These are easy to make and can be used so many different ways to suit your tastes.
These are based on using 1 1/2 cups vodka for each flavour. This saves you money from going out and buying it at the liquor store. I know, I have done this. Besides, it’s fun to do.
- 1/2 cups vodka
- 1 star anise
- 1 dried red chile
- 2 cardamom pods
Place in a jar with airtight seal and store in a dark, cool place for 1 day. Strain into chilled glasses and enjoy. This is a little fiery. Just add a touch of gingerale and crushed ice.
Store in a sealable jar. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 days. Strain into chilled glasses and enjoy. To raise the bar, add a touch of tonic and a wedge of lime and some crushed ice. So refreshing.
- 1 1/2 cups vodka
- 4 coffee beans
- 2 tbsp. toasted hazelnuts
Store in a airtight sealable jar in a cool dark place for 3 days. Strain and pour into chilled glasses.
To up the ante on this one, add a splash of heavy cream, a little simple syrup and some crushed ice. Wow!
Remember, you made it and now you can let your imagination take over. Come up with some that you might like. Enjoy!
Marinade For T-Bone Steak
This marinade is enough for 4 steaks at 10 oz. each steak. I don’t know anyone who can eat that much meat at one sitting, so make it 6 steaks at 6-8 oz.each.
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
- pinch of black pepper
Mix everything in a bowl and turn the steaks into it to coat. Save 2-3 tbsp. of the marinade for grilling. Cover the steaks and let them sit for about an hour.
Preheat your grill. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel to remove the excess marinade. Grill your steaks over a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side for medium- rare. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes, covered with tin foil.
While the steak is resting, plate the beans (if you are serving some), salad, and glasses of red wine. What more could you ask for….even between Christmas and New Years. Gives you a rest from turkey.
Did I say YUM?
Proscuitto And Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches
This is easy, not too stressful but nourishing. Get ready to be a hero.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 8 slices “grainy” bread, not whole wheat
- 2/3 cup grated monteray jack cheese
- 8 slices proscuitto,
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- maple syrup (as much as you want)….
In a bowl, beat the eggs, salt and milk until well mixed.
In a fry pan over a medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter, and dip the bread into the egg mixture to coat both sides.
Place one slice in the fry pan, add a layer of the monteray jack cheese and top with 2 slices of the proscuitto (folded) and top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.
Top with the second slice of bread and toast for 2 minutes in the melted butter. Turn over and cook for another minutes.
Melt the other 2 tbsp. for the remaining sandwiches and cook the same.
Slice each sandwich in two, top with a dab of butter and pour on the maple syrup.
Leftover Turkey Dinner “Poutine”
What a concept. Same ingredients you served for Christmas except now you get the goodies with the french fries.
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp. flour
- 2 x 10 oz. undiluted beef consomme cans
- enough homemade french fries to serve 4 (be generous)
- 2 cups leftover turkey, diced and warmed up
- 1 cup frozen peas, warmed up * optional
- 1 pkg (300 g) cheese curds
- 2 cups cranberry sauce
In a saucepan, melt the butter and, with a wooden spoon, stir in the flour to make a roue.
Whisk in the consomme and increase the heat until it has boiled and become thickened. Reduce to low heat and cook for 5 minutes.
In 4 large bowls, divide the fries first, then add the turkey, peas and cranberry sauce. Over the top cover with cheese curds and now add the gravy.
Whoops! I did say to use large bowls. YUM!
Apricot Relish for Lamb
Mint is out…..this is a super, duper relish to serve with lamb. Easy to make and best of all, no cooking to do.
- 6-8 fresh apricots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp. minced shallot
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp. fresh orange juice
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. dark brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
- pinch of ground coriander
- pinch of salt
Okay, now the tough part…mix all together, cover and store in the refrigerator until dinner. Slice the lamb, put some relish in a bowl with a spoon and let everyone add as much as they wish.
Yum!
Yam Biscuits
This is a recipe that can be made into little bites for a Wine and Cheese event, or on the table when you have prepared a salmon or chicken dinner. It all depends on how you cut the dough. Let’s go….
- 1 large yam (yellow flesh), ( if American it would be sweet potato)
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Microwave the potato (pierce it all over first) until tender. This should take about 6 minutes each side. Carefully cut it in half and remove the flesh into a medium sized bowl. Cool down and then add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in your food processor. Add the butter, piece by piece and pulse to a coarse meal.
Add the potato, buttermilk and syrup. Process just to blend. Add the pecans and, again, pulse to blend well.
Sprinkle this dough with flour and pat out into a 9 inch square. Here’s where you can adjust to your needs. Cut into square (either 16 for dinner or more, smaller ones for the party). Transfer to baking sheet and bake until tester comes out clean. This should take about 17-22 minutes. Check so they won’t burn.
There you go, yum, yum, yum.
Easy Potato Stacks
This makes a great, yet really easy, addition to a dinner on…say Christmas Eve.
Adjust the amounts to suit your crowd, this one serves 8.
- 16 fingerling potatoes (Yukon Gold), washed and cut in half, lengthwise
- 16 pearl onions, blanched, peeled (about 1 minute)
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh sage
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- Olive oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled
Tear off 8 x 12 inch long pieces of tin foil. In each piece of tin foil, place 2 fingerling potatoes (halved), 1 garlic clove, 1 pearl onion and a pinch of the fresh sage. Drizzle a tbsp. of olive oil over these packges, and roll up to seal.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Remove one and poke the potatoes to see if cooked through.
When ready to serve, open up each package and put on individual plates. Add a generous dollop of sour cream and a crumbled slice of bacon on top. This can complement any roast beef or even lamb dinner. Add a crisp salad, glass of wine and, once again, damn you did it!
Christmas Gathering or Wine And Cheese Gathering
Call it what you will, it is a wonderful way with friends to celebrate the Christmas Season. Yesterday I put together the dough for 2 lots of cheese shortbread. One goes to my daughter for her friends and the other one for our party next Saturday. I also made fruit and Nut shortbread and baked those off this morning. In case I hadn’t done enough, I figured, ever so crazily, I should make chocolate chip cookies for my husband. Done!
Now, today, the house is smelling like Christmas and I have some of the things ready for the party. Don has his stuff to do and then I can finish the table. Some of it has been done. It is a gold cloth this year, with 5 little trees all decorated in gold and silver balls and two 24″ candles with gold and silver tassled ribbon tied around the crystal candle holder set down the length of the table..
Don wants everything labelled so people will know exactly what they are eating. The tree is up and, if I say so myself, looks very beautiful. When it is time to do the tree, I grumble and grouse…then when it is all done, we walk around the tree and can tell who, what and when everything was put on the tree. Christmas trees are really your life on display once a year. I really do love it. Honest!
Okay, now…..hmmm I think I shall get a glass of wine and sit down and make yet another list of what has to be done before next Saturday. Make that two and the list will really be complete. haha
Truly, this can all be fun. Take your time, Bake ahead, plan ahead, invite as many as you feel comfortable with at one time and just enjoy it.
Chocolate/Brie Crostini
While watching the news this morning, a Chef from Purdy’s was making these little bites for Christmas gatherings. It looked so good I thought I would share it with you.
- 1 baguette, sliced on an angle and lightly toasted, both sides
- 200 g of Brie at room temperature, skin removed
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup olive oil, infused with fresh basil (let sit over night)
- 70% dark chocolate, chopped fine
Mix together the Brie Cheese with a tablespoon room temperataure butter until well combined.
Brush the crostini with the infused basil olive oil and pile a generous spoon of the cheese on top.
Sprinkle the top of the cheese with chocolate and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for until the chocolate has melted and the brie is starting to ooze (love that word) on the toast.
Upon removing from the oven, a tiny sprinkling of kosher salt on top of the chocolate will elevate this to gourmet.
Serve this with a glass of wine, Christmas music in the background and a roomful of friends. Isn’t that what it is all about?
Enjoy!
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
This would be a real cool way to suprise those at the breakfast table. This recipe comes from Tutti’s off Main Street in California. It will serve 4.
Adjust accordingly if more are seated at the table.
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal – not coarse
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- vegetable oil for brushing griddle
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and butter until well blended, then whisk into the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the blueberries. Batter should be lumpy and will thicken if left sitting.
Lightly coat the griddle with the oil and heat over moderate heat until really hot, but not smoking. Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on surface and lightly browned on the botton. Flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
Repeat until all pancakes have been made. Serve with butter and blueberry sauce and/or maple syrup.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! Yummy.
Faux Caesartini
You are putting on a party, serving Caesars or martinis… you have someone coming who isn’t drinking and you don’t want to make it too obvious to the rest of the gang. Make this, serve it, and you will be a hero.
- 5 parts Clamato juice
- 1 part lemon juice
- 1 splash lime juice
- 1 dash Worchestershire sauce
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce
Rim chilled martini glasses with celery salt. Pour all ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake really well. Strain into prepared martini glasses and garnish with a thin celery stalk.
Table Setting Demonstration, Plus
Being excited to attend the Osoyoos Home Hardware Store on Saturday, along with a couple of florists showing how to make some incredible displays, another lady on a different level showing how to decorate the entrance to your home for the holidays, we packed up the car and left so I could begin my ‘shopping’..
I was given everything needed to do what I like best….setting the table when anticipating company coming. Now, so you can even try to understand what this felt like….this store is on 5 levels, and I was given free rein to use anything she had to showcase some ideas. Well! Talk about a kid in a candy store. Believe me, I did 3 settings per colour setting in white and then black and gold, some were 2 settings such as a Santa Fe theme and then with water-blue dishes. Also there was a whimsical setting with polka dot dishes for a party Buffet. What fun.
I could hardly walk when I left to go home. I was Exhausted….sore, but also happy. Then I got sad because I didn’t do all I wanted to accomplish.
If I was even a month or two younger, maybe I could have done it all. Next time….if there is a ‘next time’. Take a close look at the pictures and then pick and choose what you want to do with your table.
Thanks Frances and her super staff. Go see for yourselves….WOW!
