Cranberry Orange

It is Christmas time and there are cranberries everywhere! I have a simple but really delicious recipe for muffins that I also baking into a loaf. Hope you like it!

Baking temp: 425
Time: 20-25 min for a loaf
10 -15 for muffins



You will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2¼ cups pastry flour, sifted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (or 2 medium)
• 4 oz butter (½ stick) or shortening
• 1 large orange , juice and zest 
• 1 cup fresh cranberries 

Ingredients: 

Mix your dry ingredients and form a well in the center. In another bowl mix your egg and vanilla, beat lightly.  Pour your wet into your well slowly. Gentle mix well until blended. Zest orange, cut and squeeze in juice , add in cranberries. fold through. Scoop ingredients into muffin tins or pour into a loaf pan. Bake at 425 for time matching method or until toothpick comes out clear. 

Side tip: Not everyone likes it but I use honey! I add a small spoon full in the mix and then right before the baking is finished I drizzle some one top. The cranberries can be very tart , I like to serve warm or toasted with butter and honey. Enjoy and Merry Christmas! 

Village Whiskey

As most of you know I love food, my waist band fails to keep that secret for me. I have been taking advantage of this blistering summer by ducking into new places in the great city of Philadelphia. Last night a friend and I decided to try Village Whiskey on 20th. It is one of the great Garces restaurants so in my eyes it could do no wrong. Village Whiskey was an elegant black leathered atmosphere that reminded me an old Philadelphia. I remember my great grandmother telling me tales of wining and dining around the city and Village gave me a peek into that world. The village burger was the juiciest I've ever had, it was thick and covered in a creamy thousand island dressing that went perfectly with the ripe tomato. As per suggestion I had the duck fat fries with the sly fox cheese sauce, they were seasoned well and had an amazing crunch without taking away from the potato. My only let down came with the bill. Although the cocktails had a great flavor they were weak and 12 dollars each. This is not NYC friends, scale it back. All in all I recommend Village Whiskey for anytime, casual or romantic, just have your cocktail somewhere else.

Zucchini Soup

I am so sorry dear friends that I have been away for so long, if you read my other blog,shannonmworrell.blogspot.com you know a lot has been happening in my life. Regardless here is a new recipe, I hope you all enjoy!










You will need
2tbs evoo
1tbs butter
1medium onion chopped
2pounds zucchini trimmed and sliced
1tes dried oregano
2 1/2 veggie stock
4ounces dolcelatte cheese, rind removed, diced
1 1/4 light cream
Salt and pepper 
Fresh oregano and dolcelatte to top 

Heat oil and butter in large sauce pan until foaming. Add onion and cook gently for about 5 min. Do not allow it to turn brown. 
Next add the zucchini , oregano and salt/pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 10min. Pour in stock, bring to a boil. 
Lower the heat, half cover and let simmer for 30min. Stir in cheese now.
Process the soup in a blender or processor until smooth then strain into clean pot. 
Add cream slowly while stirring over low heat. Do not let it boil. Season to taste- you can also add more stock if the soup is too thick. 
Pour into heated bowls serve with fresh oregano and garnish with cheese. 

Avocado cream sauce

I made scallops the other night with this sauce. I had something similar to this at a local restaurant, the tortilla press. However after making it for the scallops I made it for just about everything. I topped portabellas with it, had it over pasta with fresh veggies and with a baked potato. Needless to say I felll in love and wanted to share it with you.







You will need:
2 large ripe avocados
1 half pint of heavy cream
1/4 stick of butter
1 clove of elephant garlic
1tsp of red pepper flakes
1 hand full of fine chopped flat parsley
salt and pepper to taste

First in a food processor blend avocado and garlic, I use a little evoo to help the mix.Next heat butter in a sauce pan , add the heavy cream and mix, once well blended add the  avocado mix , parsley red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Do not let the sauce come to a boil , just warm and stir frequently. Enjoy!!!

Sweet corn, tomato and avocado salad with a cilantro lime dressing.

I had a dinner party last night. I have a large porch so I set up tables with candles and all white dishes, I had tons of drinks and a signature margarita. A few really great close friends came over and we sat there while a thunderstorm raged on, eating laughing enjoying the start of summer. On the menu was a mustard based potato salad,baked beans full of brown sugar and bacon, cheeseburgers with a secret family seasoning hot dogs and then my new creation the sweet corn salad. I thought Id post this recipe because it just tasted like summer. The corn was sweet the tomatoes juicy and the lime cilantro dressing made me crave that margarita. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.


What you will need:
5 ears sweet corn
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 fresh lime

What you should do:
Microwave the husked corn for 4 minutes.
Cut off all the kernels and place in serving dish of your choice.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and mix with the corn.
Cube your avocado and add into the mix.
In a separate dish mix the oil, lime and cilantro(chopped) then pour over the corn mixture.
Mix with a fork , I usually season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Keep cool in the refrigerator until dinner.

Spanish rice & veggies with Knox spiced chicken

Chicken can be boring it can be the same every time you fry or boil or even grill it so I like to use different spices to kick it up. Tonight I made Spanish rice ,veggies and chicken spiced with my favorite, Knox spices which can be purchased at, http://www.knoxspice.com/ I used the Yummy Chicken spice and fresh cilantro. Here is the recipe, BonAppetit!

4 thin cut chicken breast
1 pack mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1 red onion
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 tps of olive oil
1 avocado
1 package goya Spanish rice
Hot sauce if ya like.

Follow the directions to cook the rice while that is cooking in a large pan heat up the oil , garlic and 1/2 of the cilantro. Add the mushrooms, peppers,onion and some salt and pepper to taste.
Once the rice is cooked add the veggies to it and let sit. Then coat the chicken in Knox yummy chicken spice and rest of cilantro. Plate , top with fresh avocado and enjoy!

Drunken Berry Brownies

I have two great loves in my life, one is red wine and the other is baked goods. So this past winter , which I like to refer to as the season of snow and snacks due to my 20 lb weight gain, I came up with this recipe.

Drunken Berry Brownies
You will need:
One package of strawberries
One bottle of your favorite red wine
1/2 cup for marinating the berries the rest for drinking while brownies bake.
Now I like to make my own brownies but you may use a box mix, just make sure you get a moist fudgey mix.
If you would like to make your own like me, here is my recipe:
Oven at 350
4 squares of unsweet bakers chocolate
1 1/2 stick butter
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

Cut up strawberries and soak them in the wine for at least 3 hours.

Then melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave
stir until chocolate is fully melted then add in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.
blend well and slowly add in the flour.
grease a 9 by 13 pan and bake for approximately 18 mins, check them often due to the low amount of flour the brownies will be thick and bake quickly.


I serve these warm topped with the berries and a splash of wine, feel free to use a chocolate sauce as well just be careful not to use too much and over power the amazing aroma and flavor of those drunken berries! BonAppetit