Bounce is Key with Cranberries

I love cranberries! But just like pecans, you have to sort them before you use them. Throw out any soft berries; each berry should be firm. Plus, a good cranberry bounces!

So to help remind you that you should only keep cranberries that bounce, check out "Billie's Bounce" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE     

3-4 cups fresh cranberries, sorted

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup water

1. Sort cranberries. Put cranberries in a strainer. Rinse with water. Put all the firm cranberries in a large multi-cup measuring container.
2. Reserve one cup of cranberries aside. Put remaining cranberries in a large saucepan. Add sugar and water.
3. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. After all cranberries have popped, add cranberries that were set aside. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.
5. Let stand for 20 minutes.
6. It will be very thick after being refrigerated. 

Stuffy Stuffing?

My favorite Thanksgiving food is stuffing! I absolutely love it! I always eat way too much and get "stuffed;" so on that thought, check out "Stuffy" performed by the Oscar Peterson Quartet.

STUFFING THE CHASTON WAY

1 bag Pepperidge Farm® Cubed Herb Seasoned Stuffing (12 ounces)

1 ½ cups chicken broth or chicken bouillon

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large, microwaveable bowl, combine broth, butter, sage, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
3. Add celery and onion to broth mixture. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
4. Stir. Microwave on high for 2 minutes more or until vegetables are slightly tender.
5. Remove from microwave and add stuffing cubes.
6. Toss until stuffing cubes are coated with liquid, long enough so that none get soggy.
7. Put mixture in a 9”x13” pan sprayed with non-stick spray.
8. Cover pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover. Bake for 10 minutes longer until top stuffing cubes are a bit crunchy.

Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving! Food, family, and fun! The traditional Chaston cranberry sauce is the center of our Thanksgiving plates! It is the easiest recipe. That recipe is coming soon!

So for Thanksgiving, check out "I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For" sung by Bing Crosby.

Peppermint Cool

I love going to Williams-Sonoma! Every year I buy Peppermint Bark. It's the best!

I'm so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow! I love to not only eat the food but love the cooking part, too!

Even though it's technically not the Christmas season yet, I love the song "Cool Yule" sung by Louis Armstrong. The lyrics mention peppermint, a perfect tie-in for today's blog!

Sleep and More Dreams

After pulling the all-nighter from Sunday to Monday, I'm definitely catching up on my sleep! And I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving!

I will, of course, still be hitting the books in preparation for finals. But a little Thanksgiving cooking and resting will be a nice change!

So here's to catching up on sleep and dreams! On a related note, check out "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" sung by Dean Martin.

My First All-Nighter...And Day

I pulled my first all-nighter last night. I turned my memo in--hard copy--at 6:30 AM this morning. And I went to all of my classes today--including an extra make-up class!

Needless to say, I still haven't slept. Rested, yes; but slept, no. I've officially been awake for 36 hours, both night and day...

So today's song, naturally, is "Night and Day" sung by Ella Fitzgerald! Now it's time for me to get some sleep!

Think Thanksgiving and Dream

So I'm just way too tired right now. But I am excited for Thanksgiving! I'm getting food ready--including making the bread cubes for stuffing--checking recipe ingredients with those in the pantry, and dreaming of doing absolutely nothing related to school on at least one weekday!

So since I'm dreaming of Thanksgiving, check out "Dream" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

Writing, Writing, Writing, and a Little More Writing

So today's blog is short and sweet. I've been writing a memo all day and I don't think I've got any more writing left in me!

So check out "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" sung by Frank Sinatra.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving Turkeys...and Dogs

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. It's filled with parades, wonderful food, and The National Dog Show Presented by Purina® on NBC!

I love dogs, especially my Corgi, Deno. Dogs just make life better! I always root for the Corgis (both the Pembrokes and the Cardigans) in the Dog Show, though they haven't won Best in Show for as long  as I've been watching...yet!

To celebrate dogs today, check out the lovable pop song "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" performed by The Monkees.

Leftovers turned Quiche

Usually in November cooks are trying to figure out what to do with leftover turkey and stuffing. That happens at our house, too, but what about those other leftovers like plain white rice?

That's an easy question to answer. Put the leftover rice in a pie shell with eggs and vegetables, turn on the oven, and bake! A whole new dish with your leftover rice. And if you've never tried rice in quiche before, don't worry. It really is delicious!

Since this is a "leftover" blog, I thought of "Here's that Rainy Day" sung by Julie London. The first line goes, "Maybe I should have saved those leftover dreams." If you can't save the leftover dreams, at least save the leftover rice or turkey or even stuffing and make your own version of leftover quiche!

QUICHE

1 pie crust, par-cooked

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup red pepper, chopped

1 cup ham, diced

1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced

1 cup peas

1 cup cooked rice

2 cups pepper cheese, grated

5 eggs

2 cups milk

Dash cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1. Par-cook a pie crust. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Put onion, red pepper, ham, chicken, peas and rice in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon.
4. Put grated cheese in a bowl. With a fork, separate the cheese and stir it into the other ingredients.
5. In a medium size bowl, combine eggs, milk, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt with a whisk. 
6. Spoon first mixture into cooled pie shell.
7. Pour egg mixture over the onion mixture. Evenly distribute the liquid ingredients over the onion mixture carefully with a fork.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Check center to see if liquid mixture has solidified. If not cooked through, bake for five minute intervals, checking for doneness. 

Cubes and Squares

Thanksgiving is just eight days away. It's stuffing time! Those bread cubes of delight are a Thanksgiving staple. And it's not that hard to make the bread cubes yourself!

As for a song, I thought about cubes. Nothing. Then I thought about squares and remembered "Dewey Square" played by Charlie Parker.

BREAD CUBES FOR STUFFING

2 French bread baguettes, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bread cubes on a large baking pan with low sides—a jelly roll pan works.
3. Sprinkle poultry seasoning, sage and black pepper over the cubes.
4. Toss the cubes with your hands to coat them with the spices.
5. Turn oven down to 250 degrees.  Put pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and toss the cubes with a large spoon.  Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes longer.  If the cubes are toasted thoroughly, turn the oven off and let them continue to bake for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven.  Let the cubes completely cool before putting them in a sealable plastic bag to save them for future use.  Put in the freezer to store.