The one recipe you must make for Thanksgiving dinner

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Can you believe that Thanksgiving is almost upon us? As you start planning your holiday menus, I wanted to share one of my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It’s become a must-have in our house: kumquat cranberry sauce.

Cranberry sauce is a perfect complement to Thanksgiving turkey, and no table is complete without it. Cranberry sauce can be whipped up in a matter of minutes (yes, even without using a can!), and this one is equally as easy. Plus, the unexpected citrus flavor is perfection.

This cranberry sauce is especially good once the flavors come together which makes it an ideal complement for leftovers (next-day turkey sandwiches anyone?!) I like to serve mine from a jar; it gives it a wonderful homemade quality and is a pretty look for the table. Let me know if you give it a try and what everyone thinks!

Kumquat Cranberry Sauce
You will need:
– 2  cups water
– 1 cup sugar
– 12 kumquats cut into circle slices (cut the kumquat across to create pinwheel like slices)
– 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
– 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
– 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon cloves
– 2 12-ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries

 

To prepare:

Combine water, sugar, orange peel, kumquat slices and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat. Simmer 4 minutes to blend flavors.

Add cinnamon, salt and clove and simmer 2 minutes. Add cranberries and simmer until berries burst and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated)

Photo by Stefania Crudeli on Unsplash

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Fall is here, so soup is on!

veggiesoup

Hi All! It’s Nicole, Annette’s web-manager and friend. While Annette has been enjoying gorgeous weather in Italy, I’ve been swealtering in Atlanta. However, this weekend, it finally took a slight, cooler turn, and I am officially ready for soup season. In my opinion, there is nothing better than preparing a big pot of soup, smelling it simmer, and enjoying it throughout the week.

Of course, when looking for a great fall soup, I turned to Annette’s archives. And of course, I found exactly what I was looking for: butternut squash soup.

 

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 8

You will need:

– 1 cup cubed butternut squash
– 1 cup rough chopped yellow onion
– 1 cup cubed carrots
– 1 cup cubed celery
– 1 cup cubed parsnips
– 1/2 cup cubed baby red potatoes
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
– 2 cups kale, shredded
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 1 15 oz can of white beans
– 1 quart organic vegetable stock
– salt and pepper

To prepare:

Peel and cube squash, onion, carrots, celery, parsnips, and red potato into 1-inch cubes.

Put the vegetables in a heavy cast iron pot, except the kale and white beans.

Saute all the vegetables in the olive oil until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent  (about 15 minutes). Then add the kale, beans and stock, and stir until blended.  Season mixture with salt and pepper.

Simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours.

To serve:

Serve this soup with crusty bread and a spinach, apple, walnut salad with blue cheese crumbles and balsamic vinaigrette.  This perfect for a tummy-warming fall supper with family and friends!

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Pumpkin bread with a healthy twist

pumpkin-bread-1-2006

Today is the first day of fall, and that means pumpkin season is upon us!  There’s nothing like starting a crisp fall day with an espresso and a slice of pumpkin bread. This one is delicious for all the reasons you can imagine. It’s sweet. It’s seasonal. It’s festive. And it’s gluten free.

Feel free to use your gluten free flour of choice. You’ll get the same results no matter your choice.

Try different variations to really up the ante. Think a sprinkle of chocolate chips throughout the batter, or some pumpkin seeds on top. What a perfect way to kick off the season!

Pumpkin Bread

You will need:

– 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
– 3/4 cup granulated sugar
– 2 eggs
– 2 cups gluten-free flour
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 t salt
– 1 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp allspice

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan

Mix flour, soda, & salt , cinnamon, and allspice together. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time and beat. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin puree to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry (dry-wet-dry-wet-dry).

Pour mixture into greased 9″x 5″ loaf pan. Bake 50-60 min, or until cake tester comes out clean (I look for a few mini moist crumbs).

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then on a baking rack.

Enjoy!

xx Annette

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Harissa Cauliflower

 

 

Fall begins this weekend, and that means we can start indulging in all of the warm spices of the season. This harissa cauliflower recipe, for example, is the perfect love letter to autumn. It’s a great way to add a little fall pizzazz to your plate, especially while it’s still warm throughout most of the country.

I love cauliflower, and I thought that it might be delicious baked with the Moroccan spices. I was right; it was a delicious combination. Here’s the recipe.

Harissa Cauliflower
Serves 6

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

You will need:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 2 teaspoons Harissa
– 1 teaspoon Kefta rub
– 3 tablespoons olive oil
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

To prepare:

In a large bowl combine the Harissa, Kefta rub and oil, and salt, stir to combine.

Break the cauliflower into pieces and toss into the spices. Coat the pieces well.

Place into an ovenproof roaster and place into the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the cauliflower is fork-tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

xx Annette

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Easy Appetizer:: Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini

Esporao & Annette Joseph
If you’ve meandered through your local farmer’s market or grocery store recently, you might have noticed that we are officially in the thick of fig season. After you’ve made a fig tart and enjoyed fig jam, pick a few extra figs to make these crostinis.

This is a quick and easy appetizer for fig and goat cheese crostini that is a crowd-pleaser. I also love the idea of serving this as a light, unexpected dessert at the end of a meal. It’s a tried and true recipe perfect for any occasion.

Fig Goat Cheese Crostini
Serves 10

You will need:
– 20 small figs cut in half, lengthwise
– 1 loaf of French bread sliced into 1/2 in slices (makes about 20 slices)
– 1/2 cup olive oil
– 8 oz. soft artisan goat cheese, at room temperature
– 1/4 cup lemon honey
– 40 Marcona Almonds
– 1 teaspoon cracked pepper

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Crostini: Lay the bread slices on to a cookie sheet with a brush coat the top of the slices with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown. Cool the crostini.  Spread 2 tablespoons of goat cheese on the crostini, top with 2 half figs, and add 2 almonds on either side of the figs. Place on a platter and repeat with the rest of the crostinis.

Once all the crostinis are on the platter, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with cracked pepper and serve.

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