A Happy Holiday Liqueur

Whatever you are doing in the way of holiday preparation, it is more fun if you pour a little of this in your coffee!

You will need:
1/3 cup instant coffee granules
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup vodka
2 teaspoons vanilla


Mix the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and simmer just long enough to dissolve the sugar and make a smooth syrup.

Remove from heat and add the vodka and the vanilla. Stir and then use a funnel to pour the elixer into a pretty decanter.

If you like your coffee liqueur and your chocolate liqueur separate, you can very obviously make two different liqueurs by using only one of those ingredients in each recipe. Either way, a little of this flavoring in your coffee will cheer you up during those dark December days.

Spicy Party Snack

Roasted Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans are a great alternative party snack. They are fairly inexpensive to make and quite a bit more nutritious than many snack foods.

Drain the liquid from a can of beans, heat some coconut oil on a baking sheet, and pour the drained beans onto the sheet. Sprinkle with spices, stir just a bit, and bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes. Beans should have a crisp coating. If they are not quite crisp, give them a few more minutes. Once they are cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. They are better fresh, though.

They will crisp a little faster if they are not crowded, so it is best to use only one can per one regular size baking sheet. 

Suggested spices:

Salt
Ginger
Turmeric
Cumin
Powdered mustard
Dill weed
Chili powder


Breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets with what is desperately necessary.
Thomas Friedman

Persimmon Salsa!

Whether you have a persimmon tree or friends with persimmon trees, this is the time of year when they seem to be everywhere. Persimmons recipes are quite commonly breads and pastry items because persimmons have a a sweet jam-like quality. We like salsa at our house and fruit mixes with hot chilies to create a flavor extravaganza. (Mango and pineapple salsas are also on this blog). So the persimmons (I used five) went into the salsa, along with:

Roasted garlic - 3 cloves
Cumin - rounded teaspoon
Salt - rounded teaspoon
Lime juice - one large lime
Crushed tomatoes - 2 1/2 cups
Red pepper flakes - rounded tablespoon
Chili powder - rounded teaspoon
Chipotle chili powder - level teaspoon
Ground coriander - level reaspoon, or cilantro leaves - rounded tablespoon

Persimmons need to be peeled and be sure not to get any seeds into the sauce.
 
Put the tomatoes, persimmon pulp, lime juice and garlic into a blender to make a sauce with an even texture.

Pour the sauce into a glass bowl and add spices to bring it to the level of heat that you like. None of the

The longer the salsa sits, the more heat it will absorb from the chili pepper flakes and powders, so you might want to wait for a while before adding more of those things unless you will not be bothered by a spicy salsa.

 To roast garlic, chop the tops from a few heads, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 325 for about 45 minutes. When the cloves are soft, you can squeeze them out of the skins and put them in a glass jar in the refrigerator to use in salad dressings, hummus, or any sauce you might be making. They will keep for a couple of weeks on the top shelf and add terrific flavor to many dishes.

Chicken Stroganoff

I didn't know that there was such a thing as chicken stroganoff, but why not? Beef, lamb, turkey... it shouldn't really make any difference. Well cooked meat in a cream sauce is likely to work with a variety of meats. 

1.Cut boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) into 1/2 inch strips.

2. Roll them in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and curry.

3. Saute these in a medium hot pan in coconut oil.

4. After the chicken is browned, add enough broth to nearly cover the chicken. Add a few tablespoons of butter, the juice of one lemon, a little dill weed,  and let simmer slowly for an hour or so.

5. When the chicken is very tender, add any combination of sliced mushrooms, diced tomatoes, peas, asparagus or any other quick cooking vegetable you have on hand. Diced carrots are good too. but they will need to be added a little earlier.

6. While the chicken is simmering, you can prepare potatoes, rice, or noodles to serve as a base for the chicken. Spaghetti squash or zoodles are good options, too.

7. When the vegetables are cooked to your taste, add a few generous tablespoons of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. To go dairy free, you could simply skip this last step. 

Some Like it Hot

Admittedly, this salsa fresca would not have to be hot, but the combination of heat and sweet is irresistible.
This is a five minute or less creation and its original purpose was as a topping for fish tacos. You could certainly use it as a chip dip or a salad dressing or in myriad other ways.

Chop 3 ripe tomatoes
Add 1/3 cup crushed, canned pineapple
Add pepper flakes - a teaspoon if you are timid, a tablespoon if you are adventurous
Squeeze in the juice of one lime
A pinch of cilantro if you are a fan
That's it!

Edible Bouquet

This isn't cooking in the strictest sense, but you will be welcome at any party with this simple summer recipe.

Put a few colorful items on a wooden skewer and stick them in a pint size canning jar. You can also mix up a vinaigrette for people to drizzle over the skewers when served.

Some items to put on skewers:
Green or black olives
Mozzarella balls
Radish slices
Cherry tomamtoes
Mushrooms
Deli meat - In this picture, chunks of deli turkey were wrapped in lettuce leaves
Bell pepper pieces
Cucumber slices
You could also add fruits such as berries or melon chunks

Vinaigrette:
A couple tablespoons of mustard
A splash of Moscato wine
1/2 cup garlic flavored olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A rounded teaspoon of dill weed
A pinch of curry powder

Enjoy! The best part of this might be that you won't have to use the oven or the stove.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Annie Dillard

Chocolate Chia Pudding

3/4 cup cocoa powder 

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup or sugar (add more ore less depending on how much sweetness you'd like)

3 cups almond, cashew or coconut milk
I use one can (13.5 oz) of full fat coconut milk and

1 1/4 cups  cashew milk. If you want a dairy dessert, use regular whole milk or a combination of whole milk and cream. 

3/4 cup chia seeds

Mix the cocoa powder, chia seeds and sweetener together.

Heat the milk without bringing it to a boil. You don't have to heat the milk, but a bit of warmth will speed the absorption process. 

Pour the cocoa mixture into the heated milk and stir until all of the ingredients are well mixed.

Let mixture cool slightly. Pour into ramekins and cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Garnish with fruit, chocolate or whipped cream before serving.

Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate Sauce

Peel and cut eggplant into 1 inch cubes
Cut mushrooms into chunks

Add chunks of red pepper, tomato, or thin slices of carrot for color.

Sprinkle the mixed vegetables with sea salt, and a drizzle of olive oil and roast them in a shallow pan at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes. Then pour the pomegranate sauce over the vegetables and turn the heat to 350. Roast uncovered for about 20 more minutes or until eggplant is very tender.

Serve over rice with chicken or shrimp.

Pomegranate sauce:
1/4 cup of pomegranate jelly*
1/4 cup of olive oil or butter
2 tablespoons of soy or tamari
1/2 teaspoon each of ginger, thyme, salt, and curry
A splash of red wine and a bit of mustard are also good.

Melt the jelly slightly in the microwave before mixing with the other ingredients. If you use butter, you can melt that along with the jelly.

* You could also use pomegranate molasses or pomegranate syrup. I use the jelly because it's what I have around most of the time. Even pomegranate juice could work in this recipe.

Baby Back Pork Ribs

Spring and summer are the seasons for grilling. There are so many good things to grill, but ribs are a perennial favorite.

Baby Back Pork Ribs 

2 or 3 slabs of ribs

Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and chili powder

You can use additional herbs and spices, too, such as: curry powder, thyme, sage, oregano

Put the ribs in a covered roasting pan with at least a half inch of water in the bottom of the pan.

Bake at 325 for at least 3 - 4 hours. Check periodically to see that there is still a half inch of liquid in the bottom of the roaster.  (If you do a larger batch, say 5 or 6 slabs, bake them for 4 - 5 hours.)

At 3 ½ hours, coat the ribs with barbecue sauce. Use your favorite brand or make your own.

At the end of 3 or 4 hours, the ribs will be falling apart, so you will want to handle them carefully when transferring them to the grill. Brush on more barbecue sauce and grill 10 to 15 minutes on each side. You might need an additional BBQ screeen to keep the pieces from falling through the grate.

If you want to cook these a day or two ahead, you can refrigerate them when they come out of the oven rather than grilling immediately.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe*

1 small can tomato paste

 1 tablespoon molasses

¼ cup brown sugar or honey

1 tablespoon mustard – any kind

1 teaspoon of any smoke flavored spice

1 tablespoon chili powder

4 large cloves pressed garlic

3 tablespoons olive or sesame oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black or white pepper

2 tablespoons sautéed onion or 1 tablespoon  minced dried, onion

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

*MORE ABOUT BBQ SAUCE

The ingredients for a delicious barbecue sauce are not all that specific. The recipe can work with a wide range of ingredients.  You will need - 

1. Some fruitiness: Tomato paste, apricot, peach or mango sauce or any combination of these

2. Some spiciness: Chili powder, curry powder, pepper flakes, sautéed chilies, mustard

3. Some smokiness: Any salt or spice mix that has smoke flavoring. These can get overpowering very quickly, so this is one ingredient to add carefully.

 4. Some sweetness: Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or whatever you have on hand

5. Some umami: Roasted garlic, sautéed onions or fennel or shallots or leeks, anchovy paste or fish sauce

You can also use wine, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, and butter in your sauce. 

Specific ingredients are not as important as the combination of these five flavor categories. Based on these categories, you can use whatever you have in your kitchen to create a fabulous sauce for your barbecued ribs (or chicken, steak, or fish). 

Once you make your own sauce, you will realize that it is truly easy to do and tastes much better than the commercial kind, which very frequently has a chemical taste.

Spicy Peanut Chicken

Peanut butter 2T
Soy sauce or Amino's 2T
Sauteed or roasted, mashed garlic 1T
Coconut milk fat 2T
Olive or sesame oil 2T
Sriracha 1T
Rice vinegar 1T
Lime juice 1T
Honey 2T
Sweet hot mustard 1T
Garlic chile sauce or black bean chile sauce 1T

Mix the above ingredients with a hand blender.

Salt and pepper

Cut up chicken in 9 x 13 glass dish

Salt and pepper the chicken generously. Drizzle about half of the sauce over the pieces. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Uncover and drizzle the rest of the sauce over the chicken. Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or so.

What is patriotism but love of the food you ate as a child? Lin Yutang

Hearty Fruit and Oat Muffins

This is a tasty muffin with a great texture. I think they bake up better as a mini muffin. One of the best things about them is that they are a good way to use up overripe bananas or other bits of fruit that need to be used right away.

2 1/2 cups oat flakes - either old fashioned or quick

1/2 cup melted butter

3 ripe bananas

1/3 cup Fruit sauce - any kind: fig, berry, apple, apricot

(You could also use 1 banana and 1 cup of fruit sauce or any combination that makes about 1 1/2 cups fruit.)

3/4 cup chopped nuts

3/4 cup chopped, dried cranberries 

1 large or two medium eggs

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Salt

Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix all of the ingredients together. Ideally, let the batter sit for an hour or two - especially if you use the old-fashioned oats.

Add the other ingredients, mix, fill mini muffin cups and bake. The recipe will make 24 - 30 mini muffins or 12 regular size muffins

330 degrees for 20 minutes for the mini muffins. The regular size muffins might take 25 minutes.

Love looks you straight in the eye and speaks the truth.  Philip Gulley