Cookbookaholic

Homemade Syrups: The Recipes

When De Wafelbakkers Frozen Pancakes recently came into my life, it was a great way to have hot scrumptious pancakes in a flash. So fast, in fact, that it made me think long and hard about the syrup I put on them.

Many years ago, I remember watching an episode of the Canadian chef Pasquale when he made a homemade syrup. Since the weather has turned cold, I thought that perhaps my De Wafelbakkers deserved something a little more inventive than store-bought syrup?

Cut to me buying a bottle of the Trop50 Farmstand Apple juice. It’s supposed to be lighter in calories but the only thing I could think of was, “Wow—this could use a s^&*load of sugar!” And then the lightbulb went off over my head…I made two syrups and took them to the De Wafelbakkers Pancake Breakfast at the station. So here they are!

Apple Cinnamon Syrup 

2 Cups granulated sugar

1 Cup Trop50 Farmstand Apple juice

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine the sugar and apple juice in a medium pot over medium heat. Boil together for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to low. Let simmer and thicken for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat completely and then stir in the cinnamon. This makes a lighter syrup where you can really taste the apple flavor. My kids preferred this one on their pancakes.

 

Apple Cinnamon Syrup #2

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 Cup light brown sugar

1 Cup Trop50 Farmstand Apple juice

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tblsp. salted butter

Combine the two sugars and apple juice in a medium pot over medium heat. Boil together for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to low. Let simmer and thicken for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat completely and then stir in the butter and cinnamon. This makes for a darker, richer tasting syrup with a slight apple flavor. Very popular at the pancake breakfast at work.

Right before the Holidays, I found these cute little Ball jars packaged in a four-pack at Target. I picked up a pack and included the homemade syrup in the gift bags we give to the hubby’s family for Christmas.

Christmas Morning Casserole: The Recipe

Apparently, lots of people do a casserole of eggs, bread, cheese and sausage for a Christmas morning breakfast. Growing up, I only remember a filling breakfast of chocolate and pistachios. Yummmmm…breakfast of champions.

Last year, I decided to tinker with a few versions of the recipe and came up with this one. The most significant difference is with the bread base. I actually use English muffins (toasted if I feel froggy) instead of the usual sliced bread. 

Here’s the recipe. If you try it on Christmas morning, I hope you enjoy it.

Christmas Morning Casserole

Ingredients

1 pkg sausage patties, browned and crumbled

3 English muffins, split (toasted optional)

6 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of hot sauce

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, brown sausage patties and crumble them into small pieces. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. (I use the large, oval Corning Ware baking dish.) Line the bottom of the dish with the split English muffins. Add the crumbled sausage on top.

Next, mix the beaten eggs with the milk, add in salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour the egg mixture on top of the English muffins and sausage. Top with the grated cheese.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. As the eggs cook, they will puff up and rise significantly in the dish.

I like my dish a little on the brown and crunchy side, so I let it cook a little longer at 30 minutes.

It’s very filling and includes all your usual breakfast staples: eggs, cheese, sausage and bread. Plus, once the sausage is done—the oven does all the work! I like to have this as an option for grazing throughout Christmas morning. Sure, pancakes or waffles with syrup might also be around, but I like to have something like this on hand to keep me from overdoing the sugar. Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings you lots of good stuff!

 

Inspired Chicken Soup

Remember a few months back when I got to see Sandra Lee at the Southern Women’s Show? She made a few dishes up on stage and I was really intrigued by the quick chicken soup. Now that the weather has turned towards the chilly, it was definitely time to try out my own version!

Chicken and Broccoli Rice Soup 

2 32oz. containers of chicken broth

1 package Knorr Rice Sides “Chicken Broccoli”

1 (10 ½ oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 ½ oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 package frozen chopped broccoli

1 rotisserie chicken, breast meat chopped & cubed

Salt and pepper to taste 

In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, chicken broccoli rice mix and both cans of soup. Heat over medium heat until the broth and soup are combined. Add in the rice mix and frozen chopped broccoli and increase heat to medium-high until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat, add in the rotisserie chicken pieces and continue to heat for another 10-15 minutes. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

Hubby had three bowls of this soup...so I guess he liked it.

 

Tasty Tombstone Treats!

I wondered if this idea would work—I’m no Martha Stewart, but the trial and error process is always fun with chocolate! Keep in mind, this was just fun experimentation—but I’m hoping I can perfect these Tasty Tombstone Treats in time for Halloween.

From my local grocery store, I picked up the store brand versions of fudge-covered sugar wafer, fudge-covered graham crackers, a chocolate bar, white cookie icing and black decorating gel.

Separating the fudge-covered graham crackers was tough! Most of them were stuck together and didn’t give me too many “pretty” ones to work with. To decorate the tombstone and make it spooky, I used white ready-made Betty Crocker Cookie Icing and black decorating gel. I placed them on a cookie sheet and started to pipe out “RIP,” ghost shapes and skulls with the icing. Take this knowledge from my experiments and only use a thin layer! If the icing is too thick (and hasn’t set) the icing slides and ruins the design when you stand them up. I learned the hard way to use a thin layer AND put them in the fridge to firm/harden up the icing.

Next, I melted about half of a Hershey bar in a makeshift double boiler. I knew I needed something to “glue” the base and tombstone together. I chose the melted Hershey bar because I thought it would harden enough to keep the two pieces together—and hold the tombstone upright.

Then, I took the fudge-covered graham cracker tombstones and “glued” them to the fudge-covered sugar wafer tombstone bases. As a nice bonus, the Hershey bar dries the same color as the fudge covered base and tombstone! Nice…

 

Here are some of the “better” ones…I’m hoping to improve with some more practice. I think using real confectioner’s sugar icing would be better for the  “RIP” or piping out someone’s name on the cookie tombstone. The cookie icing is just too runny for piping out text on such a small area. I did like how the cookie icing made the basic ghost and skull designs all slick and shiny. Just got to keep workin' my piping skillz…

A Little Inspiration

Between the Sandra Lee magazine and the Lukas Volger veggie cornburgers, I got some awesome inspiration to snazz up my Broccoli Bread recipe. Everyone (especially Mr. Colin) just loved the veggie corn burgers with the sun-dried tomatoes, corn meal and green onions. Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade magazine (Sept/Oct issue) has a recipe for “Cornbread Skillet Focaccia” which also combined sun-dried tomatoes and cornbread mix. I think a little experimentation is on the menu.

Sun-Dried Tomato Cornbread 

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 med onion, diced

6 oz. cottage cheese

½ cup butter, melted

1 tsp salt

4 eggs, beaten well

1 box prepared cornbread/muffin mix

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix all ingredients, adding the cornmeal mix last. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top springs back. Do not overbake. Serve hot! (If you’re using a glass baking dish, be sure to add on an extra 10 – 15 minutes to the total baking time.)

I have already expressed my love for sun-dried tomatoes. I prefer the ones packed in oil. You can find them under the H.T. Trader label at Harris Teeter. I’ve also been lucky enough to find an equally great brand called Christopher Ranch at Food Lion.

Also, I usually split this recipe into two smaller 9 x 7 pans. I’ve found that we tend to snack on the cornbread and none would be left for dinner. If I bake two pans, odds are good that I can hide one and have it ready to go when the food is served! By the way, I tried this on a night where we had meatloaf and it was awesome. The sun-dried tomatoes give the buttery cornbread an addictive twist! Our two pans were gone in no time flat! 

 

Blueberry Tart: The Recipe

This summer, I've spent a lot of time searching for a really good blueberry pie recipe. I still have a few more versions to try, but after coming across a cherry tart recipe in a recent edition of The Charlotte Observer, I wanted to try my hand at a Blueberry Tart. (Plus, I snagged a 10 ½  two-piece tart pan for $1.50 at a thrift store on Hilton Head Island and I wanted to give it a whirl.)

 

In two of my recent Blueberry Pie experiments, lemon has been a surprisingly great ingredient. There's something about a little bit of lemon that really sets blueberries soaring. Plus, I've notice that blackberries will get paired up blueberries as well. Personally, I can't take the texture of the small seeds crunching up against the soft berry (and in between my teeth) but I loved the depth that the blackberry flavor adds to the blueberries. So I combined a graham cracker crust with a light but lemony cream cheese filling and fresh plump blueberries with a seedless blackberry jam.

 

The result is an addictive summertime explosion of flavors. In fact, I've almost forgotten about wanting to do a blueberry pie…...almost. 

 

Blueberry Tart

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tbls sugar

10 tbls butter, melted

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ tsp fresh lemon zest/rind

1 carton fresh plump blueberries, rinsed and picked through

½  cup seedless blackberry jam

Graham Cracker Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tbls sugar (rounded tbls!)

10 tbls butter, melted

 

Mix the ingredients together. The crumbs will absorb the butter and look darker, but will be easy to form to the greased tart pan. (I use the Crisco spray with flour for cake/pie pans for ease). Place on an inverted round pizza pan to keep the bottom level. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool before adding the next filling layer.

 

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling:

 

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ tsp fresh lemon zest/rind

 

In a mixer, cream the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar. Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest.

 

Spread the lemon cream cheese mixture in an even but thin layer onto the cooled graham cracker crust.

Top with the carton of blueberries that have been rinsed and picked over. Remember to look for the biggest, roundest blueberries you can find. The larger ones are usually the sweetest with the smaller berries containing a sharper, tarter flavor.

 

In a small saucepan, warm half a cup of seedless blackberry jam over a low heat until it is in liquid form. With a silicone basting brush, spread the liquid jam over the blueberries coating them with a glistening dark blue topcoat.

 

Return the completed blueberry tart to the refrigerator and allow to completely cool.

 

When you go to release the tart from the two-piece pan, use an inverted bowl that will hold the interior round plate in place. A slight tug on opposite sides and the mold form falls away to reveal the golden elegant folds of the graham cracker crust. I think Duncan was surprised and amused when I was successful on my first attempt.

Serve in thin wedges.

 

Fourth of July Fluff: The Recipe

Who doesn’t love a patriotic themed dessert during their July 4^th cookout? Me? I’m allergic to strawberries, so that kinda limits me on the obvious red fruit options. This year, I decided to augment one of my favorites, Blueberry Angel Fluff, into a more holiday appropriate red, white and blue dessert.

 

This is a great summertime dessert when you’d like a light but still sweet dessert. It makes an awesome platform to show off the sweet luscious berries that are in season right now. I’ve put cherry into the spot that usually calls for the blueberry pie filling and it does a super great job. But, by all means, if you love strawberries, then feel free to substitute fresh, juicy ones into the “red” section in place of the pie filling.

Fourth of July Fluff

 

1 angel food cake, cut or torn into chunky cubes

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 can cherry pie filling

1 carton fresh blueberries, rinsed and stems removed

3 bananas, sliced

In a mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Remove bowl from the mixer. Fold in the whipped topping and then add the angel food cake cubes.

Refrigerate mixture for two hours. As the cake cubes are covered and absorb the cream cheese-whipped topping mixture, they will condense and reduce in size.

 

After two hours, remove from refrigerator and place half the fluffy mixture into a serving dish or trifle bowl and spread evenly in the bottom. Use the can of cherry pie filling and spread over the bottom layer.

Then add the rest of the fluffy cake mixture and top with sliced bananas and the fresh blueberries.

From the side, you get this awesome red/white/blue effect. It’s a great dessert and I hope you give it a try this weekend! Enjoy!!

      

Meatballs: The Recipe

Ever wake up one morning and say to yourself, “I wish I had a really good meatball recipe.” Okay….maybe that’s just me. Well, anyway, I also wish I could rely on the packaged meatballs in the freezer section at the grocery store. But my old nemesis, gristle, seems to keep showing up every three meatballs or so. Ugh!!!

The problem with most meatballs, aside from gristle, is the size. In Pino Luongo’s La Mia Cucina Toscana he characterizes them as “oversized, tasteless meatballs drowning in ‘red sauce.’” And he’s right. I want the meatball to be an active part of my meal not just sitting there like a giant hunk of meat with no flavor. Stop taking up real estate on my plate and make me excited to have you for dinner!

Oh, and can I just say right now, stop it with “I got this recipe from a friend who got it from a friend who ate dinner at an Italian restaurant in Schenectady where ‘they say’ an old woman named Mama Leone once had a canoli." People, please, everybody's got a freakin' Mama Leone connection.

First things first, don’t use breadcrumbs. Listen to my friend, Janet, who strongly suggested we use day-old Italian bread. (She’s from NY and her Mama Leone connection could beat up my Mama Leone connection with no problems.) Dip a thick slice into whole milk, squeeze it out and chop into small pieces. (Use the rest of the loaf to make garlic bread.) Also, I used one of those long grater/zesters for the parmesean cheese. It grated the cheese into thin, light flakes, which blended really well and incorporated an amazing flavor. 

Meatballs 

1 lb. Lean beef

1 lb. Lean pork

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

½ cup parmesean cheese wedge, freshly grated

1 large egg

2 tsp sea salt, for seasoning meats

½ tsp black pepper, for seasoning meats

½ cup Italian bread, day old (dipped in milk, squeezed out and chopped) 

¼ cup whole milk, for bread

1/3 cup olive oil, for frying

Put the salt and pepper directly onto the meats to season and then combine the rest of the ingredients. Don’t overmix because that will toughen the meat.

Measure out each meatball with an ice cream scoop and then form into balls with the palms of your hands. Keep each meatball to about 1 inch in diameter. This makes about 36+ meatballs. Place them on a plate and let them firm up in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

In a large skillet/fryer, heat up the olive oil and place the meatballs. Let them brown, turning them to cook all over and then remove them from the oil after 10 minutes. Add them to your favorite marinara sauce to finish cooking.

In Italian Slow and Savory by Joyce Goldstein, she suggests braising the meatballs “directly in the tomato sauce for a more tender texture.” That’s Sardinian style apparently. I did split the batch and prepared some this way. You don’t have to mess with the hot splattering oil. Just place the raw meatball in the sauce and let it cook for 45 minutes. Honestly, there wasn’t much of a difference although I did notice a smoother, almost creamier cheesier taste to the meatball.

As with most Italian dishes, these taste great the first night but reach unbelievable heights of awesomeness the next day. Enjoy!!!

p.s. I would have had this post up two weeks ago but I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients in the bowl. Better late than never…sorry.   

 

Hurricane Angela: The Recipe

In college, I spent a semester studying in New Orleans and had a blast! To me, no drink—excuse me, “beverage” says New Orleans quite like the Hurricane. It’s sweet and smooth but very, very strong—so you really only need one to get the party started. Since Mardi Gras is right around the corner, I wanted to find a Hurricane recipe to call my own.

If you’re lucky, you can find a powder mix that has the Pat O’Brien (the bar not the sports commentator) seal of approval on it. Here’s what the packaging and the drink looks like. Its super sweet, in fact, almost syrupy sweet. Equal parts rum and mixer and you’re in business.

 

 

 

If you can’t find this mix, then the recipes you find online all seem to have passion fruit juice as the secret “must have” ingredient. Apparently, Goya makes it? I had a lot of trouble finding straight up passion fruit juice, so here’s what I was able to devise:

 

 

Hurricane Angela

4 oz. Myers’s Rum Original Dark

2 tbls grenadine

¼ lime

4 oz. Trader Joe’s Heart of Darkness Mango/Passion Fruit Blend juice

Orange slice, for garnish

Cherry with stem, for garnish 

If you have a cocktail shaker, then awesome for you. I don’t, so here’s how I put it together. In a large glass filled with lots of ice, squeeze juice of ¼ lime over the ice. Add in rest of ingredients and mix together well. Garnish glass with a slice of orange and a cherry.

 

 

All recipes agreed on including rum. Most wanted 4 ounces—which is a lot. Some called for the full 4 oz. with Myers’s Original Dark. That’s my preference—it stays sweet. Some called for a blend of 2 oz. Myers’s Original Dark and 2 oz Myers’s light rum. By using the light rum, you really add in that distinctive lighter fluid taste that gives the drink a real fire. No matter what blend of booze you choose, please drink responsibly. I’d like to have you come back and read my blog! 

Buffalo Chicken Dip: The Recipe

A few years ago, we visited with our friends Gregg and Donna up in Lynchburg, Virginia. Donna served up this awesome Buffalo Chicken Dip and shared the recipe with me. I’ve made it for every “Big Game” menu since. (Lock your doors because Sportscaster Jim Szoke is a HUGE fan of this stuff!) So thank you Donna for sharing the recipe with me!

  

Remember, you can adjust the amount of hot sauce to suit your taste. Believe it or not, I actually use the full amount.

 
Buffalo Chicken Dip 

1 8oz block of cream cheese

½ cup bleu cheese dressing (ranch can be substituted)

1 cup (or more) of finely chopped cooked chicken

¼ - ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (what’s your heat tolerance?)

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (or favorite white cheese)

salt & pepper to taste

 

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (for topping)

 

Heat the block of cream cheese and bleu cheese dressing in microwave for about one minute or, until the mixture is easy to stir. Add in the chicken, hot sauce, white cheese and salt/pepper. Blend together ingredients. (It’ll look more like pimento cheese quite honestly.)

 
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. I like to use a larger dish (or spilt into two smaller dishes) and have a thinner spread of the dip. Top with the grated cheddar cheese and place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheddar topping is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately. Be sure to use chips that are more sturdy for this dip. The regular tortilla chip isn’t manly enough for this dip. Or, if you’re like me, I like to burn the cheese topping until it’s good and brown. For that, we like to use the thicker Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips. If you want to pretend that celery sticks will make this more healthy, then, by all means, knock yourself out.

The taste is an awesome tangy, ooey, gooey, cheesey goodness. The cheese and dressing really subdue the bite of the hot sauce into a kind of creamy tanginess. It’s quite addictive, so watch out!!