CHeeRS To THe HoLiDaYS!

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. She prepared it at the best Pampered Chef show I ever went to (and I have been to my fair share!).

It's called HoLiDaY oR SPiCeD Tea from the BLue WiLLoW Inn BiBLe oF SouTHeRN CooKiNG and it makes a LOT!

Here are the ingredients:

8 cups of water
2 family size tea bags ( I prefer Luzianne)
2 cups of sugar.

Bring to boil, stir sugar until dissolved and allow to steep for 20 min. or so.

In a separate pan, combine:

2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
4 cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. You are NOT going to believe how good the house smells when you do this. After 10 minutes, remove the cinnamon sticks and add to the tea mixture.

Meanwhile, prepare one frozen can of lemonade(per instructions) and one can of orange juice (also per instructions) and add this to the tea along with a large can of pinapple juice. You need a very large bowl or pot to stir this in as it makes about 2 gallons of spiced tea. Serve hot or cold, depending on your own tastes.

I'm very grateful to my willing tea testers this evening! I hope this becomes as much a family tradition for you as it has for us. Bring on the season and CHeeRS!

BeRGie'S ReiNVeNTeD

Recently I got together with a couple of friends and we visited the new Bergie's Breadbasket on Mt. Pleasant Road in Chesapeake. I was very disappointed when they closed for business before and when I'd heard they re-opened, it was at the top of my list of places to visit. I'd been wanting very badly to make a trip out there and luckily the girls humored me. (Thanks girls :o) !)

What a great little place to stop for coffee and some freshly baked goodies. They had some delicious cinnamon rolls which I couldn't pass up. I was told that the cinnamon roll recipe was 50 years in the making! I believe it! Not too sweet and extremely fluffy :o) They have some very delicious looking apple crumb muffins, if that strikes your fancy. You could definitely tell they loved what they do :oP



Wanting something savory? Try the sandwhiches with freshly baked bread! You can also get some farm fresh milk there. These people had my heart in mind when they reopened and believe me...THEY'RE BACK! There's a nice selection of ice cream too :o)

I remembered they had cookies we used to always get when we visited it as a dairy farm. They were those pan type cookies and they are so soft and chewy. I had definitely been missing these so I picked up a couple today, chocolate chip(of course) and oatmeal raisin. YUMM!!!


I couldn't resist bringing some different kinds of cinnamon rolls home for the troops. They were very excited about the rolls and cookies in the 'take home' bag. I also picked up some 'Indian Candy Corn'. My favorite kind of candy corn :o) They had a great selection of candy classics, something for everyone in the family!


If you are heading down Mt. Pleasant Road, whether you're travelling from Virginia Beach to Chesapeake or vice versa, this is a great place for a short pause along the way. Say 'hello' and welcome them back! I for one am glad they returned :o) It was one long lonely road without them!

WHo'S YouR DaDDY!

Today I got an absolute deal on an eye of rib roast. This boneless version of a rib roast was on the menu before I even left the store :o) I love prime rib, it's my absolute favorite steak dinner, beef tenderloin coming in as a close second. I am always playing with different cooking methods for this cut of meat and believe me...there are many recipes for this!

An interesting site that I often find myself browsing different recipes for this is an engineer's take on the rib roast. These guys really get into it but I find their input very interesting :o) Well worth a mention! It has an Alton Brown-ish style about it, maybe even more so than the man himself! http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/38/Prime-Rib-or-Standing-Rib-Roast Check it out, see what you think :o)

For roasted meat I always use Hawaiian Sea Salt. This was introduced to me by Pina and I am ETERNALLY grateful :o) The difference is night and day. I also used a little thyme and some freshly cracked peppercorns to help form a flavorful crust.

First things first, you must bring the roast to room temperature. If you skip this step it will not cook as evenly. I would leave it out for at least 45 min. After it has been coming to room temperature, preheat the oven to 450 deg. and roasted the meat for 25 min. then dropped the temperature to 325 deg. until the internal temperature is 130 deg. The meat will continue to cook as you let it rest and REST IT MUST! Do not start carving into this baby or you will regret it. All the juices will flow out and it will be quite dry and then you have wasted a pretty penny on the better cut of meat. I also believe, if you overcook it, you may as well have just bought a round roast instead and saved your money!

I usually make yorkshire puddings and today was no exception. I'm not going to include a recipe for this as there are as many as the day is long and the differences are few. As I was baking the roast, I prepared a couple of sweet potatoes for baking and baked them alongside the roast in the oven. They were perfect 2 hours later. Sprinkle a little brown sugar and a dollop or two of butter and it's like dessert!

I hope you try to make this roast, cheaper than dining out and much tastier imho. To reheat any remaining roast I use my GE Advantium oven on 'warm/moist' but there are many other recommendations for reheating prime rib and if you google it you'll see what I mean :o) The key here is SLOOOOOOWWWW!

PRoMiSeS PRoMiSeS...

I've been promising for a couple of days to make a version of 'fried ice cream', minus the frying because I really think all the other stuff is bad enough :o) and I couldn't put it off any longer. Here's my quickie version of a restaurant favorite.

LOADED Fried Ice Cream on a Sopapilla wannabe

Combine about 1/2 cup of crushed frosted flakes and cinnamon sugar(to taste).

Lightly fry a flour tortilla*preferably Trader Joe's...YES, it matters!* in preheated oil and sprinkle immediately with more cinnamon sugar. (It's like a tortilla trying to be like a sopapilla, minus leavening and all that gooey honey *slurp*...not to mention a lot less oil so I guess that makes it not a sopapilla at all??? LOL! now that I've got you totally confused...my total intention! Just kidding. Or am I? LOL!!!!)

Scoop a ball of your favorite ice cream and roll in the crushed flake mixture. place this ball on your tortilla and top with whipped cream, marashino cherries, chocolate syrup, nuts or whatever you like. Wait for the sounds of silence whilst the goods are being devoured!

Enjoy :o) (the silence and the treat!)

CoMFoRT FooD LiKe MaMa uSeD To MaKe...

A very sweet friend 'eLLe' has reminded me of a dish I grew up with as a child and I never knew the 'proper name' for it. I always called it that 'chicken and rice soup' when all along it had a perfectly good name :o) Arroz Caldo...

Recipe courtesy of eLLe! Hopefully she will be blogging soon *hint hint!* and then I can point you out to her blog so she can wow you with her gastronomical knowledge ;o) In the meantime, she has prompted me to post her recipe with pictures so she could see how I fared :o) I hope she is not disappointed in my attempt. There are many recipes for this on the net. I'm already partial to hers and if you try it, you'll see why :o) Just like mom used to make! I'm not one for listing ingredients and then relisting them in the process so I will give you the recipe the way that I take it down. You can make a separate shopping list based on whatever ingredients you might still need.

Arroz Caldo 'eLLe STYLe'

In a preheated pot with heat set to medium, (I used my risotto pot from Le Creuset *LOVE IT*), add a couple of tablespoons of oil.

To the preheated pan add:

about 3" of peeled fresh ginger root, sliced thinly

about 1/2 cup of onion, chopped

and 4 cloves of garlic, chopped.

Saute onions, garlic and ginger for 2-3 min. and add chicken drummettes or chicken thighs (I used drummettes, approx. 3lbs.) and lightly brown.

Add 2 cups of Calrose rice *eLLe's recommendation :o)* and stir another minute or so. Add approximately 8 cups of water or chicken broth (I always opt for broth for the maximum flavor) and cover. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours. Be sure to keep stirring so the rice doesn't stick. To finish, a pinch of azafran for color. You can find this at most hispanic /asian grocery stores :o) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp?index=A&tid=1950 . It's not the same as saffron, but well worth having in your pantry.

For the salt in this recipe, you can use kosher salt (my family's preference) or patis (a fish sauce). I would add approximately 2 teaspoons to start of either one, your choice. Don't be nervous about the 2 teaspoons, this recipe makes a lot! At least 9-10 cups of soup. You can half it if you like.

Depending on your preference for a thicker, heartier soup or a brothy soup, you may or may not decide to add more liquid(water or broth) as you are cooking along. Either way, I promise you will end up with something that will keep them coming back for more. All that ginger can't be bad :o) Ginger is so good for the digestive system. Today wasn't a cold day here yet the soup was very refreshing and made the whole house smell heavenly :o)

There are many variations for this, from adding a hard cooked egg, green onions or a squeeze of fresh lime juice (which I really did want to try, forgot the lime :o( ) Not to worry, I'll be making it again REALLY SOON!

This was one recipe that made me pick up the phone and call my mom and sister for a trip down memory lane and to thank my mom yet again for such a great childhood memory! Thanks to eLLe for bringing this memory back to my table to share with my family.

a SPeCiaL LuNCH DeLiVeRY

and dinner inspiration...

Today my very sweet hubby surprised me with lunch from the Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe from MacArthur Center. He brought me the Asian Chicken Flatbread Salad *my favorite*... just when I thought I was over my obsession of learning how to make that dough! So delicious :o)

He got the Sante Fe Chick-en(hyphenation intentional ;o) ) Flatbread Salad for himself. Apparently it was the salad 'du jour' because three other people behind him were ordering the exact same salad. I'm including photos of both salads as a tribute to his thoughtfulness :o) I *think* there might be something there! Flatbread, romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, jalapeños, a special blend of spices and cheese and *wait for it*...corn tortilla strips :o) Sound yummy? I think so and so did he :o) Poor MiLou, no scraps for him :o(





After such a large lunch, I was not very hungry come dinner time. I did have some heavy whipping cream left *thanks leene* from the strawberry waffle breakfast. I also had a steak in the freezer that needed to be used along with some mushrooms. Are you following me so far???

A long long time ago... (back you sci fi fans!) I tried a recipe from one of those recipe cards (Great American Recipes) you get in the mail. (They were actually my first cookbook, collectively) LOL. I found a recipe for CReaMY MuSHRooM STeaKS and have repeated it several times since, always with great results. Now I realize that some of you DON'T. DO. FUNGUS! Please bear with me :o) and believe me, it pains me more that you DON'T eat 'shrooms :o)

The sauce is very delicious and MAKE the steak. I love this with a creamy buttered noodle. Tonight I used Farafalle. You can prepare the steaks any way you like then you can simmer them in the sauce briefly just before serving. The recipe calls for sirloin steaks and a bit of butter to pan fry them. Be sure to allow the steaks to come to room temperature before cooking.

For the sauce:

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 T butter
2 T chopped onion
2 T flour
1 1/2 c. half and half or mix whipping cream with whole milk, equal portions of each
1 t soy sauce
1 t grated onion
salt and pepper to taste.

First, saute mushrooms in the tablespoon of butter until they are lightly brown. Second, add onions and saute until translucent and sprinkle with flour stirring to blend well. Add half and half, stirring a little here and there and simmer until it thickens slightly. Third, add soy sauce, grated onions and s&p to taste.

You have options at this point. You can grill the steaks, pan fry them or broil (watch carefully) and then very briefly introduce them into the lightly simmering sauce. Do not boil them in the sauce. You can use excess sauce over your noodles too, if you so chose.

We divided this plate three ways and everyone was satisfied :o) Once you make this, maybe you'll get a little twinkle in YOUR eye when you see steak, mushrooms and cream :o)

SuNDaY WaFFLeS WiTH STRaWBeRRieS N CReaM

and my Cuisinart Smart Stick with mini prep :o)

This morning I made waffles with my Waring Pro waffle iron. I love this waffler because the pockets are deep and it makes a beautifully crisp waffle with a soft chewy interior. I would highly recommend this waffle maker :o) I have had mine for well over two years and it's such a treat to make my own waffles and so much more cost effective than going out for waffles for breakfast. I purchased my waffler at Bed Bath & Beyond with the 20% off coupon and it was worth every single penny! I definitely recommend shopping at these type stores for your small appliances, with the coupon the price is usually the best around! The coupons also don't expire (even though the show an expiration date) and are able to be used beyond expiration.

In addition to my waffler (which we couldn't have waffles without), I love my Cuisinart Smart Stick with the mini prep. I'm including a photo of this kitchen tool that shows what was included with mine. I use this for whipping my heavy cream. It does a wonderful job of whipping cream in a much shorter time. You must watch it though so that the cream doesn't begin to separate and make butter(not that that's a bad thing, mind you.) This tool is not only great for making whipped cream but also for chopping small amounts of things in the mini prep, like nuts or a little onion. I love this smart stick for pureeing my soups while they are cooking. I usually use this and submerse it into the soup mixture and puree to the desired consistency. I tend to leave some chunks for texture but it works great for butternut squash soup, cream of broccoli or potato soup. There are many stick blenders but I love the versatility of this one. I have had mine for several years and would feel lost without it. I wouldn't want to have to try to manage pouring hot liquids into my blender to do the same job, not to mention my Le Creuset pots that I generally use are quite heavy (but cook beautifully). Just a recommendation. I love to cook and anyone that has seen my kitchen knows it is a passion of mine.


I'm including a photograph of our strawberry waffles with whipped cream. I lightly sweeten the whipped cream after I have already started to whip it with the frothing attachment (the little white one in the picture) with confectioner's sugar. I also macerated the strawberries with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on the layers as I was slicing them the night before. I dusted the waffles before serving with some confectioner's sugar flavored with a hint of vanilla powder.


One other tip worth mentioning, I used butter instead of oil in my KRUSTEAZ mix (that's right :o) even I like to take a break now and then) and I also use a dash of mexican vanilla for additional flavor. If you buy mexican vanilla, make sure there is no coumarin in it. They don't have regulations like we do in the United States and it is a known toxin, can cause liver damage and is a carcinogen. Best rule of thumb, if it says 'coumarin free' feel free to enjoy and use in all of your baking needs :o)