National Chili DAY

It’s National Chili Day! I love these National Days for some quick fun, don’t you? 

http://www.nationalchiliday.com

Nothing like a Chili Cook-Off to put a little fire in your belly to perfect your own chili recipe. Pun intended. 

So good I could just kiss myself right on the KISSER!

Ok. So this is a quick and easy mocha recipe.

Like an Easy Like A Sunday Morning quick and easy mocha recipe.

I was just settling in for some reading for work and was thinking a hot chocolate would be nice. However, it would also, unfortunately, most likely lull me into a Sunday nap.

Soooo… I thought I would just have some coffee instead, which lead straight to this mocha recipe.

Edible light bulb moment!

It’s super easy.

Add a heaping helping of powdered hot chocolate mix to a steaming mug of coffee. Mix well. Add a splash of milk or a big dollop of whipped cream. Or both.

That’s it. And it’s lovely. Really lovely.

A Fond(ue) Farewell

It’s January! Fresh new year and new beginnings. Our college kids, who enjoyed the extended holiday break at home, are excited to head back to campus, their friends and new classes.

We wanted to love on them and feed them and honor them with a family dinner before classes start. Perfect time to use one of my Christmas gifts… A fondue pot!

There are so many recipes online and in cook books and of course, included with the fondue pot instructions. It was quickly overwhelming.

What a perfect thing to ask my Mom. We had fondue dinners quite often growing up. I was sure she would pull out a well worn recipe or rattle it off from memory but oops! Didn’t happen. We laughed about it but as it was 10:00pm on the night before I was to serve our first fondue… it was a little concerning that I had no point of cheese reference to start with.

The old cookbook my Dad flipped through didn’t help either. He was sure Mom would have the recipe tucked in there, but no. And she didn’t remember what cheeses she used. Double oops!

I quickly did an online search, and headed to the grocery, having decided on Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheese with a backup plan of Fontina.
Ready for oops #3? The grocery didn’t have any of these cheeses.

Creativity, and cooking, are firmly and thankfully, in my wheelhouse. I’m not a fan of traditional Swiss so a quick decision of Mozzerella and Parmesan led to a decision of white wine, garlic and basil, and our family fondue recipe was in the works.

My dessert plan was easy! Hazelnut chocolate spread warmed and mixed with heavy whipping cream is so good.
So very easy and so very good.

I snapped a couple of quick pics, but as everyone began arriving, and cooking with a baby on my hip, I was quickly more caught up in hugs and dinner and fun with our four kids, daughter-in-law and grandbaby. My apologies for no pictures of the final products. It was such a sweet night full of just soaking up these special people and just being present.

I didn’t even measure my ingredients! This is pretty close, though.

Cheese Fondue
2 cups dry white or cooking wine
2 tbsp flour
6 cups shredded Mozzerella cheese
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped or dried basil, to taste
Minced garlic, to taste

In a large bowl, stir the cheese, garlic, basil and 1 tbsp flour. Set aside. Add the wine and remaining flour to the fondue pot. Whisk and heat to a simmer, not a full boil. Turn the heat down a level. Add cheese mixture, a little at a time, stir to melt. Serve immediately.

We dipped sourdough bread, Italian bread, chicken apple sausage and chicken in the cheese fondue.

Dessert Fondue
Large jar of hazelnut spread
3/4 – 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Add warm whipping cream 1/4 cup at a time to almost melted/warm hazelnut spread. Mix well until desired consistency.

We dipped angel food cake, Krispy Kreme glazed donut holes, marshmallows and peppermint Peeps in the chocolate fondue.

What a fun and filling fond(ue) farewell!

Mimi’s Meringue Kisses

Sweetly Simple. Easy to make and bake. Beautiful presentation. What’s not to love about Meringue Kisses.

My tip: use quality ingredients. The best your budget will allow.

Martha Stewart has a million and one recipes for fun and fancy meringue inspired creations.

http://www.marthastewart.com/1058620/meringue-cookies

I’m a fan of simple meringue kisses for a snow inspired winter treat.

Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark

Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark

So yummy! An original recipe straight from the Sweetheart kitchen.

Inspiration is everywhere. Especially in my pantry that I keep full of different gourmet baking bits.

I was hosting a winter bridal shower themed in red and white. I wanted to add in something different to my kitchen that was quickly filling with peppermint sweets. Inspiration.. dried cranberries. They are a beautiful shade of rustic red. Now what? A few creative thoughts later and waa-laa!

Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark!

Prep is a snap. Simply line a baking sheet (with edges) with wax paper and you are ready to go! Here is the recipe:

Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark
Almond bark, melted
Small pkg. dried cranberries
Pecan pieces
Clear sparkling sugar crystals

Melt almond bark, or your favorite white chocolate, to package directions. Working quickly, save out 1/4 to 1/2 cup, pour the rest onto prepped baking pan. Spread to desired thickness. Sprinkle on cranberries and pecans. Drizzle with the extra almond bark that you have set aside. This will help hold the cranberries and pecans in. Sprinkle liberally with the sugar crystals, for a snowy frosted look.

That’s it! Let sit until set. Break apart or cut into squares using a sharp knife.

It makes a beautiful presentation for your dessert buffet or gifts for the neighbors.

Enjoy!

Hot CHOCOLATE

I love this darling hot chocolate recipe chart from SheKNOWS. It’s so cute!

Winter is whipping in with some early snow, and Jack Frost is dancing a frosty jig this weekend.

It’s the perfect time to stock up on hot chocolate supplies.

Peppermint puffs, flavored marshmallows, cinnamon dust and cocoa powder… mmmmm!

If you are in the path of the winter blast that’s heading our way… Snuggle Up, Buttercup!

A gorgeous ending to a precious DAY

I woke up this morning to the sweet sound of a heavy rain on a tin roof.

Perfect excuse to hit snooze and let the pier fishes relax. This fishergirl was sleeping in. I love to storm watch and I especially love to see an ocean storm roll in. Churning grey clouds, salty winds blowing by. This early morning, well before daybreak, my choice was to just slide back into a deep sleep, lulled by the sound of a Florida rain.

Hot, sweet coffee and a walk down the pier planks to visit with friends was a great way to start the day a bit later.

One friend shared tales of Germany, one had pictures of sharks caught yesterday, we checked on friends we hadn’t seen the last couple of days, greeted friendly faces and we got to help a new friend to stand again after falling. The pier can be surprisingly slick in spots where someone has hauled in a net of bait fish.

There were a couple of dolphins to watch swim thru, a gorgeous cloudy sky and great lighting for pictures. How many shades of grey are there? All of them are ready to count in a stormy ocean sky.

Lunch was a delicious array of marinated mozzarella, stuffed olives and other savory treats from the market.

Some casual shopping and friends and calls from home filled the early afternoon. It’s nice to be reminded of who misses you, just a little bit.

The stone crab season starts today so we made some calls to our favorite seafood spots. Wishful thinking that someone would have had the Herculean powers to haul in and prep the beauties.

The beach was perfect today. Truly perfect. Bright sunshine, white clouds in fun and recognizable shapes drifting by, a breeze that cooled us, dark blue deep water and icy green waves right before they broke into white surf. We got a report of a couple of mackerels being caught on the pier but it was so comfortable, we stayed right there.

There are many great places to eat in our home away from home. We feel like locals here. It’s a great place to spend time. We sent out for a fabulous seafood set of dinners, so as not to lose time before the sunset.

After the sun set, washing us in brilliant colors of neons of pink and orange, we packed our gear and headed home.

Trip-trap Trip-trap across my favorite bridge and we were home to share a sweet treat of fancy proportions.

Sweet time with family and friends and nature and treats. Precious. Truly precious.

Sweet!

The value of a stocked PANTRY

I love to cook. Always have. Both of my grandmothers cooked. Different styles, different flavor combinations, different personalities. I adapted to both and often find myself combining their styles into one for family dinners.

Complex spice combinations paired with lean meats and sophistication to honor my Nannie. Comfort food and fun in the kitchen with roaster pans and some kind of gravy to honor my Grandmommie.

My Nannie loved to plan the meal down to the last detail. That was her joy.

My Grandmommie loved to feed us. That was her joy.

My mother always cooked, too. Big meals for a big family. We were always taught to try new things as she tried new recipes.

While my Nannie used a skillet and oven, and my Grandmommie used her roaster, my Mom used every pan in the house. Skillet, crockpot, stockpot, steamer pot, wok…

She likes to cook, but entertaining is her joy. Matching dishes to holiday platters, fancy napkins and seasonal decor. Jars of holiday candies and sweets, cake plates and vintage bowls full of goodies.

I incorporate that into my family dinners, too. After planning a meal, food shopping, prepping, cooking, and serving… it’s nice to have a sweetly set table to honor that.

While I agree that fresh is best when cooking, there is value in a well stocked pantry. There is also value in knowing how to pull supplies from the pantry together quickly before dinner. In the minutes you would spend sitting in a drive thru or waiting for pizza delivery, you could have a good meal from home.

Dried herbs and spices, onion and garlic, a potato or three in the pantry, rice or pasta noodles plus some chicken breasts in the freezer can be so handy for a good meal.

Today, here in my kitchen, I’m using up some pantry and freezer stock to make a good meal to build our immune systems as we head into flu season. Good old chicken stock and veggies with some chicken breasts will feed us over the next couple of days.

I’m using my trusty oversized crockpot to help me out, as I have the baby to tend to as well as some overdue projects to do while he is napping.

It really is as simple as adding chicken and chicken stock, carrots, celery and onion as the base of the meal. I have a bag of fresh carrots. No celery or onion, as I didn’t stop by the grocery yet. So I’m making due with chicken, stock and carrots. I have dried onions, celery salt and other yummy spices so we’ll be just fine.

My spice pantry is full of flavorful goodies. Smoked paprika, basil, oregano, cumin, cilantro.. the more the merrier. For this first meal, I decided on salt, pepper, onion, cumin and garlic. Smells wonderful already.

We will have chicken and carrots, and I’ll cook up the bag of baby potatoes I have. Perfect.

It will be nice to throw together a meal from here tomorrow. I’ll add petite diced tomatoes and/or mushrooms to the chicken and stock and serve over rice or pasta in a butter sauce. I have a steamer bag of brussel sprouts I can toss with garlic and bacon to add to the meal. I always keep cornbread prep handy so that will round it out.

Lunch on day three, if there is any chicken left, can be a quick chicken salad. Just shred the chicken, add mayo, and spread onto a good artisan bread or fancy cracker, or add to a green salad. Delicious, easy.
I keep a bin of yummy spring mix for quick salads in the fridge so that will be quick and delicious.

If there isn’t any chicken left, no worries. The stock reserved from this first day meal makes for a yummy soup base. Add a handful of rice and you have a terrific chicken rice soup.

I can hear that the baby has hummed himself to sleep so I’m off to finish a project while he is napping and my dinner is simmering.

Sweet Snow DAY

Sweet snow day on this icy cold Kentucky winter December.

I am taking a break, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and flipping through a favorite old cookbook. Lunch-upon-a-Time. Simple Favorites Requested From The Strawberry Patch by Mary Frances Pack. This little book has been with me since 1982. I bring it out every time I make sausage balls, Red Satin Party Punch, olive nut spread, and more.

It’s nice to take a break in between holiday tasks.

After a few house chores this morning, I decorated my little set of three woodsy trees with sparkling copper and bronze decorations. I am getting ready to finish a fleece gingerbread blanket. All I have to do is tie the knots. Will be done in a snap.

I added a “view from my home office” pic. My toes are still cold, even with this roaring fire. Hmmmm. I think I will go get my warm fuzzy slipper socks!