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French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

March 1, 2013 by 7 Comments

Roasted Asparagus Tuna and Egg Sandwich

We observe meatless Fridays through Lent. And while that should sound like no biggie, it’s surprisingly difficult for a meat-lovin’ family like ours to commit to one day a week sans meat even if we allow ourselves fish, which we do. For someone who spent nearly seven years as a vegetarian, I’m shockingly lacking in the creativity department when I’ve made a rule for myself.

That’s not to say that vegetarian and seafood dishes don’t ding my chimes. In fact, I kind of obsess over mushroom dishes and seafood on Pinterest. It’s really the rule that trips me up because I deliberately avoid food restrictions in my life. It makes me stop and consider why I have such a hard time giving up things for one little day a week but I think that’s good for me. Isn’t that the point of observing Lent, after all?

Last year, I saw a Spring Sandwich on TheKitchn that sounded like the perfect Lenten Fridays dish, and I pinned it like a good girl then forgot I had pinned it.

I’m good like that.

A bell went off in my little brain when I admired the bundles of super-thin asparagus at Aldi last week. I grabbed a couple bundles there, then a handful of fresh dill and a Parmesan peppercorn baguette at Wegman’s and congratulated myself all the way home on being clever enough to remember it.

At home, I decided to toast my crusty bread because as much as I love bread, I love it even better when it’s toasted. And here’s the thing, I had decided I wanted to put some olive oil packed tuna on this sandwich to really pile the protein on there and keep my meat-lovin’ tummy satisfied. It seemed like a good idea, so I opened the can of tuna and drizzled a little of the flavour-packed olive oil over the cut bread and brushed it around before toasting it. I’m pretty sure that was the best decision I had made in at least a week… It infused the bread with just a hint of  tuna and crisped the surface beautifully and gave it an undeniably French touch. I’m going to repeat that again and again.

I roasted the asparagus because honestly, asparagus just can’t taste better than that.

Roasted Asparagus from Foodie with Family

I smeared some of my best grainy mustard on the toasted bread, piled the tender salt-and-pepper asparagus spears on top, flaked the tuna over the asparagus, laid on slices of hardboiled eggs, sprinkled coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper and added a few sprigs of fresh dill before laying that other fabulous piece of toasted baguette over all.

It took a little work eating the sandwich, what with having such a delicate little mouth and all (she says as two whole cookies fall out of her maw) but I managed. It was glorious, I tell you. I ate the entire thing by myself before assembling more for the guys.

It’s my new go-to Lenten recipe… Granted, there are members of the no-visible-veg contingent who feel compelled to pull the asparagus from their sandwiches, but that’s okay by me because I hoover the tender little spears from their plate before they hit the sink.

No asparagus left behind.

I’m curious… do you observe Lent? If so, how do you do it? Meat-free Fridays? Meat-free Fridays and Wednesdays? If you do, what are your favourite recipes for those days? Do you give up something else or have certain activities?

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French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

Rating: 51

Yield: 1 large sandwich or 2 smaller ones

Serving Size: 1/2 of a large sandwich or 1 individual sandwich

French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

This French style sandwich is one of the best ways to fill up without weighing down on your meat-free days: toasted baguette with grainy Dijon mustard, tender roasted asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, olive-oil packed tuna, fresh dill, coarse salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with a nice glass of wine and you have a feast!

It can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving.

Inspired by and with thanks to TheKitchn

Ingredients

  • 1 crusty baguette or 2 crusty rolls
  • 20 thin asparagus spears
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 can olive-oil packed tuna
  • grainy Dijon mustard
  • 2 fresh hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thickly
  • coarse salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh dill

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim any tough ends from the asparagus spears. Place the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange them in a single layer and roast for 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick the spears are and how tender you'd like the asparagus to be.

Turn on the broiler in your oven. Cut the baguette or crusty rolls in half and brush them with some of the oil from the oil packed tuna. Place 4-5 inches under the broiler, watching carefully, until golden brown. Do not walk away while this is toasting or you will have charcoal!

When the bread is cool enough to handle, spread all surfaces with the grainy mustard and arrange the roasted asparagus over it. Flake the tuna over the asparagus and follow with the slices of hard-boiled egg, a sprinkling of coarse salt and cracked black pepper and some sprigs of fresh dill before adding the final piece of bread.

Compress lightly with your hands and eat immediately or wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before eating.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/01/roasted-asparagus-tuna-and-hardboiled-egg-sandwiches-lenten-friday-recipes/

Filed Under: Fish, Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Homemade Feta Cheese | Make Ahead Mondays

January 7, 2013 by 44 Comments

Perfect Homemade Feta Cheese

I have been promising to bring you my homemade feta cheese recipe for a while (Ahem, probably a couple of years. Eek.) Today is finally the day. You may be wondering why I bother making feta cheese from scratch. The answer-as is often the case-  is that homemade tastes great and because I can. I am, after all, the daughter of a man who feels driven to walk laps around the house outside in blizzards when authorities warn that you shouldn’t go out unless you have to do so.

There’s an enormous satisfaction in doing something that seems just undo-able, isn’t there? Not only does homemade feta taste incredible, but it delivers a pioneer, up-by-my-bootstraps joy that a store-bought version just can’t give no matter how wonderful it is.

…But there’s another reason to take the plunge and it’s a doozy. For the cost of three gallons of milk (it can be pasteurized/homogenized or raw, cow or goat milk) and about a dollars worth of other stuff, you get a massive amount of feta cheese. As in a gallon jar of brined feta cheese. If you’re fearful of trying your hand at cheese making, just think of it this way; the risk is about twelve dollars worth of materials (depending on milk cost near you) versus a potential payoff of about forty dollars worth of cheese and an enormous ego boost. If it -bumbum BUM!!!!!- goes wrong, you can feed the errant cheese to dogs, cats, pigs, etc… They’ll be happy.

I’m going to get right into it because even if I’m being succinct, this post is going to be long on account of the how-to photos… There’s no getting around it. Some important notes:

  • Stay calm! Cheesemaking is not supposed to be stressful. It may seem complicated, but it isn’t. Just go one step at a time and you’ll get there.
  • Don’t get freaked out by the length of time it takes to make this. Much of the time is hands-off time. Another warning for those who haven’t made cheese or fermented something before; it gets a little, um, pungent smelling at times. Keep a-going. Don’t worry! Remember that cheese making is essentially controlling how fast and in what way milk ‘goes bad’. If it goes bad the right way it’s delicious!
  • The only special equipment you really need to pull this off is a large stainless steel or other non-reactive pot, a heat source, a long knife or off-set spatula, a colander, something from whence to hang the cheese and butter muslin (extra, super, mega fine cheesecloth.)  Do not confuse this with the “fine” cheesecloth you get in the grocery store or hardware store. It’s confusing terminology, but that stuff is so not fine. Just look for something called butter muslin and you’ll be fine. Finer than cheesecloth. Sorry. You can get it here. (Note: This is an affiliate link.)

 

  • You can opt to use raw OR pasteurized/homogenized milk. It can be cow milk or goat milk. Any of those choices will be delicious.
  • Goat milk is naturally more tangy, so if you use cow milk, you may want to consider adding a bit of lipase powder. Lipase is an enzyme that naturally occurs in higher amounts in goat milk. If you want cow milk feta to have that bite that is found in feta, lipase powder is your answer. You can get it via my beloved Amazon.com should you wish to. (Note: This is an affiliate link.)

  • As far as specialty ingredients go, the lipase is optional, but rennet and mesophilic culture are not optional. Again? You can turn to Amazon.com (Affiliate Links.)

 

Whatever you do, don’t think Junket Rennet will do the job. It simply won’t. That’s for custard making. My preferred cheesemaking rennet is made from animal sources:

But there is a perfectly acceptable and delicious vegetarian option…

  • Finally, I suggest you start the process around lunch time. This gives you the time needed to do the Day One portion of the recipe before too late in the day.

homemade feta 7

 

Just think what you’d do with a gallon jar full of fabulous feta cheese. You can go nuts with feta! On pizzas, spanakopita, this tempting salad from my friend, a baked potato, in soup, in omelets, with olives and bread, IN bread, and in just about any recipe that calls for cheese. Where would you use your wealth of feta?

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Homemade Feta Cheese | Make Ahead Mondays

Homemade Feta Cheese | Make Ahead Mondays

What do you get when you combine three gallons of milk, a little know-how and some time? A big batch of homemade feta cheese that tastes incredible and gives you major bragging rights. Don't fear the cheesemaking!

Method gently adapted from and with thanks to Fias Co Farm Please visit her site for great feta cheese trouble shooting and other pointers.

Ingredients

    For the Cheese:
  • 3 gallons fresh raw or pasteurized and homogenized goat or cow milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon Mesophilic culture (see link in post for source)
  • 1/4 teaspoon lipase powder if using cow milk (Omit for vegetarian cheese. Lipase is animal derived.)
  • 1 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet (or 1/2 teaspoon double strength liquid OR 3/4 of a vegetarian rennet tablet crushed) dissolved in 1/2 cup of cool, UNCHLORINATED water.
  • kosher salt (no substitute)
    • For the Brine:
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt (no substitute)
  • 1 gallon cool, UNCHLORINATED water

Instructions

To Make the Cheese:

Sterilize all of your equipment with boiling water before beginning (including the cheesecloth.)

In a very large, non-reactive pot, bring all of the milk up to 86°F.-88°F. Add the mesophilic culture and the lipase powder, if you are using it. Stir well with an up and down motion, cover the pot and let rest for one hour. Try to maintain the 86°F temperature. If you have trouble with that, you can set your large pot inside a larger pot with an inch of hot water in the bottom of it. This should help regulate the temperature more gently than firing up a burner directly beneath the milk. The goal is to avoid rapid temperature changes.*See notes.

After 1 hour, add the dissolved rennet to the milk and stir vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Remove the spoon from the pot, cover it, and let it stand undisturbed for 30-40 minutes or until the curd 'breaks' cleanly when you insert the tip of a knife and lift as shown below.

Cut a 1/2-inch grid pattern into the curd. Don't get perfectionist here, you'll get frustrated. The curd likes to move while you try to cut it, so just do your best.

After you have the grid pattern, hold the knife at a 45° angle and retrace the cuts you've already made. This is going to make MOST of the curd in the pot into roughly 1/2-inch pieces.

The ones that didn't get cut that small will break up later in the process. DO NOT STIR THE CURD YET.

Let the curd rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir gently, breaking up any larger pieces you missed with the knife. Again, don't sweat this too much... Just try to have most pieces in the neighborhood of 1/2 an inch.

Keep the curd at 86°F to 88°F for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time to keep the curd from sticking to itself. You'll notice the curd getting slightly firmer and smaller. This is because as you stir it and hold it at this temperature it releases more whey.

Dampen your butter muslin/cheesecloth and use it to line a large colander. I usually position the colander over another large stockpot because I like to save the whey for baking.

Carefully and gently ladle the curds and whey into the lined colander.

When all the curds are in the colander, draw all 4 corners of the cheesecloth together to form a bag and tie in a sturdy knot. Hang the bag over the sink or a bowl or pot so it can drain freely.

Let the cheese drain at room temperature for 3-4 hours, carefully lower the bag into the colander and untie the bag. At this point, the cheese will be smooth on the bottom and spiky on top.

Flip the curd over so the spikes are at the bottom, retie and rehang the bag. Let it drain for 24 hours.

Here is where you're going to notice a certain stank coming from the vicinity of your cheese. That's okay. It means you're on the right track. Don't back down!

After 24 hours, lower the cheese, untie the bag and put the curd onto a sterilized cutting board. Cut it into blocks. I usually aim for pieces that are about the size of a deck of cards but about 2 inches thick.

Generously sprinkle all of the surfaces of the cut cheese with kosher salt then load the cheese into a sterilized, large, food-safe container with a tightly fitting lid.

Let the cheese rest at room temperature (DO NOT REFRIGERATE even though it is counterintuitive.) for 2 to 3 days so that it can continue releasing whey and hardening up. This will help it store longer.

To Prepare the Brine and Store the Cheese:

Pour the whey the cheese has released into a sterilized large, food-safe container with a tightly fitting lid. Arrange the cheese blocks in it.

Add the gallon of water and 1/2 cup of kosher salt to a non-reactive pot. Stir well over medium heat until the salt is completely dissolved. Let the brine come to room temperature before pouring it over the cheese. Put the lid in place tightly on the container and store the cheese in the refrigerator.

Let the cheese age at least two weeks before eating. It is good for up to a year as long as it is kept submerged in the brine and refrigerated. It will continue to get stronger in taste as it ages.

Notes

*If your room temperature is too cool and you are having trouble maintaining the temperature of the milk, you can either set the pot inside a larger pot with an inch or two of hot water in the bottom. When the temperature of the milk starts dropping, you can turn the burner on under the larger pot and the hot water will help gently raise the temperature of the milk in the inside pot. The goal is to avoid rapid temperature changes with can affect the culture at work in the milk as well as risk scorching. Scorched cheese is blechy.

Another option -and my preferred one- is to set the pot on top of a warm but not hot heating pad. This is my go-to procedure during cooler months when I have to wear a sweat-a to make feta.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/07/homemade-feta-cheese-make-ahead-mondays/

 

 

Filed Under: Rebecca, Recipes 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: , , , , ,

Jerk Chicken Bites with Rum Glazed Pineapple

December 1, 2012 by 10 Comments

As a participant in the Captain Morgan’s Spice Up the Holidays Contest, I was charged with -among other things- developing three recipes (a cocktail, an appetizer, and a dessert) featuring either Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum or their Black Spiced Rum to serve at a party. My first recipe was the Dark & Stormy Orchard; an appley twist on the classic combination of dark rum and ginger beer. When it came time to make an appetizer, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. This girl wanted jerk chicken. I’m assuming most of you are familiar with jerk chicken whether or not you’ve tried it. This Jamaican spa treatment for chicken is a total flavour explosion. If you’ve not had or heard of it, let me assure you that it doesn’t involve finding a badly behaved bird, although if you’re so inclined, I have a really foul (fowl pun alert) tempered rooster I’d volunteer for the job.

Jerk seasoning is a complex tasting combination of spices and aromatics. There are both dry-rubs and wet marinades, but both usually have a mixture of green onions, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, thyme and habanero peppers. The wet marinade usually adds vinegar, lime juice and rum to the mix . I prefer the punch of flavour that goes all the way through the meat with wet marinades. Dry jerk seasonings and wet marinades can usually be purchased in the store, but I prefer mixing my own because I can control every single nuance of spice that goes into it. I like my jerk seasoning heavy on onion and a little lighter on allspice and nutmeg than is usually found in dry mixes. And since I also prefer a wet marinade, my blender makes quick work of making the marinade.

In my first Spice Up the Holidays post, I asked for your best entertaining tips. Wow! You all are GOOD! The decor is what was daunting me the most, being the sort of girl who piles rocks she collects on her table, puts reading glasses and a hat on her bust of Beethoven and calls it good enough. You guys made it sound less frightful, so thank you! I do believe I’m going to have a gorgeous table.

Also sharing tips was our judge for the contest, Chef Spike Mendelsohn himself. Yes, I got to chat up Spike! I did it from my freezing van in the parking lot at the church where I was about to teach cooking class. The point was this, Spike had some fabulous ideas to share with me. He said that aside from dancing on the tables, he liked to liven parties up by making them interactive. He likes to ask his guests to bring a dish to share and have everyone get involved while at his house. Conversation can’t help but be easy when you’re all working together to produce a meal you’ll share. You’re an angel, Spike. Thank you!

Jerk Chicken Bites are the perfect party appetizer because they can be done entirely ahead of time (minus the garnish) leaving you more time to mingle with your guests. You can have these out to nibble while you’re all putting your meal together. Nothing sparks hunger like being around food, so if you’re going to put your friends to work with you, it’d be awfully nice for you to take the edge off. They’re good hot, warm and room temperature, but I doubt they’ll last long enough to get much cooler than warm.

The recipe can be doubled or tripled easily and yields a large amount for a small cost. I chose to cook mine on the grill in a more traditional approach, but if you don’t have (or don’t like using) a grill, you can cook the chicken under the broiler or in a frying pan on the stove top. The stove top yields a pretty splattery mess on the stove top but a moister final product.

If you’re invited to a holiday party this season and asked to bring a dish to pass, I guarantee you’ll get more oohs and aahs than you know what to do if you show up with a plate full of this. No parties? No problem, make yourself a plate, eat ‘em in your yoga pants and congratulate yourself on not having to go anywhere. Either way, you win big.

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Jerk Chicken Bites with Rum Glazed Pineapple

Jerk Chicken Bites with Rum Glazed Pineapple

This simple but stunning appetizer of juicy, spicy, Jerk Chicken Bites is topped with grilled, caramelized Rum Glazed Pineapple. This gorgeous dish will be a hit for any party and is easily scaled up to feed more.

Ingredients

    For the Jerk Chicken::
  • Tops to an entire bunch of green onions (from 6-10 onions)
  • 1 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 whole habaneros or jalapenos (for less heat), stems removed but seeds left intact
  • ½ cup malt or cider vinegar
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)
  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 2 teaspoons ground or grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground or cracked black pepper
  • 1 1/2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • For the Rum Glazed Pineapple:
  • 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices in juice, juice drained but reserved
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon ginger beer or ginger ale
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • zest of 1 lime
  • olive oil
  • salt
    • Optional for Garnish:
  • Fresh pomegranate arils
  • chopped cilantro or parsley

Instructions

To Marinate the Jerk Chicken Bites:

Add all ingredients EXCEPT the chicken thighs to a blender and blend until mostly smooth. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and add to a resealable zipper top bag. Pour over the chicken in the bag. Squeeze as much air out as you can and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.

To Cook the Jerk Chicken Bites:
On a gas or charcoal grill:

Soak a handful of wooden skewers in warm water for 30 minutes while preparing the grill and chicken.

Heat a gas grill on HIGH or build a hot bed of coals to one side in a charcoal grill. Thread the chicken onto the skewers taking care not to crowd them. Grill them over direct heat on an oiled grill for 3- 4 minutes before turning them. Flip them sooner if they're cooking too quickly. Cook on the second side for 3-4 minutes. Continue cooking and turning, trying to get colour all over the chicken as long as necessary to cook through to 165°F internally, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a clean plate and let rest while preparing the pineapple.

Under a Broiler:

Soak a handful of wooden skewers in warm water for 30 minutes while preparing the broiler pan and chicken. Lightly spray a broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray. Thread the chicken onto skewers, taking care not to crowd them. Line them up on the broiler pan and cook 5 inches under the broiler, for about 6 minutes per side or until chicken cubes measure 165°F internally.

On a Stove Top:

Add just enough canola or olive oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick pan. Drain as much marinade off of the chicken as possible. Cook the chicken over medium high heat, flipping frequently, for 6-8 minutes or until has taken on colour all over and measures 165°F internally. Take care as the oil will spatter because of the marinade.

To Make the Rum Glazed Pineapple:

Pour the pineapple juice from the can into a saucepan. Add the brown sugar, rum, jalapeño, and cider vinegar to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ginger beer or ginger ale. Whisk this into the simmering juice mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest.

Brush the pineapple slices with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Space them on the hot grill (or on a hot, oiled grill pan). Flip them when they have grill marks on the first side. Brush with the glaze and let it cook on the second side until that too has grill marks. Flip the pineapple again and brush generously with more glaze. When the first side has caramelized a bit (has some small blackened areas and is sticky to the touch) flip it and caramelize the second side. When that side is also sticky to the touch, transfer the pineapple slices to a cutting board, cut into pieces that are roughly equal to the size of your jerk chicken bites. You can save the additional glaze to use as a dip at the table, if you wish!

To Put the Bites Together:

Remove the chicken from the skewers (if they were used.) Skewer one piece of Rum Glazed Pineapple on top of each Jerk Chicken Bites with a toothpick. Arrange them on a platter and sprinkle, if desired, with pomegranate arils and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/01/jerk-chicken-bites-with-rum-glazed-pineapple/

Remember my big old rummy dessert is coming next week. You REALLY don’t want to miss it. Trust me. Oh, trust me. And also, please remember to check out my fellow contestants gorgeous offerings!

 

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: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Peppermint Mocha or Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

November 29, 2012 by 231 Comments

Update: The Pick Giveaway Winner plug-in chose Pamela and Miranda as the winners. Congratulations, ladies! Please respond to the email I just send to you with your mailing addresses and details and I will send it onto our friends at Korin.com!

I promised a Peppermint Mocha to end all Peppermint Mochas today and I am a girl of my word. I also promised a giveaway, and that’s coming up, too, but first a word or two about the ne plus ultra of mochas.

This was inspired by my poor friend who went to a place that rhymes with Flickschmonalds and ordered a seasonal Peppermint Mocha because it sounded cozy and warm and Christmasy. She left with the impression of having consumed a cup of coffee laced with vinegar and sugar immediately after brushing her teeth. I knew I could do better for my friend.

And I did.

Oh. I diddlydiddid.

Flickschmonalds, Blartucks, and Punkin’ Gonuts have nothing on my Peppermint Mocha. It screams CHRISTMAS, and WINTER, and CUDDLY, yes, but it also screams I’M AFFORDABLE ENOUGH TO DRINK EVERY DAY. …though given the quantity of half and half in it, it may not be a well-advised decision. Mmmm. Half and half.

My word people. If I carry on like this there’s gonna be trouble in the fitting-into-my-pants realm. These taste so darned good that I don’t really care, though. On the plus side, there is some coffee in it (which turns me into MRS. HYPER which is why I keep TYPING IN CAPS. Somebody stop me.) which is supposed to boost your metabolism. So there. And also, can someone come scrape me off of the ceiling where I’ve been parked since beginning working on this recipe?

It’s not enough just to have the half and half, AND the Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce AND the coffee AND a thick cap of whipped cream. I sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes and use a chocolate covered peppermint stick as a swizzle stick. Apparently I have a thing for swizzle sticks these days.

Drive right past that drive-through window and straight to the store to buy your ingredients. I use Bogdon’s Chocolatey Candy Sticks for the job, but use whatever little peppermint sticks you can find. If it’s coated with chocolate? Well, buy two boxes -no- buy four. Those little puppies are seasonal and Peppermint Mochas are good all winter long!

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Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Try this ultra decadent, rich, creamy Peppermint Mocha for a wintery treat. There simply isn't anything better to have on Christmas morning than this frothy treat!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
  • 6 ounces half and half (Whole milk can be substituted for a less decadent mocha)
  • 1 shot of espresso or 2 ounces double-strength brewed coffee (omit coffee if you're making a Hot Chocolate.)
  • whipped cream
  • 2 peppermint sticks (or 2 small candy canes), divided

Instructions

Brew the espresso into a standard sized mug (or pour the still-hot double-strength coffee into your mug.) Omit the espresso or coffee if you're making a Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Heat the hot fudge sauce and Half and Half together in a canning jar in the microwave or a small saucepan until steaming hot. Use a small whisk or a milk frother to vigorously combine the two until the hot fudge sauce is thoroughly melted into the mixture and it is slightly frothy. Pour it over the espresso or double-strength coffee in the mug. Dollop a generous amount of whipped cream on top of the drink. Crush one of the peppermint sticks or candy canes and sprinkle over the whipped cream. Use the remaining peppermint stick or candy cane to gently stir the drink and leave it in place as garnish.

Enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/29/peppermint-mocha-or-hot-chocolate-and-a-giveaway/

Now for the giveaway! Do you see that gorgeous mug that’s holding the decadent mocha? Korin.com -one of my favourite online kitchen wares retailers- sent those Mugtails to me about a month ago. They have scarcely had an empty moment since. They’re so charming and so sweet and so pretty I haven’t wanted to put them on the shelf. The mugs are a beautiful stark white and the fawn and squirrel impressions in the mug are slightly thinner than the rest of the mug. When held up to the light, it comes through the shapes slightly. If you were to drop a tea light into the mugs, they’d be stunning!

For those of you who -like me- are mug crazy, these are the sort you wrap your hands around. The tail on the fawn mug is obviously not designed as a method to hold the mug. The squirrel mug’s bushy tail is perfect for holding the mug, but you can still cup your hands around it if that’s your preference.

Korin.com has kindly offered to give away one of the Fawn Mugtails (pictured above: ARV $16) and one of these adorable Squirrel Mugtails (ARV: $16).

 

The Fawn Mugtail is a standard sized mug that holds a generous mocha or tall cup of coffee while the Squirrel Mugtail is more of a demi-tasse, espresso sized cup. You’d still have room for a goodly cap of whipped cream in the squirrel cup if that dings your chimes… Just imagine these beautiful cups for holiday entertaining! How do you win? I’m glad you asked! Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry method you use so they’re all counted!

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment here telling me which of the two mugs you’d prefer and tell me what you’d use to fill the mug!

Optional Entries:

You have until 9 a.m. EST on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 to enter! Winners will be announced here sometime on Monday. Good luck, everyone!

Disclosure: Korin Knives provided mugs for me to review and is giving two mugs away, but I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are mine alone!

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