Sauted Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cherries

This was another of the lost boys of recipes from last year.  This was a new recipe I tried for Thanksgiving.  I like to add a new recipe or two every year.  This year I was trying Brussels sprouts on my guest.  Brussels sprouts get a bad rap.  Everyone thinks they are little cabbages.  Cooked well they are very enjoyable and good for you. 

These were so good. A nice addition to our Thanksgiving meal.

Fresh Brussels sprouts work best for this recipe.  You can usually find them in the produce section.

Rough chop 3/4 cup walnuts.

Lightly toast them in the oven.  Place them in a 350 oven for 5-6 minutes.  Shake the pan a time or two.  You don't want the to get too brown.

Put 3 Tablespoons butter in a skillet to melt.

Get your mandolin our and use it to slice your Brussels sprouts.Use the guard.  No one has time for an ER visit on the holiday.

Measure out 2/3 cup dried cherries

Rough chop them

Here's your sliced sprouts.

You have melted the butter.

Add the sprouts to the butter and cook and stir for about 10 minutes until they are tender.

They are looking good.  A little brown on the ends.

Add the toasted walnuts to the sprouts.

Add the cherries

Mix them well.  Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Sauteer Brussels sprouts with Toasted Walnuts and Dried Cherries Recipe

2 1/2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts rinsed and trimmed
3 Tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
2/3 c coarsely chopped dried cherries

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Citrus and Herbs

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and somehow this post got shoved to the bottom of the list. So I am sharing it with you now as you start thinking of your Thanksgiving menus.  I was shocked at how easy this turkey breast was.  I may never cook one in the oven again, and on the plus side it opens up your oven for other goodies.  Over the last couple of years I have done two turkey breast instead of a whole turkey because everyone that eats with us like white meat.  So I usually fix them two different ways.  This year I put this one in the crock pot and one on the smoker that had been brined.  But back to this turkey.

The only negative I have is that it doesn't get a nice golden brown.  If you are cutting it up and putting it on a platter it really doesn't matter.  You could also probably put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown it up.  I will say it fell off the bone and almost fell apart getting it out of the crock pot.

Very simple ingredients.

Place 2 oranges quartered in the bottom of the pan.

Add a little fresh rosemary on top.  If you don't have it don't worry.

Rinse and pat dry the turkey.

Brush with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt and pepper a little rosemary if you like.

I put some herbs of Provence to the top.

Situate it in the crock pot.

Add 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock.

Pour it into the bottom of the pan.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until turkey reaches 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer.

Remove the turkey from the slow cooker.

Tent with foil for about 20 minutes to let the juices settle. If you want to brown it under the broiler do that before tenting.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Citrus and Herbs Recipe

6-7 pound bone in turkey breast skin intact
2 oranges quartered
fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup low sodium chicken broth

Cook for 5-7 hours on low.  Tent for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Pudding

What says fall more than pumpkin?  There are a few things but nothing better than these pumpkin spice cookies.  What makes these cookies special is that they have pumpkin spice pudding in the dough.  Pudding mix makes your cookies super soft and they stay that way then the added spices were really nice.  I made these last week to take to my quilt group.  There are a couple of ladies that are allergic to chocolate, can you imagine!, but they can have white chocolate. So these were perfect because everyone could enjoy them.

The kitchen smells so good while these were baking. 

You won't use all the pumpkin so save it for later.  I have something else for you to use it so don't throw it away.

Start with 3/4 cup softened butter.  That's one and a half sticks.

Add 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar.  Cream those well until it is light and fluffy.  You know they always talk about not over beating your cookie dough.  Well you can whip the butter and sugars for a while because that is adding some air to the batter.

Add the pudding mix to the batter

Mix well.

Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree.  This is usually what is in the can you find this time of year.

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder.  I like to add the spices and baking powders or sodas in before the flour and mix well and then you know they are well mixed.

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour.  Mix well

Add 1 1/2 cups white chocolate baking chips.

Scoop them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  You can use whatever size cookie scoop that you like.  I use the small 1 inch scoop.  These will not spread so you can put them a little closer than normal.  Place in a preheated 350 oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.  This helps them firm up a little bit.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Pudding

3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 box instant pumpkin spice mudding mix (It is a limited edition usually found in the fall)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups white chocolate baking chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Cherry season is one of my favorite of the year.  The fresh cherries seemed to be really good this year.  Nice and big and juicy.  They may have been a little too juicy for this recipe.  I will explain as I go along.

These were not the prettiest cookies I have ever made.

These cookies have lots of good stuff in them, cherries, chocolate, and oats.

Start with 1 stick melted butter

Add 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 3/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cardamom. I would probably use just a 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom.  It seemed a little strong.  I have been asked about cardamom because it is one of the spices I put in my gingerbread men.  Here is a little info on it. It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is also often used in baking in the Nordic countries, in particular in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where it is used in traditional treats. It is the third most expensive spice. 
                                      
1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup diced fresh cherries.  Now here is where I think I went wrong. We have a saying around here work smarter not harder.  So After I pitted the cherries I put them in the food processor to chop them. I think that released too much liquid.

See how it changed the color of the dough.

Scoop out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Place in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake about 10-12 minutes. 

They were a little too soft and really spread out too much.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 stick melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup diced fresh cherries

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.