Grasshopper Pie!

I think I'm channeling Auntie Edie.  Remember in the '70s when she used to make this?  I absolutely LOVED it.  But I loved anything minty -- especially Creme de Menthe liquor.  Dad used to let me drink some on special occasions in a little cordial glass.  I always slept well after that.  Hmmmm, do you think that was his intent?

I found out by accident that creme de menthe and creme de cacao last forever.  I think I bought the bottles I have when we still lived on Camino Alto Street, and that was more than 10 years ago.  I tasted them and they were still good. ("Hic").

Where was I?  Oh, yeah, Grasshopper Pie.  I found this recipe on a cooking blog I check from time to time.  Pioneer Woman Cooks.com.   I tweaked it just a little (I can't let any recipe alone).  I knew Matthew would love it, as anything chocolately and minty disappears FAST around my house.

Matthew had a ball making this with me, especially when we went to the store to buy the "grasshoppers."

Cast of Characters:

16 Oreos (plus 1 for garnish later, if you want)
2 T melted butter (REAL butter, if you please)
24 large grasshoppers (or you can substitute marshmallows)
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 (+) T green creme de menthe liqueur
2 T creme de cacao liqueur
1 cup heavy cream

Throw the 16 oreos into the food processor and pulverise the ever lovin' you-know-what out of them.  (Unless you've had an especially bad day -- then put them in a baggie and use a rolling pin.  Cheaper than therapy!).  Combine them with the 2T melted butter, and press into a pie plate (Matthew did this part.  I had to wash the floor afterwards).

Heat the 2/3 cup heavy cream in a saucepan with the "grasshoppers" (or marshmallows if substituting) over low heat, stirring almost constantly, until all those little buggers are melted.  Then, plunk the pan into an ice bath to help this cool completely.  Stir it a lot to make this happen faster because you really can't wait to taste this pie.

Once its cooled, stir in the liquers.  Taste and add more if you think it needs it.  I did!

Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff.  Fold the minty grasshopper mixture into the whipped cream. 

Pour all of this lovely green creaminess into your crust.  Put it into the freezer for at least 2 hours, probably more.  (I know -- but its worth the wait!) 

Crush up that last cookie, unless you've already eaten it, and sprinkle on the top for garnish.

Note:  If you give this to the kids for bedtime snack, they will sleep very well.  I think Dad was onto something.......

Bon Apetit!

Boeuf Bourguignon

OK, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't have time to post recipes with a lot of pictures all the time.  But, I made this today, and just HAD to share.  It made me sooooooooo happy!

Not the greatest picture, but I took it with my phone. 



This one is better:

This is an adaptation of Julia Child's recipe*.  I made a few changes to make it a little easier to make, had to skip the "pearl onions glazed in stock" because my store didn't have any pearl onions (fresh or frozen), and, needless to say, I skipped the fungus at the end.  I was fortunate in that I had just made some homemade beef stock with real oxtails earlier this week, which I reduced down.  I think that really helped with these flavors.  (I just put 3 oxtails and 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt, with some veggies that were about to expire, in my 2 quart slow cooker and cooked on low for about 9 hours.  Strained, chilled, skimmed off the fat, and reduced to a luscious, velvety stock.)

Served with real mashed potatoes, and peas and carrots.  A religious experience.

I made about 1/2 the recipe that Julia's book calls for:

For my version, you will need:

6 oz. of bacon, cut into lardons, which is a fancy name for slicing your bacon strips into tiny strips.
1 1/2 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into cubes (I used eye of round, and trimmed it well)
1 peeled and sliced carrot
1 sliced yellow onion
salt
pepper
1 T flour
1 1/2 cups full bodied red wine (I used some really good Cabernet)
1 to 2 cups of beef stock
1Tb. tomato paste
3 cloves minced garlic (Julia says to use 1, but hey!  I'm a Koszuth!)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf

First, take your meat cubes and lay them between 2 layers of paper towels.  They must be absolutely dry in order to brown.  Oh, and preheat your oven to about 325.

In a 12-inch skillet (mine has straight sides and is about 3 inches tall), cook your bacon lardons (I just like saying that word -- makes me feel so French) until crispy.  Remove them to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but about 1 T of fat, but save the rest, you may need it.  Set your heat to medium-high.  Now, without crowding your pan, sear your meat cubes on all sides, in batches.  Add more fat if necessary.  Remove and drain on paper towels. (This recipe must be sponsored by Bounty, as it takes up a lot of paper towels.) 

If there's not about 1 T of fat left in the pan, add more.  Now, brown the carrot and onion in the same pan.  Once they're brown, add the bacon and beef back in and sprinkle on the flour.  Stir well to coat, and cook the flour for about 4 - 5 minutes.  Add more fat if the flour isn't absorbed. 

Stir in the wine, stock, garlic, S&P, thyme and tomato paste.  There should be enough liquid to JUST cover the beef.  If not, you can add more stock or plain water.  Check at this point to see if it needs more S&P.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and put into your oven for about 3 hours.  Check the heat from time to time.  Things should be just barely simmering.  I ended up turning my oven down to about 275. 

At this point, I think the stew is done, but Julia goes through this whole process of straining and reducing the sauce, adding pearl onions and fungus, etc.  You can look up her recipe if you want all that hassle (sorry Julia!), but I think its great right now.

Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes, or buttered noodles, and something green.  Julia says peas.  I also would serve it with something red, like a nice glass of Cabernet. 

Enjoy!

*From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, p. 315.

We gave Debbie a knife...

Grandma's Buttermilk Pancakes with Peanut Butter Sauce

I found this recipe in mom's old green cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Cooking (copyright 1947).  Remember how, when we were kids, it was held together with that "green tape" dad used to get from Pressed Steel Tank Co.?  Well, several years ago, Greg had to put duct tape over the "green tape."  Sad to say, duct tape can't hold a candle to the green tape.....

But I digress.  Matthew LOVES these pancakes.  But my problem is I can't use up a full carton of buttermilk before it goes bad.  It just kills me to have to throw a half carton down the drain every few weeks.  So, now I'm using (gulp) buttermilk powder.  But it works.  And I'm OK with that.

I mix up about 8 packages of dry mix at a time.  Then, on Saturday or Sunday morning, its a breeze to put together. 

For each batch, you need:

1 cup flour (The old green book says to sift three times.  Right.  Like THAT'S gonna happen)
2 teaspoons baking powder (greenie says "double acting" but nowadays its all double acting)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons buttermilk powder, if you're not using regular buttermilk

Mix all that up.  Mix it well or the buttermilk powder gets cakey and hard to mix in later.  I mixed it up in baggies.  The one container of buttermilk powder gives you 8 batches. (Each batch will make 6-8 8-inch pancakes)

OK, now, if you're using the dreaded powder, simply mix up 1 cup water and 1 beaten egg.  Add that to your dry ingredients in a bowl, pour over a half stick of melted BUTTER (not that nasty margarine stuff), and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. 

If you're using real buttermilk, do the same, but omit water and substitute 1 cup buttermilk.

Sometimes, I find this a little on the "too thick" side, so I add a few tablespoons of regular milk.  Kinda depends on the humidity level that day. 

Now, just go away.  I mean it.  Don't touch it.  Don't stir it.  Don't even look at it for 20 minutes.  Go start the laundry.  Read the paper (does anyone get the newspaper anymore?).  Watch SpongeBob.  Keep changing channels 'til you find him.  SpongeBob is ALWAYS on.  Its an FCC regulation. 

This will let all those wonderful little bubbles form.  You need those bubbles.

Now, (and this is IMPORTANT), you must cook these on a preheated, well-seasoned, cast iron frying pan.  Preheat it during SpongeBob.  If you do not use cast iron, Grandma Koszuth will come back and haunt you, and you don't want that to happen.  Trust me.

I always use just a teeny weeny bit of butter for frying these up. 

This a 'lunch' sized plate,

lest you think I'm making pancakes that are larger than my head.

Sometimes, if I'm really creative, I make bears, aliens, etc. out of the batter.  Matthew loves them.  He ate them before I could take a picture of them.  Which is probably good.  I'm not that artistic.

Oh, and don't forget the peanut butter sauce! 

2 Tbls. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbl. real butter
1 Tbl. honey

These measurements are only estimates.  I never measure.  I just eyeball it to where I've used about twice as much PB to butter and honey.  Microwave on high in 20 to 30 second bursts, stirring between each one,  just to warm things up enough to combine them.  Don't boil!  This will keep in the 'fridge forever.  Just rewarm as you need it.

I like to use syrup AND peanut butter sauce together.  Killer. 

Try warmed PBS and chocolate syrup on ice cream sometime.  You can thank me later....

Bon Apetit!

Pumpkin Dump Cake

This is another really easy recipe that you can use for a holiday potluck or gathering.

Preheat oven to 350 (325 if using a glass dish).  Grease a 13 x 9.

In a large bowl, mix together:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated (NOT sweetened condensed) milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
   (or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead)
1 16 oz. can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups of Judy's home made pumpkin, well drained)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Pour all of this into your prepared pan.

Sprinkle a dry yellow cake mix evenly over the top of this.

Melt 2 sticks of REAL butter (don't be tempted to cheat and use that horrid margarine junk -- I won't know, but the cake will).  As evenly as you can, pour over the top of the cake mix.

Bake for 1 hour.

What you end up with is this wonderful gooey pumpkin custard, topped with a crust that's not too over-the-top sweet. 

This MUST be served with whipped cream or cool whip, and its best slightly warm.

The first time I made this, it was too greasy.  I made it the exact same way the second time, and it wasn't greasy at all.  I can't account for the difference.

But its really easy and really good. 

Bon Apetit!

Chili!

I make a rather unusual chili.  But people who have tried it really like it.  So, I'll share my recipe here.  I make it in the crockpot, so its super simple.

The spice mix for 1 batch is:
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper

I usually mix up a large batch in a jar.  Then, when I need it, I add 2 to 3 Tablespoons to my recipe.

You also need 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15 ounce can black beans, undrained
1/2 cup very strong black coffee
2 Tablespoons Masa Harina (corn flour) or corn meal

Brown your ground beef in a skillet with the onions and garlic (can be done ahead and refrigerated or frozen)

Throw the beef mixture in the crock pot.  Add the spices, the tomato sauce, and the black beans.  Stir in the coffee (This is optional.  I don't drink coffee, so I rarely have any.  But its a good addition if you do.)

Cook on low 8 hours or so.  About a half hour before serving, stir in the masa or corn meal.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and diced raw onion.  I also serve this with Tostitos Scoops, and no one even dirties a spoon!

Before:

After:

This was a double batch I made for Bunco, so I used my 6 quart slow cooker.  Its really an over achiever, and I almost burned this.  Usually I use my 3 quart for a regular-sized batch. 

 
Bon Apetit!

Easy (Bake) Does It

Santa brought us an Easy Bake Oven last year for Christmas.  Matthew loves to help out in the kitchen (he's a real Koszuth!).  My gripe with the EBO is that the mixes for it cost a fortune, and they taste really crappy.  As far as cakes go, I think I've solved that problem. 

I took an entire regular cake mix, put it in my food processor, and added 1/3 cup of solid shortening (Crisco).  I whirled that around until it was like coarse meal.  This acts as the oil in a regularly-baked box mix.  Then, I packaged them up in 1/4 cup portions, using those wonderful little "snack size" ziplocks.

As long as I was getting the food processor dirty, I did chocolate, strawberry, yellow and "funfetti."  These will keep as long as regular cake mix will.  For Matthew this is about a year's supply.

Remember, before you can do any "light bulb cooking" you must preheat the stupid thing for AT LEAST 15 minutes.

Do that now.  I'll wait.

When the youngun is ready to bake, take 1 egg, and beat it up with a scant 1/4 cup of water.

This is enough to do 3 of the mixes.

Next, make HIM grease the pans, because you had a mean older sister who, when you baked as kids, would ONLY let you grease the pans, and never let you do anything fun.  Like run the mixer.  Or add the chocolate chips.  Not that you harbor any resentment or anything, and you've really gotten over it.  I mean, for God's sake, your (almost) 49 already! 

Where was I?

Oh, yeah,

He's greasing the pans.  Then, lightly flour them, like you would a regular cake.  (In order to save your freshly washed floors, you may want to do this part.)  I found this is critical to getting the cake out of the pan later.

Add a scant 2 tablespoons of the egg/water mixture to the mix in a bowl, and let him use his "Whiskey" to stir it all up.

Let him pour it into the prepared pan.  Make sure the pan is no more than half full, our you'll be cursing later.  Trust me.  The worst thing for an EBO is an over-filled pan.  Help him put it in the oven, and set the cute timer Santa brought last year for 15 minutes.  

Then, every 30 seconds, answer his question with,  "Not yet!  A few more minutes!"

Make him wash his dishes.

Rewash his dishes because he only got about half the crud off.

Throw your kitchen towel into the laundry because he dried them after he "washed" them.

Help remove the cake from the oven to avoid a trip to the ER with 3rd degree burns.  You don't want to answer all those questions from DFS either. 

Let them cool 2 minutes, then invert, remove from the pan and let cool completely.   Then frost.  Yes, we used canned frosting.  I'm OK with that. 

Please don't report me to the frosting police.

I'm not sure what we were celebrating.  But it was fun.  I guess we were celebrating the first cold, rainy, fall day that we were stuck inside, so had time to bake!

A picture really is worth a thousand words.

Enjoy!

P.S.  The really nice thing about this?  There's not a whole entire cake sitting around  calling your name, making you eat it!