Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs!

I am headed to California to a wedding today and I can't wait to celebrate with some close friends. But for now, here are my favorite recipes this week. 

Blackberry Manhattan
c/o Fogged in Lounge

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon (Buffalo Trace)
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Dolin)
• 1 barspoon blackberry brandy (Leopold Bros blackberry liqueur)
• 1 dash Fee Bros Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters
• Lemon twist

Directions

Sort of a fuller, rounder Manhattan on the front, the blackberry comes in subtly as the drink develops, reminiscent of those blackberry or currant fruit gums I loved as a kid. A fine way to kick off the season.

Loaded Mac and Cheese

c/o Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients

• 3 c. elbow macaroni
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• ½ c. flour
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 6 c. milk
• 1 lb. shredded cheddar or cheddar jack cheese

Topping

• ½ c. panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• ½ package bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives
• sour cream

Directions

1. Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter.
3. Stir in flour, mustard powder, salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk.
5. Return to heat; cook over medium-high heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
6. Add cheese and stir until it begins to melt.
7. Mix cheese mixture with cooked macaroni; pour into greased 9x13 inch casserole dish.
8. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over mac & cheese.
9. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until bubbly.
10. Remove from oven; top with crumbled bacon, chives, and sour cream.

Apple Cider Caramels

c/o Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

4 cups (945 ml) apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or less of a finer one
8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Neutral oil for the knife

Directions

Boil the apple cider in a 3- to- 4- quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes on my stove. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, get your other ingredients in order, because you won’t have time to spare once the candy is cooking. Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment. Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.

Once you are finished reducing the apple cider, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium- high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

(Don’t have a candy or deep- fry thermometer? Have a bowl of very cold water ready, and cook the caramel until a tiny spoonful dropped into the water becomes firm, chewy, and able to be plied into a ball.)

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon- salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evenly. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about 2 hours, though it goes faster in the fridge. Once caramel is firm, use your parchment paper sling to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife, oiling it after each cut (trust me!), to cut the caramel into 1-by-1-inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4-inch square of waxed paper, twisting the sides to close. Caramels will be somewhat on the soft side at room temperature, and chewy/firm from the fridge.

Do ahead: Caramels keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for two weeks, but really, good luck with that.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs!

Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Slender Rosemary Grapefruit Fizz
c/o The Slender Student

Ingredients

1 large Ruby Red grapefruit

1 sprig fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish)

1/2 cup grapefruit La Croix

2 shots vodka

2 splashes grapefruit bitters 

Directions

1. Halve your grapefruit and, if desired, cut off thin slivers to use later as garnish.

2. Squeeze the grapefruit juice into a bowl. I got about 2/3 cup from one large fruit.

3. Add the rosemary leaves from one sprig of rosemary to the grapefruit juice. Muddle with a muddler or the back of a spoon.

4. Evenly pour the fresh juice between two glasses.

5. Add in 1/4 cup La Croix and one shot of vodka to each glass.

6. Garnish with grapefruit slice, rosemary, and enjoy! Responsibly!

Tortellini Minestrone Soup

c/o Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ⅛ tsp. black pepper
• ⅛ tsp. cracked red pepper flakes
• 6 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
• ¼ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
• 1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini pasta
• 1½ c. baby arugula

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion, carrots, garlic, ¼ tsp. salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3. Saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, along with the diced tomatoes and the remaining ¼ tsp. salt.
5. Bring to a boil; add tortellini and reduce heat to a medium simmer.
6. Cook 8-9 minutes or until pasta is tender.
7. Stir in Parmesan and arugula and allow greens to wilt.
8. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired

Applesauce Donut Muffins

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cinnamon applesauce
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and applesauce until well combined.
Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Fill the muffin wells 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing the muffins from the tin.
Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter. Place in a small bowl.
Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon and place in a second small bowl.
Dunk each muffin in the butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs!

Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Apple Pie Sangria

c/o Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients
1 750 ml bottle dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
1 c. apple cider (I used unfiltered)
½ c. whipped cream flavored vodka
½ c. apple liqueur
½ c. cinnamon simple syrup (recipe below)
1-2 apples, sliced
cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon Simple Syrup
½ c. water
½ c. sugar
4 cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Prepare simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring water to a boil, add cinnamon sticks, remove from heat, and cover sauce pan.
3. Set aside to cool.
4. Prepare sangria by combining wine, apple cider, vodka, apple liqueur, and cooled simple syrup in large pitcher.
5. Add sliced apples and cinnamon sticks.
6. Chill until ready to serve.

Eggplant, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Stacks

c/o Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small eggplants
salt 
3 eggs
1 cup flour 
vegetable oil, for frying 
extra virgin olive oil
1 slice prosciutto per stack (approximately 14 slices)
1-lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Pecorino cheese, grated

Directions

Cut both ends off the eggplant, the peel the skin. Slice each eggplant into thin rounds (make sure you have an even number of slices). Place a clean kitchen towel on a baking sheet. Lay the eggplant slices on top, then sprinkle with salt. Flip over and salt the other side. Top with another clean kitchen towel and let sit for at least an hour. When ready to cook, pat the eggplant slices dry with the top towel. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1/2" of vegetable oil into a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat. 

While the oil is heating, whisk the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate. Spread the flour in an even layer in a separate wide, shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, shaking the excess off. Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly.

Add as many of the coated eggplant slices to the pan as will fit without touching. Cook, turning once, until golden on both sides. Drain on a rack set over the same baking sheet you used to salt the eggplant. Repeat the process until all the eggplant is cooked.

Remove the rack from the baking sheet. Lightly oil the baking sheet with the extra virgin olive oil. Place half the eggplant slices on the sheet. Top each slice with one piece of prosciutto and one slice of mozzarella. Top with another eggplant slice.  

Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with some grated cheese. These can be served warm or at room temperature.

White Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies

c/o Skinnytaste

Ingredients

1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour (for GF Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose GF)

1/2 cup granulated sugar  

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup old-fashioned oat* 

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp 1% milk

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 oz white chocolate, melted (you’ll only use 2.5 oz)

1/4 cup colored sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine melted butter, milk, honey, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Drop 1 level teaspoon of batter onto prepared baking sheets leaving space in between, placing only 12 cookies on each sheet because the cookies will spread in the oven.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe mug 30 seconds, stir then repeat another 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. Careful not to overheat to prevent scorching.

Dip 1/3rd of the cookie into the melted chocolate, then into the sprinkles. Place on a tray lined with wax paper to harden.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday! I hope you are going to enjoy Monday off, if not. Here are some recipes you can try!

Apple Cinnamon Infused Bourbon
c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients
6 whole apples, such as Honey Crisp or any other sweet apple of your choice
6 whole cinnamon sticks
1 (750-ml) bottle bourbon

Directions

Core and slice the apples. Add these slices and the cinnamon sticks to a clean half-gallon mason jar with a tight-fitting lid (or several smaller mason jars — just split the ingredients evenly between jars).

Pour the bottle of bourbon into the mason jar, making sure that the apples and cinnamon are covered. Seal the jar tightly with their lids, and store the bottles somewhere cool and dark to infuse.

Let the bourbon infuse for up to two weeks, shaking the jar occasionally to mix the ingredients. Taste the bourbon occasionally — it's ready when it tastes good to you. The longer you let it sit, the more flavor and sweetness it will have.

When ready, strain the apples and cinnamon sticks from the bourbon and discard them. (You might be temped to re-purpose the apples, but they will be flavorless since all of their flavor has infused into the bourbon.)

Transfer your infused bourbon into a new bottle (or several smaller gift-sized bottles). If you're making this for holiday gifts, add a cute label and decorate to your heart's content.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (Jiffy works great)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cilantry, for topping
• jalapeno slices, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine the cheeses in a small bowl.
4. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the combined cheese, the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix, and the green chiles. Stir until just combined.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.
6. Remove the cornbread from the oven and pierce all over with a fork.
7. Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn bread.
8. Top with the chicken and remaining cheese.
9. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro or jalapeno slices and serve.

Baked Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip

c/o Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ c. granulated sugar
• ½ c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 can Lucky Leaf Caramel Apple Pie Filling
• For topping:
• ½ c. flour
• 3 T. butter, melted
• ¼ c. brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
3. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
4. Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate.
5. Top with Lucky Leaf Caramel Apple Pie Filling.
6. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, melted butter, and brown sugar to create streusel topping.
7. Sprinkle topping over pie filling.
8. Bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs,
Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Sparkling Cojito
c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh mint, keep a few sprigs to the side for garnish
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
4 limes juiced
3 cups coconut rum, like Blue Chair Bay
1 liter seltzer water
Ice
Lime wedges for garnish

Directions

In a large pitcher, combine the mint, sugar, and water, and muddle. Add the lime juice and rum, and stir to combine. Fill the pitcher with ice and add the seltzer.

Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wedge.

Roasted Corn Queso Fundido

c/o Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn, onion, jalapeno and red pepper toss and let it sit until slightly charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
2. Mix the cheese, mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper, place back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the cheese has melted before enjoying while warm topped with cilantro!

Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

c/o Lemon Treet Dwelling

Ingredients

• 2 (16 oz.) packages refrigerated cookie dough, at room temperature
• 1 (13 oz.) jar Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread of your choosing
• Note: I used Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch baking pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Open one package of cookie dough and press it into a single layer on the bottom of the pan.
4. Spoon the Nutella over the cookie dough layer.
5. Top the Nutella layer with the second package of cookie dough, pressing into an even layer.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs!
Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Smoky Martini
c/o Fogged in Lounge

Ingredients

• 2 oz dry gin (Bluecoat)
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth (Dolin)
• 1 tsp smoky scotch (Peat Monster)

Ingredients
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Lemon twist.














Southwest Quinoa Salad
c/o Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients

• 1 c. uncooked quinoa (3 cups cooked)
• 1 c. chopped tomatoes
• 1 c. chopped bell peppers
• 1 c. charred corn
• ½ c. black beans, drained
• ½ c. chopped red onion
• 1 avocado, chopped
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish
• For dressing:
• ½ c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
2. While quinoa is cooling, prepare veggies.
3. Combine quinoa and veggies in a large mixing bowl.
4. Prepare dressing by combining ingredients and shaking until well mixed.
5. Pour dressing over quinoa and veggies and stir to combine.
6. Spoon into serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Chocolate Chun Banana Muffins

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or line a muffin tin.
2. Add the bananas, brown sugar, and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until well combined.
3. Beat in the egg, butter, and vanilla until just combined.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine.
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, stirring until just combine.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin 2/3 of the way full.
8. Bake for 18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.