Monday, October 28, 2013

Social Media Monday and Recipes I Have Tried

Yesterday I posted on Twitter and on Facebook a wonderful recipe I tried yesterday morning: Cranberry Orange Muffins. I was in the mood for them, and in the past I have made them from a mix. In an effort to eliminate some of the unnecessary ingredients from our diets, I decided to make them on my own. I love baking when the weather is cooler, anyway, so this was a good excuse. :) They turned out quite delicious and were pretty easy! I also tried a seafood jambalaya recipe last week, that I have listed here as well. I left out the andouille sausage, for our vegetarian daughter, and didn't get the shrimp with the shells, just used frozen and the ice/liquid they thawed in into my soup. Two nice warm cooler foods! Hope you like them, Reader!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

From Food Network Kitchens
Rated 4 out of 5
64 Reviews

Total Time: 0 hours 55 minutes

Prep:
Cook:
0 hours 30 minutes
0 hours 25 minutes

Yield:

12 muffins

Level:

Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins, if desired
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside. Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.
Ingredients
2 pounds medium gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into rounds
2 green peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 Spanish onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups long-grain rice
2 fresh bay leaves
1 bundle fresh thyme
5 scallions, whites and greens thinly sliced, for garnish
Directions
For the shrimp stock: toss the shrimp shells in a large pot and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes, although longer is fine. Strain the shells and discard.

Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the andouille and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sausage starts to brown. Add the peppers, celery, and onion to the pan, season with salt and a pinch crushed red pepper. Cook 7 to 8 minutes or until the mixture has softened and is very aromatic. Toss in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and cayenne. Stir in the rice.

Add 4 cups shrimp stock, bay leaves, and thyme bundle. Season with salt and taste it to make sure you are on the way to something delicious. Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Serve garnished with chopped scallions.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/gulf-shrimp-jambalaya-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

1 comment:

Thimbleanna said...

Oooh Yum! Our local Kroger makes the BEST cranberry orange muffins and I've been wanting to try them at home -- thanks for posting your recipe!!!