Clockwork Blood Orange Sauce

I recently just watched the movie Clockwork Orange. It was.....very interesting. Hehe. The 1971 film is an adaption of the novel "A Clockwork Orange," written in 1962. I would share the plot with you (if I could), but like many things in this world it's complicated. So, my inspiration for this recipe was to create something simple, less complicated, using my favorite ingredient. Blood oranges.




















Blood Orange Sauce:

4 blood oranges
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions:

1. Cut oranges in halves and use a juicer to retrieve as much blood orange juice as you can. (Do not throw away orange rinds.)
2. In a medium saucepan, combine blood orange juice with the sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Use a grater to create zest from the orange rinds. Add to the saucepan.
4. Increase heat and boil until the sauce is reduced (about 20 minutes.) It should be thick and syrup like.

You can add the blood orange sauce as a glaze for duck, pork, brocolli or sweet potatoes. Also try pouring the sauce over a bowl of vanilla ice cream with fresh cut strawberries.

The Dirty Dozen

Those who know me personally, know that if I had to choose between designer clothing and fresh organic produce, I'd pick food over clothes anyday :) Hehe. What matters more to me is not what I put on my body, but rather what I put in it. Now thats not to say that external apperances and body care do not matter. It just reffers to how I prioritize. Prioritizing is the most imporant tip I could offer to anyone who buys organic, or is thinking about starting.

It's no secret that organic food is expensive. Priortizing can help minimize the costs. Using the dirty dozen as a reference is a good place to start. Below are the top 12 items that have the most amount of pesticide residue on them; items you don't want to buy conventionally:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes (Imported)
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes
    

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches

Easy

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 heavy whipping cream
14 or so cinnamon graham crackers
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

1. Break the graham crackers into halves.
2. On half of the graham crackers, spread a 1/2 inch layer of vanilla ice cream onto them. Place onto a metal pan that will fit in the freezer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 hours.
3. Over medium heat, melt cream and chocolate. Whisk until both are completly mixed.
4. Line an 8-inch square metal pan with plastic wrap. Arrange the remaining graham crackers on the pan. Spread a layer of chocolate on top of the graham crackers. Freeze until chocolate is just set, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove the tray from the freezer. Top the ice cream graham cracker halves with the chocolate graham cracker halves, so that it forms a sandwich.
6. Serve & enjoy.

Loves,
Missy K.

Hot Wing Quinoa

Quinoa is from the Andean region of South America. It's a seed that has been used in traditional recipes and is often mistaken for a grain. In fact, quinoa is a good source of protein, which is why many vegetarians & vegans include it in their diet.

I started watting quinoa as a senior in college, usually with chard and onions, but this time around I decided to cook quinoa with a little bit of a Louisiana twist. In addition to some of traditional south american ingredients, I added some spicy hot wing sausage. (If you decide not to go the hot & spicy route you can always add mango, chicken apple, or other favorite flavored sausages.)

(***Tip: Quinoa is sometimes hard to find in your grocery store. It should be located near the rice or grain asles. Trader Joes is an excellent place to find quinoa. I bought it for $2.99 a box.)














Hot Wing Quinoa

Easy:

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
1/2 hot wing or cajun sausage (sliced)
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned corn (drained)
1 cup canned black beans (drained)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in the onion & sauage. Saute until the onion is soft and yellowish.
3. Mix quinoa & vegetable broth into the saucepan. Cover with lid. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Once boiling reduce heat, and simmer (~25 minutes) until the grain appears translucent and the germ ring is visible.
5. Add the corn & black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about until heated through.
6. Garnish with cilantro.

Grapple Pie

Have you ever had the Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans? You know the ones where 1/2 the time you think your getting an apple flavored jelly bean, but you end up with a grass or booger jelly bean? Gross. Well if you haven't experienced the agony of eatting them, I'm sure you've been the culprit in convincing someone else to eat one. Anyways.......... a company in Washington has produced an apple that tastes like a grape!? Grapples are Washington apples that have Concord grape flavoring added to them. For more information on the process check out:
http://www.grapplefruits.com/process.html (The Food Network's "Unwrapped" even did a segment on Grapples.)

I've tried a grapple and they are incredibly tasty. They made me feel like a little kid, whose mind was boggled by what it was seeing. Hehe. And don't even get me started on it's aroma! If you hold a Grapple 4-pack to your nose, smelling them is just as contagious as sniffing those Mr. Sketch Scented Markers.

The only pitfall of a Grapple is it's price. I bought a 4-pack of Grapples for $5.99. Which converted out to be about .29 cents per oz (OR $4.64 per Lb.) Ekk! However.........I HIGHLY recommend making the investment at least once in a while. It's a sweet treat you wouldn't want to miss out on.
















Grapple Pie:

6 cups thinly sliced grapples (Need to find grapples? Click here)
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pre-made refrigerated or frozen pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Core, peel, and slice grapples.
3. In a bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
   
4. Place one pie crust in a circular baking dish. Place grapples onto of the pastry. Sprinkle grapples with sugar and cinnamon mixture.
   
5. Cut butter into 1/4 inch slices. Place butter on top of the grapples.
   
6. Cover the pie with the second top crust. Take the prongs of a fork and use it to press on the edges on the grapple pie, to ensure that the second top pie crust is firmly attached to the bottom pie crust.
   
7. Place on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer. Remove and let grapple pie cool for 1/2 hr.
   

Clarence McMillan Cheesecake

I once told a friend that you should always name what you bake. And not just any old name like "chocolate chip cheesecake." No, no, no. That name is overused & overrated. Haha. You got to give it a name that is worth remembering. The name "Clarence McMillan Cheesecake" originated from two experiences I had in college. One occurred on a street called Clarence and the other on McMillan Drive. Both involved a lot of cheesecake. :) So.....As requested here is the famous "I hate cheesecake, but LOVE your cheesecake" recipe called Clarence McMillan Cheesecake, that y'all have been asking for.

1 prepared graham cracker crust
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 (16oz) carton of whipping cream
Sliced strawberries
Blackberries

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk;beat well.
3. Add vanilla and eggs to the bowl and mix until smooth.
4. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour, and beat on medium speed. (This prevents the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cheesecake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.
5. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool in the refrigerate for another 2 hrs.
7. After the cheesecake has fully cooled and is solid, remove from fridge.
6. In a bowl, Mix whipping cream, almond extract, and sugar. Use a hand mixer and blend the two ingredients until the whipping cream is thick and fluffy.
7. Use a spatula and icing the cheesecake with the whipped cream mixture.
8. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with cut strawberries and blackberries.