Eggnog

December 24th is Eggnog Day

Cheers!

Ice Cream and Violins Day

December 13th is Ice Cream and Violins Day

Cashews

November 22nd is National Cashew Day

Pomegranate

November is National Pomegranate Month

Pumpkin Cheesecake

October 21st is Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

Grab a fork and dig in.

Yorkshire Pudding

Only four ingredients and you have something crispy, gooey and delicious. Well, you have too delicious foods.

One is Yorkshire Pudding. Forever loved by the British. If we could peek into every house on a Sunday we would must likely see Yorkshire Pudding and roast beef.

The second is Popovers. Again four simple ingredients and you have something wonderful. The deference in the two is the beef fat. Yorkshire pudding uses beef drippings and popovers do not. Both are lovely indeed.




Yorkshire Pudding

beef drippings
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

Rub the pan or muffin tins with beef drippings. Mix together eggs, milk and flour. Pour into pan and bake 450 for 20 minutes. Reduce to 350 and bake another 20 minutes.

October 13th is Yorkshire Pudding Day

End of Vegan Week

My vegan challenge is over and I learned much and missed cheese.

My first trip to the store was no too bad. I grabbed some beans, soy yogurt, veggies, fruit and bread. I managed to whip up something for every meal. I later had a hard time buying non-dairy margarine at a big grocery store. I really did not feel or look any different at the end of the week. I was hoping for a glow! I was told a story of a person who went vegan and she glowed.

I am now back to cooking and eating fresh food. And, cheese!

My Vegan Challenge

I am scheduled to give a talk about the vegan diet next week. So, I have decided to give the vegan diet a try for one week. Starting tomorrow no meat, no diary and no animal products. This will certainly be a challenge, but I am up for it. I have plenty of non-dairy creamer for my coffee!

I will update my progress next week.


Vegetarian Awareness Week is the 2nd week in September

Banana Split Cupcakes

I made these adorable cupcakes for a friend's birthday last week. They were a big hit. They got my wheels turning. These little gems have the perfect shape for Santa hats, Christmas trees and party hats. I can hardy wait for another birthday or holiday celebration to bake them again!


National Banana Split Day is August 10th

Oh, Nuts!

It has been a crazy, busy and hot summer. Too hot, to even walk the dog. That is, if I had a dog. But, this weekend hot or not, I am venturing out on a hike and I am grabbing some nuts for the trail.

Nuts are a good source of protein and packed with nutrition. They are perfect for hiking, biking or walking with or without a dog. So, grab some nuts and go outside this summer.


August 3rd is Grab Some Nuts Day

Creme Brulee

Is it possible to improve on a creme brulee? I thought it was worth a try.

What I came up with was a cross between creme brulee and creme anglaise. I had an abundance of half and half on hand. So, I used half and half, instead of cream for the creme brulee. Creme anglaise uses milk. Some how I figured this would work.  My "new" custard was tasty. I guess it should named half brulee?

2 cups half and half
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
hot water for water bath
4 teaspoon sugar

Place half and half and vanilla bean into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and let set for 15 minutes. remove bean.

In a medium bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add the half and half mixture to the egg mixture, stirring continually. Pour into ramekins. Place ramekins in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until set, about 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove from the refrigerator fro a least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar. Sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar on each. Using a torch, melt the sugar to create a crispy top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before eating.

Makes 4 servings

July 27th is National Creme Brulee Day

Sorbet

Nothing hits the spot like chocolate. And, if it's July, it needs to be cold. Very cold. Chocolate Cherry Sorbet is a super easy dessert which fits the bill perfectly.

Chocolate Cherry Sorbet

3/4 cup cherry jam

1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan and stir with a whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Cool to room temperature, cover and chill for 4 hours. Pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Cover and freeze for 1 hour. Enjoy!

July is National Ice Cream Month

Pudding

It is time to think outside of the box. The pudding box. Yes, pudding can be made without a box and is far more superior. The texture of homemade pudding is simply divine.

Chocolate Pudding

1/4 sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and milk. Add eggs, one at a time. Cook the milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and pour through a sieve into to a bowl. Add butter and chocolate and stir until melted. Mix in vanilla. Pour pudding into serving cups or dishes and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Enjoy!

June 26 is Chocolate Pudding Day

Black Cow

Back in 1893, Frank Wisner the owner of a mining company in Cripple Creek, Co and a soda fountain was inspired by the view.

The story goes, that Wisner was gazing at Cow Mountain when the snow-capped mountains inspired him to add ice cream to his root beer instead of cream. You see, up to this point an ice cream soda was made with soda, syrup and cream, not ice cream. The result was the Black Cow Mountain drink. It was soon shortened by the locals to Black Cow.


June 10th is National Black Cow Day

Coconut Macaroons

I have never met a coconut dish I did not like. My short list includes, Pina Colada, coconut ice cream, coconut cake and coconut macaroons.

Coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe. A drupe is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed, like a peach or olive.

Macaroons are light baked confections. The original macaroon was a small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds, similar to Italian amaretti. Most recipes call for whipped egg whites, sugar, nuts or coconut.

Here is a super easy and quick coconut macaroons recipe:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 ½ cups flaked coconut
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and coconut. Stir in the milk and extract using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toasted.


May 31st is Macaroon Day

Homebrewing

May 7th is National Homebrew Day


The Ten Commandments of Homebrewing

1. Always Sanitize.

2. Practice patience, when the recipe says condition in bottle 3 weeks, do it.

3. Take notes.

4. Share your brew.

5. Never turn down a homebrew. Taste, learn and enjoy.

6. Be ready with a blow off hose.

7. Dark beer is good.

8. Save all brown non-twist bottles.

9. Sanitize.

10. Relax and enjoy your homebrew.

Garlic

Allium sativum aka Garlic.

Grown for over 6000 years and native to Central Asia, garlic maybe the king of the kitchen. Garlic is a fundamental ingredient in many cuisines. It is often paired with onion and tomato. In addition to bulb, the flowers and leaves are sometimes eaten.

Outside of the kitchen garlic is claimed to prevent stomach and colon cancer, help to prevent heart disease and regulate blood sugar. It is an antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Health tip - you can alleviate garlic breath by eating fresh parsley. To your health!

April 19 is Garlic Day

Sourdough Bread

There is nothing like cracking open a crusty loaf of bread, that is unless it is sourdough bread. The airy and tangy crumb is pure delight.

Sourdough is the oldest and most original form of leavened bread. All you need is grain, water and air to sit at room temperture. The wild yeast in the air will settle in the mix, eat the natural sugars and convert them into lactic acids which give it a sour flavor. They also give off alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is what will cause the bread to rise.

All this science yields one delicious bread.

April 1 is National Sourdough Bread Day

Paella

The ultimate one-pot dish has to be paella. Rice, onions, red peppers, sausage, chicken and shrimp. All infused with the prized saffron, the queen of spices.

Paella, Valencians' national dish, originated in the country outside the city. It was the farmers who were the first to make this dish over an open fire in a flat pan. The main ingredient, of course, is rice. With many variations throughout Spain, you are sure to find something you enjoy in this dish. Perhaps, you like the rabbit, chicken, mussels or shrimp.

The best part of paella is the sharing. The prepared dish is always placed in the middle of dining table and eaten straight from the pan with a wooden spoon. Comer!

March 27th is National Spanish Paella Day

Blueberry Popovers

What could be better than a popover, with its crisp golden shell and airy middle? A blueberry popover! I typically make savory versions of popovers with cheese or herbs. So, when I saw a blueberry popover recipe I decided to give it a try.

The blueberry popovers did not rise as high as original popovers. Perhaps it was due to the weight of the blueberries. I used one cup of fresh berries. The blueberries were soft, sweet and tart. Dried berries may solve the weight problem, but I am not sure they would be soft and sweet. A future test is worth a try. For now, I will enjoy my fresh blueberry popovers with a ice cold glass of milk.

March 10 is Blueberry Popover Day

Blueberry Popovers

1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 450. Mix milk, extract, butter, salt and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour. Add eggs until just combined. Add cinnamon and blueberries. Spray popover tin with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for 15 minutes longer. Enjoy.

Banana Bread

Why is it that the only time people make banana bread is when they are left with very ripe bananas? It's unfortunate that banana bread is very often an after thought, something you do with brown bananas. Banana bread is so quick and easy, it deserve more attention.

I recently made a delicious and healthy banana bread, which I planned before the bananas went south. The healthy side is due in part to using whole wheat pastry flour. The delicious part is all banana. Go buy some bananas and give it a try.

Banana Bread Day is February 23rd

Banana Bread

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

3 ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 egg white

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add bananas, sour cream and eggs. Mix well. Combine four, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir well. Add the flour to the banana mixture. Stir until well blended. Pour into a 9 inch loaf pan which has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour or until done.

Peppermint Patty

If you love peppermint and dark chocolate, then you must adore peppermint patties. You can thank Henry C. Kessler of The York Cone Company for this love affair.

In 1940, Henry Kessler wanted to expand on the ice cream cones that were made at The York Cone Company and came up with The York Peppermint Patty. The original was firm and crisp and was an immediate hit.

February 11th is Peppermint Patty Day

Irish Coffee

If you are a fan of Irish Coffee, and who isn't, you can thank Daveina Davidson, the head chef at Foynes, County Limerick. Foynes' port was the precursor to Shannon International Airport. The coffee was conceived after a group of American passengers departed from a Pan Pam flying boat on a dreary winter evening in the 1940's. Davina added whiskey to the coffee to warm the passengers. The passengers asked if they were being served Brazilian coffee. Davenina said no, it's Irish coffee.

So, go ahead and warm your bones with an Irish Coffee is winter. Afterwards, you may just want to find an Irishman, and thank him with a big kiss for this very fine drink!

January 25^th is Irish Coffee Day

Irish Coffee

1 ½ oz Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon brown sugar

6 oz hot coffee

heavy cream

Combine whiskey, sugar and coffee. Stir. Add cold cream on top. Do not stir, sip and enjoy.

Hot Toddy

Well, it is cold season and I am sure you have wondered if that hot toddy everyone suggests you drink really work. I guess that depends on who is making it. And, if the alcohol ratio is high enough to knock you out so you can sleep.

Toddy is a drink in India which is produced by fermenting the sap of palm trees. The term may have be introduced into Scotland by a member of the British East India Company.

Either way, it does feel good going down and it just may help you forget about being sick in the first place.

January 11 is Hot Toddy Day