grating hard cheese, like Parmesan, for coconut or for zesting citrus. It works best if used "up-side-down" as you can see the amount of zest, and you can better control the grater and avoid getting any of the white (pith) bitter part of the citrus.

Lemon Curd

Use this lemon curd as a filling for a cake, as a topping on a cheesecake or just served with fresh fruit. It's very yummy!

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 T. fresh grated lemon peel

In the top of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, butter and peel. Cook over simmering water until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Cool. Cover and refrigerate; use within 5 days.

If you don't have a double boiler, simply use a bowl that will sit on top of a saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. The heat of the steam will cook the curd.

Grandma's Apple Kuchen

This recipe really is from my Grandma! It is not in my cookbook, and it really is one of my favorites (what was I thinking to not include it?) Honey in this kuchen brings out the great flavor in the apples.

Crust:

1/3 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1/8 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

Mix together the above and pat on sides and bottom of a greased 9" x 9" pan. (Note: if you only have an 8" x 8" pan, just toss some of the mixture.)

Add about 7 c. peeled and sliced apples.

3/4 c. honey

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. water

Mix honey, flour and water together and pour over apples. Sprinkle with lots of cinnamon. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 1 1/2-2 hours. You may need to cover with foil part of the time to fully cook apples. Serves: about 9

Did you know there are 7,000 varieties of apples in the world? Apple seeds were brought to America from Europe. The crab apple is one of a few varieties of apple that is native to North America.

Fox 6 TV show

I helped with a segment about apples on Fox 6 today. The Apple Dip recipe (following) is not in my cookbook--and it's a good one--enjoy!!

You can watch the segment HERE.

Apple Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. crushed salted peanuts

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Cut apples into wedges and dip into apple dip.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

The aroma of this casserole will help welcome the cooler days ahead.

4-5 peeled potatoes, sliced into 1/4" slices

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 c. cubed cooked ham

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into the bottom of a buttered 8" x 8" pan. Top with onion, ham, and remaining potatoes.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in flour. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes. Cover with parchment paper, then tightly with foil. Bake in preheated 400 oven about 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are tender. Remove parchment and foil; top with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serves 4

Welcome to Fort Wilderness!

This weekend I helped cook for a Ladies' retreat at Fort Wilderness, Christian camp in northern Wisconsin. It is one of the best places on this side of heaven! The atmosphere is beautiful, and the food is beautiful and delicious! You can check out http://www.fortwilderness.com/ and see that there are family, youth and adult year-round camps.

The banquet meal for the ladies was fabulous: Mixed greens and fresh strawberry salad with poppy seed vinaigrette and caramelized almonds, beef filet with a rosemary, herb and EVOO rub--topped with Gorgonzola butter, grilled mixed veggies and cranberry rice medley. Dessert was a layered ice cream pie with lady fingers. By now your mouth must be watering! I didn't take the time to take a lot of photos, since I was assisting with the cooking!