Homemade Christmas & Family Ties

I saw an idea similar to the tan burlap silverware holder on etsy, and noticed a few small knit stockings were being used on the holiday table as well and decided to combine the ideas, mostly because I found it appealing to try sewing a burlap stocking, that and I

struggled a bit with the idea of what looks like a nubby sock 

sitting on my plate.

On the Brown Burlap Holder        

 I cut burlap 4" wide and 16- 1/2" long.

I then folded 8-1/2" up, folded 2-1/2" of that down, to creat the front edge and pinned the burlap sides together and stitched along each edge.

I cut a 4" circle of burlap in a 1/2" spiral and twirled it up into a flower.

I glued it inconspicuously to the napkin holder.

On the Green Stocking

I sketched a stocking 10" at the longest section and 4" wide & will add that pattern when I am with my techie later this week.

I cut two burlap stockings out, and pinned them together, folding the top front piece of burlap over by 1-1/2" pinning the sides and then stitching along the edge.

Above is our holiday dessert this year.

Flour-less Chocolate Cake 

(under desserts on this blog)

Topped with Mascarpone Cream 

(Whip 3oz of mascarpone with 3/4-1 cup of whipping cream & 2 Tbsp powdered Sugar)

& Sprinkled with Pomegranates.

Granny smith slices paired with a star of cheese & a trunk of whole dates. Darling snack while your making Christmas Treats.

Sugared Cranberries are a beautiful, slightly healthier gift. They look lovely loaded into a Mason Jar.

Recipes

Sugared Cranberries:

1/4 -1/3 cup of simple syrup

12 oz cranberries

1/4 cup -1/2 cup sugar

1. A 12oz bag of cranberries will have about 4 cups of cranberries. I spread mine on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or a baking mat and check them over, setting the bruised ones aside to add to my compost.

2. Pour them into a small bowl and stir in 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup of warm simple syrup. Making sure your cranberries are well coated.

Lift them back out with a slotted spoon and spread them back out on a cooling rack over your baking sheet, give them about 45 minutes - 1 hr. They will feel tacky.

(If you do not have a cooling rack, line your baking sheet with parchment)

3. If you did not use a cooling rack, toss the cranberries into a fine mesh strainer over your sink to allow any extra syrup to drip off.  Pour them into a plastic container, it may take some looking, but grab the one that's lid wasn't left out in the yard by somebodies child last summer.

4. add 1/4 cup of sugar and the lid and shake vigoursly. This is a great time to sing the beginning of your favorite Christmas Carol.

5. Lift the lid, if you are satisfied with the coating your cranberries have, pour them on a clean piece of parchment or baking sheet, if not coated well enough for your liking try adding a couple more tablespoons of sugar until they are everything you imagine they should be. A taste test is a must!

I have seen these babies coated til they look white, but I am pretty happy with a lighter dusting of sugar.

6. Let dry another 45 min -1 hr. Or until you cannot bear the pressure of not popping them in your mouth. 

They are beautiful on a dessert, in a bowl for snacking, on a cheese plate, or wherever you need a splash of color on your holiday table.

These can be made up a day or two in advance and refrigerated. 

Be Sweet To Your Valentine.

Making homemade Peanut Butter Cups was a culinary "wow" moment.

So when my hubby suggested homemade Twix?

The response was yes. Emphatically yes.

But J does not flippantly suggest without a few thoughts on the matter.

He really likes shortbread.

He would like a Pez dispenser that held small pieces of shortbread,

(his words) not mine.

So of course shortbread should be the base layer.

We topped it with homemade carmel.

While it sat cooling,

we melted ghirardelli chocolate.

Ok. Everything looked great....looks can be deceiving.

Cause right about here is where the train derailed.

The shortbread was too soft & thick to hold together while being chocolate dipped.

J (one cool-headed conductor) suggested ways to coat those crumbly cookies.

We tried a variety of methods and were able 

to salvage a few rows of bars. We basically painted the chocolate on.

The flavor was fantastic - I should add that we sprinkled these with sea salt.

 But I have some tweaking hours ahead.

I want those shortbread to have 

a bit more crunch & a bit less crumble.

What other candy bars should we make???

Homemade candy is a top-notch Valentine gift.

Molten Lava Cake & a Fiery Stove

This time of year is filled with kitchen living.

And for the most part, I dig that.

But last night while I ground sirloin for burgers & deep-fried Steak fries

I started  4 okay 6 fires under my dutch oven.
Sometimes you can make do with the equipment you have & sometimes you need to buy a
bigger dutch oven, so peanut oil doesn't leak over the side.

 I am glad that I am married to someone who handles

a small fire in the kitchen like it ain't no thing.

He walks over and blows it out, while I look for baking soda.

Because I faintly remember my 7th grade Home Ec teacher recommending it,
probably should google that.

This is Molten Lava Cake....embrace it.

The texture is perfection, you slice in with your fork, chocolate comes running out. Yum.

Melt:

8 ounces of good Semisweet Chocolate
2 sticks of Butter

Beat:

5 eggs
1/2 cup Sugar

(until sugar is dissolved)

Mix:

Chocolate & Egg mixtures together
Add 4 tsp flour (just til incorporated)

Bake:

In Ramekins @ 450
for 8-10 min.
they should be set on the edges & jiggly in the center

Serve:

Immediately - either in Ramekins or flipped onto a plate.
with Berries & Cream or Ice Cream & a sprig of Mint.

Flour-less Chocolate Cake & My Valentine

There are those who go all out on V-day... Candy, Flowers, Dinner, Candles.

My hubby says he loves me daily in a hundred little ways & he says that's the way it should be. 

Water & coffee brought to my bedside every morning for example.

He knows this sleepyhead needs help tossing her body out of the warm nest.

So the Valentine dinner according to my Valentine's thinking should be a continuation of the thought & time that goes into everyday meal prep.

So I chose favorites.

A favorite Main Course is Bowtie Pasta with Alfredo, Capers, & Sugar Snap Peas.

A favorite side is Greens tossed with Toasted Almonds, Feta & Grape Tomatoes.

Ah but what to do for dessert?

I went with a few favorites.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream over Flour-less Chocolate Cake.

Served with A White & Dark Choc. striped Strawberry.

This dessert is ridiculously chocolatey.

But it's also so easy you 

can make it more than once a year. 

Ingredients:

1 c. Butter

4 oz. Bittersweet Choc.

3 Eggs

1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa

3/4 c. Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300

2. Grease 9" tart pan

3. Melt Bittersweet Choc & Butter in double boiler - stir as needed - when melted pull off heat & let cool

4. While mixture is cooling beat Eggs at med. speed for 1 minute

5. At low speed add Cocoa & sugar just til blended

6. Add cooled Choc. mixture & beat on high til thick, about 1 minute.

7. Pour in pan & bake about 20 minutes, batter should be settled.

8. Let cool ~ 2 hours

Gather those you love best & enjoy!

PS. This cake is fantastic drizzled with raspberries & raspberry sauce as well.

An Apple Dessert A Day....Beginning with Crostata

One of my 1st blog posts details making Tomato Tarts. The crust on the tomato tart has become a favorite, I use it frequently. I was browsing thru Nov 2010 edition of Living (Martha Stewart) and came across a recipe for Apple Crostata. I love the look of these rustic apple concoctions. 

I have toyed around with making a Crostata for years but can honestly say it was the crust on this recipe that propelled me forward.

I read the ingredients list & promptly drove to the grocery store.

I also happened to have 4 bags of dejected, orchard picked apples that begged for purpose.

      Back to the crust. While almost identical to the recipe I usually make it had one added ingredient that made my mouth water. Sharp White Cheddar. 

Granny smith & McIntosh apples were the perfect combo, not to sweet & super flavorful. I would not hesitate to add the Simple. Beautiful. Crostata to a morning brunch menu. And I think the crust recipe will work well with quiche & tomato tart. 

Crust:

pinch of salt

1-1/4 flour

1/2 cup cold butter

1/4 cup ice water

1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar

1. Pulse flour & salt in food processor or blender. 

2. Add butter & mix until mixture resembles course meal.

3. Drizzle water evenly over mix.

4. Pulse until mix just begins to hold together. 

(If dough is too dry add 1 Tbsp water at a time - dough should not be sticky or wet)

5. Add cheese, mix until just combined.

Roll out the dough into a 13" round ~1/8" thick on a floured surface.

Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet & refrigerate for 20 min.

Filling:

2 Granny Smith

2 McIntosh 

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup apricot preserves (warmed)

1. Peel, core & slice apple into 1/2" wedges

2. Toss apples, cinnamon, sugar, flour, lemon juice

3. Spread filling over dough leaving 1-1/2" border

4. Fold edges in to form crust

(5. Brush with egg wash & sprinkle with Turbinado sugar - optional)

6. Refrigerate until edges are firm ~ 30 min.

7. Bake @375 until apples are tender & crust is golden ~1 hr. 20 min.

8. Let cool slightly & brush with Apricot Preserves

Kick your feet up & enjoy.

6am Cooking

The last few months have brought
an unusual occurrence about in our home...me communicating before 7am and having
what I say actually make sense...

at least I think it does.

But this morning like so many chilly ones
before, I was up whipping around the
kitchen. Hoping what I produce for the fly fishing trips, can look half as good as what I was salivating over at Smitten Kitchen's website:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/11/sweet-potatoes-with-pecans-and-goat-cheese/

That's right Roasted Sweet Potatoes topped with an amazing blend

of goat cheese, pecans, celery & fresh parsley.

But due to the early hour my pictures did not turn out so well.

She however did a fab. job of getting the pictures.

For those not aquainted with Smitten Kitchens it is my go to website.

And the recipe is simple & according to J tastes very good.

The Tres Leches cake came from another great website: The Pioneer Woman.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/tres-leches-cake/

And this cake was, hmmm, it was, yes I am

groping for the right words...."perfect". However because

I live with & love a fellow foodie I still play with the recipes a bit.

We skipped the maraschinos and added shaved dark choc. When I see m. cherries I just see Red #40 and that grosses me out a bit. So until Senorita Reel & I can cherries, this will do.

J mentioned that orange zest would be quite good.

I think he is right on that...I'll have to try it next time.

But there will be a next time & so far 3 of my 5 have requested it

for their future b-day cake. For those who, like me, do not care for the look of a 9x13 cake,

I think this recipe will work nicely in ramekins.

Olympus Mons & Other Explosions

I'd like to tell you about my favorite apple cake & I wish I could show you a picture of it too, but I cannot because I blew it up on accident. You know the dinner party you go to where you really want your desert to be spot on? Well this one happened to explode 10 min. before we needed to walk out the door. Glass shards went everywhere & the cake died right there on the stovetop. See I put my nice hot cake pan on a nice hot burner & 10 minutes or so later the pyrex gave up. I felt a bit betrayed I thought pyrex could handle "the heat".

Anyway I did get a picture of an astronomy project we worked on & that would be this dandy volcano imitation of Olympus Mons, the largest volcanic mountain on Mars.

The Apple Cake recipe comes from a good friend who is a very good baker.

This one is so simple but so so very good:

3 C. Self Rising Flour
1-1/2 C. Veg. Oil
2 C. Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
3 C. Diced Apples
1 C. Chopped Pecans

1. Mix & Pour in greased 9 x 13
2. Place in cold oven & bake @ 350 for 45 min - 1 hr or when toothpick comes out clean.
3. About 15 min before cake is done combine 1 C. Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp Butter, & 2 tsp Milk
    bring to a boil & pour over cake while it is still hot.

So Long Reese's - There's a New Cup In Town.

I remember being told we were going to have a
"moment of silence" to commemorate the beginning of The Gulf War.
I went to Public High and this was how somber moments were marked.

I was taught to pray when innocent lives were at risk, so I put my nonchalant face on and asked
what a "moment of silence" meant.
"Of course this is a time for somber contemplation & meditation."
So I just think about something with a serious face
& that accomplishes???
Help me out here I'm not as smart as I look.

But today I had my own moment of silence. And I had
this moment because my favorite gas station candy,
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, are now a thing of my past.

Let me tell you why...actually I'll show you too.

                                                                                    
It all began with Ghiradelli Chocolate.

1. Melt 1c. of chocolate chips in a double boiler
2. Mix 1c. of organic (your choice) creamy
peanut butter with 1c. of powdered
sugar.
3. Use a small paint brush to paint chocolate
onto paper muffin cups. (i also placed them
into a muffin tin - for stability)
4. Fill a plastic ziplock or icing bag with the PB mixture, trim a whole in the corner (if using a ziplock), and squeeze a goodsize glob into the set-up chocolate.
5. Paint more choc. on top of the peanut butter.
6. Resist the urge to lick every cooking utensil in                    
sight & slip them into the fridge/freezer
your choice depending on how quick you need one.

My hands were a bit shaky at this point. Shaky with excitement that is. And you know what? They were amazing. I made half the batch with Milk Choc. & the other half with 60% Cacao - Bittersweet.
M suggested using white choc. so I think I'll probably try that too. I ran out of peanut butter filling on the last cup, so I filled it with homemade carmel, pecans & a little sea salt.  I think it's going to be a winner.