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In Loving Memory of Valerie Mills Daly

December 26, 2012 by 35 Comments

Val making rice pudding.

In honour of my stepmother’s passing -more affectionately known as my bonus mom- Foodie with Family will remain quiet the rest of this week. In the spirit of Val, I’ll be back ready to feed you next week. Below is the obituary my siblings, dad and I wrote together.

On Saturday December 22nd (her favorite day of the year) Valerie concluded her struggle with cancer and slipped away while in the loving embrace of her family. Her passing very much reflected her quiet and peaceful nature.

Valerie Lynn Mills Daly was born on August 4, 1955 in Oneonta, NY to Earl and Dawn Mills. She grew up the oldest of four siblings in Baldwinsville, where she graduated high school. She attended Houghton College, where she studied theology and raised her two children, Nathaniel Earl Thach and Christina Khemasanine Thach. In 1992, Valerie married James Daly and her family grew to include three more children, Rebecca, Jessamine and Luke Daly. Valerie and James lived and worked together running Camp Asbury United Methodist Church Camp in Silver Lake, NY where they watched their children grow up and begin families of their own. Valerie moved with Jim to Harrisburg, PA and continued to work with the United Methodist church for some years. During this time they would spend the early Fall weeks coming to the Upper Peninsula with their dog, Ginger, camping in all of their favorite spots along Lake Superior. The first time Valerie crossed the Mackinac Bridge she said, “I think I just came home.” Valerie and Jim soon had the chance to make their stay in the Upper Peninsula permanent when Jim accepted the position of Camp Manager at Camp Michigamme. Their home on the Peshekee River has been a special place for their brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren to come and spend time with them.

Valerie spent her life in the service of others, and had an insatiable hunger for literature, science, and the general pursuit of knowledge. Valerie filled her home with a rotating collection of thousands of books, many of which have been donated to local libraries in both New York and Michigan. She instilled this love of learning in her children, as her son Nathaniel has been working as a Teacher in South Korea and her daughter Christina is a Librarian in Richmond, Virginia. Valerie had an incredible ability to make those around her feel valued and loved, and many have been drawn to her table for long conversations and laughter over soup and muffins and tea.  Those in her company found her laughter gratifying and contagious and her singing -whether at church or to herself in the kitchen- soothing and lovely. Her ability to turn a pun was unparalleled.  She extended her generous spirit to those she didn’t know personally by being an active member of Kiva and making micro-loans to those who are starting their own businesses in developing countries such as Cambodia and Armenia.

Valerie was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2009. Her many friends and family members have been a constant network of support for her through this part of her journey. The family is grateful for this support and the invaluable work of those who have provided her medical care throughout this time.

Valerie Lynn Mills Daly is survived by her husband, James Daly, and her children Nathaniel (Sun Hwa) Thach, Christina (Kevin Thrasher) Thach, Rebecca (Dan) Lindamood, Jessamine  (Jeremy) Daly-Griffen, and Luke (Elvi Jo) Daly. She is survived by her parents, Earl and Dawn Mills, and her siblings Michael Mills, Marcia Mills, and Gerri Jalosky, as well as all of her nieces and nephews. Valerie is also survived by her grandchildren Liam, Aidan, Ty, Leif, Rowan, Willow, Ezra, Hazel, Soliegh and Penelope.

If you wish to make memorial gifts Valerie suggested that we list the Central UP Food Bank,  1710 Ash, Ishpeming, MI 49849, 906- 485-4988. She also suggested you consider KIVA.org as a recipient. Valerie was passionate about helping women better their circumstances and Kiva was her favorite way to do that.

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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

December 19, 2012 by 12 Comments

 

Soup equals my bonus mom, Val. She is the Soup Queen. Almost without fail, anytime someone is invited over for dinner -whether family or friend- soup and muffins were on the menu. Val said that was because soup and muffins were almost always inexpensive, easy to make, and delicious. Val is the soup queen.

Her soups are a marvel of resourcefulness, deliciousness and beauty.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to learn at her elbow for more than twenty years and here are some of the most important soup tips I’ve gleaned from her over the years.

  • A little bit of this and a little bit of that equals a lot of soup. It doesn’t take much of any one thing to make a massive pot of excellent soup.
  • Don’t overthink it. Soup shouldn’t be difficult.
  • Keep tasting and  keep adjusting. Don’t be afraid to toss something else in there if it doesn’t taste the way you want it.  If you can’t fix it, ask Val. She’ll know how.
  • Chances are good that if your soup needs adjusting what it really needs is nutmeg. Freshly grated nutmeg. Ask Val.
  • Soup hides many sins. Overcook your roast? Char your roasted veggies? Got something that is just about to be past its prime? Toss it into soup and say amen.
  • Soup plus bread or muffins equals a happily fed crowd. Really.

Speaking of soup, Panera contacted me a few weeks ago and offered me the chance to visit one of their restaurants.  I was pretty excited. After all, I am a soup nut. I’d heard people rave about the place for years and just had never gotten the chance to visit one.

Oh, the wares. Soup and bread and pastries. This is my kind of restaurant. There simply is nothing better than a homey bowl of soup served up with a hunk of tasty baguette bread. My Mom got black bean soup because it’s vegetarian and so is she. I opted for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup because, well, it had broccoli and Cheddar; two of my favourite things in the entire world. I told mom I needed to taste her soup for research purposes. She allowed me to do so. When I went to dip back in for more research, though, I’m pretty sure I saw a steely glint in her eye. I backed off and attacked my own soup with vigor. Just look at that. How could you NOT want to dive in head first?

Panera is my new go-to place for a quick bite on the town. Mom and I agreed that we’ll check their website every single time we venture to the big city to see just what the soup is of the day. I was inspired by my visit to Panera’s “Good Goes In” philosophy to finally introduce my favourite winter soup here.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup has been on my rotation for many, many years in some form or another and is just about the perfect thing for this time of year. Oh sure, it’s indulgent, creamy, rich, comforting and whatnot, but it also has broccoli. That makes it health food. I think. I’m pretty sure it does, anyway. I’ll ask Val.

Long may soup and the Soup Queen reign!

 

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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

There is really nothing more comforting than a bowl of soup on a cold winter day and this Broccoli Cheddar Soup is exceptionally good at the job. Creamy, rich, and distinctly cheesy, it doesn't skimp on tender broccoli and has gorgeous little flecks of sweet carrot hiding in it.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces by weight) unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
  • 1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces by weight) all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 2 broccoli crowns, cut into small bite-sized pieces, no larger than can comfortably fit on a spoon
  • 6 cups milk
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded carrot
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 3-4 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot or soup pot, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the chopped onions and garlic and a pinch of salt and let it cook 'til the onions and garlic are tender and translucent around the edges, about 4 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir it in until evenly coating the onions and garlic then cook for 1 minute. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, raise the heat to high, and stir well until evenly combined. Add the broccoli in, stir well, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium and stir in the milk, carrot, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and grated nutmeg. Cook the mixture gently, lowering the heat if necessary to prevent boiling, until the broccoli is tender, but still has body. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese until it is fully melted into the soup. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper to your preference.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/19/broccoli-cheddar-soup/

Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker’s Disclosure, I was given a gift card to try Panera bread as well as a stipend to pay for ingredients used in my recipe development. All opinions and thoughts, as well as the recipe, are my own.

Filed Under: Rebecca, Recipes, Soups & Stews Tagged With: , , , ,

Freeze and Bake Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones | Make Ahead Mondays {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

December 18, 2012 by 190 Comments

Update: The Pick Giveaway Winner plugin chose Jana as the winner of our Folgers Holiday Exclusive Gift Pack. Congratulations, Jana! Check your email!

A couple months ago, I hauled out of bed on a Saturday morning, pulled back my hair and put on my face, put some clothes on that I hoped were cute (who can tell anymore? I’m so out of touch!) and hopped in the car for an hour and a half drive. It was snowing, it was cold, it was a good day to stay home. So why did I go anywhere?

Because in a warm building at the Genesee Country Village and Museum an hour and a half away, there was a King Arthur Flour baking demonstration that was open to the community. I was going to this on a dreary day because I am utterly and completely devoted to King Arthur Flour. I buy it by the fifty pound bag from my Amish friends. As in, multiple fifty pound bags: one of all-purpose, one of high-gluten, and one of white wheat. Yes. I use that much flour. I’m King Arthur Flour’s biggest fan in a non-creepy, not-Kathy-Bates-in-Misery kind of way.

I’d never been to one of their demonstrations, not for lack of desire, but because I lived too far from their baking center. When I learned that there was a local-ish one I could attend, I hopped on it! I really didn’t know what to expect other than the topic was going to be pie crusts, scones and biscuits.

**insert drooling and panting here**

I can’t help myself when it comes to pie crusts, scones and biscuits. They are the holy trinity of me losing what’s left of my pea-sized mind while inhaling food in a frenzy of crumbs, eye-rolling and happy noises. It’s not pretty to watch. Pies, scones and biscuits. I am powerless over you.

Pie crusts, scones and biscuits have more commonality than the equally abysmal self control I exhibit around all three; they’re pretty much made the same way. I hate to admit that with all my baking experience, I had never really thought of that. God bless Irene -King Arthur Flour Baking Expert Extraordinaire!- who made the connection crystal clear. To super simplify the whole process, it is essentially dry things whisked together, cold fat cut into it, and wet stuff tossed in until it is clumpy. Irene shared a tip with me that I’d never heard before and it totally re-invigorated my pie crust/scone/biscuit making. She said to work the fat into the dry ingredients in two separate additions. *FACEPALM* Seriously. Why? Because this ensures both that you have fat worked through which gives it tenderness and larger bits of butter/shortening/lard that gives you flakiness. If you work it in all at once, you won’t be able to achieve that highly sought after flaky/tender combo.  I love Irene.*

*Besides, any woman who can stand in front of a room filled with two hundred strangers and ask in response to an audience question -with a straight face and angelic tone of voice- whether someone’s pie bird ‘pukes up pie filling’ when it bakes has my loyalty forever.

She turned out the most gorgiferous apple pie and then moved onto scones where she casually said something that pretty much rocked my universe, even more than the ‘these three things are pretty much the same’ revelation. She suggested making and forming scone dough ahead of time and flash freezing them (laying the scones on a parchment lined pan to freeze solid before wrapping and transferring them to a freezer bag) and baking them off on Christmas morning. Good golly. I’d done this for years with biscuits, why oh WHY had I not translated this to scones?

I had visions of popping frozen scones on a pan and into a pre-heated oven*, sitting in my easy chair in my flannel jammies on Christmas morning while the kids opened presents, and standing up only when I hear the timer just in time to pull a tray of steaming hot, tender, bacon and scallion flecked scones from the oven. The fantasy goes on to being able to start our Christmas feast in a spotlessly clean kitchen later in the day because all I had to do was crumble the parchment and rinse the pan on which the scones baked.

*Yes, even in my fantasies, I pre-heat my oven.

Irene, we will be singing your praises with mouths full of tender flaky scones Christmas morning. Thank you!

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Freeze and Bake Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones | {GIVEAWAY} and Make Ahead Mondays

Freeze and Bake Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones | {GIVEAWAY} and Make Ahead Mondays

Having a bag of these frozen pre-formed scones in the oven is your secret holiday breakfast or brunch weapon. Simply remove desired number of scones from the freezer, place on a parchment lined pan and bake. Forty five minutes later you have piping hot, tender, flaky scones studded with crispy bacon, minced scallion and tiny pockets of melted Cheddar cheese.

Very gently adapted from and with thanks to King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur all-purpose or Galahad flour.)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (1 a stick of butter or 4 ounces by weight), very cold and cut into 1/4-inch cubes, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups finely diced Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely minced scallion tops (green onions)
  • 1 pound of bacon, cooked 'til crispy, then cooled and crumbled or chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half and half plus 1/4 cup (plus more, if needed, to make a cohesive dough.)
    • For Baking:
  • Additional cream for brushing prior to baking

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add about 1/2 of the cubed butter and work in with a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles lentils. Add the remaining butter and work in, leaving some slightly larger pea sized -or even larger- flakes of butter.

Add the cheese, bacon and scallion tops and toss through gently until evenly distributed, taking care not to mash it in. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cream, sprinkling it over the top, then tossing to combine. Pick up a small amount of the mixture and try squeezing it gently together. If it crumbles, or if there are dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl, add more cream -1 tablespoon at a time- until you have a mixture that holds together as a shaggy dough when squeezed gently. Use a bench scraper or spatula to gently fold the dough in on itself until it forms a shaggy mass you can turn out onto a very lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough in half and gently pat out the dough into two 7-8 inch discs that are about 3/4 of an inch thick. Carefully transfer the discs to a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a bench knife or Chef's knife to cut each disc into 8 wedges, cutting straight down and not sawing back and forth to help it rise higher in the oven. Gently separate the wedges so there is a little space between them.

Place the pan directly into the freezer. When the scones are frozen solid, individually wrap each of them tightly with plastic wrap then add to a resealable freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to three months.

Ready to Bake?

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove desired number of scones from the freezer, unwrap and arrange with some space between them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with heavy cream and bake for 45 minutes or until browned and puffy.

Notes

Don't be afraid to add more heavy cream (or LESS for that matter) than specified in the recipe. Irene from King Arthur Flour suggests that you should use visual cues to determine how much or little to add. Start at the lower end of the recommended amount and watch how the dough behaves. If there are large amounts clumping together and little pockets of dry-ish crumbly bits, move the large clumps to the side and sprinkle just a little cream over the crumbly bits until they behave like the clumps. It takes patience, but the end result is so worth it!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/18/freeze-and-bake-bacon-cheddar-scallion-scones-giveaway-and-make-ahead-mondays/

Now, another GIVEAWAY! The folks at Folgers have offered a Folgers Holiday Exclusives Coffee Kit (ARV: $150) to one very lucky Foodie with Family reader! This promotion is to introduce their brand new Folgers Wakin’ Up Club. If you join the Folger’s Wakin’ Up Club, you get coupons, news on promotions and chances to win weekly prizes at Folgers.com. You can also download the new Folgers Wakin’ Up App to help spread some extra holiday cheer with friends and family this season. Sounds fun to me!

What’s in the kit?

  • A Variety of Folgers Products: Classic Roast, Black Silk and 100% Colombian (My husband loves the Fresh Breaks for business travel. He says they’re infinitely better than the drip coffee in hotel rooms. Instant coffee has come a long way, baby.)
  • Crate and Barrel Gingerbread Mug
  • L.L. Bean Comfy Flannel Pajama Set (Who doesn’t love warm jammies? These are the comfiest ones in town!)
  • Red Holiday Socks (WARM TOOTSIES!)
  • Pottery Barn Coffee and Warm Socks Framed Print

Here’s how to enter to win that a great bunch of goodies!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Leave a comment here telling me what your favourite part of the holiday season is. Is it the food? Family? Friends? Smell of pine everywhere? Talk to me!

Optional Entries. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so that it’s sure to be counted!:

You don’t have a ton of time, folks because we’re closing the giveaway on this Friday, December 21st. Get your entries in quickly like bunnies! Merry Christmas to you all!
DISCLOSURE: Folgers is providing a gift pack for one reader and sent one to me for review. All opinions, thoughts, and writing are my own.
Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast Foods, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Chinese Sausage

December 13, 2012 by 4 Comments

I don’t know whether you’re aware of this or not, but I have a serious Brussels sprouts fixation.  I’ve shared my ultimate favourite way of eating them before but there is no such thing as too many good ways to prepare the sweet little cabbages so I have another gorgiferous and splendid Brussels sprouts recipe for you today.

AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

I think. I mean, I know I’m not the only one out there who gets an automatic and rather dramatic salivary response when they hear the words ‘Brussels sprouts’, right? My friends and I were talking about this the other day. Lisa (the one who introduced me to this recipe) wondered aloud why there was so much hate for the maligned vegetable. Amy nailed it: “It’s because most people grew up eating them overcooked.”

This recipe is a win-them-over one. Seriously. It’s so ever-lovin’ good. It is very much like cabbage and bacon, except CUTER. Because the cabbages are LITTLE! Okay, so I shred ‘em and you can’t see how little they are, but it’s all mental. You knew they were tiny and adorable at the start of the process. Why not just use cabbage if you’re shredding it? Because Brussels sprouts have a concentrated nuttiness that cabbage lacks. Just try them like this (or like this!) and I’m confident you’ll love them.

While we’re on the subject of things that you may or may not have tried, let’s talk Chinese sausage. First, however, I need to wipe the drool from my mouth because this is another involuntary response much like the one I have to Brussels sprouts. These skinny little cured Chinese sausages (often labeled Lap Cheong or Lap Xuong) are available in Asian foods markets, well-stocked grocery stores and my beloved Amazon.com (if you click on the picture below you can purchase some for yourself at a pretty decent price through my Amazon affiliate link.)

These little sausages are all kinds of wonderful. They’re studded with big pieces of fat that -when cooked properly- renders out leaving the sausages chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The flavourful fat that’s left is perfect – PERFECT I TELL YOU- for stir-frying vegetables generally and Brussels sprouts specifically.

If you’re already a sprouts lover, do yourself a favour and try this today! (Or at least as soon as you can lay your hands on some lap cheong!) If you’re not yet sold on Brussels sprouts, be prepared. This one’s going to do it!

Look at those festive colours, would you? Can”t you just see this on your Christmas table? Oh, and one final thought to share with you… Reheat the leftovers (if you’ve shown more restraint than I usually do) and serve with a perfectly fried egg on top. That’s just about the happiest breakfast I can think of at this moment.

 

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Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Chinese Sausage

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Chinese Sausage

Nutty, crisp-tender, stir-fried Brussels sprouts pair perfectly with salty-yet-sweet chewy bits of Chinese sausage. This is a super fast side dish that I often crave as a midnight snack.

Adapted gently from and with thanks to Jaden of Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces Chinese sausage
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, shredded with a large knife or on the thin slice disc with a food processor
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce or fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice or cider vinegar
  • Optional:
  • Raisins for garnish

Instructions

Cut the sausages in half lengthwise, lay the flat sides down on the cutting boards and cut in half again lengthwise. This will leave you with 16 long strips of sausage. Stack them up and cut them cross-wise into small cubes. Put the cubed sausage in a COLD frying pan or wok. I repeat DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE PAN.

Turn the heat to medium under the sausage and let it slowly heat up. When you see it start looking oily and hear it starting to sizzle be sure to stir. This is where the magic happens. The fat renders out (escapes from) the sausages and begins crisping the exterior of the sausage pieces. Stirring frequently, watch the sausage carefully as it goes from zero to burned very quickly!

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage niblets to a paper towel lined plate without removing the fat from the pan. Turn the heat to medium high and immediately add the shredded Brussels sprouts. Stir while frying (in other words, stir-fry) the sprouts for about 2 minutes, making sure all pieces are coated with a little sausage fat.

Add the water to the pan all at once and stir gently once or twice. Let the sprouts cook for another 2 minutes. They should be crisp tender (still have a little bite to 'em but not be raw). Add the soy sauce and rice vinegar and sausage bits and toss to evenly distribute everything.

Serve hot or warm. My husband loves his with a handful of raisins stirred in to echo the sweetness of the Chinese sausage!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/13/stir-fried-brussels-sprouts-with-chinese-sausage/

Filed Under: Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,

Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

December 10, 2012 by 21 Comments

Tea has a way -unlike coffee- of making time slow down just a bit. This time of year and this season of life, I feel like time needs all the slowing down I can possibly get.

I’m trying, with varying degrees of success, to accomplish parenting and homeschooling five boys (two of whom are teenagers), being a good wife, running a home based business, maintaining a free-lance writing career including a newspaper column, participating in my community and its activities, and keeping in touch with family and friends.

God bless my friends. They are a patient lot. For some reason or another, my time management skills lately have been more strained than usual. In fact, I committed the unpardonable friendship sin.

I forgot a commitment and it’s even worse than it sounds.

My whole family -all SEVEN of us- were invited to dine with our friends Tim and Shannon and their four kids up the road. I asked Shannon what I could bring, and she sweetly informed me that she was making the whole thing. DINNER FOR THIRTEEN PEOPLE. I balked. I insisted she let me bring a pot of beans and some homemade salsa to go with the pulled pork she would be slow cooking. The plans were set. Later that week we would show up, beans and salsa in hand, and enjoy a friendly dinner all together.

Two days before our dinner date, I spoke with Shannon on the phone and she told me how another friend had forgotten to come to dinner one night and her kids were so disappointed. I talked about times it had happened to us and we commiserated. Are you feeling some foreshadowing here? Ugh.

The day of our dinner arrived and I completely forgot what I was supposed to be doing that evening. I was running late on a couple of writing deadlines, so after finishing school with the kids, I sat down -nose to the grindstone- and finished what was due. I submitted them, tidied the kitchen and started working on two other recipes I was developing that would be due in the next week or so. My husband called and uncharacteristically offered to bring home something for dinner. I jumped on it, ran some errands I had promised other folks I would run, then came back to finish the work I’d started. The Evil Genius arrived home -late!- with dinner in  hand. We all descended on it like locusts. I settled in to go through our new healthcare plan papers that were due the next day and the kids hollered, “Someone’s in the driveway… It’s Mr. Tim!”

… You know those scenes in movies where one thing suddenly comes into sharp focus and the rest of the background drops away in a blur? Yeah. That’s how I looked at my friend.

Tim had come down the road because to top everything else off, our phone had been busy for two days because of a problem with the line.

In that moment, all my friend cred washed down the driveway with the light rain that was falling. I felt like a giant jerk. I gathered the kids, pulled a brush through my hair and said we were coming up anyway. Half an hour late and fed. In their kitchen, our troops rallied at the sight of the beautiful meal Shannon had prepared for us. Our kids played together beautifully, and I apologized profusely.

What I wouldn’t have given at that moment for a time machine. Something that would’ve granted me extra time during the day so that I could actually consult my calendar (where the date was written in Sharpie marker) and think about what I was supposed to get done that day. Isn’t that the kicker? It was written down!

I took that as a sign that I needed to find a way to make more time in my holiday season. I’m partnering with Frigidaire who has invented -wait for it- a TIME MACHINE. Not an H.G. Wells type of time machine, granted, but it’s a time machine nonetheless. Frigidaire is giving the gift of time, both in the form of gifts to enjoy time and actual Frigidaire appliances! There are daily, weekly and grand prizes. The daily prizes are indulgences like spa gift cards, the weekly prizes are honest-to-goodness Frigidaire Double-Oven Ranges (Oh, how I’d love one of these!), and the grand prize? Sit down, please. Someone is going to win an ENTIRE SUITE OF FRIGIDAIRE APPLIANCES. Seriously, that would be a gift to remember, wouldn’t it? Click on over to the Frigidaire  app on Facebook and play to win! They have some hilarious free cheer cards you can post on Facebook, Twitter or email to friends and family, too.

That is so true I almost shudder a bit…

I have a little gift of time for you, too! Foodie with Family is powered by tea, glorious tea: morning, noon and night, loose leaf, bagged and instant. I just plain can’t get enough tea. I have a tea for every occasion and whim and I love it that way. Most days, I start the morning off with a stiff black tea- something of which the purists would approve. As the day goes on, I sip on black tea blends, mixes and then move into herbal teas like lemongrass and my perennial favourite, Sleepytime Tea.

When time is short, and I have a hankering for something sweet and warming, I reach for my homemade Instant Vanilla Chai mix. It’s satisfyingly homey. It reminds me of the store-bought instant chai mixes, takes mere minutes to put together and yields enough for a generous jar for yourself and gifts for your favourite tea lovers without breaking the bank. How can you beat that? With the time you save making this for gifts, you can scoot over to the Frigidaire Time Machine and be entered to win that sweet suite of Frigidaire appliances.

As for me? I’m probably going to take a couple jars of this up the road to my friend along with a big hug.

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Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

Creamy, spiced, sweet instant vanilla chai mix hits the spot when you want something warming and satisfying in a hurry! As usual, homemade beats store bought hands-down!

Portioned into small jars with gift cards or instructions on the label, this chai mix makes a unique and affordable holiday or hostess gift for the chai and tea lovers in your life!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups instant unsweetened tea powder (I use Nestea.)
  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 1 cup non-fat instant dry milk powder
  • 1 cup plain non-dairy creamer powder
  • 1 cup French vanilla or vanilla non-dairy creamer powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (This is optional, but makes the chai spicier.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Process 1 cup at a time in pulses in a blender or food processor until it is a fine powdery consistency much like powdered sugar. Wait until the dust in the blender or processor dies down before removing the lid, then spoon into airtight containers for storage. Repeat until all of the mixture has been finely powdered.

Tightly covered, this mix is good for 6 months to a year, stirring every so often to prevent clumping.

For Gift Giving:

Divide the powdered mix between small 4 or 8 ounce jars. Label jars with instructions on how to prepare the chai.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/10/instant-vanilla-chai-mix-make-ahead-mondays/

This post is sponsored by Frigidaire.  I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Holiday Cookies and Goodies Round-Up

December 7, 2012 by 5 Comments

Were you to be looking for me this past Tuesday or Wednesday, you would’ve found me in the basement of the student center at Houghton College in Houghton, New York, selling tasty goodies at a table set up at the 26th Annual Houghton Arts & Crafts Fair. This was the first year the college did two floors of vendors and I was there on a mission: to sell as many baked goods as I could possibly turn out of my kitchen to benefit the Cookies for Kids Cancer organization.

First I want to say a word about this fabulous group. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was the brainchild of a mother who was inspired by her two and a half year old son’s own battle with pediatric cancer. She took what is most parents’ worst nightmare and turned it into a mission to help other families touched in the same way. Here are some important statistics to know about pediatric cancers.

  • Cancer claims the lives of more children annually than any other disease ” more than asthma, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis & AIDS combined.
  • 46 children per day are diagnosed with cancer totaling nearly 13,000 new cases per year.
  • Cure rates have improved dramatically and advances in childhood cancer research has provided seminal insights into the cancer problem in general. Today, 4 out 5 children diagnosed with cancer can be cured.
  • Combined funding for all pediatric cancers accounts for less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute TOTAL cancer funding budget.*

All statistics sourced from Cookiesforkidscancer.org.

The opportunity to take part in the arts & crafts fair was pretty last minute, so I didn’t have a ton of time to recruit friends and family to donate baked goods for sale, but I wasn’t about to give up the chance to use my partnership with the GLAD Product Company to help as many people as I possibly could. Why was this such an opportunity? Because GLAD was going to donate up to $1.00 for every single cookie (or goody) I sold, up to $100,000. I knew I couldn’t dream of turning out one hundred thousand cookies, but my kitchen kicked into as high a gear as I could make it go. I made a monstrously huge batch of Chex mix (as in three boxes worth of cereal, a bag of pretzels, a mega-box of Goldfish crackers,  three-quarters of a pound of butter and various other bits and pieces), a quadruple batch of salted caramel corn, and a bunch of homemade instant vanilla chai mix. I took them to the sale on Tuesday, hoping I might be able to sell out before the six o’clock end time to get home with plenty of day left to make things to sell the next day.

I had no idea.

I was cleaned out by two o’clock in the afternoon. The pleasant surprise spurred me to have more the next day, so the boys and I went home to make something REALLY spectacular for day two. I turned out forty eight Hot Chocolates on a Stick, four batches of homemade marshmallows (Bourbon Vanilla, Coffee, Orange Vanilla and Mint flavoured, respectively), another roaster pan of Chex mix and four batches of kettle corn (two classic, two spicy/sweet chipotle). Phew. I bagged everything maniacally Wednesday morning, pulled a brush through my hair and threw some makeup at my face, hoping it would land in the right place and had everything on my table to start selling at ten in the morning. My prayer was that I’d once again be able to sell most of what I had brought. I promised the kids they could eat whatever I didn’t sell.

Again? Whoa.

Houghton students and community members from the county really know how to kick it into gear when it comes to charitable giving. I sold out again by two.

One student came by and listened sweetly to my spiel then opened her wallet and stuffed what she had into the donation jar with the simple statement, “I am cancer. I survived.”

That makeup I threw at my face melted off as I thanked her tearfully.

All in all, I sold two-hundred and fifty items at that sale. My word.

You can get in on the giving, too, from the comfort of your own home or office and without baking a thing! Exchange a virtual cookie with a friend at the GLAD Cookie Exchange. GLAD will donate up to $1.00 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each virtual cookie sold, exchanged or given this November and December 2012 – up to $100,000! In other words, all you have to do to help is click! Keep on clicking, folks. Together we can take a bite out of Pediatric cancers. Please visit the Glad Cookie Exchange and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer to see what you can do to help!

Now let’s talk goodies and cookies round-up, shall we? All of these recipes are suitable for holiday cookie exchanges, giving or bake sales.  First, let me show you what we offered at our bake sale.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Kettle Corn

Salted Caramel Corn

…And now for other cookies and goodies that make great gifts or holiday cookie exchange items!

Ada and Anna’s Maple Sandwich Cookies (Maple Whoopie Pies)

Homemade Twix Cookies

Amish Cookies

Almond Joy or Mounds Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

…And because not EVERYONE has a sweet tooth, include this for your favourite savoury snack lovers!

Rosemary Garlic Almonds



I have partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz to help promote their Food Storage products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you GLAD!

Filed Under: Rebecca, Round Ups Tagged With: , , , , ,

Banana Churros with Butter Rum Caramel | A Party Wrap-up

December 6, 2012 by 9 Comments

Hello, gorgeous dessert. Of all the recipes  I’ve done for the Captain Morgan’s Spice Up the Holidays campaign, this is the one that disappeared the fastest. I guess it’s natural, what with being deep-fried and all…

I introduce to you my final recipe that I developed for the contest: Banana Churros with Buttered Rum Caramel Dipping Sauce. I was bouncing ideas off of my little sister (and culinary genius), Christina. She texted me with one word: Churros. DING! We looked no further. Somehow the churros morphed into Banana Churros and I replaced the usual thick chocolate dip with a seriously festive Butter Rum Caramel Dipping Sauce. Can I get an amen?

Would you just look at those babies on the party table?

When I started this competition, I really didn’t think I had much in the way of entertainment tips, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I do. Maybe my tips won’t win praise from a traditionalist, but this is how I do things.

Foodie with Family Entertaining Tips:

  1. Don’t think a party has to include a full meal. A table full of appetizers and beverages keeps people full and happy. Mingling is easier with finger food than sitting down and serving multiple courses. Bonuses: Most appetizers can be done ahead of time and no seating plan necessary. People, I didn’t even assign tables at my wedding. I’m consistent.
  2. Remember the particular talents of your guests and take advantage. Do you have friends who are exceptional musicians? Ask them to bring their instrument to play instead of or in addition to a dish to pass. Do you know someone who makes an incredible pastry? Ask them to bring it along to share. Do you have a friend who makes killer homebrew? (You lucky dog.) Have them bring some to sample with your friends.
  3. Don’t be who you aren’t for the sake of the party. Your friends love you for a reason. There’s nothing wrong with challenging yourself, but do decor and food that you’d normally love. Grab pine boughs from the woods. Use items you already own in different ways (see the cheese box top in various party photos). If you’re a super casual person, keep the party kicked-back. If you’re a heels-and-pearls kind of gal, go formal!
  4. Candles: use them. This is optional if you are having, oh say, a Jedi fancy-dress party where everyone will be swinging pretend light sabres, but otherwise, use as many candles as you practically can. Why? I just like ‘em.
  5. Serve cheese and nuts. This is not as random as it sounds. There’s a good chance that if someone dislikes everything else on the table, they’re still going to dig cheese and nuts unless they’re a vegan with a nut allergy. Since they’re both substantial foods, it’ll help.
  6. Speaking of cheese, splurge on it! If you’re going to dip into the rainy day fund for a party, splash the biggest cash on a variety of cheeses. You don’t need many -two or three is plenty- but get good ones. If you’re not sure what to pick, ask someone at the cheese counter what they recommend for an after dinner cheese plate.

Our weeknight just-because-we-could party was a riot. I spiced things up by not telling anyone what was going on. You have to love a group of friends who shows up when you text them and ask them to come “dressed festively from the waist up.” Sharon said, “it was so mysterious, this text. How could I not come?”

The cocktails and nibbles were a welcome respite in the middle of the workweek.

 

I think Gena was pleasantly surprised by the Dark & Stormy Orchard…

Bob was reaching for some goodies. Was he going for the Jerk Chicken Bites with Rum-Glazed Grilled Pineapple?

…Or the Rosemary Garlic Almonds? The cheese?

 

Staci and Sharon loved the churros. The Evil Genius and I loved the churros. Bob and Gena loved the churros. In short, churros ruled the party. Everyone seemed surprised by how light and crispy the churros were. Bob declared them to be superior to Krispy Kreme. In fact, I believe his words were, “These are four times as light and crispy as Krispy Kreme.”  I’ll totally take that.

A mellow, weeknight get together was spiced up with the help of our Captain Morgan menu from the vittles to the Dark & Stormy Orchards.

 

 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!

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Banana Churros with Butter Rum Caramel

Banana Churros with Butter Rum Caramel

Light-as-a-feather and deep fried don't usually describe the same food, but that's exactly what these mildly-banana-flavoured churros are. Crisp on the outside, airy and moist on the inside, these Banana Churros with a creamy, rich, rummy dipping butter caramel sauce are a surefire hit wherever and whenever they're served.

Ingredients

    Ingredients for Butter Rum Caramel:
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into small pieces
    • Ingredients for the Banana Churros:
  • 1 very ripe banana
  • fresh water
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup ( 4 1/4 ounces by weight!) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • enough peanut or canola oil (or lard) to fill a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or pot with at least 1-inch of oil
  • cinnamon sugar for sprinkling finished Banana Churros

Instructions

To Make the Butter Rum Caramel:

Add the sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Swirl to start the sugar dissolving. Place over a high flame or high heat and bring to a boil. Do NOT stir this. Swirl it when necessary, but don't stir! Cook like this, swirling every so often, until it reaches a deep orange brown colour. Remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream all at once. Be careful, as it will splatter and spit quite a bit.

At this point you're going to think you've done something terribly wrong. The caramel you coaxed along so carefully will seize up in a horrid lump in the middle of the cream. Don't worry. It will all come out right in the end!

Place the pan back on the burner and reduce the heat to medium. NOW you can STIR! Stir frequently to help melt the caramel into the cream. It will bubble, that is okay! After about 5 minutes, the caramel should be fully melted into the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and cold butter pieces until the butter is fully melted and incorporated.

Remove the pan from the heat and cover it, letting it cool, while you prepare the Banana Churros.

To Prepare the Banana Churros:

Peel and mash the banana until totally smooth. Scrape this into a liquid measuring 2-cup measuring cup and fill with water to the 1 1/4 cup line. Stir together and pour into a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan. Add the butter and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously to combine, over LOW heat. Continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. You'll know you've done it right if there's a little film on the bottom and sides of your pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or a heat-proof bowl you can use with a hand mixer. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

While the dough rests, bring 1-inch of peanut or canola oil, or lard, up to 375°F in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan.

Back at the mixer, add the eggs in all at once and beat on high speed until fully incorporated and the dough holds the shape of the beater or paddle in it.

Scrape the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star (1/2-inch opening) or a large blank tip (1/2-inch opening). Twist the top of the pastry bag and use a twist-tie to cinch it shut. Carefully pipe 4-inch strips into the hot oil. Use a blunt side of a butterknife to help release the strips from the pastry tip if necessary. I almost always need to do this. Only pipe 4 or so strips at a time, do not crowd the pan because they will expand as they fry!

Fry them until golden brown for about 2 minutes per side, turning with tongs when necessary. Drain the churros on paper towel lined plates. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar and serve with a bowl or squeeze bottle of Butter Rum Caramel.

Pssst! Store the leftover butter rum caramel in a squeeze bottle in the refrigerator. Drizzle over ice cream, mochas, coffee and directly into your mouth. You're welcome.
http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/06/banana-churros-with-butter-rum-caramel-a-party-wrap-up/

A reminder: Please check out all the great work my competitors put into their parties and say howdy to them! Also, be sure to check in next week to find out who won!

 Disclosure: I am a participant in the Spice Up the Holidays contest sponsored by Captain Morgan USA. I received products to use in my recipe development and compensation for additional ingredients but all opinions are my own.

 

Filed Under: Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Salted Caramel Corn | Make Ahead Mondays {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

December 3, 2012 by 280 Comments

 

Update: The Pick Giveaway Winner plugin chose Christi P. as the winner of the Whirly Pop and Coconut Oil. Look for the email I’ve sent you, Christi! I can’t even wait for you to get to try these things. Congratulations!

My Grandma is one of my biggest cooking heroes. She has spent the majority of her life feeding people. My Grandpa, her husband, was a pastor who couldn’t walk away from someone who looked hungry, and everyone looked hungry to Grandpa. I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating that one of my most treasured possessions is my collection of recipe cards handwritten for me by Grandma in my first years of marriage. There is just nothing to compare to road-tested recipes written by the hand of someone you love bigger than the bay. The only drawback? Well, maybe I get just a touch weepy whenever I make her recipes. In other words? I weep a lot.

The recipe I’m sharing today is a holiday staple. I only allow myself to make it from December first through January thirty first because otherwise I’d be the size of a house. We give bags of this to friends, Romans and countrymen. In other other words? We give it to EVERYONE. If you walk near my house in Advent, you’re getting a bag full of Salted Caramel Corn shoved in your hands. It’s just the way we do things, because it’s how Grandma does it.

And since we’re talking about Grandma, let me tell you, she was ahead of her time. Grandma was doing Salted Caramel WAY before anyone else. As in decades. When salted caramel hit the food scene I was all, “What? You mean other people DIDN’T salt their caramel?” Honestly. I was agog. Aghast. Alarmed. Arsey-versey. Shall I stop now? Please say yes. I’m all out of words that mean agape that begin with ‘A’. Oh, no I didn’t. Oh yes, I did… Astounded, awestruck, astonished, amazed…

We were, however, talking SALTED Caramel Corn. On the back of the recipe card, Grandma wrote about the final step of the process, “This is what makes it crisp and it does not stick to your teeth-” I’m neither an orthodontist nor have I played one on t.v., but many of my kids’ braces wearing friends are able to eat this with no issues! If you’re looking for a caramel corn that fits the bill for your favourite dental appliance sporting pals, this is the one!

Think of this as the ultimate in caramel corn. It’s perfectly caramelled (new word. I made it up), just a touch salty, crispy and not at all sticky and is totally simple to make. I promise you many accolades and much affection (more ‘A’ words!) if you make a batch of two of these to give away. Here’s where ‘Make Ahead Mondays’ comes into play. This caramel corn is good for about ten days after it’s made. One batch makes roughly eight quarts. Make a batch, bag it up and give it away for the next few days. If it starts softening a bit, crisp it up in a 250°F oven for a few minutes. This is a room-temperature storage item. You want to spread some joy? ” The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” AND give them a bag of this stuff. I’m pretty sure Buddy would approve. (My final ‘A’ word.)

If you want to try a sample of this good stuff, I’ll be selling it as a fundraiser for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer at the 26th Annual Arts and Crafts Fair at Houghton College in Houghton, New York tomorrow (Tuesday, December 4th) and Wednesday the 5th. Come on down and see me!

 

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Salted Caramel Corn | Make Ahead Mondays

Salted Caramel Corn | Make Ahead Mondays

There is nothing that can compare to Grandma's Salted Caramel Corn with its brown sugar, nutty browned butter and touch of salt. Grandma is a genius.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 quarts plain (unseasoned, unsalted) popcorn in a very large mixing bowl

Instructions

Line 2 half-sheet pans with silpats, parchment paper or non-stick foil. Preheat oven to 250°F.

Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. It will foam up big time! Don't worry, it's to be expected.

Pour the molten caramel over the popped corn in the bowl and stir gently but thoroughly to evenly coat the popcorn. Split the popcorn between the two prepared pans and spread it out evenly. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring well every 15 minutes. Grandma says "Watch it closely during baking to ensure it doesn't stick and burn. If it tends to do this, lower the temp a tad. This step is what makes it crisp and it does not stick to your teeth!"

Let the caramel corn cool on the pan (if it is sufficiently done, you'll hear it crackling as it cools!), then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/03/salted-caramel-corn-giveaway-and-make-ahead-mondays/

Now the GIVEAWAY! This one is sponsored by ME! Just me! No one else! Several years ago, my Aunt Molly sent my family a Whirly Pop. Have you ever heard of one of these? I hadn’t until she sent me one. It is, in short, the ULTIMATE popcorn popper. It’s a funky pan with built in stirring mechanism that makes up to SIX QUARTS of theatre style popcorn in under THREE MINUTES. I’m telling you, this is on the short list of things I would replace the same day if it broke, not that I see it breaking any time soon. Honestly, folks… it has a 25 year warranty on all moving parts. Can you beat that? We’ve put this thing through its paces for almost seven years and it’s still going strong! We seriously use this every. single. day.  Sometimes we eat three batches a day! Oh! And you can make the best kettle corn of all time in these bad boys, too!

It is so much more inexpensive and incredibly healthier to pop your popcorn this way. Plain bagged popcorn is FAR less costly than and contains none of the weird, nasty preservatives found in the microwave stuff. You can get away with using much less oil when using the Whirly Pop than you would using a big pot on the stove. It’s pretty much the best way ever to make popcorn.

So here’s what I’m giving away. ONE WHIRLY POP…

 

and ONE JAR OF EXTRA VIRGIN COCONUT OIL.

Believe me, you haven’t had popcorn until you’ve had it popped with coconut oil in a Whirly Pop.

Here’s how to enter! (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry method you use so each one is counted!)

Mandatory Entry:

What’s your favourite popcorn topping? Hot sauce? Plain old salt? Sardines? (What? Could happen!) Nutritional yeast? Talk to me!

Optional Entries:

Like Foodie with Family on facebook.

Follow Foodie with Family on Instagram.

Follow Foodie with Family on Pinterest.

Follow Foodie with Family on Twitter.

Tweet the following, “I want to win a Whirly Pop and coconut oil for the perfect popcorn from @foodiewithfam ”

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by me and paid for by me. Sadly, I can’t ship this package outside of the continental US, so this giveaway is only open to residents of the aforementioned!

 

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Desserts, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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