Author Archives: Jennie

25 Days of Holiday Recipes: Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

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So much of what I cook is driven by what’s in the refrigerator that needs to be used.

I think most of us are like that. I commend the person who makes meal plans and shops for them, but that’s not us most of the time. I had been looking for a good use for the massive amount of cauliflower that we ended up with in the fridge, and then we went to a party where the hostess served this fabulous dish.

My search for a recipe was over, but I still needed a good aged cheddar. Luckily we have a local market that stocks wonderful cheeses, and we were able to find an Irish cheddar that was also low-fat. I was ready to plunge headlong into a vat of luscious cauliflower and cheese. MmMm good.

This recipe is perfect for a small party as one of your veggie dishes or it can be doubled or tripled for a larger group. I guarantee it will be gone if you take it to a church potluck supper and people will be begging you for the recipe!

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Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 Servings

Serving Size: About 1 cup

Calories per serving: 312 per serving

Fat per serving: 16 grams per serving

Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower head
  • 1 1/3 cup skim milk
  • 1/2 lb reduced-fat cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • 3 tablespoons plain flour
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard (Colman's)
  • Grated nutmeg
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 450°F.

Trim the cauliflower & break into small florets. Boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain in a colander and then place in an ovenproof baking dish. Chop the florets into smaller pieces. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour a small amount at a time and whisk until smooth. Add the milk and continue stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Allow to simmer for a further 2 minutes. Add three-quarters of the grated cheese, mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and seasoning. Cook for further minute stirring well.

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower. Mix the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top. Put the casserole on a cookie sheet as it may bubble over. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450F for about 15 to 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Notes

Although this recipe uses lower-fat options whenever possible, it cannot be considered a low fat choice. Choosing a smaller serving size would lower the calorie count while still preserving the fabulous flavor of this dish.

Original Source

https://gotmyreservations.com/2012/12/04/25-days-of-holiday-recipes-cauliflower-cheddar-gratin/

 

25 Days of Holiday Recipes: Coconut Layer Bars

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Over the years, I’ve been collecting recipes from friends and family when I was especially interested in recreating something yummy that appeared on a table.

Coconut layer bars are one of those recipes — whenever they are brought to a church potluck or cookie walk, they just disappear. I’ve been holding onto this precious recipe for years and now I find that they are one of the easiest desserts to make that I’ve ever done.

You just have to get past the butter swimming in the bottom of your Pyrex pan and focus on the outcome. Gooey chocolate and crunchy coconut combined with the salty pleasure of the pecans.

Dessert doesn’t get much better than this.

 

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Coconut Layer Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 30 small bars

Coconut Layer Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c butter or margarine
  • 2 c vanilla wafer crumbs or flour
  • 1 c chocolate or toffee pieces
  • 1/2 c chopped nuts
  • 1 c coconut flakes
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Melt butter in baking dish. I created the Stonehenge of butter since I don't think I have ever used this much better in a recipe and wanted to memorialize the moment.

Layer wafer crumbs, chocolate pieces, nuts and coconut over butter.

One box of vanilla wafers makes a little less than four cups of cookie crumbs. I roll them out in the bag using a wooden rolling pin -- it makes less crumbs on your cooking surface.

Since the recipe says you can use either cookies or flour, I combined the two together because I was making two pans.

Add the candy pieces -- I used a combination of semi-sweet chips and toffee bits.

Add the nuts. I used pecans because they have a sweet/salty taste that works well with the other ingredients.

Add the coconut.

Pour condensed milk over all the layers.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. They firm up while cooling, so let them cool completely before cutting into bars.

https://gotmyreservations.com/2012/12/03/25-days-of-holiday-recipes-coconut-layer-bars/

This whole recipe got started because I had some leftover coconut in the fridge that I wanted to use up. Check the bag to see how much you need — I should have, because now I have another unused bag in the fridge.

I guess I’ll have to make these again! Darn.

25 Days of Holiday Recipes: Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin

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Doesn’t it sound like a fun job to work in a spices store?

I have recently been able to experience the world of Penzeys Spices — a place where cooking is kindness, and that kindness can change the world. Really. That’s what their job application page says and that’s been my experience when shopping at two different locations in the Chicagoland area. I am impressed and want everyone to consider shopping either in person or online at Penzeys — it’s a beautiful place to spend a holiday afternoon.

Although I stocked up at the store on whole nutmeg and sweet curry powder, I already had a lot of spices in my cupboard. I went through them and threw away a lot of old spices. I also moved them into glass jars rather than plastic. Penzey’s also sells glass reusable spice jars in several sizes which is good for the environment as well as not leeching plastics poisons into the spices. I also put some spices into small canning jars and yard-sale glass spice jars. I labeled them using my trusty Brother P-touch labeler and I was pretty darn happy. My alphabetized spice cabinet is looking sharp.

When I realized that I had a big rosemary bush on the patio that was not going to live through the winter, I started looking for recipes to use up some of that luscious rosemary goodness. I discovered that Penzeys’ web site has recipes linked up to the order pages for the different spices. I was in business with a recipe for Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin.

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Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 6 Servings

Serving Size: 4 oz.

Calories per serving: 170

Fat per serving: 6g

Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat oven to 450°. Rinse the roast and pat dry. In a small bowl, mix together the GARLIC, THYME, ROSEMARY, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 TB. of the olive oil, salt and PEPPER.

Rub the seasoning all over pork loin.

Note: We bought a small 2 1/2 # center cut roast and cut it into two pieces. I put the second piece into a plastic bag and put half the marinade on the roast; we'll have this another meal since there's only two of us now in our empty nest.

Spread the remaining olive oil evenly over the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the pork in the pan. Roast at 450° for 30 minutes; lower the temperature to 350° and continue roasting for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 155°. Remove the pork to a cutting board; cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes or until the temperature reaches 160°. Slice and serve.

For gravy, save 2 cups of the water you cooked the potatoes in (assuming you're using the gravy for mashed potatoes; if not, 2 cups of water is fine). Remove the roast from the pan and drain off all but 2 TB. fat (if there is any). Place the pan on the stove top, pour in the potato water and let sit a few minutes. Scrape up browned bits from pan. Pour juice through a strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by 1/3. Reduce heat to medium low, taste and add salt to taste. Thicken with 1-2 tsp. ARROWROOT or cornstarch dissolved in 1 TB. water.

Notes

Cook time is variable from 60 - 75 minutes; use a meat thermometer.

Nutritional Information: Servings 10; Serving Size 4 oz. (103); Calories 170; Calories from fat 60; Total fat 6g; Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 115mg; Carbohydrate 1g; Dietary Fiber 0g; Sugars 0g; Protein 25g.

https://gotmyreservations.com/2012/12/02/25-days-of-holiday-recipes-rosemary-roasted-pork-loin/

Back to your travel dreams — Penzeys is a great place to take the relatives or to pick up a house gift. They have stores in twenty-seven states. The next time I have friends visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park or shopping at the Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I’m going to include a stop at Penzeys on our itineray.

Recipe courtesy of Penzeys Spices; links are to Penzeys and Oh, Olive for the garlic olive oil. I featured Oh, Olive here in a previous post.

Writers Workshop: A Revisit to the “Grossest Family Recipe Ever”

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Every family has its traditions. Apparently, one of mine is the grossest family recipe ever.

Originally published last year, talking about family food traditions was an important story to tell. With another year under our belts, Grandma’s Oyster Dressing is still part of my Thanksgiving tradition and it’s even more poignant when compared with others’ viewpoints of my favorite turkey day recipe. 

2012 has been a year of blessings. Our grown up kids are flourishing in their adult lives. Music Man and I are happily adjusting to my retirement and his more positive work environment. Our son is engaged to a beautiful woman whom we are eager to welcome into our family.  Libbie is now four, David is almost two, Jessie is expecting another family member in March, and I love being a great-aunt. Our band will grow and flourish and getting together at Thanksgiving is so very important to its health. Although it’s a pain in the neck to travel 600 miles, it’s worth it. We have a lot to be thankful for.

From November 19, 2011

As we enter our weekend of Thanksgiving and gluttony, I would like to pause and give thanks for the many creatures that give up their lives for us at this time of year.

Image Credit

 

Insert. Silent. Pause. Here.

My little family band gets together with my brothers and their families on the day after Thanksgiving. We have been doing this since 1976; I have not prepared a Thanksgiving meal in my own home since then. Every year, we drive the 600 miles round trip to be with our family to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we decided to forego our gift giving to each other and donate to Heifer International instead. We’ll still be giving gifts to the young ones, and it will be fun to see them open their presents. We also sing Christmas songs — we are THAT family that could make our own Trapp Family Singers — and I’m looking forward to hearing three-year-old Libbie sing her part in The Twelve Days of Christmas.

For me and some of my family, it just isn’t Thanksmas without oyster dressing. It’s unclear where our family recipe comes from, but my mother started making oyster dressing for our holiday gatherings a long time ago. In fact, I can’t remember when she didn’t make it. It was just always there.

My mom passed away in June, and as the eldest child, it has become my job to bring the oyster dressing. I’ve been making it for events here in our Chicagoland home for a while, but no one loves oyster dressing as well as my brothers and I do. My niece Jessica wrote about our family recipe on herVanderbilt Wife blog, calling our treasured oyster dressing our “grossest family recipe.” I beg to differ, but as she is allergic to clams, I wouldn’t want her to get sick on oysters. I do, however, want to share the recipe for what I consider to be the crowning glory of our holiday buffet table.

And just we’re clear about the popularity of oyster dressing, even the fabled Ree Drummond published a recipe for Oyster Dressing on her Pioneer Woman blog. I’m not alone in my love for this succulent awesomeness. Ree’s is a little different from ours; hers is more like traditional tossed bread-cube dressing. Grandma’s Oyster Dressing is more of a souffle-like scalloped oysters. It might be fun someday to make both recipes and see which one we like better!

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Grandma's Oyster Dressing

Grandma's Oyster Dressing

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • Four cans frozen or canned oysters (fresh would be fine, but not necessary)
  • Four ribs finely chopped celery
  • Four cans mushrooms
  • One box saltines crushed
  • one pound butter pats
  • About two cups of milk

Instructions

First spray a 4.8 quart (15" x 10" x 2") rectangular casserole dish with cooking spray, and then add a layer of crushed crackers. Begin layering the ingredients -- oysters, celery, mushrooms, butter, and another layer of crackers. After each cracker layer add some milk and the juice from the mushrooms and oyster cans. You should have about four layers of crackers and three of “goodies.”

Cover it with foil so that it doesn’t dry out and take the foil off for the last 15 minutes so the top gets a little crusty. Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour until the texture is puffy like a souffle. It is okay to prepare it in advance and let the liquids sink in.

A large Pyrex casserole dish will serve eight people comfortably as a side dish.

Notes

https://gotmyreservations.com/2012/11/22/writers-workshop-a-revisit-to-the-grossest-family-recipe-ever/

I’m linked up today to the Writing Workshop at Mama’s Losin’ It. It’s been a while since I’ve linked up because I’ve been converting my blog over to being self-hosted. If you have my old version on your blogroll (and I heartily thank you for your support), please change the link to gotmyreservations.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

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Thanksgiving Tablescapes: You Can Do It!

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Before I start, I’d better come clean. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year.

So it’s easy for me to say you can do it, but you can with a little ingenuity and some good shopping genes.

There are lots of website that show you how to use what you already have. I adore these creative ladies, but even I (who never met a set of dishes I didn’t like) find them a little intimidating. I’ve been collecting their gorgeousness on my Pinterest board, though.

There’s still time to get out to Pier 1, World Market, Target, or Kohl’s and put together your Thanksgiving table — and it’s probably all on sale. Here’s a beautiful table set by a friend of mine for her annual fall party. It’s simple, beautiful, and easily attainable by any hostess.

Your friends don’t care if your chairs don’t match. It’s the hospitality and your generous spirit that they love.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your weekend!

 

The Royal Collection: Christmas Tours of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace

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Is my excitement showing?

An after-hours private small-group tour of Windsor Castle decked out in its Christmas finery — what a fun thing to do for Christmas if you’re a royals watcher like me. If you act now, you might still be able to score tickets; December 14, 15, and 21 are sold out, but Saturday, December 22 still has openings.

But wait! It does get better.

You can also tour Buckingham Palace during December and January when the Queen’s not there. There are lots of dates available for these tours, so make your reservations now!

I’m putting the Christmas tours on my Bucket List. And I’ll be pleased to toast the Queen with my free champagne.

Don’t they look like fun people? 🙂

 

If you love Liz like I love Liz

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I’ll bet you thought we were going to talk about the upcoming Lifetime movie starring Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor.

 

While this movie looks intriguing just for its notoriety, it’s the real Elizabeth that I’m talking about today. Elizabeth II, that is.

A family member who knows I love all things British sent me this montage of Queen Elizabeth. It’s well done, but unfortunately sends home the message that even the richest and most well cared for of us eventually age. At least I’m aging in the quietude of my retirement, not on a world stage. Anyway, enjoy!

 

New and Improved Reservations

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Well, folks, here I am. Using my photo and my real name. No more anonymity. It’s scary but freeing at the same time.

After years of hiding my identity so that it would be harder for my students to find me, I’m coming out.

Perhaps it’s that Anthony Bourdain has left Travel Channel and moved on. He’s only a little younger than me, and if he can change, so can I.

Stay tuned for a new and improved Got My Reservations. Be sure to sign up so that you don’t miss a single pearl of wisdom that I impart.

Just kidding, but thanks for your support!

P.S. Will someone click on that star so I can see how it works? 🙂

 

Dutch Cheese Soup

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Is going on a cruise all about the food?

For those of you who enjoy traveling by cruising, you already know that a cruise offers cultural and scenic delights as well as some well-deserved rest and relaxation. When I went on my first cruise to the Caribbean, I wasn’t particularly impressed with much about the food the cruise had to offer. I can barely remember what we ate, but I very clearly remember that formal dinners were difficult while traveling with two young children — even if they were well-behaved.

Fast forward twenty years and we took another cruise — just the two of us this time.

Well, just the two of us, our close friends from college, and 146-ish other intrepid travelers. And this time isn’t wasn’t a “fun ship,” it was a Viking River Cruise from Paris to Normandy. All the issues with reserved seating vanished and we didn’t have to decide whether to wait in the bingo game or the casino with the kids while the people in the late seating finished dinner. We had close to three hours every night of wonderful food, fabulous wines, great conversation, and attentive service. Now that’s the way to travel.

It’s not surprising, then, that I went directly to the Viking River Cruises web site to find a satisfying soup recipe for Soup Week. I’ve linked up both the Viking River Cruises site and another blog, A Spoonful of Thyme, where I found the photo. If you are a cheese soup lover, you will love this fall favorite!

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Dutch Cheese Soup

Yield: 4 Servings

Dutch Cheese Soup

Travel is wonderful when the food is wonderful. Originally published by Viking River Cruises, this is a yummy entry into your soup recipe book!

Don't forget that you need flameproof crocks to broil the cheese at the end.

Ingredients

  • A quarter cup vegetable oil
  • Two tablespoons butter
  • A half cup diced onions
  • One cup diced cauliflower
  • Two potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
  • A half cup carrots, cut into half-inch cubes
  • Four cups chicken stock
  • Four ounces Canadian bacon, diced
  • Five ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced
  • Eight slices sourdough baguette
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a 1.5-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add cauliflower, carrots and potato; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil. In a small skillet, heat the butter. Add the Canadian bacon and sauté until lightly browned. Add bacon to soup. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering until vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes). Pour soup into four individual flameproof crocks or bowls. Top each portion with two bread slices and one-quarter of the cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.

https://gotmyreservations.com/2012/11/06/dutch-cheese-soup/

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Trip Advisor: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?

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I’ve been spending a lot of time this week looking online at London hotel web sites.

I’ve read Rick Steves’ recommendations; he has a certain point of view that I’m not sure I always share. I’ve read some other travel guides, but I often come back to Trip Advisor. My experience has been that if a hotel has mostly Excellent and Very Good ratings and has enough such ratings to actually have some credibility, I can trust Trip Advisor. Open online forums such as Trip Advisor allow for fake positive reviews posted by the relatives of the innkeeper, but also allow for negative reviews created by competitors to drive business away. That’s why I look for an accommodation with lots of reviews and I read them pretty carefully.

I rated the bed and breakfast we stayed at on our 2011 trip to England, and gave it glowing reviews on Trip Advisor. We were there for eleven days and knew the place inside and out. One morning there was a disgruntled guest who complained about her breakfast experience the entire time she was in the dining room — and she wrote a negative review on Trip Advisor about it. Hers is the only remotely negative review about the place, and frankly, people should take it with a grain of salt.

What’s your experience with Trip Advisor? Do you write reviews? More importantly, do you have a place in London to recommend to our readers? Please put links in the comments — we’d love to check out your favorite London accommodations!

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