Cranberry Orange Cake

This is a festive-looking delicious cake that starts with a cake mix for speedy preparation. I keep bags of cranberries on hand in the freezer for recipes such as this. And, because of the fruit, this could easily pass for a coffeecake too! (This recipe originally called for dried cranberries. I like fresh so much that I used them; but you could easily use dried with good results.)

Start by combining the cake mix, orange juice,



oil,



eggs and sugar



in a large mixing bowl. Beat on low for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure that all the ingredients get incorporated.



Now beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally. Fold in the cranberries



and then the orange zest.



Pour the cake batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.



Bake the cake at 350 for 45 to 47 minutes, just until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan and is golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan, and then invert the pan to remove the cake. Return the cake to the wire rack to cool completely.



While the cake cools, you can make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl,



and stir until smooth. When the cake is cool, place it on a serving platter and then drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake,



letting it run down the sides until the cake is covered.



For garnish, peel thin strips of orange zest from the orange,



and decorate the top of the cake with them.



You can store the cake, covered, at room temperature for about a week, or you can freeze it whole or sliced (wrapped in aluminum foil) for up to 6 months.

Get more inspiration at Mouthwatering Monday , Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, What's Cooking Wednesday.

Cranberry Orange Cake

Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix with pudding included
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup chopped cranberries, fresh or dried
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. orange juice
10 to 15 long thin strips of fresh orange zest for garnish

Combine the cake mix, orange juice, oil, sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat on low for one minute to incorporate all ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl again if necessary. The batter will be thick and well blended. Fold in the cranberries and the orange zest.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45 to 47 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely, about another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and stirring until smooth. When the cake is cool, place it on a serving plate and pour the glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with the slices of orange zest.

Store, covered, at room temperature for a week or freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 weeks. Serves 16.

Scalloped Potatoes

These creamy potatoes are good comfort food. They go especially well with beef or pork dishes (pictured here with London Broil and maple-bacon brussels sprouts.) The bonus: very easy to make.

Start by melting the butter in a large skillet and adding the chopped onion.



Cook the onion for about 4 minutes or until it is tender. Then add the flour, salt and pepper (I usually combine that all in one measuring cup just to make it easier)



and cook and stir until the onions are coated. Then add the milk,



and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. (This is your basic white sauce - once you've mastered this you can cook a lot of things!)

At this point, remove from the heat, and add cheese if you like. If you add enough cheese, these become au gratin potatoes, but I usually add about 1/2 cup or so just to increase the flavor.



Now that your sauce is made, peel and slice the potatoes. I used my food processor to make it easy!



Place half the potatoes in a greased baking dish, then cover with half the sauce.



Repeat the layers, spreading the sauce so it covers all the potatoes.



Cover and bake for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake 30-40 more minutes, until the potatoes are tender. (You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork.) Then let them stand for 5 minutes before serving.



There are more recipes at Cooking Thursday, Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Friday Food and the Krazy Kitchen.

Scalloped Potatoes

1/3 cup chopped onion
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups milk
4 1/2 cups sliced potatoes (about 4-5 potatoes)
3/4 cup shredded cheese, if desired

In a large skillet, saute onions in melted butter until onions are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper and cook and stir until onions are coated. Add milk and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, if desired.

Grease a 2-quart baking dish and place half the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Cover with half the sauce and then repeat the layers.

Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia Bread! You can make it at home. And it's easy! It's just like having a Panera in your kitchen, except better, because YOU made it! Can you tell I'm excited about this? This turned out beautifully and was absolutely delicious eaten on its own or as a base for a sandwich. And with different topping options, the varieties are practically endless. This time, I made the garlic-cheese variety, but I'll also give you the ingredients for the Greek topping. I think you could do a lot of experimenting, though, with great results every time.

I used my bread machine to make the dough. Start by adding in all the ingredients to the bread pan: first the flour, then sugar, salt, olive oil



water and yeast.



Turn the machine on to the dough setting. My machine will "beep" partway through the dough setting. At this time, add the Italian seasoning.



If your machine doesn't beep, add the seasoning at the final 'punch down' stage, just before the rising stage. (Honestly, I don't know what harm there would be in adding it with the other ingredients but I followed the instructions!)

After the cycle is complete, grease a 9x13 pan, then coat your hands lightly with olive oil. Remove the dough from the pan and press into the pan. With your finger tip, make indentations in the dough.



Cover the pan with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until almost double in size. While it's rising, prepare the topping.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, then stir in the oregano and garlic



and let cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Once the dough has risen, make the indents again if necessary, then spoon the garlic mixture evenly over the dough.



Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top,



then bake for 20 minutes or until the bread tests done.



This bread would go wonderfully with soups and stews, and made a very tasty base for a steak sandwich!



This bread freezes well, also. You can slice it into individual portions and toss into a freezer bag to use whenever you need it.

There are more recipes at Mouthwatering Mondays , Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday and the Krazy Kitchen.

Focaccia Bread

3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Garlic-Cheese topping:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup garlic, coarsely chopped OR 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Greek topping:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced black olives

Combine the first six ingredients in a bread machine pan in the order recommended by your breadmaker manufacturer. Set the machine for the dough setting and turn on. At the sound of the beep, or just before the punch down stage, add the Italian seasoning.

When the dough is processed, remove from the bread pan with lightly oiled hands. Press into a greased 9x13 pan and make indentations with your finger, about every inch. Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

While the bread is rising, prepare the topping.

For the garlic cheese topping:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Make indents in the bread again, then spread this over the risen bread, then sprinkle with the cheese.

For the Greek topping:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions, and cook and stir until tender, abotu 3 minutes. Stir in oregano. Remove from the heat. Make indents in the bread again, then spread the onion mixture over the risen bread, then sprinkle with olives and feta.

Bake the bread at 400 for 20 minutes or until done.

Greek Chicken

This is a fun twist for chicken that's easy enough for a weeknight dinner and impressive enough to serve guests at a dinner party! I especially like it for a dinner party because the long baking time gets you out of the kitchen and enjoying appetizers with your guests.

You can use more or fewer chicken breasts in this recipe - I ended up with 6 "rolls" using three chicken breasts that I cut in half. You could end up with as many as 8 rolls and have plenty of sauce, so you can just kind of "wing it" with the chicken amounts. Get it? Wing it? Well, I thought it was funny.

The first step is to flatten the chicken breasts, so they can be filled and rolled. I was dealing with some pretty large chickens here, so I cut the breasts in half lengthwise first.



Once the chicken is flattened, you'll want a piece that's abou 6-7 inches long and 3 inches wide, so you'll need to judge whether or not your pieces need to be cut in half.

Next put the pieces, one at a time, on a large piece of plastic wrap, and fold it over to cover the chicken. Then pound with a meat mallet until equally flat and the appropriate size.



Once it's pounded, it will look like this:



Next, spoon the cheese down the middle of the chicken pieces.



Now roll up the chicken, starting at one end,



then place seam side down in a baking dish.



For the sauce, combine the tomatoes, olives,



and cornstarch in a medium bowl.



Mix well to incorporate the cornstarch, then pour over the chicken in the dish.



Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the chicken tests done. Serve with pasta to soak up all the great sauce! Suggested side dishes: fried zucchini (pictured above) or roasted vegetables or garlicky green beans with mushrooms (sprinkle the green beans with feta before serving!)

There are more great recipes at Cooking Thursday, the Krazy Kitchen, Foodie Friday, Friday Food and Food on Fridays.

Greek Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-6 Tbsp. feta cheese with herbs
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil and herbs
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt

Flatten each chicken breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Spoon 1 Tbsp. feta cheese down center of chicken; roll up and place seam side down in a small baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, cornstarch and salt. Pour over chicken.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Serves 4-6.

Shrimp Nachos

Are you planning a Superbowl party this week? If so, these tasty treats would be a wonderful addition. They would also be fabulous at any kind of party where you're standing around wtih a drink in one hand and trying to manage also eating appetizers - they are just the right size that you can pop one in your mouth, and not have to bite it in half and worry that the other half could land on your silk dress. (Not that I would know anything about that.) Actually, these treats are great any night of the week, party or not. So just make them already!

These come together really quickly once you've chopped up a few ingredients. Start by slicing the green onions and olives (or used presliced) and chopping the shrimp.



In a large-ish bowl, combine the green chiles,



green onions,



olives,



shrimp,



mayo (you can use light mayo if you want) and cheese.



Stir it up well to blend all ingredients, then add the cumin.



Stir it up again!

Place the tortilla scoops on a rimmed baking sheet (you'll probably need two baking sheets) and fill them each with about a tablespoon of filling.



Once your sheet is full of filled shells,



bake for 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is melted. Serve warm, with a dollop of salsa on top, if you like. Let the party begin!

There are more SuperBowl recipes at the Ultimate Recipe Swap. Plus, get more great inspiration at Mouthwatering Mondays, the Krazy Kitchen, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tasty Tuesday , This Week's Cravings, Food on Friday.

Shrimp Nachos

3/4 pound peeled cooked shrimp, chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 - 4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1/4 tsp. cumin
48 tortilla chip scoops

In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, green onions, olives, green chiles, mayo, cheese and cumin. Stir well. Place tortilla scoops on a rimmed baking sheet. Drop shrimp mixture by tablespoonfuls into tortilla scoops. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.