A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving

It works. Blueberries with your Thanksgiving feast. I swear! If you're not much of a cranberry fan, then go for the little blue dynamos! If you LOVE blueberries, then just do it! You get that slight tartness with a little sweet, of course, but blueberries also work in savory dishes.

I promise!

Until yesterday, I had no idea that blueberries were so versatile.

I attended A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving luncheon with Food Bloggers of Los Angeles, hosted by Erika of In Erika's Kitchen, sponsored by Blueberry Council and Rioja Wines.

Every dish had blueberries in it, from the appetizers to the main course and last but not least, the dessert. The courses were magnificently paired with 6 different Rioja Wine varieties.

One thing that stuck in my head, as I listened to the Little Blue Dynamos guys talk about blueberries, was the quality of produce that comes from Chile. For some reason I have always thought that imported produce wasn't as regulated as domestic. Well, Chile is an "export powerhouse" and in order to sustain that, they need to maintain a high level of quality and safety standards. Not just US standards but also Canadian, South Korean and European, just to name a few. What that means is the quality is just as good, if not better than what we get domestically. And since their harvesting time is opposite of ours (due to that south of the equator thing) we have the benefits of obtaining various fresh fruits during our winter months.

Our Rioja Wine representative had so much to say (and I realize even more, how little I know about wine). I thoroughly enjoyed each selection that was presented (I even won a bottle!). Here's a nice little tip: if you have a bottle of wine and the tannin is just a little too strong for you, place the bottle in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so and the flavor will soften and you'll have a nice smooth wine to enjoy.

If you follow me on Instagram (PeacefulCooking), twitter (ImStuffed) or facebook (Peaceful Cooking) you will have seen previews of the following amazingly delicious dishes on Sunday. All of which contained blueberries. Every single dish was fantastic. I'm going to share photos and links to the recipes since there are several, rather than make this post 2 miles longs (instead of just 1 mile).

First up we had.... 

Pre-feast nibbles:
Paired with Muga Blanco 2012

Mashed Potato Pops with Blueberry "Not Ketchup"
Printable Recipe

These little pop-in-your-mouth morsels were very good with that little crispy-crunch on the outside. But what made them beyond good, was the Blueberry "Not Ketchup"! Seriously people, you have to try it. It's not too sweet, very smooth with a slight tang. If it were socially acceptable, I would've been eating the dip with those skewers once the potato balls was gone. It's that good!

Pumpkin Soup Shooters with Dried Blueberry Dust
Printable Recipe

Light, subtle flavors, not too thick or heavy. Just enough to keep you from fainting due to starvation while waiting for the big meal! (you know how it is....you don't eat all day because you want to save your appetite) Adding the fun little dusting of blueberries gives this soup shooter that special festive touch.

First Course:
Paired with: Cune Rosado 2012

Butternut Squash Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe

Oh my goodness! This is one dish I wish I had taken more of. And a definite addition to my table this year! I'm not much of a salad person but when the flavors and textures blend so wonderfully, I just couldn't help myself. I love this salad. I'm not sure which ingredient won me over...of course the blueberries...but then the pepitas spoke to me....and then...I think the Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette started singing to me. Yes! That's what it was. (Nothing like a private serenade)

Side Dishes
Paired with: Cune Rosado 2012
Vina Herminia Tempranillo 2012
Torre  de Ona Finca San Martin 2010
Conde de Valdemar 2010

Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Dried Blueberries
Printable Recipe

Sweet potato fans...here's your chance to get out from under that sweet potato casserole! Healthy, quick and easy and look how beautiful that is. Talk about back to the basic with a new twist. Delish!!

Pulled Turkey Sliders with Blueberry Chutney
Printable Recipe

This is actually a great idea for turkey leftovers. Or maybe a little something to hold over those football fans until the feast is served. If you're an early Thanksgiving Feast eater...then how about a quick bite before you go to bed. Whatever you choose, it's gonna work. These are easy, delicious and fun to eat!

Blueberry Stuffin' Muffins
Printable Recipe

Baking stuffing in a muffin tin? YES!! Little individual servings and everyone gets the best of both worlds....the moist center and the crunchy top. I'm sure you've seen people add cranberries, apples, grapes..etc to their stuffing. Why not blueberries? This whole dish is ingenious! (and look how cute they'd be next to the Pulled Turkey Sliders above!)

Brussels Sprouts with Blueberry Balsamic Glaze
Printable Recipe

If you struggle to find that vegetable side dish that can stand up to the main course, look no further! Brussels sprouts are roasted in a blueberry balsamic glaze yet they maintain their cabbage like integrity that so many enjoy.

Main Course:
Paired with: Lan Edicion Limitada 2008 (my personal favorite of all the wines offered)

Boneless Roasted Turkey Breast with Blueberry Salsa
Printable Recipe

I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the turkey this was served with but we all know what that looks like. I went back for seconds and all that was left was a little of this salsa....and I was totally fine with that. The combination of blueberry, green apple, and red onions is phenomenal! If you're going to skip the gravy, for whatever reason, then this is the perfect compliment for your turkey.

Last but not least.....

Dessert
Paired with: Blueberry Mulled Cider
Printable Recipe
A lovely refreshing yet comforting cider to finish with. (I don't know why I failed to take a picture. Maybe I drank it before thinking about it)

Pumpkin Blueberry Triffle
Printable Recipe

What a way to end the day! This is truly a delightful dessert. It's not heavy, it's not too sweet. It doesn't make you groan at the end as if you ate so much and wished you hadn't. I should've brought some home though, because now as I'm looking at it, I really want some. It has all the right holiday spices and flavors rolled up in perfect harmony.

If you're looking to switch things up a bit, or introduce a new dish....maybe you have the privilege of enjoying more than one Thanksgiving dinner....the dishes above come highly recommended, by yours truly.

Thank you Blueberry Council and Rioja Wines for sponsoring such a lovely spread.

And Thank you again Erika for a wonderful afternoon, for your hospitality and your expertise in the kitchen!

Curried Apple Chutney

It's canning season. Summer is ending today and fall begins tomorrow.

August 12th was Can it Forward Day. What an exciting day that was. Really...fun, informative, and inspirational. Ball had a fun filled day of live online canning seminars....FREE!! With lots of giveaway opportunities.

It was through one of those many opportunities that I won a Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit from Debby over at A Feast for the Eyes Thank you so much Debby!!!

Can I tell you how thrilled I was? That cool little basket was the biggest score for me. I don't have any special tools or anything for my canning adventures so having this basket that gets submerged into the boiling water along with the jars was a huge plus! No more dropping jars into the water cuz they slipped from the tongs that I've always used that aren't for holding jars. No more spilling near boiling water on me as I take the jars out cuz there's always just a little bit of water on the lid. And it's not like the basket is a pricey item, far from it, but I just don't shop online much. Soo...my lovely kit came with all this stuff in the picture...plus a coupon for a free case of jars! Talk about inspirational! How can you have all this cool stuff and not want to can something!

As I browsed through my newly acquired Blue Book Guide to Preserving, I spotted a lovely sounding recipe for Chutney. The ingredients were handy. I think all I had to do was buy enough apples and raisins. Everything else was already in my pantry.

I'm going to share just the recipe with you, not much of the whole canning process. If you're not experienced in preserving and canning (or you need a refresher), I highly highly insist recommend browsing through Ball's website, Fresh Preserving where you'll find instructions on how to get started, along with video tutorials, recipes, products, and an online community with discussion boards.

Canning and preserving is not difficult but there are important precautions and procedures that need to be followed.

This chutney was made using the boiling water method. Besides the jars, all you really need is a large, deep stockpot. One that's deep enough to be able to cover the jars with about 2 inches of water, once submerged. You don't need anything fancy. Of course if you have fancy, or you want fancy....then go for it. It does make things a little bit easier.

One more thing before I get started....this was suppose to yield about 10 pints. I don't know what I did...but I got a little more than 5 pints out of it. I'm thinking....maybe I cooked the chutney down too much before canning? Who knows....its fine...because 5 pints of chutney will last us quite a while. I think. hmmm...maybe not, because this stuff is so very good. It's only been a week and I've already gone through 1/2 a pint.

Curried Apple Chutney
Yields about 10 pints

2 quarts of chopped, peeled, cored apples (about a dozen large or 16 medium)
2 lbs raisins
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped sweet pepper
3 TB mustard seed
2 TB ginger
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt
2 hot red peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups vinegar

In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Simmer until thickened, stirring frequently.

I let this simmer for a good hour. I wanted the chutney to be on the soft side, yet chunky. I didn't want a relish type consistency....ie: crunchy.

Ladle the hot chutney into hot jars (this prevents the jars from possibly cracking), leaving about 1/2" headspace (this would be the measurement from the top of the jar to the top of the food).

Using a nonmetallic spatula, run it around the inside of each jar, pressing slightly to remove air bubbles.

Using a clean cloth, wipe the edge of the rim and side of each jar. Place the two-piece lids on the jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes before carefully removing the jars from the hot water.

Repeat as necessary until you have processed all of your jars of chutney.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Test the lids to make sure they have sealed (the center of the lid should be concave).

At this point you can should remove the outer band. Actually, I highly recommend it. You see, I learned something on that special Can it Forward day. Since its the flat lid that seals and keeps your newly preserved vegetables and fruit fresh, if the canning process has failed at any level, bacteria begins to grow inside the jar causing a build-up of gases. These gases will break the seal and mold will form...thus warning you that what's inside is not edible. If the bands are left on, the seals are forced to stay shut, despite the havoc inside and there will not be that easily defined visible warning.

Store for up to a year.

Need a little idea on what do use it for? Try one of my new favorite dishes:

Chutney de Poulet

Pork Tenderloin would also be wonderful. Or just spread it on a cracker with some cream cheese. Maybe a bagel? You could just lick it off the spoon...I won't tell.