Loaded Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Nothing makes you friends faster in a new crowd than arriving with a giant plate of chocolate dipped strawberries! If they are loaded with alcohol, all the better! (I do however, label them and offer some unleaded ones for people who may not be imbibing.)

They are really easy to make. Not so easy to photograph. When I took the pictures we had just taken them out of the fridge so they are frosty looking, not the shiny lovely photographed ones you see advertised. They taste great. We took approx 40 giant strawberries to the party and came home with…NONE.

A word of caution: The food injector we bought had a huge needle and I thought it would make too big of a hole in the strawberries so we got one of the still sealed and sterile 18 gauge needles used for baby animals or diabetics (ironic hum?). It worked great until I stabbed myself in the finger with Gran Marnier. It HURT. It STILL HURTS.

Since then several people have told me that the big fat ones don’t stab you as easily. I think I would still use the small one for aesthetics. I just might have my husband do the injecting J.

Loaded Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Beer Braised Brauts

These are a good weeknight easy thing. We used the cheddar stuffed brauts. More cheese I say!!!

You can use any kind of beer. We used dark because it was there. I think it gives a deeper flavor to the cabbage. Being a girl, I am also kind of fond of the fruity beers and think they do well in this dish.

Polar Bear and Tess (the dogs) don’t care. They just want some. (Brauts, we never EVER give them the cabbage if we want to live through the night.)

Beer Braised Brauts

Couquilles Champignous St. Jacques (Scallops and Mushrooms)

My daughter had these and mentioned on Facebook how wonderful they were. I believe her words were "Where have you been all my life?"

Since it was payday weekend (good scallops can be fairly dear), I decided to try them right away. I found this recipes at cooks.com and I liked the ones with mushrooms so I was off and running. (or..Voila!)

After I talked to my daughter, this really had some resemblance to the ones she had but definitely different. They flambe'd theirs with cognac and had no cheese. I guess I really need to go over there and find out (oh darn).

I will say that the Couquilles St. Jacques I made following the recipe below were, if apparently non traditional, still amazing. Nothing weird happened. The scallops did not jump out of the pan and attack me. The French directions did not fade away like disappearing ink to prevent me, the rookie, from making the dish and possibly putting a slur on fine French cuisine. Everything went well. (Unlike the evil all American strawberries which you will hear about later.)

We did not happen to have bunches of bread on hand so we paired them with a little penne pasta. It worked pretty dang well but since there is a lot of fabulous sauce, I recommend getting the bread!

COQUILLES CHAMPIGNOUS ST. JACQUES

(Scallops and mushrooms St.Jacques)

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,151182-249202,00.html

1 lb. scallops

3/4 c. white wine

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. tarragon

1/4 c. bread crumbs

3 tbsp. butter

1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 c. light cream

1 egg yolk, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. flour

Poach scallops in combined wine, thyme and tarragon for 2 minutes.

Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Saute mushrooms in butter. Mix in flour, blend in cream, liquid, egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Heat until thickened, add scallops.

Spoon into casserole dish. Top with swiss cheese and edge with bread crumbs.

Bake at 450 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes.

Zabaglione (Italian Marsala Mousse)

I found this recipe in a recipe book I bought in a used bookstore for fifty cents. I was drawn to the spices on the cover. Spices fascinate me. I’m always trying to learn more about them. The book was very old (almost as old as me) and it was in really good shape, just the pages yellowed.

There are a lot of great recipes, some calling for THREE 1 ½ lb lobsters upon which you commit mayhem, but this one was so simple and involved a fair amount of alcohol so I really had to try it right away!

It is as easy to do as it sounds.

At first bite I thought this might be an acquired taste unless you are Italian. I’m not used to custardy things with really strong flavor, but the first bite was enough to get me to take a second bite and then…it was all gone and since I was home I could clean the sides of the glass with my fingers.

It does have a lot of wine in it that I would assume is mostly cooked out since you blend and blend and blend until your arm is about to fall off, while it’s cooking over the boiling water. That being said, it also has a strong sweet Marsala flavor that is unique. The nutmeg on top was the perfect addition.

This would be a great holiday or wine tasting party dessert, or a last minute needed dessert, because it really whips up fast. I would think you could use other things in it but since it calls for 2/3 cup I’d think of something like a nice sweet Riesling not a hard liquor.

It is very light…….and yes, it’s like foamy eggnog, it does not solidify too much. It’s like adult dessert foam.

I found that if I put what I didn’t “eat warm” as directed, in the fridge, by morning it was a weird looking mousse.I would consider at that point mixing it with cool whip just because the visual was ......icky.

Zabaglione

An Herb and Spice Cookbook: by Craig Claiborne 1963

6 egg yolks
6 tbs fine sugar
2/3 cup Marsala wine

beat the eggs vigorously with a wire whisk or rotary beater. And gradually add while beating the eggs the sugar and wine.

Place the mixture over boiling water and continue beating vigorously until the custard foams in the pan and begins to thicken. Do not overcook.

Serve warm in sherbet glasses or as a sauce.

(I put a sprinkle of nutmeg on top and it was PERFECTO!)

Chicken in Vodka Sauce

If you’ve not had Vodka Sauce, it’s pretty amazing. Don’t let the pink-ish color turn you off. It’s not totally a chick sauce. It has VODKA in it….(In our case BAKON Vodka, because BAKON VODKA rocks, but any decent vodka will do). I’m going to make some with Nude Vodka for the Italian Benedicts (coming up next week) because I like the vodka, the bottle, the idea of nudity (We're old and cook with butter so we won't bore you with pictures) on a Sunday morning along with some great food... and they are some of our local Oregon peeps!
I had a really hard time explaining to Jerry that it is it’s own thing. Not some other Italian sauce with vodka in it. Finally I said “Go to the store and look at the bottles. You will see Marinara, Alfredo, Pomodoro and VODKA sauce. It’s the pink one honey”. Then he got it!

He did most of the making and it was wonderful! We poached eggs in the morning in the leftover sauce.

Chicken in Vodka Sauce

4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

½ c Flour

1 tbs olive oil

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or tomato puree

1 stick of butter

1 onion, diced

1/2 pt. heavy cream

1/2 c. vodka (I used BAKON VODKA for this but if you prefer traditional vodka we won’t hold it against you. I think Lemon Vodka would be pretty spiffy.)

First, get yourself a chicken. (Okay, sorry I couldn't resist. This is the way they sell chickens in the Saturday Market in La Rochelle, France. I thought it was cool in a weird sort of way and felt compelled to take a picture.)

Pound the chicken until it is approx 1/2 “ thick all the way around. (I think the head on this one is just tucked the wing so I would set it aside) Lightly salt and pepper both sides. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Heat the olive oil on medium and fry the chicken lightly on both sides until golden. Remove chicken and set aside.


Easy Vodka Sauce


1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or tomato puree

1 stick of butter

1 onion, diced

1/2 pt. heavy cream

1/2 c. vodka


Melt the butter in a large (12” skillet/sauté pan) Saute onion in butter until translucent (clear-ish).

Add vodka and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and cook a couple more minutes.

Slowly add the cream and heat through but do not let it get to a boil.

Turn the heat down and return the chicken to the pan with the vodka sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes

We served this with pene pasta, a salad and a Savignon Blanc.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake

One of my favorite events of the year is the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby. I love to watch the guy make the $1000 Mint Julep. Mint from Morocco, ice from the Arctic Circle and sugar from the South Pacific in a 24k gold cup with a sterling silver straw. The money goes to the New Jersey-based Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides homes for the former race horses.

When my daughter was young she loved The Derby and could name in order all the horses that had won The Triple Crown. She is 23 this year and has yet to see it happen, as the last horse to win it, Affirmed, won in it 1978. She did however, get to spend 5 hours one day chasing a grandson of Affirmed around a field after he got loose.

I got this recipe from http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc140.htm

The only changes I made was to triple the amount of bourbon and cut the sugar in the cake in half.

What I am giving you here is the original recipe without my changes.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 cups cake flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

Bourbon Butter Sauce:

1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

1/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons Bourbon whiskey

.

Mint Frosting:

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 teaspoon white creme de menthe liqueur or 1/2 tsp mint extract (see Note)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

Cake:

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs.

Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly around bundt center.

Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Ten minutes before cake is done, prepare Bourbon Butter Sauce.

Bourbon Butter Sauce:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir until melted and combined. Do not boil. Remove from heat, continuing to stir for 2 minutes. Then stir in Bourbon.

When cake is done and still warm from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes around the top of the cake. Pour Bourbon butter sauce evenly over the top of the cake. Let cake cool to room temperature in the pan before removing.

Mint Frosting:

Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in creme de menthe liqueur (or mint extract). Let cool for 10 minutes, then spread evenly over the cooled cake. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Chill to set chocolate ganache. Take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to serve.

Yield: 12 to 18 servings, depending on slice cut

Note: You may substitute green creme de menthe for the white, however the color may not be appealing. Just add a drop or two of green food coloring.

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

If you have not been to Ireland, it is as magical as it's made out to be. I've always gone in the Spring or Autumn and the weather is kind to me. It always seems that on days when I want to go take pictures, it is bright and sunny, or at least gives me spectacular clouds. On days when I am going to be stuck on a bus or train all day it rains and at the end of every day there's always a pub nearby.

Ross Castle, Killarney, Ireland

Kerry Bog Pony, Kerry, Ireland

Red Deer, Killarney National Forest, Killarney, Ireland

A couple of things you need to know when travelling in Ireland

1. Any Guidebook telling you where your accommodations are was given this information by the host. "Less than a kilometer from the bus/train" actually means "less than a kilometer from the pub and after that who cares." If they offer to come get you, say YES.
2. Crossing lights are just a suggestion. Go when you can. (same advice for bathrooms. If you find one, go when you can.)
3. Any information you need can be gathered at the pub; and if not who cares, you're at the pub.
4. Don't suggest to the barkeep that he mix Guinness and anything. (I do, but have been close to evicted several times.)

Nancy Murphy's Pub, Enniskerry, Ireland

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2 tbsp olive oil


2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1"-ish bits

1 large onion, peeled and rough cut


2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped


1 tsp dried or fresh thyme

1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary


2-3 tbsp flour


3/4 cup beef stock
(I used bouillon)

1/2 cup Guinness


1 tbsp chopped parsley


1/2 lb carrots, sliced


1/2 lb potatoes cubed

1/2 lb mushrooms cleaned and chunked. (Or in my case rehydrated and chunked)

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions:

In a large pot (I use my FAGOR 6qt pressure cooker pot, just not pressurizing it, for this), heat the oil and add the meat.

Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. In the same pot cook the onions for a few minutes until they are translucent.

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley (which I took off my plate at the restaurant and brought home) and flour, and stir well until nice and mixed.

While I realize Guinness does not travel as it should and should always be gotten at the source, if possible, sometimes a compromise has to be made. Open the beer, take a sip to make sure it's not gone bad or anything like that...(I suppose if you are making this for the crock pot before heading to work you should omit the sipping step).

Add the beef stock and beer. Simmer and stir until the stew begins to get thick. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.


If at any point it looks like there is not enough liquid add the rest of the Guinness if you didn't already drink it.

Turn the heat to low and leave on the stove for a couple of hours stirring occasionally.

You did good...Drink one of the other leftover beers.

You can also do all the prep (brown the meat, cook the onions and herbs etc) stick it all in a crock pot set it on medium and leave it all day while you are at work!

Serve with nice warm Very Easy Beer Bread

Very Easy Beer Bread

This is a lot of fun for even for kids (just watch out for the ones who liked the Seriously Baked Beans and don’t let them drink all your beer).

It is really easy recipe and mostly fool proof , (there are some fools you just can’t proof).

If you are over here scoping out 365 Days on a regular basis, it’s likely you have the ingredients on hand for this dense bread. It is very good with soups, which is why I am posting it today. Tomorrow I am posting Irish Guinness Stew and the bread is in the picture.

The weather here has regressed to wintery and stormy, which, along with 70 degrees and sunny is typical Bend, Oregon, spring weather. Perfect for some last rounds of soups and stews.

Very Easy Beer Bread

Ingredients

12 oz beer

3 cups flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Mix together the sugar and flour in a big bowl.

Add the beer. Here’s where it gets creative. I’ve used everything from Apricot beer to really dark beer like Guinness (in which case I use brown sugar) and keep on mixing. When it gets thick enough, switch to using your hands. The batter will be sticky. Tough it out. Drink more beer.

Pour into a 9 x 5 inch greased loaf pan. (My silcone one seriously rocks.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 for 60 minutes.

The top will be hard and crunchy, and the inside will be nice and yummy.

Champagne Shrimp

There is not a lot of skill involved in making these, but not only are they really good, you get to drink the leftover champagne (because who leaves a bottle of open champagne to fend for itself?)

They are elegant and bright. Great a BBQ or a formal dinner. (Shane is thinking they will appear at the Chateau de Touffou for formal dinners.)

Shrimp and champagne how much better does it get without chocolate?

Today my score was that the bags of shrimp were not only on sale but I also had an extra $5 off coupon. I got 2 bags so you should be seeing Bakon Vodka shrimp soon as well!

Champagne Shrimp

Ingredients:
2 lb. peeled cooked shrimp
1/3 c chopped green onions
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup champagne
¼ white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp pickling spices (or ½ tsp each cinnamon, mace, ginger root, cardamom, allspice, dry mustard)
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or dill (depending on what you like)

In a bowl big enough to hold everything, combine champagne (I use Cooks White Zinfandel Champagne but if you really want to go up in style and price use Korbel’s Chardonay Champagne.)
, onions, olive oil, vinegar, pickling spices, (I did my own version here because pickling spices are easier but contain cloves which my sister is allergic to and I was making this for a family BBQ) salt, sugar and pepper.

Add shrimp, toss well making sure all the shrimp are well coated and covered with marinade.

Cover and chill for up to 1 day, stirring occasionally and stealing one at a time..

When I cover I put them in a bowl and put cling wrap right down to the top of them sealing them off .

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes

These fall under the heading of "Decadence is it's own reward". Don't let the picture deceive you. They don't photograph like the cupcakes that keep coming up on the side of my Facebook, however, they are very, very, very good.

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 sm. pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1tbs instant coffee
2 c. sour cream

4 eggs
3/4 c. oil
1/3 c. Kahlua
12 oz. chocolate chips

Pour a cup of coffee. Pour an extra 1 oz of the Kahlua in the coffee. If it’s the weekend skip the coffee. (It’s good to set limits somewhere.)
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips. (Pour a few in your hand and eat them.) *Do not give chocolate to the dog no matter how much he begs.

Mix well….Now fold in chips.
Bake in cupcake holders at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

WARNING this makes about 4 DOZEN cupcakes. So if you don't have a big party or a lot of coworkers waiting to test whatever you are making next on the list for 365 Day of Cooking With Alcohol...you might want to cut it down some.

OR: Pour it all into greased and floured (dusted with powdered chocolate is even better) bundt pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I made 12 cupcakes and a bundt cake.

Frosting

I am not a huge sweet frosting fan. For these it was almost criminal to put frosting on them at all they were sooooooooo good.

For the sake of a nice finished photo; and frosting lovers, we compromised. Jerry chose Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting. I took 4 tbs and dowsed it with a 1tbs Kahlua and 1 tsp barely moistened instant coffee. We blended it up, put it back in the fridge to re-solidify a bit and put it on some of the cupcakes. Turned out pretty dang good.

A nice sprig of mint on top and we are done! (I wanted to put Nopareils on top but couldn’t find them.)

Seriously Baked Beans

Be careful making these. Do not do a ton of taste testing or YOU will be seriously baked Trust me!

These are not for wimps and probably not kids. Kids probably won't like them and if they do you should worry.

There's not much to this. After you cook the bacon (I learned that gadget man has a handy little screen that goes on top of the frying pan and keeps me from swearing at the bacon), and onions everything goes in the pot and cooks itself into food.

Oh.. and if you accidentally use cayenne pepper instead of chili powder you'll have to rename it to:
SERIOUSLY TOO FREAKIN' HOT TO EAT BAKED BEANS.

Seriously Baked Beans

1 Can Pinto Beans
1 can Great White Beans
1 can black beans
1 c water
1/2 onion, chopped
8 slices bacon, rough chunked (optional.. Wait, no! Bacon should never be "optional".)
1/2 c BAKON vodka
½ c whisky or Yukon Jack
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs honey
1 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 c ketchup
2 tsp salt or bacon salt
Fry bacon until very crisp, cut up and set aside. (Unless you want just bacon flavor but veggie beans..the BAKON Vodka will provide.)

Drain drippings from bacon into whatever pot you plan on cooking the beans in. Cook the onions until they are semi transparent.

Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT THE BOOZE into the bean pan and mix them up. (Wait..if you just want the alcohol flavor now would be the time to add it in. If not…wait.)

Drain beans, add them to the mix. Put the bacon in and stir it up.
Add water cover and cook on medium heat for about 1 hour. Add more water if needed.

Stir in BAKON vodka and Whisky or Yukon Jack. Cook uncovered for another 20-30 minutes or until it gets thick.

Orange Whisky Pork

Jerry and I did this together. The really fun part was that Jerry, not a drinker, took a whiff

of the Drambuie and thought it smelled nice (which it does) and SHOT the WHOLE bit.

he said "MMMM..That's really nice" right before his eyes almost shot out of his head and

he started choking.

"Honey, that's still WHISKY" I said with a nice little smile.

OKay, so, Drambuie is the nice little reward Prince Charles (Bonnie Prince Charlie) gave the

Scottish people for pretty much getting them wiped out at Culloden trying to get his crown

back.

"Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry,
Carry the lad that's born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye."

During the battle Donald Livingstone rescued the blue banner of the Stuarts

"Donald Livingstone took up the banner, and tearing it from the stag, wrapped the banner round his body. " http://www.clanlivingstone.info/Donald_Livingstone.htm

So, in my humble opinion this is a gift to my clan as well so if you're ever at a loss as to what to get me, Drambuie is culturally appropriate!

Orange Whisky Pork

Ingredients
3 pounds pork tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Drambuie (Okay chill. 1/4 cup is not THAT much and it’s worth it. If it completely undoes you, or you’re not a rebel Scot and don’t have Drambuie laying around, use ? orange juice concentrate and ? whisky.)
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs honey
1tbs coarse kosher salt
1 tsp pepper


Directions
Whisk together soy sauce, Drambuie (or substituted lesser quality mixture…humph.), brown sugar, honey, and orange juice if you either want more orange flavor, or had to go the whisky route, pepper and garlic. Poke holes in the pork (like you are going after someone who kicked your dog.)

Put the whole roast and the marinade in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag squeezing as much of the air out as possible while closing. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning and squishing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove pork from marinade, and place on rack of shallow roasting pan. Save the marinade for sauce.

Bake for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F degrees internally.

Sauce Made from Marinade

Leftover marinade
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
1 c stock (chicken or pork) sub bouillon is okay
2 tbs whiskey (optional)

Over medium to low heat, warm up olive oil and flour whisking along the way until it gets gravy thickness with a golden brown color. (This makes a roux)


When it gets like a thick gravy add the leftover marinade and keep stirring. It will ball up like some kind of weird toffee looking candy.

Add the stock and whisky and keep whisking until all the roux is melted into the water then let it cook itself until it starts to boil then go back to stirring.

Stop when it is a consistency that you want.


If you like this a lot and live near Mexico they make an inexpensive suitable orange liquor substitute. It’s clear and comes in a jug with small orange on the neck. Remember bottle per person back across the border. They seize the rest and pour it out in front of you. It’s very very sad.

Salmon Poached in Champagne Sauce

Here we are proving that I can cook with some type of alcohol besides various forms of whisky!

This would be one of those dishes you serve for really special company, people you want to impress, or a nice romantic dinner for two! (Or yourself, a good movie or some West Wing re-runs and all the champagne to yourself....)

It was really easy to make and it helps to drink some of the champagne along the way.

We usually served this with plain white rice, which lends its self well to soaking up the delicate sauce without competing with it; and asparagus. This time we did with what we had on hand (and yes, we normally have salmon, champagne and heavy cream on hand...the parsley I lifted from my breakfast at Shari's and brought it home in a napkin..it's called "being thrifty" or "SCOTTISH".) The peas were good. The Pilaf competed a little too much.

Since generally champagne is an aperitif, it’s good to serve with a Sauvignon Blanc as the dinner wine.

Salmon Poached in Champagne Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tbs diced (tiny) onions
1 c brut Champagne (I suppose any will work. Cook's pink sounds nice)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 sprigs fresh parsley
½ tsp dill
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tbs corn starch
1 tbs water

Pour two glasses of champagne (No one uses the whole bottle on the fish and once it’s open well…..it’s bad luck to leave an open bottle.) Share one or drink them both while you cook the fish…or pour one and pour off another ¼ c to make some yogurt champagne salad dressing

Start with the olive oil in a large frying pan (We used a 10” Greenpan over medium-high heat, add onions and saute until soft.

Add the Champagne, lemon juice, and parsley to pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to barely a simmer.

Season filets with sea salt, dill and pepper. Carefully slide the fishy fillets into the liquid, cover and poach 3 to 4 minutes (or until done).

Move them to a plate and set them aside while you finish the sauce.
DO NOT EMPTY PAN!!!!!

Pour off the poaching liquid then ladle 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid back into the frying pan over medium heat. Add cream and bring to a boil.

Make a slurry from the corn starch and water.

Reduce to a simmer and whisk in slurry. Stirring constantly as it thickens, simmer 1-2 minutes. Return fish to the sauce just enough to heat it through.

Put the fish on a serving plate, spoon the sauce over it and garnish with lemon if you like. (We used some chives for garnish because we have them growing like weeds on the mantle.)

Apple Fritters With Whisky Glaze

I snuck out to the revered kitchen on a Sunday morning without a chaperone and made these fritters. While the picture does not look as appetizing as I would like, I can say they were WONDERFUL!

These were surprisingly easy to make even for someone like me who never made a donut in my life. The only thing I can say is ….don’t use a little whisk to mix the gluey stuff together because it all gets clumped up inside the little whisk and it’s hard to get out with a butter knife.

Also, make sure you use a teaspoon and not a tablespoon to dollop the things together or they will be too thick and the insides won’t cook. Then you have to nuke them for a minute and I DO NOT recommend that.

Do it all correctly and they are to die for (being a diabetic I actually was testing that theory.)

Breakfast in bed for everyone…… even Polar Bear.

Apple Fritters With Whisky Glaze

Fritter:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup chopped apple

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

(Or 1 c powdered and 1c brown sugar)

1 tbs milk

2 tbs whisky or scotch. (I used The Glenlivit )

Directions: Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon. Stir in milk and egg until just combined (You can add a little whisky to the dough too if you really want to go all out 2 tbs).

Fold in the apple bits. I would go with a Granny Smith, a Cameo or a Gala. Something with a little stronger flavor and not mushy.

Pour oil into skillet so that it is approximately 1 to 1 ½ deep. Heat oil on high. Oil is ready when a little piece of tester dough floats to the top.

DO NOT EAT THIS TESTER...IT'S HOT.

Carefully add dough to oil in heaping teaspoons. Do not use a tablespoon or they come out too thick and don’t cook through as well.

Cook them until they are brown then flip over CAREFULLY the oil is hot and can SPLASH. Cook them until both sides are brown. Move over to paper towels to absorb excess oil, then transfer them on to a cooling rack.

Make the glaze by stirring milk and powdered sugar and whisky together in a small bowl. If you are using the brown sugar combo heat it a little until it is creamy.

Paint onto apple fritters with a basting brush.

Wait for the glaze to harden, then turn the fritters over and baste glaze over the other side. You may have to rewarm the glaze a little.

Serve warm. (and if you think you can wait until they cool you are a pretty strong person!)

Making Friends With My Heritage: Livingston Scotch Cookies

I was still trying to perfect my cherry cookie recipe when I got sidetracked. This is not an uncommon event. I was flipping through an old, old laminated handmade cookie book (someone really planned for you to USE this one.) When I spied 'Scottish Shortbread Cookies'.

I have spent the last 6 months researching my Scottish family genealogy with much success and some really interesting travels. Ginger Rambles On Next fall I am going to Scotland for the capper to the deal.

So anyway, I have not had great luck with the cookie thing and decide to abandon the cherry cookie perfecting for the night, as I should be genetically predisposed to Scottish Shortbread Cookies.

I, of course decided to add my own touch, spices and the like. 'The Like' being SCOTCH. I am a Scottish girl. I like Scotch (Highland Scotch, Most lowland Scotch is, well, not for me.)

I also decide to forgo modern appliances, which starts my husband, The Gadget Man to twitch when I say NO FOOD PROCESSOR. I do acquiesce to the butter slicer because it looks old enough to have come from the Highlands and the old hand pastry blender for the same reason. I suppose someone invented them sometime and that is as good a time as any for me.

It was quite a chore blending the flour with the butter by hand. I pretend I am in the kitchen of my crofter's dwelling on a fine spring day. I don't know any good Scottish songs. All I know are Irish ones. I'll have to work on that.

I highly recommend that unless you are a strong Highland woman used to churning your own butter and pulling breech lambs in distress out by sheer force, you make peace with the food processor. Doing this would give Chuck Norris a work out.

The whole 'genetically predisposed' theory was completely correct. The cookies came out WONDERFUL. I picture a young man up on the hill, sitting on a rock in the heather, watching his sheep with a nice kerchief of these cookies to enjoy.

The cookies finished, I went to bed thinking about making a breakfast version. With parritch (porridge oatmeal) and the like 'The Like' being coffee.

Livingston Highlander Shortbread Cookies

1 1/4c flour
1/2 c butter
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbs of The Glenlivet (or any decent HIGHLAND scotch)

Blend all your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cube the butter and cut it in.
Mix until it all looks like small crumbs
Mix the honey and scotch together
Blend in with the dough

Take it in your hands and make it into a ball. Knead it with your hands until it is well blended. You will probably still see bits of butter. That's okay.

Roll out on lightly floured wax paper into ½ inch thick large circle.

Cut into strips 1 ½ " x 1"

Put on parchment paper or ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes or until brown and crispy.

Makes approx 24 depending how you cut.

*****

MMMMMmmmmm...I wonder if I should grind my own flour. I definitely need to buy some heather. I own some goats and a donkey. That's close enough to sheep for me.

About

Hi, I'm Ginger That's me up there in the top corner sitting on the steps of that cute little house. I wish it were mine but since it is actually Marie Antoinette's Hamlet cottage at Versailles, I think the upkeep and all those PEOPLE would be a detractor...but they do have very awesome vegetable garden!

I like to eat, drink and visit my daughter in France and my friends in Ireland and Scotland. If anyone in Italy, Spain, Turkey or, well, anywhere else unusual with good alcohol wants to be my friend I'll try to come visit you too!

While working on developing a much
larger recipe site documenting my strange and often entertaining endeavors
to learn how to cook and develop my own version of recipes, several
people noticed that I seemed to focus on developing recipes that involve
cooking with alcohol (mostly Irish and Scotch whisk(e)y. (The 'e'
denotes Irish whiskey). It's genetic. I'm a Scot/Irish girl. (See my clan tartan on the sides? It's the Livingstone Muted #814)

One day one of my friends, the one
I send a lot of recipes to for her to test, decided my next cookbook
should be titled "What
to cook with the Whiskey you don't drink ---like that's gonna happen".

My daughter-in-law, Stacey (who does
know how to cook) suggested I should just start a blog called 365 Days
of Cooking With Alcohol".

$70 worth of booze and making
good friends with the liquor store owner and here we are!

Really..did you know they make BACON
VODKA? Right here in Oregon!

Life is good.

So here's the deal:

I am going to cook for 365 days with
alcohol. That is not to say they will be consecutive days. I am going
to try for that, but I suspect life might get in the way here and there,
hopefully though in the end, theoretically, you should be able to find
here, a year's worth of recipes of food to make with alcohol!

If I invent a few drinks here and there that's just a side bonus.

A little about us:

My husband (Jerry) loves to cook. He is the domestic god and
knows how to milk a goat. I work a ton of hours for a green energy developer and
now that all of our kids have grown up and moved out I am trying to learn to
cook real food. Jerry is teaching me. So far we are still married.

Jerry loves,love, loves cooking gadgets. We have a lot of
them. Who knew a butter slicer could come in so handy?

I love plants and animals. I don't mind eating some animals,
just not my friends. I like to grow my own herbs, veggies and fruits although
the deer are getting far more of them than we are. We have dogs, cats, donkeys,
goats, chickens and sometimes whatever gets abandon in our yard. (My friend got
a YAK dumped on her hahahaha...

...Except she is a darling, friendly Yak who is quite
photogenic especially when she sticks her tongue up her nose!)

We have a lot of kids who are now gracing
us with the most beautiful, cool, intelligent grandchildren anywhere.and
that goes way beyond the solar system etc. (our reward for letting
them live).

Our children do lots of cool things.
One of them is a wonderful web designer who set up the blog and keeps
it in working order. She is also working on another huge project you'll
find out more about later.

Also, fortunately for me, one of them
lives in France and so once a year I get to go hang with the culinary
best. (In a giant castle, yes really! Bon Jour Touffou!) Then I pop
on over to either Scotland or Ireland for a real fine genetic tune-up
with fine spirits. (Slainte to Nancy Murphy's in Enniskerry and Danny
Mann's in Killarney!)

The Recipes:

If I adapted it from something and
changed it pretty dramatically it's mine (or Jerrys). If it's from
a friend or family member, you'll know it.

If I got it from somewhere else I will
happily point you to it. There are some great places out there with
some talented, fun people kind enough to be sharing, I would love for
you to meet.

If you have any suggestions, I'm
game..I mean really, the tongue recipe requires you cut the taste
buds off...the Haggis...well requires locating a sheep stomach. You
can see I'm not really too squeamish.

This whole thing is really for fun
so please play nice!

Nutritional Info:

Not going to happen.

We are cooking with alcohol, which
we are also drinking...so obviously it's not a priority and we might
get it wrong anyway (not unlike the FDA food guidelines).

Photos:

That's my other passion. I (or someone
else if I am in the picture) take the pictures with either my trusty
Canon Rebel or mylittle pocket Nikon Coolpix and on very rare occasion
my "Tool of Satan" (AKA Blackberry).

Advertising:

Are we planning on making money on this? H*LL yes!.... (at least that's the theory) I mean really, how are we going to pay for all this food and booze???? Send people..send friends..send anyone who likes food and/or booze... Send anyone you know who works for a food/booze company. Send your enemies..I'll do a special nasty food section and email you the link.....(Do you know how many ways I found to cook rats? I even found one that recommends you use drunken wharf rats so we are still on topic.)

The more the merrier. Everyone loves a good party.