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The Lovely Stains - Card Giveaway

I have great news to share! My uber talented friend Ann just opened her own store on Etsy! It is called The Lovely Stains!

What Ann is doing is beautiful and unique. She creates cards, painting on them with red wine! Red wine! Never seen cards painted with red wine. Have you? She also uses water colors on some cards. Ann’s designs are beautiful - birds, flowers, trees, envelopes, boxes - everything Ann creates is so refined, clean, and speaks of Ann’s characteristic sense of style which I love! I am the lucky owner of some of Anna’s cards and I absolutely adore them. They are great for any occasions, and Ann has some that are holiday related as well.

Quess what? Ann is willing to give away some of her gorgeous cards to AZ Cookbook readers!

Two lucky winners will receive a set of 2 cards (one holiday card and 1 wine-painted card) that come with envelopes + a surprise gift (she won’t even reveal what is is to me - I am curious!) as an added bonus!

Winners have to be in US. But no worries, whether you are in US or elsewhere, Ann is generous to everybody  - she is giving out a promo code that you can use towards a 10% discount on any purchase on her store! Simply enter  the promotion code “AZCookBook” at checkout to receive 10% off any order you place. No Etsy account? No worries. Email Ann and she will help you: thelovelystains  at gmail dot com.

So, all in all - everyone will be happy. The Lovely Stains Rocks!

Back to today’s giveaway.  Please leave a comment on this post now until Wednesday, December 7, 11 PM Pacific Standard Time.  In your comment please tell us what your New Year’s resolution is and how you are going to stick with it - let’s inspire each other!

Winners will be chosen at random and will be notified on Thursday, December 8.

Scroll down to see some of Ann’s creations. Aren’t they lovely?

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year series:)

Celebrate!

Lovely for just about any occasion.

From the wine-painted collection.

Wine-painted. I love those clean lines and pretty birds!

Beautiful clean design - inside and out.

Another beautiful batch of wine-painted cards.

Hello, Christmas tree!

So pretty!

Wine and water colors - they work wonders together.

Happy Holidays!

Roast Duck with Pomegranate-Honey-Orange Glaze

I’d had my eyes on Martha Stewart’s roasted duck recipe for the longest time and finally had a chance to make it this Sunday. It turned out great and looking exactly as it looked in Martha Stewart’s book where I got the recipe. And it was super delicious! The duck roasted slowly in the oven with its fat slowly rendering and flavoring the meat and yielding a crisp skin. When it was cooked, I glazed it with a sweet and tangy sauce made with pomegranate molasses, honey and orange juice - roasted the bird some more until it was golden and shining and calling our names. Then I caramelized lemon and orange slices in some of the sweet and tangy sauce and served them with the duck to squeeze onto. Delicious! Try it too.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day celebrating!

Glazed with pomegranate molasses, honey and orange juice - this duck is delicious!

Roast Duck with Pomegranate-Honey-Orange Glaze

From “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School”

Serves 2 to 3

For Duck:
1 whole Pekin duck (5 1/2 - 6 pounds)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Glaze:
1/4 cup mild-flavored honey
1/4 cup pomegranate paste/molasses (narsharab in Azerbaijan)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

For Garnish:
1 orange and 1 lemon, each cut into eigths
Flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Prepare duck: Heat oven to 300F (150C). Remove neck, heart, gizzards, and any excess fat from cavity and cut away excess skin from the neck area. Rinse duck under cold water and dry thoroughly inside and out. With a very sharp knife, score the skin over the breast in a crosshatch pattern. Cut diagonally into the skin, making sure not to cut into the flesh. Prick the skin with the tip of the knife all over, especially in the fattiest areas (this will ensure the best rendering for crisp skin). Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and fold wing tips behind duck’s back.

Roast: Place duck breast side up on a V-shaped rack set in a deep roasting pan and roast 1 hour. Remove duck and prick the skin over the breast and the fatty deposits around the thigh area with a sharp knife, then turn it over, so breast side is down, and roast for 1 hour more, spooning fat out of pan as needed. Turn duck over again and prick skin in any spots that aren’t rendering as quickly as others, then roast another hour. Prick the skin, turn breast side down, and roast until almost all of the fat has rendered from under skin and duck is cooked through, about 1 hour more. (Total roasting time should be about 4 hours.)

Meanwhile, make glaze: Combine honey, pomegranate paste, and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Glaze duck and crisp skin: Once duck has finished cooking, increase oven temperature to 400F (205C), turn duck breast side up, and roast 10 minutes. Brush with some of the glaze, and continue to roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5  minutes more (keep a careful eye through this step because the sugar in the glaze can burn quickly). Let the duck rest for 10 minutes.

Caramelize fruit: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush orange and lemon wedges with some of the remaining glaze and cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes per cut side.

Serve: Transfer duck to a platter and surround with caramelized fruit (for squeezing over the duck). Garnish with parsley, if desired.