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Kent
Today’s cocktail recipe is perfect for an old fashioned Christmas party… like a party attended by the Founding Fathers! I received this recipe from Cook’s Science and of course I tweaked the recipe by substituting hard to find ingredients to easier sourced ones while twisting the flavor profile slightly. I am sure the title has you intensely curious (as well as slightly grossed out at the thought of a ‘milk punch’ cocktail), but trust me please. The use of milk in this ‘punch’ is to clarify the cocktail to an incredibly clear light pink hue. The flavor of this cocktail is sublime – just sweet enough, slightly spiced with a hint of citrus from the tea, ‘punch’…
Today I am posting pictures only to show you some of the meals I make that do not become posts. Most of these meals are variants of recipes I have already posted. Like this Sweet and Sour Pork based on the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe… or 2 styles of knackwurst with caraway sauerkraut and roasted red potatoes similar to Knackwurst, rosemary garlic potato slices, and braised bacon caraway cabbage… or a simple chili recipe that is not like the Chuckwagon Chili at all! This is a recipe I have planned for a future post – maybe before the year ends. And here are two bonus pictures of tonight’s dinner experiment – sous vide carne asada using flank steak! Save Save Save Save…
Here is the lowdown on how I finished the sous vide chicken cordon bleu I prepared recently. Using sous vide makes this dish so simple and nearly foolproof. I paired it with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts, both cooked sous vide. So… set up your water bath and let’s finish this dinner! Save Print Chicken Cordon Bleu Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 80 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 1 prepared chicken cordon bleu breast 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil pinch of salt few grinds of black pepper Extra cheese slices from the preparation step (optional) Extra ham slices from the preparation step (optional) Instructions Set up your sous vide water bath to…
Today, I want to show you how I prepare chicken cordon bleu for cooking sous vide style. If you have ever made chicken cordon bleu before, you know that cheese usually begins spilling out before the chicken is done, making a mess and impacting the final results you hoped for. So rather than use a combination of complicated folds and toothpicks/skewers to avoid this situation, I use the vacuum sealed bag to keep everything tight and in place while it cooks in the water bath. Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, simply open the vacuum bag and finish preparing the rolled chicken breast by breading and frying or just pan searing it. Another bonus is that you can prepare several chicken breasts at once and conveniently freeze…
Want to kick things up a little bit? Then this dish is for you. Last night’s dinner was based on Thai crab fried rice, but I wanted more than the delicious dish I can get at any number of Thai restaurants in the area. So I mashed up a simple beef stir fry with crab fried rice to create Surf and Turf fried rice. This way I incorporated vegetables into the meal, paired the richness of the crab with some beef, and created something new (I think). This dish is a great shareable since it definitely makes enough for two… or you could just enjoy leftovers next day! So now that I have your attention, let’s get it done! Save Print Surf and…
Another Friday night, another cocktail – albeit a little later than I had hoped. Tonight let us get into the holiday spirit and what better way than to relax with a nice glass of egg nog. But wait, isn’t this a cocktail post? Why yes, yes it is… so I am boosting the basic egg nog with brandy, creme de cacao, and cranberry bitters. To keep the cocktail smooth like egg nog and not watered down, I will add a little bit of heavy cream (ok, who’s counting calories during the holidays… not me!). Time to mix and start making merry, Christmas is only a week away! Save Print Nog Alexander Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves…
We all have told, seen or heard jokes targeting the much maligned fruitcake. Which is really a shame, because the brick/lead weight/anvil connotation is probably not fairly earned if we base it on the plethora of European ‘fruit cakes’. These fruit cakes include Italy’s panettone and Germany’s stollen which are light and flavorful with sweetness from fruits and citrus. I consider both wonderful treats during the holidays and today I want to share with you a quick and easy (read ‘non-yeast’) recipe for stollen. This recipe is based on one I found on the King Arthur Flour website – which of course, as usual, I modified. So, preheat the oven to 325 degrees because this dough comes…
Tonight I made a delicious and simple Hungarian stew based on a recipe I found online from Chef Clara Czegeny. This dish uses Hungarian spicy smoked sausage like Csabai Kolbász and potatoes as the primary ingredients. Add to those basics two different types of Hungarian paprika and you can imagine the wonderfully robust flavors you are about to enjoy. Of course, I tweaked the recipe slightly – adding diced roasted red pepper and a sectioned carrot – because I wanted to incorporate just a slight sweetness to balance out the spice and earthiness. This dish comes together quick and easy, so it is perfect any night of the week. Are you ready to take a quick trip to Hungary to satisfy your hunger? I am! Save Print…
Per request, here is the large group (i.e. family/party) gumbo recipe. This gumbo is a crowd pleaser whenever I bring it to parties or impromptu ‘pop-up’ dinners. This recipe takes some effort and planning, but the results are the best. I make the recipe in segments and complete the cooking in a slow cooker/crock pot. So without further ado… Debby, this recipe is for you! Save Print Chicken, Andouille, and Prawn Gumbo Ingredients 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise ½ -inch thick pieces 1½ pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into ¾ -inch thick pieces 1 lb of prawns (26 – 30), shelled and deveined 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning ½ cup butter ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups…
Here is my latest experiment – a poppy seed roll! This post is just a picture post… please enjoy the results visually while I enjoy them by sampling! Save Save…