Cooking with Mamala

Since I am enjoying cooking more now as I used to, my daughter out in California and I talk about food quite a bit. I let her know what I am making and she loves to hear about it and wishes she could be closer to come on over and enjoy it. With the change in season, we talked about fall food!! Certain foods just taste so much better at this time of year, wouldn't you agree?! I texted her when I was making these recipes and now she can make them herself and I will wish I was there to come over and enjoy them!:)

I am also sharing some of the great fall scenery pictures that my husband took when we

were up in Jackson Hole September 24 - except for the second one which I took of him:)

Garlic Cranberry Chicken

8 green onions, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated and peeled

1 baby leaf

1-1/2 cups white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1/2 tsp. dried basil

6 bone-in chicken breast halves (7 ounces each)

Sauce:

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup boiling water

4-1/2 tsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1/4 cup half-and-half

Place onions, celery, carrots, cranberries, garlic and bay leaf in a 9" x 13" baking pan covered

with cooking spray. Add wine or broth. ( I think I used wine, since I like cooking with wine and sometimes I even put it into the food:) Haha!) Combine salt, pepper, and basil; sprinkle it over the chicken. Place over the vegetable mixture.

Bake uncovered, at 350 for 70 - 80 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken; keep warm. Strain cooking liquid; discard vegetable mixture. Skim fat and set aside 1-1/3 cups.

For sauce, place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes; drain

and discard liquid. Set berries aside.

In a nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in half-and-half and reserved cranberries. Heat through. Serve with chicken.

This was served with roasted with onions and garlic, sweet potatoes. And a mixed green

salad with sliced oranges and roasted beets. The salad dressing was: 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 medium shallot, finely chopped, 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar (I couldn't find any sherry

vinegar, so I used 1/2 rice vinegar and 1/2 sherry. It worked!), salt, freshly ground pepper. Let this marinate for 10 minutes before whisking in 1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.

I topped my salad and the guests' salad with goat cheese, but not everyone likes that.

Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt

Place these in a large saucepan and cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

2 tbsp. EVOO (Now you know this came from one of Rachael Ray's magazines!)

2 pounds ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, grated

4 ribs of celery from the heart, chopped

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

Pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cups turkey or chicken broth

A few dashes Worcestershire sauce

One 10-ounce box frozen peas

In a deep skillet, heat the EVOO over high heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery and poultry seasoning Season with salt and pepper and

cook for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the broth, season with salt, pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, then stir into the turkey mixture. Stir in the peas and remove from the heat. Place in a sprayed 9" x 13" pan.

Mash sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp. butter. Rachael added 1/3 cup banana and a few dashes of

hot sauce. I did not! I eliminated the hot sauce and added about 1/3 cup homemade applesauce. Mash until combined; spread evenly over the turkey mixture. Cover with 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Place in a 450 oven until the cheese is melted.

Although I prepared it a day before; covered it with foil; baked it in a 250 oven during church and it was perfect for the fellowship dinner. The base was a little runny, but we served it in bowls.:)

Citrus Tossed Salad

1 package (16 ounces) romaine hearts, torn

3 medium navel oranges, peeled and sectioned (I cut them in 1/2 too.)

2 medium apples, peeled and chopped (I put them into lemon juice, so they wouldn't brown.)

1 small grapefruit, peeled and sectioned (I cut them in 1/2 too!)

1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted and broken into smaller pieces

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/4 lemon juice

1 Tbsp. sugar (I used 1-1/2 packages of stevia.)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Shake altogether well.

I took this to the church fellowship dinner too. I had everything tossed in a bowl except the pecans and dressing. Those I added just before serving. Delicious! It has become one of my favorite salads:)

Enjoy the colors and food of the season! Give thanks to Almighty God for providing us with such

wonderful blessings!!