Here’s a great salad that is perfect for the holidays and winter months: mixed greens tossed with chicken, candied pecans, dried cranberries, crisp apple, tangy blue cheese and a honey-dijon vinaigrette. It’s beautiful, festive and delicious!

For the greens, I used a bag of mixed baby spring greens that included romaine, oak leaf, chard, arugula, frisee and radicchio, and half of a bag of mixed greens that included chopped butter lettuce and radicchio. Also, I didn’t chop the lettuce leaves because I was in a hurry. Next time, I’ll do the chopped version. I found candied pecans at Trader Joe’s. Enjoy!

Winter Chopped Salad
-recipe from Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington

Serves 6 as a first course or 8 as a main course (I think it really serves much more than that!)

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 head radicchio, cored and finely chopped (the red lettuce)
2 heads romaine lettuce, light green and white leaves only, finely chopped
1 1/4 pounds cooked chicken breasts, skin & bones removed and cut into 1-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup candied pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled blue or fresh goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place the radicchio, romaine, chicken, apple, cranberries, nuts and cheese in a large salad bowl.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepper (if desired) and serve.

Advance preparation:
Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead, cover, and keep at room temperature. Whisk well before using. Make the salad up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Toss with dressing right before serving.

The Clever Cook Could:
* Substitute 3 cups diced cooked turkey for the chicken
* Add 6 strips of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled.
* Omit the chicken and serve the salad as a first course
* If you’re not a fan of chopped salad, tear the leaves into bite-size pieces instead of finely chopping them.

I’m linked to:
Delicious Dishes,
Home for the Holidays,

Tags: apple, blue cheese, candied pecans, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, mixed baby greens, radicchio, romaine, vinaigrette, winter chopped salad

If you’re feeling adventurous, try this flavorful, jewel-like cranberry sauce. It’s delicious, smoky, not-too-spicy, and not-too-sweet.  I love it with roast turkey and chicken! I’ll be serving this Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve on Thanksgiving, as well as a more traditional cranberry sauce , too. It’s so good I can eat it with a spoon!

I couldn’t find dried peaches so I doubled the dried apricots. The recipe calls for real maple syrup…not the imitation pancake syrup. Use more or less chipotle depending on the level of spice you want. You can start with a little and add more if needed. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine, October 2003

Serve with: Roast turkey, ham, or chicken. Combine with: Crackers that have been spread with cream cheese or goat cheese. Use as: A sandwich spread. Makes about 3 cups.

1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped dried peaches
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
16 ounces fresh cranberries (about 4 cups)
2 1/4 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chiles*

Combine maple syrup, 1/2 cup water, and vinegar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add all dried fruit, garlic, and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fresh cranberries and chipotle chiles; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until cranberries pop and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

*Chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce that is sometimes called adobo are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Tags: chipotle, Christmas, condiment, cranberry sauce, dried apricots, dried cranberries, fruit conserve, garlic, holidays, Thanksgiving

Cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make. If you’ve never made your own, I encourage you to try it this year. This recipe for Triple-Cranberry Sauce takes just minutes to prepare and is lightly flavored with orange and spice. I’ve made it many times and am always pleased with the results.

I always buy King Kelly Orange Marmalade because it’s not as bitter as other marmalades I’ve tried, and I use freshly grated orange zest instead of minced orange peel (zesting is much easier than mincing the peel). I’ve even used regular cranberry juice cocktail (1 cup) when I couldn’t find the frozen concentrate. Either way, taste the cranberry mixture while it’s simmering and add more sugar, orange zest or allspice to your liking.

If you have leftover cranberry sauce, use it in this recipe for Cranberry-Almond Coffee Cake.

Triple-Cranberry Sauce
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine, November 1993

“The Indians and English use them much,” wrote one visitor to New England in 1663, “boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicate Sauce.” Although there is little evidence that cranberry sauce was served at the first Thanksgiving, it is assumed that Indians brought it to the feast. This tangy version gets its intense flavor and color from a mixture of fresh and dried cranberries, along with frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate.

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries (about 2 ounces)
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons minced orange peel (I use orange zest)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add fresh and dried cranberries and cook until dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel and allspice. Cool completely. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Tags: Christmas, cranberry sauce, dried cranberries, frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, holidays, orange juice, orange marmalade, orange zest, Thanksgiving

I love a good, chewy oatmeal cookie especially when it’s studded with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Add a big glass of cold milk and I’m a happy girl.

For this recipe, I add a dash or two of cinnamon to the dough for just a hint of spice and make smaller than saucer-sized cookies. I find that the cookies don’t spread as much while baking when the dough is a bit chilled. And since I like them on the chewy side, I make sure not to over-bake them. I usually don’t bake a whole batch of cookies at once. Instead, I make the dough, bake a few, then scoop the rest of the dough into balls and freeze them for later baking. This way, I can have freshly baked cookies in no time at all. In fact, I think I’ll turn on the oven and thaw a few cookies out right now…

Saucer-Sized Oatmeal Cookies
-recipe from Perfect Recipes For Having People Over by Pam Anderson

I like my oatmeal cookies crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. The ingredients and their proportions in this recipe deliver that perfect combination of textures. If you don’t have a 1 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop, simply measure the dough in 3-tablespoon portions (or a scant 1/4 cup if using a dry measuring cup). Makes about 18 large cookies.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chocolate chips or 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks

Adjust oven racks to highest and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oatmeal in a medium bowl. Beat eggs, salt, and vanilla in a small bowl. Mix butter, oil, and sugars in a large bowl. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in flour mixture, then stir in cranberries and chocolate.

Using a 1 1/2-ounce (3-tablespoon) spring-action ice cream scoop, scoop 6 dough balls on each of the cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes, switching positions of sheets and turning them around after 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Make ahead option: The oatmeal dough balls can be placed on a cookie sheet and frozen until solid, then transferred to a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw as many as needed slightly until soft on the outside and bake.

Tags: chocolate chips, dried cranberries, oatmeal cookies, oats

My first attempt at making granola was a few years ago around the holidays. I gave a sample of it to a few friends to try and they both liked it so much they made it themselves to package up and give out as teacher’s gifts for Christmas. I’d say that’s a hearty stamp of approval!

The recipe calls for rolled oats (the old-fashioned kind not the instant) and REAL maple syrup. You can use pretty much any dried fruit and nut combination that makes you happy (I used dried cherries in the above photo). Be sure to add the dried fruit AFTER the granola comes out of the oven.  

For other recipe ideas, check out Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Granola
- adapted from an Alton Brown recipe – www.foodnetwork.com
Makes 6 servings.

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, etc.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add dried fruit and mix until evenly distributed.

Tags: coconut, dried cherried, dried cranberries, dried fruit, granola, nuts, oats, pecans