Have You Checked These Out? : Buzzkill Coasters

( Buzzkill Coasters available at The Curiosity Shoppe )

I love the concept of these sarcasm-laced coasters but maybe it's the inner penny pincher in me that thinks you could just as easily whip these out on your home laptop/printer and save yourself the $8? That aside, these do crack me up and would definitely spark some conversation at the next family gathering. Afterall, who hasn't wanted to pop Aunt Mabel in the nose for asking you for the 5th year straight, "No babies yet?" as she passes you the gravy at the dinner table?

Tart & Tangy : Cranberry Orange Sauce

I'm sure your home, like most homes across America, is still stuffed to the gills with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. You've probably had turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey cookies...ok, nix the last one. Well, if you're looking for a fast side to go with all that leftover turkey try making up some of This Week For Dinner's Cranberry Orange Sauce. It's simple to make and only takes one pot (easy clean-up!)...plus it's fun to watch the cranberries explode when they get heated up.


Cranberry Orange Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 lb cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

zest of 1 orange

4 oranges separated, pith and membranes removed*  (I only used 2 oranges and felt that was more than enough)


Instructions

- Bring 1/2 C water to simmer.

- Add cranberries, sugar, OJ and zest. Simmer & stir until sugar dissolved and berries begin to pop, ~15 mins.

- Remove from heat – add orange segments.


* If you're looking for a hassle-free way to segment and remove the membrane of an orange, check out this handy video on RR: How To Segment an Orange

Smells Like Xmas Spirit

( Cinnamon Sticks Print by butterflyfood )

When it's rainy and cold outside, I like for the inside of my cottage to smell warm and cozy. Usually there's the odor of baked goods, bubbling soup or (if it's morning) a percolating pot of coffee wafting through my abode. But sometimes if I'm just home relaxing for the night and feeling slothish, I take a shortcut. (This trick is great also if you're having company over and want to give your home a welcoming air.)

Scent-sational Cinnamon

Instructions

- Take a medium-sized pot of water, place 3-4 cinnamon sticks in it.

- Place on stove and boil uncovered for approximately 30 minutes.

- Turn stove off and allow pot to cool.

(* As the water boils, the cinnamon scent will be emitted and disperse through the air.)

Painting the Town Red: Cranberry - Jalapeño Salsa

(shown au naturale & "tweaked")

Looking for something sweet, sour and spicy that you can make in a flash for a party? Then you definitely need to try this crazy-delicious cranberry-jalapeño salsa by allrecipes. I made some for Thanksgiving this year, with a few tweaks (namely mixing it up with a block of Philadelphia cream cheese) and served it up with some sesame water crackers...and voila!  A party in your mouth!  What's nice about this salsa is that you can use the leftovers for a multitude of other dishes. I gave some to a friend to taste test and she came up with the brillant idea of  pairing it with some grilled sausage. Mmmm!

Cranberry-Jalapeno Salsa (adapted from a recipe by allrecipes)

Ingredients

makes roughly 2 cups of salsa

1 (12 ounce) bag cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 bunch green onions, cut into 3 inch lengths

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 limes, juiced

3/4 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

1 block of Philadephia cream cheese (optional)

Instructions

- Combine cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a medium blade. 

- Chop to medium consistency. 

- Refrigerate if not using immediately. Serve at room temperature.

* TIP: For an alternate serving suggestion, original recipe says to just pour 1 cup of salsa over a block of cream cheese and serve it that way but I found mixing the salsa and the cream cheese up in a food processor made a better tasting product.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

99 Ranch Market Opens Up

 fresh steamed dumplings

4220 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95823

One of the small things I'm always thankful for is living in California where Asian food is plentiful. I have Oto's Japanese Market on Freeport that I hit up for most of my Japanese cooking needs and the Asian Farmers' Market (kitty corner from the W Street Farmers' Market on Sundays) that I can pick up fresh Asian veggies at; but once in awhile, I need specialty ingredients when I'm attempting a new Thai, Indian, Hmong, etc. recipe. For the most part when the need has come up, I've been able to find what I need at SF Supermarket on 65th Street. But variety is the spice of life and I was pleased to know another large Pan-Asian market had opened in Sacramento (thanks for the heads up Anthony!). Since I had a few hours to kill, I trekked out to So. Sac to check out the new 99 Ranch Market located at Florin and Franklin (just down the road from Luther Burbank High School).  I didn't know much about 99 Ranch but many of my Bay Area friends seemed familiar with the chain. 

yucca root

jujubes and longan

Upon walking in, I was struck by two things: the behemoth size of the store and that it was extremely clean. As you walk in, to the left is the produce area. The area was well organized and the fruits and veggies were colorful and fresh. There was a wide variety of ethnicities represented- I found myself next to rambutans, kholrabi, bitter melons, daikon and indian eggplants to name a few. Toward the back of the store is the live seafood area. The area was non-stop busy. I immediately noticed that the pungent "fishy" smell of other Asian markets and cloudy watered tanks were missing; looks like 99 Ranch is on top of their sanitation issues. The store states that they will "cut and gut" (and even fry) the fish for you if you like, which is a great deal. Amazingly, the entire time I was there (mid-day on a Monday) the area was hopping with people purchasing large prawns, bags of oysters, a plethora of fish and even sea cucumbers! It never stopped! The middle of the store carries spices, treats, sauces, liquor and dry goods like noodles and rice. I came across several sections of interesting looking frozen stuffed buns and dumplings. There's a few aisles of housewares and electronic kitchen gadgets and then you're upon the chaos-- the bakery and "food court" section. Here you can buy fresh breads and made-from-scratch pastries as well as tasty dim sum items, steaming hot bowls of noodles and boxed lunches. Hopefully the food court lines die down a bit once the market's been open for awhile. I'd like to go back and pick up a BBQ'd duck or some crispy pork. During my visit there were so many people elbow to elbow and a confusing criss-cross of lines that you would have thought that they were giving out free Justin Bieber tickets.

fresh fish

rice cooking wines

 

fruit wines

99 Ranch Market's prices seem on par with it's competitors. The fact that it's clean and well-stocked will probably be what draws me back. I also like that the customer base is as diverse as the products they carry there and everyone seems welcomed. The staff that I came across during my visit were all polite and helpful. There was a language barrier issue with one store clerk that was trying his best to help me locate an item but several nearby customers immediately jumped in to help me out. In addition to finding out where the item was located, I got several useful cooking tips! Oh and before I forget, take heed-- much like the other Asian markets in town, this place is rampant with little old Asian ladies speeding along like Andretti and ramming you with their carts. But no pain, no gain right?

moon pie

dried chrysanthemum

pastries

 

"Doesn't Taste Like Celery, My Lily-White Ass": Celery Root & Apple Soup

I was really excited about cooking with celery root (aka celeriac). A cross between an albino turnip and an overweight parsnip; it's always been one of those "What the heck is THAT fugly thing?!" vegetables I would pass by time and time again in the grocery store. Everywhere I read said that celery root wouldn't have that sharp green taste that ordinary celery stalks have...well baloney! Celery root has a STRONG celery smell and taste as I found out last night. As someone who abhors the taste, texture and smell of celery; I was not quite pleased with last night's dinner. I had decided to attempt The Kitchen Sink's Celery Root and Apple Soup and the result was a bowl of soup with a VERY celery-centric taste. Maybe throwing in another apple would have helped sweeten it up more; but regardless, this recipe will not be repeated again in our household. Mr. S. who DOES like celery wasn't too jazzed with it either and I found myself munching on a box of Pocky as opposed to finishing my dinner.

[Note: I didn't have chicken broth on hand so I used vegetable broth. I also omitted the chives.]


Celery Root and Apple Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled celery root (from one 1 1/4-pound celery root)

3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled cored Granny Smith apples (from about 2 medium)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)

1/4 cup white wine

4 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 sprigs of thyme

1/4 cup buttermilk

fine-grain sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup snipped chives, for garnish

extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

- Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat.

- Add celery root, apples, and onion. Cook until apples and some of celery root are translucent (do not brown), stirring often, about 15 minutes.

- Add wine, broth and thyme. Cover and bring to simmer.

- Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer covered until celery root and apples are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

- Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth.

- Return soup to pot and stir in the buttermilk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

- Garnish with snipped chives and a drizzle of olive oil.

("Celery is useless" by NatalieDee.com)