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Hot Cranberry Salad

December 20, 2010 By Kate Leave a Comment

I absolutely love hot fruit salads. My mom has been making one with canned fruits and pie filling for years and I can never get enough of it. It’s definitely a standard at my parents’ house this time of year. As much as I love it, I don’t make it very often myself. It’s just one of those dishes that is synonymous with my parents and enjoying it at their house. It loses some of that luster when I make it myself.

So I decided it was high time I came up with my own hot fruit salad that could become a tradition at our house and that the kids would look forward to enjoying for years to come. A bag of cranberries became my inspiration as I put this dish together. It’s a delicious blend of sweet and tart with a mixture similar to a chunky applesauce. We all loved it!

Hot Cranberry Salad

  • 2 oranges
  • 2 green apples
  • 1 16 oz. bag cranberries
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. allspice
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Zest one orange on a grater or micro-plane to get 1 teaspoon zest. Set aside until using. Peel the remaining oranges and separate into wedges. Cut the apples into cubes. Combine the orange wedges and apple cubes and place in the refrigerator until cooking.

Pour the cranberries into a medium-sized sauce pan. Cover with sugar and pour in water.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Cook for 10 minutes, until thickened. Slightly mash the fruit before serving. Stir in walnuts. Serve hot.

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Snow Peas & Red Peppers

December 9, 2010 By Kate 2 Comments

I love including Christmas colors in our meals whenever possible throughout the month of December. Red and green pancakes look a little off to me, but the kids love them! Fortunately, it’s easy to get those colors naturally with fresh produce. A bowl of sliced strawberries and kiwi may not be very seasonal, but it sure looks festive.

Snow Peas & Red Peppers is one of our favorite festive Christmas side dishes. It tastes great, has a wonderful, crispy texture and comes together so fast. It’s perfect all month long…and any other time of year too!

Snow Peas & Red Peppers

  • 1 lb. fresh snow peas
  • 1 large red pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 T. butter
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper

Wash and trim snow peas. Place in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and steam for 5 minutes. While the snow peas steam, slice red pepper into thin strips. Mince garlic. Drain snow peas and rinse in cold water. Combine the snow peas, red pepper and garlic and refrigerate until using.

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add vegetables and salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is tender and vegetables are heated through.

You can make this an even faster dish to prepare by using a bag of frozen snow peas. Skip the washing, trimming and steaming and just saute thawed snow peas with the red pepper and garlic.

Stop by Food + Heat for the side dish installment of the Bloggy Progressive Dinner

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Scalloped Corn

November 15, 2009 By Kate 7 Comments

This scalloped corn is a simple but super tasty side dish. It’s a holiday favorite in our family. In fact, it’s one of those recipes that usually consists of adding some of this and some of that. I never knew how much work it could be to figure out the actual measurements for a recipe like that before.

But I did it for you, just because I’m nice like that. And because if you’re looking for a new holiday side dish to serve up at your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, this one should definitely make it on your list. It’s on my Thanksgiving menu already!

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Scalloped Corn

  • 1 15 oz. can creamed corn
  • 2 c. frozen corn
  • 1 sleeve Saltines, coarsely crushed
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 3 T. butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 t. each salt and pepper
  • 1/2 t. hot sauce, optional

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine well. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

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Note – this recipe is super user-friendly and will cook just fine at any heat, making it the perfect side dish for a roasting turkey. Just increase or decrease the baking time as appropriate and keep an eye on it. It’s also easily doubled or tripled and will work just fine in any size or shape casserole dish.

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