Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce

Our wedding Anniversary came and went this year with not much fanfare, Covid -19 lock down was still in place, so we cooked out a nice steak, made my Aunt Dorthy's  Cheesy Au Gratin potatoes and had our Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce to go with the steak, oh and a bottle of bubbly, cant forget that!
Unfortunately I didn't have all the ingredients but hey, we're all learning to adapt right?

So here is the original recipe and on the side What i used, it still turned out Amazing.

4 Tablespoons butter divided. ( I had that, LOL)

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed. ( well all I had was one of those throw away pepper grinders so I just kept grinding till I had 1 Tab.)

2 Large Shallots, peeled and chopped. (I had 2 small garlic cloves and 1 scallion).

1/4 Cup of Whiskey (Well duh I had that!)

1/3 Cup of heavy cream (I used 1/3 cup of half and half and 1 Tab of corn starch)

So melt 1/2 of your butter over med low heat, add peppercorns, add Shallots you don't want to brown anything just cook a few minutes till fragrant.

Now this is IMPORTANT Remove the pan from the heat then add your Whiskey, (you don't want to have to call the fire department).

Reduce the sauce a little, Then add your Heavy cream. cook on low for a few minutes till it starts to thicken up.  You can remove the sauce from the heat at this point and finish your Steak,
As you steak rests,  heat the sauce very low and add the last of the butter stirring till silky smooth,  keep warm till your ready to plate the Steaks.  If the sauce starts getting to thick add a smidgen of cream.
Enjoy!
Allison

Cranberry and Rosemary White Christmas Sangria

Cranberry & Rosemary White Christmas Sangria

1 Granny Smith apple

1 Braeburn apple

1 heaping Cup Fresh cranberries

1 large Sprig rosemary

1 Bottle Pinot grigio

½ cup white grape juice

¼ cup sugar (more, for garnish)

1 Can club soda

You need to chop up the apples, I prefer them in small cubes so you can easily snack on them while enjoying your sangria, or as I like to call it…dinner. I mean, it has food in it so that counts, right?

I try to use good wine for my sangria. I am sure many winemakers would scoff at the suggestion but good wine makes good sangria. Crappy wine makes good sangria too, you just have to add a lot more too it. I prefer to let the wine shine through too. Oh, a little secret…the advantage to using good wine is that you can pour yourself a glass of it while assembling this recipe and it won’t suck.

In a large pitcher, combine all of the ingredients.

Mix it well, so that the sugar fully dissolves.

Place the pitcher in the refrigerator to chill. During this time the sugar will fully dissolve and the rosemary, it will infuse your sangria. If you are wondering why I chose rosemary for this, well, it’s because I like my sangria’s sweet. But I really dislike the sweetness to linger. So by adding rosemary, it kind of cuts the sweetness down on the finish making it much more enjoyable.

While that chills, let’s make the garnish for this drink. I am not really into fancy garnish, personally. And this is far from one. But it is a Christmas drink and I figured if the rosemary could look like it was covered in snow, how effing Martha Stewart is that? To do this, simple place about 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly wet the rosemary and then give it a good shake to remove any excess water. Then roll the sprigs in the sugar until they are coated as you please. Gorgeous, right?

Once the pitcher has chilled for about an hour, it should be ready to serve. How amazing does this look?

Courtesy of:

http://cookingstoned.tv/recipe/cranberry-rosemary-white-christmas-sangria/

HONEY, MANDRIN ORANGE AND MANGO GLAZED HAM

This Ham is very easy and makes a beautiful presentation! It does take some of your time because you have to baste it every 15 minutes while it bakes, but trust me it is well worth it!

The ingredients are very simple
Ham ( I used a 7 pound)
Honey ( about 1/3 cup)
2 T of Dijon Mustard
1- 11oz can of Mandarin Orange in light syrup
1/2 a cup of Wellsley Farms Caribbean Mango sauce ( This can be found at BJ's) or if you can't find this and mango sauce or orange marmalade will work nice.
ONE (1) DROP of CLOVE OIL ( I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS 1 DROP) or 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove.

Now line a roasting pan with foil ( trust me again on this one folks, I've learned from experience)
Place your Ham cut side down on the foil,
Now take a sharp knife and score your ham in a diamond pattern mix the honey,mustard and mango sauce and pour over the ham using a pastry brush get it all over. It will look like this.
Now pour the juice from the oranges over the ham. and save the orange segments for later.

Now bake in a pre heated 325 degree oven for about 2 hours. If you have a smaller Ham use the 15 min per lb. rule.
Now this is where you just cant set it and forget it YOU MUST baste the ham with the drippings every 15 min. The last 15 min add the orange segments. and now it will look like this

Now comes the real hard part, you must let it rest for another 15 min before you slice it!

Enjoy!

Allison

CARAMELIZED FRENCH ONION DIP

One of my family members gave me this recipe, and I don't know if it's better to have warm when its just done or after a few days of sitting. I love it both ways, after it's been in the fridge(if it makes it there) let it warm up a bit before you eat it, This dip is addicting you will love it and it's worth the time to really cook the onions.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter

1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon honey

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

Dash of cayenne pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the butter to a larger heavy skillet.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fry the onions, flipping them now and then, until they're dark on the edges, even black and crispy in spots, about 10 minutes. Add the honey and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the vermouth, bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Put the sour cream and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Finely chop the fried onions on a cutting board and add them, along with their pan juices, to the cream cheese mixture. Stir in the chives. Add the cayenne and season with salt.
Transfer to a small bowl and garnish with more chives. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.)

ENJOY!
Allison

BEST BAKED BEANS EVER!!!

Do you think you can't improve on your best baked bean recipe? Well think again my friends. We have been making this bean recipe for years and it is a HIT at any gathering. Your family will Love this. This can be a meal by itself with a nice crusty bread, or a fantastic side dish. Super duper easy, just put every thing in the crock pot and let er go.

Oh by the way I could not find a butter bean at the grocery store to save my soul. So just improvise if you have to I used northern beans instead.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED
1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 cup chopped onion browned and drained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  2 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 16oz can kidney beans, drained
1 16oz can pork and beans, drained
1 16oz can butter beans, drained
Save sum of the juice from the beans in a small cup for later
Mix and but into the crock pot on low for about 2-3 hours till hot and bubbly. or if your in a real hurry mix and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees
Use some of the liquid from the beans to add during cooking if you would like it a little more soupy. but don't add it right away till they cook for a while and you see the consistency. that's it they are done.
Enjoy!
Allison

EASY FRENCH BREAD

We are getting a lot of rain down here today, so I thought it would be a good day to post a blog about my easy French Bread. This recipe is for a 2 LB loaf and it comes out perfect every time.
I make this in my bread machine then bake it in the oven. You have to try this one its fantastic!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water, at about 105 degrees
4 cups flour ( bread flour)
1 1/2 tsp salt I like kosher
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

Directions:
Add the ingredients in the order your bread maker needs
For mine it's water first
Then I add 1/2 of the flour and the salt then the rest of the flour then the yeast on top
Set your machine for the Dough cycle.

When your dough is done take it out and cut dough in 1/2 on a floured board roll each 1/2 into a long rope.  Place on a greased baking sheet that has a little corn meal on it and cut small slits about 4 just through top to the bread.
Brush with ice water then cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour then brush with egg wash and I like to sprinkle a little kosher salt on top of my bread before I bake it. If you want a softer crust brush with cream instead of egg wash.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-35 min.
Enjoy!
Allison

PERNIL-PUERTO RICAN and CUBAN STYLE PORK BUTT/SHOULDER

I remember when I bought my first house in the Fl Keys it was a tiny little thing, and had a 6 foot tall fence all around it.
  One Sunday I was working out in my yard and The most amazing aroma was coming from my Cuban neighbors next door, well most of the day I enjoyed that smell till finally I could not take it any more, I went next door and asked them what that amazing smell was.  They laughed and asked me to come in and I was introduced to Pernil and black beans and rice,

That was a long time ago, and I still think of my wonderful Cuban neighbors and the many recipes they shared with me. This one involves a lot of garlic, so if you don't love garlic maybe you should just move on to another blog. I used to squeeze my own sour oranges and make my own marinade but Goya makes a wonderful Mojo that saves me lots of time.

Oh did I mention this takes at least 2 days to marinate? You can do it for just 3 hours but its soooo much better if you take the extra time.

Here is what you will need:

1 Bone-In Pork Shoulder (5-10 Pounds depending on how many you want to feed) plus you will want extra for some yummy Cuban sandwiches

5-8 Cloves garlic, sliced

Adobo by Goya (or a mixture of garlic power, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, salt and oregano)

2 Bottles of Goya Mojo Marinade (or 2 Oranges and 1 Lime OR 1 Cup OJ and 2 Limes)

olive oil

Okay 2 days before your going to cook your Pernil but in a large bowl skin side up side up.
Rub all over with olive oil. Then sprinkle very generously with the Goya Adobo and I mean be generous, this is one huge hunk of meat your seasoning.

Now slice up your garlic and with a sharp knife cut slits and stuff with a slice of garlic all over the pork.

Now pour your Mojo all over (Use the whole bottle, don't be shy!) cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 days turning once in a while so the mojo goes through the entire Pernil.

THE BIG DAY!!

This is going to take 8 or 9 hours of cook time so be prepared!!

Put your Pernil in a roaster fat side up sprinkle with a little more adobo pour in more mojo and add a little chicken broth so you have about 2 inches of liquid in your roaster. Make sure you always have some liquid in the bottom of your roaster or you will have a real mess to clean up!!

Heat your oven to 475 degrees. When the oven is hot but your pork in and cook uncovered for 1 hour.

When the hour is over turn your oven down to 275 degrees and tent your pork with a little foil, cook like this for 8-9 hours. For the last hour remove the foil tent and allow the skin to crisp up.

 This will only get it so crisp so if you want to make Chicharron once your pork is done remove the skin and cut up and fry till crisp. ( This is wonderful to snack on try it)
I have been making this every Christmas and Easter.

 YOU CAN'T OVERCOOK THE PERNIL IF YOU COOK IT THIS WAY.

You will know when this is done it will just fall apart when you put a fork into it.
I told my friend Hector that I was making Pernil and he said What? You are gringa you can't do that!!!  Ha Ha little does he know.
ENJOY!
Allison

TO DIE FOR CROCK POT ROAST BEEF

Well with a name like this I had to try this recipe. This is so simple and very good make sure you have enough time for it to cook, because you have to cook it on low. and it takes 7-10 hours.  Put this on early in the morning and by dinner time your house smells wonderful.  This makes its own juice that you can thicken with a little corn starch, and serve with mashed pot and a side salad. Give this a try, it sounds a little odd but it is great.
1- 4 to 5 lb beef roast (any kind)
1 - pack brown gravy mix (dry)
1 - pack Italian salad dressing mix (dry)
1 - pack ranch dressing mix (dry)
Mix all seasoning together,rub all over roast, then just put the rest of the mix in the crock pot
pour 1/2 cup water, (That's all just 1/2 cup) down the side of the roast.
Cook on LOW for 7 to 10 hours depending on how big your roast is.  The roast is done when its fork tender.
That's It  This couldn't be easier,
Enjoy.

EASTER BRUNCH

I am a big fan of potatoes, and I love the Simply Potatoes web site http://www.simplypotatoes.com/  I have been making these hash brown breakfast cups for Easter for some time now, and I thought I would share this recipe with you for your Easter Brunch. We have to work this year on Easter this is a very busy time for Disney right now. but I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:3 cups Simply Potatoes® Shredded Hash Browns


1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound ground Italian sausage

1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 cups (16 ounces) Better'n Eggs®

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 cup Crystal Farms® Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese





Instructions:1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 12-cup regular muffin cup pan; set aside. In medium bowl combine Simply Potatoes, butter and salt; mix well. Press about ¼ cup Simply Potatoes mixture into each muffin cup lining bottom and sides. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.



2. Meanwhile, brown Italian sausage in 10-inch skillet; drain grease. Add mushrooms and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Fill each baked hash brown cup equally with sausage mixture.

3. In small bowl combine Better’n Eggs® and Italian seasoning; mix well. Pour over sausage mixture, filling each muffin cup equally. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cup comes out clean.