The Holiday's - with a Twist!

Fresh cranberries and canned pumpkin will be on everyone’s shopping lists – and as always, at an unbeatable price at ALDI – but how ‘bout surprising guests with a cranberry/blueberry gratiné or mouthwatering pumpkin chocolate pancakes? Find ingredients to avoid the holiday recipe rut…and the season’s must-have toys in ALDI’s Gift Book.

Pumpkin Chocolate Pancakes

·         1 ¼ cups Baker’s Corner flour

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         2 teaspoons Baker’s Corner baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg

·         Pinch of salt and Stonemill ground cloves

·         Mix all ingredients

·         In another bowl, mix

·         1 cup Friendly Farms whole milk

·         ½ cup Baker’s Corner canned pumpkin

·         1 large Goldhen egg

·         2 tablespoons of melted Imperial unsalted butter

·         Fold mixture into dry ingredients

·         Add 1 ½ cups of Baker’s Corner chocolate chips

·         In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter; pour in ¼ cup increments of batter, heating on each side for approximately three minutes

·         Serve with butter Berryhill syrup and powder sugar

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies (makes 2 dozen cookies)

·         2 ¼ cup of Baker’s Corner flour

·         ½ teaspoon Baker’s Corner baking soda

·         ¼ teaspoon Stonemill salt

·         1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

·         ½ cup white sugar

·         ¾ cup of Countryside Creamery salted butter – at room temperature

·         2 large Goldhen eggs

·         2 teaspoons Stonemill vanilla extract

·         1 cup Fit & Active dried cranberries

·         1 ½ cups of Baker’s Corner white chocolate chips (or use bar and break up)

·         Combine first three ingredients

·         Beat butter with sugars

·         Slowly add in egg and vanilla

·         Beat until light and fluffy

·         Add in flour mixture, cranberries and chocolate

·         Drop by tablespoons (2 inches apart from each other)

·         Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 min

Cranberry Blueberry Granite ́

·         I cup Nature’s Nectar cranberry juice

·         ½ cup sugar

·         1 ¼  cup of frozen blueberries

·         Juice from two lemons

·         Blend all ingredients together in blender

·         Strain mixture into medium sized pot

·         Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves

·         Pour mixture into 13x9” glass baking dish

·         Cool to room temperature

·         Freeze for 3 -4 hours

·         Remove from freezer, using a fork run long strokes to create a snow-like texture;  repeat process (may have to freeze in between)

·         Distribute granite ́ into desert glasses; garnish with fresh cranberries

Chocolate Marinated Steak (serves 4)

·         1 large onion, finely chopped

·         1 glove of garlic, finely chopped

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         ¼ cup unsweetened Baker’s Corner cocoa powder

·         ¼ cup Tate’s steak sauce

·         Combine ingredients into sealed plastic bag

·         Add 2 pounds Cattlemen’s Ranch steak

·         Marinate in refrigerator for at least 3 hours

·         Remove steak from marinade, reserve liquid

·         Grill steak for approximately 4 min per side for medium; let steak rest for approximately 5 minutes

·         Put reserved marinade into small pot over medium high heat; bring to a boil

·         Top each steak serving with marinade 

My Take on ALDI
I was given the opportunity to try out some of the amazing products that ALDI provides its' customers. What I was surprised about was the high quality that ALDI provides at such reasonable process. I have shopped at ALDI in the past and have enjoyed the prices that they provide, but always found it harder to shop at ALDI because I couldn't use my credit card, so we always either needed cash or checks to pay. This was not a problem, we just needed to make sure that we carried the checkbook with us.


Anyway, I was impressed with my experience with Aldi and the quality of products that they had, dispelling the myth that you can have high quality for a reasonable price!


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com