Pomegranate and Feta Salad

adapted from Gimme Some Oven

This salad was just gorgeous! The cinnamon in the dressing combined with the bright colors made it perfect for the Christmas season.

6-7 cups spinach (or other green salad)

seeds from one pomegranate

1/2 cup pecans, candied

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

Dressing:

6 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp apple vinegar

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

Combine salad ingredients. Mix together dressing ingredients and serve on the side.

Zuppa di Funghi (Mushroom Soup)

adapted from Bell' Alimento

I love mushrooms. They are such a weird little food and so versatile. This is a mushroom based soup with a very rich taste. I added peas because I had some, but it would have been fine without.

1 Tbsp butter

1-2 clove garlic, minced

8 shallots, minced

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup tomato sauce

5 cups broth

2 eggs

4 Tbsp Parmesan, grated

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, saute butter and garlic, once melted add minced shallots and cook until translucent. Then add tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

While this is cooking, clean and slice mushrooms. Once the 10 minutes has passed, add the mushrooms to the mixture, lower heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Then pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat again and simmer for about 10 minutes.

While this is cooking, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper, parsley, cheese and cream until thoroughly combined. Turn off the heat of the soup and gradually whisk in the egg mixture until it's combined well.

Caramel Apples

From Allrecipes

We wanted to bring something very American to a Finnish Halloween party this year and finally decided on caramel apples. The caramel was a little hard to find, but once they were finished it was well worth it. The nuts added a nice saltiness that complemented the sweet sugar and tart apple beautifully. I have to admit that these were the best caramel apples I have ever had, and something I plan on making a Halloween tradition in our house.

6 tart apples

14 ounces of caramel (about 400 grams)

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup salted nuts, chopped

sticks

Stick the sticks (we used plastic forks...) into the top of the apples about 3/4 of the way through. In a small saucepan, heat the caramels, water and vanilla on low, stirring frequently. Once the caramels are melted and soft, dip the apples into the caramel and carefully scrape off the excess using the side of the pan. Roll the apples in the nuts and place on wax paper to cool. Allow at least 30 minutes for the caramel to harden.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

from Allrecipes

This is one of my all time favorite pies. It is sweet and nutty with just a hint of chocolate. My only complaint is that there are never any leftovers.

makes one shallow 9" pie

1 pie crust

1/3 cup butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 eggs

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 375 (190 C). Heat butter and chocolate over low heat, stiffing constantly, until chocolate is melted; cool slightly. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, chocolate mixture and corn syrup. Stir in pecans and pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake until set, 40-50 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve with whipped topping.

BLT Salad with Tomato Dressing

adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

I love BLT sandwiches, they are so simple and delicious. Unfortunately right now I am trying to go carb free so when I saw this variation online I had to try it out. The dressing is packed with flavor and goes perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.

Lettuce, shredded

2-3 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 small purple onion, diced

1/2 lb bacon, crumbled

Dressing:

3 roma tomatoes

1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

4 Tbsp oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain bacon and combine with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and onion chunks.

For the dressing, begin by cutting an "X" at the bottom of each tomato. Then plunge them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then take them out and quickly immerse them in cold water. This makes the skin separate so it slides right off. Once the skin is peeled, squeeze out most of the seeds, chop roughly and transfer them to a blender along with the garlic clove, red wine vinegar, and oil. Pulse blender until everything is smooth. Serve alongside salad and enjoy!

Meat and Potato Pie

Adapted from Have Spork Will Travel

This is serious comfort food. Like a chicken pot pie made for a mountain man. I would love to try it with chunks of beef rather than mincemeat, but for the time being it will have to do.

1 lb beef

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups carrots

1 cup peas

1 cup corn

1 can mushrooms

1 can cream mushroom soup + 1 can of water

1/2 cup milk

pie crust (two, for top and bottom)

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Saute beef onion, garlic, spices, carrots in a large pot until soft. Drain excess fat. Then add potatoes, soup, peas, corn, mushrooms and milk. Simmer on low for 30 min until the liquid is reduced. Then spoon the mixture into the crust, seal edges and bake 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

Persimmon and Pear Salad

I had never really tried Persimmons before, but a lady in our ward gave us some so I had to find a recipe to use them in. Persimmons are great, I can't believe it took me 26 years to actually try one. We will definitely be eating them again soon.

Lettuce

1 cup pecans, candied (1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp butter)

1/2 cup swiss cheese, grated

2-3 ripe persimmons

2-3 ripe pears

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp orange marmalade

1 tsp oil

sesame seeds

salt

pepper

Chop and wash lettuce. In a frying pan, heat butter and toast the pecans with sugar and salt until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Peel the pears and persimmons and chop them into chunks. Combine all salad ingredients. To make the dressing, mix all ingredients until well blended.