Christmas Time is Here

With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is either hosting or attending parties. Whether you are the host or the attendee, the same dilemma usually ensues. "What dish do I make?" One of the things I love most about the holidays is the food, but I have found it to be true is that no matter how delicious the food, people will always enjoy it just a little more with a really good cocktail.

So, this year, instead of agonizing over the food why not be the one to fill people's cups with cheer? There are several options whether warm or cold of drinks that are excellent for entertaining and deliciously fun. This week I will be talking about the Christmas cocktail. I will provide you with three of my favorite recipes that I've tweaked or created. So here to get us started is number 1 of 3.

Glögg Mulled wine is one of the most traditional Christmas beverages. Even though it has not been fortunate enough to find it's name in a song, it's popularity as a winter cocktail has spanned centuries and is as renown as the famous Wassail and Hot Toddy.

If you were to look for a recipe for Glögg on the internet you would find a slew of them. I have been playing with my own recipe for a while and I love this version of it the best by far.

Kristen's Glögg:
yield 12 servings
2 Bottles Inexpensive Red Wine
2 Cups Spiced Rum
1 Cup Light Rum (Optional substitute Brandy, I have done both but prefer Rum) 
1 Cup of Tripple Sec (Substitute 1/2 cup of sugar if you don't have tripple sec)
2 Oranges 2 Tbsp Whole Cloves
1 Tbsp Whole Allspice
5-7 Cinnamon sticks (plus 12 for garnish optional)

In a large pan combine the wine and 1 cup of the spiced rum. Poke the cloves into the oranges so that they look like spiked balls and add to the pot. Add allspice and cinnamon sticks. Turn on the heat to medium-high. Cook for about 10 minutes until steam starts to rise or until liquid reaches 160* F. Reduce to medium-low heat and cover for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add all remaining ingredients, then cover for another 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Glögg is a scandinavian specialty, this is sometimes referred to as Mulled Wine or the German Glühwein. However you pronounce it and whatever you decide to add to it, hot spiced wine is one of my favorite cozy Christmas party beverages. It is not only economical to serve to several guests, but it is also easy to make.

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey

Thanksgiving turkey 1 of 2

So, you are all probably sick to death of Turkey by now.  So sick of it, in fact, that you can't stand the thought of making one at Christmas so you're thinking about buying a ham instead of cooking the 23-pounder in your freezer.  Well, I feel your pain, I am one of those crazies who actually cooked two turkeys this year and didn't even host Thanksgiving.

Turkey is one of the most wonderful parts of Thanksgiving, but the left-overs can linger on for what seems like an eternity.  So, today I thought I would share with you my ideas for turkey left-overs.  It can be far more interesting than eating Thanksgiving dinner five times over.  The ways you can repurpose turkey meat are endless.

Left overs option #1:

Turkey Stew:
This is an easy way to take a lot of the drier portions of the bird and and make them moist again.  And my favorite way to eat turkey stew is to pour a ladle of it over mashed potatoes.  The part of this dish is that you don't have to make it in any one way, you can make it however you'd like.  Just follow a basic stew recipe and add whatever you would like into it. (If you need some help figuring out what to put in your stew, here is a great recipe from Taste of Home, Just substitute turkey for the chicken--Simple Chicken Stew). My personal recipe is very simple, it's just turkey, broth, carrots, and onions, then some cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken it up.  I don't care for celery much and I don't like a lot of starches in my stew because I like to have the option of rice or potatoes later.  This is an economical and tasty way to get rid of some turkey and possibly some other Thanksgiving left overs.

Turkey stew may not have been enough of a flavor change for you.
So here's option #2:

Turkey Soya:
This is a terrific family recipe that has been handed down.  I love this dish it's quite possibly one of the easiest and cheapest ways to feed a lot of people. There are different versions of it I'm sure, but the way I made it this year was basic because I lacked some of the other ingredients and it worked out great.

(Kristen's Version) Turkey Soya:

1 Cup Soy Sauce
3 Cups of Water
1 Bay Leaf
3 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 Tsp. Black Pepper
3 15-oz Cans of Black Beans (drained)
or 1 1-lb bag of black beans soaked overnight (drained)
2-3 cups shredded left over turkey

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 4 hours.


Finally my favorite thing to do with turkey left overs...

option #3 anything Mexican:

I love to repurpose turkey meat for mexican food.

I recently made turkey tacos, turkey quesadillas, and my personal favorite turkey enchiladas.

All of these things are simple to make and you can find recipes for any of these dishes online.  And, don't forget you don't have to even look for turkey versions just substitute turkey for the meat in the recipe.  But, for the enchiladas I made I took the meat and repurposed it by turning it into Turkey Carnitas.  I know that seems like it's not possible but, it is and it's EASY!

Turkey Carnitas:

2-3 lbs. Shredded Turkey meat
3 Tbsp. Bacon Grease or Lard
1/4 cup WarmWater
1 Tbsp. Salt
3 Cloves Garlic

Pre-heat oven to 250*

Dissolve salt in the water. Set aside.

Heat up a large skillet (preferably Cast Iron, but any oven safe skillet will do) on stove on Medium heat.  Add bacon grease and heat until liquid in texture.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add turkey. Evenly coat the turkey with the grease and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, allow turkey to start to crisp or brown just slightly.  Remove from heat. Add salt water to hot skillet and stir turkey to evenly distribute the steam.  Put in oven for 3-5 minutes until water is fully absorbed or steamed off and turkey is moist.

Well, there you have it three different ways to eat your thanksgiving left overs without losing your mind.   What are some of your favorite things to do with turkey leftovers?

What does a novelist eat?

Today marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo 2012.  What in the world, NaNowRiwaht? You ask...


NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month.  Every year for the month of November daring and intrepid creators unite their persistant passion to write, and embark upon the task of finishing a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days.

So, how do I a food blogger incorporate this into my blog?  By telling you what a crazy NaNoWriMoER eats during this insane journey.  When trying to surmount such a difficult feat in such a short amount of time, you need foods that will help you cope and perhaps even help the creative juices flow.  Everyone handles this venture of verbosity in their own unique ways, and everyone has their own hang ups and bouts with writers block.  Many writers find that their muse doesn't strike until after midnight, so their stashing their diet Cokes and popping their dark chocolate covered espresso beans. I happen to have a less difficult time finding my muse and a harder time getting my inner critic to shut the hell up.  So what did I eat to ready my mind and body for day one of this adventure?

Three steps to shutting up your inner critic:

1. Eat red meat.
Nothing in this world makes me feel more satisfied and happier than a piece of juicy steak.  I love nothing more than to get my protein by eating some satisfyingly salty red meat.  Not only does this satisfy my hunger long enough to avoid any cravings that may interrupt my writing flow, but it also relaxes me by filling my tummy.

2. Chocolate is your friend.
After finishing my delicious dinner, I realized that I may need a slight jolt to keep me awake as I'm writing, but not a jolt that would wire me up the way a cup of coffee would.  I needed that perfect blend of caffeine and sugar to provide just the right amount of energy, so... CHOCOLATE!

3. "Release your inhibitions... the rest is still unwritten."
Well if you have been reading this blog for any length of time or if you just know me at all you know that I am a wine lover.  I love wine for so many complex reasons, but one of the side effects of wine that I appreciate is it's ability to help you relax.  When you're in a battle with your inner critic, sometimes the best way to win that battle is to weaken your opponent.  Your inner critic is simply your inhibitions gaining a voice.  How do you slow your inhibitions enough that your true voice can come out?  Well, I happen to do it with a little red wine.  And, as an added bonus, most red wines pair well with some kind of chocolate. Score!

my workstation

Anyway, there you have it... This self-critiquing NaNoWriMoER foody's formula for success.