Careful, this concoction will sneak up on you and can lead to headaches the next day!
-2 bottles of inexpensive red wine (we used merlot and tempernillo)
-1 c raw sugar
-1 large orange, cut into sixths
-12 whole cloves, stuck into the peels of the above orange
-5-6 cinnamon sticks, bundled together
-4-6 tbsp of whole mulling spices (star anise, mace, nutmeg, etc), tied in cheesecloth or some other sort of infusing device
Combine all ingredients together and bring to a simmer in a crock pot. Reduce heat to low and serve with cinnamon sticks.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Coconut-rum poached pears
This isn't a make-ahead dessert, but it really is a crowd pleaser! I actually made this for a small dinner party last weekend, and sort of hung out with my friends while I stirred the sauce. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream for a "fancy" dessert!
Note: we make our own coconut rum "for funsies", and it's super easy. Buy a coconut a drill a small hole in the top. Pour out the milk and fill the coconut with about a cup of dark rum. Plug up the top and refridgerate for a week. Strain out the rum through a coffee filter and revel in the yummy!
-1/3 c coconut rum
-1/2 c pear juice (I used "pear nectar" from the Latin foods aisle)
-2 tbsp sugar
-3 large pears, cored and cut into wedges
-1 tbsp butter
In a large sautee pan, combine the rum, pear juice and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the pears, cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and boil the sauce for at least 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. Kill the heat, toss the pears back into the pan to warm them up, then serve!
Note: we make our own coconut rum "for funsies", and it's super easy. Buy a coconut a drill a small hole in the top. Pour out the milk and fill the coconut with about a cup of dark rum. Plug up the top and refridgerate for a week. Strain out the rum through a coffee filter and revel in the yummy!
-1/3 c coconut rum
-1/2 c pear juice (I used "pear nectar" from the Latin foods aisle)
-2 tbsp sugar
-3 large pears, cored and cut into wedges
-1 tbsp butter
In a large sautee pan, combine the rum, pear juice and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the pears, cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and boil the sauce for at least 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. Kill the heat, toss the pears back into the pan to warm them up, then serve!
Thanksgiving leftovers: Shepherd's pie
This is a tomato-based recipe, instead of a typical beef-broth one.
-4 tbsp olive oil
-1 c onions, finely chopped
-1 c carrots, diced
-1/4 tsp creole seasoning
-1/4 tsp garlic salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1/4 tsp thyme
-1 tbsp flour
-1 small can of tomato paste
-2 1/2 c leftover turkey, shredded into small pieces
-1 1/2 c chicken stock
-1 small pkg peas (frozen or fresh)
-4 c mashed potatoes
-3/4 c shredded cheese
In a large Dutch oven, sautee the olive oil, onions, carrots, seasoning, salt, pepper and thyme over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until onions are very soft. Add the flour, cook 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Stir in the turkey, then add the stock and bring the pan to a boil. Stir in the peas and simmer for about 6-10 minutes, until the mixture is thickened.
Cover evenly with the mashed potatoes, then sprinkle on the cheese. Baked uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. If the top isn't brown and bubbly at the end of the 25 minutes, broil for about 2-3 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
-4 tbsp olive oil
-1 c onions, finely chopped
-1 c carrots, diced
-1/4 tsp creole seasoning
-1/4 tsp garlic salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1/4 tsp thyme
-1 tbsp flour
-1 small can of tomato paste
-2 1/2 c leftover turkey, shredded into small pieces
-1 1/2 c chicken stock
-1 small pkg peas (frozen or fresh)
-4 c mashed potatoes
-3/4 c shredded cheese
In a large Dutch oven, sautee the olive oil, onions, carrots, seasoning, salt, pepper and thyme over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until onions are very soft. Add the flour, cook 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Stir in the turkey, then add the stock and bring the pan to a boil. Stir in the peas and simmer for about 6-10 minutes, until the mixture is thickened.
Cover evenly with the mashed potatoes, then sprinkle on the cheese. Baked uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. If the top isn't brown and bubbly at the end of the 25 minutes, broil for about 2-3 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Fall foods are the best!
Fall is my favorite season, always has been. Fall foods are the best part! I recently had some amazing seasonal meals, my favorite came from Lightcatcher Winery (we had a bottle of their spiced red wine, too). Mushroom ravioli with a grape sauce and cauliflower puree, and a salad with toasted walnuts, gorgonzola, apples, pears and a maple-onion vinigarette.
Unfortunately, between work and school, I'm gone 50+ hours a week and never seem to have the energy I need to try new recipes here at home. When your routine is get up/go to school/go to work/sleep/get up and do it all over again, it sort of zaps your will to do anything at all.
Occasionally, however, I manage to pull it all together and cook something new. Last week I made this butternut squash soup from Cooking Light. It was good the first night, but I really didn't like the reheated leftovers. Make this for a crowd, or cut the recipe in half and decide for yourself if the leftovers are worth it. The spiced pumpkin seeds were AMAZING!
Seeds:
1 tbs powdered sugar
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs beaten egg white
1/4 tsp water
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of ground red pepper
3/4 c pumpkinseed kernels
Combine everything but the seeds in a bowl and stir well. Add the seeds, and stir to coat. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and coated with a small amount of cooking spray or oil. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes, stir, and bake 15 more minutes. Once the seeds have cooled, break them apart (they tend to stick together).
Butternut squash soup:
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, seeded and cut in half
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
4 c chicken broth
2 c water
1/2 tsp more salt
Brush the cut sides of the squash with the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Place face-down on a coated baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Set aside to cool, when you can handle them, scrape out the pulp and discard the skin.
Place the pulp and chicken stock in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Stir in the water and remaining salt, and let it come to just barely a simmer before you kill the heat. Serve with the spiced seeds on top!
Unfortunately, between work and school, I'm gone 50+ hours a week and never seem to have the energy I need to try new recipes here at home. When your routine is get up/go to school/go to work/sleep/get up and do it all over again, it sort of zaps your will to do anything at all.
Occasionally, however, I manage to pull it all together and cook something new. Last week I made this butternut squash soup from Cooking Light. It was good the first night, but I really didn't like the reheated leftovers. Make this for a crowd, or cut the recipe in half and decide for yourself if the leftovers are worth it. The spiced pumpkin seeds were AMAZING!
Seeds:
1 tbs powdered sugar
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs beaten egg white
1/4 tsp water
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of ground red pepper
3/4 c pumpkinseed kernels
Combine everything but the seeds in a bowl and stir well. Add the seeds, and stir to coat. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and coated with a small amount of cooking spray or oil. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes, stir, and bake 15 more minutes. Once the seeds have cooled, break them apart (they tend to stick together).
Butternut squash soup:
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, seeded and cut in half
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
4 c chicken broth
2 c water
1/2 tsp more salt
Brush the cut sides of the squash with the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Place face-down on a coated baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Set aside to cool, when you can handle them, scrape out the pulp and discard the skin.
Place the pulp and chicken stock in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Stir in the water and remaining salt, and let it come to just barely a simmer before you kill the heat. Serve with the spiced seeds on top!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Emily is a big huge dork
I've started a wine journal, in Excel no less. It focuses on Texas wines, since that's what I am currently obsessed with, and includes tasting notes, purchase history and a "Want it/Don't buy it" category. Hey, I've got to keep track somehow!
I haven't been cooking very much since school started in June, but that should hopefully change after next week. I switched to full-time at school, and will only be working about 2-3 nights a week at Starbucks, so I'll have plenty of time to cook in the evenings! Definitely looking forward to eating my Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch instead of dinner. Also looking forward to de-zombifying myself for a few months. Being permenantly tired sucks.
Lentil salad is on the books for dinner tomorrow, I love cheap n easy protein! We have a coconut in the fridge, too, not sure what that will turn into. Maybe cocktails, maybe muffins. I never really know until Ryan hacks it up for me and I make up my mind. I also need to make red sauce and chicken stock.
I haven't been cooking very much since school started in June, but that should hopefully change after next week. I switched to full-time at school, and will only be working about 2-3 nights a week at Starbucks, so I'll have plenty of time to cook in the evenings! Definitely looking forward to eating my Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch instead of dinner. Also looking forward to de-zombifying myself for a few months. Being permenantly tired sucks.
Lentil salad is on the books for dinner tomorrow, I love cheap n easy protein! We have a coconut in the fridge, too, not sure what that will turn into. Maybe cocktails, maybe muffins. I never really know until Ryan hacks it up for me and I make up my mind. I also need to make red sauce and chicken stock.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Pumpkin Muffins
1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup water
Mix in bowl with mixer. Fill paper cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins. Muffins will be very moist. Can top with cool whip or other toppings if desired.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Special Dinner Out
On Friday night, Ryan and I had dinner at Lightcatcher Winery. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time!
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