Roasted Green Beans with Walnuts and Cranberries

Since Thanksgiving is approaching soon, I'm trying out new side dishes. Do you always make the same dishes every year or do you change the menu? There are some traditional foods I always make but the sides plus desserts vary. I loved this recipe and it did have the great flavors of Thanksgiving. I will be adding it to my menu.

Roasted Green
1 1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a baking sheet, toss the green beans with the olive oil and salt.
3. Evenly spread the green beans onto the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle the walnuts on top of the green beans.
5. cook the green beans in the oven for 6 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and carefully mix in the cranberries.
7. Cook the green beans for another 6 minutes. 
8. Serve immediately.

Recipe aspired from Real Simple.

One year ago...........................I made Lasagna Soup.
Two years ago........................I made Roasted Chicken.

Did you already know............
-Early Settlers thought the flower of the cranberry resembled a cran hence the name crane berry.
-It is believed cranberries were served at the first Thanksgiving.
-Native Indians called cranberries either sassamanesh, ibimi, and atoqua.

Cranberry Scones

What is your favorite juice? Is it the popular orange juice? My son will pick cranberry juice over orange juice. To tell the truth I would too. Since it is so close to Thanksgiving, it is so easy to find fresh cranberries.

Tea anyone?

Talking about Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my family. After I had my oldest daughter, it was almost ten years before my youngest daughter arrived. I recently asked her why she made me wait ten years before entering my life. She looked at me and smiled. She told me that she was up there (as she glanced upwards) and she was really busy helping people out (in heaven) but once she was done she rushed right to me. Is that not the cutest answer? I can see her helping people out since she is very thoughtful.

If you are having guest arrive for the holidays, this is a great recipe to prepare for breakfast one cold morning. They can be made prior to your guest arriving and be frozen until needed. 

Cranberry Scones 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp sugar for the cranberries and additional for the top
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1¼ cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, toss the chopped cranberries and the 3 Tbsp of sugar.
4. In a food processor, combine lemon zest, flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse about 5 times.
5. Add the butter and pulse about 8-10 times until it looks like course crumbs. 
6. Add the egg, egg yolk, and heavy cream to the flour mixture.
7. Pulse about 10 times.
8. Generously flour working surface.
9. Add the dough to the flour working surface and form a ball.
10. Using a 2½ inch round biscuit cutter, scoop some dough into the cutter to form a 1 inch scone.
11. Repeat with the remaining dough about 3 inches apart. ***
12. Sprinkle the top of the scones with sugar.
13. Bake the scones for about 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

***Place the baking sheet in freezer about 30 minutes or until frozen. Transfer the frozen scones to a freezer storage bag until ready to use. When ready to use, continue with direction 12 but bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats and originally from Gourmet.

Did you already know.............
-Scones can be found in the 1513 Oxford English Dictionary.
-Scones are usually associated with Scotland, Ireland and England.
-English plain scones are often eaten with jam, preserves, lemon curd or honey, or clotted cream.
-Dried fruit scones and other flavored scones are usually enjoyed without butter or jam.

I enjoy my scones plain or with a little butter and of course tea!