Happy New Year!

My blog assistant and I would like to wish everyone a "Happy New Year" and the best for 2015.  Thank you for following my food blog and We'll see you next Tuesday after the holidays.  We have some good information and tasty recipes planned for the coming year.  So please share the link on your FB page for us.  Thank you.

Homemade Tom & Jerry Punch

Homemade Tom & Jerry Punch

(10 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2 large Fresh Eggs, separated & room temperature

2/3 cup Sugar

4 tsp. Blackstrap Rum (see note)

3/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Ground Allspice

pinch Cream of Tartar

2 cups Cognac

5 tbsp. Rum

3cups Hot Milk

3 cups Hot Water

as needed Freshly Grated Cinnamon & Nutmeg, for garnish

Directions:

We need to first make the batter.  For this place the egg yolks, sugar, rum, cinnamon and allspice in a medium bowl.  Whisk the mixture until lightened in color and fluffy.  Set aside.  In another medium bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar.  Beat to stiff peaks using an electric mixer.  Fold half of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just combined.  Add the remaining beaten egg whites and fold in until just combined and no white steaks remain.  When ready to make and serve punch, place batter in a 3 quart punch bowl.  Carefully pour in the Cognac and rum and stir gently to combine (do not deflate the batter).  Next, slowly pour in milk and water.  Again stirring gently to combine.  Garnish punch with the cinnamon and nutmeg and serve.

Note:               If you can’t find Blackstrap Rum, then

                        just use dark rum.

Note:               If you want to make these by the drink, then do the following.  For one drink, pour 1½ oz. of batter in a heated mug.  To this add 1½ oz. of Cognac and a fourth oz. of rum.  Gently combine and then add 2 oz. of hot milk and 2 oz. of hot water.  Stir this gently and garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Homemade Eggnog with Alcohol

Homemade Eggnog with Alcohol

(2 quarts)

 

Ingredients:

6 large Fresh Eggs

1 cup Sugar

½ tsp. Vanilla

¼ tsp. Ground Nutmeg (see note)

2 cups Heavy Cream

2 cups Milk
3/4 cup Brandy
1/3 cup Bourbon (see note)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat eggs on medium speed with an electric mixer until very frothy.  Gradually add the sugar, vanilla and nutmeg as you continue beating until well mixed.  Now using a rubber spatula, stir in the heavy cream, milk, brandy and bourbon.  Refrigerate the mixture until ready to serve.  Then top each serving with a little nutmeg and a cinnamon stick (optional).  Best to keep mixture cold by returning to refrigerator or putting on ice.

Note:               It also helps to have all the ingredients chilled before starting the making of the recipe.

Note:               You could use Dark Rum in place of the bourbon.  The alcohol can vary to your own personal tastes.

Note:               Ground nutmeg works in this recipe but it is better if you can grate fresh nutmeg for both in and on this drink.

Note:               Lastly, if you don’t use alcohol, just omit it from the recipe.  If you still want a little hit of it, use a small amount of rum flavoring.  It is alcohol free.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Traditional Holiday Drinks

Christmas Office Party with Blog Assistant

Just wanted to show everyone a photo from our office "Holiday" party.  As you can see, my stocking is full.  My blog assistant is having a great time in the stocking too.  I hope your blessings are as great as mine during this beautiful season of the year.

Holiday season in December and the starting of a new year bring on a desire for that perfect beverage.  There are many great drinks or punches for this time of year.  The winter weather (northern hemisphere) helps in narrowing that drink down too.

This week I have two staples to try this season.  The first is for a classic "Eggnog" drink.  The recipe tomorrow has alcohol in it but it is as satisfying a drink even without it.  The recipe does make the eggnog from scratch.  But there is nothing wrong with using a store purchased container from the dairy isle.

Brandy and bourbon are the two alcoholic beverages used in the recipe.  But each to their own as rum and Irish cream work well too.  Do a little experimenting to see what combination (or single item) treats your taste buds best.  Just be sure not to be driving anywhere after the experimenting.

Thursday's recipe is for a traditional "Tom & Jerry" which is a warm beverage.  I believe it originated in the Midwest (USA).  If not, it became a very popular drink in the Midwest.  This drink combines Cognac and rum to give it a kick.

I've chosen to make both of these recipes as a large mixture instead of as an individual drink.  They could be made as individual drinks but that just pulls someone away from the party to be constantly working the bar.  It makes for a better party to let guests pour their own from pitchers or warm dispensers.

Thursday is Christmas (a holiday I celebrate) and my wish to everyone checking out my food blog is a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" to all.  I am grateful for your support and will continue to try and provide helpful information and great tasting recipes for you to try.

As I will be doing some celebrating this coming week, there will be no blog posts next week.  My posts will start again on January 6, 2015.  Until then, "Happy Cooking" and please help spread my food blog to others.

Stuffed French Toast (Peaches & Cream)

Stuffed French Toast (Peaches & Cream)

(4 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 loaf French Bread

6 tbsp. Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 (oz.) package Frozen Sliced Peaches, thawed

1 cup Brown Sugar

½ cup Pure Maple Syrup

4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

8 large Fresh Eggs

2 cups Milk

2 tsp. Vanilla

As needed Ground Cinnamon

As needed Powdered Sugar

As needed Pure Maple Syrup (for topping)

Directions:

Make this the night before needing it for breakfast.  Slice loaf of bread in 1-inch slices to get 8 pieces.  Divide the cream cheese and spread on 4 of the slices.  Next divide the peaches to cover the cream cheese.  Top the 4 finished slices with remaining slices and set aside.  Combine brown sugar, syrup and butter in a small bowl and then spread over bottom of 9x13 baking dish.  In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk and vanilla with a whisk.  Take finished cheese/peach sandwiches and dip in this batter.  Place the dipped sandwiches in the 9x13 dish.  Pour remaining egg mixture over the sandwiches and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, place covered baking dish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking for about another 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve immediately after sprinkling each with powdered sugar.  Have pure maple syrup available for topping.

Note:               You could use fresh ripe peaches in season.  May want to try other fruit either frozen or fresh in this dish too.  Sliced strawberries would be good.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Bacon Waffles

Bacon Waffles

(5 waffles)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Salt

4 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tbsp. Sugar

2 large Fresh Eggs

1½ cups Warm Milk

1/3 cup Bacon Grease (see note)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 lb. Cooked Bacon, chopped (see note)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, bacon grease and vanilla.  Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and combine.  Don’t over mix.  Using a Belgium Waffle Maker, per-heat according to product directions.  Spray waffle plates with can spray and fill with a heavy half cup of batter.  Continue according the product directions for cooking.  Remove and repeat until you have used all of the batter.  Heat oven to 200 degrees and use to hold waffles as you continue cooking them.

Note:               Use the bacon grease you get from cooking the bacon needed for this recipe.  If you come up a little short on amount, use melted butter to get full measurement needed.

Note:               To cook bacon, place slices on a sheet pan/rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper between pan and bacon.  Place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until you get desired doneness.  Remove bacon from pan to a paper towel covered plate or platter.  Pour off bacon grease to use in waffle recipe.  The parchment paper helps on clean-up of pan but does absorb some of the grease.  You could put bacon on a rack in the pan and then get more bacon grease out of the process.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Breakfast Treats for the Holidays

The holidays are as much about food as they are gifts to give and receive.  I've always been a fan of "Breakfast" and/or "Brunch" foods served anytime of the day.  The evening meal is probably the best time because you're not in as much of a hurry as you are in the morning.  This has been mentioned by me several times before in my cookbook and on this food blog.

I'm mentioning it again because at this time of the year many of us go home to family or have family come home to us.  It's that end of December holidays and New Year celebrating that brings us all together.

Well, having a crowd around that you may not see often enough makes you want to do or offer something special.  Which brings us back to food.  Where better to catch-up and converse but at the dining table.  So let's make a few dishes that are not your everyday foods.  Or maybe just jacked-up a little more than usual.

If you have a waffle maker, I have a tasty treat for you to try on the guests.  Since just about everyone loves bacon, I have "Bacon Waffles" that will be fondly remember in future get-togethers.  This recipe will be on Wednesday's post.

Another breakfast dish everyone likes is French Toast.  Thursday's post will take it up a notch with "Stuffed French Toast (Peaches & Cream)" recipe.  You can use frozen peaches if fresh ones are not is season.  Either way it will be a big hit for you.

Both of these recipes are great with just syrup.  But if you are going to make such fabulous food, please make sure you use "Real" 100% Maple Syrup.  Don't use the cheap stuff.  Also, take the time to heat the syrup a little.  Warm syrup on waffles or French toast is hard to beat.

If you are one that makes jellies or jams (or receives them this time of year), you might want to put some out on the table.  Any flavor of a homemade jelly or jam will go well with both dishes.

Be sure to check the "Recipe Tabs" above to find other terrific breakfast/brunch recipes to serve family and friends this holiday season.  "Happy Cooking" until next week and "Best Wishes" to everyone for this holiday season.

Royal Icing

Royal Icing

(2 cups)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1½ tbsp. Meringue Powder

¼ tsp. Cream of Tarter

¼ cup Warm Water

½ tsp. Vanilla
as needed Food Coloring (see note)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar, meringue powder and cream of tartar.  Add the warm water and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.  More to high speed and continue for 7 to 10 minutes or until icing is very stiff.  Use immediately or cover with damp paper towel and then tightly cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate up to 2 days but stir before using.

Note:               It's up to you to pick colors you desire 
                        to use when frosting the cut-out cookies.
                        My suggestion is to divide the frosting 
                        into bowls equaling the number of colors
                        you plan to use decorating the cookies.
                        Do this just before turning up the mixer
                        speed to high.  Remember to cover
                        frosting you have finished with a wet
                        paper towel until you are ready to use. 
                        I like using 3 colors when doing
                        Christmas cookies, red, green and leaving
                        one white.

Note:               This makes a very hard icing for cookies.  If you want to make it more of a glaze, add additional water about a ½ tsp. at a time.  Do this until you reach a thick spoonable consistency.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Sugar Cookie for Cut-outs

Sugar Cookie for Cut-outs

(3-4 dozen – depends on thickness & cut-outs used)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup Unsalted Butter, very soft

¾ cup Sugar

1 large Fresh Egg

½ tsp. Vanilla

2½ cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

¼ tsp. Salt

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Now add the egg and vanilla and continue to cream together.  In a separate bowl combine flour, soda and salt and whisk together.  To the butter mixture, add the flour a fourth at a time using an electric mixer on low to medium-low until flour is combined.  Increase speed to high and mix until well incorporated.  Flour a counter top and place cookie dough on it.  Form into a ball and press down to flatten to about a half inch thickness.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll out to a thickness of a quarter inch to three-eight inch.  Depends on your desired thickness of the cookie.  Use your favorite cut-out forms on the dough and place pieces on a parchment paper lined cookie tray.  Put in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes depending on your oven.  Remove to a wire rack of wax paper on the counter to cool.  When cool, decorate with desired frosting and other holiday decorative items.

Note:               There is a recipe for Royal Icing on my food blog to use for these cookies.  It makes a hard shell frosting that dries fast.  If you want to add sprinkles and other toppings, I recommend using another type of icing.  One that combines powdered sugar, vanilla and milk would work great for use with sprinkles and other toppings.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Oreo Balls

Oreo Balls

(approx. 30)

 

Ingredients:

 

1 (14.3 oz.) package Regular Oreo Cookies

1 (8 oz.) package Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 (oz.) package White Bark, melted

Directions:

Crush package of Oreo cookies and place in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the cream cheese and chill for one to two hours (or overnight).  Now form into balls using a #50 scoop.  Once removed from scoop, press tightly with hands into balls with a flat bottom.  Drop balls one at a time into the melted white bark using two forks.  Make sure to coat completely and then remove.  Do this by placing a fork under the flat side of ball and lifting out of the melted bark.  Carefully bang the fork handle against rim of pan to remove excess bark.  Carefully place each ball on wax paper to cool in refrigerator.  Once cooled, place cooled balls in appropriate containers and store in refrigerator.  They can be frozen until needed too.

Note:               To melt the bark, use one of two methods.  Use a double-boiler with water in bottom section and bark in top section.  Bring water to a boil and have lid on top section.  Check about every 5 minutes and try stirring.  Bark will keep shape until you stir.  Once it is completely smooth, start dipping balls into the bark.  You can also use the microwave.  Place pieces in a microwavable dish and run on high in 15 second segments.  Start trying to stir after the 3^rd time.  Again, stir until smooth and start dipping.

Note:               You could use chocolate bark or both to give you a different look.  Also try adding a little food color of choice to the white bark for a variety of colors.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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More Holiday Treats

Everyone loves tasting a variety of holiday sweet treats.  Family members, friends and co-workers all like to share what they have made for the season too.  Seems everyone has their own specialty to make and share.  The amazing thing about it is all the different types of treats and rarely a bad one.

Now anyone has their favorite types of holiday treats.  Some go for the cookies and some the seasonal candies.  And within each category you have your number one picks.  In cookies, my children use to beg for Chocolate Krinkles (V)  when they were young.  Now it has to be My Favorite Thumb Print Cookie (V) cookies as they have aged.  As you can see both are recipes already in my food blog.

For those looking to try something new or different, I have over another half dozen recipes of cookies, bars or candy under the "Desserts & Baking Recipes" tab on the blog.  So give them a try or maybe go for one of this week's recipes.

For this season I have 3 recipes to offer.  On Wednesday I have a simple recipe for "Oreo Balls" which are addictive.  It's probably the same or similar recipe you can find everywhere.  But think about making them your own by using an Oreo cookie that is different from the original one.  They have so many flavors of Oreos out now.  I'll be honest, it does take a little practice getting a beautiful finished product.  The dipping and getting excess coating off is trial and error.  The upside is someone still gets to eat the rejects.  The taste is there even if they don't look the best.

Thursday has my favorite recipe for cut-out cookies, "Sugar Cookie for Cut-outs."  It's an easy dough to make and if you don't want to make cut-outs, it works to just scoop and place on the cookie sheet too.  It's the flavor that makes them my favorite sugar cookie.

Of course you can't have a cut-out cookie and not have a frosting.  So on Friday there is a recipe for "Royal Icing" and it makes a hard shell icing.  This one doesn't work well if you want to add sprinkles and other things on top of the frosting.  But it makes for an excellent topping to a sugar cookie.

The season is closing in fast, so you better get started making a few holiday treats for you and others.  "Happy Cooking" until next week and please share my blog site with family and friends.

Loaded Nachos

Loaded Nachos

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 bag Tortilla Chips (your favorite)

1 (16 oz.) can Refried Beans

1 lb. Ground Beef, cooked & drained

½ lb. Chorizo Sausage, cooked & drained

1 cup Diced Chicken, cooked

1 (8 oz.) can Tomato Sauce

3 tbsp. Taco Sauce

1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar Cheese, shredded

1 (4 oz.) can Sliced Ripe Olives

4 Green Onions, sliced

1 (7 oz.) jar Sliced Pickled Jalapeno Peppers (optional)

½ cup Guacamole

½ cup Sour Cream

½ cup Salsa

Directions:

Take a rimmed baking sheet and spread the tortilla chips from rim to rim.  Now, in a large bowl, combine the beans, beef, sausage, chicken, tomato sauce and taco sauce.  Layer this mixture over all the chips.  Top next with the two cheeses.  Follow this with the olives and green onions.  Place the baking sheet into a pre-heated 350 degree oven and heat until cheese has melted and bubbly.  Remove from oven and top with the jalapenos, guacamole, sour cream and salsa.  Serve immediately using small plates for everyone.

Note:               This is just one version of a loaded nacho plate.  Substitute any of your favorite ingredients that you like on your nachos.  Have fun.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Basic Nachos

Basic Nachos

(8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) bag Tortilla Chips (your favorite)

3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (not fine shred)

½ cup Pickled Jalapeno Peppers, chopped

½ cup Salsa (your choice)

½ cup Sour Cream

½ cup Guacamole

¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Arrange chips on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese over all of them.  Then scatter the peppers over the cheese.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Remove and dollop salsa over everything followed by sour cream and guacamole.  Then sprinkle with cilantro.  Serve immediately

Note:               This is a basic recipe.  To this use your imagination to add other favorite ingredients to make it your own classic nachos.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Part 10 Mexican (Nachos) Cooking

Blog Assistant working on Recipes

In the photo my wife is checking on my blog assistant and what recipe she is working on for the "Cabana Boy" blog.  Now let's get to this week's blog on "Part 10 Mexican Cuisine."

"Nachos" are an original of Mexico.  However, I'm going to say they are truly a part of what we call "Tex-Mex" cuisine.

I'll call "Tex-Mex" cuisine, Mexican foods or cooking style that has been influenced by the southern USA.  Kind of a melting pot were cowboys and early settlers merged things based available foods and cooking styles.  Beef in Texas had an enormous effect what and how people served their food.

You also have a "Southwestern" cuisine too.  The food is a little different by state throughout this region.  But the Spanish, Native Americans, Mexicans and Americans blended their cuisines together to come up with this unique flavor and freshness.

Enough on that for now.  "Nachos" were invented in a Mexican border town between Mexico and Texas (USA).  That town was Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico and the story includes wives of U.S. soldiers.  The year was 1943.

The original nachos were tortillas cut into triangles topped with cheese and heated.  Pickled jalapeno peppers were added just before serving them.  The man getting the credit was Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya.  He was the maître d'hôtel at the restaurant were the wives tried to eat.  It had just closed but they talked Ignacio into getting them something to eat.  Nachos was the dish.

Now the reason I say they are "Tex-Mex" is that's where they started to become popular.  Places in Texas started to serve them to locals.  They were really not served outside of the state of Texas until 1976.

They were sold at Arlington Stadium at sporting events.  During a "Monday Night Football" game, Howard Cosell fell in love with them.  He started mentioning them on air with his fellow announcers "and the rest is history" as he use to say.

Now a days, nachos are sold everywhere and in too many forms to count.  You still have the original recipe being served but Ignacio could never have guessed what they can look like today.  I believe that just about anything is possible to put on tortilla chips and be called nachos.  You're only limited by you imagination and taste.

The recipes this week are for a "Basic Nachos" and "Loaded Nachos" to give you a starting place for whatever you come up with to serve as nachos.

Enjoy and "Happy Cooking" until next week.