Roasted Winter Citrus

Okay, so it's the end of winter citrus time. I love spring (yay!), but seeing all of that gorgeous orange, yellow, pink, red tasty fruit wane is sad. Here's one last way to use it up before it's gone.

On a side note, this is my 19^th recipe about something roasted in the title. I may need to break up with that term for awhile. With the weather warming up (eventually), that should help. Maybe.

Roasted Winter Citrus via Joy the Baker:

Serves as many as you like

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice citrus (like grapefruit, blood oranges, and seedless tangerines) into small wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and just a touch of sugar. Add a bit of dried herbs, like herbes de provence (I like the American version with lavender in it).

Roast for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then serve warm.

It's kind of weird, very delicious, and a nice way to say goodbye to winter.  

New York Cheesecake

Remember how the Super Bowl happened over a month ago? Yeah, it was boring, but I made stuff for it. And then fell down the blogging hole and forgot to do anything about it at all. I’ve got posts for this and posts for other things to and I really will try to not be such a bad blogger. Really.

This was a cheesecake of disasters that managed to turn out really lovely. I forgot a block of the cream cheese, overbaked the crust, used the wrong size pan, and my stand mixer broke. Don’t worry, it was a 10 year old refurbished model, my whisk was bent, and my paddle was starting to go. So this whole thing was done with a hand mixer, my (clean) hands, and some determination. I’m sure under better circumstances this wonderful cheesecake would be even better. I’m listing the full, proper recipe below. In the future, I’m going to try this again. The cherry topping alone is worth it.

New York Cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen:

Serves many

Crumb crust

8 oz. (15 4 3/4 x 2 1/2-inch sheets of graham cracker) finely ground graham crackers or cookies such as chocolate or vanilla wafers

8 Tb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ c. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

Very tall cheesecake filling:

5 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1¾ c. sugar

3 Tb. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

5 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

½ tsp. vanilla

Cherry topping

10 oz. sweet or sour cherries, pitted (frozen is fine out of season)

2 Tb. lemon juice

¼ c. sugar

1 Tb. cornstarch

½ c. water

To make the crumb crust, stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and up the sides, stopping one inch shy of the top rim, of a buttered 9½” springform pan.  A larger pan, obviously, makes for a flatter cheesecake. So does forgetting one of the cream cheese blocks.

Preheat oven to 550 degrees. To make the filling, beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, then eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated. Scrape bowl down between additions.

Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips). Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and baking in baking pan in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until puffed. Please watch your cake because some ovens will top-brown very quickly and if yours does too fast, turn the oven down as soon as you catch it. Mine sort of did. This was a complicated section. Reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about one hour more. Watch it doesn’t overbrown or the crust doesn’t start to burn.

Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to loosen it and cool the cake completely in springform on a rack, then chill it, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

To make the cherry topping place all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, cook it for an additional one to two minutes then remove from heat. Cool completely.

Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. If you had any wonky baking issues (yo), you might need to trim the cake flat. The next day I trimmed the edges and the burnt part of the crust. And then I snacked on a lot of it. There was easy to get to cheesecake!

Spread topping over chilled cheesecake. I kept this in the fridge for a few hours before Super Bowl. With a variety of desserts, it still was very popular. And very, very good.

Ginger Liqueur

Photo via Kirst

Ginger is one of the greatest things you can put in a drink. I know I’ve mentioned my love of whiskey gingers before (and it’s kind of part of how Kirst and I became such good friends). I saw this recipe before the holidays and thought there’s a great idea for presents. And, as a bonus, I made twice as much as the recipe called for an ended up with a whole jar to myself. It was quickly added to many hot toddies. I was waiting to post this until all the gifts had been given out and I had to wait on the last one which I just recently gave away to Corey and Brian after they finally got settled here in Portland. This is super, super delicious and really easy and makes for a really good gift, no matter the time of year.

Ginger Liqueur from Serious Eats:

Makes about 2 cups

2 oz. ginger root

1 vanilla bean

1 c. sugar

1½ c. water

1 orange

1½ c. brandy

Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Bring the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ginger is soft—about 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool. Do not strain yet.  

Zest the orange and place the zest only in a sealable glass container along with the syrup and brandy. Seal and shake, then let this mixture steep for one day. After one day, remove the vanilla bean and let the mixture steep for an additional day.

Strain mixture through a coffee filter into your bottle or jar for storage. This is where it can get a little complicated. You need to remove all of the debris via a mesh strainer and then let it go through the filter to make it a clear liquid. I decided not to and just removed the heavy pieces. I like the vanilla flavor a lot and the little flecks of vanilla bean were not a problem for me. Let it sit for one more day before using to let flavors mellow.

This is fantastic tasting by itself, but it really does add some incredible flavor to your other favorite drinks. Ginger fans all around will love this and even if you’re not super into ginger, I’d recommend it.

I’ll be posting about my other two homemade gifts this week (and that will explain the canning pot in the second photo), though unfortunately I did not take photos of the process for either and ate my parts too quickly for the end results too. BUT! They are both really wonderful and I think you can take my word for it. I may even get testimonials to prove my point.

Apple Cranberry Chutney

I like to be adventurous on Thanksgiving, especially because of this blog. How else can I post new recipes if I make the same things over and over again? This repetitiveness is part of why this sad little blog goes through lulls while I'm deep in the study zone. No one really wants to read about my millionth take on nachos (although I haven't blogged about my amazing nachos yet...anyway...).

But! Thanksgiving! It's full of opportunities. My reader was chockablock full of suggestions and I was constantly starring, tagging, and searching for more and more ideas. I made this awesome cranberry sauce last year (and again this year), but I wanted to try something new.

That's when I stumbled upon this amazing chutney recipe. And it is amazing and you will have to try it. I didn't change a thing, which is fairly surprising if you know me.

Apple Cranberry Chutney from Simply Recipes:

Makes about 2 cups

2 c. apple, peeled and chopped
1 c. fresh cranberries
½ c. chopped onion
¼ c. cider vinegar
½ c. of brown sugar
1 Tb. orange zest
1 Tb. freshly grated ginger
1½ tsp. cinnamon
Small pinch of ground clove

Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for a few minutes more, to reduce any remaining liquid.

Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

This was seriously ridiculously delicious. Chutneys remind me of Thanksgiving because my mom used to always have this amazing pear one on the table every year. The sweet and sour combination pairs really well with the turkey and tastes great on its own. I knew I had made something special when my friend Adam told me about a week later that he had been dreaming of this chutney. That's a cooking win in my book!

Thai Style Buffalo

I feel like I should post a warning when a new semester starts for me: WARNING! SCHOOL IN SESSION. I MIGHT FORGET I HAVE A BLOG.

It makes me sad too because I love making good food and posting about it. So here we go, back to the middle of last month when I was talking about that fun, three-course meal I made for Aaron. The entree course was Thai-style buffalo. I was going to make them into meatballs, but decided to go with it loose over rice. It as tangy and fun and I really liked it.

Thai Style Buffalo with Rice:

Serves 4

1/2 lb. ground buffalo
Zest and juice of one lime
1 Tb. garlic chili sauce
2 Tb. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. island soyaki
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
Zest and juice of 1/2 orange
Olive oil
1 c. cooked rice

Mix buffalo with zest and juice of lime and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Place in fridge and marinate for about two hours, mixing every 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add buffalo and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

It’s tangy and a little spicy and, of course, garlicky, which made it all a very satisfying main course. I’m sure you could marinate it for less time for a quicker mid-week meal.

Maple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

This Thanksgiving was an ambitious one for me. I decided on making several different things, most of which I had never made before. Go big or go home, right? For example, I have never made cranberry sauce before, but I love it. I think I’ve only had the stuff in the can once and was not impressed. Like most things in the kitchen, if I think I can do it, I’m going to try it out. As I have mentioned before, this usually works out for me fairly well.

This sauce was supposed to be Maple-Tangerine Cranberry Sauce (original here), but as I couldn’t find tangerines, decided that orange was just fine. I honestly didn’t try that hard to find them. I think it worked out well just the same.

Maple-Orange Cranberry Sauce modified from Maple-Tangerine Fresh Cranberry Sauce from recipegirl.com:

Makes 12 servings

2 c. orange juice (I did half fresh squeezed/half concentrate)
3 c. fresh cranberries (one 12 oz. bag)
½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. pure maple syrup
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
pinch of kosher salt





In a 10” skillet, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened somewhat and looks slightly syrupy, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick and let the cranberry sauce cool in the pan- it will thicken a bit more as it cools. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.



I made this on Monday night for Thursday and it was fantastic. I’d actually recommend making this a day or two ahead of time because the flavors really deepen. The orange pops in this recipe and the maple just gives it a little something wonderful. For my first time out in cranberry sauce land, I got a winner.

[I just realized, while doing some editing, that I never posted this. Wow. So I'm being a total cheater and backdating it because I did mean to and this is really delicious.]

Roasted Butternut Squash

I love squash. Like, really, really love it. I think it is among the most perfect foods in the world. So of course I make it and then forget it in the fridge for Thanksgiving. Don’t worry, it was eaten with the leftovers, but still, I’m a bit sad it didn’t get to sit with all the other dishes I made. Especially since it was the only actually healthy, vegan dish I made that night.

In any case, this is really easy and would work for any fall/winter meal. I highly recommend it. The original (here) has notes about adjusting amounts to the size of your squash.

Roasted Butternut Squash from kblog.lunchboxbrunch.com:

Makes 3-4 cups

1 medium butternut squash
2 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb. maple syrup
1 Tb. apple cider vinegar
1 orange, juiced (I didn’t have any left, so it became ½ c. oj)
Fresh sage leaves (I grabbed 6-7 off of my plant)
Generous sprinkle of fresh black pepper
Sprinkling of sea salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prep whole butternut squash by slicing in halves or quarters and removing seeds.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Tear a few sage leaves and place them in the bottom of the dish as well. Place squash halves in dish, flesh side up. Mine were squash quarters, but it still works.

Drizzle orange juice over top of the squash. Drizzle about maple syrup, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar over squash. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the squash. Not all of the liquid will be absorbed by the squash, but rather it is used as a heating liquid and flavor-adding ingredient in the bottom of the pan. Flip halves (or quarters) flesh side down to soak up the liquid.

Cover dish lightly with foil. Place in oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, turn oven to broil and baste it in a bit more of the sauce sitting in the pan. Here I turned the quarters over so that the other side could absorb more juice. Broil on high for 5-7 minutes, or until top starts to caramelize. Watch it closely.



Remove squash. It should be tender and easily breakable with a fork. Allow whole squash halves to cool 15 minutes before scooping or slicing out the flesh. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of the baking juices. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and pepper.

Seriously, so tasty. I made this early on Thursday, so that’s probably why I forgot it. Oh well, I still got to enjoy it! Also, sorry about the smudge in the edge of the picture. Didn't notice it until now, so most of the following posts will have that weird smudge in the corner. Apparently I shouldn't take pictures while cooking.

Pineapple Sangria

Finally! The last party post from my birthday party that was over a week ago.

What party would be complete without some sort of fabulous cocktail? I first made this sangria blanca last summer and it was so delicious, I had to do it again for my birthday party. Because I knew I was making pineapple salsa, I decided buying a whole pineapple was the way to go. Half for the salsa and the other half for the sangria. Perfect. This is fairly easy to throw together, especially if you just buy pineapple chunks, but even with a whole pineapple it’s not too difficult and the results are well worth it.

The original recipe, found here, calls for pineapple soda. I took a hint from the comments on said recipe and went for lemon-lime soda instead because I don’t know if I’ve ever seen pineapple soda and if I have, it was probably in Europe, which is not exactly helpful. If there isn’t enough fruit in here for you, find some other melon or something tropical and toss it in. Last summer saw the addition of watermelon along with the orange and pineapple. Go crazy! It’s sangria!

Pineapple Sangria from Cookie via epicurious.com:

Makes 8 servings and some very happy people

3 c. pineapple juice
1 bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
1 c. brandy (pear brandy is nice but not required)
½ ripe pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup lemon-lime soda
1 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 orange, sliced



In a pitcher, combine the juice, wine, brandy, pineapple, and soda with ice and stir. Pour into large wineglasses and garnish with the mint and orange.