Azoresgal~Life on an Island

It’s SO simple to make homemade cranberry sauce, and it makes such a beautiful, festive addition to any holiday dinner table.  Fresh cranberry sauce is delicious, AND it can be made it in advance! Fresh orange juice and zest  compliment the cranberries really well. Trust me skip the can stuff this year and make fresh cranberry orange sauce instead. 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 cup orange juice 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries zest of 1 orange directions: 1. Rinse cranberries with cold water. In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water, and orange juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and add cranberries and orange zest. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Cranberries will start to burst, cook about ten 15 minutes, to thicken. 2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Pour sauce into a serving bowl and chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

These  easy-to-hold baked brie bites, are delicious and they just might be the world’s easiest appetizer. I love using puff pastry, it's incredibly easy to use and I always have some in my fridge. With the holidays coming up, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. All you need is  Puff Pastry Sheets, some Brie cheese, and cranberry sauce! 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed ½ cup cranberry sauce, 100g (3.5 oz) brie, cut into cubes Instructions Preheat oven to 200//400F. Lightly spray the cups of a muffin tin/ or mini muffin tin with cooking spray, and set aside. Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto a clean work surface, and cut into  12 or 24 equally-sized squares. Gently press the pastry into the cups of the prepared muffin tin. Nestle a cube of brie into each pastry cup. Then drop a spoonful of cranberry sauce on top of the brie. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden-brown on the edges.  Le...

This chicken salad is amazing and one of my favorites! It has the perfect combinations of flavors and textures–sweet and salty, soft and crunchy. Made with simple ingredients, chicken, slivered almonds, spring onions, and dried cranberries. It’s quick and easy to prepare, and really delicious. I hope you give it a try ! 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded 1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins) 3 spring onions finely chopped 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1-1.5 cups of mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard salt and pepper to taste Shred the chicken breast (pulse in food processor) and put into a large bowl. Add the craisins, spring onions, and almonds and toss together. Add the mayonnaise and dijon mustard and mix until combined. You may want to add a little more mayo, depending on your taste. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into  bread of your choice. ** you can add celery if you like, and use a Deli cooked chicken to shred instead.

This cranberry ketchup is fantastic and festive too. The tangy, tart bite of the cranberries, and the sweetness of the onion and sugar, make it a winner ! It was really fast to make, less than 30 minutes ! I added extra spices, because I just can´t leave things alone. I will be serving this tonight with Tourtiere for our Christmas Eve dinner. I think they will compliment each other really well ! Hope you give it a try ! 1 2/3 cups fresh cranberries 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped shallots ( onions would be ok ) 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (*pinch of cayenne) *pinch of cinnamon, pinch of cloves (added by me) Preparation Combine cranberries, brown sugar, chopped shallots, cider vinegar, water, salt, and red pepper in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Pour into a blender; pro...

Hey, I saw that ! You wrinkled your nose when you read bread pudding ! This however is not your grandmother's bread pudding. Trust Me ! I had friends coming over for coffee yesterday, and I wanted to bake something for our breakfast. My go to dish is pancakes, ( they love my pancakes ), but there was no electricity yesterday ( yes you read that correctly, the drawback of living on an island...whole other story ), so I could not use my griddle. Now luck would have it that the gods in my pantry  provided me with all the ingredients to make this lovely dish. The only thing I added to the original recipe, was the grated orange zest. Orange and cranberries just go really well together,the perfect combo. This got rave reviews from the ladies, and was a sweet start to our day. I hope you give it a try ! 16 slices bread, crusts removed, cubed 1 cup dried cranberries 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 6 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cups  milk 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanil...

This is a favorite summer time salad.  Ok the bacon really helps make it a favorite summer salad ! The cranberries add some sweetness along with the saltiness of the bacon. The crunch of fresh broccoli  and the nuts and seeds, just makes it a winner ! I would say the most important part here is the bacon    the dressing, the rest is really a mix and match of what you might have on hand, at the momment ! SALAD: 2 heads fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size flowerets ½ cup chopped green onions or red onion or white ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins or grapes 1 cup slivered almonds or walnuts or sunflower seeds ( or combination) ½ – 1 cup crumbled bacon  (about 200g diced, fried and drained) DRESSING: 1 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons white vinegar ⅓ cup sugar ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Add broccoli,  bacon, onions, cranberries, nuts and seeds to a large bowl.  Next, make the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, vineg...

This is such a pretty appetizer, (sorry boys, but it is!). It is easy to put together, with 3 ingredients, but don't be fooled it is a show stopper ! The sweet cranberries, the salty nuts and the tangy taste of the goat cheese are a winning combination. It can be made a couple of days ahead, or right on the spot, for when you have company drop in. I will warn you, once you start nibbling on this.. it is hard to stop..you just might have to make another one !  dried cranberries, chopped ( about 1/4 cup)  shelled pistachios, chopped ( about 1/4 cup) Any size log of fresh goat cheese ( I used Chevre) Coarsely chop your pistachios and cranberries and combine them together on a plate. Chevre has a rind, like brie, I just peeled that off. Roll the goat cheese in the nut mixture, you will also have to press the mixture in with your fingers. Serve with your favorite crackers. recipe source : Real Simple xo, Diana

I really, think these should be called Christmas Scones ! That is what they taste like, it's what Mr.G said, right after biting into one...."these taste like christmas". It´s the combination of orange peel, and the tart cranberries...they even look festive. I seldom post recipes, that contain an ingredient, that cannot be bought on the island. This is true of the cranberry, it is not available to us through our grocery stores. These cranberries were a gift. The fact that these turned out so scrumptious,I just had to share. I think cherries, fresh or suger glazed would work really well here. Frozen, raspberries, or blackberries too, would blend in great. Sometimes in the kitchen, you have to, experiment, and make do with things you have on hand, and not be discouraged, by the things we don't have ( sounds like a life lesson to me).   Cranberry Scones ( from here ) Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon...