Category: cooking

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Egg Nog the fuel of Revolutions

Who really popularized Egg Nog in America? Our Egg Nog is distinctively American ... because we take the best ideas from everywhere!

If you look into how and where and why egg nog was developed you will be very disappointed because everyone claims to have had something similar. It reminds me of how the Sumerians claim to have invented Baklava… but crushed nuts, honey and flat bread aint a good substitute.

So, let’s just say that our American Egg Nog is distinctively different with its range of ingredients, long list of spices and multiple alcoholic beverages!

Very American Rye Whiskey, French Armagnac (Brandy), Sherry from Spain, Jamaican Rum

In the old days, most desserts contained one spice, usually a reflection of frugal times. Apple Pies were seasoned with cinnamon alone (or all spice), gingerbread had ginger and eggnog was a nutmeg flavored beverage; but this has all changed. It’s hard to buy a commercial brand of eggnog today that doesn’t contain at least three spices.

I like to blend spices ahead of time and save them for when they are needed... as with the Apple Pie seasonings above.

So, is it getting a little chilly yet? It is definitely approaching egg nog weather which usually starts around Thanksgiving!

Here is my recipe!

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my big fat lamb barbecue!


I looked everywhere to find a good lamb  CHARCOAL ROTISSERIE of around 52″. It had to have a strong enough spit to handle most of the lambs and pigs I would like to roast… and the motor would have to be positioned far enough away from the pit so that I wouldn’t have to replace it every few occasions. A nice grease tray would be nice as would a wind break and something to hold the middle of the lamb firmly on the spit….
Here is the double rotisserie version... but one at a time is good enough for me. CLICK on the picture above to see if it's something to add to your cooking tools.

 

The cuisine of Greece is wonderfully simple and delicious! I have a few items on my recipe list. CLICK here to find them!

To the Cook goes the Spoils!

Here is ‘Gus” cooking and ‘tasting’ for quality assurance the lamb he is preparing on his front yard! I screen captured this from the delightfully entertaining movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. The movie is 9 years old now, but always brings a smile… which is why I named my new Lamb Rotisserie “GUS”.

Opa!

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you eat no meat? okay, we’ll have lamb!

Very pleased to find and pick up a great lamb for the spit! Superior Farms is always an excellent choice and worth the effort! Superior Farms produced our holiday lamb.

Opa!

'Halal' Lamb is prepared and marked as acceptable for Moslems CLICK on the picture to read more.

Here’s a nice little video on YouTube that shows one way to barbecue a lamb:

[youtube width=”440″ height=”344″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHJfJ2xnog[/youtube]

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How to Salt and Roast your own Pistachios!

How to roast and salt your own pistachios!
There is something about roasting your own beans whether it be the green beans of coffee ( I use a popcorn popper) or the wonderful raw Pistachio nut! Adding the right amount of salt enhances the flavor of Pistachios. Want a more robust flavor then add more salt in the step-by-step process I will show you.

Click on this link or the picture above to see how we do it!

Although I will grind these for my Baklava, eating them like popcorn is a delicious experience!

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talking about food is great diet therapy

I want to prepare a leg of lamb as though I am preparing a Kokarri Lamb Shank! Will it work?

Recently, I blogged about how the Kokarri Restaurant published a cookbook recently and included one of my favorite of their many fine culinary marvels… the Lamb Shank! I think I like it so much because it is prepared in a similar way to how I prepare my ribs… ‘simmered’ ( read ‘boiled’) in some sort of version of ‘pickling spices’ (various pepper seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, dill, ginger among other things… I’d add Juniper berries!). The simmering ‘tenderizes the meat while adding the wonderful flavors of so many interesting herbs and spices.

I am checking which pot I want to use when I ‘simmer’ the shank…. this one looks just right!

BTW, I have lost over 30 lbs now… and all of this has been great therapy to losing weight. Psychologists have said that talking about food is actually beneficial to keeping you on tract… so planning out the holiday ‘feast’ monthes in advance is not bad… therapy!