Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Recipe

It’s October – can you believe that?!  Two fruits of fall are cranberries and pumpkin (although pumpkin is probably not considered a fruit).  Anyway, I made this bread recipe the other day, and it filled the house with its sweet smell.  So much better than burning any candle, and you can’t eat a candle – so this Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf is the clear winner.

A slice with a little margarine is perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.

You will need:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped walnuts  (optional)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (defrosted if frozen)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and mix well (it appears curdled). Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder; add to pumpkin mixture, beating on low speed just until moistened. Fold in walnuts (if using) and cranberries. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

I omitted the nuts because my husband prefers it that way, and I didn’t want my daughter to get anything caught in her throat.  I think next time, I’ll make one loaf with nuts.  Also, I only had one loaf pan in the house so I made some muffins too – both bread forms came out great.

Cabot Cheddar Sampler Pack Giveaway!

Closed – Congratulations to the winner, #43 cloud10277

If someone asked me to choose between cheese and chocolate, I’d have to go with cheese.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love chocolate—but cheese would win the prize if I had to choose.  My favorite of the hard cheeses is cheddar, the more sharp the better.  It’s great on crackers, melted into a main dish, or all by itself.

I’ve purchased Cabot Cheese before because they have the reduced fat versions that taste just as great as the originals.  But I never knew that Cabot Creamery was a non-profit dairy cooperative.  Each consumer purchase supports the 1,200 local farmers continuing the tradition of American dairy farming.

Last week I was sent a sampler of Cabot cheddars which included eight 8oz bricks of cheese.  Two of each of these varieties: 50% Reduced Fat, Extra Sharp, Seriously Sharp and Racer’s Edge.  I couldn’t wait to dig in, and I started with the Extra Sharp variety.  The entire thing is almost gone.  I’d really have a seriously problem if I had tried every variety already, but I know they’re all going to be delicious.

Emma on the other hand, does not have any interest in cheese besides the artificial kind used in mac n cheese.  She’s really missing out, so I am trying to incorporate this calcium rich product into her diet.  Here is a low in fat, kid-friendly recipe by Registered Dietitian and spokesperson Regan Jones.   Her resume includes being the former editor at Cooking Light and Weight Watchers Magazines.

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips
makes 6 servings
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Pinch salt
Pinch ground black pepper
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk
1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
4 ounces Cabot 50 % Reduced Fat Cheddar, grated
6 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In three separate bowls:
- mix together flour, salt and pepper
- beat together egg whites and milk
- mix together cornflakes and cheese
3. Dip chicken strips first into flour, then into egg white mixture, then into cornflake mixture, turning to coat. Place in baking dish. (Discard any unused mixture.)
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until nicely browned, turning over after about 12 minutes. Serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce if desired.

This is the real deal and definitely not the same as the frozen breaded nuggets in my freezer.  I can’t wait to make this healthy version using Cabot cheddar.

GIVEAWAY!  Enter to win a Cabot Cheese sampler pack (8 bricks) like the one pictured below valued at $25.00!

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No compensation was received for this post. The sponsor provided a product sampler to facilitate my review and has generously offered one for one lucky reader. Contest is open to US residents age 18 and older and closes at Midnight EST on September 24th.  The winner will be selected using Random.org. See giveaway rules before entering. GOOD LUCK!

Ground Turkey Casserole {recipe}

Yesterday I had a pound of lean ground turkey in my fridge and I wanted to make something different other than the usual meatloaf, meatballs, tacos or chili.  So I took to twitter and asked a few friends for suggestions.  And boy, did I get what I asked for.  This is why I love twitter – the people in my stream are so helpful!  I was going to go with one of the ideas I received, but then I saw a recipe for Ground Turkey Casserole on allrecipes.com that was right up my alley.  It had three of my favorite things: Cream Cheese, Tomato Sauce and Cheddar.  Sold!

cThis is my altered (healthier) version of the recipe I found.  If you want to see the orginal version, click the link above.  It was a big hit, so I wanted to share.

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (22 ounce) jar of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar there’s enough sugar in the tomato sauce above
• 1 (8 ounce) container fat free sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package no yolk noodles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 2%)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground turkey for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned. Drain the turkey, stir in the tomato sauce, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix well and set aside.
3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Place them into a 9x13-inch baking dish, then layer the turkey mixture over the noodles. Then layer the sour cream mixture over the turkey, and top with cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Easy Tomato Salad & William Bounds Grill Mill Review

In my garden I have fresh tomatoes and basil growing.  Those are the two key ingredients for my fresh tomato salad.  This is one of the easiest and most nutritious “recipes” I know of, and it’s great as a side dish or as a topping on salad or over fresh mozzarella (Yum!). In the summertime, I’ll make a meal of it. 

You can adjust the recipe to your taste and omit anything you might not like which is why this is so easy (some people I know like this without the red onion), but this is how I make it.

Tomato and Basil Salad
Ingredients -
4 fresh tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
pinch salt
pepper

Cut tomatoes into 1/4” slices, then slice in half.  Do the same with the red onion.  In a bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil and salt (to taste).  Add the tomatoes and onions and mix well.  Top salad with a few springs of basil and add fresh pepper. 

For that last finishing touch, I used the William Bounds 5-Inch Stainless Steel Grill Mill. The Grill Mill crushes the peppercorns (or sea salt) as opposed to standard mills that grind them.  William Bounds promises that it will never jam or wear down, and it is backed by a lifetime warranty.

I’m a righty and my husband is left-handed , so the other benefit of this grill mill is that it’s comfortable for both of us to use as it works in a back and forth motion.  The fineness of the pepper is adjustable as well.  The design is very manly with a textured stainless steel surface which makes it perfect for summertime grilling.

The William Bounds 5-Inch Stainless Steel Grill Mill is available at Amazon.com for $29.95 and ships for free within the U.S.

I was not compensated for this post, but I was provided with a product sample in order to facilitate my review.

One-dish Turkey Kielbasa and Vegetable Casserole

Yesterday, we had friends over for an early Sunday dinner.  I always stress over what to make for guests, but I knew these particular friends like to eat healthfully like we do, so that was a start.  I had just picked up the kielbasa the other day and wanted to make a nice one-dish meal out of that. 

After seeing this recipe online, I decided to try it.  That’s right-I threw caution to the wind and made a brand new recipe for our friends.  I figured if it’s a disaster, there’s always the pizza guy!

Thankfully, it turned out great.  I was so happy with it that I wanted to share it with you all.  I made my own personal variations, so my recipe is below.  If you want to see the original, click the link above.

- 2 packages (24 oz) turkey kielbasa, cut into thick slices
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, unpeeled and diced
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups cooked rice
-19 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained

Prepare rice and set aside.

In large skillet, cook sliced kielbasa over high heat until browned, stirring often to avoid burning.

Remove from pan and add oil, onions, zucchini, peppers, garlic, and dry seasonings. Cook for 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Add cooked rice, beans and sausage, continuing to cook until all ingredients are hot.   Enjoy!

This was such a delicious, healthy meal.  I omitted jalapeno peppers from the original recipe because I didn’t know how hot our guests like their food, and I thought Emma might try it.  I was out of cumin, so I replaced that with chili powder.  I used extra virgin olive oil in place of canola oil. The last change I made was instead of adding canned corn, I served corn on the cob on the side.

I made this using the Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa.  If you want to enter to win a one-year supply of Hillshire Farm meats, enter my giveaway here.