From the Kitchen of Andrea
Andrea’s “Chex” Mix
1/2 cup butter
2T Worcestershire sauce
2 T Louisiana Hot Sauce (no exceptions)
1 t salt
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T Penzy’s Ranch Dressing Seasoning (optional, but this really makes it special–don’t substitute a salad dressing packet)
7 c. mixed Chex cereal (more wheat than corn or rice; it best absorbs the spices)
2 c. Cheez-its (the reduced fat kind is best, given how much fat you will be adding)
1 c. nuts
Put butter and seasonings, along with Worcestershire sauce and Louisiana Hot Sauce, in a small microwaveable bowl. Allow the butter, seasonings, and sauces to melt together; simmer briefly, and thus intensify the flavors (2 minutes, stirring once in between). Put the remaining ingredients in a large oven pan. I use the top lid of my turkey roaster for this. When the butter is melted and simmering, pour it on top of the remaining ingredients. Coat thoroughly. Bake in a 275 F oven for roughly 40 minutes, stirring every ten or so, until fragrant and toasty. Cool and store in an air-tight container.
Scottish Oat Cakes (to accompany a salmon pate, cheeses, etc.)
1 1/2 c Scottish style oats (Bob’s Red Mill is excellent)
1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 t sugar
2/3 t salt
1/4 c melted butter, cooled slightly
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 c hot water
Preheat oven to 330 F. In a large bowl, mix 1 1/2 c. oats (minus 2 T), flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add in melted butter, stirring with a fork to combine thoroughly. Slowly add the hot water, mixing until the dough clumps. If you need more to get it to come together, add a T at a time.
Put on a surface dusted with reserved oat flour. Roll the dough out as thin as you can. Use a small cookie or biscuit cutter to stamp into rounds. Prick each with a fork.
Transfer rounds to a greased baking sheet and bake roughly 30 minutes until brown.
Sausage Balls sans Bisquick
This recipe is from Saveur, and it saves you from having to resort to a trans-fat laden biscuit mix. The beauty of these is that the cheese will ooze out, forming a golden halo around the balls. It is delicious.
1 Lb spicy pork sausage
1 Lb extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 T minced fresh sage or another fresh herb, such as thyme, savory, parsley
1 1/2 t. salt, pepper, and cayenne (to taste)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Heat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Form meat mixture into 2-inch balls. Bake on a parchment-lined half sheet pan until golden brown and cheese has oozed out to form a golden halo (i.e., crust). This takes about 20-30 minutes. You can also freeze the balls raw on a tray and transfer to an air-tight plastic freezer bag to keep on hand. This will make 2.5 dozen (or so)
Homemade Vanilla Extract
You can save money and make high-quality vanilla extract yourself. The trick is leaving it alone for around 6 weeks to “steep.”
Buy vanilla beans. I cannot believe the quality and the cost of Madagascar vanilla beans on sale at Costco. I highly recommend them. Right now, you can also purchase decent quality vanilla beans at Trader Joe’s (but only during holidays). Penzy’s also will sell you excellent vanilla beans, but at a higher cost.
Take two beans, slit them down the middle, and cut in half. Put them in a glass jar or bottle. Pour in a medium-grade vodka (Most Wanted is great for this). Screw on the lid, put in a cool, dark place, and leave it be. Every once in a while, gently shake the bottle to distribute the beans and vodka. It makes a lot, for roughly half the price of a premium-grade pure vanilla extract.
Homemade Irish Cream
Save some of those beautiful glass quart bottles and lids from Shatto and run them through the dishwasher.
Ingredients for a scant quart:
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Irish whiskey ( you can do just fine with a cheaper Canadian whiskey, too, like Canadian Mist, but for authenticity, I recommend Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey)
1 cup cream or half-n-half
2 T instant coffee
2 T chocolate syrup (I love Trader Joe’s Midnight Moo)
1 T vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
Put in the blender, and whir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into the jar, cap, and leave in the fridge until cold. This is an awesome gift, and having this on hand for coffee after dinner will make a lot of people very happy. It’s much cheaper than Bailey’s, and it’s a lot tastier, too!
From the Kitchen of Sayanti:
Pecan Bars
For crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
For topping:
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.
Press the crust into the foil-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.
Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.
Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.
Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.
From the Kitchen of Maureen
Clove Cookies
1/2 c. Shortening
1 c. Brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Cream. Of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cloves
Mix shortening, sugar, egg thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients & stir in. Roll into 1″ balls and bake for 10-12 minutes @ 350 degrees. Makes 3-4 dozen. When cool, frost with simple frosting.