Maple Glazed

I've heard tell of those who find the football game secondary to the tailgate party. I'm one of those people. Don't get me wrong; I love a good football game, but the fun had with others on a crisp fall day sharing our favorite hearty fall foods just can't be beat.

Most football get-togethers consist of fans of one single team with everyone rooting for the same side, but what happens when you have rivals in your midst? Ply them with good food. That being said, this time of year just begs for everything maple. These two recipes are so good, and so simple. Both have 3 ingredients or less and both are done in 30 minutes! Easy and delicious, my favorite.

Kielbasa in Maple and Beer

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound kielbasa, cut into 1" chunks
1 cup beer (any type)
1/2 cup real maple syrup

Directions:

Combine everything in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and simmer until sauce thickens and kielbasa starts to brown (about 30 minutes).

You can use any type of shelled nuts you like, raw or roasted, salted or not. I like to use roasted and salted nuts as we really like the salty-sweet combination. Please do use real maple syrup if you can, the flavor profile is different than using imitation syrup.

Maple Glazed Nuts

Hands-On Time: 5 minutes

Ready In: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup nuts, any type (almonds are pictured)

2 Tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions:

1. Heat the nuts in a non-stick pan over medium heat for about 1 minute - just so they start getting warm.

2. Add maple syrup and toss the nuts quickly slowly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the syrup starts to them. This happens quickly, only about 20 seconds. 

3. Moving quickly, remove from heat and spread out evenly on parchment paper or a greased baking sheet to cool. Try to spread them out so they are not touching and let them cool for 20 minutes. 

4. Once cooled, break apart any that are stuck together and serve. 

*Note: Once glazed, they don't store well as an humidity in the air will cause them to start sticking together.

Sunday Dinner

Orange Maple Glazed Ham
Wilted Baby Spinach with Honey and Bacon
Parmesan Potatoes
Betty's Carrot Cake


I love ham and I don't care if it's bad. Hog is good; mom grew up in Tipton, Indiana, and there's no way you'll tell a Hoosier not to eat ham. I figured this glaze would be good. I had orange marmalade on hand that I'd made for a Cookies to Caviar post and some really good maple syrup from Trader Joe's that our neighbors gave us. The two together are delicious.

As for the spinach, hot bacon dressing is big here in Pennsylvania--it's a Pa Dutch thing--and I adore spinach so I came up with this. It tastes like the dressing without being so heavy or sweet.

Parmesan potatoes are easy to make and taste just right with ham. The cake is a recipe from an old friend of mine that I met online and late in real life at another "computer friend's" home. This is GOOD cake--it's linked up to another Sunday Dinner I posted, so don't forget to click over to it!

Some of this...

...and a little of this makes a great glaze.

Orange Maple Glazed Ham
Printable Recipe

1/2 c orange marmalade
1 c maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine these and mix. Cook your ham - 3lbs is a good size - for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Take it out and score it if you want. Glaze it well and put it back in the oven at 350 degrees F for another 45 minutes or so, until heated through.


Wilted Baby Spinach with Honey and Bacon
Printable Recipe

2 lbs baby spinach cleaned
3 slices thick bacon-diced
2 T cider vinegar
4 T honey

Cook bacon in a heavy pot until crisp. Drain fat and keep the bacon in the pot. Add honey and vinegar and stir well. Add spinach and sprinkle with 1/4 c of water. Cook over medium high heat, covered, for about 10 minutes - just until wilted. Remove lid and stir up all that honey and bacon goodness throughout your spinach. Delicious!

These tasted better than they looked this time!

Parmesan Potatoes
Printable Recipe

5 good sized clean potatoes
olive oil
salt
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Oil the bottom of a large baking pan. Slice potatoes into 1/4" thickness. Make one layer of potatoes and sprinkle with salt, olive oil and Parmesan. Make another layer and sprinkle again with salt, oil and Parmesan. One more layer should do it. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until tender and browned - this can take up to an hour and a half depending on what else is cooking in your oven and how often you open it up!

Here's that cake - don't miss the chance to make it!

Breakfast this Morning

Only in this household would you be lucky enough to get something better if we ran out of the normal foods we have on hand for breakfast. Such was the case today-bread mysteriously gone-milk level a little iffy for 8 bowls of cereal-no Pop Tarts (gasp!). I did have bananas, eggs and enough milk to whip up these. Not enough for the same tomorrow though *sigh*.


Banana Walnut Pancakes with Maple Cream
Printable Recipe

4 medium bananas, mashed well or blended
1 t vanilla
2 large eggs
1 T oil
1 c milk + extra
2 c flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Combine bananas, vanilla, eggs and oil in a blender and
blend on low until well combined-a few seconds should do.
Add 1 c milk to banana mixture and blend again
just until combined. In a large bowl stir together flour,
sugar and baking powder.
Add banana mixture to flour mixture
and stir well. Add more milk if necessary-try
to get this as close to a regular pancake batter in
consistency as possible-but not too thin.
Add walnuts and fold in.

Cook over medium heat as you would regular
pancakes-look for bubbles and dry edges before turning.

Maple Cream:

1 c heavy cream
1 t maple flavoring
2 T powdered sugar

Combine all 3 ingredients and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Serve with pancakes.