Have I mentioned that I don't really consider myself a baker? I found this recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread with a Grand Marnier Glaze on the Cooking Light website, but it originally came from Sunset Magazine in 2006. All but one person on the Cooking Light board raved about its flavor, its texture, and how incredibly moist it was. Mine was flat, crumbly, stuck to the bottom of the pan, and did not pack the flavor punch that I was expecting. Mind you I did not add the glaze at this time, but that is because I wanted my daughter to compare the flavor with a similar recipe that I have. I figure if I am going to be true to my blog, I might was well post the failures as well as the successes. Mind you, this still tastes good, it just won't be the bread I bake to give to friends who are also receiving the Cranberry Liqueur. The texture was more like a muffin than bread. I suspect some of the issues may have to do with the altitude where I live, but those issues did not prevent my other recipe from rising. I seem to be in the minority here though, so I would encourage others to try it.

The picture from Sunset Magazine:


My bread:

When does three weeks actually mean two? In my case, I hope it means that when making the Cranberry Liqueur from Cooking Light. I mean it's flavored alcohol that is going to be mixed with other ingredients. Am I really screwing it up by only waiting two weeks? Fortunately for me, I made enough to have a "tester" sample. I will see how it turns out in the end. If I had known how simple this recipe was, I would not have delayed so long in making it. It is a simple syrup made of water and sugar, that you mix with the finely diced fresh cranberries and vodka. Give it a stir, shake every other day and that is it. I found a similar recipe on Food Network by Tyler Florence that only requires the mixture to sit a week, so I am hopeful. This is what it currently looks like.

An apple a day....

Will forever remind me of my brother-in-law Al who died suddenly on October 1, 2007. Al was one of the kindest, honest, caring, and goofiest persons I have known. The day before he died he had been picking apples with my sister at his brother's home in Washington. Al had a tradition of getting boxes and boxes of just picked Washington State apples and then bringing them back to give to friends and co-workers in Jackson Hole, WY. The apples in the pictures are some of those that he and my sister had picked to bring home. While visiting my sister at Thanksgiving, her son had made some dehydrated apples. What an incredibly delicious and healthy snack. Slice the apples, sprinkle them with some cinnamon and let them sit in the food dehydrator for a few days. I hope you find a way to enjoy them too.

Sometimes, the problem with getting new cooking magazines each month, year after year, and owning too many cookbooks, is that you never go back to those favorites that you cooked once or twice before. One-Pan Whiskey Flavored Pork Chops is one of those recipes that is so good and so easy, but it gets lost in my repertoire of dishes "to try." I don't cook pork as much as I used because often it ends up being tough and dry. But cooking the pork in this whiskey flavored gravy for an hour leaves it moist and flavorful. I served it with some garlic mashed potatoes. It is a wonderful dish that goes well with a Pinot Noir. I hope you enjoy it as much we did.


Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

ACK!!!! No cooking of late as life has thrown me a number of curve balls. I have been able to recently get some beautiful pictures of God's creation from Jackson Hole, Wyoming even if I was there for tragic reasons. So while no cooking, I do have some pictures to share.

Early sunrise after a stormy night



The reason fall is my favorite season!



The calm after the storm

I love lemons. Somehow, I always try to convince myself that because they are so light and refreshing, that using them will result in some low-cal dessert. But the desserts I seem to find, generally don't fit the bill. If you can get over the fact that you need a lot of eggs for the curd, a ton of sugar, and heavy whipping cream for the mousse, Lemon Curd Mousse Cake is a wonderful lemon dessert that is relatively easy to prepare. I think, I like the fact that I can make it in stages (you really are required to as with most dishes calling for a lemon curd), because I was able to make it over a couple of days.

Seeing as I didn't not have any pastry tips, and I used all the lemons to make the curd, my decorative plating doesn't compare with the Bon Appetit picture (but then it rarely does -- sigh), but I simply drizzled some of the leftover mousse on the cake, and it looked okay.

So a few years ago I took my kids to TGIFridays for lunch at the end of the school year. For the most part, I was reminded of why I can not stand the place; too loud, bad service, oversized meals, but I did enjoy the barbeque chicken salad I had there. I never tried to replicate it at home because I did not have a corn-black bean salsa that I really enjoyed. Once I found the Southwestern Salsa with Black Beans and Corn recipe from Southern Living (note I cut the recipe in half as it makes a lot), I did my best to replicate the salad. Essentially, I line a plate with greens and alternate the salsa, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese. I drizzle the salad with ranch dressing and barbeque sauce, and lay sliced barbecue chicken across the top. The salad is hearty and delicious, yet comes together quite easily.

Well I have been diving into cooking a little bit more this past week, but pictures have been missing. I recently tried a dip by Sandra Lee that is meant to be used over roasted asparagus, but I used it with cold veggies (snow peas, zucchini and carrots - I would have made cold roasted asparagus if I could have found some - as an appetizer), and it was wonderful. Curry-Cashew Mayonnaise is very easy to make and a nice variation on dips for veggies. I upped the cashews and the curry a little, but really it is to your own tastes. (The photo is courtesy of foodnetwork.com).

The other new dish I tried was Grilled Potato and Onion Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon. Okay - this is not a light dish, but so yummy with some grilled steaks. The presentation was somewhat lacking on mine because I used the grill as opposed to the grill rack to grill the potatoes. Mine was more like Charred potato salad. It will definitely be kept in the recipe bin, I just need to work on my grilling skills. If you are so inspired, I hope you try either of these recipes.

Um yeah...so about this blogging thing. I kind of left it behind with high school boys swim season, trying to find a new job and dealing with changes in my life. But you know what, I miss it. I hope I haven't left you all out in the cold (like my last post). So here is to a new renewed vigor in posting. Today's entry is Cooking Light's Rum Glazed Banana Cake; except I don't use a Rum-Glaze and I have taken to adding mini-chocolate chip cookies. Still, I get compliments on this cake everytime I make it! It also converts easily to two loaf pans.