This one's for you, Mom!

My Mom loves coffee. A lot. Her day is always brighter when she's had a cup or two in the morning, and if you offer coffee at any other time during the day, she rarely refuses. One of her favorite treats is chocolate covered coffee beans. If you haven't tried them, they're a pretty tasty treat! Anyway, coffee left in the coffeemaker stands no chance against my Mom. So, when I saw the great variety of coffee recipes in this cookbook, I immediately thought of her. So Mom, these are for you!

Coffee Jelly

• 2 tablespoons granulated gelatine
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups boiled coffee

Soak gelatine 5 minutes in cold water, dissolve in boiling water, strain and add to sugar and coffee. Mold and chill. If desiring less strong of coffee, use 1 1/4 cups boiling water and 1 cup coffee.


Coffee Eggnog

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup strong coffee (cold)
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
• 1 egg white

Beat egg yolk and sugar. Beat egg white, combine and add coffee and milk.


Coffee Fritters, Coffee Cream Sauce

• Stale bread, cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 3/4 cup coffee infusion
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup cream
• Coffee Cream Sauce (recipe follows)

Remove crusts, cut bread into half inch strips. Mix coffee, sugar, salt, egg, and cream. Dip bread into mixture. Crumb, fry, and drain. Serve with sauce.

Coffee Cream Sauce

• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coffee infusion
• 1/3 cup whipping cream, beaten until stiff

Add sugar and salt to eggs. Add coffee gradually. Cook in double boiler until thickened, stirring as necessary. Cool, fold in cream.


Not exactly a low-cal collection of recipes, but delicious ones nonetheless. H and q!

These will require a trip to the liquor store....and it'll cost you!

So I'm thumbing through another cookbook, and I come across the beverage section. Always worth a look as you never know what you'll find. The first recipe that catches my eye is for Virginia Eggnog. I'm a big fan of eggnog, as those of you who know me well can attest. I usually buy it in large quantities as soon as the holiday season rolls around, and I'm pouting when it disappears from the grocery stores dairy sections. Personally, I like mine with Kahlua. So good! But, I digress. Check out this recipe. I might have to make it....

Virginia Eggnog

• 12 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 quart milk
• 2 cups whiskey
• 1 cup rum
• 1 quart heavy cream, beaten

Beat egg yolks with sugar until very light. Add milk, whiskey, and rum. Fold in cream and egg whites, beaten until very stiff. Add more sugar or liquor to taste.


Sounds pretty good, huh! Then, a few pages later I found this one.

Champagne Punch

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 quart champagne
• 4 tablespoons brandy
• 2 tablespoons rum
• 2 tablespoons Orange Curacao
• juice 2 lemons
• 2 cups tea infusion
• ice
• 1 quart soda water

Boil sugar and water together for 10 minutes. Mix champage, brandy, rum, Curacao, lemon juice, and tea. Sweeten to taste with syrup. Pour into punch bowl over large piece of ice. Just before serving, add soda water.


And finally, the grand-daddy of them all.


Club Punch

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 quart Burgundy
• 1 cup rum
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1/3 cup Benedictine*
• 1 quart Vichy**
• 3 sliced oranges
• 1/2 cup sliced pineapple
• juice 2 lemons
• 1 cup tea infusion
• ice

Boil sugar and water for 10 minutes. Mix other ingredients (except ice), sweeten to taste with syrup, and pour over block of ice in punch bowl.
*Benedictine is an herbal liquor, produced in France. The recipe contains 27 different plants and spices, and is a well-kept secret. Purportedly, only three people know the recipe.
** Vichy is a sparkling mineral water from Vichy, France.


My recommendation is to check your bank balance before heading to the liquor store, and to invite more than a few friends over.

He says they're good....enjoy!

Part of what I love about cooking and baking is being able to taste my creations and make changes. I like being able to modify a recipe to my taste, and then have the finished dish come out just like I wanted. Every now and then I like to make stuff for M that R and I can't have, just because he's been such a good guy about the whole thing. So the other week I caved in and bought this ginormous cookie cutter set that I've been thinking about forever. One hundred and one cookie cutters, everything under the sun. Naturally I wanted to make cookies right away. If you're going to use cookie cutters, though, you have to roll out the dough, and gf/df/ef cookie dough is really delicate. Not great for rolling. I would have to use an unmodified recipe. The snag with this is that M would have to taste to dough, to make sure the ingredients came together correctly. I have a lot of faith in this guy, but he's considered the Sugar Cookie Expert in our house, so I think my faith is well grounded. He says this is an awesome cookie recipe. All I can add is that it makes a TON of cookies. When all was said and done, I had about 22 cookies at 3/8", and 70 or 80 rolled at 1/4". Like I said, a TON of cookies. I made it in two batches, since my Kitchen Aid bowl isn't big enough to handle the whole thing at once. Enjoy!

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I have a tip for MAKING CUTOUT COOKIES EASILY: I put a sheet of baking parchment (now easily found in grocery stores) on my cookie sheet, then ROLL THE DOUGH OUT DIRECTLY ON THE PARCHMENT-LINED COOKIE SHEET. After making the 'cut-outs', appropriately spaced on the dough, I PEEL AWAY THE EXCESS DOUGH from around and between the 'cookies' and bake as directed. The parchment helps keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too dark, eliminates any need for greasing the pan, allows you to remove the cookies from the sheet by simply sliding the parchment carefully off the side (which is especially helpful with extra large or delicate cookies), and CAN USUALLY BE REUSED IN BAKING THE REST OF THE COOKIES. I have also rolled dough out on the parchment without having it on the cookie sheet, done the cutting and trimming, and then slid the parchment onto the sheet for baking, which helps when you're short of cookie sheets -- the next batch is ready to pop into the oven as soon as the first comes out.

I added this note at the end that I had found on the allrecipes.com website, where I found the cookie recipe. I tried rolling the cookies out on parchment, and was pretty pleased with the results. I found it wasted too much time to cut them and pull away the extra dough. Instead I cut them and moved them to another piece of parchment to be baked. If you work with a little bit of dough at a time, and leave the rest in the fridge, the dough stays cold enough and won't stick to the parchment. I also used powdered sugar to roll them out instead of flour. I'm looking forward to tasting these when we're done with this diet!

Now, about that flavor combination....

I know there are a lot of dishes that combine flavors in unexpected ways. Fusion-cooking is all the rage, combining Asian and midwestern cooking, or Asian and French. Combinations you might not think of right off the bat, but that are usually interesting and delicious. The recipe that will soon follow is kind of along those lines. I'm sure the ingredients, when tasted as a whole instead of taken individually, blend and meld well into an interesting flavor. I'm just not 100% convinced that they should be blended together. Take a look at this....


Molded Cheese Salad

• 1 package lemon gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 cup caned crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup sliced stuffed olives
• Fruit Salad Dressing (recipe to follow)

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water and chill until it begins to thicken. Whip until fluffy and fold in next 5 ingredients (heavy cream through stuffed olives). pour into a ring mold and chill until firm. Fill center with dressing. Serves 6

Fruit Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 T flour
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup hot pineapple juice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix sugar, flour, and salt together. Add water and blend. Pour into pineapple juice and cook for 10 minutes in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Pour over eggs, stirring rapidly, return to double boiler and cook 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Cool. When ready to serve, thin with plain or whipped cream to desired consistency. Makes 1 1/2 cups dressing.


As I read over the list of ingredients, I find myself mentally nodding in agreement with what's listed. Then I come to the grated cheese. Ok, I can see that. It adds some texture and a sharp flavor in contrast to the jello and pineapple. Its probably along the lines of having a wedge of sharp cheddar with apple pie. I can see that. But the olives? What in the world are stuffed olives (I can only imagine they mean stuffed with pimentos) doing in a fruit salad? That has lemon jello and whipped cream in it? If they were stuffed with cheese, or nuts, I could maybe see that. I just really can't picture or imagine what this tastes like with all these ingredients mixed together. I have a feeling this is another one that I'm going to have to try at some point. Sigh. I wish it weren't so, but I see no other solution....

I'll have that with a Mint Julep

Another Kentucky Derby has come and gone. Did you bet on the right horse? I heard the winner had 50-1 odds- not bad! The "Run for the Roses" has some odd traditions, at least they seem odd to someone who has never been to a race, nor been to Kentucky. The hats. Why are the hats most of the women wear so big? Why do folks go to the race, only to spend their time partying in the infield? Is it a "see and be seen thing? And what about the Mint Julep? Admittedly, I'm not a fan of bourbon, but it still sounds like an acquired taste. But, I digress. If one is going to properly celebrate the Derby, one needs to serve to right dish.

Burgoo

• 2 pounds pork shank
• 2 pounds veal shank
• 2 pounds beef shank
• 2 pounds breast of lamb
• 1 4-pound fat hen
• 8 quarts of water
• 3 large potatoes
• 3 large onions
• 3 large carrots
• 2 green peppers
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 quart cooked tomatoes
• 2 cups canned corn
• 2 pods red pepper
• 1 cup butter beans
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• salt and cayenne to taste

Cook meat in boiling water until tender. Remove from liquor. Cool. Remove meat from bones and dice. Pare and dice potatoes, onions and carrots. Remove seeds from green peppers and dice. Combine meat, vegetables, and meat stock. Cook until mixture is thick. Season with salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Serves 25

I will admit this sounds pretty good. The mix of meats would give a great flavor. When I saw it being prepared, however, on a show featuring food from the Derby, it seemed to have the look and consistency of Alpo. Maybe next year I'll go out on a limb and give it a try....

Its My New No-Fail

I'm a cake person. Its just that simple. If you offer me the choice between cake and pie, nine times out of ten I'll go for the cake. I don't mind making pie, I even make my own pie crust. M says its awesome, and while I'm glad he likes it, my instinct is to eat the filling out of the pie and leave the crust. The one thing I'd say I like more than cake is a good cupcake. They're a little more involved to make (spooning into the cups, making sure all the cups are level), but I love the single-serving option (not that I'm ever known for stopping at just one). Even better than the cupcake is the mini cupcake. M and I refer to them as cupcake shooters - they're like shots, but in cupcake form. Genius! So given my affection for cupcakes, any cake recipe I come across has to know that it will very soon make the transition from cake to cupcake. This recipe was no exception.


Bacardi Rum Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• ---Cake---
• 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
• 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
• 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum
• ---Glaze---
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Preparation:

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

I found this recipe on about.com in the desserts/baking section. I made it for Valentine's Day and frosted the mini cupcakes with a lime Royal Icing. So good! When Mom asked what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday, this recipe immediately came to mind. It is very easily converted into gf/df/ef, which makes it an automatic winner in my book. When we went shopping for gf cake mix, the only thing we found was a chocolate mix. So what frosting would go best? We decided on a marshmallow frosting, but finding one that was df is hard. We came across this one in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, by Fannie Farmer.

Marshmallow Paste (Frosting or Filling)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 pound marshmallows
• 2 T hot water
• 1/2 t vanilla
  

Heat sugar and milk slowly to boiling point without stirring. Boil 6 minutes. Cut marshmallows into pieces. Melt in double boiler, add hot water, and cook until smooth, then add hot syrup gradually, stirring constantly. Beat until cool enough to spread, then add vanilla.

The one thing with this frosting is that you need to keep it warm while you're putting it on your cakes or cupcakes. When it cools it doesn't spread well and will tear your cake's surface. It firms up nicely in the fridge.

So the chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting were awesome! They reminded me of the moon pies I used to buy on my way to school. You pretty much could use any cake mix, keep or omit the rum, and use any frosting. I left the nuts out of the recipe, and didn't miss them. The pudding mix makes the cake super moist, too. Happy eating!