Delicious Links this week

June 30, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Delicious Links at 12:10 pm | Comments »

When you’re watching your carb intake, suddenly carbs are everywhere! Well, they are anyway in this week’s picks of delicious links:

Delicious Links

1. The Daring Bakers took on Bakewell tarts this week, and among all of the resulting mouthwateringness, I happened upon alpineberry’s Macadamia Mango version. What I would give for a slice of that right now…

2. Moving on to something a little healthier, these are Kayotic Kitchen’s Pineapple Tequila Kabobs, which are grilled and sprinkled with coconut. Can you say burst of flavor?

3. And because I love corn (and miss it dearly), I can’t take my eyes off the delightfully named Half Assed Kitchen’s Grilled Corn on the Cob. Slathered with lots of sweet butter, sprinkled with some fleur de sel.

4. My favorite Pioneer Woman is on a Fourth of July kick, and her Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad is one of her offerings. And because I just so happen to have a pack of sundried tomatoes in the pantry, and we’re expecting some friends and family over for Saturday dinner, this one’s definitely going on the menu.

5. And finally- frozen yogurt! Sometimes I think I like frozen yogurt better than ice cream. Sometimes. seven spoons’ Bumbleberry Frozen Yogurt uses Greek yogurt, mixed with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries- and she warns us to eat it the day it’s made. No problem.

Stack o’ Pancakes

June 29, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Breakfast Foods at 3:33 pm | Comments »

pancake-stack

My husband and I have been low-carbing it lately, but because we don’t want to feel deprived, have designated two days a week when we can have a healthy amount (not too much, not like a pint of ice cream, ok) of carb-laden food. Yesterday was such a day, and guess what we had?

Yes, pancakes have always been one of my favorite comfort foods. I like my pancakes fluffy, but not too thick, because I have to stack them. The higher the better. Then I slather them with good, salted butter, and pour on the maple syrup.

And I must have real maple syrup. No substitutes, no maple-flavoured syrups, thank you very much.

Sigh. What a day yesterday was. I can still taste the buttery, sweet, salty pancakes… and I share the recipe with you here:

Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (try to get aluminum-free, it makes a huge diff)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or- regular milk with a tablespoon of vinegar mixed in!)
1 large egg
3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add in your liquids (buttermilk, egg, melted butter). Mix very lightly. Do not overmix.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on for each pancake, keeping in mind that your first pancake will probably be imperfect. This is ok. Snack on it while you make all the rest. Pile hot pancakes on a plate, and serve.

A toast to Michael

June 26, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Drinks at 5:19 pm | (1) Comment »

Michael Jackson

Truly a sad day for millions of Michael Jackson fans around the world- but as with any death, I think this time is best spent celebrating the life of the recently deceased. That his death headlined on nearly all news sources, that people stopped working and condoled with each other, just goes to show how many lives he’s touched. Through watching his sometimes crazy life, yes- but most importantly, through his music.

Because, right now anyway for me, it’s all about his music.

And so we toast Michael Jackson today, with this appropriately named cocktail, the Moonwalk. It’s a little fruity, a little floral, elegantly bubbly, and very fabulous. Much like the King of Pop himself.

Moonwalk Cocktail Recipe

1 part grapefruit juice
1 part Grand Marnier
1 part rose water
Chilled champagne

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake well, and strain into a wine glass. Top off with champagne.

The Perfect Martini

June 24, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Drinks at 3:11 am | Comments »

martini

I hardly ever have a drink these days. The occasional glass of wine to accompany a meal, sure- and maybe one or two glasses of Bailey’s on the rocks at get-togethers with girlfriends… but nothing like when I used to go out to clubs and bars. In those days, one of my favorite ever things to order was a Martini. With an olive, maybe two. Can you tell that I love olives? Delicious.

Because we like to entertain regularly, we keep our home bar pretty well-stocked- and the other night I felt myself hankering for a perfectly made Martini. And here’s what I did:

Perfect Olive Martini Recipe

1 oz dry gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz olive juice or brine (straight out of the jar of olives… yep)
ice cubes
1 or 2 olives

Fill your cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Pour gin, sweet vermouth and olive juice into it, cover, and shake well. Strain into a martini glass, and add olive(s). It’s shaken, not stirred (cue James Bond music).

Making two of these and handing one to my husband as he walked in the door made me feel very worldly and grown-up somehow.

Quick Caramel Apples

June 18, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Candies & Truffles Recipe at 4:34 pm | Comments »

caramel-apples

I realize that caramel apples may not exactly be what comes to mind when you think of quick sweets to prepare, but trust me- this recipe is easy. And tooth-achingly delicious. And- because you use honey instead of sugar- quite possibly good for you. Let’s get started, shall we?

First, you need apples. I had small fuji apples on hand, but feel free to use any apples of your choice. Golden delicious, granny smith… indeed, if you like the combination of sweet and tart, try going with a good crispy green apple. Make sure your apples are cold. This recipe made me around six caramel apples- but I like to lay my caramel on thickly.

Then get your other ingredients in line: a cup of heavy cream, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a cup of honey. Oh, and some good sturdy popsicle sticks. That’s it. Didn’t I tell you this would be easy?

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat (I used the latter). Spear each apple through with a popsicle stick, and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the heavy cream and kosher salt just until tiny bubbles start forming. You’ll want to use medium-low heat for this. Do not bring this to a boil. Not yet, anyway. Stir in the honey gently- then bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, you want it to reach 250F degrees, or until nice and thick but still quite liquid. Remove from the heat immediately.

Dip each apple in the caramel. Optionally, roll the apple in some chopped nuts after doing so. Place on your parchment-lined baking sheet, and let set. It doesn’t take very long to set. Mmmm.

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