Bloody Mary Bar

Sorry for the absence. I haven't been feeling well. Actually, I've been so sick that I watched a movie with a talking dog who told a poop joke because I couldn't find the remote and the television was oh so far away. However, I am feeling much better today and I wanted to share a fantastic Bloody Mary recipe that might come in handy on New Years Day.

You have probably noticed that peoples taste in Bloody Mary's varies widely. Some people like a thin drink that is little more than tomato juice watered down with some vodka, others like it so thick it's practically a meal in a glass and spicy enough to make you sweat. This is my personal favorite recipe. I like a Bloody Mary that is thick and spicy, loaded with garlic, horseradish, black pepper, citrus and such a wide array of accompaniments that it is virtually impossible to fit them all into your glass.

I want the option of turning a Bloody Mary into a meal. When I make these for a New Years Day brunch, I set out long skewers next to pretty glasses filled with whatever accompaniments I'm serving. You know the adage, the more the merrier. Olives (plain and blue cheese stuffed), pickled okra, cubes of cheese, celery, chunks of meat such as salami and shrimp for those of you who eat meat and/or fish, large cubes of toasted bread, pickled asparagus, scallions, cucumber sticks, lime wedges. Whatever you can dream up really.

I like approximately 3 parts Bloody Mary mix to 1 part vodka. Ice is essential. Bloody Mary's like lots and lots of ice. Definitely take that into consideration when you make these.



Thick and Spicy Bloody Mary's
makes about 10 servings

5 cups plain tomato juice or hot and spicy V-8 *
Juice of 3 large lemons
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
3/4 - 1 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
about 1 3/4 cups unflavored vodka

Thoroughly combine all of the ingredients, I whisk mine. Pour over ice, squeeze a lime wedge on top and sprinkle with celery salt and fresh ground black pepper.
If you wanted to do a little something extra, you could run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and dip the rim in a bit of celery salt prior to filling your glasses of course.

*I always made this with plain tomato juice, until one day, at the request of my spice loving father, I made it with hot and spicy V-8. I loved it and now I usually make it that way. It's much thicker and spicier.

May you have a wonderful new year filled with peace, love, happiness, good health and great food. I look forward to spending 2010 with you.

Eggnog

Eggnog is one of the flavors that signal the holidays. Every time I have a cup I'm reminded of decorating our tree, making an endless amount of cookies, wrapping presents, waiting for snow... Eggnog practically screams Christmas.

There are 2 main styles of eggnog, uncooked and cooked. I prefer the cooked, not for any health reasons (although that is a plus) but because I find the uncooked version with beaten egg whites too frothy, too much like a Tom and Jerry and too high maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tom and Jerry's - a lot- but I like my Tom and Jerry's to be frothy and my eggnog to be creamy. (Tom and Jerry recipe coming soon)

When I make Eggnog it is usually for a crowd so I want a drink that I can simply set out. No last minute preparations, no beating and folding, just take out of the refrigerator and serve. That said, I will occasionally fold in softly whipped cream to thicken the eggnog up a bit, but it isn't necessary. Also, I like to serve my eggnog and liquor separately. I like a very stiff eggnog, I've been told some people do not. This way, everyone can make their drinks to their liking and any kids can enjoy it alcohol free.
However, I read somewhere that if you combine the eggnog and alcohol and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, the alcohol taste will mellow. I'm going to have to give that a try, it might be worth making a "grown-up" batch and a kid batch.



Eggnog
10 servings

2 cups cream
3 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean -or- 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
10 egg yolks
fresh grated nutmeg

Combine the cream, 2 cups of the milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in 1/2 lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla bean seeds to the sauce pan. (If you are using vanilla extract you'll add it later) Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Turn off the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture thickens and lightens in color a bit. Whisking constantly, slowly add about 1/3 of the cream mixture to the yolks to temper them (this will prevent curdling).

Add the egg yolk mixture to the sauce pan. Over a low heat, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon (when you drag your finger across the back of the spoon, the line remains) about 10 minutes.

Strain the eggnog into a bowl or pitcher. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk, if you are using vanilla extract add that now. If you want to add the alcohol to let it mellow, add it now. Put in the refrigerator to cool, at least 3 hours.

If you would like, you can softly whip 1 cup of heavy cream and fold that in to the eggnog right before you serve it.
Serve with Brandy* to taste and a generous amount of fresh grated nutmeg.


*Some people like a combination of rum and brandy, some people like bourbon or a combination of the three. I like pure Brandy. Play around and see what you like.

Orange, Beet and Pomegranate Salad with Feta

Last night I was going through my overflowing "recipes to try" file and I came across an orange, beet and pomegranate dish. They sounded like the perfect ingredients to add to a winter salad and coincidentally, I had just roasted some beets. I love when that happens!
This is a very pretty salad loaded with big, bright flavors. If you don't like feta, I imagine goat cheese would also be good or you could just leave the cheese out.




Orange, Beet and Pomegranate Salad with Feta

4 medium beets
2 medium oranges
1/2 of the seeds from a large pomegranate
1/2 small red onion coarsely chopped
1/2 head of Romain lettuce
5 ounces of feta crumbled or cut into desired size
chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Juice from 1/2 orange
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup walnut oil (or olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste


Place beets in a pan with about 3 tablespoons of water and a sprinkling of salt. Cover the pan with foil and roast beets in a 400 oven until they are just tender, about 50 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off with you fingers. Cut into bite sized pieces.

For the oranges you have 2 options, you can cut the skins off removing all of the white pith, then slice the oranges 1/2 inch thick and cut the slices into quarters or you can peel the orange, separate the segments and cut the segments into thirds. (this is what I did since I already had roasted beets and was in a hurry)

After you coarsely chop the onions you can place them in a bowl of cold water for a minute or two. This takes away some of the harsh raw onion flavor. If you do this, drain the onions before using and give them a squeeze in a towel.

For the vinaigrette, combine orange juice, rice vinegar, walnut (or olive) oil, and generously season with salt and pepper.

Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces, top with beets, oranges, pomegranate seeds, onions, and feta. Pour vinaigrette on top and toss together. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts if you're using them.

Family Reunion Menu and Peanut - Red Chile BBQ Sauce

This past weekend I decided to get some family together for a reunion. It had been a decade or longer since I had the pleasure of their company. It was wonderful seeing all of them again but it felt a bit like a tornado of people. We hardly had a chance to say "Hello, how have things been? How did we let over 10 YEARS pass?!" before they were off.

I was pretty nervous about this party so I decide to keep the menu simple. Almost everything I made was from Bobby Flay's Messa Grill Cookbook (NOT my own recipes GASP!). I have made quite of few recipes from this book and so far they have all been very good to excellent.
For those of you who have been asking for cookbook recommendations put this one on the list.

I made roasted garlic and poblano pretzel sticks, deviled eggs, guacamole, wild mushroom quesadillas with red chile jack cheese, Yucatan chicken skewers with red cabbage slaw and peanut red chile BBQ sauce, and Sophie's salad which is a chopped salad with beans and cheese. (For those of you who read my last post - I debated on not making anything with meat but I knew they were almost all meat eaters...I told you, I'm not good at following implied rules)

Here is an adapted version of Bobby Flay's peanut red chile BBQ sauce. He uses chicken broth and Messa Grill BBQ sauce which is also in the Messa Grill Cookbook. I only had this off of a spoon but it was so good I contemplated eating the spoon itself. I imagine this would be good not only on chicken but on tofu, veggies, it's so good it would probably make anything delicious!


Peanut-Red Chile BBQ Sauce (adapted from Bobby Flay's Messa Grill Cookbook)

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger*
1 1/3 cup Chipotle Honey BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger and cook until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the BBQ sauce and the veggie broth. Cook stirring occasionally until reduced by half.
Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in the peanut butter and the soy sauce. Cook stirring occasionally until thickened about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
You can make this a couple of days ahead of time and reheat it before serving.

*An easy way to peel ginger is to simply scrape the skin off with a spoon.

To Eat or Not to Eat... Meat

I feel like I need to come clean about something...I no longer eat meat. This isn't completely new. I was more or less a vegetarian for over 15 years, I started craving meat when I was pregnant which is when I started eating it again, that was 5 years ago. I can't do it anymore. There are a multitude of reasons for this. It's environmentally unsound. Absolutely disgusting things are done to the meat in order to add weight to it. The animals are kept in horrific, inhumane conditions... I can't ignore the facts any more which for me means I can no longer eat meat. It no longer seems like food to me.

I am not a fan of labels, they seem to imply rules which quite frankly I've never been good at following. However, I can't deny the fact that I'm a vegetarian. Since this is a food blog, I'll be documenting my semi new food adventures here.

I hope that even you meat eaters stick with me. Even though I am no longer eating meat, I still have a meat loving family to feed. My goal is to make meals that they will enjoy. Not meals of meat replacements but food so good the thought of meat not being part of it doesn't even cross your mind. How's that for setting the bar high?!

For those of you interested in learning more about our food supply I highly recommend reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan. They are fantastic thought provoking books that if nothing else will make you more aware of the food you eat.

Cranberry Sauce

I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures. I always like to see the end product of a recipe and I'm sure I'm not alone. I seem to have misplaced my camera. Hopefully it will turn up soon!
Anyway...on to cranberry sauce -
I'm pretty sure the only reason I ever ate turkey was so I could use it to put large quantities of cranberry sauce on. I love homemade cranberry sauce. It's easy enough for my kids to make which is great because they are very eager to contribute to our Thanksgiving dinner this year.
I've made so many different types of cranberry sauces over the years, my favorite additions probably being cardamom and ginger. But for Thanksgiving I try to keep it simple. There are already so many flavors at the meal. I've found that a traditional, simple cranberry sauce is best.
This way you're adding a nice bright flavor without being overwhelming.


Cranberry Sauce
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
pinch of salt

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add orange zest and salt.
You can make the cranberry sauce up to a week ahead of time.

Creme Fraiche and Creme Fraiche Biscuits

I just remembered I need to make my creme fraiche now so it is ready in time for Thanksgiving. I am going to be using it to make these really good biscuits.
I love creme fraiche, it's something I try to have on hand. It's great with potatoes, with fish or chicken, in salad dressing, as a base for dip, with vegetables, as a finishing touch for soups, sweetened and served with fruit... you can almost always use it in place of sour cream. It adds a nice subtle tanginess. Oh and it is ridiculously easy to make.


Creme Fraiche
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk

In a glass jar, add cream and butter cream. close jar and shake gently to combine. Let it sit in a warm spot for 12 - 24 hours. It should be thicker than cream, thinner than sour cream. Refrigerate until needed.

It will get thicker and more delicious as it sits. I try to make it 3 days before I'll be using it. I've heard it will keep for 2 weeks or more but I've never had any around that long.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

I call these "holiday potatoes" because they are ridiculously rich and indulgent, the kind of food I eat only once in a great while, usually on the holidays. Unless of course my brother is in town. He inevitably requests that I make these for him. They are delicious, worth every gram of fat, calorie and carbohydrate!

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (approximately)
2 tablespoons table salt
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
cream as needed

Place the potato chunks into a large pot, cover with enough water to come 2 inches above.
Add the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Drain the water from the pot. Add the cream cheese and butter, mash the potatoes until there are no lumps. Stir in the sour cream. Add cream until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Chiffonnade Brussles Sprouts

I'm one of those strange people who have always loved Brussels Sprouts. My grandmother would always serve them on Thanksgiving, and while it was a dish I'm sure many of my family would have been happy to see go, it wouldn't have felt like Thanksgiving without them. Take the turkey, but please don't touch the Brussels sprouts! Grandma would boil them, usually until they were overcooked which is a tradition I am happy to see go :)

I was determined to make everyone love them as much as I did which meant finding a new way to cook them. I came across shredded Brussels sprouts on a menu of a restaurant that sadly, is now long gone. They served their sprouts sauteed with shredded Parmesan. I've opted to leave the Parmesan out and roast them.

The Brussels sprouts are not really chiffonnade, but they give that appearance when they are thinly sliced across their width and, well, it sounds better than sliced Brussels sprouts.



Chiffonnade Brussels Sprouts
3 pounds Brussels sprouts, the tough outer leaves removed
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
coarse salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400.
Thinly slice across the width of the Brussels sprouts discarding the stump. (Alternatively you can use a food processor, make sure to remove the stump first.)
Toss the sprouts with the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place on a large baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.



I like to let these roast until some of the sprouts get dark and crispy. It's a matter of preference, this is even good raw!
This is an excellent dish for people who think they don't like Brussels sprouts I've converted many people with this recipe. Confession, I'm also one of the annoying people that more or less forces you to try something even after you tell me you don't like it, convinced that you simply haven't had it prepared like this or if you have it wasn't done well or maybe your tastes have changed. (If I've done that to you, I'm sorry. I would like to say I won't do it again but that is probably not true.)

If you have any leftover which I never do (I've even made extra hoping for leftovers!) you can toss the roasted Brussels sprouts with pasta and a little Parmesan. So simple and so good!

Honey and Thyme Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables with Spinach

I love the sweetness of roasted vegetables. The fact that they are healthy is just an added bonus. This makes a wonderful side dish, but I've also had it over couscous and it was a delicious, healthy, satisfying meal.

1 pound Carrots
1 pound Celery Root
1 pound Turnips
1 pound Parsnips
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 pounds Baby Spinach
fresh Lemon juice to taste

Heat oven to 400. Cut all of the vegetables except for the spinach into a thick julienne.
In a bowl combine olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Add carrots, celery root, turnips and parsnips and toss to coat the veggies. Place the veggies on 2 large baking sheets and cover with foil. Roast about 25 minutes until the veggies are tender then remove foil and roast until they are glazed about 10 more minutes.

In a large pan, saute the spinach and a bit of salt until the spinach is just starting to wilt. Add fresh lemon juice to taste. Plate the spinach and top with the roasted veggies.

Canberry Apple Oatmeal with Walnuts

I don't give my kids dry cereal. I don't think it's a healthy way to start the day. I know there are "healthy" cereals out there, but I prefer to give them something else, something more substantial. Because of this I'm constantly looking for quick healthy alternatives.
The other morning we were running late, I was trying to throw breakfast together really quick so I reached for oatmeal. I usually make my oatmeal with milk or soy milk because I really don't like the taste of it when it's made with water. I was out of milk. Actually I was out of pretty much everything but I did have fresh apple cider. I also had a bag of fresh cranberries on hand.
They turned out to be a delicious additions to oat meal, which lets face it can be quite boring. Not only are my kids eating healthy oat meal, but they are getting cranberries which are loaded with antioxidants.

Cranberry Apple Oatmeal with Walnuts
(makes 4 servings)

2 cups oats
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup walnut pieces

In a large pot add oats, cider, water, cranberries and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the berries start to break up. Stir in cinnamon and walnuts. Serve with honey.
If you like your oatmeal even sweeter, you can add more cider in place of the water.

I've made a single serving of this for myself and it turns out really well (just use 1/4 of all the ingredients).

I've also made this in the microwave which I think I prefer. The berries break up more, just make sure you use a large bowl because it boils up. It took about 10 minutes in my microwave...no stirring needed.

Curried Butternut Squash soup with lemon

Once the weather gets chilly I seem to develop a constant craving for soup. This particular soup is one of my favorites. I have a bit of an obsession with squash, so I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.
An immersion blender really simplifies the process but if you don't have one, a food processor or a blender would work as well.
The curry in this soup is subtle and the lemon adds a nice bright note. This soup is a perfect example of how little needs to be done to good, in season produce. I used Butternut squash
because that is what I happened to have on hand but you could certainly use another variety.



















1 small butternut squash
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons curry
2 cups good tasting vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt to taste

Cut squash in half. Place cut side up on a baking sheet, rub the surface with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast at 400 until it is soft to the touch, about 45 minutes - 1 hour. Let it sit until it is cool enough to handle. Scrape out the seeds and discard them. Scrape the flesh out of the skin and set aside, you should have about 2 cups.

In a hot pan add a little olive oil. Add onion and saute until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and curry, saute for another minute or two. Add squash and broth or water. Simmer for a few minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in a blender/food processor. If you would like the soup thicker, simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice, salt to taste.

Surprise! Alaskan King Crab!

My other half came home with a wonderful surprise for me, a 6 1/2 pound ALASKAN KING CRAB!!! He certainly knows the way to my heart.
This is not a normal event at my house. He is much more likely to come home with a bag of something processed than a treasure from the sea. We're also not usually so indulgent. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. I've never prepared crab. Actually I've only eaten it a handful of times.
What to do with all that sweet meat...I tend to like good ingredients prepared as simply as possible so I decided to steam the legs, eat it with a little lemon and clarified butter and ponder the fate of the remaining meat.

After doing a little research, I learned that crab is almost always cooked and frozen on the boat! All that is really needed is to reheat it.
Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot,reduce to a simmer, added the legs and steamed them for 4 to 5 minutes. Who knew something this delicious was also this fast and simple!

We tried a couple different ways of cracking the shell. It was not an easy task due to the spikes. First I tried a nut cracker, but it didn't work too well. I ended up using the prong of a fork to break through the shell. My fork ended up a little bent, but it was undoubtedly worth it!

Caraway crusted Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Apple picking is one of my favorite autumn activities. I love being out in the crisp air, scented by the sweet apples. I love how easy apple picking is. It goes by relatively quick, so it is a good activity for young kids. Often horses and/or tractors are involved which is always a hit with the younger crowd. What I really love is that it signals the arrival of fall, my absolute favorite time of year.

Don't get me wrong I love all the seasons, the warm lazy days of summer, the magic of winter, the freshness of spring, but fall seems to be the most exciting.

Any day now the leaves will show their true colors amazing us all, no matter how many falls we've witnessed. I am now free to use my oven without worrying about warming up my house, Halloween is right around the corner, and soon my family and friends will fill my home for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Apple picking signals the beginning of this all.






It is easy to go overboard when you're picking apples. I'm always trying to come up with ways to use the abundance of fruit we undoubtedly bring home. Certain things make annual appearances, apple butter, apple dutch baby, apple pie and my personal favorite, caraway crusted pork tenderloin with apples, onions and cheddar cheese mashed potatoes.

Caraway Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 Tablespoons country style dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons whole caraway seeds
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large apple (such as Figi or Honeycrisp) peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup butter cut into pieces
coarse kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Salt and pepper the pork. Using an oven friendly pan, on the stove, add a little oil, once the oil is hot, add the pork tenderloin and sear on all sides.
Remove the pork and add the apples and onions to the pan.
Brush the dijon onto all sides of the pork and coat with the caraway seeds.
Place the pork on top of the apple and onion mixture and put in the oven for 12 minutes.
Turn pork over, add the wine and roast for another 10-12 minutes.
Remove pork from oven, place on a cutting board and cover to keep warm. Add butter to the apple mixture and return the pan to the oven. After 15 minutes, cut the pork into slices, remove apple mixture from the oven. arrange pork slices on top of the apple and onions, serve with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes.

Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
hot whole milk
salt

Peel potatoes and cut into even size pieces.
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover so water comes about 2 inches above the potatoes.
Bring to a boil then add a generous amount of salt (about 2 tablespoons).
Boil until potatoes are tender and give no resistance when poked with a fork. (depending on the size of your potatoes about 20 minutes.)
Drain the potatoes, add butter and mash with a masher until there are no lumps. Add Cheddar and mix in. Add enough hot milk to get the desired consistency. Add salt if necessary.

10 minute Black Bean Soup

This weekend my family, friends and I are walking in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraiser. After the walk we are all coming to my house for chili and games. I haven't even begun to get anything ready.
The deadline for my Cigar Press article and recipe is Monday, and I have a serious case of writers block.
My daughter came home with a cold and about an hour later my youngest son woke up from his nap with a cold.
I don't have time for dinner tonight... With 3 young kids, that's not really an option so I looked in the cabinet and threw together black bean soup. It was literally done in 10 minutes, and it is really tasty. My daughter Lola has declared it her favorite. Success.

In a food processor chop
1 onion
2 carrots
Throw into a hot pot with a little oil and saute for a couple minutes

In the food processor finely chop
1 jalapeno (with or with out seeds)
3 garlic cloves
Add to pot with 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cumin and saute until fragrant, about 1 min

Add and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (with the liquid)
2 14 oz cans black beans
2 -3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup orange juice
salt to taste

Smash some of the black beans to thicken the soup a little

Top each serving with a generous amount of chopped cilantro, diced avocado, crumbled feta (unless your making it vegan) and a bit of fresh lime juice.