Cruddy Little Kitchen

Cranberry Sauce  12 oz. fresh cranberries, washed and drained 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 to 1/3 cup water 1 1/2 cinnamon sticks 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg The zest and juice of one small-to-medium orange Pick through the cranberries carefully to remove the squishy/bad ones. Rinse and drain. Combine cranberries, sugar, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, and water in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to simmer; cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest, then allow the sauce to cool before serving at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers; sauce will be good for 10-12 days. I never even liked cranberry sauce until I tried this recipe. Neither did my husband. My mother-in-law used to send us searching for an orange cranberry relish at grocery stores all over Knoxville -- I only found it twice, but when I did find it, I bought her three containers of it.  This recipe is so good, I cannot imagine having Thanksgiving witho

 Spaghetti's meat sauce recipe ¼ to ½ sweet onion, chopped 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped 1 lb. ground beef 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce 1 6-oz. can tomato paste 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 2 Tbsp Italian herbs, extra oregano ½ tsp. cinnamon A pinch of sugar; salt & pepper Cook the onion and green pepper in olive oil until soft and fragrant; scoop out and set aside. Brown the ground beef in the fragrant oil left in the cast iron; drain off the fat. Return onion & pepper to the pan; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, a spoonful of crushed garlic. Stir. Sprinkle herbs over the top of the sauce. Stir. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of the sauce. Stir & add a pinch of sugar. (The sugar takes the edge off the acid in the tomatoes as well as counterbalancing the cinnamon.) Salt & pepper to taste. Simmer while your spaghetti noodles are cooking in salted water. Sprinkle freshly grated good parmesan cheese over the top if desired.

 Remoulade, a sauce recipe 1 tsp minced yellow onion 1/2 tsp minced capers 1/4 tsp La Costena brand Chipotle pepper, minced 1 pinch dried parsley flakes (1/2 tsp) 1 pinch Cajun seasoning (Zatarains, 1/2 tsp) Generous Dash All-Purpose Seasoning (like McCormick Perfect Pinch) 1/2 cup mayonnaise Dollop brown mustard 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp adobo sauce (from the La Costena can) Combine ingredients and chill. The smokiness of the La Costena adobo sauce is absolutely necessary. My son worked at a barbecue restaurant for several years, and the best thing he brought home from the experience was a working remoulade recipe. I used to buy it in a jar -- it does not compare to the homemade version. And I had to work pretty hard to cut a restaurant-size recipe down to something manageable for the home cook. Remoulade is delicious with fish, chicken, and fried goodies like tater tots and fried okra, and divine with fried green tomatoes. Divine, like, people could worship this combination.  Remoula

 Easy Zesty Broccoli Fresh broccoli, leaves removed, stalk intact Lemon , and zester Balsamic vinegar Steam the broccoli so that it's still crisp-tender, about 11 minutes in a steamer. Cut the florets from the stem. Using a zester, sprinkle fresh lemon zest over a serving of broccoli florets. Follow up with sprinkles of balsamic vinegar. This is my best broccoli recipe. It's simple and healthy and absolutely delicious. You don't need salt or butter. You don't have to mince a clove of garlic (which makes your hands stink) or dice an onion (which makes you cry). Just steam some broccoli, zest some lemon rind over it, add a dab of balsamic vinegar, and bam, you're done, that's your green vegetable at the very height of its flavor and nutrition zenith. Please try it and let me know what you think. I know this recipe absolutely rocked my world when I found it about 12 or 13 years ago. I can get tired of it, but it takes work. Then I make savory steamed broccoli, and

 Mama's Pot Roast recipe, kinda tweaked a little  3 lb. rump roast  Salt and pepper   Plain flour  1 envelope onion soup mix  A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or red wine vinegar  Chicken stock  Water   Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks  Salt, pepper, and flour a roast. Heat a deep skillet with a lid, or a Dutch oven with a lid, to medium hot. Add a bit of vegetable oil and brown the roast on all sides. (By the time you finish browning it, the skillet might be smoking a bit, so remove it from heat.)  Lift the roast from the skillet and prepare it for long-term cooking – you’re going to want the roast to spend half of its time with the fat side next to the heat. Pour a cup of chicken stock and a half cup of water into the skillet. Put the roast back in the heat, making sure the fat side is down. Sprinkle the half-envelope of dry onion soup mix all over the roast and around the perimeter of the pan. Sprinkle a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce over the roast and around the sk

Lumpy Chicken Salad 2 to 2.5 cups cooled rotisserie chicken, pulled off the bone and chopped into 1/2" dice 3/4 cup light mayonnaise 3 to 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 to 3 Tbsp light Italian dressing 1/2 cup small diced celery 1/3 cup red grapes halved (quartered if they're very big) 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup Honeycrisp apple, peeled and 1/2" diced scant 1/4 cup green onion, greens sliced diagonally Salt & pepper to taste Optional: diced red pepper, dill pickle relish Combine the ingredients, chill for 2-3 hours, serve. Delicious and easy! My friend Erik reminded me today that it's too dang hot to cook in the kitchen right now, and he is absolutely right. When July takes over the Cruddy Little Kitchen, I take the toaster oven outside to the porch for anything that needs to be baked. I run an ugly orange extension cord out there and use electric tape to try to make sure nothing gets electrocuted if a thunderstorm blows the rain sideways toward the toaster ove