JANUARY 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I can't remember getting snow so late in the season. As much as I wanted snow for Christmas it was a nice change to be able to plan all of our holiday festivities without worrying about the weather.
But it all had to come to an end and here we are on a weekend watching the snow fall.
Over the Christmas break we were in Lexington, MA. Lexington is one of those wonderful little towns in MA that reminds me of Peyton Place.
They never lose their charm because you just can't make them modern. They still belong to the old New England tradition of brick and white pillars.
Chris took us to a really good restaurant in Lexington called il Casale Cucina Campana & Bar on Massachusetts Avenue. Susan got a cocktail called cranberry cider. It was so delicious I asked the bartender how they infused the cranberries in the rum and made the drink.
Here's the recipe! We started by buying a bag of cranberries and a bottle of vanilla beans (in the baking aisle of the grocery store). I used half the bag of cranberries and 2 vanilla beans. After the cranberries are washed put them in a mason jar. Then open the vanilla beans and scrape out the inside and then put that and the pods in the mason jar with the cranberries. Pour the rum over the cranberries and vanilla. I used Captain Morgan Spiced Rum because I thought it would be delicious. Let that sit on your counter for 4 or 5 days or until the rum takes on the red color of the berries.
When you're ready to make the drinks you can use either hard apple cider which will make it a little stronger or sparkling cider. We tried it both ways and couldn't really tell the difference. Strain the cranberries and vanilla and pour the rum in a pitcher and add the cider. Use your judgment with the amount of cider to use by tasting as you're adding. Then add a pinch of cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon and stir!
Reserve the cranberries and use one or two for a garnish. Add ice and drink up!! This is a wonderful holiday drink. I will be serving this many times next year around the holidays when cranberries are plentiful.
So we served this drink on New Year's Day and decided to use the rum infused cranberries in the Cranberry Glaced Ham recipe we were planning to make.
Here's the recipe. It's delicious!
SimplyRecipes - Cranberry Glazed Ham Recipe
Ingredients
Glaze:
- 1/2 of a 14-ounce can of jellied cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 strips of orange zest
- 2 to 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
Ham:
- 1/2 spiral-cut ham (about 9 pounds, plus or minus), bone-in, natural juices or no added water
Method
1 Let ham sit at room temp: Let the ham sit at room temp for a couple of hours before cooking. This will help the ham heat more evenly in the oven with less risk of the outside edges drying out.
2 Heat the ham: Wrap the ham tightly in aluminum foil, place in a roasting pan, and heat in a 275°F oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on the size of the ham, could be less or more time), until the internal temperature is 100°F. (It's already cooked, you're just heating it.)
3 Make the glaze: Place the jellied cranberry sauce in a small saucepan on low heat. Whisk in the orange juice and brown sugar until the brown sugar is dissolved. Add the strips of orange zest. Heat until bubbly and whisk until smooth. Then remove from heat, take out the orange strips, and stir in the mustard.*
4 Glaze the ham: When the ham is ready, remove from oven. Open up the foil and paint the ham with half of the glaze. Keep the ham uncovered and return to the oven, bake at 425°F for 10 minutes.
5 Glaze again and broil: Remove from oven and baste with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven on the lowest rack, and broil for 5 to 10 minutes (at least 6 inches away from the heating element) until the glaze is lightly browned and caramelized.
*Add the rum infused cranberries to number 3 in the Method section.
This glaze/gravy was out of this world with the addition of the cranberries.
I was looking forward to visiting The Quilted Crow this winter because it moved. They are one exit closer to us now in Bolton, MA.
I loved the old house they were in before but this space is so much bigger and a lot more organized. This shop has EVERYTHING!! There's a shop hop in April that our quilt group needs to talk about because I'd love to get everyone to take a trip up there. I bought some amazing Japanese fabric that I'll share next month.
When I got home my wallet was lighter BUT I was full of inspiration and decided to get busy on some of the many projects that are calling my name. This is a small little quilt kit I picked up there last year at this time. I finally made it and I love it!
I love felt candle mats and when I saw this one at The Quilted Crow a few weeks ago it called my name. While I was watching TV I made it.
Everything Christmas is put away but everything winter is still up so I'm happy I finally finished something in time to use it the same year!
My family knows I LOVE Dowton Abbey so they're always on the lookout for something I would like. This Christmas this was my Dowton "fix".
Over Christmas break I started my Downton Abbey quilt.
These are some of the blocks I made. The quilt calls for 50 so I suspect It'll take me until the movie comes out to finish them.
Over the holidays and when it snows we make homemade pizza. Homemade pizza in our house is so special we would eat it every day of the week for life if we could. It's just that good.
These are some of the pizzas we made one night. It took all night and few Smashed Pumpkins to make them all but they were to die for and even better left over the next day.
I have to share my recipe with you because it's so easy. If we didn't make so many it wouldn't be such a "job" but when everyone has a favorite one the whole production just gets out of hand. It's kinda like when you try and narrow down your Christmas cookie list but end up making them all every year anyway.
Fleischmann's Yeast Food Processor RapidRise Pizza Dough
3 cups flour
1 package Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
With metal blade in place, combine flour, undissolved yeast and salt in processor bowl Process 5-10 seconds to combine. Pour olive oil through feed tube. Begin processing; gradually pour water through feed tube just until ball forms (all water may not be needed). Continue processing for 60 seconds to knead dough. Carefully remove dough from processing bowl. Cover; let rest on lightly floured surface 10 minutes Shape, top and bake as directed.
Thanks for visiting and if the cold and snow get too much for you just do as I'm going to do-
See you in February!!
