Once Upon A Gourmet Gin

SO, what is your dish?

2011-01-18T17:56:00.003-05:00

SO, what is your dish?

Choices! Choices! Choices!

Spicy Sesame Noodles
adapted from no less than 100 recipes
Serves 4-6

4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
8 large cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
6 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti noodles
12 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm peanut oil. Add red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the oil becomes slightly red and the pepper is fragrant. Add Peanut butter and butter stir until melted. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant and soft, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk in the garlic-ginger peanut butter mixture. Set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a bowl. Add sauce and coat the noodles. Add scallions and coat the noodles. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Just before serving add sesame seeds and cilantro. Toss to coat. Can serve cold, room temperature or reheat to steaming, piping hot.

These noodles are tangy, filling and quite frankly, simply delicious. Feel free to serve them with additional soy sauce, hot sauce and red pepper flakes. They can be served as a main meal with grilled chicken, shrimp, steak or eggs. They are easy on the weekly budget and perfect for a packed school or work lunch. The sauce is also very versatile. It is perfect for fish tacos, grilled flank steak or a thick dip for fried wontons.

I love food blogging – it just feels good! I am sending my Spicy Sesame Noodles to Presto Pasta Nights by Girlichef Stay in touch.

Stay Tuned.........

2010-12-09T06:35:00.000-05:00

Coming soon to a computer near you......the re- launch of Once Upon A Gourmet Gin

Martha Stewart has nothing on Gourmet Gin and Robert Rothschild Farm

2010-02-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

This blog post is brought to you by Gourmet Gin and Robert Rothschild Farm :-)

Martha Stewart has nothing on Gourmet Gin and Robert Rothschild Farm. Well, that is not completely true. She has a lot on Gourmet Gin. She is famous, and Gourmet Gin has just a "small" following. Martha Stewart is quite wealthy and Gourmet Gin pinches pennies. Martha has her own TV show/magazine and Gourmet Gin is just now learning how to post to YouTube What are the odds that Gourmet Gin (ME) would become as famous as Martha Stewart? ZERO! I am alright with that. I am especially alright with that when I am introduced to fabulous gourmet food companies like Robert Rothschild Farm.

STOP THIS BLOG POST!! Alert the blogging world and the foodies in it, Robert Rothschild Farm just might give Martha Steward a run for her money!

Don't take my word for it. Click here and indulge in some of the most delectable gourmet foods to ever grace your palate and jolt your taste buds!

Got some extra time on your hands? Do you have a deep maddening desire to bake a moist citrusy cupcake? Do you want to know a secret ingredient that will make your lemon cupcakes BURST with flavor? (unsweetened lemon drink mix) How about baking a batch of Gourmet Gin's Lemon Curd Cupcakes?

Gourmet Gin's Lemon Curd Cupcakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 package unsweetened lemon drink mix
4 eggs
4 lemons, finely grated
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 jar Robert's Reserve Lemon Curd & Sweet Topping
1 big batch of cream cheese frosting

Directions: (1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffing cups with liners. (2) Cream butter, sugar and drink mix until fluffy and yummy. Add eggs one at a time beating after each. Beat in lemon zest, vanilla and add flour and buttermilk. Beat until just combined. (3) Fill muffin cups 1/2 full and bake approximately 25 minutes or until the house smell like true citrus goodness! Cool completely (4) Spread a big tablespoon of Robert's Reserve Lemon Curd &Sweet Topping on top of the cupcake and top with piped cream cheese frosting. (5) ENJOY!

If you are among the baking faithful or a devoted cupcake eater, I say unto you, if thou has not yet discovered the most perfect Lemon Curd Cupcake, then look no further!

Robert's Reserve Lemon Curd & Sweet Topping adds a special dimension that just can't be duplicated (sorry Martha) to these cupcakes. Your only challenge with these cupcakes is to gracefully juggle a way not to eat every single last one of them-OR- not to taste away the entire jar of Robert's Reserve Lemon Curd &Sweet Topping

Have a safe and happy week!

A Chocolate Cherry Covered Cookie counts 333 days until Christmas 2010 and 13 days until Superbowl XLIV

2010-01-25T12:23:00.002-05:00

Christmas comes only once a year, but there are year round celebrations to bring out a cookie tray. Take, for instance, Superbowl XLIV.

Superbowl parties bring out friends, fun and food. A cookie tray full of "sweet" choices is perfect for your football party. It is a small portable treat for your guest to enjoy. A cookie tray doesn't have to be a painstakingly difficult process if you start now. Pick a variety of cookies that freeze well and in two weeks you will be the talk of the celebration.

Chocolate Covered Cherry cookies are unique and a "Gourmet Gin" guarantee that there won't be one left when the final score is revealed.

Gourmet Gin's Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/4 t coffee extract
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
24 maraschino cherries
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c sweetened condensed milk

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 350 F (2) Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder & salt together, set aside. (3) With a mixer beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar to the butter & beat until light & fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, coffee extract and coconut oil. (4) Add the flour mixture & beat until well mixed. (5) Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. (6) Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Drain the cherries reserving the juice. Remove the stems & cut the cherries in half. Place 1/2 of a cherry into the indentation in each cookie. (7) Bake for 10 minutes & cool on a rack. (8) While cookies are baking put the chocolate chips & condensed milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the cherry juice. Cool (8) Spoon 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chocolate over the top of each cherry covering it completely. (9) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (10) ENJOY!!

The coffee extract and coconut oil complement the chocolate and cherry of these cookies.  You won't taste the flavors but what you will taste is a rich decadent chewy moist flavorful cookie (I think that about covers it!)

Your Superbowl party is a great excuse to try out some new cookie recipes.  Have a mix of simple to the exotic cookies. This Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookie is addictive. It is not too sweet, and with a chunk of cherry is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Ok! Now on to the game.  Since my beloved Cincinnati Bengals are not heading to the Superbowl this year I am rooting for the New Orleans Saints. I can't think of anything better for a city that has been plagued with the bad luck of Hurricane Katrina. They deserve some HAPPINESS, and something tells me that their Saints winning Superbowl XLIV is just the ticket to some long overdue contentment. GO SAINTS!!

Have a great week and enjoy a cookie on me : -)

If you give El Belle a Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffin. . . . .

2010-01-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

This muffin holds a secret that was NEVER EVER suppose to be revealed!

Meet my niece, El Belle. She is a "junk food" eater.

The "Bah Humbug" hat says it all about her displeasure of healthy fare. If it is a vegetable, she won't eat it. If it is a wholesome dinner being served, she backs slowly away from the table. If it is filled with fiber, she gags. AND so on. . . . .

Meet my baby sister (she is the one in the middle between my parents.)

Suzanne is on a mission for 2010 for her four children. The mission is simple, less junk and more nourishing "good" for you cuisine. This is where I come in. I am the baker. I am the one bringing all the treats. This is where the muffin story starts.

This muffin held a secret in the form of cauliflower. Yelp, cauliflower. It was a strongly guarded secret until I told my sister.

You see, Ellie had eaten several of my muffins and "loved" them. She ate them for breakfast. She nibbled on them for a snack. They were packed in her lunch box. Over a day's time, there were just a few left.

The other night Ellie had declared my sister's dinner inedible!

"Mom, can I please have one of Aunt Gin's muffins instead?" Ellie asked my sister.

"Sure, why not. They are packed full of cauliflower," my sister mumbled.

"YUCK!" Ellie yelled and vowed never to touch another Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffin to her lips.

Now, the remaining muffins sit on a plate getting more stale as the time goes by.

Gin's Chocolate Chip Banana Cauliflower Muffins

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups steamed fresh cauliflower, mashed

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line twelve standard muffin cups. (2) In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda. Stir in the sugar and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. (3) In a mixing bowl stir together the eggs, milk, melted butter, mashed bananas and cauliflower. All to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. (4) Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the muffins. (5) Bake approximately 15-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan. (6) ENJOY!

This is an easy five-star muffin recipe that is moist and sumptuous. The crowning touch of the muffins are the chocolate chips that rest lazily in top. You will definitely be asked for seconds, if you can keep the secret!

Can somebody please tell me if this means spring is coming?

Have a wonderful day and a great week!!

Happy New Year and a simmering pot of 2010 GOOD FORTUNE

2010-01-05T10:34:00.001-05:00

Happy 2010!

Yes, I am a “little bit” behind. The holidays have been (shall I say) hectic for me. I have one son home from college and another son looking forward to college. I have had “big” kids in and out of my house. I have simmered and stewed. I have filled backpacks with snacks. I have fed for hikes and bikes. I served fresh bread and muffins. There were cookies and cakes. I baked and they ate.

One thing that I didn’t do very much was blog. There were a couple of reasons for this lapse. (1.) I have one broken camera and one new camera. The broken camera speaks for itself. It’s broke. Mr. Picky Head insisted on buying me a new camera (that is the kind of husband he is.) This camera is beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. It is unbelievable! It is also beyond my skill level. There is a huge learning curve, but I will prevail. Now on the reason number two. (2.) When you have big hungry boys in and out of your kitchen, there is virtually no time to stop the feeding frenzy for a few photos. That is until I simmered a pot of Black-eyed Pea Soup.

Somehow this one pot of soup stopped the feeding frenzy dead in its tracks. I explained to these boys that eating black-eyed peas for the New Year represented luck. That one bowl would bring them good fortune for the months to come in 2010. Long story very short, they weren’t buying it. Out the door they went in search of fast food that would put as much distance as possible between them and my pot of Black-eyed Pea Soup. Their loss is my windfall and that is all I am going to say about that!

Gin’s 2010 Black-eyed Pea Soup

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
3 smoked ham hocks
1⁄2 stick butter
3 cups finely chopped cooked ham
1 tablespoon dried red chili pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small bag of baby carrots, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups good quality chicken stock
1 large bag of baby spinach or your choice of greens
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
5 cups cooked brown rice
Chopped scallions, red onions, Sriracha Sauce and crackers for garnish

Directions

(1) Bring peas, ham hocks, and 8 cups water to a boil in a 12-qt. Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, skimming foam occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas, reserving cooking liquid and ham hocks. (2) Simmer butter in a 12-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped ham, dried red chili pepper flakes, garlic, jalapeños, carrots, onion, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. (3) Add reserved black-eyed peas, ham hocks, reserved cooking liquid, along with chicken broth and 8 cups of water. (4) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1/2 hour. (5) Remove ham hocks. Add spinach and cook until done. (6) Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon rice into bowls and ladle soup over rice. Garnish to your taste. (7) ENJOY!

I believe in positive thinking so I am saying 2010 is going to be a great year.

Gourmet Gin is Simmering a Pot of Tom Yum Soup

2009-12-28T09:52:00.001-05:00

I am surrounded by people with the flu, people with Mono (for over an entire YEAR) people that are now on their second cold, people that are plagued with allergies, people who claim their immune systems are "just out of whack" and then there is me.

I happy, healthy, smiling merrily on my way. Well, I might not be smiling "merrily" on my way, because I am the one taking care of all these people. (Which explains my lack of blogging. Well, that and the fact that I have a new camera that might take me all of 2010 to learn how to use!)

This brings me to the topic of the day. Tom Yum Soup. Tom Yum Soup is being studied has you read this blog for it's ability to boost your immune system. It is thought that the soup can fight cold and flu viruses and quite possibly cancer. I really can't say enough on how scrumptious this soup is. Here is my recipe, but there are one hundred different ways to prepare Tom Yum Soup.

Gin's Tom Yum Soup Recipe

•4 cups good-tasting chicken stock (I used homemade)
•1 stalk lemongrass, minced, OR 3 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
•3 kaffir lime leaves (available fresh or frozen at Asian stores)
•10 cloves garlic, minced
•1-2 red chilies, finely sliced, and 1 teaspoon dried crushed chili
•3 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at all Asian/Chinese food stores and some supermarket chains)
•12 medium raw shrimp, shells removed
•1/2 cup coconut milk (more to your taste)
• 2 packages of ramen noodles, spice packets saved for another day
• fresh limes
• fresh cilantro
•optional: extra vegetables of your choice (I put none in this batch because of Mr. Picky Head)

Directions
(1.)Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and bring to a boil. (2.) Add the lemongrass and boil for 1-2 minutes. If using fresh lemongrass, also add the tops of the stalks for extra flavor. (3.)Add garlic, chili, lime leaves and Ramen Noodles. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until Ramen is cooked. (4.) Add the shrimp (plus other vegetables if using). Simmer 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and plump. (5.) Reduce heat to medium-low and add the coconut milk plus fish sauce and lime juice. Stir well to combine and gently simmer until hot. Test the soup for salt and spice and adjust to your taste. (6.) Serve in bowls with fresh cilantro and lime slices. For an extra hit of spicy add some Thai chili sauce. (7.) ENJOY!

I have to tell you that this soup isn't worth making without the kaffir lime leaves. These leaves are a little bigger than bay leaves and have such an unique smoky flavor. I am in search of other recipes that would use kaffir lime leaves. They are extremely hard to find unless you are "lucky" enough to live by Jungle Jims in which case you just walk in and get yourself a little pack. I did find out that you can order these leaves on Amazon. They would be well worth the hassle and you can freeze them for future use.

A wise man (my favorite Sushi Chef) recently told me that Tom Yum Soup is also thought to bring luck to one's life. I am adding to my New Year's Day menu along with my Peppered Black-eyed Pea Salad. Food traditions are so much fun and it is a way to get picky eaters to at least try one BITE!

I am wishing everybody the best 2010 EVER!

Now, on to my new obsession which is Bento Box Lunches. Who is in?

Stay tuned for a blog post brought to you by Red Gold Tomatoes.

A Breakfast Bowl for Champions Served to You by Gourmet Gin

2009-12-04T10:34:00.007-05:00

When it comes to breakfast (brunch) I tend to take many chances with my family's menu. My culinary inventiveness (actually it is just a desire to use all leftovers) trumps traditional breakfast fare on most days.

This week, for some odd reason, we had fresh delicious corn on the cob at the market. Go figure, I have never seen it in December EVER!! It has been nice here (Cincinnati) so I fired up my grill. I treated my family to a summer dinner of steak, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes.

I am using family loosely here because my oldest son is away at college, and my senior in high school has a job, a girlfriend, and a schedule that on most days has me feeding him separate. This has been hard because family dinners have been an important tradition through the years to me and my husband. Times change, and I am going to change with them.

I can see that I am really going to have to practice cooking for two! I had several ears of corn left and there was no way I was going to let those go to waste.

The breakfast bowl consist of my 2 packets of low fat Ramen Noodles, fresh corn on the cob, fried egg, spicy relish and fresh limes.

Gin's Spicy Relish

4 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

(1) Mix all ingredients and let marinate for 1/2 hour. (2) Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, add oil and then sear remaining ingredients for 4 to 5 minutes stirring frequently. (3) ENJOY!

I use this relish on just about everything. I love it, guess who doesn't?

That's right, Mr. Picky Head. Imagine that?? His loss! While I am enjoying perfectly cooked fish with a spicy topping, he is just eating fish. While I am enjoying a taco with an additional fresh topping, he is eating the same old "boring" taco. (I think I will stop here since he is helping me with the purchase of a new camera!)

I divided the Ramen Noodles in three bowls and topped mine with the spicy relish, corn, fried egg and fresh lime slices. The other two bowls were topped with corn and fried egg. Why? Mr. Picky Lucas Head is his father's son.

They are two picky peas in a pod. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Here the two are at a picture taking event at his girlfriend's (Betsy) house for senior Homecoming. Betsy's Mother ( in the background) was kind enough to host this event at her house.

This dish is perfect anytime of the day. I want to serve it with poached eggs, but I am terrible at this process! The relish gives it just enough kick to get your taste buds going and the lime adds a subtle fresh flavor.

So go ahead, dare to serve this "different" breakfast to your family. Hopefully you don't have Picky Heads in your house!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!

One Potato, Two Potato, Sweet Potatoes Galore. . . .

2009-12-02T11:35:00.002-05:00

Everybody in the Cincinnati area is talking about White Castle Sweet Potato Fries. . . .

If you want to read my take on them go here, if not continue on for a tradition of sweet potato fries inspired by healthy eating.

Gin's Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3 medium sweet potatoes
Chinese Five Spice, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Virgin Olive Oil

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your baking pan in oven to also preheat. (2) Peel and slice sweet potatoes in thick fries. (3) Coat fries in olive oil. Mix fries with Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper. (4) Remove heated baking pan and spray with cooking spray and add fries in a single layer. (5) Cook until tender crisp (for my oven it was 25 minutes) and then turn broiler on and brown fries for 3 minutes each side. (6) ENJOY!

This cooking method is "perfect" for sweet potato fries. They are tender crisp and quite fresh and mouth watering. You lose none of the outstanding nutritional value that sweet potatoes offer and they are a great value for your grocery dollar. What more could you ask for? A dipping sauce? The combination of the aromatic Chinese Five Spice, salt, pepper and olive oil has such a flavorful twist; you won't miss the dipping sauce. I promise!

These fries are a blank canvas for your culinary creativity and taste for different spices. You could coat them in a Spicy Stir Fry mix, an Oriental Blend, or a Hunan Sweet and Sour Blend. Your spice cabinet is the limit!

Quite possibly you might like your sweet potatoes fried, and in that case if you have a White Castle in your area, I do suggest that you give them a try.

Ode to the "Pumpkin Roll"

2009-11-21T09:08:00.003-05:00

I get excited every year for the "pumpkin season." At the beginning of October I stock up on cans and cans of pumpkin. I bake, I roast, I puree, I slow cook and I eat and eat and eat PUMPKIN! Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin butter, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN!

Then there is the "dreaded" pumpkin roll. :-(

I am never making the pumpkin roll again. Why? You don't have to look too closely to see that my pumpkin roll isn't actually a roll. It is more like layers of pumpkin cake glued together with thick rich frosting. Oh sure, the taste is delightful (that is if you aren't sick of pumpkin) but isn't the point of a pumpkin roll, is that it actually be a roll?

If your pumpkin roll looks good enough to serve to the President of the United States, like my friend Mary's pumpkin roll looks, then sure you are in for a lifetime of pumpkin rolls. I mean why not. If your pumpkin roll looks like a work of art, then heck, you might as well serve it all year long. I don't think anybody would raise an eyebrow if Mary showed up at a Fourth of July picnic with her pumpkin roll! While I am on the subject of Mary from One Perfect Bite, go take a look at this Pot Roast. Get ready to shake your head is AMAZEMENT!

On the other hand, I would probably get a few snickers and giggles on why the heck I was showing up to a Fourth of July picnic with a pumpkin roll? Here have a piece.

There will be no pumpkin pie for this girl on Thanksgiving. There will be pumpkin pie on the dessert table, but none for me. I happen to have first hand knowledge that there will be a Chocolate Truffle Cake which sounds like a wonderful sweet ending to a much anticipated "family" get together.

Guess who is coming home? WE CAN NOT WAIT! Andy is more excited to have a decent meal other than frozen food which is what he feeds himself day in day out.

Happy Thanksgiving EVERYBODY!

(PS The Pumpkin Roll recipe can be found here)

Move Over T.G.I. Friday’s® There Is A New Green Bean In Town

2009-11-17T11:11:00.005-05:00

Have you ever had T.G.I. Friday’s® Green Bean Fries? Did you like them? I guess as far as appetizers go, I would give them a 2 out 4 stars. Let's face it; anything deep fried with cold beer hits the spot.

What if you could bring the garden freshness of green beans to you very own "happy hour" with 1/4 of the fat but twice the flavor?

Gin's Happy Hour Baked Green Bean Fries

1/2 pound fresh green beans
2 eggs
1 cup seasoned flour
1 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 cup light Ranch Dressing
1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot chili Sauce

(1) Place baking pan in oven and preheat to 450 degrees. (2) While oven and pan are preheating place flour in large food storage bag. Place Panko Bread Crumbs in large food storage bag. Mix the two eggs in a bowl. (3) Spray green beans with cooking spray and put in bag with seasoned flour. Shake. (4) Transfer Beans to bowl with eggs and saturate. (5) Move Green Beans to bag with Panko Crumbs and shake to coat. (6) Place green beans on hot baking pan and bake approximately 12 to 18 minutes, or until green beans are crisp and a brilliant brown. (7) Mix Sriracha Chili sauce with ranch dressing. (8) Serve Green Beans with dipping sauce and fresh sliced cucumbers. (9) ENJOY!!

(Note: The key to getting these browned and crisp is the heated baking pan.)

There is good news and bad news for Gin's Happy Hour Baked Green Bean Fries.

I am going to give you the good news first. This is a healthy inspired appetizer with a big dose of delicious flavor. I will give you a personal guarantee that you won't miss the fat or the calories. I also guarantee that your guests will rave and want your "secret" to such light satisfying appetizer.

Now, here comes the bad news. These little gems are time consuming. They are best served directly from the oven while they are crisp and piping hot. They might not be worth the effort for a "big" get together but are certainly perfect for a small gathering.

I served them to Mr. Crabby Head and guess what?

This is a smile of one happy eater, because Gin's Happy Hour Baked Green Bean Fries passed his picky palate with flying colors.

This is the sad face of a loyal kitchen companion and willing taste tester because the "darn" vet put an end to his happiness with one quick statement. "Kramer needs to stick with dog food only." He also seems a little embarrassed by the fact that I dressed him up in a doggy shirt to keep him warm.

Poor Kramie!

Happy Tuesday EVERYBODY!

The Story of the Little Black Dress and Homemade Pickle Salad

2009-11-11T16:53:00.004-05:00

The Holidays are fast approaching. Christmas is exactly 44 days away for today!

A theme that seems to resonate through the holidays is the dreaded weight gain. (At least for me!) Let's face it; we are faced with a variety of eats, treats and drinks. The best made "waist watcher" plan goes out the window when you stand front and center of a fabulous holiday buffet table.

Before you know it, that little black dress you bought needs to be a bit bigger!

Oh yes, you can put your tennis shoes on and tack on another mile to your run.

Or you can vow to eat healthy for the days that the treats aren't calling your name.

Gin's Spicy Pickle Salad

1 pound salad cucumbers, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 Daikon Radish, sliced
1 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
piece 2 inch fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Fresh chopped cilantro

(1) In medium saucepan combine vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. (2) Pour over vegetable mix and stir. (3) Move to refrigerator and marinate one hour stirring frequently. (4) Drain mix and toss with 1 teaspoon Sesame oil and top with fresh cilantro. (5) Enjoy!

I usually save the liquid and use it has a marinade for chicken, or as a base for homemade salad dressing. It is savory and full of flavor and lends itself to a variety of uses.

This pickle salad is spicy, filling and can turn a mundane meal into something delectable without all the calories. You could have a little bowl before you head out to your holiday party to take the edge off your hunger.

With that being said, let the Holiday begin! :-)

From Farm Fresh Eggs to Incredible Fresh Egg Salad

2009-11-05T09:27:00.007-05:00

Now this is fusion! Who would have thought that combining rich mayonnaise, tangy mustard, fresh herbs, and tantalizing spices with farm fresh eggs would taste so good?

There is nothing not to love about farm fresh eggs. When I say "fresh" I mean FRESH. Most times you will be purchasing eggs that the chicken just gifted the farmer with that very morning. How much fresher do you want than that?

You will notice a difference right away in the quality of the eggs. The yolk is a brilliant shade of yellow that you will never get in store bought eggs. The taste of farm fresh eggs is extraordinarily rich, savory and frankly way more tasty. And yes, they are a little bit more expensive but you are paying for the highest of quality. A side benefit not to be lost in the farm fresh egg's deliciousness, is that you will be supporting local farmers and their families. It doesn't get much better than that!

Or does it? Yes it gets much better when you transform your fresh eggs into distinctive egg salad.

Gin's Egg Salad

8 eggs

6 Tablespoons mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 Tablespoon fresh chives

1 Table Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning

(Note: I use an egg cooker and have perfectly cooked eggs every single time whether I am looking for hard or soft boiled.) (Note: Johnnys Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning was the missing ingredient to my egg salad. It really racks up the flavor to a delectable knotch of YUMMINESS)

(1) Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover pan and bring to a boil then remove pan from heat. (2) Let pan sit 1o minutes then drain water and cover eggs with cold water and ice. (3) When cool, peel eggs under running water and transfer to a bowl. Chop eggs with pastry blender or a fork. (4) Stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. (5) ENJOY!!

An egg is a pretty good bang for your nutritional buck. A medium egg will cost you approximately 60 calories and 4 grams of fat. It is a powerhouse as far as protein, vitamins and minerals go.

Mr. Crabby Head would sooner starve than eat egg salad.

Don't let this happy face fool you. This man has a palate that would put any "picky eater" to shame! He is a meat and potato guy. I have thought about sending him to my friend Dave over at My Year on the Grill because he might be better off learning to cook for himself!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Happy Holidays courtesy of Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning

2009-11-04T11:50:00.011-05:00

I would like to say a big "Thank You" to MaryBeth from Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way for the Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning that I had the incredible opportunity to win!

When my package arrived I eagerly opened it and and got a whiff of Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning and knew I was in for a treat. The seasoning smells delicate but rich in flavor. There is no doubt the seasoning is created using the highest quality ingredients that delivers a taste experience that will have you stocking up your spice cabinet.

On the back of the bottle there are recipes for bread, prawns, dressing, and dip. My brain immediately started going through it's virtual cookbook to see where Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning would make a good recipe so much better. I can see that this seasoning would complement a wide variety of dishes from meats and breads to soups and salads. It has the normal uses that you would think of; like a dash on bread or a sprinkle in sour cream for a flavorful dip, but my culinary curiosity is going so much deeper than those uses.

I can see it in egg salad, mingled in a fish dish, added to my chicken and garlic stew, as a marinade for Mozzarella Balls and so on. . . . . . . . . .

Probably the best thing next to the extraordinary flavor of the seasoning is that there are no calories, no fat and very little sodium. That is what I call a bang for your taste buck!

Since we are getting closer to that magical "day" (50 days) but hey who is counting, you might head over to Johnny's website and check out their incredible gift packs. I for one would be extremely happy to receive one as a gift. Would someone please pass that on to my Husband??

Happy Holidays EVERYBODY and have a wonderful week!

"IT IS A GOOD DAY" with Homemade Garlic Bread in the House. . . .

2009-10-27T07:20:00.006-04:00

It is a '"GOOD DAY!" Why? Because, my Chinese horoscope said I should start everyday from here on out saying, "IT IS A GOOD DAY!" I actually like that advice!!

It is also a good day because there is homemade garlic bread in the house. By homemade, I mean homemade, start to finish.

Gin's Garlic Bread

(by Once Upon a Gourmet Gin)

2 cups warm water ( I shoot for 115° F)

2 packages active dry yeast

2 tablespoons raw sugar

2 tablespoons honey

5 to 6 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup pesto (preferably homemade)

10 cloves of garlic, very very very thinly sliced

2 cups Italian Cheese

(1) Mix together yeast, sugar and honey and let sit five to ten minutes until foamy and active. (2) Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture, olive oil and melted butter. Knead by hand or in mixer for no less than 15 minutes. (3) Shape dough in to a ball and place in a well oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch dough down and divide in half. Cover again and let stand for 20 minutes. (4) On two well greased baking pans place the dough that you have shaped in to loaves. Cover and let rise until doubled again. (5) Preheat over to 425 degrees. Bake bread for 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. If bread is getting to brown during baking process cover with foil. (6) Cool 30 minutes or longer. (7) Preheat broiler. split each loaf in half horizontally. Brush with pesto, top with garlic and Italian cheese. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes. (7) ENJOY!!

Frankly, if you are looking for a light dinner, a slice of this bread and a nice Caesar salad will do the trick.

My son found my "expensive" bottle of balsamic vinegar and has claimed it has his own. He treated us to a bowl to dip our bread in and it was tantalizingly good. (I might have a Chef in the making!!)

If you are lucky enough to have leftover bread, you can cut it into cubes, toss with olive oil and bake at 450 degrees until crispy and crunchy. HOMEMADE CROUTONS!

PS I have a new camera and clearly do not know how to operate it. Pretty much every picture I take is blurry which can be just a little depressing but "IT IS A GOOD DAY!"

Have a great week. . . . . . . . :-)

PSS The fresh garlic on this bread is enough to chase any Vampire away but why would you want to do that??

Gin Versus Magic Mayonnaise AND the winner is. . . .

2009-10-15T10:56:00.008-04:00

With it getting to be that time of the year (HOLIDAYS!!) my freezer is slowly filling up with home baked cookies for my holiday treat trays.

I know what you are thinking; "Gin if you are blogging about holiday cookies, why am I looking at a veggie tray?"

Yesterday started out innocently enough as I was looking for some new holiday cookie recipes. If you are like me, you have 100's of those recipe booklets that are right by the check out at the grocery store.

In my many stacks of these recipe booklets, I came across this one and started to browse through it.

This is where the trouble starts!! Right dab smack in the middle of this booklet is a recipe for Magic Mayonnaise. I was intrigued to say the least. Magic Mayonnaise is one of those recipes where you would hope that one of your fellow food bloggers would try first, but seeing that I can't imagine anybody making mayonnaise from Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, I pressed forward.

Lucky for me, right there on the center shelf of my pantry were all the ingredients for this unique concoction.

Magic Mayonnaise

2/3 cup Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice (I used apple cider vinegar)

1/4 salad oil or melted butter (I used canola oil)

2 tablespoons refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed (I used refrigerated)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 salt

Dash cayenne pepper

The directions were as followed:

Place ingredients in a pint jar. Cover tightly, then shake vigorously for 2 minutes. If desired, ingredients may be place in a mixing bowl and beat with a rotary blender until mixture thickens. For a thicker consistency, chill for 1 hour before serving.

I went ahead and doubled this recipe because 2/3 cup of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk is approximately 1/2 of the can. What the heck was I going to do with the other half?

To say Magic Mayonnaise in incredible just would not cover how good it is! It is sweet and savory with a kick of taste from the vinegar. To be down right honest, it is frightfully addicting! It is one of those things that you just can't stop eating, trust me!

I took my Magic Mayonnaise and made a veggie dip. I mixed half of the Magic Mayonnaise with one packet of ranch dressing, 1 8-ounce carton light sour cream (figured I should save the calories where I could,) 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, two green onions that were finely chopped, and garlic pepper to taste. It was YUM and like no other veggie dip you have ever had before!

I over ate Magic Mayonnaise yesterday and that is all I can say about that. When I do that, I TRY and make up for it by adding an extra mile to my daily runs. So, why are my shoes sitting on the computer room floor?

It is POURING RAIN :-( Even after an entire 24 hours of my Magic Mayonnaise eat fest, I still feel it in the bottom of my stomach! YUCK!! Now, am I saying YUCK to the Magic Mayonnaise? NO! I am saying YUCK to how much magic mayonnaise I ate!

In the words of a friend and fellow food blogger Sherri from Everything in Moderation ; moderation is exactly how I am going to eat Magic Mayonnaise from here on out.

Have a great day!

PS The Magic Mayonnaise WON!

The Irresistibly Stupendous Salmon Salad Sandwich

2009-10-07T15:22:00.008-04:00

Have you ever had one of those days that your body doesn't cooperate with you? You know, a pain here, a twist here or an abnormal cracking of your bones?

I guess that question is only for my friends in their forties and beyond. I am a runner and there are days where my body says "NO!"

"Gin, eat more salmon," said Dr. K.

Dr. K is a good friend of mine and that was his advice. He gave me all the health benefits and so on. . . . . Thanks Dr. K!

This week on the menu was poached salmon. Poached salmon is amazingly tasty. It is a great way to eat salmon. As far as the poaching liquid, you are only limited by your taste buds and imagination.

I had one salmon fillet left.

My goal is to get better at working with my leftovers, so I went to work creating some salmon salad.

Gin's Poached Salmon Salad

1 poached salmon fillet

fresh grated horseradish, to taste

1/4 cup fresh sour cream

1/4 cup light mayo

1 teaspoon sugar

fresh dill, to taste

fresh snipped chives, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

(1) Shred salmon fillet. (2) Mix the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to create sandwiches. (3) ENJOY!

Salmon salad is right up there with tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad or ham salad. The fresh grated horseradish gives a kick to the taste buds, and the sugar is the secret ingredient that brings it all together.

My sandwich was out of this world. I started with Arnold Select Sandwich Thins. I added two scoops of salmon salad, fresh sliced radishes, fresh sliced cucumbers, a pile of crisp lettuce and a drizzle of Lemon Pepper Dipping Oil from the Little Dipper Company. I am pretty sure this sandwich could find it's way on to a gourmet menu, it is just that good. The Lemon Pepper Dipping Oil was definitely the magic touch that led to the unbelievable taste. I have to say that I have tried a lot of dipping oils in my time and the ones from the Little Dipper Company are so superior in their taste that I will never waste my money on any other flavored oils. The company has an unique way of mixing the right amount of spices and oils to compliment almost any dish in your recipe box.

I am on way to drop a container of fresh poached salmon salad to Dr. K, and you should be on your way to making a side of potato salad to go with your salmon salad. ; -)

POM Wonderful, Jalapeno Peppers and the University of South Florida

2009-10-06T10:47:00.010-04:00

(This blog post is brought to you by POM Wonderful and yours truly, ME!)

Yesterday afternoon my phone rang and it was my Mother, "Gin, what the heck is going on at the University of South Florida?"

Usually, I would know because I am a news hound. If I am at home, I have the news on. Lately, I have tried to modify from that practice because I was either aggravated by politics or feeling bad at a sad story that I had just heard. So, I have been listening to music.

"I have no clue," I told my Mother. "Well, you better turn the news on and find out?" Which I did immediately.

Sure enough there was breaking news pertaining to the University of South Florida. There was a lock down, mayhem, arrests, a bomb squad, helicopters, and a cowboy allegedly carrying a black puppy along with a large hunting knife. Seriously, my best friend is an awesome published romance author, Cathy Liggett , and I am pretty sure not even her creative imagination could make this up!

I knew that my son was in class so I sent him a text and asked what was going on? He said that he was dodging bullets, which was his attempt at a joke. I have to say that he got his sense of humor from his father, not me. I am happy that he is on his way to feeling better and back to his normal self. All I could do is chuckle. I am over 800 miles away and my son is learning life lessons that I could have never taught him.

Up until he got Mono, he like most young adults, felt like he was invincible. Shortly after we got him back to school in August, we got a phone call from him saying that his car had been stolen. Long story short, his car is gone forever and in Tampa they don't even send a police officer to take the report, they do it over the phone! Now in the middle of campus mayhem, 800 miles away, I had to take some deep breaths. You send your babies out in the world and hope for the best. You realize that they are young adults experiencing their own life lessons, lessons that will undoubtedly have a big impact on their lives. As a Mother, you hope for the best and if your a foodie you head for the kitchen. Cooking, creating and baking are most definitely stress relievers for me.

This brings me to POM Wonderful, jalapeno peppers and one awesome tasting-barbecue sauce recipe. The people from POM Wonderful were kind enough to send me a case of 100% Pure Pomegranate Juice. I really can't say enough about their Pomegranate Juice. The fresh tart taste and proven health benefits make it a drink sensation. Once you realize it's versatility in cooking and baking, then your only problem is that you won't have enough! As far as the jalapeno peppers, that was the only thing in my garden that could stand up to my inattentiveness. So, I have a bountiful crop of peppers just waiting to be used.

Gin's Spicy Barbecue Sauce

1 cup whiskey

1 cup POM Wonderful juice

2 bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce

10 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

4 tablespoons cayenne pepper (you read that right!!)

1 cup honey

(1) Get a saucepan and put on high heat. Pour whiskey and POM Wonderful juice in hot sauce pan and reduce by half. (2) Add barbecue sauce, jalapeno peppers, cayenne pepper, and cup of honey. (3) Simmer at low heat for approximately one hour, stirring frequently, until sauce is thick and fragrant. (4) ENJOY!

I am going to suggest that you don't deviate from this tried and true recipe. Yes, it is spicy (actually right down habanero hot) but it's like nothing that you have ever tasted. It is thick, rich, sweet, and fresh all bottled up in one terrific tasting multi-purpose sauce.

Serving suggestions are as follows: chicken wings, mixed with oil and vinegar for a unique marinade, spread on sandwiches, brushed on grilled meat, as a dipping sauce for pretzel sticks, and so on. . . . .

I would like to say how happy I am with the way that the University of South Florida handled the mayhem on campus yesterday. I feel that my son is completely safe and that the administration is incredible at keeping it that way. When the lock down was over my son headed to the grocery to get a "Butworst to put in the crockpot to make sandwiches." (CHUCKLE)

I said, "You mean a pork butt?" "Yes, that," he proudly said. (CHUCKLE AGAIN)

Have a great day everybody!!

Pumpkins, Pumpkin Muffins and a World Famous Foodie Speaking Tour

2009-10-05T09:50:00.006-04:00

It is October, which means PUMPKINS!! One of my best memories as a young child was visiting the pumpkin patch. Back then, it was about painting the pumpkins, with very little carving. This is my first carved pumpkin of the season. I am about to expose the one trick that will make you a Master Pumpkin Carver, patience. Pumpkin carving takes time, and a lot of it.

My pantry is stocked with cans of pumpkin and I am ready for the pumpkin season. This weekend I made pumpkin muffins with strudel topping for my nieces and nephews. There is one thing that I have learned about muffins and kids, they love the strudel topping. This batch of pumpkin muffins comes with a double batch of strudel topping.

Gin's Pumpkin Pie Muffins with Rich Strudel Topping

1-2/3 cup flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbs. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

1 cup plain pumpkin

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

Strudel Topping

1 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp. flour

4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. melted butter

(1)Heat oven to 350. (2) In medium bowl mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. (3) In another bowl mix eggs, pumpkin and butter. Whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. (4) Pour over dry ingredients and fold in. Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups half way full. (5) Top with Strudel topping and bake 20 to 25 minutes. When muffins come out of the oven gently push a pumpkin candy in muffin top. (6) Let cool slightly before serving. (7) ENJOY!

It is hard to believe that fall is here and the holidays are right around the corner. The saying "Time Flies" is losing it's meaning with me. I blink and it is months later! This brings me to my absence from food blogging. I would like to say that I have been on a world famous food blogging speaking tour, or that I have been working on a cookbook that is already on the best seller list. The truth of course is a little more boring, but equally important, I have been a mother. As some of you might know my son was diagnosed with Mono last November. He came home from college for the summer and I spent the last months nursing him back to health. I am happy to report that he is much better and back to the University of South Florida to start his junior year in college.

Happy Fall everybody!!

Succulant Smoked Salmon and There is a Winner in Pay It Forward!!

2009-06-28T08:02:00.014-04:00

It is Saturday afternoon and I am busy preparing for a day of "family" birthday celebrations. In my family we usually lump birthdays together and have a big day of celebration. Of course, the day is all about the food and the cake.

Today's celebration is a "little" special because we are adding a new teenager to the mix.

Jake's (my nephew) birthday is very special for two reasons. The number one reason is obvious, he is now a teenager! The number two reason is that thirteen years ago Jake entered the world weighing barely two pounds. Jake was a preemie. It is hard to believe now that he had such a shaky start, because he is growing like a weed grows in my garden, FAST!!

Of course, I have to mention Nick, my now ten year old nephew.

Nick now lives each day in the double digits (10) has he likes to say. Nick is the sweetest and smartest ten year old boy that I know. Ok, I know he is my nephew and I might be a little partial to him!

Thanks to my brother-in-law, I have a freezer of fresh wild caught Salmon!

Rob just got back from a very successful Alaskan fishing trip which brings me to my Smoked Salmon.

I am taking a big platter of homemade smoked salmon to the birthday celebration.

Word of warning!! This smoked salmon is fresh with rich smoked flavor. You will need a charcoal grill to to get that rich smokey flavor.

Gin's Smoked Salmon

1 salmon fillet, 2 to 3 pounds

2 cups rum

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup Chardonnay Oak Smoked Sea Salt

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

(1) Rinse salmon and pat dry. Put salmon in baking dish and cover with rum. Let marinate in rum for 45 minutes. Drain salmon and pat dry. (2) Mix brown sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. This is your cure. Put salmon in baking dish and cover salmon with cure. Cover with plastic wrap and put in to refrigerator for 4 hours. (3) Soak 3 cups of your favorite wood chips in water for 1 hour. (4) Prepare charcoal grill for indirect heat. (5) Rinse the cure off the salmon with cold water and blot dry. Brush your grill grate with oil and place salmon in the center of grate. Add drained wood chips to hot coals and cover grill. (6) Smoked Salmon for approximately 20 minutes or until it flakes easily. (7) Cool and ENJOY!

I served the Smoked Salmon on a big platter with capers, red onion, chopped hard boiled egg, cucumbers, lemons and pumpernickel bread! Delicious! This salmon will save for three to four days in the refrigerator, so you can enjoy it with your morning bagels if you so do choose.

On to Pay It Forward. I put every body's name in a hat and picked a winner the old fashion way. I wish I could show you the process, but once again I have a dead camera battery! (So AGGRAVATING!) DRUM ROLL PLEASE. . . . . . . THE WINNER IS. . . . . KIM FROM the Ungourmet!! Kim has a great blog and if you haven't had a chance to check it out, head there now! Kim drop me an email with your address and I will send a package your way.

Have a great week!!

And the secret ingredient is. . . . GREENS!

2009-06-20T10:50:00.008-04:00

Before you say gross, let me explain.

Girlichef is hosting the BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient) and I just couldn't resist participating in this. First, Dar is the absolute best and if you don't believe just grab my badge! That is right! You can grab my badge because Dar created it for me. THANKS A MILLION TIMES OVER FOR THAT DAR. Second, I love greens.

I also love all kinds of pesto. As a matter of fact, I am kind of a pesto expert. I always have frozen homemade pesto cubes in my freezer. I am always making new pesto recipes. Pesto is what I order, if it is on the menu, when we go out to eat. Which brings me to my Mustard Greens Pesto recipe.

A couple of months ago we were in Tampa, Florida at a local seafood restaurant where I ordered fresh fish with pesto and pasta. It was delicious. The pesto had such an unique taste that I asked to speak to the Chef.

"Chef, may I inquire about this delicious pesto," I asked?

"Yes you may. It is Mustard Greens Pesto but I can not give away my recipe. It is my signature item."

When I got home, I went to work on my own mustard greens pesto recipe.

Gin's Mustard Greens Fresh Pesto

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup almonds

2 garlic cloves, roasted

3 tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups coarsely chopped mustard greens

salt and pepper to taste

(1) Blend 1/2 cup olive oil, almonds, and garlic in a processor until finely chopped. (2) Add vinegar, Parmesan cheese and thoroughly blend. Add mustard greens with remaining oil. Season with honey,cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. (3) ENJOY!

There you have, my entry into this week's BSI. Let me tell you what I like about this pesto. First of all, it really has a kick in the flavor department. It is relatively cheap to make. It is off the chart in the versatility of uses.

I hope that everybody is have a great summer and a wonderful weekend.

The Summer is passing by with Swedish Meatballs, Fishing and Pay It Forward

2009-06-16T11:12:00.011-04:00

I would like to take this quick opportunity to tell my blogging friends that summer is getting in the way of my blogging AND more importantly reading all my favorite blogs! Between a triathlon, a son coming home from college, another son running around like there is no tomorrow AND MY LOVE FOR

FISHING, the summer already feels like it is speeding by. YIKES!! Anyway, I would like to say that I am always happy when I get a chance to read all my favorite blogs and if I don't visit for awhile it is only because of all that is going on in my little world. The great thing is, everything that is going on, is good, and for that I am grateful!

Ever since I went to Ikea to shop for my "new" kitchen and stumbled upon their Swedish Meatballs, I have been on a hyper quest to create my own recipe. Ikea serves their meatballs with freshly boiled potatoes and a huge heaping of lingonberry jam. They are DELICIOUS!!

The thing is, I knew that I could do better. The only reason I knew I could do better is that I could use fresh and more healthy ingredients for the meatballs.

Gin's Swedish Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 sleeve of saltine crackers,
1 1/2 cup fat free half-n-half, divided
1 egg

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups beef broth less sodium

1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon flour
4 tablespoons water
2 egg yolks
dash lemon juice

(1) Add meat, crackers, 1/2 cup half-n-half, egg, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt/pepper and roll into small meatballs. (2) Gently brown in a nonstick pan . (3) Move meatballs to pot with beef broth and simmer for 45 minutes. (4) Remove meatballs. (5) Add to a jar flour, water, wine and lemon juice. Shake until flour is dissolved and add the beef broth. Stir constantly until thicken. (6) Remove a cup of gravy. Mix egg yolks. Slowly add gravy to egg yolks to temper and not scramble! (7) Add mixture back to gravy and continue to stir until well mixed. (8) Add meatballs to gravy and simmer until ready to serve. (9) ENJOY!

I served these meatballs with fresh boiled potatoes and a large slice of 9 grain bread from the farmers market. I skipped the lingonberry jam, not because I didn't like it with the meatballs when I ate them at Ikea, it was because I didn't have any. AND honey would rather not have his dinner served with jam (go figure?)

I realize that these meatballs are a comfort food that you would serve more during the cold winter months. If you get tired of grilling (which whoever would) give these a try. I have to tell you that the Swedish are on to something by putting cream into their meatballs. It makes the texture of the meatballs so moist and rich. They practically melt in your mouth.

On to Pay it Forward or PIF for short. I was so lucky to be the winner of Dar's Pay It Forward. In short, to be a part of PIF all you have to do is make a comment on this blog post. On June 28, I will make a random draw of a winner to receive a gift of some sort from me. According to the rules, I have 365 days to send the gift, but I can guarantee you that it won't take me that long. If you are the winner of PIF, you then will host a PIF on your blog where you get to send a gift! FUN!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer full of family, friends and fun!

A Sunday Triathlon and a Devil of a Cupcake

2009-06-08T10:09:00.003-04:00

Male-Female Division KEN AND GIN 3:34:26 3:42:23 = 7:16:49

So, there are the results of our second Triathlon that we participated in yesterday! We improved our score by over forty minutes from our first Triathlon. Obviously, we are extremely pleased with our performance, and we are still speaking to each other. The day was beautiful and "most" of the other participants were extremely nice and fun to be around. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe to be a little less sore today, but I am not complaining.

When I crossed the finish line I did a little dance. I think that the onlookers thought that I might be delirious, and questioned my behavior. That was until they heard my song that went with my dance!

"Oh yes, oh yes, I am officially retired from Triathlons! Oh yes, oh yes, I am never doing another Triathlon! LA DE DA, LA DE DA!"

If I even mention doing the October Triathlon, I would really appreciate someone bringing me to my senses. I would like to thank you in advance for telling me, "GIN, DON'T DO THE OCTOBER TRIATHLON!"

The one benefit, among many, from doing a Triathlon is that you can treat yourself to some goodies without guilt. When you are training for it, you are burning extra calories, and race day brings a huge calorie burn.

This Devil's Food Cupcake comes from Martha Stewart's new book. I have never been a fan of Martha Stewart. It isn't because I don't think she is awesome, because I do. Her way of entertaining and mine are bipolar opposite. I haven't used my good china in the entire twenty three years that I have been married! I have always admired people who entertain with a perfectly set table and good china, it just isn't me.

The cookbook is awesome and is filled with 175 different cupcakes. The photos are incredible and the recipes are amazing. I think I need to practice making my Chocolate Ganache Frosting. Mine didn't quite turn out like Martha's. I am not exactly sure what I did wrong, but the taste was still rich and delicious. The book is definitely worth the price if you are a baker of any kind. I think that cupcakes are the "perfect" treat. They travel well, make great gifts, an awesome birthday treat, and are the right size.

Now, I need to go soak in a very hot tub to heal these sore muscles. I hope that everybody has a great week!

The Tangy Grilled Lime Turkey Burger and the Review of "Cult" Condiment #2

2009-06-03T11:15:00.009-04:00

A wise man recently asked me, "Is there anyway you can shorten your blog posts?"

"Hmmm. . . let me give it a try," I replied.

What moves this delectable moist grilled Turkey Burger out of the mainstream is Patak's hot Lime Relish.

This is "Cult" condiment review #2. Refer here to information on "Cult" condiments.

This is probably one of the most unique relishes that has ever graced my palate. There is enough zip in this relish to satisfy your "spice" tooth and then some. The lime gives it a fresh tang second to nothing I have ever tasted. A little goes a long way. I see the uses for this relish has unlimited when fueled by your culinary creativity.

Tangy Grilled Lime Turkey Burger

1 lb fresh ground turkey

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped

1 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Patak's Hot Lime Relish

1 egg

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

(1) Combine all ingredients for burger except turkey in a food processor. Add Turkey and gently form into five small thick patties. (2) Spray burgers with cooking spray and grill four to five minutes on each side. (3) Serve on homemade buns with lettuce, fresh tomatoes and a slight dab of Kewpie Mayonnaise. (4) ENJOY!!!

In closing this "short" blog post, Patak's Lime Relish is definitely worth a try. It is worth the search to add to your pantry.

PS I now ask the wise man "How is this for a "short" blog post?"

It is all about Friendship, Laughter, an Award, and a Cupcake Video

2009-05-29T09:19:00.011-04:00

When I discovered blogging sometime back, and eventually had the nerve to start my own blog in December 2008, I had no idea the impact that it would have on me. I have been a stay-at-home Mother for over twenty years focusing on raising my two sons. I was pretty much living my life in a little bubble of Motherhood and Wifehood.

I have met some really extraordinary friends though blogging. These friends are extremely creative, kind, compassionate and have brought a richness to my life. These people are teachers, chefs, lawyers, bakers, cooks, mothers, fathers and so on. . . . They come from all over the United States and the world for that matter.

For instance, I feel that I could just make my way to South Bend, Indiana for visit with Dar that would have us laughing and talking for hours. I feel like I have known her for years! Not only does she have one awesome blog, now she has two blogs. Make sure to take some time to check out her new blog. It is full of incredible pictures and is a great read.

When Dar gave me an award, of course I was honored! Thanks Dar!

I would like to pass this award to Heather from Diary of a Fanatic Foodie. She has incredible recipes, is a lawyer (just in case we need blogging representation) and has one darn cute dog named Roxie. Oh yeah, and we can't forget her husband Nick. Most likely all my blogging friends are her blogging friends, but just in case you have not had the chance to check Heather's blog out, what the heck are you waiting for?

Hope that everybody has a great weekend! If you want something to bring a smile to your face take time to watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL3Gf8GqRHw It is precious and cute.

You Don't Have to Go to Japan to get this Potato Salad!!!

2009-05-28T07:56:00.010-04:00

Bear with me here!

I tore this page from the April 2009 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and headed to Jungle Jims. I was bound and determined to find four of the six "Cult Condiments" that I have never heard of, let alone tried or tasted!

I am a huge Nutella fan and thanks to Heather an even more so fan of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce! That left me on a quest for four "Cult Condiments" which brings me to the first of which I would like to share with you.

Kewpie Mayonnaise comes from Japan and it is awful! It is awful for bathing suit season, awful for your diet, and most likely awful for your cholesterol. It is so awful, it is off the charts mouth-watering delicious. Kewpie Mayonnaise is dense and rich with a slight tang to tickle your taste buds. According to Every Day with Rachael Ray, Kewpie Mayonnaise "is tangier, sweeter and more flavorful than American mayonnaise." I will have to raise my hand high in agreement with that assessment! Now, for the bad news. One tablespoon will cost you 100 calories and 10 grams of FAT! (YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT)

Undeniably, Jungle Jims has some of the best customer service EVER! So, I was surprised when I asked for help finding the Kewpie Mayonnaise and the young lady told me, "You do not want that."

"I am a food blogger," I said proudly. I immediately thought how stupid that sounded. But, I wear the badge of "food blogger" proudly! What can I say?

"No, you don't want it because it is too good to eat," she told me. "I bought some the other day and I can not stop eating it. I use it to make my bologna and cheese sandwiches and they are gourmet good."

"What is the problem?" I thought to myself. This is when she handed me the bottle and pointed to the nutritional facts. We exchanged a glance that indicated we both knew what the problem was. That didn't stop me. I work under the saying "Everything in Moderation."

On to Japanese Potato Salad.

Gin's Japanese Potato Salad

5 medium firm potatoes, peeled and diced

1 carrots, finely sliced

1 red onion, grated

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

8 radishes, thinly sliced

6 farm fresh eggs, boiled and thinly sliced

1 cup Kewpie Mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

(1) Boil the potatoes approximately 20 to 25 minutes. The last 10 minutes add the carrot. (2) Drain potatoes and carrots and place in bowl to cool. Add salt and pepper. (3) Add grated onion, cucumber, radishes, Kewpie Mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir. (4) Top with sliced eggs. (5) ENJOY!

I took a big bowl of that potato salad to our Memorial Day celebration at my sister's house so "Why is my brother-in-law giving me that look?" He just found out what the big bowl of potato salad that he just ate consisted of! Rob has been on a meticulously determined diet with such will and resolve, that he has dropped over 40 pounds!

To take a word from my seventeen year old son.

"Sorry Rob!"

I have since done some more research on Japanese potato salad. Here are the changes I will make for this decadent treat. I am not going to put the cucumbers in the salad. Why? They don't stay firm and there is something about biting into a limp cucumber. If you don't believe me just ask Donna! And, I am going to take some of the potatoes and mash them like the do in Japan. In place of the cucumbers I will add a lot more radishes and carrots.

There you have it, JAPANESE POTATO SALAD. It is definitely worth a try for an unbelievable treat. The magazine suggests using the Kewpie Mayonnaise "as a dipping sauce with fried foods or in any mayo-based salad."

Stay tuned for reviews on Patak's Hot Lime Relish, Branston Pickle Relish and Vegemite. Have a wonderful day!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam and a Pole Vaulting Teenager

2009-05-21T09:13:00.006-04:00

My kitchen has been shut down for the last couple of days. We had the final push for the remodel and I am happy to say things are almost done. I spent all day Tuesday on my hands and knees scrubbing my white tiled floor getting it ready for a reseal. I am not looking for sympathy here, but needless to say that wasn't a good thing to do for a girl who has to participate in a triathlon in a couple of weeks. I am sore where I didn't even know muscles existed!

Once again rhubarb mysteriously showed up on my doorstep! Rhubarb has a short shelf life so I had to work around the kitchen mess to create some Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam. I have to say it was a welcome break from the remodel.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam

2 cups crushed strawberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 package powdered pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon extract
4 1/2 cups sugar

(1) Combine strawberries, rhubarb, powdered pectin and lemon juice in a large pot. (2) Bring to a boil and stir frequently. (3) Add sugar, stirring until dissolved and return to a boil. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly. (4) Remove from heat and skim foam. Add lemon extract. (5) Put jam into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust caps and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. (6) ENJOY!

This jam is sweet, tangy and unique. The combination of strawberries and rhubarb really work to create a wonderful jam. You can use Splenda in place of the sugar without much change in the taste of the jam. The only thing that you will miss is the calories which is OK because bathing suit season is upon us. You want to jazz up a boring peanut butter and jelly sandwich use Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam.

Peanut Butter and Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam Sandwich

2 slices of thick bread
Peanut Butter, your choice
Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam
1/2 banana, sliced thin

(1) Spread both slices of bread with a heaping amount of peanut butter and Strawberry-Rhubarb Citrus Jam. Top with banana slices. (2) ENJOY!

This sandwich is delicious. It is perfect for a lunch, a snack, a hike, a boat ride, or a picnic. You will not be disappointed with the tangy tart fresh taste of the jam.

Now, back to the remodel. After spending all day scrubbing my tile floor they came yesterday morning to seal it. That means nobody on the floor for twenty four hours. I have a very open kitchen to the rest of my house and two dogs and one teenage son (17 years old) who still lives at home. So after the floor was sealed, honey and myself went to great pains to block the entire kitchen from anybody (or dog) making the mistake and walking on the floor. I am here to tell you that our kitchen was as secure as Fort Knox! I have one very smart dog and one dog that is scared of her own shadow. My scared puppy ran and hid when we starting securing the entrances to our kitchen. My smart dog was curious but we said "no" and he accepted that and kept his distance for the entire twenty four hour dry period.

Now, on to my son Luke! Luke had left for school before the sealing took place. After the sealing, I was on my way to meet my husband (Kenny) at Ikea to pick up some new decorations for our kitchen.

So, Kenny says to me, "Do you think we should text Luke and tell him about the kitchen and not to walk on the floor?"

I responded, "No, he will know not to walk on the floor!" I mean come on! Every entrance to our kitchen has gates, couches, chairs or tables blocking the way!"

While we were at Ikea my cell phone rang. It was Luke saying he was home from school. When I told him not to walk in the kitchen my statement was met with a long bout of silence.

"You are standing on the kitchen floor right now, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I won't do it again," Luke says.

"Luke, didn't you see the entire kitchen was blocked off?"

"Sorry."

Sometimes the frustration level with teenagers will lead you to want to pull your hair out or drink! It just so happens that our Ikea is right by Kenny's favorite pizza, Unos. So, after Luke's "misstep" we decided to split a pizza and a pitcher of beer. By the time we were finished with our meal and beer we were prepared for any damage Luke had done to the kitchen floor. No harm done, everything was fine!

This morning we started to put our kitchen back together. I spend most of the time shaking my head about Luke finding his way into a kitchen that was as secure as Fort Knox. He literally had to pole vault over tables and chairs! To take a word from his vocabulary, "WHATEVER!"

Have a great day and a fun holiday weekend.

Saying Thank You to Stonyfield Farm® with Yogurt Cream Honey Pound Cake

2009-05-12T09:16:00.010-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Kristina from Stonyfield Farm® asking if I would like to try Oikos Organic Greek yogurt in my baking or cooking! Of course the answer was "YES!" The partnership was perfect (a match made in yogurt heaven) because I am a self declared yogurt lover.

I have to admit that I have not eaten much Greek yogurt up until now. Being a creature of habit, I have always bought the same old yogurt. I know what you are thinking, boring. AND, I had never really given yogurt consideration beyond eating it out of the container. Everything changed when Kristina introduced me to Oikos.

It's hard to believe something so good for you can taste so good! But believe me, Oikos Organic Greek yogurt from Stonyfield Farm® is loaded with remarkable flavor. So what makes this yogurt different from all the others you see around? It is thick, creamy, tart and a pleasant change from the ho-hum other yogurts.

Kristina sent me five coupons for five (FREE) 5.3 OZ containers of Oikos Greek yogurt. I also received four miscellaneous coupons, AND a reusable grocery shopping bag! I have started collecting these shopping bags and this big bright yellow one makes a great addition. Oikos comes in the flavors of plain, vanilla, honey and blueberry.

I had decided that I would use my coupons to bake one sweet recipe and cook one savory recipe. I choose two honey and three plain Oikos yogurts. The first recipe I came up with is a Yogurt Cream Honey Pound Cake. When the summer months come, I make several different flavors of pound cake and freeze them in small slices to serve with fresh fruits of the season for a special treat. Pound cake freezes wonderfully and imagine the surprise of "unexpected" guests when you serve them a slice of pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped topping in no time flat.

Yogurt Cream Honey Pound Cake

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

6 eggs

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 containers of Oikos Honey Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

powdered sugar for dusting

(1) Separate the egg white from one egg and save yolk. Whip egg white until soft peaks appear. Add whipped egg white, yogurt and corn starch to pan and heat but do not boil. Cool. (2) Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining egg yolk and eggs, one at a time, beating will after each addition. (3) Add flour and baking soda and continue to mix well. (4) Add yogurt mixture and extract. (5) Pour into greased and floured 1o-inch tube pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until slightly browned. (6) Cool and dust with poweder sugar. ENJOY!

I did run into one BIG problem when I was baking with the Oikos Honey Greek yogurt! I bought two containers of the honey yogurt and I needed two containers for the recipe that I had created. Of course when I opened the first container, I had to have a little bite to see what it tasted like. The honey sits on the bottom of the container, so I gave it a little stir and popped a bite in my mouth. YUM!! The fusion between the sweet honey and tart yogurt made my tastes buds dance. It's addictive, unique and a great way to get your calcium, protein and a ton of other good things for you. And believe me, it's 10 times better than the yogurt I have been eating. Hence, my problem was that I ate the entire container right there on the spot and out to the store I had to go.

The Yogurt Cream Honey Pound Cake is extraordinary. It is moist, full of flavor and it's an irresistibly stupendous treat! The brown sugar in the recipe creates a mild crunchy crust on the outside of the cake. You'll love it, trust me! This is the first time I have baked with yogurt, but it won't be the last. A big thanks to Kristina and the kind folks at Stonyfield Farm® for expanding my yogurt repertoire.

Stay tuned for my savory creation using the plain Oikos Greek yogurt . Have a wonderful day.

Saying Happy Mother's Day with Honey Mixed Fruit Bars

2009-05-09T12:04:00.009-04:00

The phone is ringing.

"Hello."

"Aunt Gin," it is Ellie." (my eleven year old niece)

"Hi Ellie. What are doing?"

"Nothing. What are you bringing for dessert for Nana (my mother) for Mother's Day?" asked Ellie.

"Oh, you want me to make dessert for Nana?"

"Yes," said Ellie. "Something you have never made for us before. Something special."

I present to you, Happy Mother's Day Honey Mixed Fruit Bars!

Honey Mixed Fruit Bars

(Filling)
2 cups dried mixed fruit
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 apple juice
2 tablespoons butter
the juice of one lemon
1/2 salt
2 eggs

(Base)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 inch Pan with cooking spray. (2) In a saucepan, cook all filling ingredients except egg over medium heat about 15 minutes. Cool. Pour mixture into food processor. cover and process pulsing on and off until fruit in finely chopped. Add egg and pulse processor until mixed. (3) In a large bowl, mix all base ingredients with fork until crumbly. (4) Pat half of the mixture in bottom of pan. Spread filling over base and sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Press lightly. (5) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
(6) ENJOY!!

These bars are unique, versatile, moist and big in flavor. They are a great choice for an everyday treat or good enough for special occasions like Mother's Day. You certainly can change the filling flavor to your liking. My friend makes them with dried apples. She serves her bars with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt and homemade Carmel topping. They are out of this world delicious.

Make sure that you cool these bars completely before trying to cut them. I am always too eager to have one, so I cut them way before they are cool. Do you know what I end up with? A BIG MESS! Of course they are good with the standards, coffee, milk and hot chocolate. They are great to take on picnics, boating, hiking, and book club. If you take them to book club, you might as well take copies of the recipe because you will be asked.

Have a wonderful day!

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo With One Spicy Walnut

2009-05-05T09:57:00.006-04:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

This is going to be short, sweet and and spicy. To buy flavored nuts is insanely expensive. You can fight the high prices by making your own. Whatever your choice of nut is, the flavor possibilities are unlimited.

I personally love spiced walnuts. The spicier, the better. When I decided that I wanted to give some of my friends a little Cinco De Mayo gift, I looked no further than the big bag of walnuts that I always have in my pantry. I was lucky that Dar had brought to my attention Charmane's Gourmet Seasonings. Charmane has some of the most unbelievable flavored sea salts that you will ever come across! Don't take my word for it, give her a visit and see what I am talking about!

Gin's Spicy Walnuts

2 cups walnuts

1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

1 teaspoon Lime Fresco Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Habanero Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1/2 onion powder

1/2 cup finely chopping fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon melted butter

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) Put all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake, shake, shake. (3) Bake for 12 minutes and cool. (4) ENJOY!!

Here is my suggestion to you. Make, bake and bag these for gifts immediately. They are addicting. I know that walnuts are good for you, but I pretty sure they are not talking about 2 pounds at one time? The possibilities for the use of these walnuts are also unlimited. They can be eaten plain, on a salad, in a cheese ball, on pasta, used as ravioli filling, and so on....

Have a happy Cinco De Mayo.

PS Spicy Walnuts are also good with a "big" icy Margarita or a cold Mexican beer!

A Tower of Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

2009-05-02T10:15:00.005-04:00

Being the resident "foodie" of the neighborhood, sometimes things just show up at my doorstep! Tuesday I was out running the neighborhood, preparing for a June triathlon (another story see below) and came home to find a bag full of fresh rhubarb.

I absolutely love rhubarb. It is sweet-tart and lends itself to jams, pies, sauces and of course coffee cake. Rhubarb is easy to prepare and even better to eat.

I recently have come into procession of a mini square Calphalon baking pan. I love it!! It didn't take long for me to start thinking Mini Rhubarb Coffee Cakes.

Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup fat free half n half
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon coffee extract
3 oz cream cheese
4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/2 flour
3/4 sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 packs of instant oatmeal flavor of your choice (I used Maple and Brown sugar)

(1)Heat oven to 325 degrees. (2) In a large bowl beat cake mix, half n half, vanilla, almond extract, coffee extract and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for at least two minutes. (3) Boil a pot of water and remove from heat. Add 2 cups of the fresh rhubarb to the water for approximately two minutes. Gently drain. (4) By hand, gently fold the additional two cups of fresh rhubarb that you have coated in 1/4 cup of the flour and the "cooked" rhubarb. (5) In a small bowl mix sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, butter and oatmeal to coarse crumbs. Fill muffin cups (or in my case the mini squares) only half full. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. ENJOY!!

These mini coffee cakes are really good. They are perfect with coffee, milk or tea. They are sweet with a tang to awaken your taste buds. So get baking!!

Why did I bring up the fact that I am doing a triathlon? BECAUSE I don't want to do it!! I participated the Little Miami Triathlon in October with my husband (honey) being my partner. The triathlon consist of 6 mile canoe, 5.5 mile run, and an 18 mile bike race in that order. It literally took me days to recover from this gruelling race! Let me just tell you that we were awful! We didn't come in last, but darn close. We totally underestimated the canoe part of the race and spent most of the time in the water! A bunch of people in our neighborhood participated in this triathlon and they beat us by over an hour. So, with honey it is kind of a pride thing. Me on the other hand, I just plain don't care. At neighborhood parties we are kind of made fun of and I pretty much take it stride. This kind of harassing just eggs honey on.

So, at the beginning of the year, Lo and behold, I got an email congratulating me on signing up for the Little Miami Triathlon! I have remained strong in my commitment NOT to do this triathlon, but my resolve is wavering. Honey wants to do it, now my sister is doing it, and how the heck can I say 'NO?"

Any suggestions for how I can say "no" just pass them my way! Other than that, have a wonderful day!

Gin is Serving Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

2009-04-27T07:42:00.008-04:00

Is there such a thing as beyond delicious?

My obsession with canning continues with Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles. I ate these things for breakfast this morning! They have a snappy texture and are wonderfully spicy. They have an authentic taste that put store bought pickles to shame. That is all I have to say about that!

Gin's Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

7 lbs small salad cucumbers

6 cups water

2 1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup minced dried onions

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 5 oz Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix

8 tablespoons dry white wine

4 hot small green peppers

1 head of fresh garlic

8 (16 oz) Pint Glass Preserving Jars

(1) Cut ends off cucumbers and then cut into spears. (2) In a sauce pan combine water, vinegar, minced onions, red pepper flakes, Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. (3) Cut hot peppers in half leaving seeds for more spice. (4) Put half pepper in each jar. (5) Pack cucumbers in jars. (6) Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch head space.. (7) Top with 1 garlic clove and 1 tablespoon wine. (8) Follow preserving instructions on the back of the Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix. (9) ENJOY!!

If you have no desire to preserve these pickles, you can put them in jars and enjoy them now. They will last for approximately three months. If you preserve them the will keep for over a year. For added flavor you should allow the pickles to stand in the refrigerator for two weeks. This is close to impossible. I made them Friday morning and could not wait to open a jar! I gave four jars away to friends and family.

Pickles are synonymous with summer picnics and grill outs. These pickles would be great on top of a Chicago Style hot dog, grilled hamburgers, or folded in homemade ham salad. They are spicy with a small hint of sweetness. They are crisp, fresh, impressively tasty, and healthy!

I am already thinking ahead to the holidays! Can you believe it? I am going to can these all summer for holiday gift giving. After all, "it is the season to be jolly." Who would not be jolly eating one of these things? Of course, you do have to like pickles!

A Blueberry Lemon Cupcake to Say Hello and Goodbye. . .

2009-04-23T14:49:00.010-04:00

Cupcakes are making me happy!

It has been a good week and a sad week. A good week because my kitchen remodel is coming along. Mr. Crabby Head has been smiling and I am good with that. I let Mr. Crabby Head have the final say on the tile back splash and he was empowered by that responsibility. He did an excellent job!! AND it is finally warm in Cincinnati, Ohio. It has been a sad week because of Max.

Max was over 25 years old. I have been feeding and caring for Max longer than I have for Mr. Crabby Head and my two sons. Max had made four moves with me. He had a strong vocabulary. "Baby Birdie, What are you doing, and hello!" He could sing beautiful melodies, and he did every single morning for the last 25 years! Max was my Cockatiel.

So, in honor of Max, the warm weather, and Mr. Crabby Head actually not being that crabby:

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
the juice and grated peel of one lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 21-ounce can of blueberry pie filling
1 can of lemon frosting
blue colored sugar

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) In a large mixing bowl combine the first nine ingredients. (3) Gently fold in blueberry pie filling. (4) Fill cupcakes 1/2 full and bake 15 to 20 minutes. (5) Decorate with frosting and colored sugar. (6) ENJOY!!

Max made me realize that things are changing for me, and honestly I am OK with that. My oldest son is in college, doing good, and happy. What more could a Mother ask for? I can't believe it, but I starting all the college stuff with my youngest son. He (Lucas, 17 years old) still has the ability to render me speechless and send me into a "fit," but I have the experience to know that we will get through these "wonderful" teenage years.

So, where does all this leave me? Well, looking ahead to my future. I know one day that my husband (aka Honey and Mr. Crabby Head) and I want to live in the mountains near a lake. I know that being out of the "workforce" for over 20 years, I would like to work. "What would you like to do, Gin?" I am hoping to open a small cafe, and use my skills to open a catering business. The wonderful thing is that I am open to anything! The other wonderful thing is that I feel happy!

A Charming Candied Cupcake for Mr. Crabby Head

2009-04-19T18:09:00.008-04:00

The ability to think ahead makes for a very happy marriage. For once, I had the time and the foresight (and twenty-four years of marriage) to know it was time for me to put a plan in action. There is not a home improvement project on the face of the earth that will not eventually push my husband (honey) over the crabby line.

We are in the process of redoing our kitchen. Our house is twelve years old and ready for some TLC updates. Let me just say that there are crooks and crannies that otherwise would be impossible to get at unless you pulled every cabinet out (which we did.) Hmmmm.... well gross, but it was nothing a little elbow grease and a great shop vac could not handle!!

We are getting new kitchen counters. We had a white tiled back splash that we also wanted to replace. Honey tried to take the tiles off one by one but ending up getting a hammer and taking the entire wall out! He spent the all day hanging new wall board. Let me just say that a few choice words could probably be heard through the entire neighborhood!

Don't let this face fool you.............

He turned pretty crabby and tired after seven hours of solid work. There are several ways to honey's heart, food being close at the top of the list. He isn't a big "sweets" eater but likes to occasionally treat himself. That is where the Candied Cupcakes come in to play for the day.

Charming Candied Cupcakes

1 package white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/3 water
1 large bar of white chocolate, shaved
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 can Carmel icing
chocolate sprinkles
white chocolate melting chips
chocolate melting chips

(1) Add cake mix, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, walnut oil, water, and white shaved chocolate. Mix well and put in to cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. (2) Cool and ice with icing. (3) Generously sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles. (4) Melt white chocolate chips and chocolate chips in separate sandwich bags. Snip the corner of the bags and drizzle chocolates over the cupcakes. ENJOY!!

These cupcakes are simple, rich and just plain scrumptious. They look stunning and taste the same. The walnut oil and shaved white chocolate definitely adds an unique twist the the batter and finished cupcake. Best of all, they are a crabby antidote. Come on!! Who could be crabby eating one of these things? Mr. Crabby tried, but the candied cupcake was just what he needed to put a smile back on his face!! Wish me luck for the week. I am all out of tricks because I have no oven, or dishwasher, or water in my kitchen at the moment.

Simmer a Pot Of Too Busy For Words

2009-04-15T20:34:00.006-04:00

Have you ever gotten back from vacation and been overwhelmed with things that need to be done? That is how I feel right now. I have about one hundred things on my "to do" list!!

Tampa was great. The weather was just perfect. It was nice to see my son and spend time with him.

Tampa is full of unbelievable local restaurants. But, what is a Mom to do when her son is more interested in going to Outback and Lonestar Steakhouse? She goes!! All he wanted was big plates of steak and baked potatoes. There was a bright spot to my dining in Tampa.

Who goes to Tampa, Florida for an authentic Chicago Hot Dog? Well, you should if you are ever in Tampa. These things are fantastic! Of course, I have no pictures of the food because I am always too involved in eating it. (There goes my hope of being a freelance food reviewer) Mels is tucked away but worth the time to find. It is right by Busch Gardens. The menu offers a variety of hot dogs with the Chicago Dog being the most popular. You will get a beef hot dog with relish, pickle, onion, tomato, hot peppers and celery salt. I am here to tell you that it was lip-smacking good. With the basket you get a hot dog, fries and coleslaw. The coleslaw is sweet with a slight spicy kick and worth every delectable creamy calorie. Surprisingly enough, Mel serves homemade beef tamales. Can you believe that I have never had a tamale?? These things were delicious and once things calm down, I am setting my sights on concocting a batch of my own tamales.

Anyway, this brings me to Simmer a Pot Of Too Busy For Words. Sometimes the day just gets away from you, and dinner is the last thing you want to do EVEN when you love to cook. Being a "seasoned" stay at home Mother, I have learned to have a few quick back-ups in my freezer. I always have a pack of turkey sausage and turkey meatballs. If I don't have homemade Italian sauce to defrost, my pantry is full of jars of spaghetti sauce. So there you go, a Pot Of Too Busy For Words simmering away. You can serve this over garlic mashed potatoes, pasta or steamed veggies. All you need is warm baked bread and a fresh salad and dinner is on the table.

I am excited because I am getting new kitchen counters next week! My kitchen is getting ready to have a complete makeover. Believe me, it is really needed. This brings me to my long list of "to do." A lot has to be done before those counters come and me being the chronic procrastinator is not helping at all!

Chinese Tea Eggs and the Easter Buffet

2009-04-06T18:55:00.010-04:00

When I came upon http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html I immediately remembered my two trips to China. My sister's husband worked for Proctor and Gamble and took an international assignment to Guangzhou, China. I had the opportunity to visit my sister twice. I have to tell you that I absolutely hate to fly! Can you imagine? The trip to Guangzhou was approximately twenty four hours! Anyway, as much as my sister is adventurous, I am cautious. As much as she dives right in, I prefer to be in the know before I go. Nothing could prepare me for China. It was an unbelievable adventure. The people, the sites, the culture and the food.

Once I landed and got over the fact that I just spent over twenty four hours with white clenched knuckles just waiting for the airplane to drop out of the sky, I decided to be open minded to being in China. I am so happy I did that. Authentic Chinese food will heighten every sense that you have. The sight and the smell so very different than I was use to, but surprisingly enough different in a good way. As far as food goes, I am very adventurous. There is nothing that I will not at least try once. There were "some" food items in China I politely passed on, but I tried a variety of foods that were absolutely amazing.

That brings me to the Chinese Tea Eggs. One afternoon there was a knock on my sister's apartment door. There stood the sweetest older Chinese woman. There was no language barrier. What I mean by that is, that her sweet genuine smile spoke volumes to me. She handed my sister a small basket Chinese Tea Eggs and my sister handed her a small stack of Chinese money. These things were incredible and I ate several a day until I boarded a flight back to Cincinnati. I had all but forgot about those eggs until I came across http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html Sugarlens's eggs look authenic and really pretty!!

I called my sister and asked if she knew how to make those eggs. I went to her house (she has been back in the States now for several years) and away we went. We made several batches until we decided what we liked best. So, here are our Chinese Tea Eggs

Gin and Suz's Chinese Tea Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup teriyaki Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons raw sugar

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 large black tea bags

water to cover the eggs completely

(1) Boil the eggs 8 to 10 minutes, cool. (2) Take the back of a spoon and crack the eggs but leave shell in tack. (3) Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Add eggs and water to cover eggs completely. (4) Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and let eggs sit in liquid for several hours. (5) Refrigerate and serve cold.

The part that my sister and myself could not do is let the eggs sit in the liquid. We started eating them right away. They are so unique in taste that you really just have to try them. What do you have to lose but a eight eggs? If you really want the "WOW" factor then try serving these for Easter Dinner. It will be an unique treat for your guests!!

I am heading to Tampa tomorrow to visit my son. He is a sophomore at the University of South Florida. I am taking my computer and my camera in hopes of blogging. Tampa has some of the best restaurants in Florida. I will have to see how it goes. My son has been struggling with mono since Thanksgiving. He is improving day by day, but still has some lingering effects of the virus. I will have to take my cue from him. Happy Easter from my family, to you, and your family.

The Best Brine Grilled Chicken Legs for your Summer Picnic and The Cincinnati Reds Opening Day

2009-04-05T10:36:00.006-04:00

The other day I went to the store and left with two small bags of groceries. There was no meat and no dog bones (the two things that really add the dollars to my bill.) The sum of the two bags was $92.97! What the heck? Buying groceries is really getting expensive. That got me to thinking about my upcoming Memorial Day Picnic. It is really going to be expensive and I need to seriously plan ahead.

Chicken Legs are a great value and definitely are delicious when grilled. When you are hosting a picnic you don't want to be stuck at the grill the entire time. That is where The Best Brine Grilled Chicken Legs comes to the rescue. These things are easy, good, and can be made ahead of time.

Best Brine Grilled Chicken Legs

Chicken Legs, skinned removed

1/2 of raw sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

4 tablespoons liquid smoke

barbecue seasoning of your choice

cooking spray

water

(1) To remove skin from chicken legs use paper towels and hold by leg and pull skin (do not throw away if you have a puppy.) (2) Dissolve sugar and salt in water. Add liquid smoke and chicken legs. (3) Brine chicken legs 4 to 5 hours. (4) Remove chicken legs, rinse and pat dry. Spray with cooking spray and lightly sprinkled with seasoning. (5) Grill on charcoal grill over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. Turn frequently. (6) Remove to aluminum pans and place in a 250 degree oven for another 30 to 45 minutes. (7) Serve to your picnic guests!

The meat is tender, smoked, and seasoned perfectly. For all you Weight Watchers, these chicken legs are 1 point a piece! I guarantee your guest will rave about these chicken legs. I have never heard a negative comment about them. You can serve them with a side of your favorite barbecue sauce.

Here is why I said to keep the skin!

I take the skin and throw it in a hot pan with a little olive oil and fry it up like bacon. Of course, this is a treat beyond all expectations for Kramer. I guess I will have to put a disclaimer to ask your Vet first? I did this and all he did was stare at me. I am taking his silence as a vote of confidence in giving my puppy fried chicken skin!

It is getting ready to turn really bad weather wise here. If you live in this area you expect nothing different for the Reds (baseball) opening day! If it is not snowing or sleeting rain, you definitely would wonder "what the heck?" I figure warm weather and great picnics are just around the corner. I just can't wait!!

The Ultimate in Gourmet Flavored Dipping Oils

2009-04-01T15:32:00.007-04:00

I am having one of those perfect days. (This is going to get a little corny) I woke up and could hear the birds singing. Most days my coffee leaves a little bit to be desired, but not today. Today I woke up to a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. I sat down at my computer and was happy about the many nice people that I am meeting through blogging. That is one of the best parts about blogging. You are exposed to people who your path would never cross.

Another great part of blogging is coming in contact with all this really great food information. There are recipes, traditions, gadgets and food products that you might not ever have had the chance to know about. For instance, I read http://girlichef.blogspot.com/2009/04/this-week-at-farmers-marketsea-salt.html from Dar and once again became intrigued with sea salts and the many flavors that they come in. Per Dar, I went to http://www.charmanesgourmetseasonings.com/joomla/ and placed an order for some unbelievable flavored sea salts. I ordered Habanero Heat, Lime Fresco, Roasted Garlic and Toasted Onion. I have done quite a bit of cooking with Smoked Sea Salts, so I am excited to add these flavors to my spice cabinet. FYI, Dar is hosting her first giveaway, the prize being a bag of sea salt, so head on over and try your luck.

On with my wonderful day. I was browsing a local market and came across a shelf of Gourmet Dipping Oils. My culinary inquisitiveness was peaked as a stood there studying these dipping oils from a company called Little Dipper Company. Their line includes six different types of fresh gourmet dipping oils. The color of the oils are so bright and crisp. There are such an abundance of herbs in each bottle, that I started to think of all the other uses besides dipping. After much deliberation I purchased Parmesan with roasted garlic. I would have bought more, but honey (my husband) has brought to my attention the amount of money that I spend at the grocery store. So, I will gradually add the entire line to my pantry. They also have really interesting flavored pastas and bread mixes. This is a small company owned by Susan Jonas. Their oils are made individually by hand, with only the freshest, finest ingredients. I can personally attest to that. I am not sure if she grows her own herbs and dries them by hand, but that is what my oil taste like. The oil I bought has the PERFECT mix of spices. I put a call in to Mrs. Jonas to see if she would help me host my first giveaway! No word yet, but I have high hopes. In the meantime, head on over to Little Dipper Company and let me know what you think. I love supporting small companies like the Little Dipper. These people start these companies because of their love of food and cooking. It is great to buy from people that you have something in common with.

I have high hopes for the rest of my day. I am roasting a chicken and fresh asparagus. I have a loaf of sour dough bread and my bottle of Parmesan with roasted garlic gourmet flavored dipping oil. It is nice out, so we will be taking Kramer (my boxador) to the park for a walk. There is only one possible glitch to my perfect day and his name is Luke (my seventeen year old son.) Recently, dealing with my teenager is hit or miss, a labor of love so to speak. STAY TUNED!

Pass the Homemade Roasted Garlic Taco Sauce, PLEASE!!

2009-03-30T10:14:00.006-04:00

How I got on to wanting to learn how to can foods is beyond me. Once I start thinking about something though, I almost always become obsessed with wanting to do it. It is not like my garden is ever overflowing with brilliantly-colored fruits and vegetables. Quite the opposite. I start out with good intentions, but never have the time to devote to caring for my garden. Last year the only thing that survived my lack of a "green thumb" was my basil and a few lonely salad cucumbers. Hardly the bounty to start canning with! But, I love the canning jars and the fact that I could give gifts of homemade jams and jellies. And, if I could effectively learn how to can homemade soups, I could send them to my son who is in college.

The word that resonates through my search for information on canning is... MICROORGANISMS!! Forget it!! The last thing I want to do is poison my friends and family. My honey (Kenny) bought me the equipment, so I just had to try.

That brings me to my homemade taco sauce. This is something that I make a lot because we are a family of spicy eating. It is fresh tasting, free of preservatives and extremely cost effective. The good thing about this taco sauce is that it freezes well. So, if you aren't on a quest to can, then pop several containers in the freezer for your eating pleasure.

Gin's Homemade Roasted Garlic Taco Sauce

3 cups tomato paste
2 heads of roasted garlic, cooled
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Ancho pepper powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
t tablespoon hot pepper sauce
5 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 corn syrup or honey

(1) Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. (2) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thicken. (3) ENJOY!!

The color of this taco sauce is a deep hue of red. The taste is fresh, spicy, with the tang of sweet roasted garlic. Obviously, it goes great with tacos. It also can be used to make soup, meatloaf, and fresh salsa. You can add or delete chili powder to suit your taste for spicy foods.

I did can this. All I do is keep staring at the jars trying to decide if they are free of bacteria, microorganisms, molds and yeast! I feel pretty confident that I did everything correct and my taco sauce is safe to eat. I will tell you just how confident I am that I canned my taco sauce properly. Next week I am going to Tampa to visit my son who goes to the University of South Florida. He has had mono since Thanksgiving and FINALLY has started to feel better. The last thing I would want to do is to poison him with my canned taco sauce. I am taking him a jar!! Stay tuned........

The $12,000 Donut

2009-03-28T10:32:00.014-04:00

Who could not use $12,000 dollars right about now? I know that I could. That would pay for my new kitchen counter tops and my broken KitchenAid! I have an ever so slight chance to win $12,000, and so can you!!

For all my foodie friends, this contest is right up your alley. Head over to dunkindonuts.com They are running a contest until April 7, to create their next donut. The prize for the winning donut is $12,000. It is easy to do. There are some really unique flavor combinations to choose from. Let me know it you decide to try your hand at this contest. It is a lot of fun to see the donuts that people have created. You guys are so creative, I just know one of you can win this. The story that you attach to your donut is pretty important, so make sure you bring your best writing skills to the contest.

Who wouldn't want to eat a Dunkin Dounut everyday? I know I would. Their coffee alone is enough to get me there. Add a donut to that coffee and I am all in! I have to face the facts though, I can not eat a donut everyday. No matter how many miles I run, it would never be enough if I was eating a donut a day! For a special treat, I choose Dunkin Donuts. In honor of this contest, I have come up with a "healthy" version of a donut hole.

Gin's Baked Donut Holes

1 cup reduced fat baking mix
1/4 cup Splenda sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon butter extract
1/4 egg substitute
2/3 cup fat free half-n-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 can reduced sugar frosting

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) Spray a 12 hole mini muffin pan with cooking spray. (3) In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, 1/4 cup Splenda, cinnamon, egg, half-n-half, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well to combine. (4) Drop by spoonfuls into prepared muffin pan and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. (5) Place muffin pan on a wire rack and cool for 12 minutes. Remove holes from pan. (6) Melt 1/2 can frosting in microwave. Dip donut holes in frosting. Cool and enjoy!!

These donut holes are a simple concoction with a hint of sweetness. I add a couple of tablespoons of fiber to mine to add a bit more "health." You can also roll the holes in sprinkles or colored sugar after dipping in the frosting, if you so do choose.

Now, go to dunkindonut and create for a chance to win $12,000!

Pass the Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins PLEASE

2009-03-20T11:09:00.004-04:00

Mandarin Oranges are in every grocery store around here. These oranges are awesome. They are sweet, easy to peel, a great to go snack, and good for you!! What more can you ask for? I will tell you!! For them to go away!! Bear with me on this. When you buy fresh Mandarin Oranges, they come in a big pack. It is like you are buying them in bulk. You bring them home. You peel and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat...... You can not eat them fast enough before they start to spoil, or you become sick of them. What is a foodie to do?

I peel a bunch of Mandarin Oranges and freeze them. They are great to add to smoothies. You can add them to salads for a different taste twist. Finally, you can bake with them. This brings me to the Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins.

Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins

3 eggs
2/3 c. orange juice
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 cup melted vanilla chips
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
10 peeled Mandarin Oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1/2 almond extract

(1) Gently mix all ingredients except Oranges. (2) Gently fold in Oranges. (3) Fill prepared muffin cups to the top. (4) Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

If you like, you can add a crumb topping to your Mandarin Orange Muffins. It is simple and adds an additional sweetness to these delectable treats. Here is what I like the most about these muffins. They are not too sweet or not to tart. It is a perfect combination of flavors. These are great with morning coffee, or a big glass of cold milk. I carefully packed them and shipped a batch to my son who is in college. They arrived at his apartment and were all eaten the same day. You never have to worry about shipping food to college students and it spoiling!!

I would like to tell you that I bought my Mandarin Oranges at Jungle Jims. I wish I could blog about this place, but I could never make you understand what it is without pictures. No photography in Jungle Jims! I have put a call in to Jungle Jims asking if I could have permission to take some pictures? No word yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed! Until then, go to their web site and see what I have in my back yard!!

Saying Happy Saint Patrick's Day With a Big Bowl of Corned Beef and Cabbage

2009-03-12T12:50:00.008-04:00

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Saint Patrick's Day. I love going to the bar and drinking green beer. Let's face it, we all need a little green beer in our diets! I like wearing green because it is a spring color. Most of all, I love eating corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots! This dish brings the flavors of the holiday to your table with such ease even my "Honey" could prepare it.

Gin's Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots

2 packages of corned beef with spice packet

1 small head green cabbage

5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks

10 small potatoes, cut in cubes

1 head garlic, roasted

1 tablespoon beef bouillon

1 tablespoon McCormick's Smokehouse Pepper

(1) Fill a slow cooker with water and set to low. Place corned beef in slow cooker with spice packets and cook 8 to 10 hours. (2) Roast garlic. (3) After 8 to 10 hours remove corned beef and let cool so you can slice. (4) Add half of the juice from the slow cooker to a big stock pot. Add an equal part water, beef bouillon, potatoes, carrots and roasted garlic. Cook until carrots and potatoes are tender. (5) Add corned beef and cabbage to pot and simmer until cabbage is tender. (6) Season with McCormick's Smokehouse Pepper. A word about additional salt: YOU WON'T NEED IT!! If you insist on salting make sure you start slow and taste. You don't want to ruin this masterpiece!!

Don't kid yourself, this isn't a dish just for Saint Patrick's Day. This can and should be eaten year round. This dish is addictive and unforgettable. It is a great way to eat cabbage. The great thing about making this in the summer months is that you make it in your crock pot. That way, you are not heating your house on a hot summer day (a hot summer day sounds good right about now.)

Top of the morning to you and I hope that there is a pot of gold at the end of your rainbow!!

The Most Lemony Cookie Of All Time

2009-03-09T12:24:00.005-04:00

Before I start, a word about my obsession with cake mix cookies, it was love at first bite. They are cheap, delicious in "almost" any flavor, and if baked right they are chewy-crisp with a gooey middle.

Nothing brings out the flavor of lemons like sugar: lemon cake, lemon bars, lemon bread and the most lemony of all cookies. These cookies have a secret ingredient that will surprise even the most experienced baker. These cookies are becoming wildly popular in the local school bake sale circuit, with people offering up their very own delicious flavor combinations. We even have young bakers getting in on the cake mix cookie action. I think I started a trend!! To bad for me, that I actually never start a trend that could earn me a little cash of my own. You never know, maybe one day?

The Most Lemony Cookie of all Time

1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 7 oz box of Lemonheads®
zest from one lemon
1 box powdered sugar
Preheated oven, 345 degrees

(1) Ground Lemonheads® in food processor into a fine powder. (2) Add all ingredients and blend well. (3) Use melon ball scooper to measure small dough balls and roll in powdered sugar. (4) Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. It is very important not to bake these cookie for more than 10 minutes. Ten minutes give these cookies the perfect texture inside and out. (5) ENJOY!

In my opinion, these cookies are terrific. If you decide to bake them yourself, please let me know what you think. They resemble a lemon bar. I really think they would make a good picnic, boating or camping dessert. They are definitely better if you let them sit for a day. If you over cook them, you will end up with a cookie that is hard and quite frankly unappealing.

The very notion of cake mix cookies would have been unthinkable to me a short time ago. I could not imagine a cookie from a cake mix? I like that they are versatile and easy to make. I am now in the habit of picking up cake mixes from the store when they are on sale. Our neighborhood has a lot of impromptu parties and happy hours. I can easily put a batch together for all the fun! Get baking your very own cake mix cookie flavor, and let me know about it

Tempting Tasty Banana Cake Worth Freezing For....

2009-03-02T09:55:00.010-05:00

There is something so crowd pleasing about Banana Cake. It is moist, dense and remarkably satisfying with a cold glass a milk, or a piping hot cup of coffee. It is definitely a "comfort" cake loved by adults and kids. This cake is a perfect way to use up those bananas that have seen better days. It is still freezing here!!

What did I do this weekend? I hung out with my honey (husband). We looked at new boats, and then went to happy hour at a local bar. We went to the book store, and spent time with my family. Yesterday, I made a huge banana sheet cake and sent my son out to deliver the goodies to my friends and neighbors.

There is definitely a few tricks to making a banana cake that is a prize winner, and I am getting ready to share those tips with YOU! Before you read any further, if you don't have any banana extract head out to the store this very minute.

Best Ever Banana Cake

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe

3 bananas slice thin
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons banana extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon banana extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

(1)Preheat oven to 275° and grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. (2) In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice and banana extract; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. (3) Pour batter into prepared pan. Gently place the sliced bananas on top of the batter. (4) Bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (5) Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. (6) Remove from freezer and bring back to room temperature. (7) For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and banana extract. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. ENJOY!!

A fellow foodie friend of mine bakes, bakes and bakes! She gave me the tip to add banana extract to my cake recipe. I have to tell you that it really pumps up the banana flavor. She also gave me the tip to place my cake in the freezer. The theory behind this technique is that it makes the cake super moist. Well, it really does work! I have since seen this technique stated in several recipes that I have come across. I have to say that it is is worth finding space in your freezer. It gives the banana cake the perfect moist texture.

Here are a few things that I am working on: picnic and boating recipes, MORE cake mix cookies with Jenny and recipes for the new smoker that I received. Here is what I am hoping for: WARM WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fresh Zucchini Relish and the Taste of Spring

2009-02-25T11:18:00.007-05:00

This is not your ordinary Zucchini Relish. It is fresh, fantastic and fragrant! With flavors this fascinating, you know you are in for a culinary delight. You can find fresh zucchini in this area year round. I am not sure how, but all winter long we have enjoyed really good zucchini. This winter has seemed particularly long and cold. I AM READY FOR SPRING AND THE WARMER WEATHER IT WILL BRING! I was sitting and thinking of how nice a grilled Turkey Hot Dog topped with garden fresh homemade Zucchini Relish would taste. Warmer weather hit, so I fired up the charcoal grill and made a batch of Zucchini Relish.

Zucchini Relish

2 cups finely chopped zucchini

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1 cup red pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup beer, your choice

(1) Combine zucchini, onion, green pepper, red pepper, and sprinkle with salt. Mix well, cover with cold water and let stand three hours. (2) Drain and rinse several times. (3) Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer 20 minutes. (4) Drain and reserve a small amount of liquid. Cool vegetables and liquid. Combine vegetables and liquid. (5) ENJOY!!

This is definitely one of those versatile relishes. You can use it on top of hot dogs, hamburgers, shredded smoked pork, bratts, metts, veggie burgers, cold cuts and more. You can add it to pasta salad for an unique taste second to none. You can add it to salsa, or serve it as a sweet and sour salsa. You can eat it by the spoonfuls, which I do, because it is just that good!

Zucchini Relish definitely has the irresistible appeal of long warm summer days. It is colorful and fresh with a sweet and sour tang. It is a quick and easy relish that will grace your table spring, summer, winter and fall. BRING ON SPRING!!

A Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookie for Miss Mary's Birthday

2009-02-19T15:19:00.009-05:00

It's Miss Mary's birthday and my culinary creativeness is flowing. I have been baking and cooking all day long in honor of my good friend's special day. Ever since I made The Vanilla Toffee Crinkle Cookies I have been obsessed with what kind of cookie creations I can make with a box of cake mix. Miss Mary loves chocolate covered strawberries. So, in honor of her birthday and her fondness of chocolate covered strawberries, I made The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookie!

The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookie

1 box of strawberry cake mix

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 ozs. dried strawberries

1 tablespoon strawberry extract

powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

Preheat oven to 350°

Stir dry cake mix, oil, extract and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms.

Gently fold in dried strawberries.

Dust hands with confectioners' sugar and shape dough into 1" balls.

Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on non stick cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is set.

Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Combine chocolate chips and shortening in small baggie.

Microwave until melted.

Cut a small hole in bag and drizzle over cookies.

There is no better time to indulge than on your birthday. These cookies are unique, super easy, and remarkably satisfying for a birthday sweet tooth. They have a deep sweet flavor with a slight tang coming from the added dried strawberries. The chocolate drizzle enhances the flavor of the cookie to put it in the category of gourmet.

Miss Mary this is your moment, your very special day!! We all know that I can't sing, so may I offer you a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Birthday Cookie? HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Saying "I Love You" with a Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte

2009-02-13T09:56:00.008-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day of LOVE! Of course, everyday with honey pie is a day of love and that is all I can say about that! Are you going out to dinner with your sweetheart? Are you cooking gourmet fare or firing up the grill for a juicy burger? Are you celebrating it with friends or alone with candlelight and soft music? Whatever your plans are, there is a place for a Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte. Let me tell you why. It is a rhapsody in delicious flavor, highly tasteful and amazingly stunning in it's presentation. A Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte is creamy, silky, and full of airy texture. This Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte works well with fresh bread, crackers, or baked pita pieces. This is a great way to start the evening of your Valentine's Day festivities. Don't limit your self to one day of love, serve Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte year round.

Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte

4 to 5 ozs. soft goat cheese

4 ozs. cream cheese

4 tablespoons butter, softened

pesto, store bought or handmade

sun dried tomato pesto

(1) Mix goat cheese, cream cheese and butter. (2) Line a small round plastic container in plastic wrap. (3) Put half of the goat cheese mixture in the container. Gently spread the pesto on top of the goat cheese mixture. Top with the remaining goat cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or more. (4) Unwrap the torte and place upon a serving plate. Top with the sun dried tomato pesto. (5) Serve with crackers, bread, or pita.

You can double this recipes and freeze one torte for later serving. You will be freezing the torte without the sun dried tomato pesto topping. The torte takes a couple of hours to thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Once the torte is thawed, top with the tomato pesto.

Nothing says "I love you" more than a special appetizer, and this Goat Cheese and Pesto Torte is up for the job. Most likely after one bite of this Torte, you will be getting an extra show of love. Maybe you will get some jewelry, or in my case some new kitchen gadgets (that is a hint to my honey pie!) Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Let's try to feel the love all year round.

The Case of the Humbled Homemade Hummus

2009-02-06T11:14:00.012-05:00

I love all kinds of hummus. I love red pepper hummus, black olive hummus, lemon and oregano hummus, garlic and black pepper hummus and so on....... Hummus is like a blank palette, ready for your creative culinary combination of spices and ingredients. It is simple to make, delicious to eat, and very much a budget worthy recipe to grace your table. You can make your own flavored hummus to pair perfectly with some of your favorite family dinners. You can replace bread and butter with hummus and pita, and I almost guarantee your grocery budget will significantly decrease. I say "almost" because you have to like hummus!! Who doesn't like hummus? Even honey pie (which is picky pie) likes hummus, so that should tell you something. Hummus is chock full of protein, iron, and even calcium. In the arena of satisfying, hummus/pita has bread/butter beat.

Not all hummus is created equal. I have probably tried over one hundred different hummus recipes, between store bought and homemade. Being a "foodie" I am much more in to the homemade hummus. Why? Like I said, it is a blank palette ready for my creative culinary combination of spices and ingredients. I have used canned garbanzo beans and dried garbanzo beans. In my opinion only, the dry beans win hands down. Obviously, you have to soak the beans overnight. There is a quick soak method, but I have never used this method with any dry beans I cook with. I always start with my basic hummus recipe. I am much more likely to add topping to my hummus than I am to incorporate them into the recipe. This is just personal preference. My hummus recipe is not an exact science. Things change a little depending how much water is left in my cooked beans.

Gin's Humbled Homemade Hummus

1 package 16 0z. dry Garbanzos Beans

1 head garlic, roasted

2 lemons, juiced and grated

1/8 cup peanut butter

1/8 cup Tahini

8 1/2 ozs. olive oil

Beef Broth

2 tablespoons garlic pepper

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

(1) Soak beans overnight. Rinse and put beans, 8 cups cool water into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans approximately one hour. Remove hot beans with slotted spoon to a food processor. (2) Add to beans, roasted garlic, peanut butter, Tahini, juice of two lemons, grated peel of two lemons and pulse processor until bean are mixed. (3) While processor is running, slowly pour olive oil and saved liquid from cooked beans. (4) In almost all cases you will need beef broth. You are looking for a smooth, spreadable consistency. Add beef broth until you get the desired consistency. (5) While processor is running add garlic pepper and seasoned salt. (6) Done!

The hummus above is topped with smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, and a spicy stir fry seasoning. It is garnished with additional olive oil and fresh lemon slices. It is served with flavored pita chips. I have to tell you that the smoked paprika is out of this world as a topping for hummus. I can't explain how good it is, so you should be on your way out the door, to the store right now! This recipe makes a generous amount of hummus. When I first put hummus on the dinner table, I got a lot of blank stares. What I did was to cut the meat portion in half. Nobody in my family missed the meat. They ate dinner and enjoyed some hummus. That is how hummus can save you money on your grocery bill. Less meat, more hummus! It is filling and extraordinarily tasty. It is very cheap to make. It saves for quite some time in the fridge and I have had great success in freezing hummus.

I am going to leave you with this thought. You can top your homemade hummus with roasted red peppers, olives, pine nuts, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted vegetables, sauteed onions, mushrooms, etc..... You can use your hummus in a sandwich, as vegetable dip, as chip and cracker dip, on top of toast, or baked potato, etc..... Need I say more? Enjoy your weekend with some good homemade hummus!

The Best Ever LOW FAT Crispy Crunchy Boneless Chicken Wings

2009-02-04T14:13:00.011-05:00

I was so lucky at the Super Bowl party that I went to on Sunday! First, I won just a "little" bit of money, and second my friend Danielle made these healthy boneless chicken wings that were lip-smacking yummy. I stood and intently watched Danielle make these. I studied her brilliant technique and watched her gloriously pull them out of the oven. I watched the guests devour these boneless chicken wings, one-by-one, until there were none left. Then, I went home and whipped up a batch of my own. I did deviate from Danielle's recipe just a bit, but I can never leave a recipe well enough alone. Mine are just a little bit more spicy, with a little flavor kick from buttermilk dressing mix and McCormick's Worcestershire Pepper. These low fat boneless chicken wings are a sure fire way to outsmart their high fat counterparts in the arena of taste.

Crusty Crunchy Boneless Chicken Wings

1 package boneless chicken tenderloins

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs, mixed

2 packages buttermilk dressing mix

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups corn flakes, smashed

generous sprinkling of McCormick's Worcestershire pepper

cooking spray

preheated oven, 400 degrees

(1) Mix flour with buttermilk dressing mix. (2) Mix eggs and cayenne pepper. (3) Smash corn flakes and put on plate. (4) Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, and roll in corn flakes. (5) Place chicken on a non-stick pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (6) Spray tops of chicken and pepper generously and turn and repeat. ( 7) Cook 15 minutes and flip and cook until golden brown.

These wings are crispy and crunchy. You can serve them as an appetizer. You can make a meal out of them while serving them with a big bowl of chili. You can stack them on a french bread roll with melted cheese, for a sandwich that is out of this world. You can pack them in school lunches, or eat them for a late night snack. I am always thinking ahead to warmer days, they would make great picnic food! My honey pie (who could be nick-named picky pie) loved these boneless chicken wings. They really can be eaten guilt free, which appeals to a guy that is watching his cholesterol. I end this post with a question for you to ponder: Which came first, the chicken wing or the boneless chicken wing?

The Story of Candied Carrots and the Birthday Girl

2009-02-02T09:55:00.011-05:00

"Gin, what are you doing for your birthday?" said my sister.

"I am making candied carrots!" I replied happily.

"Why in the heck would you make candied carrots? Who in their right mind would eat those things?" said my sister.

"The people that want to expand their palettes. The people that aren't afraid to try new things. Oh yeah, and the people who love carrot cake!" I told her.

Candied Carrots

4 cups finely grated carrots

2 cups cold water

4 cups sugar

Rainbow Sparkling Sugar

(1) Bring 2 cups water and 4 cups sugar to a gentle boil. (2) Add carrots and simmer for approximately one hour. (3) Drain carrots and put on pan lined with non-stick foil. (4) Sprinke with Rainbow Sparkling Sugar. Let dry for 2 hours. (5) Store in refrigerator for up to three days.

I want to encourage you to give candied carrots a try, I mean why not? Be bold! Candied carrots are sweet with a crunch. They are an extraordinary topping to a spicy spinach salad. They can be used as toppings for many flavored muffins. How about a sweet potato muffin with crunchy carrot topping, drizzled with a vanilla glaze? Need I say more? Well actually I do because there is an obvious use for candied carrots, carrot cake! Let me just tell you, the way that candied carrots interact with carrot cake surpasses the word delicious. They will take your carrot cake recipe up a notch that seriously could win the "Bake Off." I am not looking for a cut when that happens, so don't worry about that.

Valentine Day is on it's way. How about making your honey pie a carrot cake with candied carrots? You will feel the love, I guarantee it. Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

The Chicken and Dumpling Sundae

2009-01-30T13:36:00.009-05:00

Is it a sundae? "No." Is it Chicken and Dumplings? "N0." IT'S A CHICKEN AND DUMPLING SUNDAE! Eat this and prepare to be spoiled rotten by the ultimate comfort food. During the winter months, I'm all in to the one-pot wonder meals. This Chicken and Dumpling recipe is rich, warm, creamy, chunky, savory and simple. Hold the applause for the fantastic plating and presentation. (Actually, this came out of necessity due to picky eaters.)

The Chicken and Dumpling Sundae

4 boneless chicken breast

32 oz less sodium chicken broth

5 garlic cloves

4 carrots, cut in to chunks

1/2 onion, grated

1 tablespoon McCormick's Worcestershire pepper

1 tablespoon butter

juice of 1 lemon

4 cups hot water with 1 tablespoon chicken soup base

3 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup half-n-half

Dumplings

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

salt to taste

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon sugar

(1) Bring chicken broth, water and chicken soup base to a rolling simmer. (2) Add Chicken and garlic, poach until cooked thoroughly. Cool chicken and slice. Remove garlic and smash and return to broth (3) Add chicken, carrots, grated onion and simmer until carrots are cooked. (4) Add pepper, grated onion, butter and lemon juice. (5) Mix the flour and half-n-half and add the broth to thicken. (6) Gently mix all dumpling ingredients and form small dumplings. Drop in simmering broth and cover. (7) Cook dumpling for 15 to 20 minutes. No Peeking!!

Some recipes are worth repeating and I guarantee this is one of those. This will be on your menu time and time again. Of course, you don't have to serve this Chicken and Dumplings in a sundae cup. I did this for my nieces and nephews. For your ladies luncheon, ladle it in to soup bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley. I have served this with a white wine fruit Sangria, a loaf of fresh baked bread and homemade butter to rave reviews.

It's okay. Admit it, you want your Chicken and Dumplings served in a sundae cup!!!

The Cookie Fairy and The Vanilla Toffee Crinkle Cookies

2009-01-27T21:15:00.012-05:00

Is there such a thing as a Cookie Fairy? Just bear with me! It's been a long day with snow and ice. I've spent the entire day, in the house, with my teenage son!! (The other part of the day was spent texting my other son who is in College with MONO!!) More ice is coming, with the dire prediction that it could be the WORSE ice storm EVER for this area. I've had teenagers in and out of my house, ALL DAY LONG!! Some how, they avoid the law and order of no cars on the road. All I know is that I said "No" to my son driving. I ordered pizza for them. Don't ask me how the pizza guy made it here, but he did. He left with a really GOOD tip. I mean, he did help me feed a bunch of greasy teenage boys. What can I say but:

Vanilla Toffee Crinkle Cookies

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box white cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 bag toffee bits

confectioners' sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350°
Stir dry cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms. Gently fold in Toffee Bits. Dust hands with confectioners' sugar and shape dough into 1" balls.
Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on non stick cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is set.
Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

I could sit here and tell you what deep sweet flavor these cookies have. I could tell you that they have a crunchy outside with a creamy, gooey inside. I could tell you that they would be perfect for your Super Bowl party. I could tell you that they are in the easy to make category. OR.... I could tell you just to believe in the Cookie Fairy. Here's wishing for SPRING!!

PS. That really isn't a Cookie Fairy but a Dotee Doll!

The One and Only Super Bowl Treat. . . Chocolate Fantasy Kissed Cookies

2009-01-25T18:14:00.007-05:00

Drum roll please . . . . . I present to you, the one and only cookie that is worthy of your Super Bowl party. . . . . Chocolate Fantasy Kissed Cookies!! They are sweet and chocolaty beyond your culinary imagination. They are silky, chunky, and so very easy to prepare. They are destined to become a regular upon your cookie platter for years to come. This is your moment to WOW the crowd. WAIT!!! Nobody is watching the big game!! Your guests are too busy admiring and eating your cookies!! Better make a double batch.

Chocolate Fantasy Kissed Cookies

1 roll refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie dough

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup chocolate chunk chips

chocolate sprinkles

1 cup white chocolate chips

chocolate candy kisses

2 teaspoons shortening

Preheated oven to 350 degrees

(1) Bring Chocolate Chip cookie dough to room temperature. (2) Add cocoa to cookie dough and mix well. I do this with my hand mixer. (3) Add Chocolate chunk chips and stir by hand until well blended. (4) Use your melon ball scoop to measure cookies. Shape cookies in to a ball and roll in chocolate sprinkles. (5) Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (6) Place cookies on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. (7) While cookies are still on sheet place a chocolate kiss in the middle of each. Remove to wire racks and cool completely. (8) Place white chocolate chips and shortening in a food baggie and microwave until just melted. Cut a very, very small hole in the edge of the bag and drizzle over cookies!!!!! (9) Don't eat ALL the cookies. Save some for your Super Bowl guests!!

These cookies are small, but pack a double punch of chocolate and sweetness. The drizzle of white chocolate icing really sends them over the top for richness. They are elegant and sophisticated, yet such a simple concoction. Just one cookie is remarkably satisfying. They are excellent to make ahead and freeze. Now, go and have one of the best Super Bowl parties on the block.

The WINNER of Super Bowl 43 . . . . Gin's Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

2009-01-21T13:01:00.013-05:00

Are you ready for the Super Bowl? I know that I am. This year I am invited to a Super Bowl party and for once can’t wait. I have never much been in to the Super Bowl, but for some reason this year is different. Could it be my birthday is the next day, and I get to go out for my birthday dinner? Could it be that my husband is taking my shopping for some new kitchen gadgets? Or, could it be my Sweet and Spicy Meatballs?

Kick off your Super Bowl party with an enticing crock of Sweet and Spicy Meatballs! The deep sweet flavor of Pepper Jelly combines forces with chili sauce to make a remarkably amazing base for these homemade meatballs. The deliciously versatile thing about these little gems is that they can be made a head, and frozen until the big football day. Make a batch today and your well on your way to serving some pretty amazing appetizers.

Gin’s Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 Italian sausage links, casing removed
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 head garlic, roasted
½ Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons garlic pepper
2 teaspoon Chardonnay smoked sea salt
1 bottle chili sauce

1 cup Pepper Jelly

(1) Roast garlic head and cool. Make paste with roasted garlic. (2) Soak dried onion in ¼ cup warm water. (3) Mix all ingredients and shape in to 1 inch meatballs. (4) Brown in a non-stick pan with a small amount of olive oil. Drain and set aside. (5) Combine 1 cup Pepper Jelly and 1 bottle in chili sauce in a pan and simmer until warm. (6) Add meatballs and warmed sauce to a crock pot. Set crock pot to warm which will gently permeate the meatballs with the mouth-watering sauce.

These meatballs are spicy while being sweet. They are tangy while being mellow. They are bold and diverse. You can serve them with toothpicks or propped on top of French bread slices. What more can ask for? You will be the star. These meatballs are easy with terrific flavors AND they can be made a head of time. May I make a suggestion? Make a double batch or triple batch. You can never have too many of Gin's Sweet and Spicy meatballs on hand.

The Ultimate Pasta E Fagioli Soup Served with Petite Grilled Goat Cheese and Pesto Sandwiches

2009-01-17T14:19:00.018-05:00

Soup and winter go hand in hand and believe me, it is WINTER in Loveland, Ohio! You might not always have the time or the inclination to simmer a pot of soup all afternoon. Why don't you give Pasta E Fagioli soup a try? Pasta E Fagioli combined with petite grilled goat cheese and pesto sandwiches is simple, fast, and straight out delectable. It is a steaming bowl of comfort for your deep winter chills.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

4 oz. prosciutto

2 1/2 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup white wine

3 1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 cans white beans of your choice, drained and rinsed

1 cup uncooked small pasta shells

salt and pepper to taste

(1) Cook pasta in boiling water and drain. (2) Saute prosciutto in a small amount of olive oil until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel and blot grease. (3) Add onion to the drippings and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Add in garlic, rosemary, parsley, anchovy paste and pepper flakes. Cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. (4) Add wine to pan and stir. Cook until wine is evaporated. (5) Add the remaining ingredients (including cooked prosciutto) and bring soup to a boil. Reduced heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (6) ENJOY!

This quick and easy soup taste like you were in the kitchen all day long. It will beckon has one of your most requested soups. Now all that is left is to get yourself a loaf of french bread, goat cheese and some pesto. Assemble the mini sandwiches and grill in a cast iron skillet. To serve, ladle soup in a bowl and gently lay the sandwiches on top. The salty tang of the goat cheese and the mellowness of the pesto, make a great companion to Pasta E Fagioli.

This soup gives you plenty of time to think about dessert. What do you have in mind? Let me know!!!

Explosively Colorful Couscous in a Edible Pepper Bowl

2009-01-16T08:14:00.004-05:00

I got a call yesterday from a friend of my Mother's. Would I help her with a luncheon that she would be having at her home? Of course, I was ecstatic about this event, because it is my undying dream to own a small cafe and cater small affairs like this one. She wanted the menu to be light and healthy, but unique in it's presentation. I immediately went to my kitchen and got busy.

This was my moment and I stared eagerly at my pantry. My eyes scanned and my mind started developing the menu. I came across a box of Couscous and knew that I wanted to include this in the luncheon menu.

Couscous is one of those deliciously versatile ingredients that can be served as a side dish, a salad, a main course and EVEN a dessert. Depending on your recipe, it can be sweet, savory, spicy, or (heck) all of the above. One big problem with Couscous is the presentation! It can be colorful, robust and dense in flavor, but served in a bowl it really isn't a "sight to behold." That brings me to the "Edible Pepper Bowl."

Explosively Colorful Couscous in a Edible Pepper Bowl

1 box Couscous, flavor of your choice

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 cup mushrooms

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 small cucumber, diced

6 oz feta cheese, crumbled

juice of 1/2 lime

fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

4 fresh yellow peppers

Prepare couscous according to directions. Bring a small pan of water to a boil and add carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower and cook until crisp tender. Remove to a bowl of ice water, cool and drain. Saute mushrooms until they are golden brown. Add couscous, all veggies, beans, and cucumber and gently mix. Add feta cheese, juice of the lime, cilantro to your taste (I use a lot because this is my favorite herb), salt and pepper. Cut each pepper in half and remove seeds. Mound the couscous in the small edible pepper bowls and garnish with additional cilantro. To serve, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.

I am definitely going to serve these with a side of soup. To make the soup presentation unique, I am bringing out my collection of small coffee cups ( I have about one hundred.) Considering that my recipe collection does includes about a million soup recipes, I better get busy figuring out what soup would be perfect with this couscous!

Jalapeno Infused Chicken Noodle Soup is now served with White Wine Homemade Crackers

2009-01-13T14:35:00.010-05:00

Beware, this isn't your Grandmother's Chicken Noodle soup. This original recipe has hearty written all over it with medicinal value second to no other chicken noodle soup (that is my opinion only!!)

This soup is an unique one-pot marvel with a deep rich broth that will undoubtedly bring them back for another bowl. You will have a elegant and sophisticated meal when served with homemade White Wine Crackers. I have never heard of a meal being too good for company, but this could be it? This combination is a glowing testimonial to your cooking abilities and in the end, it is, oh so simple.

For my homemade crackers and pie crusts, I always keep shortening and a stick of butter in the freezer. This little trick makes for the flakiest most flavored crust and crackers you will ever make. So, if you need to, head to your freezer and stock it with a tub of shortening and a stick or two of butter.

Jalapeno Infused Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2 32 OZ cartons of Less Sodium chicken broth

4 boneless chicken breast

4 carrots, cut in to thick coins

5 cloves of garlic

2 jalapeno peppers halved and seeded

noodles of your choice (I use 1/2 package of Amish noodles)

1 tablespoon of garlic pepper

8 teaspoons chicken soup base

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Combine chicken broth, chicken, garlic and jalapeno peppers in a large pan. Gently simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, garlic, and jalapeno. Shred chicken and smash garlic in to a paste, through away the jalapeno peppers. Add chicken, garlic, carrots and noodles back to broth. Simmer until noodles and carrots are cooked through. Season with garlic pepper, soup base and celery salt.

White Wine Homemade Crackers

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup shortening

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup ice cold white Wine

Chardonnay Smoked Sea Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl and cut in the shortening and butter. I use my food processor and pulse for a minute or so. Mix the ice cold wine and heavy cream together and slowly pour into the dry ingredients. When the dough comes together, stop mixing. Your dough will be wet and sticky. Working with small balls of the dough, dust your counter with flour, take the dough and gently knead until it becomes pliable. Now dust your rolling pin and roll this piece out as thin as you can get it. Sprinkle this dough with the Chardonnay Smoked Sea Salt and gently press in to dough. Cut the dough using a biscuit cutter of your choice. You can prick the crackers with a fork or you can leave as is. If you don't prick the cracker you will have a puffed cracker instead of a flat one. Each is really good. Place crackers on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes. When the edges reach a golden brown, and they are crispy to the touch, they are done.

These crackers are savory and sweet and are the perfect accompaniment to the Chicken Noodle Soup. The soup is silky, spicy, chunky, and chocked full of complex flavor. The peppers add a deminsion that will perk up your taste buds, and chase away any cold or flu that might plague you.

Now, get your spoon and enjoy!!

One Decked out Snickerdoodle Cookie

2009-01-11T09:42:00.007-05:00

Like a Snickerdoodle Cookie could get any better than it already is? Yes it can!!!!

It is coffee hour at Gin's house and snickerdoodle cookies are being served. There is something so alluring about a crispy snickerdoodle cookie and a cup of piping hot coffee. I have always made my Snickerdoodles crispy so that they can withstand the many times they will be dunked in to my cup of coffee. I have perked my Snickerdoodles up with a few secret ingredients and added a vanilla glaze topped with additional cinnamon and sugar. Can you say YUM? These cookies are full of sweet silky flavor. They are elegant and sophisticated, yet such a simple concoction. So, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, bring two sticks of butter and two eggs to room temperature.

Gin's Sinister Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Butter, softened

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

6 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

Here is how you make it:

Beat butter and both sugars until light, airy and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla and almond extract. Add flour, sugars, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Mix the ground cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Use melon ball scoop and mold cookies into a circle. Roll each cookie in the sugar cinnamon mixture. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Gently flatten the cookies with a small cup. Roll AGAIN the sugar cinnamon mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool cookies. In a small sandwich bag place white chocolate chips and shortening and microwave until melted. Cut a very, very, very small hole in the bag and glaze away. Lightly dust the top of the cookies with more of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. ENJOY!!!

There are a few things that you might like to know about Gin's Sinister Snickerdoodles. First, they are out of this world Muy Bueno!! Their flavor is terrific and the icing notches the cookies up several levels of delectable. They freeze wonderfully for your future serving pleasure. They are bake sale winners and the highlight of picnics. They pack well for road trips and love to take a boat ride.

Need I say more? Gin's coffee hour is over, may I show you to the door?

That is the Way the Spicy Black Bean Burger Fries

2009-01-09T15:47:00.006-05:00

You know what my husband just said to me? Of course you don’t, but I am getting ready to tell you!

“What is the deal with the beans? We have had black-eyed pea salad and Navy Bean soup in the last couple of days. Can we lay off the beans for a while?” said my honey pie husband.

This all came about when he wandered in the kitchen noticing that I was whipping up a batch of my Spicy Black Bean Burgers. I have to tell you that he would rather eat cold sautéed spinach without salt that has been sitting around for days, than indulge in one of these meatless burgers. It is his loss, and that is all I can say about that!

These Spicy Black Bean Burgers are big and bold with fresh tasting ingredients that are guaranteed to tickle your tummy and leave you satisfied for hours to come after consumption. They are hearty, with an earthy dimension that only black beans can bring to a burger. Their flavor is pumped up with roasted garlic and jalapeno peppers. They are in the easy to make category and chock full of nutrition.

Stay tuned for a warning before you bite in to one of these scrumptious satisfying textured meatless masterpieces!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

3 cans rinsed and drained black beans

1 1/2 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

6 scallions, both white and green parts, minced

A handful of chopped fresh cilantro

1 whole head of garlic, roasted

1 jalapeno, roasted

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon McCormicks Worcestershire pepper
2 teaspoons honey
Juice of one lime

Directions

Place 2 cups of the black beans, roasted garlic and jalanpeno pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chunky. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining whole black beans, plus panko, eggs, scallions, cilantro, cumin, red pepper flakes, onion powder, honey, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Form burgers into patties which should be approximately ½ cup each. Roll each burger in panko break crumbs. Place burger patties into refrigerator to chill and set up. This is a very essential step to avoid having a pile of shapeless black bean mush! When ready to cook, remove patties from refrigerator and place a cast-iron skillet over high heat with a small amount of the cooking oil of your choice. Cook for about four minutes on first side or until well seared and with a flipping spatula, turn onto second side and allow to cook for an additional five minutes, over medium heat. This recipe makes four to six burgers. If freezing, cook burgers first and freeze, heat in the microwave and enjoy at a later date.

These burgers lend themselves to countless condiment combinations; cheeses, lettuce, fresh tomato slice, onion, salsa, sour cream, avocado, pepper jelly, homemade mayo, mustard, relish, and on and on and on. The sky is the limit!

Now, for the above mentioned warning. Warning, warning, and one more warning. Don’t try a bite, if you are not primed to eat the entire veggie burger. And, that is the way the Spicy Black Bean Burger fries. The end.

Boldly Flavored, Budget Friendly Navy Bean Soup

2009-01-08T10:45:00.009-05:00

Of the many reasons to simmer a pot of homemade Navy Bean Soup, (yes, I did say many) one of the most compelling is the price. I will get to the others shortly.

For pennies per heaping mouth-watering bowl you can serve one of the most satisfying simmering soups that you and your family will ever enjoy. For that matter, the intriguing mix of flavors lends it to dinner party fare! (Ok, Ok, Ok, maybe I am pushing the soup a little far with dinner party fare, but what can I say) It is a soup with such sustenance and nutrition, all while it warms the winter chill away. Now I ask you, can you put a value on such a recipe? Yes, priceless!

Gin's Navy Bean Soup

1 pound dried navy beans
three quarts water
3 pounds smoked ham hocks
14 ounces Smoked Turkey Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons McCormick smokehouse pepper
4 teaspoons Ham flavored soup base
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups chicken broth (optional)
salt to taste

Wash the navy beans and soak in 5 quarts cool water overnight. Drain beans and rinse. Place beans into pot with three quarts water. Add ham hocks, chopped onions, ham flavored soup base, and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup (optional.) Bring to a boil and season with 2 tablespoons McCormick smokehouse pepper, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke and salt to taste. Once boiling bring soup back to a simmer. At this point, the soup will be thick, you can serve as is or thin with 2 cups chicken broth (which is what I do.) In the meantime, slice smoked turkey sausage into thin coins and brown in a non stick pan. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, and stack sausage coins on top. Serve with crackers and hot sauce if so desired. The last thing you have to do is to ENJOY!

I did promise that I would get to the other reasons to simmer a pot of Gin’s Navy Bean Soup. We all know that beans pack a wallop of nutrition. They are full of protein and fiber, all of which could help you lose those extra holiday pounds. They are hearty and healthy. They are full of flavor with an ease to prepare. What more could you ask for?

If you are looking for something magnificent, your search is over. Gin’s Navy Bean Soup is comfort food at it’s finest. Now, get a simmering!

Holy Cow! It is 2009!

2009-01-02T14:27:00.004-05:00

For years, I have been enamored with the fact that the New Year brings all those food traditions for luck. If there is one, there are hundreds of food items that you should eat to bring you luck, health and happiness in the New Year. The foods for the tradition are unique to families and cultures. Every single time that I hear of a different food that brings you luck, I want to add it to our family New Year celebration. Needless to say, we spend our entire New Year family celebration believing every thing we eat is going to bring us blessings and untold fortunes.

This tradition can be a little tricky for picky and finicky eaters. In our family the meal is sauerkraut and pork, with a healthy dose of black-eyed pea salad. We top the meal off with each person eating twelve grapes. Each sweet grape represents a wonderful month of the year. Each sour grape might mean you could be in for a rough month. Of course, we all claim that every grape that we eat is the sweetest ever.

As my sister’s children and mine grow older, they are more and more involved in this tradition. Let’s face it, not many eight year olds are going to eat sauerkraut, but between the six kids everybody tried a bite of everything.

This brings me to the black-eyed pea salad. The beauty of this salad is the beauty of it. It is so colorful and so insanely fresh with taste. It is the perfect way to start the New Year. The different peppers make the salad robust and dense in flavor. It can be used as a salad, relish, and salsa or in so many other ways. Feel free to add, delete or substitute the peppers of your choice. Remember, this creation doesn’t just have to sit there and look pretty and bring you luck for the New Year, eat it all year round!!

Peppered Black-eyed Pea Salad

2 16-oz cans black-eyed peas drained and rinsed of all juice
¼ cup juice from peas

2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 fresh jalapeño chilies, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 other peppers of your choice chopped

1 can Rotel tomatoes with peppers and lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

Juice from three limes

4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced.

Mix all together, chill, serve and enjoy!

Excuse me! If you are still reading you must now go to the kitchen and start making your luck for the New Year!

Oh SO- O - O - delicious Pepper Jelly

2008-12-28T14:30:00.001-05:00

As the holidays continue through the New Year, I am facing a week of more get together parties. I have put my baking supplies away for a little while. Yeah, yeah, I could go out and buy a bottle of wine for the party host, or I could present them with a oh so - o - o - delicious jar of homemade pepper jelly.

This jelly is absolutely delicious poured over a block of cream cheese, or even more, melt in your mouth better, a log of your favorite goat cheese. You can serve it with crackers, toasted bread, pita pieces or anything else you can come up with.

Gin's Pepper Jelly

1 cup apple jelly
1 cup orange marmalade
1 bunch green onions
2 jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Finely chop the jalapeno peppers and the green onions. Put all ingredients in a heavy duty sauce pan and simmer for 45 minutes while stirring occasionally. Let cool and put in decorative jars for your gift giving pleasure.

I guarantee your party host will love this gift. You can put it in a basket along with a block of goat cheese and a box of crackers. You will be loved forever and I guarantee people will ask you to bring it again. In my case, an acquaintance asked me to can several jars and she purchased them from me for her holiday gift giving. It is a start, ever so small, to owning my own catering business!!!!!!

Wrapping Up Christmas Day One Peppermint at a Time

2008-12-25T20:08:00.006-05:00

I am always happy on Christmas night when everybody is happy with gifts and a full belly. I am tired because I spent the entire day in the kitchen, but it is a happy tired. I have already promised myself to come up with a menu next Christmas that I can prepare and freeze! I am already looking forward to the New Year and the possibilities that it could bring me.

Our Christmas is different now because I have sixteen and twenty year old sons. So you see, there are no early morning runs to check under the tree. Everybody sleeps in. My husband and two sons started the day at 11:00 am with a brunch of Swedish pancakes, a scrumptious plate of sausage and bacon, fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh cut fruit. We made our way to leisurely open presents by a roaring fire. What fun! There were snacks all day followed by a hearty helping of fish and steak tacos (probably not your usual Christmas fare, but it was a request of my two sons.)

To say that I am cookied-out would be an immense understatement. I am not a big cookie gal, but have eaten my fair share this holiday season. I actually don’t think I can eat another cookie for quite some time. I have not had much peppermint this holiday season and I didn’t want it to end without at least savoring a peppermint dish of some sort. Out came my ice cream maker.

This recipe is quite tasty and imparts a nice creamy minty flavor. Topped with homemade chocolate sauce, it is a perfect way to say goodbye to Christmas 2008.

Peppermint Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cup 2% milk

8 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons peppermint extract

1/2 cup (or more) crushed candy canes or hard peppermint candy

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-10 minutes. Add peppermint extract. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. Once ice cream mixture is chilled; freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once the ice cream begins to harden add in the crushed peppermint candy. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. Serve with homemade chocolate sauce and additional crushed peppermint.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Homemade Decadent Chocolate Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon coffee extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon vanilla

Add to sauce pan and melt over low heat until well blended. Store in fridge.

I hope that your holidays were blessed with family, friends, happiness and tons of fun!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastically Fresh Made Mini Muffins

2008-12-21T08:47:00.004-05:00

Twas the night before the launch of my very first food blog, when all through the house not an oven was baking or a mixer was a shaking. The recipes were prepared with pride and care in hopes that followers would soon be there. While visions of banana bread danced in my head? WHAT, BANANA BREAD? I can’t do any better than boring bland banana bread? Well, actually I can. I present to you Belle of the Ball Banana Crunch Munch Mini Muffins. It is a mouth full, I know, and that is exactly what you are going to get. You will savor a mouth full of tender and moist muffin, with a crunchy richness that can be relished morning till night. In honor of my very first blog post there is a BIG GIVEAWAY!! Well, it is not so big but it is still fun to receive something free in the mail. The first person to leave a comment will be the proud winner of their very own bottles of Banana Extract and Coffee Extract!!

Belle of the Ball Banana Crunch Munch Mini Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon banana extract
½ teaspoon coffee extract (*see note below)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup granola (**see note below)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Chopped dried banana chips, dried fruits (of your choice,) additional granola and coconut for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
· Coffee extract will not make your muffins taste like coffee, but will impart a robust and dense flavor to these mini morsels.
· I use basic honey and oat granola bars and pound them with my meat mallet.

Line 100 mini muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, banana extract, coffee extract and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour and butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. It is very important not to over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each almost to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, dried fruit and coconut. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the tops are lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Most likely you will have extra topping that can be used in yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream .