Fruit Cup aka Sploosh

It's fun this time of year to look back and remember holidays past. I think that is part of the excitement of the season, remembering not only the new things planned but also the family and friends you have enjoyed previous holidays with.

In my case one particularly fond memory is of my grandmother. She always welcomed us in to her kitchen. She taught me how to microwave eggs with velveeta in her little pyrex dishes. I now see those same dishes in antique stores and they make me smile.  She also had us kids devein and peel the shrimp for the shrimp cocktail she served on holidays.  A few of the things I remember most though besides the shrimp cocktail were glazed carrots, key lime pie, and fruit cup.

Fruit cup sounds like it should be a simple thing and it some ways it is. And yet it's wonderful alongside all the rich treats we typically indulge in on Christmas. One thing that makes it special is the way it is prepared. The oranges and grapefruit are peels are sliced off around the fruit to separate the segments and then the fruit peeled out from between them.

Using a serrated knife, slice around the peel. Don't make the swatches too large. It's faster but you lose more of the fruit that way.

Slide the knife down the side of the segment all the way to the center trying not to cut through the center.

Once you have the knife in the center use it to pry the fruit out of the segment.

Like most of my recipes, specifics aren't important. Which is good, because I don't have them. The strawberries in this are the frozen kind that come in sugar syrup. You can buy two size, small or large. Whichever one you get depends on if you are making a lot or a little.

5 lb bag of oranges, more or less
1 - 2 grapefruit
1 small tub of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Segment the oranges and grapefruit according to the description above. Add the strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld a little bit and enjoy. Or let sit overnight, because advanced prep is something I love this time of year.

Chicken Cabbage Salad

1 medium head of cabbage, chopped

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. sliced almonds

2 pkg oriental ramen

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (optional)

3 large chicken breasts

Dressing:

1 c. oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Ramen noodle seasoning packet

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside. 

Toss all the salad ingredients together and then toss with the dressing. 

This can be served immediately but is better after it has sat for a few hours.

Cranberry Orange Bread

I used two eggs in this but I think next I want to try it with three,
It didn't rise as much as I would have liked.
I also would have like the craisins in smaller pieces, 
so either chop them or drop them in the vitamix. 

 2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. craisins

1/2 c. sour cream

2 eggs

1 orange

4 Tbsp butter, softened

3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine the craisins and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the craisins are plump. Drain and set aside to cool. 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and butter. Add the zest of the orange. Juice the inside and add enough water to  make 1 1/2 c. liquid. Whisk into the sour cream mix.

Mix together the flour mix and the sour cream/ orange mix. Stir in the craisins, and nuts if using. 

Grease 4 mini loaf pans and fill halfway with batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until browned on top. 

Chicken with Orange Glaze SRC

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I got the very lovely Vanderbilt Wife. And I picked out a tasty looking recipe called Tilapia with Honey-Tangerine Sauce. The combination of tangerine with soy and honey looked droolingly delicious.

Right off I knew I had to make one change, since I cant eat fish, but I knew it would be great over chicken too, so I tried that. I made a few other changes to suit what I had on hand but you can be sure as soon as I can find tangerines I am going to make the sauce exactly the way she did.

I served it with rice, stir fried peas, and apple-pears. 

1 Tbsp butter

1 shallot

1/4 c. orange marmalade

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

dash ground ginger
1 large Tbsp cornstarch

3 large chicken breasts

Saute the butter and shallot until tender. Add the marmalade, water, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and ginger. Whisk the cornstarch with water and stir in.

Trim the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Lightly season with salt and cook in oil on both sides until cooked.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and broil for 3 - 6 minutes until the sauce is sticky looking.