Red Wine Cheese Ball

What is the holiday season without cheese balls? It’s the perfect time of year to indulge, and while cheese balls will never be referred to as health food, you can make your own lower-fat cheese ball in just a few minutes.

We started with two, eight ounce packages of low-fat cream cheese (at room temperature), two, seven ounce pouches of finely shredded Kraft Sharp Cheddar cheese made with 2% milk, and a package of Wine Barrel Gourmet Creamy Parisian Herb Salad Dressing mix.

Red Wine Salad Dressing Mix

Beat the cream cheese and salad dressing mix together until light and fluffy. (Add 1 Tbsp red wine if you want a more pronounced wine flavor).

Creamy Parisian Herb Dressing and Cream Cheese

Add the sharp Cheddar cheese and stir until well mixed.

Adding the Cheddar cheese.

Cover a piece of parchment or waxed paper with about 2 cups of chopped pecans (parsley or paprika could be used instead of nuts). Lightly flour your hands and gather the cheese mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the nuts to cover. This step is quite messy so be prepared! It works best if the pecans are finely chopped.

Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The long chill time does two things; it allows the herbs  to fully flavor the cheese and it helps the ball stay together!

Red Wine Cheese Ball

We are still eating cheese ball leftovers three days later and it tastes better every day!

Tips: Serve on crackers or flat bread or pita chips. Adding red or white wine to the mix will enhance the wine flavor. The red wine solids included in the Creamy Parisian Salad Dressing mix do add a non-alcohol red wine flavor.  Creamy Parisian Salad Dressing mix is full of several herbs and garlic, but any of our Red Wine Salad Dressings would be equally delicious in this cheese ball. Try the Italian Rosemary Salad Dressing mix and use 3 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese instead of Cheddar, or the Sunny Greek Salad Dressing mix using crumbled feta instead of Cheddar.  Perfect for the holiday appetizer table.

 

Make Your Own Gifts – for Wine Lovers

Is there a wine lover on your gift list? Pre-made wine gift baskets can be expensive, but it’s easy to make a nice, budget-friendly, unique basket yourself – and it can be pulled together at the last minute! Here is the basket (ok, it’s a gift bag) I made the other day.

Wine Lovers Gift Bag

First I purchased a medium sized canvas bag at the local craft store. I appliqued it with an adapted version of the Wine Barrel Gourmet logo (thanks for the help Amanda!).  You could use pre-printed wine or grape appliques, or old-label appliques, or paint the bag using a wine bottle or vine stencil or even cut a square of wine printed fabric and iron it in the center of the bag.

I started with a bottle of Kiona Lemberger wine, which is a local winery and one of my favorite varieties.  Since man does not live by wine alone I added:

Red Wine Vegetable Bean Soup – this “grown-up” vegetable soup is a best seller. The rich tomato-wine sauce pairs wonderfully with the Lemberger and other red wines. (Check out our web site to find month-long specials!).

Wine Jelly – wine jellies are a nice addition to the the appetizer table. They taste great spread on crackers or served with a cheese tray.

Wine Chocolates – there are lots of wine flavored, and wine enhancing chocolate choices and all of them are great! If you can’t find specific wine chocolates, choose a fancy dark chocolate to go with a red-wine themed basket, and a white chocolate (or even nice fruit jellies) for a white-wine themed basket.

Round out the gift bag with a corkscrew and some nice wine glasses (look for high quality but inexpensive “orphan” glasses at estate sales, yard sales, antique shops and rummage sales). There you have it – a personalized gift bag that will be treasured by the wine lover on your list.

Other items that could be added to this gift include wine crackers, wine-themed coasters or a trivet, wine charms, and/or wine flavored cheeses.  A pre-made basket containing all these items would cost about $100, but this one was made for less than $40!

Make Your Own Gifts – Lemon Chardonnay Fruitcake

It’s time to make fruitcake! Today we start a month-long “make your own gifts” series. The past year has reminded many people that the best gift is one lovingly made by hand. And what is more welcome during the holidays than fruitcake? No, not  store-bought, heavy-as-a-brick, sticky-sweet fruitcake, but a light, luscious, lemony cake full of dried fruits and pecans. There is still time to make this easy version for the fruitcake lover on your list.

As our base we used our tangy, Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake Mix. (Order here for fast shipment!).

The tea cake mix is an all-natural combination of whole-wheat flour, unbleached flour, sugar, leavening, lemon peel and tangy lemon crystals.

Start with two cups of mixed dried (not candied) fruit. I used a combination of golden raisins, dried pineapple, dried apricots, dried cranberries, chopped dates and candied ginger. Add 8 ounces of chopped, candied cherries and 2 Tbsp of Chardonnay, brandy, cognac, or orange juice and 1 tsp vanilla to the fruit. Mix to coat all the fruit with the liquid and let macerate at room temperature overnight.

The next day, beat 8 Tbsp (1 stick) of softened butter with 3 eggs and 1/4 cup milk until fluffy. Add the Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake mix and stir to combine. Stir in the macerated fruit and 1 cup of chopped pecans until well distributed throughout the batter.

Bake in a greased, 10 cup Bundt pan at 300 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until done (toothpick should come out clean).  Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan and let completely cool.

Looks yummy doesn’t it? You could eat it right now, but fruitcake is one of those dishes that improves with age. So…..

Cut a piece of cheesecloth large enough to completely cover the fruitcake. Soak the cheesecloth in Chardonnay, brandy, cognac or orange juice. Wrap the fruitcake in the cheesecloth, then wrap the whole thing tightly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 1-4 weeks, re-soaking the cheesecloth and re-wrapping the cake every week or so.

When you are ready to present the gift, remove the cheesecloth and wrap the fruitcake in plastic wrap. Re-wrap with aluminum foil and top with a bow. All in all a pretty simple gift, but a unique gift also.

Even the fruitcake avoiders on your list will appreciate this present. Using dried fruit instead of a candied citron mixes lends the finished product a true fruit flavor, with just enough candied cherries to provide color and a bit of sweetness. The Lemon Chardonnay Tea Cake mix keeps the overall taste light and tangy. Soak the fruit in your favorite liquid, as the alcohol will cook out (I used cognac in the above version). However, if this present will be consumed by children stick to orange juice for soaking the whole cake.

This recipe would also lend itself well to a tropical fruit theme. Use a mixture of dried pineapple, papaya, mango,  and figs, and use chopped macadamia nuts instead of pecans. Either recipe is easy to make and tastes great!

Canning Spiced Apple Rings

If you grew up in the 1950’s or 60’s you may fondly remember spiced apple rings. In an age when boxed spaghetti and sauce and brightly colored Cool-Aid (with cyclamates!) were de rigueur, spiced apple rings held a special place, served with Sunday dinner or on special occasions. Over the years they seem to have fallen out of favor, along with the artificial coloring that made them almost beet-red. But I find that as I approach the half-century mark I am nostalgic for some old-time foods. Luckily spiced apple rings are easy and cost effective to make yourself.

Start with about 5 pounds of 2 1/2 inch diameter apples (I chose Gala apples).

Peel and core the apples. Slice into about 1/2 inch rings. Add apple rings to a large pot filled with 8 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of vinegar (prevents the apples from browning).

In another large pot (6-8 quarts) combine 4 1/2 cups of sugar, 2 1/4 cups water, 1/3 cup red hot cinnamon candies, 1/2 cup cider vinegar (5% acidity), 1 sliced lemon, 1 Tbsp whole cloves, 1 Tbsp whole allspice and 1/2 Tbsp ground mace.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Be sure to stir almost constantly so the sugar doesn’t burn. Reduce heat and let simmer 3-5 minutes (the candy should be dissolved by this point).  Drain the apple rings and add to the syrup.

Gently stir the apple rings into the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Fill 4-5 clean, hot, pint canning jars with the apple rings. Strain the hot syrup to remove the whole spices and lemon. Pour the strained syrup over the rings leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the jar lips with a moist paper towel, add lids, and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

As you can see the rings are not bright red! Although they will continue to absorb the red coloring as they sit, if you really want a bright red ring add a few drops of red food coloring to the syrup mixture. Like any pickled product, the rings will be better after sitting for 3 weeks, so plan to make them now for the holiday season! This recipe made more than 5 pints. Since I had only cleaned 5 jars, the remaining rings and syrup went into the refrigerator for snacks. The unprocessed rings are not as soft or as flavorful as the canned rings will be when I serve them, but still delicious! Spiced apple rings are a great holiday gift. Simply cover the jar lids with some brightly colored cloth and a bow. Don’t forget to add a label with the canning details so your recipient knows that they were properly canned. Include the date, method (water bath canner) and length of time (10 minutes). You might also want to include the recipe source. My recipe was adapted from the Heinz Successful Pickling Guide.

Meatless “ChickN” Fricassee

The traditional Cajun version of this recipe is one of my brother-in-law’s specialties. A Louisiana native, he makes the whole thing from scratch, starting with a roux. The whole house fills with the wonderful fragrance of peppers and onions. That set me on a mission to develop a meatless, and less time-intensive, version. Although it wouldn’t past muster with any meat-loving Cajun, the meatless version has become a family favorite, good any time of the year but especially now when the cold air sends us hunting for something to warm our bellies!

This recipe is a great way to add vegetables to your diet. I started with celery, bell pepper and three colorful heirloom carrots from my garden. For this version I used an 8 ounce cake of Tempeh, although I have used tvp in the past. (Don’t forget to steam the tempeh for 15 minutes before using).  Here is the recipe:

• 1 Tbsp                                     Olive oil
• 1 stalk                                      Celery
• ½ large                                   Red bell pepper
• 2 large                                     Carrots
• 4 servings                              Vegetarian chicken substitute
• 2 cups                                      Vegetarian chicken flavored broth
• 1 ½ tsp                                     Cajun seasoning
• ¼ tsp                                        Paprika
• 1/8 tsp                                      Cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp                                       Corn starch
• ½ cup                                       Cold water

1. Dice celery, bell pepper and carrots.
2. Heat oil over in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté chopped vegetables in oil for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add chicken substitute, broth and seasonings to saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir corn starch into water in a small dish. Add mixture to saucepan. Stir until thickened.

Serve over brown rice! Quick and easy, this recipe makes 4 hearty servings. It is so tasty that my non-vegetarian son often requests it for his birthday dinner. This is another recipe that will be found in our new cookbook, Homestyle Meals Made Meatless.

Notes: Tempeh is a fermented soy and grain based product and a good meatless source of protein and iron. It has a nutty, chewy flavor. For this recipe I cut the tempeh cake into squares and steamed it for 15 minutes. Then I crumbled the squares and added to the vegetable mixture. Tempeh also marinates well and is good cooked on the grill.

If you like your meals spicy, add more cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste while cooking, or offer hot sauce when serving.

Even though  I often use tvp for this recipe, I used tempeh this time as I am trying to eat more fermented foods. Remember, fermented foods are one of the old-fashioned immunity boosts used to temper flu and other illnesses. Since hot pepper is another traditional immunity booster, this dish isn’t just healthy, it may help protect you against H1N1 too!

Red Wine BBQ “Chicken” Simmer Sauce

I love to prepare food from scratch, but sometimes don’t have the time or the inclination. I also want my food to taste good, and unfortunately most packaged mixes lack any sort of flavor – unless you call preservatives and other chemicals “flavor”. So when I use a mix, I stick to the all-natural kind. And when I develop a mix, I keep the same principles in mind. The mix has to taste good, be free of artificial flavorings and preservatives, and be easy to use. Last night I had a hankering for red wine barbeque.

Start with one Wine Barrel Gourmet Red Wine Barbeque Ragout Simmer Sauce mix.

Combine the mix with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of red wine (I used a yummy Kiona Lemberger). The package directions are to simmer the sauce until slightly thickened and then serve over chicken, beef or vegetables. However, I added Quorn brand meatless turk’y burgers to the skillet and let them soak up the flavor while the sauce cooked down.  I served it with baked sweet potatoes,  green beans, and a glass of the same Kiona Lemberger.

Spoon extra sauce over the burger for additional flavor.  Any meat or meat substitute could be cooked this same way. The simmer sauce mix makes a spicy/sweet French style barbeque sauce, or you could use one of the recipes included in the package (Baked Vegetable Ragout, BBQ Lentils, Red Wine Pork Tenderloins).

An elegant, delicious meal with very little work. The potato took about an hour to bake, the burger cooked for about 15 minutes.  Lots of flavor, healthy, and simple – it doesn’t get any better!

Celiac Awareness Month – Eating Gluten-Free

The August dog days of summer lead to a back-to-school September transition, but October seems to be the month when the whole country gets serious again. Not only is it National Cookbook Month and Vegetarian Awareness Month, it is also Celiac Awareness Month! Celiac disease is a serious issue where your body reacts to the protein, gluten. Think of it as a potentially life-threatening allergy. People who have true Celiac disease (and fortunately it is still a small percentage of the population) violently react to gluten resulting in a host of digestive symptoms along with weight loss, anemia, bone loss and more.

But those who suffer from Celiac disease aren’t the only ones who should avoid gluten. More and more people are diagnosed with gluten-intolerance every day, and have to avoid all gluten containing products like those made from wheat, rye, and barley. It sounds simple, but isn’t always. If you have been diagnosed as gluten intolerant or having Celiac disease you also have to look out for the following “hidden” ingredients in your food:

• brewer’s yeast
• yeast extracts
• malt flavoring
• malt vinegar
• hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• many vegetable gums and food starches (including modified food starch)

Also avoid these food products:

• beer and ale
• gin, rye, whiskey and some vodkas
• root beer
• wheat, bulgur, couscous, durum flour, farina, kamut, wheat germ, semolina
• purchased gravies (wheat used as thickener)
• imitation crabmeat
• processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, canned meats, sausage
• soy sauces
• many purchased BBQ sauces
• catsup/ketchup
• many cocoa mixes
• French fries
• ice cream
• sour cream
• taco seasoning

Why are gluten intolerance and Celiac disease increasing? Some is due to better diagnosis. But I believe that it is also because gluten is lurking in so many products where we least expect it. Take French fries for example. If you make fries at home from scratch what do you use? Potatoes and oil, neither of which includes gluten. But pre-packaged fries (used by all fast food and most other restaurants) almost always have a vegetable starch coating which keeps them from getting soggy when cooked. As a result, our bodies are constantly being bombarded with additives and other ingredients we don’t even know we are eating!

How do you know what is ok to eat? You must become a persistent label-reader. In addition to avoiding all of the above ingredients, be sure to avoid anything made from the big three; wheat, barley and rye. Oats are usually ok, but may be contaminated since they are often processed in facilities that process wheat. It is also a good idea to avoid most processed foods. Processed foods almost always have hidden wheat, soy, dairy, fish, and other allergen ingredients. Stick to as many all-natural products as possible – at least then you know what you are eating! We have put together a booklet, small enough to fit in your purse, to help at the grocery store. I originally designed this booklet for one of my consulting clients. Word of mouth led to people calling me up and asking for a copy.

Ingredient Guide

The guide price is $2.50 but you can get a copy for FREE. Just go to our website, sign up for our free online healthy tips newsletter,  leave your name, mailing address, and Avoid This in the comments section. We will send you an Avoid This guide in the mail.

Wine Barrel Gourmet also offers these  other gluten-free products:

• Red Wine Lentil Soup, Red Wine Split Pea Soup, Red Wine Vegetable Bean Soup
• Savory Red Wine Sauce mixes; Country Cacciatore, Mama’s Mediterranean, Sweet Orange Valenciana, Barbeque Ragout
• Red Wine Salad Dressing mixes: Sunny Greek Vinaigrette, Italian Rosemary Vinaigrette, and Creamy Parisian Herb

National Cookbook Month – Cheesy Ham and Pasta

The weather here has turned cold and wet, and that means it’s comfort food time! Since comfort food and cookbooks go together, the other night I made this family favorite, Cheesy Ham and Pasta and served it with the last of the summer tomatoes.

Meatless Cheesy Ham and Pasta with heirloom tomatoes

This is another simple recipe for all you “efficient” cooks out there, and prepared using only one pot! To make 4 servings cook 3/4 lb. of pasta according to package directions.  A medium shaped pasta like bow-ties, wagon wheels, shells, etc. all work well here. Add 3/4 cup of frozen peas to the pot during the last 4-5 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, dice 3/4 cup ham (I used a meatless ham substitute) and slice 3 Tbsp of roasted red pepper (found in the pickle aisle at the grocery store).

Drain the pasta/peas and return to the pot. Add the diced ham and sliced red pepper along with 3/4 cup half and half, 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese,  1 Tbsp butter (optional), and hot sauce to taste. Toss gently, over low heat,  until the cheese is melted and the pasta is coated with sauce (3-5 minutes).

Tips: There are plenty of ways to make this lower in fat; use evaporated milk instead of half and half, use low-fat ricotta cheese instead of Parmesan and then top with a sprinkle of Parmesan, omit the butter (the sauce won’t hold together as well), use a drizzle of olive oil instead of butter,  and/or use lean ham. You could also add even more vegetables to the mix, like chopped carrots, broccoli, or sun-dried tomatoes for increased vegetable servings. Experiment – remember a good cookbook serves as a jumping off point for creativity!

This recipe came from our budget-friendly cookbook, I Want My Dinner Now! – Simple Meals for Busy Cooks. To celebrate National Cookbook Month we are having a 50% off sale on all orders – visit our web site today!

End of the Garden Pasta Sauce

Winter came early to the mid-Columbia this year. Usually I am gathering the green tomatoes from my garden about this time, turning them into salsa or enchilada sauce. But this year the frost got to them before I did. Luckily I had picked all the red and almost-red tomatoes the day before. Most of them went into canned puree, but the rest became a big pot of yummy, end of the season pasta sauce.

Pasta sauce is a great way to use up vegetable odds and ends and this batch was no different.

First I sauteed a leek from the garden, one poor little leftover garlic clove, and half a bell pepper in a little bit of olive oil. Then I added the ground-up, pureed tomatoes.

To that I added a good pinch of dried basil (from the garden), dried marjoram, dried red pepper flakes, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I add brown sugar to my sauce, but for this batch I used some of the sweet cherry tomatoes that I dried earlier in the season. The funny looking red stuff is dried bean granules. Dried bean granules are a great way to boost protein and fiber in any dish, without affecting the flavor.  Plus, I like the texture they add to the sauce. I mixed that all up and let it simmer for about an hour. Some people prefer their sauce cooked all day, but if you really like that fresh-tomato taste (even when using canned tomatoes) don’t cook it for more than an hour or two.

Toss the sauce with cooked pasta and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The pasta soaks up the sauce so you get twice the flavor! Add a little more sauce to each serving and top with grated Asiago cheese.

That’s all! No added salt, no added corn syrup. It was absolutely scrumptious, as only a fresh sauce can be. And a great way to use up those garden ends. Happy eating!

The Family Meal – Better Than a Longer School Day

“Today I’m participating in a mass blogging! WOW! Women on Writing has gathered a group of blogging buddies to write about family relationships. Why family relationships? We’re celebrating the release of Therese Walsh’s debut novel today. The Last Will of Moira Leahy (Random House, October 13, 2009) is about a mysterious journey that helps a woman learn more about herself and her twin, whom she lost they were teenagers. Visit the Muffin www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html to read what Therese has to say about family relationships and view the list of all my blogging buddies. And make sure you visit www.theresewalsh.com to find out more about the author.”

The President wants our children to spend extra hours in school each week. I have to disagree with him on this point. While America’s school children may be falling behind the world, for many another hour or two in school isn’t going to fix the problem. Yes, there are more facts to learn today than 50 years ago, but as any adult who has forgotten their algebra can tell you, facts are not the most important thing learned in school. Where to find the information you need, how to learn, how to interpret and how to get along in the world are the most important lessons of all. An easier and less expensive way to learn those lessons than keeping our children locked up in a building with few windows? Bring back the family meal.

For years now studies have shown that children who eat with their family have better social relationships and better grades than their non-family meal peers. Think of all that you learn at a family meal; being open to unfamiliar ideas (“try just one bite”), how to share (splitting the last brownie with your sister) how to sit still (“you are not excused yet”), proper deportment (“keep your feet under your chair”), learning about new ideas (“so Dad, what did you do today”), learning about consequences (“so Billy, what did you do today”), learning self-restraint (“don’t eat so fast!”), how to budget (tuna casserole again), how to carve out your own place in a group (living with other members of your family), and how to get along with your spouse (see, you learned how to relate to others by living all those years with your little brother!).

The list goes on, but over the years many people have given up the family meal due to lack of time and cooking know-how. Don’t believe those TV cooking shows, you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to fix a meal for the whole family. Some of our family favorites were Greta’s Favorite Casserole, a quick concoction of ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce and cheddar cheese soup, homemade one-pot Tomato Beef Stew and grilled Vegetable Quesadillas, full of canned black beans, corn, cheese and tomato and grilled indoors on the electric grill.  None of these meals took very long to prepare or cost very much either. But they all led to the whole family sitting around the dinner table, sharing our day, learning new skills, and enjoying each others’ company. I’m sorry Mr. President. As a former teacher, a mother and grandmother, I can tell you that warehousing our children isn’t the answer. But sharing a family meal? It’s better than a longer school day!

All the recipes mentioned, plus many many more, can be found in my budget-friendly cookbook, I Want My Dinner Now! – Simple Meals for Busy Cooks. Every recipe is written for both 2 servings and 6 servings and includes “serve with” suggestions to round out the meal.