The Alcohol Post - Happy Birthday, Rum Cake and a Ginger Pom drink

I have been neglecting Nigella a bit lately and actually planned to post this Ginger Pom drink for the last theme of I Heart Cooking Club....but by the time I downloaded photos and sat down to post, the theme changed.

Anyway, from Nigella Express, the Razzle Dazzle section, is a drink called Ginger Pom.



The recipe calls for one part Pama Pomegranate liqueur, two parts ginger ale and 2 parts pomegranate juice.

We didn't have the pom liqueur but we did have much vodka...so I substituted. There is alot of vodka around now because we have been making Kahlua (coffee liqueur)....and...it was Tristan's 21st birthday Sunday last so we stopped by the local package store and I picked up yet more vodka.

Being the designated driver for the evening, and having ginger ale with my meal, I opted to drop a few splashes of vodka in the Pom as soon as we got home.



On to the birthday.........!

Tristan turned 21 and what he wanted was a rum cake and dinner at a local oyster bar and restaurant, Barnacle Bills.

In the morning I made a rum cake, let it cool and then set it in the fridge to get a cold ooey-gooey texture. By late afternoon we headed off to get fat juicy oysters.



Anyway, here is the recipe.....it is a very moist cake and tastes even better when you put it in the fridge for a day.

Ingredients

1 package "butter recipe" yellow cake mix
1 package (small) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 Tablespoon rum flavoring with enough water to make 1 cup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
pecans



Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan. Place chopped pecans in bottom of pan.



Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put dry ingredients into large mixing bowl, pour water and oil into bowl and mix with electric mixer, adding one egg at a time. Mix 3 minutes.



Pour into pan. Bake 50 minutes (that is what works for my oven).



Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
The remainder of the rum flavoring into a half cup measuring cup and add enough water to make it one half cup.



Boil 2 minutes. Pour over cake immediately after taking from the oven.



Leave it alone for 30 minutes before you invert on plate. The sauce will absorb and soak through the cake while it sits.



It's a dense cake...and sticky.......



Slice a piece for me please........



Happy Birthday Tristan!

Apple Raisin Bars for Magazine Monday

Apple-Raisin Bars





One of the perks of Autumn and Winter is the abundance of apples at the market. There is so much you can do with apples in cooking. I actually have an apple cookbook which features many different types of apples to be used in desserts and as ingredients in main meals.

When I was growing up we had two huge apple trees in the back yard, sentries at either end of my mother’s vegetable garden.



She was the June Cleaver kinda mom who would grow the food and then make amazing meals. When she picked the apples we were sure to enjoy a homemade pie, freshly stewed applesauce, and one of my favorites – apple bars.


When I came across this recipe in an old Family Circle magazine I clipped it and filed it away. That was a year ago and it just surfaced. Don’t ask……..

Only 15 minutes of prep (barring any unfortunate accidents such as throwing chickpeas in the flour, I wrote about here), gather the following ingredients………


2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups died Golden Delicious apple

¾ cup raisins


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally coat a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.



In a large bowl blend together sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla with a mixer. I would use medium speed. Blend 3 minutes until smooth.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; mix for 2 minutes or until incorporated.



Get your diced apples and raisins ready......



Stir in diced apples and raisins



Then spread into prepared pan.




Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into bars.



They were wonderfully cinnamony, appley, warm treats that i will surely be making again! I'm sorry it took me so long to make these.



I think they may even have been good with the chickpeas!

Ok, don't forget the giveaway for the steamed British pudding booklet from a few days ago. Check it out! I have found two more books that are going to be leaving my shelve :-)

Crockpot Pizza Casserole

If you are tired of turkey and you want something the kids (and anyone who likes pizza) will devour - here is a quick-to-fix recipe that you toss in the crock pot. What could be easier.



You'll need the following ingredients........

1 1/2 pounds ground beef or sausage (I used sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
half a box of pasta (I use sea shells)
1 eight-oz package white mushrooms, sliced
16 ounce jar pizza sauce
10 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown the sausage and onions.........then drain away oils.



Cook a half box of seashell pasta while the meat is browning.......



Slice some mushrooms



Layer HALF of each of the following, in the order given, in your slow cooker:
Ground Sausage
Green Pepper
Cooked noodles
Mushrooms
Pepperoni
Pizza Sauce
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Now repeat layers..............


Here is the cooked sausage in the bottom of the crock pot....




Layers



Here it is with the cheeses added.....



Repeat the layers, Cover... set the crock on LOW for 3 hours.......it's all mixed and gooey - after only three hours!
(Note: Keep pasta covered with sauce so it doesn't become dry and crunchy)



Paired with a nice Belgian ale this proved to be a rib sticker for a cold rainy evening.


I'm sending this over to Deb at Crock pot Wednesdays.

Merry Christmas and Much Thanks

This time of year is hectic at work, dangerous on the roads – (just trying to drive from A to B without getting whacked by a SUV driver with a phone plastered to their ear), the malls are wicked crazy and our Internet connection isn’t always top notch….which is why I haven’t been able to leave some of you comments. (Cause of the Internet connections – I keep getting the timed out page…grrrrrrr)

The “Can-You-Hear-Me-Now” guy and his company is definitely not on the ball.



I’d like to take this time to wish you all a happy Christmas and thank you for following my blog!

Thank you Marda for following :-)

To the Wandering Coyote over at Retorte for some of the best damn recipes we have ever prepared! Kitchen Goddess Coyote.


Doug ….who always has my back and checks in on me everyday .......

To Jo at Chez le Laquet! ... One of these days….we’ll make it across the Atlantic and party!

Laura at My Paris Cooking Notebook ...My French fix………

Girlichef a kick ass host on the I Heart Cooking Club.

To Joie de Vivre The first blog I followed.

Donna at My Tasty Treasures.... Comfort food

Janel recipes, crafts and great book reviews……

Dave at My Year on the Grill I love the template with the Elvis Asparagus!

Branch - coworker and professional photographer….

Cathy at Accountants Can Cook - if you haven't visited her site, you should, she has good recipes and great stories.

Velva at Tomatoes on the Vine who has a beautiful blog with lovely recipes.

Natalie at Nat's Baking in New York City ....

Monica Jane at Cucina Naturale

Karen over at Cooking with the Captain who is a new acquaintance of mine.

Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations

And Geraldine Sandoval

If I missed anyone, my apologies.

Ok, who wants a little cookbook?

With some time off work I am cleaning out recipe books (among other things which I have collected over the years). I thought I’d offer the ones scheduled to depart the household to you kind people (or anyone who comments, you don’t have to be a follower :-)


First to go off the shelves will be the thin volume of Sticky Steamed Puddings, published by Koneman. It’s very thin, only 64 pages total, and I found just three puddings that I would attempt to make. So it’s off to a new home or the break room at work.



The back of this booklet reads, “British people have long enjoyed a wide variety of baked or steamed cake-like desserts known as puddings. A good old-fashioned sticky or steamed pudding makes a wonderfully indulgent treat.” And blah blah blah…about impressing your family and friends…..


A winner will be announced December 29th ….just leave me a comment and tell me your favorite dessert. That’s it. Comment once a day if you’d like. I’ll count each one as an entry.



If I can not get online before Christmas have a great holiday. Stay safe, warm and happy!

Making Kahlua

Remember when we had Kahlua week and made all sorts of goodies featuring lots of tasty Kahlua? Well, my SIL Barb gave me her recipe to make Kahlua at home. Thank you Barb!

Here is what you do.

Measure out 3 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar. Heat to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves.



Take off the heat and add 1 cup instant coffee. I used Cafe Bustelo and Nescafe. A mix of 3/4 cup Bustelo and a 1/4 cup of the Nescafe.



Whisk the coffee into the sugary water until it dissolves......



This will take a few minutes to be sure all the granules dissolve.......



Now you wait until the mixture cools completely. Have a few clean bottles handy to pour your newly made Kahlua in for ...ummm.....aging.
We happened to have empty Maker's Mark and Bushmill bottles.

OK, is it cooled off? Add 3 cups vodka (cheap vodka)........



Mix. Add one vanilla bean for each bottle.........



Pour into bottles........



Now wait 2 weeks while it slushes together and ages into a drinkable smooth coffee liquor. I am told you can add vanilla extract if you want to drink it right away but we are going to wait.

So....in 2 weeks we'll have a sample batch. If we need to adjust anything then we'll just have to make another batch and experiment.

In the meantime, if you'd like to revisit two kahlua-laced treats check out my cousin Gail's Riverside Special and Girlichef's chocolate banana loaf.

Cheers!

Chicken Bryan - copied from Carrabbas

Have I mentioned I love pasta? Oh, and goat cheese...Mmmmm. And sun dried tomatoes...
This winning combo is found in a creation called Chicken Bryan, served at the restaurant Carrabbas restaurant.



Here is the list of ingredients to prepare 6 chicken breasts/servings.


* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon minced yellow onion
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 2/3 cup cold butter, sliced
* 1 1/2 cups chopped sun-dried tomatoes
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
* 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 8 ounces caprino goat cheese (I used Ile de France, room temperature

Directions (I have a question for you at the end of the post)


Saute garlic and onion in 2 Tbs. butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender.



Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, increase heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce by half.



I love the Nigella lemon reamer..perfect for getting the juice and pulp out with minimal mess........



Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.



Stir in tomatoes, basil, kosher salt, and white pepper; remove from heat; set aside.



(Note: What I did was just cook two of the breasts and used my grill pan on the stove. Before we even get into how that all went, I will say the end result would have been better if you grilled the chicken over a charcoal fire. If there wasn’t so much rain, that is what we would have done.)

Now I DID make the full amount of sauce for the topping and just stowed the remainder in the fridge.

Back to the recipe.....Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. As I mentioned, the never ending rain kept us from grilling so I used the grill pan on the stove top.



A couple of minutes before chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast. Spoon prepared sun-dried tomato sauce over chicken.



This was so good. I smeared the goat cheese on those cooked breasts - not a dab, a smear.



This is in my top five for recipes I'd love to have again and again this coming year. Never made it before this evening but...definitely a keeper.

Tell me which recipes you have made that you'd consider for your top five. Really...I'd love to know. Feel free to link to your page with some of your best meals.