A Cold Day in November

Last Thursday, which was also the last day in November, was a cold one here in Texas. It actually snowed all day long. When the temperatures drop and it snows, people start getting anxious and freaking out here. It usually only snows once or twice a year here, although this year seems to be much colder than usual, so we may have more. When it does snow, it will melt, freeze and become ice. The roads and traffic are horrendous when this happens. I remember a few years ago when I was still in college, it took me 4 hours to get from school to home when this happened--a drive that took 20 minutes normally.








So, last Thursday, a bunch of school districts closed for the day, and many people went home early. My work and my husband's work both closed early, so I got to go home at 2:00 pm. We decided to make mulled wine, using Jennifer's recipe, and it was delicious!



Do you see that ball with rubberbands around it in that picture? That was Mike's rather ingenious idea for the mulled wine. He wrapped the mulling spices in two coffee filters, and used the rubber bands to hold it together. Before that, being a little bit of a germ-ophobe, he put the rubberbands in a glass of water, and microwaved it for a minute or two. I laughed at him for that!


My brother-in-law came over, and we cooked a winter vegetable feast for dinner. The menu was:



















Winter Vegetable Stew (Rachael Ray's recipe)
Roasted Winter Vegetables (purple potatoes, fingerling potatoes, butternut squash, fennel, and parsnips mixed with rosemary and olive oil)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Roasted Eggplant with a chipotle-honey marinade
Tofu Stir-fry with a Roasted Chile Pepper sauce
It was a veritable winter vegetable feast! It got us all in the mood for the holidays and colder weather.

Best Cheese Ball Recipe Ever!

8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Worcestershire sauce
Cholula, Tabasco or other hot sauce
chopped pecans
paprika

Mix the cream cheese, garlic, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce together. (Use the sauces to taste, as hot as you like it!). Scoop out the mixture onto Saran wrap, and roll into a ball. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or longer--the flavors will develop and mix, and the garlic will mellow a little bit. When you are ready to serve, roll the ball in the chopped pecans and paprika. Serve with crackers.

I made this cheese ball at the Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws, and we devoured it! We were hovering by the table, barely pausing between bites to breathe and talk to each other. It's really that good. I served it with two types of crackers: Wheat Thins, which were crunchy and salty, and some new Honey Wheat Ritz cracker stick things, which were sweeter and softer. They were both delicious! This is the sort of recipe that I like--quick, easy, and made up of mostly cheese. Yum!

Thanks to Joel and his family for this recipe!

Mulled Wine Recipe

I know it's been forever since I posted, but November has been a very busy month for me!! Huge work projects, 4 family/friend birthdays, a sinus infection lasting over a week....you get the idea.

I wanted to share this recipe for mulled wine, which is from my friend Jennifer. It looks delicious, and we will definitely be making some this Thanksgiving weekend.

1 bottle cheap red wine

1 cup sugar (I use the raw brown kind, but any sugar is OK)

1 cup orange juice (or 1 cup orange flavored liquor, if you are feeling frisky)

2 tbsps whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

4 chai tea bags

***Optional***1 cup brandy (some people add brandy to the mix, but I find that I get really way toooooo happy, so I leave it out)

In a large pot, heat orange juice to a rolling boil. Add the sugar, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. Mix until sugar is melted, then reduce heat to low. Add the wine, whole spices and tea bags. Stir and then let it gradually heat up until you can see steam rising from the pot. Take off burner and taste. Add more sugar or orange juice if needed. Taste again...and again...and again...until it tastes right, or you get dizzy.

Drink up and party down!

It actually tastes better after it has sat over night in the fridge. You can leave the spices in all night, but I would take the tea bags out because they might add a bitter taste. You could also add sliced oranges with the rind on for extra yumminess.

Thanks Jennifer!