I don’t rave about spirits very often, but for my friends who love such things here is something rare and exquisite!
Buy some if you can find it!!
Seafood gumbo season
When the cold weather moves in, the wind howls and getting chilled to the bone is a possibility. This is when a bowl of seafood gumbo (crab, shrimp, lobster and clams) over curry rice hits the spot!
Here’s a link to My favorite cure to the cold weather blues!
http://www.frebergsports.com/GUMBO.htm
Happy Birthday Sweetheart
Laura always has certain fondness for cake and a few years back I made a Pumpkin Spice Cake with a buttery Amarula cream cheese frosting that became her new favorite!
This is one of those recipes that you need three bowls… one for the dry, one for the wet ingredients and one for the frosting.
Wet ingredients bowl:
1/2 cup Amarula Liquor
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 can 15 ounce solid pumpkin
4 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
( my blend is 6 parts, cinnamon; 2 parts each of nutmeg, allspice and cloves; 1 part each of mace, cardamon and ginger)
Dry ingredients bowl:
2 – 2 1/4 cups bread flour ( start with 2 then check)
2 cups fine sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Basic process:
gradually blend the dry into the larger bowl with the wet ingredients
Baking:
350 degrees for around an hour
Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 cups powdered sugar. (Or as needed to be firm bu pourable)
ADD enough Amarula Liquor to make the frosting thick but pourable ( around 1/4 cup)
top off with sliced Almonds
RESULTS:
I made this for my wife’s 62nd birthday and all 130 pounds of her had three huge servings… And it’s gone!when she thought she’d just have a ‘taste.’
Kokkari is San Fran’s Best #aps14sf #PsychScience
Visiting San Francisco there are many fine dining establishments … But my favorite is Kokarri… Fine Greek cuisine! Authenticity is their trademark, including flying a special fish from Greece to accent the meal!
If you get the chance by making an early reservation… This is the place to visit for lunch or dinner!
Opa!
Free forming your stew
My family loves to ooh and this is no secret to those who know us well. The fact is that we even have pages where we share ideas and place our own recipes on for each to explore… the family that cooks together.. So a discussion came up on stews and the particular Swedish Lamb Stew that I have enjoyed and here is how I make it:
Vegetables are more than extenders… They add something wonderful to the party.
Basic Veggies
1 Red potato , 5 baby turnips (under 2″ in diameter), 2 bunches green onions, 2 largest sweet onions, 4 tablespoons crushed garlic, 1 bunch Kale, 1 leak, 1/2 cup Chives, 5 sliced carrots, 4 or 5 celery , 1 large Rudabaga and a very large Red potato. I will throw in about 1.4 cup of chopped parsley.
Seasonings
Salt, Black pepper, garlic powder, Thyme and Rosemary …. And towards the end, Fenugreek ( Spice of the Greeks).
Meat: 4 pounds of lamb in one to one and a half inch cubes
Thickening the sauce: various commercial powdered gravies will do
Liquids: 4-6 cups chicken broth and one bottle of Pinot Noir
The secret of life? Bacon!
In a very hot dry pan, sear the cubes of lamb and then crisp the bacon. Save some of the bacon fat to add to butter for sautéing the veggies.
Slow cooking is the secret of making a great stew. This results in all the veggies being tender (even the Rudabagas!) and the lamb chunks fall apart !
The Process:
I start off adding liquid the the crock pot and then the seared lamb!
In a large pan (17″), I sauté the onion then garlic and add the rest of the vegetables ( after microwaving them for about 10 minutes).
Add the Veggies to the crockpot and cook on high for 3 or more hours until everything is tender).
Add the diced potato in the last hour or so.
Thicken the sauce.
Bon Appetite!