Irish Coffee

To make 2 mugs:

16 ounces hot water
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 cup brewed coffee
2 ounces Irish whiskey (such as Jameson)
1/2 cup heavy cream for topping

Fill two glass mugs with hot water and let sit 2 minutes.  Pour out water and add 1 teaspoon of light brown sugar to each mug.  Pour over hot coffee and stir to dissolve sugar.  Then, pour in whiskey.

In a separate bowl with an electric mixture or by hand, whisk cream until soft peaks form.  Cream should be thick, but still pourable.  Top coffee with cream by gently pouring over the back of a warm spoon to form a thick layer on top of coffee.

Easy Cheese Danish

Stolen from Barefoot Contessa at Home Cookbook

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth.  With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined.  Don't whip!

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly-floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 x 10-inch square.  Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.  Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares.  Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold two opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together.  Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.  Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan.  Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown.  Serve warm.  Makes 8 Danish.

Note:  Ina noted these can be assembled the night before and baked before breakfast. 

French Dip

This recipe is made in a slow cooker.  The first time I made it, Steve said, "Make it again soon."  This is clearly going to be a go to recipe...

2.5-3.5 pound chuck roast

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 tablespoons butter

12 ounces beer of your choice

1 large yellow onion, chopped

6-7 shakes Worcestershire sauce

Au jus packet (dry)

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 packet onion soup mix (dry)

6 hoagie rolls or Hawaiian rolls or whatever rolls you prefer

Provolone cheese slices (optional)

Butter for rolls

Trim the excess fat from the chuck roast.  Salt and pepper all sides of roast.  

Melt butter and add garlic to a large frying pan.  Sear the roast in the butter and garlic.  After roast is seared, move it to the slow cooker.  

Add all of the rest of the ingredients except the rolls, cheese, and butter for rolls to the frying pan and bring to a simmer.  When this mixture is heated add it to the roast in the slow cooker.

Set slow cooker on low setting and cook for 8 hours.

At the end of the 8 hours, shred the beef using two forks.  Keep the remaining  drippings to serve on the side.

When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Split the rolls and arrange them on a baking pan.  Spread butter on the rolls.  Heat in oven for 10 minutes until heated through.

Pile shredded beef on the heated rolls.  Add a slice of provolone cheese if desired.  Serve with remaining sauce for dipping. 

Slow Cooker Chili (Lots of Beans, Little Meat)

It is so great to make meals in a slow cooker early in the day and let the flavorful aromas make your house smell like a cool winter day.  This is a perfect recipe for when you are going to be gone or outside most of the day.  My house smells like Wisconsin in winter!  Perfect!

1 pound ground beef (80-85% lean)
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (10.75-ounce) cans tomato puree
1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans with liquid
1 (15-ounce) can light red kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans with liquid
5 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tobasco)

Brown ground beef and drain grease.  Put beef in a slow cooker.  Mix in onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato puree, kidney beans, and cannellini beans.

Season with chili powder, parsley, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

Cover and cook for 8 hours on low setting. 

After 8 hours, taste and adjust seasonings as desired.  Serve with your favorite accompaniments:  cheese, sour cream, crackers, Fritos, etc.

Tea (Not to be Thrown Overboard)

If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.  Thank God for tea!  What would the world do without tea!  I am glad I was not born before tea."--William Gladstone, British Prime Minister

I have an English friend named Gwenda.  We used to work together.  At that time, there was a small group of us who got together and had dinner at each others' homes.  One night, Gwenda invited us for "tea."  The truth is that this night had much more to do with "wine," but all of the other components were quite British--the trifle, the little finger sandwiches, etc.  (We did have an obligatory cup of tea though.)

The idea of "afternoon tea" or "high tea" is really brilliant!  The story of its creation says that when Anna Maria, the seventh duchess of Bedford, was feeling a bit hungry late one afternoon while on a summer holiday at Woburn Abbey, she asked her maid to bring tea and a tray of bread-and-butter sandwiches to her room.  Anna Maria enjoyed her "taking of tea" so much that she started inviting her friends to join her for this new social event--one that gradually expanded to include assorted fruits, breads, and small pastries.  Thus, afternoon tea was born.  You see, it was a long stretch between lunch and dinner, which wasn't served until eight or nine o'clock in the evening.  This little meal tided people over until dinner.  At first thee practice was limited to the upper classes, but it eventually became so popular that tea shops and tearooms began opening for the enjoyment of the general public.

Kate, are you bored?  Here is a picture of what an "English tea" looks like.

Now that I've got your attention.

How Not to Make a Cup of Tea

There are a lot of different tea bags available in any grocery store.  You pick an intriguing sounding flavor, toss it into a cup, add hot water, and wait until the water turns an acceptable color and then drink it.  Let's learn to do it properly.

How to Make  Cup of Tea

Tea leaves are processed into three main types--black, green, and oolong.  Black tea is most popular worldwide, accounting for 77% of the world's production.  If the leaves undergo the full fermentation process, they become black tea.  If the leaves are dried quickly without fermentation, they become green teas.  Oolong tea is semi-fermented, failing between black and green.

Did you know that England doesn't grow tea?  Neither does the United States.  There are many good tea stores and online sources for tea.  You want to buy it in small quantities so that it doesn't get stale.  Also, you want to buy it from a source that sells quality tea.  It is generally thought that loose leaf tea tastes better than tea from tea bags.  Sometimes, for convenience sake, tea bags are more practical.  Either way, you make tea the same way.

Golden Rules of Tea Brewing

• Start with cold, great-tasting water.  if your water doesn't take good, use filtered or bottled water.
• Bring the desired amount of water to a rolling boil, but do not boil it for a long period of time because it becomes depleted of oxygen.  For green and oolong tea, don't boil the water.  Heat the water to 160-190 degrees.
• Heat the teapot by adding hot water for a minute or two and then dumping it out.
• Add one teaspoon of tea leaves for each person and "one for the pot."
• Add the desired amount of heated water to the teapot.
• Close the lid and steep according to the package instructions.

Generally, steeping times are:

• 1-3 minutes for green tea
• 1-8 minutes for oolong tea
• 3-5 minutes for black tea
• 5-8 minutes for herbal tea

Strain the tea, or remove the tea bags and enjoy!

If you are invited to "afternoon tea," here is a little video explaining etiquette.



Reference:
Tea & Crumpets by Margaret M. Johnson, 2009.

Gougeres

Source: Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan

In France, they say "gougeres."  In Wisconsin, we say "cheese puff."  This is basically the same basic recipe that you use for a cream puff or éclair.  At you end, you simply add cheese.  These are very popular in France.  

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely-grated cheese such as cheddar or Gruyere

Position the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a rapid boil in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over high heat.  Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low and immediately start stirring energetically with a wooden spoon.  The dough will come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan.  Keep stirring -- with vigor -- for another minute or two to dry the dough.  The dough should now be very smooth.

Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or into a bowl that you can use for mixing with a hand mixer or wooden spoon and elbow grease.  (I find satisfaction in using elbow grease.)  Let the dough sit for a minute, then add the eggs one by one and beat, beat, beat until the dough is thick and shiny.  Make sure that each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next, and don't be concerned if the dough separates -- by the time the last egg goes in, the dough will come together again.  Beat in the grated cheese.  Once the dough is made, it should be spooned out immediately.

Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each gougere, drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of puff space between the mounds.

Slide the baking sheets into the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees.  Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom.  Continue baking until the gougeres are golden, firm, and puffed, another 12 minutes or so.  Serve warm, or transfer the pans to racks to cool.  Makes about 36 gougeres.

Notes:  

Gougeres are good straight from the oven and at room temperature.  Serve with kir, white wine, or Champagne.

The best way to store gougeres is to shape the dough, freeze the mounds on a baking sheet, and then, when they are solid, lift them off the sheet and pack them airtight in plastic bags.  Bake them straight from the freezer--no need to defrost--just give them a minute or two more in the oven.  Leftover puffs can be kept at room temperature overnight and reheated in a 350 degrees F oven, or they can be frozen and reheated before serving.  

How to Make Your Own Vanilla

Vanilla extract.  It costs a fortune if you buy it in a store and those little bottles have a way of running out rather quickly.  Good news!  You can easily make your own vanilla extract.  Why would you want to do this?

1. It tastes better.
2. You can make it at a fraction of the cost of buying it.
3. You never run out.
4. You will amaze your friends with your cleverness.

To make your own vanilla, you will need a clean glass jar, good quality vodka, and 2 vanilla beans. 

Take a sharp paring knife (of course I know your knives are sharp!) and cut a slit down the entire length of each bean exposing the vanilla seeds.  Put the vanilla beans in the glass jar.  Pour in about a cup of vodka.  (If you have leftover vodka, you know what to do with it.)  Cover the jar and give it a little shake every few days or so.  It's fun to watch the color change.

When the vanilla gets a little low, just add more vodka and shake it again.  Every 6-8 months, I replace the vanilla beans with fresh ones.  You'll never run out again because you just keep feeding your vanilla.

Laurel's Yummy Cookies

Source:  Laurel Evans

This is my second favorite cookie recipe.  I will warn you in advance.  When you make the dough it looks kind of weird--kind of oily.  Do not be turned off by this.  When you bake these cookies, they are amazingly light, crisp, and delicious!

This recipe was given to me by the wife of the builder of our first home.  She is an amazing cook.  She always came up with something that was different and delicious.

1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed cornflakes
1 cup oatmeal (not instant)

1/2 cup nuts (finely chopped)

1/2 cup flaked coconut

In an electric mixer, cream butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla together.  

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to mixture.  Mix well.  Stir in corn flakes, oatmeal, nuts, and coconut.

Form into 1-inch balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 7 minutes until light golden brown.  Makes approximately 8 dozen.

Optional:  Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm.

Berry Oatmeal Bake

Source:  Food Network Kitchen

This is one of those recipes that is super tasty and very unphotogenic.  The oatmeal just doesn't want to look pretty after its baked.  This is a Steve and Jane type of a breakfast if ever.  So tasty and so nutritious.  There is no reason you can't use other types of fruit, but the berries were sensational.

Oatmeal:
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Kosher salt
1 2/3 cups plain unsweetened almond milk (I used 2% cow's milk because that's what I drink)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Topping:
1/3 cup skin-on sliced almonds
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
12 ounces frozen mixed berries, thawed or frozen
Two-percent Greek yogurt or low-fat milk, for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 2-quart baking dish or 8-inch square baking pan with the butter or non-stick cooking spray.

For the oatmeal:  Stir together the oats, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.  Whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a medium bowl.  Pour the milk mixture into the oat mixture and stir well to combine.

For the topping:  Stir together the almonds, oats, sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.

To assemble:  Pour the oatmeal into the prepared baking dish.  Arrange the berries (including any juices) over the oatmeal.  Sprinkle with the topping.  Bake until lightly browned and just set, about 50 minutes.  Let cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes.  Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt or a splash of milk if desired.

Serves 6.

Sandy's Candy

Source:  Aunt Sandy Kucera

In our family cookbook, this recipe is called Sandy's Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge.  We've always just called it Sandy's Candy.  It's like Rice Krispies Squares on steroids.  So easy, so tasty, so addictive....

1 pound milk chocolate (I've used milk chocolate chips in the past and that works well)
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with butter. 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate on medium-high setting for one minute.  Stir.  If the chocolate isn't melted continue to heat in 15 second intervals, stirring every time until the chocolate is just melted.  Don't let the chocolate get too hot--just warm enough to be melted.  When chocolate is melted, stir in the peanut butter until the mixture is smooth, then quickly add the Rice Krispies and marshmallows.  Stir until combined.  Spread mixture in the greased 8- or 9-inch square pan.  Refrigerate until set; cut into small squares.

Note:  If you'd like to double the recipe, use a 9- x 13-inch pan.