Stunning Expressions

A Lifetime Passion to Design & Travel!

|Monique Lhuillier Fall 2020|

Stunning Expressions

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2020 RTW

|Christian Siriano Pre-Fall 2020|

Stunning Expressions 
Christian Siriano Pre-Fall 2020

Sugar Cookies Bell-cutouts

Stunning Expressions

Sugar Cookies Bell-Cut-outs

Express your love this Christmas with these specially made biscuit from Martha Stewart.

  • 250 grams unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • White, pink and red sanding sugar, to decorate

  1. Using an electric mixer with a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating well. Add vanilla. Beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, beating until just combined (do not over-mix). Divide dough in half. Shape each dough portion into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.

  2. Remove one disc of dough from fridge. Stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or until soft enough to roll. Roll between 2 sheets baking paper until 3mm thick. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm.

  3. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Using bell-shaped cutters, cut shapes from dough, re-rolling and cutting any dough scraps. Transfer to prepared trays, leaving 4cm between each shape (refrigerate dough if it becomes too soft to cut). Repeat process with remaining dough disc.

  4. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until firm and just starting to turn golden around edges, swapping trays halfway during cooking. Stand for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  5. To decorate, brush top of cookies lightly with water. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, as desired. Shake off any excess sugar. Serve.

The secret to crisp-looking outlines is to chill the dough before and after cutting out the shapes. We’ve used 3 different sized bell-shaped cutters: 4cm, 6cm and 8cm.

|Christmas Colors |

Stunning Expressions

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Stunning Expressions

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Choose miniature pumpkins like Small Sugar, Little Boo, or Jack Be Little to act as individual casserole dishes in which to bake a mix of fresh pumpkin, Israeli couscous, sausage, apples, onion, and cranberries. The flavors and colors of the fall harvest make this a dish you'll enjoy serving year after year. Country Living

  • 4 oz sweet Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup chopped Granny Smith apples
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp fresh oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 4 small pumpkins

<strong>Make the stuffing:</strong>

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Decase and crumble the sausage meat and place it in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the sausage until it is almost done — about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, increase heat to medium, and add the onion and 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Sauté until the pumpkin begins to soften — 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped apple and sausage and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the wine, cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside. Combine the couscous, dried cranberries, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add meat mixture to the bowl and toss to combine.

<strong>Bake the pumpkins:</strong>

  1. Evenly fill the hollowed-out pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place the pumpkins in a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup infused with coconut milk and yellow curry powder. A savory, simple soup that's perfect for the fall and winter months. Minimalist Baker

Soup

  • 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
  • 2 medium shallots (thinly diced)<br />
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 cloves yield ~1 Tbsp or 6 g)<br />
  • 6 cups peeled & chopped butternut squash (1 small butternut squash yields ~6 cups)
  • 1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)
  • 1-1/2 tbsp Curry Powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (or sub coconut sugar)
  • 1-2 tsp chili garlic paste (<em>optional</em>)

Garnish (optional)

  • Toasted pumpkin seeds
  • Chili garlic paste
  • Full-fat coconut milk

  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat.

  2. Once hot, add oil, shallots, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

  3. Add butternut squash and season with salt, pepper, curry powder, and ground cinnamon. Stir to coat. Then cover and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, maple syrup or coconut sugar, and chili garlic paste (optional – for heat).

  5. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until butternut squash is fork tender.

  6. Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a blender, and purée on high until creamy and smooth. If using a blender, return soup back to pot.

  7. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more curry powder, salt, or sweetener as needed. Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.

  8. Serve as is or with garnishes of choice (options above). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Best when fresh.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

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Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

What makes this sauce extraordinary isn’t the orange liqueur, though it rounds out the tart and sweet flavors beautifully. It’s the whole fresh cranberries reserved before cooking and stirred in just before serving. Cooking Light

  • 1 pkg (12-oz.) fresh cranberries, divided
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2-1/2 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp grated orange rind
  • 1 tbsp Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  1. Reserve 1/2 cup cranberries. Place the remaining cranberries, sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons water, and rind in a saucepan over medium-low. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Increase heat to medium-high; stir in orange liqueur. Cook 8 minutes or until juices begin to thicken. Remove pan from heat; stir in reserved 1/2 cup cranberries, salt, and pepper.

Variation Spiced Apple-Cranberry Sauce Active: 8 min. Total: 26 min. Omit water and orange liqueur from main above recipe. Sub 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar for granulated sugar. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg to cranberries and sugar in pan; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in 1 cup chopped apple and 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Cook 8 minutes. Stir in reserved cranberries, salt and pepper.

Cheesy Pumpkin Fondue

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Cheesy Pumpkin Fondue

Cheesy Pumpkin Fondue and Pumpkin tortilla chips. Yummy! Hungry Couple

  • 1 Clove garlic, peeled<br /><br />
  • 1 cup white wine<br /><br />
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice<br /><br />
  • 1/4 lb Emmental (Swiss) cheese, grated<br /><br />
  • 1/4 lb Gruyere cheese, grated<br /><br />
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch<br /><br />
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg<br /><br />
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin puree<br /><br />
  • Pinch of salt, if needed<br /><br />

  1. If serving inside a pumpkin, slice off the top and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until the flesh of the pumpkin is soft. Scoop out some of the cooked flesh to use in the fondue but leave enough so that the pumpkin is sturdy. If you don't have enough cooked pumpkin or if you're not using a pumpkin vessel, canned pumpkin puree is fine.

  2. Rub the clove of garlic over the bottom and sides of a pot and then discard. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Toss the grated cheeses with the cornstarch and add to the wine. On low heat, stir until all the cheese has melted. Stir in the pumpkin puree, the nutmeg and salt, if needed.

  3. If you don't own a fondue kit, you can place the pot over a can of sterno while you serve or just reheat periodically.

RumChata Pumpkin Pie Martini

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RumChata Pumpkin Pie Martini

RumChata's Pumpkin Pie Martini is probably the best recipe you'll find for a "pumpkin martini." 
The Spruce Eats

  • 1 part RumChata Cream Liqueur
  • 1 part vanilla vodka
  • 1 part pumpkin liqueur (or 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie filling)<br /><br />
  • <em>Garnish:</em> grated Cinnamon<br /><br />

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

  3. Shake well

  4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  5. Sprinkle cinnamon on top for a garnish. Enjoy!

Turkey with Brown-Sugar Glaze

Stunning Expressions

Turkey with Brown-Sugar Glaze

This year, try a flavorful glaze made with orange juice, brown sugar, and vinegar on your Thanksgiving bird. Martha Steward

  • 1 whole turkey (about 12 pounds), thawed if frozen, rinsed, and patted dry (neck and giblets chopped into 2-inch pieces; liver discarded)<br /><br />
  • 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped<br /><br />
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped<br /><br />
  • 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped<br /><br />
  • Nonstick cooking spray<br /><br />
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature<br /><br />
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper<br /><br />
  • 2/3 cup cider vinegar<br /><br />
  • 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar<br /><br />
  • 1/2 tsp grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice<br /><br />

  1. Let turkey sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place neck, giblets, carrots, celery, and onion in a heavy-bottomed metal roasting pan. Set a roasting rack over vegetables and coat with cooking spray.

  2. Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub turkey all over with 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Place turkey on rack in pan; roast on bottom oven rack until golden brown, 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Add 2 cups water to pan; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh reads 125 degrees, about 1 hour.

  3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring vinegar, brown sugar, and orange juice to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons butter and orange zest.

  4. When thermometer reads 125 degrees, brush turkey with glaze. Rotate pan and roast, brushing turkey with remaining glaze every 15 minutes, until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees, 30 to 45 minutes (tent turkey with foil, if browning too quickly). Transfer turkey to a platter. Loosely tent with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Reserve pan with drippings for Pan Gravy.