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Rum Brownies and Welcome to #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar

written by Ali


Today is one of my favorite days of the year, because it is the official start of #Choctoberfest. This is the third annual food blogger celebration of all things chocolate, made possible thanks to our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar and the other sponsors listed below.

Over 70 bloggers are participating in #Choctoberfest 2017 and will be posting 200+ chocolate recipes over the next week. Keep your eyes peeled, visit any of the blogs listed below, or use the #Choctoberfest hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to follow along. You can also check out our #Choctoberfest Pinterest board, where we post chocolate recipes all year long.

You can also enter to win our #Choctoberfest prize pack. Thank to our amazing sponsors who are contributing the following items for the prize:

  • $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
  • 1 case of granulated white sugar (40 pounds), 1 case of light brown sugar (24 pounds), 1 case of dark brown sugar (24 pounds), and 1 case of powdered sugar (24 pounds) from our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar
  • 16 oz Barlean’s Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, 9.52 oz canister of Chocolate Silk Greens, and 8oz bottle of Essential Women Omega-Swirl Chocolate Mint from our silver sponsor Barlean’s
  • 300-piece Lindt LINDOR Truffles gift bag (you choose the flavors!) from blog sponsors The PinterTest Kitchen

This prize pack is valued at over $450! To enter, simply follow participating sponsors and bloggers using the below giveaway widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay tuned to see the delicious recipes bloggers have cooked up using Imperial Sugar and Barlean’s products. Thank you also to Davis Chocolate and Rodelle for being #Choctoberfest shoutout sponsors! Watch Instagram and Facebook to find out more about about their chocolate products.

So let’s get this party started with some Rum Brownies. Remember a few weeks ago when I went rum tasting? I couldn’t resist doing a little pairing of Stillwagon Distillery’s Pineapple Rum with chocolate in these amazing brownies. I used Imperial Sugar for these brownies - Imperial Sugar is a gold sponsor for #Choctoberfest. I’ve been loving their granulated, powdered and brown sugars. My hall closet smells like brown sugar - and can I just say how happy that makes me?

These brownies are super boozy - just a warning in advance. If you don’t want to make them with alcohol, substitute the rum for an additional 1/2 cup of milk. These rum brownies have a perfect fudge brownie consistency. I’ll confess that I thought we were out of milk and used heavy cream instead for these and they turned out great. Imperial Sugar has a great consistency that was absolutely perfect for these brownies.

 

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Rum Brownies and Welcome to #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup butter
  • ¾ cup Imperial Sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup pineapple rum (or any rum you have on hand)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar and cocoa powder are combined. Take the mixture off the heat and let cool for about five minutes.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla to the melted butter/sugar/cocoa mix and stir to thoroughly incorporate the eggs. Add the milk and rum and stir. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the chocolate mix, stirring after each small addition. The batter will be a bit lumpy.
  4. Spread the brownie mixture in a well-buttered 11x7 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.
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Here’s the list of all the great blogs that are participating this week:


October 16, 2017 7 comments
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BeveragesHoliday Recipes

Le Peep Easter Cocktail

written by Ali
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I had so much fun creating and making my Le Peep Easter Cocktail. Honestly, every time I think of Peeps (the super garish and super sweet marshmallow Easter treats), I think of Le Peep – a breakfast chain in Denver. I loved Le Peep as they had the best strawberry pancakes. But beyond my mental association, Le Peep has nothing to do with this Le Peep Easter Cocktail. The Le Peep Easter Cocktail combines several liquors to make a Peep flavored cocktail, perfect for an Easter afternoon.

I realize there’s a lot of Peep bashing that goes on throughout the Internet. Peeps – apparently you either love them or hate them. I love them, in small doses. I can manage eating a couple of Peeps throughout the Easter season and that about does it for me for the year. I’m finding that I particularly love Peeps that have been dipped in chocolate. Maybe some year I’ll get ambitious and make some Peep like marshmallows of my own. Until then, I’m content to eat an occasional Peep and use a few for garnish on my Le Peep Easter Cocktail.

I have to say that I was pretty amused by the photos for this post. My peeps look a bit alarmed about the blue curacao bath that they are about to slide into. Since we don’t have kids and are pretty secular, our only real Easter engagement is the annual purchase of a couple of bags of mini-eggs, a box of Peeps, and an occasional effort on my part to die some hardboiled eggs, just because they are pretty. When I was looking for my Peeps for this post, I wanted to get some Easter basket grass. I was surprised not to find any at our local Target. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten an Easter basket (30 years maybe?), so I wonder if the stringy plastic grass is a thing of the past. Or maybe I waited too long to buy it? Either way, I decided to go with edible Easter grass instead. Edible Easter grass is definitely new to me. I think the edible descriptor might be pushing it a bit – it’s definitely made of things you could eat if you were so inclined, but why would you want to? I did nibble a bit – it was flavorless and starchy. I tossed what I had left over in my blogging drawer and am pretty sure it will still be there this time next year.

In the meantime, when Easter comes, you’ll probably be able to find me sitting outside, sipping on a Le Peep Cocktail and biting the head off a chocolate dipped Peep.

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Le Peep Easter Cocktail

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces white creme de cacao
  • 1 ounce blue curacao
  • 1/2 ounce vanilla vodka
  • Peeps for garnish (if desired)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with Peeps. Enjoy!
  2. Serves One
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April 7, 2017 0 comment
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Baked GoodsDessertHoliday Recipes

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

written by Ali

Today is my 41st birthday, so I made myself a red wine chocolate cake to celebrate. There’s a back-story here. Last year, I turned forty. For months prior to this milestone, I’d contemplated baking myself a fancy cake to celebrate. I’d just started blogging the year before, and I envisioned a perfect blog post with a beautiful cake. I’d also envisioned having a tapas party and cooking great food with friends.

Sometimes fate has other plans: what I really did last year on my fortieth birthday was work my first meeting at a new job and then drive back to our house in Southern Oregon to finish packing so we could move to Portland and I could officially start work mid-March. I didn’t bother cooking for nearly a month, much less blog. Clay bought a couple of really good cupcakes from a bakery near our soon to be house and we went to dinner for Italian that night. While I was more than content to spend my fortieth this way, I started making plans for this year.

So this year, I’m 41. First and foremost, I want to say that I really love being in my forties. I’m more comfortable in my own skin than I’ve ever been. I feel like I’ve finally figured out who I am - I have a style that’s unique to me. I can look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I love my work. My relationships is steady, stable, and happy. I started blogging as a creative outlet and have had so much fun making this my primary hobby. I’m content having a car that’s nearly at 100,000 miles. I know what I like and I know what I don’t. So, yes, forty has been awesome.

Baking this red wine chocolate cake was my birthday present to me this year. I set aside an entire day to bake and frost. I tackled Swiss Buttercream frosting and made something that tasted like it came from a bakery. It was an awesome experience. I loved setting up the photo shoot and taking the pictures of this cake, too.

I love how birthday cakes can be such a symbol of love. My favorite birthday cake when I was growing up was a cake my grandma made for me when I was a kid - and then once again when I turned 18 because I begged her to. The cake was a bunny cake, which was several sheet cakes formed together to make a bunny, with frosted “ears” and chocolate Easter eggs for the eyes. I could never eat the bunny head - that was just a bit too much for me. But I loved that fluffy white frosting and cake and I loved that she made the cake just for me. The photo in this picture was taken on my 18th birthday. Yes - a birthday cake is special.

My red wine chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake some yummy red wine to flavor. The chocolate Swiss buttercream got covered with chocolate sprinkles on the top. Clay helped frost - he watched what I was doing, told me that the process of frosting was a lot like spackling, and took over my spatula. Yes - a birthday cake is about being loved. We’ve nibbled our way through the cake all week. (Given that do have a day job, it wasn’t actually practical to bake my cake on my birthday in the middle of the week, so I made it on Sunday, instead).

If you’ve never made a birthday cake for yourself or for others, I encourage you to do so. It doesn’t matter how it turns out - the important thing is the act of cooking because you love someone or because you love who you are.

A couple of things to note about the frosting. First, I used this recipe for Swiss buttercream and have linked it rather than trying to adapt it to suit my purposes. It made a lovely frosting, but our kitchen was definitely too warm for this to go well on the first try. If your buttercream turns out runny, it really does work to refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then whip it again. I will tell you though, use a bigger bowl than you think you need. My entire kitchen, including me and Daisy (who likes to lurk right under the counter top when I’m cooking) were covered in buttercream. Ok – in fairness, the dog thought this was awesome, except for the part where there was buttercream on her back that she couldn’t lick off. The other is that this recipe makes a lot of buttercream frosting. I like a little frosting and this ended up being way too much.

The recipe for the cake is adapted from Liv for Cake’s Mocha Chocolate Cake Recipe.

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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup Dutch process cocoa
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (olive oil works for this recipe)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¾ cup red wine
  • Frosting of your choice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut out parchment paper circles to line the bottom of three 9 inch cake pans. Butter the pans (including the parchment paper) and sprinkle with cocoa powder to cover.
  2. Sift the cocoa powder. Combine all dry ingredients, from flour through salt and stir until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Add the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and wine and stir until thoroughly mixed.
  3. Divide the cake mix between the three pans.
  4. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until a knife or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting. I used this recipe for my Swiss buttercream – but beware, this makes enough for several cakes.
  5. Serves between 8 – 16.
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This post is linked up to #CookBlogShare, hosted this week by Hijacked by Twins

This post is also linked to Saucy Saturdays #87. For more great recipes, check out the hosts’ sites:

Take Two Tapas, La Petit Chef, Mid-Life Croissant and The Flavor Bender

March 8, 2017 12 comments
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BreakfastDessertHoliday RecipesLunch RecipesSnacks

Star Anise Panna Cotta

written by Ali

Star Anise Panna Cotta is a great recipe for an indulgent breakfast treat or late day snack. It’s also my entry for February’s Food ‘n Flix for the movie Pan’s Labyrinth. (Food ‘n Flix is hosted this month by Katharina at Pretty Cake Machine). Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark fairy tale directed by Guillermo del Toro. The story takes place in post-civil war Spain in 1944. There’s an undercurrent of political unrest and distress, and the film itself is a dark telling of a young girl following mythical creatures into the labyrinth. I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say, it doesn’t end well. It’s one of those films that’s incredible for its filmography and story, but probably best not watched if you are depressed.

Both times I’ve watched this movie, I’ve done so kind of between my fingers - yep, I’m a wimp when it comes to dark movies. Still, I was inspired to create my star anise panna cotta. The inspiration came from the scene in which Ofelia encounters the Pale Man at a banquet. Of course, much like Persephone going into Hades, Ofelia shouldn’t be touching any of the food at the banquet - and of course, all the food is beautiful and alluring (and of course, she eats something, thus jeopardizing her very future). I was particularly drawn to the molded desserts, which got me to thinking about jello molds and the like - very old fashioned desserts. The whole temptation and desire thing came to mind, too, especially since we are moving swiftly toward Valentine’s Day.

All of this led me to making panna cotta. Panna cotta is a rich, creamy dessert that has that air of old-fashioned about it. At first, I thought I might aim for a bright sauce for my panna cotta, but then decided to go a bit darker, landing on a star anise caramel for the sauce, which complements the star anise panna cotta nicely.

Just in case you don’t want to try to get the panna cotta to cooperate coming out of its mold - this tastes just as good in a small jar. It sets nicely, and you can just drizzle the sauce over the top, throw a lid on it, and call it an afternoon snack.

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Star Anise Panna Cotta

Ingredients

    Brown Sugar Star Anise Simple Syrup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 star anise pods
    • Star Anise Panna Cotta
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 4 star anise pods
    • Star anise caramel
  • 1 cup sugar (either white or brown)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar star anise simple syrup

Instructions

  1. Make the brown sugar star anise simple syrup first. Combine the brown sugar, water, and star anise pods in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool for at least an hour (though for more intense flavor, refrigerate overnight). Remove the star anise pods.
  2. Make the star anise panna cotta. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Bring the gelatin/water mix to a simmer and fully dissolve the gelatin. Set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and the star anise pods and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for five minutes. Add the milk and sugar, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Take the mixture off the heat and add the gelatin (it will have formed a gelatin pancake - just scrape the whole thing into the heated milk and cream and mix until dissolved). Remove the star anise pods and pour the panna cotta into individual ramekins or half-pint jars. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or over night.
  4. As the panna cotta sets, make the star anise caramel. Combine the sugar, heavy cream, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat and stir occasionally for 7 minutes. Take off the heat and add the simple syrup. The caramel will thicken as it cools. If it gets too thick, microwave for thirty seconds or so.
  5. To serve, drizzle the caramel over the panna cotta and enjoy!
  6. Makes four servings.
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This post is linked up to Weekend Cooking - check it out!

 

February 7, 2017 18 comments
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BeveragesHoliday Recipes

Limoncello Kiss

written by Ali

Here we are, finally, at the end of 2016 and it’s time for a Limoncello Kiss. I can’t say that this year has been that bad for us. I am sorry, though, for the general unrest in the rest of the world. I always face the beginning of a new year with a little anticipation and a bit of trepidation, as well. With good reason, I suspect that this year will bring about some major changes in our lives. We are facing a potential move again, so we’ll see. I’ve used the last few days of 2016 tidying up around the house. This has included cleaning out the garage and generally evaluating what’s worth moving and what’s not.

I’ve also had a great week cooking. If there is any constant in the new year, I very much hope it involves cooking and blogging. I’m also hopeful to be able to continue to be close to fresh and local foods, as these past nearly seven years of living in the PNW have transformed how I’ve cooked - we really do eat very seasonally and I enjoy the ebb and flow of the seasons for that reason.

The Limoncello Kiss is my farewell to 2016 - I thought this year needed a sweet kiss to finish it out. If you are in the mood to make your own limoncello, Giada de Laurentiis’s recipe on Food Network is both quick and yummy. Plus, with the leftover lemons, you’ll have a great excuse to make a lemon meringue pie or lemon bars. The Limoncello Kiss is a nod to one of my favorite cocktails at Pastini’s which is a lovely pasta chain in Portland.

Wishing you all the happiest 2017!

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Limoncello Kiss

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce vodka or gin
  • 1 ounce limoncello
  • Prosecco

Instructions

  1. Combine the vodka or gin and the limoncello in a champagne flute. Top off with chilled Prosecco.
  2. Enjoy!
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December 30, 2016 10 comments
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BeveragesBreakfastFreezer MealsHoliday RecipesLunch RecipesMain DishesMusings

Top Five from 2016 and Five Goals for 2017

written by Ali

Like many, I’m glad to see the end of 2016. I was doing pretty well avoiding whole scale resentment for the year, and then George Michael died. And my reaction was, really 2016? Bowie, Prince and George Michael, all in the same year? And in case you are wondering if my musical tastes are primarily stuck in the 80’s, I’m incredibly sad about Ralph Stanley, Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, and Sharon Jones, too.

On the other hand, I’ve cooked a lot of good food this year, including the five most popular recipes here on Fix Me a Little Lunch.

Eggnog Ricotta Pancakes were hands down the most popular recipe this year. I can see why - who doesn’t love eggnog? These pancakes were so fluffy and so very, very rich - I’m thinking I’ll be making them again for New Year’s Day brunch.

My Crockpot Posole was also quite popular this year. It’s such a great slow-cooker recipe, I wasn’t surprised. We made up a batch of this for Christmas Eve this year and froze several more nights worth. One of my favorite things about this recipe was that it was the first time I participated in Cook the Books. I’m really excited about all the inspiration that will come from next year’s book picks.

Greek Spaghetti Squash was a big hit this year, as well. This was my last office lunch for the year, as we ended up with four snow days and then vacation right around the same time I made this.

I had a great time this fall going out to Sauvie Island to get winter squash. As always, I bought a few too many squash, but it wasn’t a problem, since my over indulgence inspired me to make Winter Squash Stuffed Shells with Pesto. If I had to pick a favorite of my own from this year, it might be this one - mostly because I love cheese, squash and pasta.

And last, but certainly not least, is my Mandarin Orange Mule. I’m glad I finally got with the times and bought a copper mug for Moscow Mules, as they are now high on my list of favorite cocktails.

So there we are - the top five from 2016.

I’m looking forward to 2017. I know there are likely to be some major changes on the way (more on that in future blog posts, I’m sure), but I’m hopeful they won’t impact my time working on my blog. I like to spend a little time reflecting on the year before, as well as looking forward and setting goals moving forward. So - in no particular order - here are my five goals for Fix Me a Little Lunch for 2017.

  1. Keep improving my photography. I had one photo accepted by foodgawker this year for my Red Kuri Risotto recipe and would like to keep working on lighting, composition and so on in 2017.
  2. Create and mostly stick to an editorial calendar. I started working on this in December and realized it wasn’t that hard to plan out December 2017’s blog posts. Now let’s see if I can fill in all the other months of the year. Some of this is product dependent, of course, as I’m committed to keeping Fix Me a Little Lunch all about seasonal foods and recipes.
  3. Continue to be inspired by blog challenges - Cook the Books and Food n’ Flix were my favorite inspirations this year. The books and movies kept me inspired, as did the community of other food bloggers who created some really fantastic recipes.
  4. Explore the whole affiliate/sponsored post thing. I’m a little wary of ads - I’m not a huge fan of navigating them on others sites, so not sure I want to do this on my own blog. On the other hand, I’d love to share some of the products that I love with my readers.
  5. Grow my email list to at least a 1,000 subscribers. Right now, I have seven. I love those seven people who are interested in reading my posts regularly - and would like to find some more. To this end, I’ll be starting a monthly newsletter in January that will include a round up of my favorite recipes from the month before, a bonus recipe featuring a seasonal veggie or fruit, and a profile of a seasonal veggie or fruit. Sign up to be on my email list and be on the lookout for my first newsletter.

Happy New Year everyone! Let’s hope that 2017 is prosperous and happy, and let’s keep eating good food!

December 28, 2016 12 comments
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Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict
BreakfastHoliday Recipes

Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict

written by Ali
Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict

One of the great joys of the holiday season is creating and trying out new recipes, like this Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict. I’d never eaten Eggs Benedict before we moved to Washington. I’ll confess that I have been fairly intimidated by runny yolks on eggs. It’s just one of those quirky things. As a kid, I absolutely hated eggs. I could sort of tolerate them scrambled, with plenty of salt and butter. My grandmother, who was a firm believer in eggs as a key protein, would make pancakes that were more egg than pancake to disguise the eggs, but still get me to eat them. I really thought that hard-boiled eggs were the absolute worst; they struck me as a rubbery abomination.

Fortunately, I grew out of my egg aversion with a vengeance. I started eating hard boiled eggs when I lived in the Marshall Islands. They were a cheap and easy source of protein and with enough salt on them, they weren’t too bad. My relationship with eggs really changed when I met Clay - he makes the most amazing fluffy scrambled eggs and when combined with fried potatoes and avocado in a breakfast burrito, I’m in foodie heaven. Of course, when we moved to Oregon and I started getting farmer’s market eggs, I learned that not all eggs are created equal. My first encounter with a really fresh egg with a deep golden yolk was transformative. Since then, I’ve been really curious about what people see in a runny egg yolk.

I eased into Eggs Benedict, starting out by ordering hard poached eggs. And then one day, I didn’t bother and experienced a lovely golden egg yolk running all over my English muffin. Oh, yum.

So this year, I decided it would be great fun to make my own hollandaise sauce, my own English muffins, and recreate my favorite Eggs Benedict dish with bacon and avocado. This Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict would be the perfect way to start the New Year. Timing wise, this makes an ideal brunch.

The biggest challenge I encountered with this was the timing of all the parts. So here’s what I learned:

  1. I recommend making your own English Muffins. My recipe is linked. You can start the dough the night before, taking it all the way through the first rise. Punch down the dough and put it in the fridge overnight. Take it out thirty minutes before you shape the dough into the English muffins and proceed as directed from there.
  2. Cook the bacon in advance and reheat it.
  3. Cook the Hollandaise and then set it aside while you poach the eggs. Reheat it gently over very low heat until it is lukewarm. Be sure to keep whisking it as you do this so the emulsion doesn’t fall apart.
  4. If you aren’t into poached eggs, fry your eggs instead. You’ll never notice the difference under all the Hollandaise.

Most importantly, enjoy!

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Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

    Makes 4 servings
    • Hollandaise Sauce
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup slightly softened butter, cut into tablespoon sized slices
    • Eggs Benedict
  • 8 strips cooked bacon
  • 2 avocados, sliced
  • 4 English muffins, split in half and toasted
  • 8 poached eggs
  • Hollandaise sauce
  • Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

    To make the Hollandaise Sauce
  1. Off the burner, combine the egg yolks, water, and lemon in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine.
  2. Put the saucepan over a burner set on low heat. Whisk constantly until the eggs begin to get frothy and start to thicken. There will be a noticeable change in the egg mixture - they will begin to increase in volume as well as will start to get thick enough you will be able to see the bottom of the saucepan as you whisk. When this occurs, take the eggs off the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. When one tablespoon of butter is fully incorporated, add the next until it's all been added.
    3. To assemble the Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict
  3. Split each strip of bacon into two pieces. Lay two pieces of bacon on each half of the English muffins. Lay one or two slices of avocado on top of each English muffin. Lay the poached eggs on top of the avocado and then divide the Hollandaise sauce equally over each muffin. Grind fresh pepper over each.
  4. Enjoy!
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December 26, 2016 42 comments
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BeveragesHoliday Recipes

Blood Orange Cosmopolitan

written by Ali
This Blood Orange Cosmopolitan is a festive way to wrap up holiday shopping or enjoy after a stressful afternoon of holiday shopping. I’m so delighted it’s citrus season again. I found these lovely blood oranges at Whole Foods and couldn’t resist buying several to eat and to see how blood orange juice would taste in a cosmopolitan variation. I also happened to have one of those cute tiny bottles of cranberry vodka that I picked up recently with the thought that I’d eventually do something with it.
A cosmopolitan is one of those classic easy drinks that takes just a few ingredients with spectacular results. The blood orange brightens the drink and complements the orange liqueur. I used vanilla sugar to coat the rim and then couldn’t resist photographing the finished product with as many glittery things as I could find. I then sipped on the end product while watching the latest episode of this season’s Top Chef - the best way to spend a Friday evening right before Christmas.
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Blood Orange Cosmopolitan

Ingredients

  • 2 Oz vodka
  • 1/2 Oz triple sec or cointreau
  • 1 Oz cranberry juice
  • Juice from half a blood orange
  • Slice of a blood orange and a few cranberries to garnish

Instructions

  1. Combine the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and blood orange juice with a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake and then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a slice of blood orange and a few cranberries. Enjoy!
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This post is linked to the Saucy Saturday #76 Linky Party. For more wonderful holiday recipes, check out the hosts’ sites:

Take Two Tapas, La Petit Chef, Mid-Life Croissant and The Flavor Bender

December 23, 2016 10 comments
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DessertHoliday Recipes

Kahlua Marshmallows and Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate

written by Ali

Kahlua marshmallows and homemade instant hot chocolate are a perfect holiday gift and a super cozy self-care treat for days when the snow is coming down or the rain is pouring. Many years ago, I went to a presentation at a conference for women in higher education and heard a president of a community college in Oregon whom I very much admire talk about the concept of self-care. This was several years before I formally entered into therapy (long story there) and hadn’t thought about the idea of work-life balance in any sort of depth. What really resonated for me from that presentation was the idea of “bliss breaks”: brief moments during the day in which you do something just for you, whether it’s taking a walk in the autumn leaves or drinking some hot chocolate. This recipe is perfectly designed for a bliss break: it’s easy to make, so low stress on the weekend, and can be stored in a plastic snack baggie in your desk drawer. Add hot water in a pretty mug, stir and call it a happy moment.

Marshmallows are incredibly easy to make and lots of fun, particularly because marshmallow fluff has a tendency to be very active as you are making it – crawling up the mixer beaters, for example, and creating beautiful peaks and valleys as it is being mixed. A few tips that I learned the hard way: first - when you finish with the sugar mixture and it’s been added to the gelatin, immediately start soaking your saucepan and candy thermometer. Otherwise, you’ll be chipping out sugar from your pan. Do the same with the bowl and any utensil that the marshmallow fluff comes in contact with – the faster you clean it out, the easier it will be, as marshmallow sticks to everything! The second is to butter the spatula that will come into contact with the marshmallow when you are transferring it from the bowl to a pan to set. This makes it so much easier to get it moved from bowl to pan. Finally, used powdered sugar liberally on any other utensil you’ll use on the marshmallow. I was able to cut out the cutest shapes from the set marshmallow by dipping the cookie cutters in powdered sugar first. The same goes for the knife you’ll use to cut the marshmallows if you decide to cut them into squares. I’ve also read that you have to have a stand mixer to make these. While I’d imagine it would be about a thousand times easier to do this with a stand mixer, I’ve used a hand mixer without any problems.

I’m going to enjoy Kahlua marshmallows and homemade instant hot chocolate while gazing at the lights of the Christmas tree and listening to Pink Martini’s holiday collection. With any luck, we’ll get a white Christmas here in the PNW or at least a pretty icy one. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

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Kahlua Marshmallows and Homemade Instant Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

    Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup dry milk powder
  • 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • ½ crushed candy cane (optional)
    • Kahlua Marshmallows
  • 2 packets Knox Gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water, divided into ½ cup portions
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Kahlua
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

    For the Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
  1. Layer the ingredients in a jar and mix by either stirring or putting a lid on the jar and shaking. This can be stored in a dry place for several months. To use, combine ¼ cup of the mix with hot water and stir.
    2. For the Kahlua Marshmallows
  2. Prepare a baking sheet or cake pan by greasing it thoroughly with butter and coating it with powdered sugar (similar technique to greasing and flouring a pan for a cake). Set aside.
  3. Sprinkle the gelatin over ½ cup of cold water in a large mixing bowl and set aside. (If you are using a stand mixer, do this part in your bowl for the mixer).
  4. In a large saucepan, combine ½ cup cold water and the sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir continuously and check the temperature with a candy thermometer. When the sugar and water mixture has reached 240 degrees (soft ball stage), take the mix off the heat.
  5. Add the sugar/water mixture to the gelatin. Add the Kahlua. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the combined ingredients for about 10 minutes or until the marshmallow is light and fluffy and starts to hold its shape. I generally figure I’m at this stage when the marshmallow is crawling all the way up the beaters to the mixer
  6. .
  7. Butter a spatula thoroughly. Use the spatula to release the marshmallow fluff from the bowl and spread into your prepared pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the marshmallow and set aside to set – about thirty minutes or so. When the mixture is set, cut with a buttered knife or cookie cutters and roll the marshmallows in powdered sugar.
  8. Marshmallows will last for several days in an airtight container. Enjoy!
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December 20, 2016 33 comments
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BeveragesHoliday Recipes

Flaming Gingerbread Martini

written by Ali

This holiday happy hour is a Flaming Gingerbread Martini, inspired by December’s Food’n Flix movie Krampus (hosted by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen). As you might know already, Krampus is a holiday/comedy/horror movie from 2015 starring Toni Collette and Adam Scott. It’s loosely based on European legends of a horned, devil like creature who was jolly old St. Nick’s counterpart, who took care of the naughty children while St. Nick distributed gifts to the nice children. The movie chronicles the really bad night of a family who have lost the spirit of Christmas and get subjected to Krampus’s minions terrorizing them and eventually dumping them all in a devil ridden pit. Or at least this was what I was able to get from the movie that I mostly watched through my fingers. Yes - it’s over-the-top not-that-scary horror, but I’m easily creeped out and really hate anything that looks like a doll come to life.

I do, however, have a certain fondness for the gingerbread men who wreak havoc throughout the movie, particularly as they end up on fire and run around creating mayhem. I got inspired and started doing research on how to flambe. I kind of thought I might try to make a traditional Christmas pudding and flame it, but then settled on a flambe cocktail. It took a bit of experimentation to figure out the right combination of liquor for it to actually catch on fire. If you are going to light this on fire, it’s definitely most effective to have a liquor that’s high proof layered on the top. I ended up using high proof rum, which catches fire once it’s been heated a bit - which I accomplished with multiple passes of flame over the top. (Use a long match or an Aim n Flame lighter for this).

I was also baking gingerbread cookies, so couldn’t resist making my own havoc-wreaking gingerbread man to hang off the martini glass. After I got over my initial fear of flaming alcohol, Clayton egged me on to let the flames attack the gingerbread man and when we turned off the lights, I got this pic:

Definitely Krampus inspired! I also figured I needed some ornaments strewn around and a few little gingerbread minions to help:

Overall though, I confess that I just liked the color of the flame:

In case you were wondering, the gingerbread man was using gingerbread candy canes as grappling hooks:

As you can probably tell, I had way too much fun with this particular blogging challenge and photo session.

The cocktail itself is perfect for the holidays. It’s not critical to flambe it, though lighting it on fire does bring out a depth of flavor to the rum that I hadn’t expected. And it’s quite the showstopper, too. If you do decide to flambe - be sure to have a fire extinguisher near by, just to be on the safe side.

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Flaming Gingerbread Martini

Ingredients

    Flaming Gingerbread Martini
  • 1 ounce Irish Cream liqueur
  • 1 ounce gingerbread vodka
  • 1 ounce brown sugar simple syrup (recipe below)
  • 1/2 ounce rum or spiced rum
    • Sugar Rim
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
    • Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. Wet the rim of a martini glass. Combine the brown sugar and gingerbread spice on a small plate and dip the rim of the glass in the sugar/spice mix to make a sugar rim.
  2. Add the Irish creme liqueur, the ginger bread vodka and the brown sugar simple syrup to your martini glass, being careful not to disturb the sugar rim. Using the back of a spoon, gently add the rum to the martini glass - as much as possible, you'll want the rum as the top layer as it is the most flammable liqueur in the drink.
  3. If you choose to light the drink, carefully wave a flame over the top of the drink - just slightly above the ingredients. The alcohol won't catch on fire until it's slightly heated, so this may take a few seconds. Let the drink flame briefly and then blow out the flame. Make sure it is completely out before you drink. Enjoy!
    4. Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
  4. Combine the brown sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool and then use.
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December 15, 2016 35 comments
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