meatloaf

by Donna on December 27th, 2005

Meatloaf popularity grows among foodies

What a coincidence! I make a kickass meatloaf. The key to having it turn out fab is softly singing Dead Ringer for Love while mixing it up.

DRINKS

by Donna on December 13th, 2005

Easy
Hot Buttered Rum
In a large mug pour 6 or 8 ounces of boiling water; add a rounded tablespoon of dark brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Add a cinnamon stick and a generous piece of clove-studded lemon peel. (What I typically do is just throw in a slice of lemon and 4 or 5 cloves) Stir in 2 or 3 ounces of rum (preferably dark Jamaican) and top with a butter pat and grated nutmeg.

Easier
Mulled Cider
1 tbsp Mulling Spices in a saucepan with 1 litre of apple cider & simmer for 10-20 minutes. Serve hot with a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Easiest
Eggnog
Buy eggnog at store
Add brandy

Ideas

by Donna on December 6th, 2005

Hot Spiced Cider
Hot Spiced Wine
Hot Buttered Rum
Eggnog

Chestnuts
Pineapple Bread Pudding
Fondue?
?????????????

Ozgood Pie
Gingersnap Cookies

Wood

Ganzfeld

by Donna on December 5th, 2005

Last night Lisa, Bo and I went to Mom and Dad’s house. Mom made a delicious Sunday dinner! Halushki, pierogies, kielbasa and salad. I haven’t had halushki since Lenka was here and it tasted incredible.

The day before, my parents went to a Conair Outlet store. My father bought a portable back massager and a neck massager. After dinner we retired to his office and he connected the back massager to his chair and had me sit down. Then he put the neck massager on me. It looked like a life preserver. He turned them on and everything started vibrating.

“How does that feel?”
“Uhhhh, it feels good, kinda like a Magic Fingers bed at a motel.”
“Not bad!”

Sitting there in what kind of looked like a homemade electric chair with my dad at the controls reminded me of my youth. My dad was always trying one crazy new age device or another. While I was studying for the PSAT/SAT my dad would attach electrodes to my earlobes that delivered a low level electrical current. It was supposed to help me remember, I think. The first time he hooked me up to the electrodes he had the current set too high and I started to twitch. To this day I can hear my mother screaming, “Jimmie, you are electrocuting my baby!” He also had these goggles that had embedded lighbulbs in the lenses. They would rhythmically flash to music delivered in attached headphones. He would have me lay in bed and don the goggles and headphones. The flashing lights and music would send me into a meditative stupor. It felt like I had slept for 3 days even though it was a 45-minute session. Gosh, those were the days!

Coincidentally, you can see a pair of Stress Shield goggles on my SpyCam modeled by the inimitable John Beck.

Halushki - updated
3 large potatoes, (4 medium)
1 large egg
2 cups flour, more or less, depending on wetness of potatoes.
2 teaspoon salt
Thin with milk

Boil the water in a large pot. Grate the potato and mix with the flour, well beaten eggs, salt and a little milk. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. (Mixture should have the consistency of oatmeal)

Drop small dumpling portions from tip of teaspoon and drop into a large pot of boiling water. Let them swirl in the water; they will soon rise to the surface then lower the heat to medium and cook 7 to 10 minutes. After cooked, remove and mix with some onions fried in butter or fried then crumbled bacon or cabbage slowly fried with onions and butter until tender.

My mom serves it with fried cabbage and onion.

Ozgood Pie

by Donna on November 28th, 2005

Maybe this week or maybe on the weekend, I am going to try this recipe.

ozgood pie

Mix together:
4 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp. vinegar
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans (chopped or broken)

Fold in:
whites of 4 eggs, beaten stiff

Makes 2 pies. — Put in unbaked pie shell (no top crust).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, put the pie in and turn the temperature down to 375 degrees immediately. Bake 30-40 minutes until top is an even brown.

Allow the pie to cool all the way. We kept it in the fridge overnight (always better the next day) and served it at room temperature. The top will be crispy and sweet, the middle will be a gooey custard.

via NotMartha

Another Gingersnap Recipe

by Donna on November 22nd, 2005

Barb’s Spicy Ginger Mounds

Sift together in one bowl:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together in separate bowl:
3/4 cup shortening OR margarine OR butter
3/4 cup sugar

Beat into creamed mixture:
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Chill dough for 1 hour. Shape into small balls, roll in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Spicy Ginger Mound

by Donna on October 23rd, 2005

I made the Spicy Ginger Mound cookies this afternoon. They are very nearly perfect. The only change I will make to future batches is to cut the amount of clove. They are crunchy and sweet and perfect with a cup of tea. Here is the recipe:

Spicy Ginger Mounds

Sift together in one bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together in separate bowl:
3/4 cup shortening OR margarine OR butter
1 cup sugar

Beat into creamed mixture:
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Shape into small balls, roll in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

UPDATE: The cloves were only strong in the first couple of cookies. After sitting overnight, the clove taste went away. I am keeping the cloves at 1 tsp.

Ginger Mounds

by Donna on October 18th, 2005

I think I know the problem witht the gingersnap cookies. This morning I searched the Web for Barb’s recipe and I found one very similar. The only difference is I used an additional ingredient, 1 tsp baking powder. It must be the baking powder that made the cookies rise and soften. I will try this recipe and see if it’s it.

Spicy Ginger Mounds

Sift together in one bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together in separate bowl:
3/4 cup shortening OR margarine OR butter
1 cup sugar

Beat into creamed mixture:
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Shape into small balls, roll in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tres Leches

by Donna on August 6th, 2005

My mom made the Three Milk Cake. I went home just to have a slice! It was delicious. She told me that she didn’t make it like the recipe I posted earlier but rather from a recipe she found on the Food Network’s Web site. Here’s the recipe:

Tres Leches: Three Milk Cake
1 yellow cake mix (with pudding) baked as directed in 13 by 9-inch pan

For topping mixture:
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup rum (or to taste)

To finish:
Whipped cream, to cover cake
5 ounces sweetened coconut

Poke holes in the cake with a fork all over. Pour topping mixture over cake. Let mixture absorb completely in refrigerator.

Cover with whipped cream or cool whip and sprinkle sweetened coconut over top of cake.

OPTIONAL: Add macadamia nuts, cherries and/or pineapple.

This is a much easier recipe than what I had posted! And thinking about it, why make a cake from scratch if you are just going to drench it in milk?

Sounds DELISH!

by Donna on August 4th, 2005

At dinner tonight, one of my colleagues kept raving about a cake someone had brought into the office as a treat earlier in the week. Three Milk Cake. I’ve never heard of it before but it sounds fabulous. Here is a recipe I found for it on the Web:

Tres Leches Cake or Three Milk Cake
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, at room temperature, separated and yolks lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh lime zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whipping (also known as heavy) cream

Fluffy White Frosting

Position racks so that the cake will bake in the middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-round cake pan or a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Do not line or flour the pan. Set aside.

Place the flour, baking powder and salt together in a strainer or sifter and sift into a bowl. Repeat the process two more times. Whisk to mix well and set aside.

In the metal bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whip, or in a metal bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites at low speed until frothy bubbles cover the surface. Add the cream of tartar, increasing the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is slowly raised. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat until the whites form peaks that are stiff but still moist when the beater is raised. Slowly drizzle in the egg yolks and beat well; stop at least once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the lime zest and vanilla and blend well.

Using the mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold in about one third of the flour mixture, then half of the whole milk, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding just until the ingredients are incorporated. In the same manner, fold in half of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining whole milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center with your fingertip and wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream together. Using a skewer or tines of a fork, poke holes over the still warm cake. Slowly pour whisked milks over the cake. As we’ve said, some of the milk will seep from the cake. Use a large spoon to scoop the seeping milk and pour the milk over the cake again. Do this until most of the milk is absorbed (this will take about 1 hour). Let cake cool completely before frosting. Makes 8 servings.

Fluffy White Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 eggs), at room temperature, see note
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pour water into a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer.

In a metal bowl, combine 5 tablespoons cold water, the sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl directly into the simmering water. Immediately begin to beat with a hand mixer at low speed until the mixture is foamy, then increase the speed to high and continue beating until firm, shiny peaks form, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, add the vanilla, and continue beating until the frosting is cool and billowy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Note: The county Health Department recommends not consuming raw eggs. In an alternate test, we used dry egg whites found at the baking section at Giant Eagle. The label reads Just Whites, Pasteurized All Natural Egg Whites. It comes in a 3-ounce container. When using dry egg whites, skip the boiling water. We combined all ingredients except the vanilla, and beat for 5 minutes. Then we added the vanilla and set the mixer on high speed for 20 minutes.