Holiday

SRC: Mini Pecan Pie Cupcakes

~ lk529 ~ 13 Comments

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It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

I had to chuckle when I received my assignment in my email this month. You see, for the past two reveals April of Angels Home Sweet Homestead was assigned my blog! For our themed barbecue/picnic reveal she made Mexican Street Corn Salad and for our traditional Group C reveal she chose Cinnamon and Honey Roasted Chickpeas. I suppose it was only fitting that I took my turn diving more deeply into April’s blog.

April’s philosophy behind her blog is fantastic. She writes:

I want to bring back a simpler way of life, where families sit down together to a home cooked meal and talk every day, growing as much of that food as possible with our own hands, and the old-fashioned art of canning that food too.

I just love that! While I can’t grow my own food – partly due to lack of yard but mostly due to lack of green thumb – I can provide home cooked meals for my family. After our 18 months in Ohio without a dining table, it was a goal for our California home to have a space dedicated to eating family dinners. Our large table fits perfectly off the kitchen (and doubles as extra counter space) and is set with two booster/highchair seats for my boys. We have finally gotten into a rhythm of dinner between 6-6:30 and I love it! Firecracker is reaching an age where he can recount the day’s activities to Daddy and I know that as the boys continue to get older, the stress of eating will give way to pure enjoyment and nurturing our relationships and bodies.

Seven recipes made their way to my secret Pinterest board from April’s blog including Fruity Breakfast Burritos, Restaurant Style Salsa, and Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad. I was going to show the list to my husband and have him decide what I’d make. But then I didn’t. Though I’m pretty sure I picked the “right” answer anyway.

While I was updating my planner this month I decided to take a peek at the food holidays for July. I was slightly surprised to see that National Pecan Pie Day isn’t in the fall, but it’s July 12th! My decision was made. April had on her blog, and a recipe that I’d saved prior, Pecan Pie Muffins.

Now, I’m not sure these qualify as a muffin. That’s why you’ll notice I renamed them cupcakes. Though I’m not sure if that’s accurate either. Muffins imply a little bit of healthiness. There’s absolutely nothing healthy about these sweet bites.I could say that pecans are a source of protein, but that’s really stretching it. I almost just called them Mini Pecan Pie Cups but without a crust I don’t think they qualify as pie.

Whatever you want to call them, they’re pretty delicious. (And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t care for pecan pie!) I ate two within an hour of them coming out of the oven – one to taste test and one as a snack during their photo shoot.

April made hers in a regular size muffin cup and got 6 of them, but I thought mini would be the way to go. I can’t have my husband taking only 3 to work, because let’s be honest, there’s no way all 6 would be leaving the house untouched. I’m glad I made them mini, too, because I don’t think I’d be able to eat an entire muffin of this dessert before my sweet tooth had enough.

Firecracker helped bake these treats, but he won’t be getting to try them – they’re simply too sticky and sweet for my 2 year old. Now I just have to send them with Stuart to work so he doesn’t see them sitting on the counter.

This recipe makes 24 mini muffins/cupcakes. I recommend baking these without liners, no greasing of the pan necessary – there’s plenty of butter in the batter. I was 2 liners short of 24 and those two cups were our favorites because the sugar gets all crispy and crusty on the edges. If you do use liners, not that they’re much easier to peel back if you allow the cupcakes to cool completely before eating.

Mini Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 C chopped pecans
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 2/3 C butter, melted
  • 2 eggs, beaten

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, pecans, and flour. Mix in the butter and egg until combined.
  3. Divide batter evenly among 24 mini muffin tin cups.
  4. Bake 18 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from April at http://www.angelshomesweethomestead.com/2011/01/pecan-pie-muffins.html*

Mini Pecan Pie Cupcakes for #SecretRecipeClub from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in The Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

#SundaySupper: Easy to Make Patriotic 4th of July Recipes

~ lk529 ~ 8 Comments

It’s July 3rd, the day my Firecracker turns two! (TWO!) It also happens to be the day before Independence Day – the 4th of July. Which is why #SundaySupper is celebrating with Easy to Make Patriotic Recipes.

To kick start a festive morning, might I suggest these stars? They’re a baked pancake, which I’m dubbing “breakfast cake.” It makes me think of that Jim Gaffigan skit:

You’re not having cake for breakfast; you’re having fried cake, with syrup on top!

I made this breakfast after returning from my brother’s wedding in FL last month from a bare pantry. I think that qualifies my recipe as being “easy to make.” I didn’t have any butter, so I used oil, and I didn’t have enough sugar for both the baked pancake and the syrup, so I decided to add vanilla to the batter and keep the sugar for the syrup.

I used a star cookie cutter to make the shapes and topped them with strawberry syrup and fresh blueberries. The leftover pieces of “cake” were handed to Treat, with no sugar I didn’t feel too guilty about it.

IMG_9217

The 4th of July is in my top three of favorite holidays. I love creating menus in my country’s colors. Three years ago I went all out with a Red, White, and Blue Spread: complete with colored star shaped ice cubes and dyed pasta! Two years ago was my first year (probably ever) missing the fireworks display, but I had a good reason. Last year I was on cloud 9 celebrating the holiday (and Firecracker’s 1st birthday) with my entire family where I spent my childhood Fourths.

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My 1 day old Firecracker – 2014

This year we will be experiencing our first California 4th of July. I am hoping for a fog-less, smog-less night so we can watch up to 3 Fireworks shows from our balcony. We’ll be grilling burgers, drinking sangria, and chowing down on rice krispie treats. (I can’t not have rice krispie treats!)

Breakfast Cake Stars with Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients for Breakfast Cake:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 C buttermilk
  • 1/4 C vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Strawberry Syrup:

  • 2 C diced strawberries
  • 1 C + 1 tsp water, divided use
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 tsp corn starch

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ cake pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.
  3. Make the syrup: Put strawberries in a saucepan with 1 C water and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 15 minutes, or until the syrup has started to thicken and the strawberries have broken down.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining teaspoon of water and the cornstarch. Add to the syrup. Allow syrup to thicken another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain.
  5. Option: Using a cookie cutter, cut shapes out of the breakfast cake. Serve with strawberry syrup and fresh blueberries.

*This recipe is adapted from April at http://www.girlgonegourmet.com/2016/06/pancake-squares.html*

Breakfast Cake Stars with Strawberry Syrup for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

All-American Appetizers

America the Beautiful Beverages

Raise the Flag Breakfasts

For the Red, White and Blue Salads and Main Dishes

Oh Say Can You See Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

Blogger CLUE: Lemon Loaf

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

blogger CLUE

Easter is coming early this year (March 27th) and the Blogger Clue crew and I have been on the hunt to provide you with some wonderful Springtime dishes.

This month I was assigned the blog Confessions of a Culinary Diva. Christy describes herself as a “food enthusiast, wine aficionado, Food & Cooking Channel fanatic, and cookbook bibliomaniac, who suffers from an incurable case of wanderlust.” On quick look at her blog and you just know her mini-bio is true – there’s wine everywhere! And countless recipes that take you to another place (France mostly).

While on the hunt for Easter foods I was immediately drawn to her Easter Pie and next year I’ll be sure to try it! The only reason I didn’t stop, drop, and cook it was because I didn’t have Arborio rice and I wasn’t about to buy some while I’m trying to rid my pantry (via cooking) of my current stock before the big move.

I thought about what foods I think remind me of Easter. I don’t serve a ham and my family has always done our own thing. Growing up we would always have a dish traditional to my mom’s family. We would have a dish called Swienconka (pronounced shven-shun-ka). Swienconka is Polish and translates to “blessed food.” My mom’s grandfather was a butcher and he would bring home the leftover meats for this dish – veal, smoked butt, two kinds of Polish sausage, and ham. These meats would be cooked and mixed with hard boiled eggs. The mixture would then marinate in vinegar and fresh and jarred horseradish.

I decided to look for brunch ideas! I almost made Onion Biscuits. And I took a peek at what cocktails could fit an Easter morning: Earl Grey Mimosa and this beautiful Sangria would definitely fit the bill.

And then somehow I stumbled upon a Lemon Loaf (which she presented most beautifully) and I was sold! Lemon always reminds me of spring time and Easter. Probably because my grandmother’s annual pound cake has lemon extract in it. This loaf cake reminded me very much of her recipe, and I almost made a cream cheese frosting to pair with it but instead decided tolemon loaf 4 Sew You Think You Can Cook create a simple glaze of powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a little milk to pour over the top of the loaf. It definitely amped up the lemon flavor!

This cake was a hit. Firecracker saw it on the counter and had to have some. He earned his half a slice, too, by helping clear off space for me to photograph it!

 

Lemon Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 C cake flour, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/3 C sugar
  • zest of 2 extra large lemons
  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 5 1/2 tbsp melted butter

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a 9×5″ loaf pan.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the sifted flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing until combined after each addition.
  4. Whisk the heavy cream into the cake batter. Add the melted butter and stir until combined.
  5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. Option to top with a simple lemon glaze or a cream cheese frosting.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.treats-sf.com/2012/04/twd-lemon-loaf-cake.html*

Lemon Loaf for #BloggerCLUE from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

#SundaySupper: Root Vegetables

~ lk529 ~ 25 Comments

Every year in our marriage we’ve celebrated Valentine’s Day by enjoying fondue. That’s what happens when you get two Fondue Makers! Sometimes I do a cheese, sometimes chocolate, and sometimes even both!

This year, our 5th married Valentine’s Day, was a little different. Our stay here in Ohio has been for schooling, my husband will earn his Masters degree at the end of the month. He successfully defended his thesis this week! This calendar year has been quite a stressful and busy one so far and I am quite ready to get my husband back. So, for Valentine’s Day this year I was reading Chapters 4 and 5 of his thesis, being a second set of eyes to check for content cohesion and grammatical quirks.

I woke up really early on Sunday, February 14th to go to the grocery store before the post-church crowds did their shopping to get everything I’d need for Caramelized Shallot Fondue and Champagne Poached Pears. I also found some Florida Strawberries! And then I got to the check out only to discover that they couldn’t sell me alcohol before noon.

We decided we’d go back to get the champagne later in the day but a snow storm derailed those plans. It was on to Plan B. No plan. The plan of, “What’s in the fridge?” Beets. Pine nuts. Crescent rolls. Pasta. Bacon.

An internet search yielded a Beet Pesto Pizza. We didn’t have any of the toppings but the pesto we could make and serve over pasta instead. (We did toss some bacon in our pasta, too!)

The result? A beautiful, deep pink pasta which turned out to be simply perfect for Valentine’s Day! My garnish of parsley makes this a great option for Christmas, too.

That long introduction leads us to the theme for today’s #SundaySupper hosted by Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings, root vegetables. We contemplated adding some sweet potato to the pesto, but were too afraid of the color that might result. There are some great ideas for how to prepare a wide variety of root vegetables in today’s round-up, simply scroll past my photo to check them out!

Beet Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 1 large beet, peeled and diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Toss beet and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Season with S+P. Place on a baking sheet and roast 20-30 minutes, or until tender. (Note: roasting time will depend on size of dice.)
  3. When slightly cooled, place in a food processor and pulse until fine. Add the pine nuts and olive oil and puree until smooth. Season to taste with S+P.
  4. Option: Serve on pasta with parmesan and parsley.

Beet Pesto for #Sunday Supper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers

Breakfast

Main

Sides

Desserts

8387592742_f6164fd5a8_oJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

#SRC: Pot o’ Gold Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 32 Comments

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Good morning and welcome to another edition of The Secret Recipe Club. For a little “behind the scenes” information, The Secret Recipe Club (SRC) is divided into four group. Each group posts on a different Monday of the month. I am in Group C and always post on the 3rd Monday of the month. Which meant that during those special months with five Mondays there’d be a week without any fun reveal day! So now, on the 5th Monday of the month there is a themed reveal and it’s a “free for all,” which means that there aren’t any group restrictions. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other bloggers in the club.

Who would have thought that February would ever have 5 Mondays in it!? Happy Leap Day, everyone! As it’s the last day of February the Secret Recipe Club is looking into March for inspiration. Leprechauns and Bunnies was the assignment as St. Patrick’s Day has to share its month with Easter  this year.

I don’t think I could have asked for a better assignment this month! Making Memories with your Kids has an incredible index of holiday foods and crafts. Erin is a single mom to two kids who are most definitely making memories together through baking and crafting. Her blog is such a great resource of ideas!

Her sloppy Joe baskets would work for either holiday, really. Erin made them as “Easter baskets” but they could easily be a “pot of gold,” too.

While I don’t care much for St. Patrick’s Day (especially now that I don’t live near Kate anymore) I decided to make her Pot o’ Gold Cookies instead of her Chocolate Peep Sugar Cookies simply because the former were simple and used ingredients I already had. I did take some liberty in forming a few as Easter eggs and decorating with purple sprinkles, but you’ll notice they’re not photographed. They weren’t very pretty; to make them like Easter eggs definitely use white chocolate instead!

Forming Pot O' Gold Cookies with Grandma Sew You Think You Can Cook

These shortbread cookies were a huge hit! My mother-in-law helped make them and showed Firecracker how to roll the dough into balls. He wasn’t particularly interested and instead preferred to “Hulk smash” the balls. Until he discovered the deliciousness of the dough! It’s egg-free so I had no problems with letting him try it, though once I realized he was eating it I had to clear most off of his table to prevent a sugar rush!

If I hadn’t put these cookies in a bag they wouldn’t have lasted through the evening. They’re addicting! Luckily the “impenetrable” barrier of a resealable bag (and a trip to Graeter’s ice cream) kept them safe so I could share them with friends.

Pot O’ Gold Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 2 1/4 C flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 C milk chocolate chips
  • yellow or gold sprinkles

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, and almond extract. Mix in the flour until it starts to combine. Turn dough out onto a flat surface and knead until smooth and combined.
  3. Roll dough into 1″ balls. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheet.
  4. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. Spoon chocolate over the cookies and top with sprinkles. Allow chocolate to set before serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Erin at http://makingmemorieswithyourkids.com/2015/03/pot-of-gold-meltaway-cookies/*

Pot O' Gold Cookies for Secret Recipe Club from Sew You Think You Can Cook

I didn’t wait for the chocolate to set before photographing… Firecracker doesn’t like sticky things, he wasn’t quite sure what to do!

Pot O' Gold Cookies, not yet set Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the themed Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Chocoholic Waffles

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Valentine’s Day is this weekend (Sunday to be exact) and I have the perfect brunch to share with your loved ones – unless they don’t like chocolate. Every component of this recipe involves chocolate! There’s chocolate waffles, which are quite good on their own but it’s Valentine’s Day people, step it up. Then there’s a white chocolate custard, and to top that off there’s a mocha whipped cream! All three components compliment each other beautifully.

I am an admittedly lazy cook and seriously thought about not making the custard. But I couldn’t. Because, Bobby Flay. Yep, surprise! Yet another brunch recipe from one of our favorite celebrity chefs! This particular recipe is one we watched on Cooking Channel last year. It comes from the Brunch at Bobby’s episode titled Chocoholic Brunch.

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1/2 C cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 2 C buttermilk
  • 1/4 C canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks with the brown sugar until smooth. Add in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
  3. Combine wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix in the butter and the chocolate.
  4. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the waffles batter.
  5. Into a hot greased waffle iron, drop 1/3 C of batter and cook until browned.
  6. Assemble waffles with custard, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries.

White Chocolate Custard

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 vanilla bean, halved
  • 1 1/2 C half-and-half
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 oz white chocolate, chopped

Steps:

  1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean. Put the seeds and the pod in a small saucepan with the half-and-half. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, remove from the heat, and let cool.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Slowly add some of the half-and-half until smooth. Whisking, add to the pot of remaining half-and-half and return to the stove. Cook over medium heat without allowing it to boil, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon.
  3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the white chocolate until melted.
  4. Strain and refrigerate.

Mocha Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp dark chocolate covered cacao nibs (I used Pacari)
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp espresso powder

Steps:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream and cacao nibs to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight.
  2. Strain the cold cream and discard the nibs.
  3. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream until thickened. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder. Beat until firm peaks form.

*These recipes are adapted from Bobby Flay at http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bobby-flay/dark-chocolate-waffles-with-white-chocolate-custard-sauce-and-chocolate-espresso-whipped-cream.html*

chocoholic waffles chocolate waffles, white chocolate custard, mocha whipped cream Sew You Think You Can Cook

A “Date Night” Potluck Party

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

We had our final Recipe Club meeting last week. With most of us moving in the next couple of months the group looks like it’s fizzled to a stop. I had a great time with these ladies and met my best friend up here (and Firecracker’s best friend, too!) through this group and I am forever grateful. I couldn’t have imagined this assignment here in Ohio without these fabulous ladies and the clubs and groups that I joined while here.

For our last meeting I suggested “Date Night” as a theme, taking a cue from the holiday this Sunday. We had a very small gathering, only six of us! (There are seven items listed below because I brought two dishes.) I wasn’t surprised by the small turn out as most of our husbands are in hunker down mode finishing up their theses..thesii? I know I can’t wait for thesis defense to happen and the stress level in our life go down just a tad. So it’s no surprise that there was a good deal of chocolate on the menu during out meeting!

Date Night Recipe Round UpHere are the recipes that were brought to the “Date Night” potluck”

#FreshTastyValentines: Roshambo

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

LogoWelcome to day one of #FreshTastyValentines, a blogging event headed up by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. To kick off the week I’ve made a cocktail perfect for your Valentine’s Day brunch (and a bonus recipe for pancakes).

When UncommonGoods signed on as one of our event sponsors I knew I wanted to make a cocktail because they have an incredible selection of gifts to keep any home bar and kitchen uniquely equipped (here). UncommonGoods (www.uncommongoods.com) is a web-based marketplace offering creatively designed, high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. One of the incredible prizes to win during this week’s event is a $150 gift certificate at their site. With your shopping spree you can find incredible glassware in which to enjoy my Roshambo cocktail or your favorite bottle of wine (here) or discover ways keep your drinks cool without watering them down (here).

Because we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this week I limited my cocktail recipe search to red or pink beverages. With a big move approaching in the Spring I also added another restriction so as to not buy any new liquor. The discovery of the Roshambo couldn’t have been more perfect. It is a sparkling wine based cocktail which fits in beautifully with Valentine’s Day. This cocktail is a beautiful accompaniment to your Valentine’s breakfast.

This recipe makes two servings.

Roshambo

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 C apple juice
  • 1/2 C cranberry juice
  • prosecco or champagne

Steps:

  1. Place sugar, water, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow simple syrup to cool completely. Remove cinnamon stick.
  2. In a small pitcher combine 1/4 C cinnamon simply syrup with the juices. Keep cold until ready to serve.
  3. Pour juice mixture into glasses and top with prosecco.

*This recipe is adapted from Eva at http://1bigbite.com/2013/11/roshambo/*

Roshambo for #FreshTastyValentines from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more Valentine’s recipes today:

Thank you to #FreshTastyValentines sponsors for providing bloggers with samples and products to use for #FreshTastyValentines recipe development without additional compensation. All opinions stated are those of the bloggers.

This blog post also comes with a bonus recipe for pancakes!

Cinnamon Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 C all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 C milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, and melted butter.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
  4. On a hot buttered griddle drop 1/2 C of batter into pancakes. Flip pancakes when batter starts to set and bubble form in the center of the pancake. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

*This recipe is modified from Kelley at http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2015/11/creme-fraiche-pancakes/*

 

#SundaySupper Month Kick-Off

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

I mentioned on New Year’s Day that this January is the first ever National Sunday Supper Month. It’s incredible that this movement is making a difference in families all over the country. Take the pledge this year and gather around the table as a family just once a week.

Enjoying dinner together as a family doesn’t have to be reserved for holidays or fancy meals, but I am sharing a show-stopping main course today. This Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast is what we had for Thanksgiving this year instead of turkey.

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With Treat being less than a month old we had a smaller Thanksgiving than usual. My husband’s parents drove up from Alabama to celebrate with us and the four of us enjoyed a less-than-traditional meal gathered around the table. I decided on pork instead of turkey or some other poultry because Firecracker was willingly and voluntarily eating pork. Unfortunately he wasn’t interested in the beautiful roast – I can’t even remember what he ended up eating that night.

Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast

Ingredients:

  • 1 C Kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 6 tbsp gin
  • 7 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp whole allspice
  • 5 1/2 – 6 1/2 lb pork French rack (I had two separate roasts)
  • 1 C panko
  • 4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 tbsp Dijon mustard

Steps:

  1. Brine the pork: In a pot large enough for the pork roasts (I used my stock pot) combine salt, sugar, gin, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice with 4 C water over medium heat, stirring, until both the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add 8 C of ice and stir until brine is cool.
  2. Pierce the pork with a paring knife all over. Place in the cooled brine and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Place a roasting pan on the lowest level in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry, allow pork to come to room temperature while the oven and roasting pan preheat. Bring 3 C of the brine (and spices) to a boil.
  4. Pour hot brine in the bottom of the preheated roasting pan. Place the pork roast(s) on the roasting rack fat-side up. Roast 40 minutes.
  5. Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor pulse the panko, butter, parsley, and thyme with a pinch of salt until combined.
  6. Remove the pork from the oven. Brush the roast(s) with the Dijon mustard and top with the panko mixture. Return pork to the oven and roast another 50 minutes.
  7. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Allow pork to rest 20 minutes before carving.

*This recipe is modified from Food Network Magazine, Dec 2014*

Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

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Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

It’s no secret we like Brussels sprouts in this house and I love finding new ways to prepare them. Today’s version is one that is perfect for Christmas. Yesterday was all about last minute holiday recipes and this is the recipe that I was originally going to share with the Sunday Supper crew. The red bell pepper, red onion, and green Brussels sprouts look like Christmas and the glaze tastes like the holidays making it the perfect side dish to your ham or turkey this weekend.

I prepared these Brussels sprouts when my mom was here last month. She declared them her favorite sprouts recipe. (We actually cooked pork chops in the same pan from the Brussels sprouts – delicious!) She snapped a picture of the recipe on her cell phone and after her first grocery trip upon getting back home she messaged me saying she’d already bought the real maple syrup. That was her subtle way of informing me that I’d be making these again for Christmas. I will have to triple or quadruple the amount of Brussels sprouts and double the amount of glaze.

This recipe makes 3 servings.

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

  • 2 C halved Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 C real maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Steps:

  1. Cook Brussels sprouts in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
  2. In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat saute the peppers and onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook another 4 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the syrup, soy sauce, and Dijon. Add to the skillet and coat the vegetable. Cook until glaze has thickened slightly.

*This recipe is adapted from Jeff at http://relish.com/recipes/maple-glazed-brussels-sprouts-video/*

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts Sew You Think You Can Cook