Three Sauces in One

     I've always enjoyed making sauces.  Slowly stirring, adding seasonings, tasting then finally pouring it over something to make dinner more luscious than it ever could have been without it. This recipe starts with a garlic butter sauce then transforms into a cream sauce and ends as a cheese sauce.  I have included only salt and pepper as seasoning because all three of these can be custom seasoned as taste determines.  Try nutmeg, hot pepper flakes, curry or any of your favorites.

 
Butter Garlic Sauce

 Crush 3 cloves of garlic and roughly chop one onion.  On very low heat, add enough olive oil to cover your pan.  Add onion and garlic and salt and pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cook just until onions are transparent.  Strain mixture, reserving oil for future use.  It's now garlic infused and very good.  Put the garlic and onion back into the pan and add 4 Tablespoons of butter.  When butter melts, put the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree.  This is your butter garlic sauce.  You can stop here, or...

Creamy Garlic Sauce
...pour butter garlic sauce back into the hot pan, keeping the heat very low.  Add 4 tablespoons of flour and salt to taste.  Stir over heat for 2 minutes then add 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of milk.  Continue stirring over the heat until bubbles appear.  This is your cream sauce.  You can stop here, or...

Cheesy Garlic Cream Sauce
...add 1/2 cup of grated cheese.  A mixture of mozzarella and Monterrey jack works well.   Stir until melted.

Side note:  This cute little guy is my new pot holder.  It was a gift from my wonderful nephews, Paul and Matthew. 

 
He looks just like Chester, doesn't he?
Thank you, nephews!

Cream filled Cranberries

This recipe was inspired by my dad's wonderful peanut butter filled dates he makes every Christmas.  He takes dates, splits them, fills them with peanut butter and rolls them in sugar. 

My cranberries are like that except Dad would never, ever make these.  Cranberries are his least favorite fruit.


Ingredients
  
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup
1 cup of cranberries

Directions

Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the heavy cream and whisk until it forms stiff peaks.  Set aside.

Cranberries before sugar is added

Put the cranberries in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil.  As soon as it starts to boil, remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water until the cranberries are cooled.  Make sure they are completely cooled or you could curdle your cream.

Make a slit in each cranberry the length of the berry.  Be careful not to cut all the way through.  Using a pastry bag and small to medium tip, fill each cranberry.  If you squeeze the ends together, they will open for you.

Cover a small dish with the sugar, drop the filled cranberries on it and roll in the sugar.  

Serve any remaining cream with the berries.