Mixed Citrus Salad

Rachel Ray had a great-looking recipe for a mixed citrus salad included in her make ahead Christmas brunch menu. I ran out of time and because the kids were sick, I made it really simple.

I simply separated "Cutie" or clementine wedges and tossed in some pomegranate seeds and that was it. The dish looked really pretty and the combination of those fruits were tasty, but I do want to try her salad recipe some time.

Note*** The photo here is of the two fruits I tossed together. Rachel's photo in the magazine looked different and very pretty as well.

Mixed Citrus Salad
Serves 8-10 Prep 45 Min

6 tangelos
4 small ruby red grapefruits
4 naval oranges
2 blood oranges
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
Pinch salt
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
plus 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup pomegranate seeds

Peel tangelos, grapefruits and oranges, removing all white pith. Cut the fruit crosswise, 1/2 inch thick then cut each slice in half. Discard all seeds. (To serve Christmas morning, transfer to resealable bag and refrigerate overnight.)

In small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup of water, the brown sugar and salt to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add lemon zest and fennel seeds. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer set over a small bowl, pressing the solids to the sides to extract the liquid. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then stir in lemon juice. (This can also be covered and refrigerated overnight.)

About 30 minutes before serving, pour off the liquid from the fruit (you can drink that) and tranfer the fruit to a large bowl. Gently stir in sugar syrup and pomegranate seeds.

Again - this photo was just clementines and pomegranate seed - not this whole recipe

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

This recipe was part of Rachel Ray's make ahead Christmas brunch. We loved it! There were a lot of steps involved and it made quite a few dirty dishes, but it was so yummy that after tasting it, I didn't mind.

From EveryDay with Rachel Ray Dec 2012 issue

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake
Serves 10-12 Prep 35 Min Bake 1 Hr 10 Min

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (I used whole milk Greek yogurt)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 eggs at room temperature
powdered sugar for dusting (I never made it to this step)

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch (10 cup) bundt pan. Using a food processor, finely grind almonds and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in the ground almond mixture. In a small bowl, combine sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla.

Using a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. (About 2 minutes.) Turn to medium high and add remaining 1 and 3/4 cup brown sugar, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream (or yogurt) mixture in 2 batches. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat just until combined.

Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan. Smooth the top. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (About an hour and 10 minutes.) Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.

To serve Christmas morning, wrap cake in foil and store at room temperature overnight. Before serving, transfer cake to a platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Our complete Christmas brunch loosely based on Rachel Ray's menu

Iced Green Tea

I'm a big fan of green tea. Hot or cold, I have developed a taste for this stuff. I drink several cups a day. Instead of buying bottled green tea, I make my own. One box of 24 family-sized tea bags (I prefer Luzianne decaffeinated) makes 6 gallons equal to 48 16oz bottles of bought tea. Much cheaper and tastier in my opinion. I don't care for sweet drinks so it is always unsweetened for me, but if you must have it sweet, choose an all-natural sweetener and add just enough to make it tolerable for you. I use 2 tea bags for a half-gallon as the box suggests and brew for a good 30 minutes. If you use a lot of ice, use 3 tea bags. Add water and ice to fill up the pitcher and add a sliced fresh lemon or lime. Makes a refreshing summertime drink.

Citrus Pork and Roasted Vegetables

I had too many carrots and potatoes to go in the roaster with the meatloaf I made for the picnic Friday, so on Sunday I made a marinated pork roast using the rest of the vegetables.

Ready for roasting

I threw some of Wildtree's Lemon Rosemary Blend (about 2 Tablespoons) and Wildtree's Dill Dip Blend (about 1 Tablespoon) in a gallon plastic storage bag. I added about a tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar and a splash Wildtree's Zesty Lemon Grapeseed Oil. I put the pork loin in the bag and marinated that overnight. The next morning, I placed it in the roaster and added the carrots and potatoes, making sure they were covered with the marinade as well. Then I squeezed a fresh lemon over it all and slow-roasted it for several hours. I served the sliced loin with Wildtree's Outrageous Orange Sauce and the vegetable were fabulous with the seasonings from the marinade. The pink peppercorns in the Lemon Rosemary Blend make this dish really stand out. As always, to learn more about all-natural, preservative-free Wildtree, visit my Wildtree page.