Condiments

Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta | Make Ahead Mondays

April 8, 2013 by Rebecca 15 Comments

Can we have a heart to heart for a moment? I love foods that stink: garlic, feta cheese, olives, braunschweiger, pungent and runny French cheese, onions, and much, much more. And what’s more, I have loved this stanky stuff for as long as I can remember.

Once -when I was a teenager- my mom stopped me as I was on the way out the door to a dance. (And can I get a ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Amen’ of thanks from anyone else who was more than glad to leave those years behind?) She said, “Honey? You may want to consider brushing your teeth or something before you go the dance. You know, since you ate an onion and mustard sandwich and all?”

First of all, it was an onion, mustard and Cheddar sandwich, so there. Second, you’d think my momma would’ve wanted to encourage me to have bad breath since I was so boy crazy. It might’ve made keeping me away from them much easier.

That aside, the point is that stinky food just tastes better, doesn’t it? And today’s recipe combines some of my most loved breath-offenders of all time: roasted garlic and feta cheese.

Everyone knows that feta cheese has an alarming habit of falling off of things. It’s just kind of the way it’s built. That lovely crumbly texture is fine and dandy when it’s in a pilaf, Greek salsa, baked on a pizza, or in spanakopita dip. But you sink your teeth into a sandwich you’ve adorned with the salty, briny, crumbled stuff and it makes like lemmings off a cliff falling off the front, side and anywhere that isn’t already in your mouth. This makes me sad.

Enter my friend Jessica at How Sweet Eats. A month or so ago, she posted Whipped Feta. In one fell swoop, she solved my feta problem and made my breath eternally bad. I almost hopped in my car, drove a couple hours south and kissed her face. She’s probably pretty thankful I didn’t, though, because I decided to spike my whipped feta with a hearty helping of roasted garlic which both makes it even more exciting and even more deadly.

If you’re not already drooling like a teething baby, let me explain what makes this so delicious. Copious amounts of crumbled feta are added to softened cream cheese along with several cloves of buttery roasted garlic.

They’re beaten together mercilessly in the food processor until perfectly smooth.

At this point it’s warm and melty from all the processing. Right then, right there, if you can resist sopping up the inevitable left-behind spread in the food processor bowl with torn hunks of fresh bread, then you’re a far, far stronger person than I am. I am not ashamed to say that when I ran out of bread, I licked the food processor bowl.

People. I’m married. I can do this now just as long as my darling Evil Genius partakes with me. And he does. The man is no fool.

So whaddya do with a big old jar of Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta? Oh darlin’… what don’t you do? I smear it generously on Black Olive Rolls with a handful of greens and call it lunch, apply with abandon to toasted burger rolls before topping with a grilled turkey burger and some baby spinach (Instant Greek Burger! VOILA!), spread it on crackers, serve as dip with vegetables, and top grilled fish with it. Now, given that I’ve only had the stuff handy for about a month, I’m willing to assert that I haven’t even scratched the surface of ways that Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta can be used. How will you use this?

Rebecca

P.S. You’re ahead of the game if you already made your own batch of fantastic homemade feta because it works beautifully here!

Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta | Make Ahead Mondays

The fabulous punch of feta cheese and roasted garlic in a creamy, flavourful spread that is great on sandwiches, burgers, fresh bread, crackers, or as a dip or dolloped into soup.

Adapted from and with grateful thanks to How Sweet Eats who adapted it from the fabulous Ina Garten

Ingredients

8 ounces feta cheese crumbles, brought to room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (Full fat or 1/3 less fat, according to preference.)
4-8 cloves roasted garlic either purchased or homemade (See this recipe for instructions on roasting garlic.)

Instructions

Fit your food processor with a metal blade and pulse the feta cheese until it is completely broken up into tiny crumbs. It should look like this:

Add the remaining ingredients and process -stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally- until it is completely smooth and creamy, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape into a jar (or jars) with a tight fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/08/roasted-garlic-whipped-feta-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, party food, quick and easy

Clouted Cream a.k.a. Devon or Clotted Cream | Downton Grub Files

January 19, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

This is the second installment of the Downton Grub Files (the first can be seen here) wherein I share a Downton Abbey worthy recipe so we can all have appropriate snacks to sustain us whilst we alternately cheer and shake our fists at our television screens at 9pmEST each Sunday. This week’s question: Who is your favourite character? I’m on Team Dowager Countess! Again, I plead with you all- NO SPOILERS!!! Do NOT tell me or anyone else what happened if you are one of those who saw all of Season 3 already. Let us have our fun like you did!

What would you say if I told you there was something even butterier than butter? Creamier than cream? Would you say I was crazy?

Well, I am crazy. Crazy like a FOX. An English fox, that is…

That magical substance that’s creamier and butterier than cream and butter goes by the name of Clouted Cream. It is also referred to by the names Devon Cream and Clotted Cream. I prefer ‘clouted’ because -let’s be honest- clotted anything sounds pretty unappetizing. Clouted makes the cream sound like it has clout. And believe you me, when the cream is done like this, it has clout!

It’s made from cream (not ultra pasteurized) that rests at room temperature for twelve to twenty four hours and then is cooked at a very low temperature for another eight to twelve hours. The result is that the richest, creamiest bits of the cream rise to the top and ‘clot’ into a thick, buttery, creamy spread. As we said, ‘clot’ is not something that usually sounds appealing when it comes to food. Once you’re past the name and biting down into a toasted crumpet or scone topped with clouted cream and jam, I promise you’ll forget whatever misgivings you had. If you think of the creamiest mascarpone or the thickest whipped cream you’ve ever had, you’re on the right track. It’s a fabulously thick, creamy spread that is dotted with miniscule deposits of butter that melt almost instantly when they hit your tongue.

Clouted Cream is an integral part of a cream tea; the meal, not the drink. Cream tea is one of those fabulous English inventions that more Americans need to have in their repertoire. It’s not complicated; it usually consists of a scone -split in half and toasted- smeared with clouted cream and topped with strawberry jam and a pot of tea. Doesn’t that just about sound like the best thing ever? Now that you have scones in your possession (You DID make scones, right?) all you need is the Clouted Cream.

It is terribly simple to make, although planning ahead is necessary since the process takes about 48 hours (all but 10 minutes of that is resting, hands-off time.) Starting with a quart of unpasteurized or pasteurized and homogenized (but never ultra-pasteurized) cream, you go through the steps described above. When all is said and done, the clouted cream rises to the top and the liquid sinks to the bottom. You cool it down in steps, scrape the good, thick stuff off and pop it into the refrigerator. There isn’t much, really, of the clouted cream… maybe you get between two-thirds and a cup of it. The rest of the cream that sinks to the bottom of the dish can be saved to use in baking more scones*. If you bake more scones, you need more clouted cream. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle of creamy deliciousness.

*If you’re lucky enough to have access to farm fresh, raw cream (as I am), the remaining cream that was at the bottom of the pan is still whippable. In other words, you can still make whipped cream from it. I did!

There is some regional disagreement as to which ought to come first on the scone (or crumpet, as I’m using here today). Some folks say jam first, cream second. The other contingent -to which I belong- prefers cream first and jam second. The reason I like this arrangement best is because the thick cream melts ever so slightly into the toasted scone or crumpet and then the jam settles nicely on top. Do it whichever way makes you feel happy and decadent. Just DO do it, would you?

Let’s clot some cream, shall we, and position ourselves firmly on our couches with sustaining treats all around us. It’s Downton Abbey time and we will not be moved.

(Pssst. This is so NOT British, but if you were to smear some of the Clouted Cream on a slice of toast made from the world’s best Cinnamon Swirl Bread, you just might die of happiness. So don’t do it. I can’t be responsible for that.)

Clouted Cream a.k.a. Devon or Clotted Cream | Downton Grub Files

Clouted Cream -an integral part of the English cream tea- is a creamier than cream, butterier than butter, thick spread made from raw or pasteurized heavy cream. This indulgence is usually topped with strawberry jam.

It is terribly simple to make, although planning ahead is necessary since the process takes about 48 hours (all but 10 minutes of that is resting, hands-off time.)

Ingredients

1 quart raw or pasteurized and homogenized heavy cream (Do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. I have not tested this recipe with it because I have been told it will not 'clot')

Instructions

Set the cream (in a lidded jar or the container in which it came) on the counter at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

Pour the room temperature cream into a glass, stoneware or stainless steel pan. The cream should be about 2 to 3-inches deep in the dish. Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and place in an oven set at 180°F for 8-12 hours, or until there is a thick layer of cream collected over the top with yellow pools of butter fat on it.

Let the covered dish cool to room temperature and then move to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Scrape the thickened layer from the top; this is your clouted cream. Keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use. This should last about 3 days. Apply generously to your scones, crumpets or toast.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/19/clouted-cream-a-k-a-devon-or-clotted-cream-downton-grub-files/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Condiments, Downton Grub Files, Rebecca, Recipes

Green Olive Tapenade | Make Ahead Mondays {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

January 14, 2013 by Rebecca 102 Comments

I love rich and indulgent food. I love butter, heavy cream, all manner of bread, bacon and the like. I also love healthy food. It all depends on what is going on, what’s freshest and what’s available to me. After the holiday food madness, my food pendulum tends to swing a little further toward the healthier food cravings. I’m more likely to have a desperate desire for broiled fish than a buttery chocolate custard. It has nothing to do with resolutions, because I’ve never been a New Year’s resolution girl; that’s just how I am this time of year.

Don’t misunderstand me; my taste buds have not taken a leave of absence. I still want delicious food. This is where I rely on bold flavours that deliver big like this Green Olive Tapenade. Indulge me for a moment if you’re a tapenade-aholic while I dig into what it is for the benefit of those who haven’t yet tried this ambrosia.

Tapenade -in it’s most traditional form- is a spread or dip made of black olives with capers and anchovies. It is served with bread or crackers or added as a fast-and-easy WHIZZBANG flavour component to sandwiches, flat-breads and many other dishes. For instance, I love a light layer of tapenade atop the aforementioned broiled fish. It’s the difference between plain old broiled fish and “Oooooh! Broiled Fish!”

While I am an Equal Opportunity Tapenade Lover, there is a special place in my heart and in my stomach for Green Olive Tapenade. I chalk this up to the fact that I didn’t discover a love of green olives until I was pregnant with my first child. It’s a matter of mathematics. I must make up for time lost NOT eating things with green olives by eating many things with green olives. I believe my physicist baby sister would agree with this theory. Let’s ask her. Airlia? Are you reading this?

My Green Olive Tapenade is extra fabulous for more than one reason, though. While the traditional tapenade is almost entirely made of salty preserved things (Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Believe me, I’ve consumed and will continue to consume more than my share of the stuff…) I like to make mine more exciting with the addition of fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and flavourful sun-dried tomatoes. It practically sings from the bowl, “I waaaaaaant you to want me. I neeeeeeeeeeed you to need me!”

Please tell me food sings songs from the 80′s to you, too.

In addition to all it’s deliciousness, tapenade has some health benefits. It’s true! Olives are full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. These are the good fats that help control cholesterol and blood sugar. Don’t you love it when great food is great for you?

Now, before I give you this ultimate Make Ahead Monday fabulousness (because once made, the Green Olive Tapenade is good for up to a month when tightly covered in the refrigerator. Tapenade things with wild abandon!) I will put on a dazzling display of mind reading. I sense it deep in my core that the second I said ‘anchovies’ some folks started pulling faces. No nose twitching allowed unless you’re certifiably allergic to fish. Anchovies add that certain je ne sais quois to dishes. Since all the ingredients are chopped or ground together, I defy you to find the presence of anchovy in tapenade. While you won’t be able to say, “A-HA! I taste ANCHOVY!” if you include the wee little fishies, you will most certainly know you’re missing a certain depth of flavour if you omit them. Take the plunge, or your tapenade attempt will sleep with Luca Brasi AND the fishes.

Please make yourself a batch of Green Olive Tapenade. You’re going to want to have it on hand for an impossibly easy and delicious Super Bowl treat I’ll be sharing with you in the next couple of weeks. You really won’t want to miss it!

Green Olive Tapenade | Make Ahead Mondays {GIVEAWAY}

Rating: 51

Green Olive Tapenade | Make Ahead Mondays {GIVEAWAY}

Your taste buds will sing for joy when you eat this fast, delicious Green Olive Tapenade full of briny olives and capers, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and flavourful sun-dried tomatoes.

Serve as an accompaniment to bread, crackers, crisps, vegetables or use as a topping for fish, chicken, pork. A spoonful or two tossed with hot pasta is one of the world's fastest comfort food dishes!

Ingredients

2 cups drained Manzanilla olives with pimientos
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons brined capers + a little of their brine
7 anchovy fillets (from a can of packed-in-olive-oil anchovies)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped, oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
the juice and zest of one whole lemon
3 fresh basil leaves
1/2 to 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced or pressed

Instructions

Add all ingredients to the workbowl of a food processor* (See Note) fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until everything is evenly chopped. You can leave it more coarse for spooning on top of things or grind it up a little more to use as a dip or sauce. It is a matter of personal preference.

Notes

If you do not have a food processor, don't fret! Finely chop your herbs and sun-dried tomatoes then add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and use a sturdy spoon to smash them together. It will be a more rustic but no less delicious tapenade!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/14/green-olive-tapenade-make-ahead-mondays-giveaway/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Update:The giveaway is now closed. Pick a Giveaway Winner chose Katee L as our random winner. Check your email and congratulations, Katee!

More giveaway fun! Wasa Crispbreads (pictured above with the Green Olive Tapenade) have offered to help kickstart one Foodie with Family reader’s holiday foods reset. The crispbread’s pure, natural grain flavours shine through ready to be topped with anything you wish, whether salty or sweet. Because the crispbreads themselves are not salted, they are a superior choice for serving with salty Green Olive Tapenade and other savoury spreads. My kids also love them topped with cream cheese and candied jalapeños or blueberry jam.

Wasa is giving away the following prize package to one Foodie with Family reader in the United States.

1 $25 gift card (That would buy enough ingredients for a VAT of Green Olive Tapenade!)
2 packages of Wasa Crispbreads so you can discover your own favourite way to eat them.

How do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you do to reset after the holidays. Do you do resolutions? Do you crave healthy foods? Are you still doing holiday activities?

Optional Entries: (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each optional entry method used so we can be sure to count it!)

Like Foodie with Family on Facebook.
Follow Foodie with Family on Twitter.
Follow Foodie with Family’s boards on Pinterest.
Like Wasa on Facebook.
Follow Wasa on Twitter.

The winner will be chosen at random and announced here on this post on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Good luck everyone!

Disclosure: Wasa provided crispbreads for me to review and compensation for my additional ingredients, but all opinions are -as always- my own.

Filed Under: Condiments, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

January 11, 2013 by Rebecca 36 Comments

Update: The winner of the Sam’s Club giveaway is Barbara N. Nice start to a Monday, eh, Barb? Check your email for details.

I have to tell you that I have a list of kryptonite foods -foods against which I have absolutely zero self control- and today’s post contains seven of them in one form or another. In other words, this is pretty darned close to perfection in my book.

My current (current because it changes from time to time) kryptonite foods list is:

Cream Cheese
Dill
Lemon
Smoked fish (in general)
Smoked Salmon (specifically)
Bagels (in general)
Everything Bagels (specifically)
Pumpernickel
Pumpernickel Everything Bagels (Black Russian bagels) Fuggedaboudit. That’s as good as it gets.
Biscuits
Gravy
Feta
Garlic-stuffed kalamata olives

Living as far out as I do, it’s not often I can lay my hands on some of those ingredients, so when I do, I go a bit nutso. For example, that lady who was frantically stuffing all the Black Russian bagels in the bin into her bakery bag at Wegman’s? That was me. And the gal at Sam’s Club who was desperately clutching the packages of smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, fresh dill, lemons and a boneless leg of lam? Yours truly. I can’t help myself. The lamb just sounded goooooooooood.

Bless Sam’s Club for carrying everything but the bagels. (And they DO have bagels… just not the Black Russian variety.)

Do you like flavoured cream cheese? I am insanely devoted to it. I love the creamy, rich cheese when it’s completely infused with herbs and citrus, garden vegetables and garlic, chives, or -for something completely different- a little maple syrup and cinnamon. Here’s where I twitch with desire a bit… My all-time favourite version of this concoction is a light lemony cream cheese studded with chopped fresh dill, parsley and green onion. HOLLA!

I’m sorry. Sometimes I lose my head over cream cheese. It’s a sickness. I’m working on it.

Here’s the beautiful thing of it; although I could probably easily eat an entire batch of it myself in one sitting, (Hangs head in shame.) I cover it tightly and pop it into the refrigerator where it will last (improving daily) for about one week. I can’t promise that I am above walking past the fridge, throwing the door open and scooping my finger through the bowl from time to time. Remember, cream cheese=kryptonite.

I have good news, though! This is the time of year that many folks are resolved to eat better than they did in the previous year. If you’re in that camp, you can easily substitute Neufchâtel Cheese (commonly sold by major brands as Low-Fat Cream Cheese or 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese) for the regular full-fat cream cheese without sacrificing any of the quality, flavour, or smooth creamy texture you want. Big old win!

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese goes beautifully on my beloved toasted Black Russian bagels topped with flaked smoked salmon, capers, and a pinch of fresh dill, natch.

But that’s not all it’s great on; it is the be-all-and-end-all on a roasted turkey or chicken breast sandwich with baby spinach and black olives, or as a dip for vegetable sticks, or spread on toast all by its lovely self. Get creative! Spread it on a bun for a grilled turkey burger or on a flat bread for a lamb wrap. The fresh, light, creamy, dilly cheese goes just about anywhere!

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY!}

Lemony, light, studded with fresh dill and other herbs, this refreshing spreadable cream cheese is fantastic on the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich or smeared on a chicken sandwich, bagel, turkey burger, or used as a dip for fresh vegetables.

It can easily be made with 1/3-less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese) lightening up the fat content in the recipe for those with dietary restrictions.

Ingredients

For the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
zest of one lemon
juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon, to taste
1/3 cup minced fresh dill weed, lightly packed
1/4 cup minced fresh flat leaf or curly parsley, loosely packed
2 tablespoons minced green onions, green part only
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:

1 pumpernickel everything bagel (Black Russian bagel) or your preferred savoury bagel
1 teaspoon softened butter
2 to 3 tablespoons Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese
1/4 cup flaked or 2 thin slices smoked salmon
5 to 10 pickled capers, drained
fresh dill, to taste

Instructions

To Make the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:

Add the cream cheese, lemon zest, juice of 1/2 a lemon (to start with), dill weed, parsley and green onions to a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.) Mix with a hand mixer on high (or on high on the stand mixer) until the cream cheese is fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Taste the cream cheese and add more lemon juice, if desired, along with salt and black pepper to taste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on high an additional 30 seconds, or until everything is fully incorporated. Scrape the contents into a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least an hour before using and up to a week.

To Make the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:

Slice open the bagel and spread 1/2 a teaspoon of softened butter on each cut surface. Broil under a hot broiler just until the butter is bubbly and the bagel is toasted on top. Remove the bagel from the oven and let cool until it is comfortable to handle.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese on the bottom half of the bagel. Layer on the flaked or sliced smoked salmon, as many capers as you'd like and fresh fronds of dill, if desired. Top with the top half of the bagel and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/11/lemon-dill-spreadable-cream-cheese-and-the-fwf-ultimate-breakfast-sandwich-giveaway/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Now a giveaway!

Sam’s Club contacted me before the holidays offering a giveaway to one of my readers. With all that went on around here, the post didn’t happen. Sam’s Club has graciously offered to let me do the giveaway in spite of the fact that I didn’t get the post up in time. I am grateful, because I’m a big fan of Sam’s Club. With such a big family to manage, Sam’s Club is the go-to place for paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc..) and mega packs of juice boxes. I love the selection of fresh meats (and the price is always competitive), produce and dairy products. Thank you Sam’s Club! So what are we giving away today? A Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Party Pack! Sam’s Club says, “This fun, non-alcoholic drink mixer pack will turn the average consumer into a modern day mixologist. The Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Variety Pack contains our top selling holiday mixers to include 4 Margarita Mixers, 4 Martini Mixers, 4 Berrytini Mixers and 3 Champagne Toppers. The pack also contains salt and sugar crystals to finish off any premium cocktail.” All you have to do is add liquor!

To enter, just leave a comment below telling me how your holidays were. Did you get to see family? Did you stay home hunkered in? Talk to me!

The winner will be chosen at random and notified by next Monday, January 14th, 2013.

Disclosure: This contest is open only to US Residents due to shipping restraints. Sam’s Club provided a membership and covered my food costs for the recipe, and is providing the prize to the winner, but all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Component Foods, Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Breakfast, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, Snacks, Vegetarian

Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

November 28, 2012 by Rebecca 27 Comments

I’ve spoken before of my deep, deep love for the hot fudge sauce made by my stepmom, Val. Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce is a staple around the Foodie With Family household. It goes on ice cream, to be sure, but it is also drizzled on cake and stirred into hot milk for fabuloso hot chocolate. On days when I feel particularly frazzled or mom’ed out, a spoonful of it applied directly to my mouth is sometimes the only thing standing between me and stark raving lunacy.

The other day, a friend complained loudly about the quality of the peppermint mocha she purchased at a big name restaurant. Her description was:

If you’re considering trying McD’s peppermint mocha drink cuz it looks good and nice and warm and holiday-ish with the oncoming cold weather, here’s a tip to save some money: Make a pot of coffee, and while that’s brewing, go brush your teeth (some mouthwash after is good too). Then come back to the pot, pour some sugar and vinegar into it, pour yourself a mug, and drink up! Voila! Now you don’t have to go buy one.

Blech. That was enough to dissuade me. With all that, though, I still wanted a Peppermint Mocha. I decided to turn the ubiquitous Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce into the vehicle for the world’s best Peppermint Mocha. I turned it into Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce.

Mercy.

I’ll share the Peppermint Mocha recipe tomorrow, but first? First you must make this Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce. Believe me. All by itself it is a holiday treat second to none. If you can resist eating this by the spoonful then you’re a better animal than I am. But when you drizzle this over a bowl of Perry’s Mint Tingaling or Peppermint Stick ice cream? Oh Holy Night. It is something to remember.

When it’s still hot it’s a deep, fudgy, smooth, thick-yet-pourable, minty sauce with a hint of vanilla. When you pour it onto cold ice cream, it turns into a chewy caramel candy that keeps you coming back for more.

…Speaking of coming back for more, be sure to check in tomorrow for a Peppermint Mocha recipe that DOESN’T taste like toothpaste, vinegar and bad drip coffee and a GIVEAWAY that you will NOT want to miss.

Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

When it's still hot it's a deep, fudgy, smooth, thick-yet-pourable, minty sauce with a hint of vanilla. When you pour it onto cold ice cream, it turns into a chewy caramel candy that keeps you coming back for more. This is also the base for the best homemade Peppermint Mocha of all time!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup boiling water
1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade is best! )
pinch of salt

Instructions

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, and boiling water. Increase heat to medium and stir mixture until it reaches boiling. Boil without stirring for 8 minutes. Really. Do not stir that stuff.

Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract, vanilla extract and salt. It will bubble up violently, so be careful. Let rest for 5 minutes before pouring into a heat-proof container with a tight fitting lid. (A canning jar works perfectly for this situation.) Be certain the container you use is small enough to fit into the microwave for reheating purposes. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded, heat-proof container.

To Reheat:

Remove lid from the jar and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir. Heat in additional 10 second bursts until the hot fudge flows freely when poured.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/28/peppermint-hot-fudge-sauce/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Condiments, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, dessert, family-friendly, Food gifts, Frugal Food, frugal gifts, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

Whiskey Vanilla Extract | Make Ahead Mondays

November 26, 2012 by Rebecca 17 Comments

I am obsessed with vanilla extract. Since I started making my own extract several years ago, I haven’t bought vanilla extract (either faux or pure) once. Once you’ve made your own and tasted just how much better it is (and realized just how easy the entire process is) it’s hard -if not impossible- to go back.

Why bother when you can get pure vanilla extract relatively cheap? First, the homemade stuff is customizable. You can make it as strong or as weak as you’d like it. Normally, the method involves splitting beans, pouring a neutral high-alcohol spirit such as vodka over it, capping it, shaking it and letting it age until you can’t really taste an alcohol burn from it. The idea is that the alcohol becomes a vessel for mega vanilla flavour delivery. I told you it was easy, didn’t I? That’s wonderful, isn’t it? It’s fabulous. I have a giant jug of the stuff in my cabinet… but…

Yes, there’s a but…

Sometimes I WANT a little burn to help cut some sweetness: I want that presence of alcohol WITH the vanilla. And in those cases, I reach for this stuff; Whiskey Vanilla Extract. The process is every bit as easy. I split vanilla beans lengthwise and stuff them into an empty bottle. The prettier the bottle the better. It’s not like it effects the overall outcome, but life is hard enough: Let’s try to get some beauty in there where we can.

I pour something drinkable but not expensive* (ask the clerk at your local liquor store for a good, inexpensive but sippable whiskey or bourbon.) over the top, cap it, shake it and let it go for a week.

*I did NOT use Templeton Rye Whiskey for my extract, merely the empty bottle.

A bottle of that on your pantry shelf invites you to use it, and since we’re not going with a neutral alcohol here but highlighting the richly flavoured, slightly smokey whiskey taste, you can start using it about a week or two after starting it. It will mellow with age, so if you find it’s a little too brassy and bright at the beginning, just stash it in a dark corner and retrieve/retry it later.

I love to use this in place of the ‘regular’ vanilla extract in whipped cream, pecan pies, fruit crisps, and hot fudge sauce. What would you make with Whiskey Vanilla Extract?

A Note on Making This for Gifts:

You can use canning jars to prepare this if you’d like, but I find using an actual liquor bottle makes it easier to use the finished vanilla extract without spilling it. If you don’t have access to empty liquor bottles or want to prepare it in smaller containers for gifts, dollar stores and big box stores usually have a nice selection of small decorative bottles with corks or twist caps. Just be sure the caps fit snugly to prevent spilling when you shake them.

A Note on Finding Inexpensive Vanilla Beans (because it CAN be done!)

You can use whatever vanilla beans you prefer, Madagascar, Tahitian, Bourbon (Hey! Bourbon Bourbon Extract!). I don’t actually have one that I love better than others, I love ‘em all! I buy my vanilla beans in bulk through one of two places. Here they are in order of preference.

My beloved Amazon.com has them When you consider that the best price I have found in grocery stores is about $10 per package of 2 beans, and that there are about 50 beans in a half pound, that’s akin to saving $223. Trust me. My math is good, I’m a homeschooling mom. And better yet, when the beans are properly stored (at a steady room temperature out of direct light) they last for at least a year.
eBay. Seriously! I have bought pounds of vanilla beans via eBay over the years. Sometimes you can get a better deal on eBay, sometimes Amazon has the better price. Keep your eyes peeled and get bargain happy!

Whiskey Vanilla Extract | Make Ahead Mondays

With its smokey, richly flavoured, high alcohol content, whiskey makes the perfect vehicle for homemade vanilla extract. There's nothing neutral about this vanilla extract, so use it where you'd love a little bite: in whipped cream, pecan pie, fruit crisps, and the like. This makes a wonderful and unique hostess gift for the holidays.

Ingredients

1 clean and empty 750 ml liquor bottle with a tight fitting lid (or a glass container that can hold about 3 cups of liquid with a tight fitting lid.)
5-20 whole vanilla beans, depending on how strong you'd like the vanilla flavour
about 3 cups whiskey, depending on the container you use

Instructions

Split the vanilla beans lengthwise then in half. Slide them into the empty liquor bottle. The fewer the beans you use, the weaker the vanilla presence will be. I like a LOT of vanilla and stuff as many into the bottle as I can while still leaving enough room for the beans to be covered by liquid and the lid to be added when I'm done.

Insert a funnel into the top of the bottle and pour in as much whiskey as you can, being sure to cover the beans completely. Add the lid, shake vigorously for about 2 minutes, then place in a dark, cool place for at least one week, shaking the bottle daily, before using. The longer the extract ages, the more mellow the whiskey and the more pronounced the vanilla will be.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/26/whiskey-vanilla-extract-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Component Foods, Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, Food Preservation, Frugal Food, frugal gifts, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

Sriracha Lime Salt | Make Ahead Mondays

November 5, 2012 by Rebecca 9 Comments

We are a popcorn family. We eat at least one batch every day. That is not as random a declaration as it sounds. It’ll become important in a moment…

This is Sriracha Salt. It is exactly what it sounds like: Sriracha + Salt. It is -in essence- two of my best loved kitchen friends in one tidy little package. We squeeze Sriracha onto and into a lot of stuff chez us. Burgers, fries, rice, soup, falafel, salad dressing, and -in the case of my second born son- crackers. I’m not kidding. The child eats Sriracha on crackers.

Until recently, we also squeezed Sriracha on popcorn. It was tasty. It was good. It gave a spicy punch to the popcorn but it did one thing I didn’t like. It made the popcorn near the bottom of the bowl soggy.

Blech.

I don’t do soggy popcorn.

It’s true.

In fact, more often than not I even eschew butter to keep my popcorn super crunchy. Yes, that’s right. ME giving up butter. That’s how much I dislike soggy popcorn.

And that’s how much I like Sriracha. It was a huge battle of the likes vs. dislikes every time I made popcorn for a late snack. Do I put the Sriracha on it and eat quickly so it doesn’t get soggy or do I just salt the popcorn and live with it?

…Enter Sriracha Lime Salt.

I read about the straight up Sriracha + Salt version of it in “The Sriracha Cookbook” and knew it was the solution to my little neurotic popcorn issue. I added a little lime juice to the mix and was not disappointed.

Sriracha Lime Salt is as easy as 1-2-3 to whip up and puts Sriracha flavour in places where you want it minus all the liquid. Yes, we put it on popcorn. A lot. But we also sprinkle it on fries, tots, cottage cheese, avocado cubes, hard boiled, scrambled or fried eggs and vegetable sticks. You know what’s more exciting than celery sticks sprinkled with Sriracha Lime Salt? (Okay, maybe it’s just me. I found it terribly exciting.)

…For adults only: a friend of mine enjoyed rimming a tequila glass with a little Sriracha Lime Salt. I’m not brave enough to DRINK tequila like that, but she said it was fabulous and reminded her of a margarita minus the muddling.

I’m just glad I made a big batch. I’m thinking this is going to be outlandishly good sprinkled on roasted turkey and mashed potatoes. Oh yum! And roasted sweet potatoes. Oh my! It’s going to be a very spicy Thanksgiving at our house!

P.S. This makes ahead of time BEAUTIFULLY and stores indefinitely. Filling a jelly jar with Sriracha Lime Salt and tying a pretty label around it with ribbon or rafia makes the perfect hostess gift or frugal Christmas gift for the chile heads in your life. If you accompanied the Sriracha Lime Salt with a copy of “The Sriracha Cookbook”, it’d be better yet!

Sriracha Lime Salt | Make Ahead Mondays

Anywhere Sriracha can go, give Sriracha Salt a try. Sprinkle on popcorn, French fries, tater tots, hard boiled, scrambled or fried eggs, guacamole, avocado cubes, raw or steamed vegetables.

Adapted gently from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens

Ingredients

1 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Instructions

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl using a fork until the mixture is even in colour and moisture.

Spread out the salt on dehydrator sheets or a rimmed baking sheet (if using the oven.) Try to get the salt in as thin a layer as possible.

Dry in a dehydrator at 125°F (if the dehydrator has a temperature selection function, otherwise, just turn it on.) for 2-5 hours (depending on your dehydrator) until the salt is bone dry.

*If you do not have a dehydrator, preheat the oven to 350°F. When the oven has reached full temperature, turn it off, open the door to the oven just long enough to put the baking sheet in the oven and close the door. Let the salt sit in the oven until dry, about 2 to three hours.

If you use a dehydrator sheet, the salt should come up very easily. If you use a baking sheet, the salt will most likely stick to the pan a bit. Don't despair. A metal spatula will pry up all your Sriracha Lime goodness.

Leave as is -it will be chunky- or break up briefly in a blender or mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container indefinitely at room temperature.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/05/sriracha-lime-salt-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup, and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Mondays

September 24, 2012 by Rebecca 5 Comments

It is officially harvest time and officially fall and I am officially so excited about it that I’m about to explode. This is high gear food preservation season for me. I have an ant-and-grasshopper parable complex and I start flying around stuffing things maniacally into jars. My benchmark -and you may have heard me mention it before- is “Would I love to eat this in the middle of winter?” If the answer is yes, I figure out a way to preserve it. Since freezer space is at a premium (I’m saving room for the venison that I’m hoping will fill it), I rely on canning to hang onto that harvest freshness year ’round.

I’ve had to scale back my canning efforts this year due to a busy summer schedule, but this has been a good thing. I’ve had to focus on what we really want to eat, what we want to give as gifts, and what makes me weepy-happy to have on the shelves. Among those are home canned pears. Not just any pears, mind you, but my favourite ginger pears in dark syrup.

Home canned pears are -on their own- some of the best things on earth: tender, sweet, and full of pear-y goodness. When you add just a smidge of the warming power of ginger to those pears, they absolutely sing. Hang on. I need to channel my best internal infomercial hawker.

But wait… There’s MORE. Not only is this one of my favourite things to eat, it’s one of my favourite kinds of recipes; it’s a three-fer! Three recipes for the price of one!

How is this even possible? Oh gosh. It’s so easy, it’s almost criminal. You know how light fleshed fruits brown when cut unless they’re treated with lemon juice, fruit fresh, citric acid solution or somesuch? That little lemony bath that prevents your pears from becoming ugly and brown does double duty. After all the pears soak in it, you leave just a couple in the drink and boil it, then strain. Ta da! A delicate, mild pear juice with a bit of body. And the pears you soaked? You warm them and then pack them in a dark ginger syrup (courtesy of raw or brown sugar) that has been steeping some finely sliced ginger. You pack the extra syrup -because there WILL be some- into other jars and Vi-Oh-Lee! You have pear juice, ginger pears in dark syrup, and ginger pear syrup.

Let’s examine the possibilities, because they’re numerous! Aside from eating the pears straight from the jar, you can bake them in a crisp, eat them on vanilla or pumpkin ice cream, serve with roasted pork, toss into smoothies or winter fruit salad. Yes, you can drink the pear juice as is, but it’s wonderful in party punch or hot toddies, and since it is sweet enough without added sugar, it’s wonderful for the kiddies. “Dark ginger pear syrup?” you say. “What do I do with THAT?” Oh people. Oh my. You drizzle that on ice cream, over apple pie, add a tablespoon or two in apple or pear crisp, use it in mixed drinks, or pour a little over ice then top off with seltzer for -wait for it- GINGER PEAR SODA. Holy moly.

Is there work involved? Yes, but it is worth every second of effort. I even have a tip to share with you on how to get through the pears more easily (although it’s playing it a little Thomas Keller)… After hours upon hours of pear processing over the years, I’m happy to say that I have the method. Here’s how it’s done:

Cut the pear in half. Seriously. Start here before you peel it.
Use a vegetable peeler -not a paring knife- to peel the pear. That way you only pull away the skin and don’t lose any precious pear flesh.
Use the small end of a melon baller to remove the tough core at the base of the pear.
Use the larger end of the melon baller to remove the seed area from the pear.
Repeat.

I can’t wait to hear how you use your Three-In-One Pears. I’ll just wait here slurping them right out of a jar.

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Monday

This recipe requires a little time commitment, but you get three different products for your efforts. You'll find it was more than worth it when you crack open a jar of delicately ginger flavoured tender pears in a dark, caramel-scented ginger syrup, or drizzle some of the extra syrup over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or into a pear crisp, or sip on a glass of chilled pear juice.

Ingredients

For the Dark Ginger Syrup:

4 1/2 cups raw sugar (Can substitute light brown sugar if raw is unavailable.)
6 cups water
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchstick like pieces

For the Ginger Pears:

8 to 12 pounds fresh pears, ripe but firm, plus 6 extra pears (for the juice)

For the Pear Juice:

12 cups fresh, cool water
3/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

To Make the Dark Ginger Syrup and Ginger Pears:

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Follow this link for more detailed instructions on how to do this. You will want 6-8 quart jars and 2-4 pint jars or 4-8 half pint jars and the lids/rings for them.

Combine the raw sugar, sliced ginger and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Add a lid to the pot, turn off the heat and leave on the burner to keep warm and infuse with the ginger flavour. This is the dark ginger syrup.

Combine the juice ingredients in a stainless steel, plastic or glass bowl. Set this near a cutting board on the counter top. It is going to do double duty by preventing discoloration of the pears and then becoming juice.

Working with one pear at a time to prevent browning, cut the pear in half, peel with a vegetable peeler and use a melon baller to remove the tough core and seeds from the pear. Ease it into the lemon water. Repeat until all of your pears are peeled and cored and in the water (including the 6 extra pears.)

Remove the lid from the syrup and place it over medium low heat until steam is coming from it. Gently warm all but 12 of the pear halves in a single layer until heated all the way through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears, cored side down in overlapped layers, leaving between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch of head space (err on the side of more rather than less head space if necessary.) Be sure you've left 12 pear halves in the lemon water.

Use a ladle to pour the hot syrup over the pears (allowing the ginger shreds to pour into the jars, too.) Remove air bubbles from the jars (using a thin, flexible knife or a chopstick and adjust syrup levels if necessary. Wipe rims, center lids on jars, and screw rings into place until fingertip tight.

Pour additional syrup into pint or half pint jars leaving 1/4-inch of head space, wipe the rims, center the lids on the jars, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place those jars in the canner, cover with water, bring to a boil and process the jars for 25 minutes. When the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let them cool undisturbed overnight, then remove the rings, wipe down, label and store.

To Make the Pear Juice:

Transfer the liquid and 12 remaining pear halves to a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let simmer uncovered until the pears are falling apart.

Line a colander that is positioned over a large stockpot with at least two layers of cheese cloth and and use a large measuring cup or ladle to scoop the pear/water mixture into the colander. Let it slowly filter -without pressing it down- until it stops dripping through the cheese cloth. This may take up to two hours.

Place the stockpot over medium high heat and bring it up just to the point where steam is rising from the top- 190°F. Ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch of head space in the jar.

Wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place the jars in the canner, cover with water, add the lid to the canner and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let cool undisturbed overnight. Remove the rings, wipe down and label and store.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/24/two-in-one-pears-canning-ginger-pears-dark-ginger-pear-syrup-and-ginger-pear-juice-make-ahead-monday/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com