Dinner with ingredients from the farmers market

I picked up some feta cheese and free range chicken (among other goodies) today and tried some new things.

Slice the chicken breasts into inch wide strips and sprinkle them with pre-blended dried Greek Seasoning (oregano, spearmint, onion, sea salt, etc.)

Place in oven-proof skillet with 2 cups of chicken stock. (I used the other 2 cups to make the rice 🙂 )

Place pan in 350° oven for 10 minutes or so.  (The chicken will not be thoroughly cooked yet.)

Place skillet on burner and transfer chicken (shake off excess liquid) into a different preheated lightly oiled skillet.

Cook until chicken is golden brown and delicious. (Don’t over-cook!  Remember it is already half done.)

Boil broth and drippings in first pan while chicken is browning.  (liquid will reduce)

Make a beurre manié with 2 tablespoons flour and butter.

Whisk into reduced liquid in pan.

Add 1 cup half and half and whisk thoroughly.

Turn burner to medium low and crumble in a handful of feta cheese.  The smallest crumbs will melt, while larger pieces will provide a pleasant chunky texture.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Voila´! A lovely feta cream sauce!

Spoon over chicken.  I served it with rice, but it would be equally lovely with some wide noodles.

You may be asking yourself why I bothered with cooking the chicken in the broth in the first place.  I have an answer:  I wanted a base for the sauce!  I could have made the sauce with all the same ingredients in a saucier but without the addition of the chicken drippings I think it would have been less flavorful.  I also think braising the chicken in the broth adds some flavor and moisture to the meat.  Now, I am not a trained chef.  I am a simple home cook who likes tasty food.  My logic and reasoning may be way off-base.

Feel free to explain the science of anything I have stated in error.  It will help me be a better cook!

See you at the market next week!

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Aura’s Banana Bread

I watched the bananas getting spotted and decided, rather than sharing them with the dog, I would let them go a few more days and make banana bread. Veteran readers will notice that I have never posted a recipe in this category. We don’t often have sweets at home, so this is a rare treat. My banana bread is a variation of Cook’s Illustrated‘s: The Best Banana Bread.

2-3 bananas

1 stick butter

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sour cream (try Greek Yogurt for a bit of a different flavor)

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

 

Place bananas on a foil lined pan in a 400° oven for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool. (Roasting the bananas brings out a caramelized sweetness that enriches the flavor of the bread.)

Turn oven down to 350°.

Melt a stick of butter and let it cool.

Butter and flour the bottom half of a loaf pan. (Today I forgot to flour it. I will let you know how that worked out. Doing only to the bottom of the pan is supposed to make the bread rise higher than if you had greased the whole pan.)

Roughly beat bananas in a stand mixer. (I suggest you peel them directly over the mixing bowl because there may be some liquid inside.)

Add eggs, vanilla and melted butter and mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients and stir (on lowest setting so as to not get flour all over the kitchen) until just combined. It will still look lumpy.

With spatula, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and incorporate any residual flour. Pour into loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake on the lower middle rack for about 45-55 minutes. Done means it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Another unexpected watermelon recipe

The watermelon salad was such a hit, I thought you might like to try this recipe, too. I haven’t made it, but it sounds good! I got the recipe from Home Made Simple.

Crisp Watermelon Salsa
This light, mild salsa recipe is perfect for taking advantage of late summer’s ripe and juicy watermelons.

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS
3 cups watermelon, pre-cubed and seeded
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well.
2. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tip: Anaheim peppers, also called California green peppers, are mild, sweet peppers that can be purchased fresh or canned from most supermarkets. You can also substitute another mild pepper, like Poblano chilies or canned green chilies. If you want to give your salsa more kick, try using spicy jalapeño peppers instead.

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Peek inside my mind while I make dinner

So, just for fun, I thought I would let you into the scary world that is my mind as I am planning what and how to prepare for our Monday evening meal.

8:30 AM: I had a pot roast that I had removed from the freezer that was finally thawed. Ok. We will have pot roast. And, look here, I have a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes. That sounds like dinner!

I knew what I was making for salad, because I had come across a recipe for watermelon salad about which I couldn’t stop thinking. More on that later.

So, I had a pot roast and potatoes. How shall I cook this? Shall I do something new or something I know works? What do I have on hand? It is a hot day, so the slow cooker wins out over the oven.

I need some liquid.

I had just made a batch of polenta (I use it to hide Georgia’s pain meds. She quite likes it and takes her medicine without complaint.) Polenta uses 3 cups of chicken broth. The box holds 4 cups. Well, there’s one cup of liquid for the roast. What else? Oh, here is some beer I bought that I didn’t particularly enjoy. One bottle of Strawberry Blonde in the pot. Perfect. A bed of celery for flavor and to keep the meat off the bottom of the pot.

As I recall, last time I made pot roast I had to add salt, so, let’s use a good bit of salt. Add some fresh ground black pepper and a handful of Herbs de Provence.

Let’s try bringing this to a boil before putting in the meat. Maybe it will make the flavors bloom. What the hell. While that’s heating, I will prep the fruit for the Sangria.

8:45 AM: Strawberries: Beautiful. Tasty. Ripe.

Peaches: What the hell? This one is mealy. This one is rock hard. Crap. Well, they are tasty. Aha! I will toss them in the pot roast!

What other fruit do I have? Oranges. OK. Very traditional with the Sangria. In it goes. Soak to your little heart’s content in the pear juice and brandy.

9:00 AM: I can smell the herbs, so I figure it is time to put the pot roast in the slow cooker.  I set it on low because the last one I did was a bit overdone when I used the “auto” setting which starts high and finishes low.

3:30 PM: Sing Dulcinea from Man of la Mancha while preparing salad. Think about how I would run away with Brian Stokes Mitchell.

3:45:Meat is perfectly done. I pull it out and place it in a lasagna pan lined with foil. Taste the broth. Yum! Scoop out pitiful remnants of vegetable matter that are nothing but pulp and discard. Toss in the bag of whole potatoes and the onion that didn’t get used in the salad. Walk down the block to give Carrie some salad and some help with her new smartphone.

5:00 PM: Pull out potatoes, wrap them in foil and put meat back in hot pot to return to serving temperature. Slice some potato rosemary bread and wrap it in foil to heat in the toaster oven (no sense using the big oven and heating up the house.) Have hubby set table. Serve delicious salad and Sangria. Hmm. Seems a little bitter. I see. Oranges aren’t as sweet as peaches and are more acidic. Now I know why so many Sangria recipes call for sugar. Pull out fruit, pour a little Sangria in a measuring cup, add honey & microwave until liquefied. Stir into Sangria. Perfect!

5:25 PM: Plate meat and potatoes, wrap bread in towel and place in bowl. Dinner is served. Family is happy.

Watermelon Feta Salad

• Half of a Dulcinea watermelon (they are marketed as personal sized melons) in bite sized cubes (about 4 cups)
  
• 1/8 cup diced Walla Walla (sweet) onion
  
• One handful of each:
  
• Parsley (minced)
  
• Mint (minced)
  
• Feta cheese
  
• The juice of 1 each lemon and lime
  
• Sea salt to taste
  

Dice the onions (it might be prettier with slivers of red onion, but I prefer the flavor of the Walla Walla) and place in a small bowl. Add the fruit juice and a sprinkle of salt. Stir and set aside.

In another bowl, add all remaining ingredients. Dump onions and juice on top and toss.

This is not a “make ahead” salad. Serve when fresh. It was so good that I turned my plate up and drank the leftover dressing. (I do the same thing with Caprese Salad, which is my all time favorite.)

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Meat on a stick = summer!

Lemon Pepper Chicken and Paprika Lime Prawns

The chicken was painfully simple.  I bought a pack of chicken tenders and sprinkled them with the Lemon Pepper grinder Carrie picked up at Trader Joe’s (sea salt, peppercorns, lemon rind) and shoved them on pre-soaked wooden skewers.

The prawns required just a bit more prep. I bought “Easy Peel” prawns that were deveined and had the peel cut for easy removal.  I prefer to keep the shell on when grilling to keep the flesh from sticking to the grill or getting burned.  When serving, place an empty bowl to discard shells.

Brine: 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 quart of water.  30 minutes or so.  (Brining is worth the time.  Trust me.)

Drain.

Mix a good splash each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add a sprinkling of smoked paprika and kosher salt, and the juice of one lime.  (I use True Lime because it is easy to keep on hand and works brilliantly.) Toss in the prawns for 15 minutes or more, then skewer them.

Pop on your favorite BBQ (or the broiler) and serve over rice.

Sparkling Sangria

While at work Saturday I got a bee in my bonnet and decided I would make sangria to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday.  I also pondered if such a thing could be made with sparkling wine.  A few minutes of googling found many recipes for Cava Sangria.  (Sangria is a Spanish beverage and Cava is the name for Spanish sparkling wine.)

As usual, I digested all of the recipes and devised my own version.  First step: text hubby to put some bubbly in the fridge.  He did, but I was surprised that I still had a $50 bottle of Moet in storage and that’s the one he put in.  I decided to save that for something else and used a $15 bottle instead.  (Many of the recipes called for a “cheap” bottle, but I didn’t want to try that this time.  Maybe next time we’ll try Cook’s.)

First stop after work: liquor store.  I don’t keep brandy on hand.  Boy howdy, the liquor store was packed!  Clearly people were planning for a long weekend of celebration.  As I perused my choices of Brandy, I was less than thrilled.  There seemed to be two choices.  Really cheap and really expensive.  I decided to go with the Calvados, liking the idea of it being made from apples, but unsure if the flavor would come through.

Next stop: Tacoma Boys for fruit & juice.  Straberries, nectarines (too early for good peaches) and fresh mint (which was hiding and causing me great frustration since this store was also very crowded!) The recipes had called for either white grape or orange juice (one called for lemon lime soda, yuk!) but I chose pear.

1 handful of mint leaves, torn

one nectarine, sliced

6 strawberries, sliced

8 oz Brandy

8 oz pear juice

1 bottle of chilled bubbly

Stir in the pitcher and serve over ice.

I made this batch with a rose sparkling, so the color is pinker than you will get if you use a white.

The drink improved in flavor as the evening progressed, so I made an additional batch of fruit, Brandy and juice and refrigerated it overnight to have Sunday.  (I am still pondering whether to add red or white to this batch.)

To be nice to my teenage daughter, I made her a glass with fruit, mint, pear juice and club soda.  She said it was “da bomb.”

Win your own TasteBook!

Remember when I told you about TasteBook?

Want your own, or better yet, need a gift for Mother’s Day?

Gear Diary has a chance for you to win your very own, super cool, customizable cook book. Many of you have seen mine at the salon and know that it is a lovely, quality book. All you have to do to win is click on over to Gear Diary and leave a comment that includes your favorite dish and/or recipe. (At this writing, there are only three comments and there are three codes to give away! Pretty good odds, eh?)

Gear Diary has received codes to create three TasteBooks, and we are giving them away so that you can give mom (or yourself!) a truly personal and tasty gift this Mother’s Day.

Entry is simple – just leave a comment naming your all-time favorite dish. It doesn’t have to be something you actually know how to make – but there will be bonus points if you leave a recipe, or if you post a link back to the contest from your own blog.

The give-away will end on May 1st at midnight CST.

Squash Soup – pictures and variations

I posted the basic recipe for squash soup earlier, but never gave you pictures.

The fabulous thing about this recipe is that it lends itself so easily to many variations. Since I had my new smoked paprika on hand, the decision was made to try a Mediterranean version.

Here is what varied from the original recipe:

I didn’t plan far enough ahead, so there was no time to roast and cool the veggies. So it was time to get to chopping them while raw. I peeled the squash and apples.

I browned the garlic a bit in olive oil before turning down the heat and adding the onions. After the onions were softened, I added Kosher Salt, Oregano, Rosemary and Smoked Paprika.

I continued this on medium heat until the aroma rose up and filled the kitchen (5 minutes-ish) then added two pints of hard cider, effectively de-glazing the pan and building the broth. When well incorporated, I added 1 quart of my own frozen chicken stock in big chunks and all the chopped vegetables and brought the pot to a boil.

After we got a good rolling boil and all the frozen stock was incorporated, I put on the lid and set it to simmer.

You know it is done when you push the squash against the wall of the pot and it disintegrates. (Taste now to decide if you need any additional salt or pepper.)

I use an immersion (stick) blender to puree in the pan. I had an assortment of toppings at the table, sour cream, crème fraîche, and grated Parmesan.

Variations:

French (delicate): Herbs de Provence, shallots, champagne

Asian (spicy): Five Spice, cayenne pepper, Japanese beer

Thai: ginger, stir in coconut milk before serving

Anyone have any other ideas they would like to add?

Rosemary & Garlic Rack of Lamb with Polenta

The really great thing about making a rack of lamb (I really like the Australian from Costco) for just two people is that there will be leftovers.  I cook it so that the ends are medium rare and the center is more rare.  Then when I want to reheat the leftovers, they take just a minute on each side in a hot skillet and they are perfect!

So, to begin:  mince four cloves of garlic and a good handful of rosemary.  Cover it with good extra virgin olive oil and let it sit for a few hours.  When you are read to rub the lamb, add enough kosher salt to make it a paste and spread evenly.  Let that sit at leat 30 minutes.  (I always bring my meats to room temperature before cooking.)

Add olive oil to cover the bottom of a smoking hot cast iron skillet.  Sear lamb a couple of minutes on all sides, then place pan in oven preheated to 350 degrees.  Cook until about 130 degrees in the center, then remove from pan and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Bring 3 cups of chicken stock (or broth) and one can of Niblets (or other super sweet corn in water) to a simmer.  Sprinkle in 1 cup of polenta, stirring constantly.   When polenta begins to thicken, add 1 cup of grated Parmesan (Regiano, if you please!)  Stir until cheese disappears.  Reduce heat to very low and stir occasionally until plating.  Add butter, salt & pepper to taste.

Spread polenta on platter, then place lamb chops on top and garnish with rosemary.

Nostalgia or Experimentation? The great stroganoff quest

The only beef stroganoff my husband and his friend (a bachelor and frequent dinner guest) had ever had was Hamburger Helper.  It was a regularly featured meal in my childhood home, but one I had never made as an adult.  (Probably because I am the only one that likes mushrooms and it never occurred to me to make it without.)

I dug around on the Food Network’s page and found Robert Irvine’s Big Top Beef Stroganoff (from Dinner: Impossible, which I love!)

Then I called my mother and got the family recipe.  It turns out that this recipe came from the back of a Lucerne milk carton (many years ago) and become the de facto family favorite.

Then I was faced with a difficult choice of the old family recipe (that I hadn’t eaten in almost thirty years) and the new.  They are VERY different.  Compare:

Big Top Beef Stroganoff

2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

See this recipe on air Wednesday Apr. 09 at 10:30 PM ET/PT.

Show:
Dinner: Impossible

Episode:
Circus Juggline

1 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, as needed to sear steaks
1 (2 to 3-pound) beef bottom round roast, julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 large white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, and minced
2 cups (about 6 ounces) white mushrooms, cleaned trimmed, and sliced
2 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 pound egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan which should be large enough to accommodate the mushrooms, wine and beef.

Season beef with salt, pepper, and paprika, and set aside briefly.

To the heated pan, add white onion and garlic and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until they give up their juices.

Add the beef strips to the pan, pour red wine, pouring over the meat, and allow the wine to reduce by half. Add beef stock and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and allow meat to braise until it is fork tender, about 25 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the noodles.

Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and mushrooms from pan, cover and keep in a warm place. Allow liquids to reduce and thicken with the pan uncovered.
While the beef stock is reducing, boil the egg noodles until al dente.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in sour cream and horseradish (which will add stroganoff flavor and stabilize the sauce). Return meat and mushrooms to sauce.

Drain egg noodles well and spoon stroganoff over. Garnish with parsley.

Family (Lucerne) Recipe

1 – 1.5# round steak

1 cube butter

1# mushrooms

1 onion

1T soy sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 can tomato paste

1 C sour cream

Melt butter, saute onions; when softened, add mushrooms

Thinly slice steak (easier if slightly frozen)

Add steak to mushrooms & onions

In separate bowl, mix tomato soup and paste, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste, then add to meat mixture

Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes

Stir in sour cream and serve over rice

I went to my local gourmet grocery, Metropolitan Market and talked to my butcher.  His opinion was that although tenderloin was the traditional meat of choice and round steak would do, sirloin was the best choice for flavor, tenderness and price.  I took his word for it and let him select one about 1.5 pounds.

I had also never used smoked paprika and was all fired up to try it (and this is the market where such things can be procured.)

So, the decision was made.  I would take Robert Irvine’s recipe and tweak it for my family (which means no mushrooms and no horseradish!)

Aura’s Choice Stroganoff

1.5# top sirloin steak, julienned

1 bag white pearl onions, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thwacked with the side of the knife

1T sweet smoked paprika

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

2C red wine

2C beef broth

After slicing meat, sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and paprika.  Toss meat so all slices have been seasoned.

Cover the bottom of a smoking hot cast iron skillet with olive oil and add the meat (in batches) searing on both sides.  When browned, remove each batch to a dutch oven.

When all meat has been browned and removed, add onions to skillet.  Toss frequently until browned and softened, then add garlic and when garlic has taken on some color, dump contents over the meat in the dutch oven.

Add wine and cook until liquid has reduced visibly.

Add beef broth, cover and simmer 35 minutes (until meat can be pulled apart and is not chewy.)

In a large pot, boil a gallon of salted water.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out solids and evacuate (still have that skillet handy?)  Whisking often, cook the liquid for 15 minutes to reduce (now is a good time to add any more seasonings if it isn’t quite right, or to add more broth if you don’t think you have enough sauce.)

Add one 12oz bag of wide egg noodles to boiling water.

Whisk in sour cream and return meat to sauce to bring back to temperature.

Serve meat and sauce over noodles; garnish with parsley.

For your drinking pleasure

Since our good friend Kris sold Vin Grotto, I have had to do more of my drinking at home.

Not that I am complaining, since drinking at home is cheaper and I won’t be driving under the influence.

The last time Kris was over for dinner she had a delightful cocktail that I thought you would enjoy.  Here it is (in her words):

Muddle fresh basil, lime slices and vodka with ice.

Good lime vodka would also be a nice touch, but I haven’t seen any since Finlandia which I don’t think they make anymore.

The others are sweetened and gross, so be careful.

Quiche du jour

After yesterday’s corned beef, I wanted to prepare something a bit more delicate for tonight’s dinner. Quiche is something that the whole family enjoys, but for some reason it is a menu choice that slips my mind. Tonight I was asked to put it into the rotation and there was much table talk of potential fillings for future meals.

Tonight’s recipe:

2 frozen (Marie Calendar) pie crusts

blind bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees

8 large eggs

1 pint heavy cream

1 cup sour cream

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

whip in mixer until thoroughly combined

1 pound grated swiss cheese

2-3 cups chopped ham

When crusts come out of the oven, sprinkle a layer of cheese on the bottom of each. Cover cheese layer with a layer of ham. Then one more layer of cheese.

Pour egg mixture slowly over each pie until just to the edge of the crust.

If you have extra stuff, make some individual crustless pies for your friends on a low carb diet! Rub ramikans lightly with butter, place cheese on bottom, then ham, then pour the eggs, then a bit more cheese (if there is room.)

I put all three ramikans on one cookie sheet, and put each pie on it’s own cookie sheet. (I had evenly placed the racks in the oven.) Bake at 350 degrees until the middle of the quiche is firm. (I check by shaking gently. The ramikans were done in about 40 minutes and the pies took about 65.)

Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

To slice easliy, invert the quiche onto a cutting board and remove the pie pan, then slice from the bottom down. (Serving is much easier if you don’t have to dig it out of the pan!) Store any leftovers in this inverted position you can reheat them on foil in the toaster oven. You get a nice temperature and a crisper crust.

I think next time it will be bacon cheeseburger quiche with carmelized onions.

What’s in the slow cooker today? – St. Patrick’s Day edition

Corned beef is a meal that we don’t save just for March 17 because I like it so much. And considering how well yesterday’s meal turned out, I can bet the family will be requesting this one again soon!

Step One:

Pick a decent piece of meat. Quite a few of the corned beef briskets I see for sale are rather pitiful. I have found a brand I prefer. They sell it at Fred Meyer. It’s “The Real Mc Coy.” (Nice play on words, eh?)

Step Two:

Pour the secret ingredient in the bottom of the slow cooker. (One bottle seems to be the perfect amount to add flavor without tasting “beer-ish.” If you can’t get Guinness, Killian’s Red will do.)

Step Three:

Place the brisket (fat side up) in the slow cooker along with it’s seasoning packet. Cover the meat with water and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Step Four:

An hour or so before serving, put root veggies (lightly tossed with olive oil and kosher salt) in a roasting pan in a 400 degree oven. Toss occassionally until al dente.

Step Five:

Add cabbage to slow cooker.

Step Six:

Serve and listen to the family rave about the best corned beef ever!

What I did wrong:

I thought I had cut the potatoes small enough so that they would be done at the same time as the carrots. I was wrong. I ended up pulling the carrots and cooking the potatoes for an additional 15 minutes. When the potatoes were done, I tossed the carrots back in and they were brought to temperature very quickly. No one had any idea of my error. (Well, except now, I guess.)

Have some cake with your Guinness?

I will be making corned beef in the slow cooker for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. (I will post photos and details later.)

I have never tried to make a Guinness cake, but I am a big fan of Nigella Lawson’s and I am willing to give this a try. I tend to like desserts that are not cloyingly sweet and this might be just the ticket.

Chocolate Guinness Cake
From “Feast” by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup Guinness stout (not the whole can)
1 stick unsalted butter (I substituted Earth Balance shortening seamlessly), sliced
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar (superfine, if possible)
¾ cup sour cream (I substituted plain yogurt without a hitch)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Icing
8 ounce cream cheese
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup heavy cream

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter and heat until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then pour into brown, buttery, beery mixture and finally whisk in flour and baking soda.

Pour cake batter into greased and line pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (Check at 45 minutes for doneness, poking a skewer in center.). Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When cake is cold, gently peel off parchment paper and transfer to a platter or cake stand.

Place cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth (You may also do this with a food processor.).

Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency.

Ice top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out, so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Yields about 12 slices.

Another unexpected bacon recipe

Continuing with the theme of “you put bacon in that?” I have StumbledUpon this recipe via Tastespotting.

How do you think this would taste with the Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies?  Feel free to taunt me with your comments. I can take it.

Candied Bacon Ice Cream

March 9, 2008

Who doesn’t like bacon and eggs?

Ok, maybe vegans. And folks who are kosher. And people who don’t eat eggs. Or those who don’t like bacon. But I’m not sure that’s possible. (I have a great bacon joke, but it’s not ‘pc’, so I’d better keep it to myself.)

I’m a big fan of both bacon and the beautiful, bright-orange yolked eggs we get in France, so why confine them to breakfast? I was pretty sure Candied Bacon Ice Cream would work. I mean, it’s got salt. It’s got smoke. So why not candy it? Inspired by Michael Ruhlman, l wanted to see what would happened when they all got together.

Read the rest of the recipe here.

Read all the way to the bottom for links to other odd bacon recipes.

Bacon Vodka?

So I have now become known as the person who will put bacon in anything.

I found this recipe for bacon flavored vodka and I am hard pressed to think what one would use as mixer, but feel free to give it a try and let me know!

(Recipe via Selflaugh)

Thanks to Steve who directed me to the original creator of this recipe, Brownie Points.

Bacon Vodka

Makes up one pint

• Fry up three strips of bacon
• Add cooked bacon to a clean pint sized mason jar. Trim the ends of the bacon if they are too tall to fit in the jar. Or you could go hog wild and just pile in a bunch of fried up bacon scraps.
• Optional: add crushed black peppercorns.
• Fill the jar up with vodka. Cap and place in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks. (No need to refrigerate)
• At the end of the three week resting period, place the bacon vodka in the freezer to solidify the fats. Strain out the fats through a coffee filter to yield a clear filtered pale yellow bacon vodka.
• Decant into decorative bottles and enjoy.

Valentine’s Chex Mix – Betty Crocker

I was surprised by this recipe from Betty Crocker. A sweet version of my favorite savory holiday snack never occurred to me, and I am ashamed that it didn’t! I haven’t made this one yet. Let me know how it turns out!

TasteBook review for Gear Diary

If you know nothing about me, then you don’t know the story of my book (Get Some Hairapy) and my adventure getting it published. I looked at so many options it would make your head spin. What I settled on was using a micro publisher (Infinity Publishers) who allowed me to create and design the book while using their quality press and network to print it. The result? A professional finished piece without the expense and hassle of having to print 1000 copies.

As if once a year wasn’t enough

I don’t know about you, but I have enough trouble avoiding these yummy things when the Girl Scouts are standing on every corner, their mothers lurking, ready to sell you this ooey-gooey de-light.

But in case you have dreamed you r whole life of having easy year-round access, pop on over to Baking Bites for the recipe.

What’s in the slow cooker today?

Lazy Rustic Chicken