Well, I believe that each year needs to be brought forth with a positive note!
So, our new year’s eve will be tame by many standards… a little of George Washington’s finest Eggnog and in the morning we’ll have raisin, cinnamon rolls to wake up to! Lunch of homemade chimichanga’s and a nice cheesecake for dessert…. and dinner will be a light and simple bread pudding! yum!
Of course, we’ll watch the Rose parade and our Trojans!
Fight on!
Roger
Cheers to all those serving our country at home and abroad!
Blueberry, white raison, almond and Amarula Cinnamon rolls are best!
Obviously, everyone has their favorite items for the winter season. Laura loves her cinnamon rolls, Karen loves her cheesecakes, Kristin enjoys her seafoodand Karla dives into anything with chocolate! As for me, I always like the little touches that make a meal fantastic.
I usually pass up any recipe with fewer than 5 ingredients or boasts to require only 30 minutes. To me this is uninteresting.
However, although a baked ham can be a very simple dish, what can make it extraordinary is not only the preparation of the ham itself… but finding a perfect glaze. Here is mine:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup pineapple
1 or more tablespoons of arrowroot ( as a thickener)
1 1/2 tablespoons (this is merely a ‘guideline’) of Brandy ( Armagnac is best)
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 Teaspoon cloves
Directions: bring to a simmer in a sauce pan to thicken and add arrowroot as necessary. Score the Ham and baste the ham in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Make more sauce for a large ham or double for some to use at the table.
As with most families we have a few family traditions that will raise an eye or two and maybe amuse you!
Well, we all bake, so getting together to make a family favorite peanut butter and white chocolate with a milk chocolate swirl cheesecake isn’t surprising. What strikes people as funny is our mini-olympics. In the picture above, we are heading out to Karen’s old middle school shot put ring for a little ‘throw’!
The family that throws together… has more fun!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Winter’s Solstice
In many places around the world there are special desserts for really wonderful holidays and our house is no exception. So far we have talked about two: Baklava and Eggnog. These are two ‘treats’ that surround the Christmas season but not the meal itself.
As for Baklava, some folks place a lot of meaning in the number of sheets used above and below the ‘filling’ layer… as in the days before and after lent… but I am unaware that ours ( 4 filling layers) has any meaning other than to be delicious ( 8 sheets – nut filling -8 sheets – nut filling -8 sheets – nut filling -8 sheets – nut filling -8 sheets of Phyllo dough).
I am going to take a break from recipes today as Karen has given me 10 cubic yards of rocks to move in and around my garden… ah… thanks Karen!
Well, today we had a bit of fun making an ‘over-the-top’ Baklava! As we have mentioned all to many times before, all too many recipes skimp on ingredients in favor of quicker preparation time and lower cost… beware… this is extravagant and luxurious recipe.
First we used over 4 cups of finely chopped Pistachios, Almonds and Pecans. In addition, the flavors of Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, the zests of orange and lemons, Rose water, honey and vanilla bean made it wonderful! Oh yeah, we made our own Rose water from Roses from our garden!
