Cranberry Orange Muffins

 

• • Makes 12
  • Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar or a little less 
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon of grates orange rind
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
  • 1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds
  • Directions: 
  • 1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.
  • 2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. 
  • 3.  Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. 

  
  

Cherry & Almond Shortbread Cookies

 

Photo: Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies, Fudge Brownies, Pecan Tassies 

Makes about 36 cookies 

Ingredients:

1 Cup unsalted butter 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt (optional) 

2 1/4 cups of flour - less 2 TBS 

1 cup (small container) red glazed cherries (chopped) 

1/2 cup sliced almonds * 

Directions: 

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla. Add the salt & flour.  Add cherries. 

Stir in almonds. Divide dough in 3 and make 3 logs which are about 6-8" long. The diameter should be about 1 1/2 inches. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate till firm. About an hour. Slice into 1/4" slices and place on a cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350F 7-9 minutes till light brown. Cool slightly 5-10 minutes and remove to rack. 

The logs can be frozen and thawed and baked later. 

* Omit the almonds for a nut-free cookie. 

Shortbread Cookies

This dough can be rolled to create 'Snowballs' or rolled into a log shape and curved into a crescent. 

You can use pecans, walnuts or omit the nuts. 

You can double the recipe to make a big batch. 

You can roll the warm cookies in icing sugar or fruit sugar (fine white sugar). 

Dough: 

7/8 to 1 cup flour 

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

3 TBS white sugar 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts chopped 

1 tsp vanilla 

Cream the butter and add the sugar. Add the vanilla, flour and salt and mix well.

Then add the nuts. 

Roll into balls or crescent shapes. Place on a cookie sheet (about 12 - 16 per sheet). 

Bake at 350F about 10-12 minutes. 

Let sit for a few minutes then remove to a wire rack.

When warm, roll in icing sugar or fruit sugar. 

Makes 3 dozen.

Italian Peasant Bean Soup

Serves 8


Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 8 cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 cup of dried white cannellini or navy beans
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 - 14 oz can of mixed beans, or white haricot beans
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped Italian flat parsley


Preparation

1. Chop the onion, tomatoes and celery into even-sized chunks and toss together. Chop in small batches in a food processor or by hand, as finely as possible.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in pot and add the vegetables. Stir over high heat for 10-12 minutes to enrich the vegetables. Add salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.

3. Add 8 cups of chicken stock – homemade or purchased low-sodium.  *Swanson sells an Organic broth with 1/3 less sodium.

4. Add the cannellini or navy beans raw, rinsed, from the package.

5. Cover the soup and simmer for 1 ½ hours until the beans are almost cooked. Stir occasionally to ensure the beans do not stick.

6. Add 2 large cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped. Cook another 15 minutes.

7. Drain and rinse the can of mixed beans. Add to the soup.

8. Add the chopped Italian parsley and heat through. Serve with crisp French or Italian Bread.

You can add cooked chicken, spinach, cooked rice or cooked pasta to make a heartier soup.
You can vary the amount of pepper and garlic – if you like a spicier soup – add more pepper & garlic.  Keep tasting it until you feel it has enough salt, pepper & garlic to your liking.


Tips

• Italian parsley is sometimes called continental parsley – and the leaves are flat unlike the curly regular parsley.
You can chop it using kitchen scissors. Wash and dry it. Put the parsley in a glass and snip it inside the glass.

• Always store tomatoes at room temperature as the fridge tends to make the inside