Yummy homemade eggnog

Christmas is weird this year but at least we still have eggnog.

 

 Ingredients

• 4 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 oz bourbon
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg and more for topping
• 4 egg whites

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running, gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. 

Chill and serve.

** I like to grate fresh nutmeg on top for good measure. You can also add more bourbon if you're really being festive!

Bring us some Figgy Pudding

Last Christmas, I made Figgy Pudding for the first time ever. I was always curious about the Christmas Song and wondered, "what IS it anyway?" It's surprisingly good if you like spice cake and this recipe comes with Whiskey Sauce so there's a double bonus. It turns out my Father-in-law loves it and has fond memories of eating it in days gone by. This might become a new Christmas staple for me!

Ready in: 2 hrs 30 mins
Serves: 15

INGREDIENTS FOR FIGGY PUDDING:

16 oz dried figs
1-3/4 c milk
1-1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
2-1/2 t baking power
1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t salt
3 eggs
1/2 c melted butter
1-1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 T grated orange peel

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a a medium saucepan, heat milk and chopped figs over medium-low heat but do NOT bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. The the milk will soften the figs.
3. In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs one minute on high. Reduce speed to low and add butter, bread crumbs, orange peel, and warm fig mixture.
5. Slowly incorporate flour mixture. Beat until just blended.
6. Pour the mix into the greased bundt pan. Level top as much as possible. Cover the mold with a piece of aluminum foil greased on one side, greased side down.
7. Place the mold in a roasting pan and place on oven rack. fIll with hot tap water 2 inches up the side of the mold. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is firm and it is pulling away from the side of the bundt pan.
8. Remove the pudding from the water bath. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding. Invert bundt pan onto a serving plate and remove mold. It should come away easily.
9. Serve with a hard sauce.
10. ******
    
    INGREDIENTS FOR WHISKEY SAUCE:
11. 1 c heavy cream
    1/2 c whole milk
    1/4 c granulated white sugar
    1 T cornstarch
    2 T whiskey or bourbon
    2 egg yolks
    pinch of salt
    1 T unsalted butter
    Optional: 1 t pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and set aside. 
2. In a small bowl or cup, whisk the cornstarch with the whiskey or bourbon. 
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and set aside.
4. Place the saucepan over medium heat and add the cornstarch mixture. Cook until the sauce comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. 
5. Add about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture to the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking for 1 minute longer. 
6. Whisk in a pinch of salt, the butter, and vanilla, if using.
7. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top to prevent a skin from forming. The sauce will thicken more as it stands -- or actually, I just pour it right over the figgy pudding. The cake is best served warm but a few seconds in the microwave also counts. My Father-in-law puts it in a bowl and adds milk!

Lobster Colorado

Lobster Colorado

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 4

"Bacon wrapped filet mignons are broiled and topped with lobster meat for a very special dinner. This is my family's favorite Christmas dinner. Elegant for dinner parties or a romantic dinner for two. If you desire crabmeat instead of lobster, go for it!"

INGREDIENTS:

4 (8 ounce) beef tenderloin filets salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 4 slices bacon

1/2 cup butter, divided 1 teaspoon OLD BAY® Seasoning 8 ounces lobster tail, cleaned and chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Set oven to Broil at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
2.	Sprinkle tenderloins all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Wrap each filet with bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place on a broiling pan, and broil to desired doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium rare.
3.	While tenderloins are cooking, melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat with 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay® seasoning. Stir in chopped lobster meat, and cook until done. Spoon lobster meat over cooked tenderloins, and return them to the broiler until the lobster meat begins to brown.
4.	While the lobster is in the oven, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook until it browns, turning the color of a hazelnut. To serve, spoon the browned butter over the steaks, and sprinkle with the remaining Old Bay® seasoning.

Winter love: Butternut Squash Soup

I was shocked how much Curt liked this soup the last time I made it on a whim (I ended up with too many squashes in my pantry from the Door to Door Organic Box that arrives on my porch). The weather is chilling up again and I've got a squash waiting for me to cut . . . so I'm digging out the recipe and holding it here for posterity's sake.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network Kitchens

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/butternut-squash-soup-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Decadence equals Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

Yeah, yeah . . . I'm still working on my New Year's resolutions and all but when a friend posted this recipe on Facebook a week ago, my mouth watered and I told myself I had to make it . . . and soon.

I'm happy to say that so far I've lost a couple of pounds and three inches since I started my workout and clean eating regime Jan. 3rd. However, if I keep eating like this, I will quickly reverse that trend.

I seized the opportunity tonight when Curt said he was having some friends over to watch football. Yay! I can try out this dish AND share it. Eureka!! Another hit. And the best part is that the platter was licked clean so there are no lefto's taunting me.

It's back to carrots celery sticks tomorrow. But for tonight, this was amazing!

It's the perfect cold winter night dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Bechamel sauce:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
• Pinch fresh nutmeg
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 cup grated fontina
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
• 1 pound dry rigatoni
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bechamel sauce:

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes. Since you will be cooking thepasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce. Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce. Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Dot the top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

My new obsession: Kale Chips

I just made these on a whim . . . mostly for myself . . . but since Curt had some friends over to watch football tonight, I decided to share. These were an insanely huge hit with everyone involved (with the exception of Audrey and Vivian who chose Ramen noodles and chicken nuggets for dinner. SOME day they WILL develop a more refined palate, right???)

These are amazing. You must make them.

AND they're good for you! Yeah!

Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

The national dish of Switzerland

It's January. It's cold. The snow is falling.

Those conditions often make me yearn for a good fondue.

I first tasted this concoction in 1988. It was January and I was living in Biel, Switzerland at the time. (Officially renamed Biel/Bienne in 2005, I just discovered, because of it's bilingual nature. Cool.)

There were many hole-in-the-wall fondue restaurants in Biel and we found our favorites. I don't recall their names but I will never forget the taste of the Kirsch-laden cheesy pot and crusty, rustic bread. I was in love.

When I returned to the states, I found a fondue pot much like the ones used in the restaurants in Switzerland. I'm still making fondue out of that same pot. More love.

The picture I scanned is the front page of a brochure that includes the recipe I follow religiously. This brochure traveled home with me from Switzerland and I've held onto it ever since. I'm a purist when it comes to fondue. Although instead of just bread chunks, I do add some blanched vegetables now for variety and a little balance.

The following recipe serves 4 people as a main course -- basically about a quarter pound of cheese per person. Adjust the amounts depending on how many people you're serving.

Classic Fondue

1 clove garlic (plus more)

1-1/2 cups dry white Swiss wine

1/2 lb Emmentaler cheese

1/2 lb Gruyere

Kirsch

cornstarch

Rub inside of pot with cut garlic clove. Place pot on stove. Pour wine into pot. Heat over medium flame until wine is hot but not boiling. Add handfuls of cheese (cut up in chunks or shredded), stirring constantly with wooden spoon until cheese is melted and the cheese-wine mixture has the appearance of a light creamy sauce. In a separate bowl, stir in 3 tablespoons of Kirsch mixed with 1 tablespoon corn starch. Pour that mixture into the fondue and allow to boil for approximately 15 seconds.

Remove the pot and place on a lighted burner on top of the table.

I also throw in some garlic cloves while the cheese is half-way melted. And the meal isn't complete without cornichons!

In Switzerland, many people like to have a shot of Kirsch at each place-setting so you can dip your bread into the Kirsch before dipping into the cheese. THAT makes for a crazy night!

For some great pictures, check out this blog.

The BEST part is that crust of cheese that forms at the bottom of the pot. YUM!

A Kissing Custom

If when dunking her bread into the Fondue, a lady loses her grip and lets the bread slide off the fork into the pot, she must turn to the man on her right and give him a kiss. She loses, he wins! If a man loses his bread when Fondue-ing in a restaurant, it's up to him to buy the next round of drinks. At home, he consoles himself by kissing his hostess!

Chestnuts roasting

A looooong time ago, my mom used to make T-bone steaks and tons of trimmings for our Christmas Eve dinner. But that was before all of her kids were married and there were a sh*t-load of grandkids running around. After that, our cozy Christmas Eve meals turned into a raucous party with more drinks consumed than food. My nieces and nephews will never let me forget the year I knocked down the Christmas tree . . . twice.

Ah. Good times.

Since this is my throw-back Christmas and it's just the four of us for Christmas Eve dinner, I wanted to go back to Mom's original theme. Instead of T-bone steaks, we're grilling NY Strip Steaks because they're Curt's favorite. Also on the menu are old-fashioned baked potatoes and a few side dishes, including this braised cabbage recipe.

I got a little help with the roasted chestnuts here. The house smelled SO good this afternoon!

I haven't made this yet but I'm crossing fingers that it will be a hit.

Braised Red Cabbage With Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of canola oil
• 2 medium onions, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 head of red cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2/3 cups of reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (Always buy broth in cardboard containers instead of cans.)
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
• 1 cup fresh chestnuts, cooked, peeled, and halved
• 1/3 cup of cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• black ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until light golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, sugar, and caraway seeds; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the cabbage is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Stir in chestnuts, vinegar, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the chestnuts are hot, 5 to 8 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

I haven't made Christmas Cut-out Cookies yet!

And they are Santa's favorite!!

The days preceding Christmas are flying by and I still haven't checked off

everything on my list.

- Decorate the house and put up the tree. Check. The girls were extremely helpful this year and put ALL of the ornaments on the tree. And I didn't bother rearranging a thing. I must be mellowing in my old age.

- Make Mom's chocolate nut fudge. Check

- Make Mom's 7 layer bars. Check.

- Make Peanut butter blossom cookies (also mom's). Check

- Purchase gifts for teachers and staff. Check and DONE!!

- Purchase presents for family -- including the items that the girls told Santa they wanted. Check. I think. The list keeps growing. I saw a letter that Vivian wrote to Santa at pre-school the other day asking for a Princess Barbie and a couple of other things. I didn't know anything about a damned Princess Barbie! That's the first I heard of it. She told Mall Santa that she wanted "a little teapot" (also news to me.) Audrey said she "ordered" a Nintendo DSi . . . as if she made a few clicks on Amazon.com.

- Wrap millions and millions of things. Almost check. I got a LOT done last night when my dear friend Sara invited the girls over to her house for a few hours after school. Thank you Brennen for being one of Audrey's besties.

- Make "dough balls" for Christmas morning. Ingredients have been purchased. Check.

- Make Santa's favorite cookies. ACK! I can't believe I have yet to make the quintessential Christmas cut-out cookies! I guess I know what we're doing during the day on Christmas Eve!

And instead of my mom's recipe, Curt insists that I have to follow his mom's recipe. Good enough. They all the look the same and it's the only thing he has had a strong opinion about. Except that I couldn't find the recipe.

Curt dug it up in an email he received from his mom in 2007. Lest I lose it again, I'm placing it on this blog for safe-keeping.

Christmas Cutout Cookies

1 Cup Butter 1 tstp vanilla

1 ½ Cups white sugar 3 eggs

3 ½ cups flour 2 tsps cream of tartar

1 tsp Soda ½ tsp salt

Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla well. Best to use mixer but not necessary. Add the flour, soda, and cream of tartar by hand. Mix by hand. Chill dough. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or by hand. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7 to 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let the baked cookies sit for a couple of minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet, as they need to firm a bit.

These are really good cookies. You can handle and re-handle the dough and the little chunks of dough that are leftover from each cutting.

UPDATED POST:

Here are some pictures of what OUR cookies looked like!!

Mom's Christmas Cookies #2 - 7-Layer Bars

I was inspired to make these bars -- also not because they were my favorite -- but because they were my brother-in-law Rick's favorite. We talked about making mom's recipes during our Thanksgiving gathering and his eyes lit up when he remembered Mom's 7-layer bars. I quietly vowed to myself that I would make them this year.

And that was BEFORE he landed in the hospital fighting for his life. Rick caught a very severe case of strep pneumonia and was very sick, in ICU and on a ventilator for over a week. After being moved out of ICU, he stayed for another five days before he was able to return home. He remains on oxygen at home and is still working his way back to health. It was surreal seeing Rick hooked up to the ventilator just a year from seeing my own Dad on that very same machine. I'm not sure what kind of sign God is trying to send to us. I suppose it's about feeling blessed and to appreciate the people who remain with us and thankful for the time that we had with those we've lost. That's what I'm going with anyway.

Oh, by the way, we've canceled Christmas.

Well, we've only postponed it a little bit. The Kinninger Christmas will be celebrated sometime in January. That's cool. That will give me more time to make all of mom's cookies!

And, in honor of Rick and my mom, here's the 7 layer bar recipe!

• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 pkg semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 pkg butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used hazel nuts!)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs in a bowl. Spread into 13 x 9 inch pan and and press firmly to make a "crust."
3. Pour condensed milk over crumb mixture, then layer coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts. Press firmly with a fork
4. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool.

Mom's Christmas Cookies #1 - Chocolate Nut Fudge

Lately, I've been obsessed with the idea of making food from my childhood for the holidays. My mother used to throw down amazing amounts of food every year . . . including tubs and tubs of cookies and candy that were stored away and would make appearances on beautiful trays or in cookie tins to give away.

I want to be like my Mom. I really do. I guess that's what happens during middle age. Life is strange.

For some reason, I decided to start with her Chocolate Fudge recipe even though I was "ho hum" about it as a kid. But it's just SO Christmas to me now!

Here's the recipe in her handwriting straight from her gray-speckled recipe box:

It gets a little hard to follow but thankfully I found two other versions of it in her recipe boxes so I was able to decipher what to do. Here's a cleaner version:

2 pkgs (12 oz. each) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter or margarine

1 jar (any size) marshmallow cream

1 lg can evaporated milk

4.5 cups sugar

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

1 tbsp vanilla

Put first three ingredients in a large bowl. (I melted the butter first).

In a heavy pan, mix evaporated milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes stirring vigorously (being careful not to scorch). Pour melted mixture into bowl with the other ingredients and stir to mix. Add vanilla and blend with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in nuts.

Pour mixture into greased cookie sheets. Let sit for 24 hours before cutting into small pieces. Makes 5 pounds.

**I made some of the fudge without the nuts -- I simply poured half the mixture onto a cookie sheet before I added the nuts. Then stirred in 1 cup of nuts to the remaining portion. **

YUM!

[Note to self: You made it too skinny this year. Just pour the whole damn thing into one cookie sheet for big, fat pieces of fudge.]