DIY Ginger Beer

Because you asked...



Run a small handful of ginger through a food processor (don't bother peeling it; you can, but it all gets filtered later). Put ginger, two cups of water, and two cups of sugar into a pot, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and allow to cool. It doesn't have to be room temperature, but you do need it cool enough that it won't kill the yeast. Pour the ginger syrup into an empty two-liter bottle through a sieve or cheesecloth to filter out the solids. Add a large pinch (about an eighth of a teaspoon) of yeast; bread yeast will work, but if you can get champagne yeast, that'll be better. You can also add a squirt of lemon or lime juice and/or a splash of vanilla. Top off the bottle with distilled water and close the bottle tightly. Let sit in a warm place and squeeze the bottle every 6-8 hours to check on the pressure. Initially, the pressure inside and outside the bottle will be equal, so you can easily make a dent in the flexible plastic with your finger. As the pressure from fermentation increases, the bottle will feel more rigid. When it gets to feeling really firm, briefly crack the bottle to release pressure and close it again. Depending on the kind of yeast you use and the ambient temperature, it can be ready to drink in as little as a day and a half. Store in the refrigerator.

Not Dead Yet

What's that? Right. Sorry. Yes, I have been away from here a while, haven't I?

Yeah...Dispensing Happiness is coming up on it's fifth birthday, and my other 'every day' blog, Standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy will mark it's seventh year around the same time. That's a lot of posting, a lot of pictures, a lot of writing, a lot of me.

A girl can go through some periods of 'meh' now & again. I guess this is one of them.

But to prove I'm still here, still capable of stringing letters together & forming words, I borrow this little Q & A from Erin.


All About Me (AV Edition)
I think the best shows on TV right now are
1. Chuck
2. Burn Notice
3. Leverage
4. The Closer


I think the best show(s) NOT on TV is (are)
1. Pushing Daisies
2. Eyes
3. Justice League Unlimited

Shows I think I would like but haven’t watched yet are

No idea.

The show I am most anticipating is

See above


My go-to movies for repeat viewings are
1. The Princess Bride
2. Sneakers
3. The Philadelphia Story
4. The Thin Man


I will watch any movie starring
1. Cary Grant
2. Doris Day
3. Jennifer Garner
4. Sandra Bullock


I will listen to any CD by
1. Fleetwood Mac
2. Jackson Browne
3. Artie Shaw
4. Bif Naked
5. Ookla the Mok
6. Dave Matthew Band


My favorite musical soundtracks are

Um...


My favorite Beatles song

Pick just about any from Rubber Soul or Revolver


My favorite Regina Spektor song

Whozat?

My favorite Weezer song

Island in the Sun (hip hip)

My favorite Simon and Garfunkel song

Cecilia


My favorite Britney Spears song

Such a thing does not exist


My favorite movie soundtracks
1. All three LotR
2. Sneakers
uh...

My favorite Disney movie
Sleeping Beauty


My favorite song from a Disney Movie

??


My favorite songs at this exact moment are
1. Say Hey (I Love You)- Michael Franti & Spearhead
2. I'm the Man Who Murdered Love- XTC
3. We Already Said Goodbye- The Lovemakers
4. You Wanted More- Tonic
5. Dawn-Bif Naked

Mirin Chicken with Ramen Noodles for Souper Sundays

From Noodle Fusion; a tasty little soup.

Chicken (or Quorn cutlets) is marinated with a reduction of mirin, soy sauce, (vegetable) broth, & sugar. Bring vegetarian dashi (sans bonito flakes) to boil, cook ramen for a couple minutes, drain, cover with foil, reserve broth.

The chicken or chicken-replacement-product is seared on each side, cooled & sliced.

Broth is boiled again, put noodles in bowls, pour broth over, top with chicken (or whatever), garnish...we used grated ginger & daikon matchsticks.

Skipped: black mushrooms

It's got some flavor, the noodles are fun, just a good soup.



Here you go, Deb! More soup for your Sunday.

Smoked Chicken & Tortellini in a Cream Sauce

It was one of those days...a Saturday, I believe...that just got away from us. We'd had a plan for dinner, but ended up too tired to bother.

Night wore on, realized we had to eat something. As always, I started suggesting things Matt might like. He was stuck on pasta, so I suggested he use up the cheese tortellini we'd gotten for something else.

He liked that idea.

I then brought up the remainder of the smoked chicken he still had in the refrigerator.

Also in favor of this.

And yes, we did have some cream left...so very quickly, what might have been a peanut butter sandwich kind of night resulted in...for him anyway...a pretty tasty & unexpected dinner.

Warm Potato Salad with Pancetta & Brown Butter Dressing

A little different than the usual mayo-yellow mustard coated potato salad.

Fingerling potatoes (we found this lovely trio of Yukons, reds & purple) are sliced & boiled just till tender, then tossed with a dressing of butter-cooked pancetta with shallots, a nice grainy mustard & sherry vinegar, & finally topped with chives.

Despite the amount of pork fat in this dish, the lack of mayonnaise makes this rather light compared to conventional potato salads. Oh, and quite tasty. (says Matt)

Batman: Year Seventy

Right, so it's no real secret I like comic books, heroes, and all the trappings associated with them. It's also fairly well-known the level of detail I will put into anything I am even mildly passionate about.

So don't tell me you're shocked to learn that I celebrated Batman's 70th 'birthday'; we both know you're sitting there...rolling your eyes and/or laughing...saying 'yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing she'd do'.

It was 70 years ago that the Caped Crusader made his first appearance in Detective Comics, and that's a heck of a milestone for anyone. The sort that demands celebration.

And there's really only one way I know how to celebrate: with food.





I have had conversations with both my foodie & comic book friends about this: what do heroes eat? It's not something that's ever shown, really; ok, if you're reading the Flash, for example, you may get a scene or two where he's shoveling in large quantities of food. But that's less 'what' he's eating & more 'gotta keep up with that super-charged metabolism'.

Yes, I have my favorites in the hero world, and Batman is at the top of that list. (Technically he's tied with Wonder Woman, but that's a different post for a different day.)

I've actually given this a lot of thought (No! Really?); what exactly would Bruce Wayne eat, as Batman? He's often depicted as being too busy to bother with whatever Alfred has prepared, but the guy has to eat eventually.

Alfred's a smart man. He'd be sure whatever was on the tray he set next to 'Master Bruce', close to the computer, would be hearty, flavorful, & good for him. And most importantly, it would be something that would keep: years & years of looking after Gotham City's self-proclaimed protector meant he knew the food had to be ready & edible whenever Bats got around to it.

That ruled out a lot of options. Nothing that had to be kept hot, or might get soggy.

It also had to be easy to eat; Bruce would be working on...oh, comparing bullets, researching links between suspicious characters, or analyzing DNA samples. Any food he bothered to pick up would have to be pick up-able.

A roasted tomato basil soup, delicious both hot or cold, served in a big mug. Pick up, take a swig, go back to work.

Sandwich with nutty, multi-grain bread, toasted & brushed with olive oil (mayo would go bad before Bruce got around to it), topped with slices of Gruyere, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast & a good, crunchy lettuce.

Foods that can wait till the Batman realizes he's not eaten in more than twelve hours & had better keep up his strength, but won't slow him down in his quest to keep his city safe.

At least, that's what I like to think would happen.





And because no celebration should pass without a cake, I give you The Dark Knight Cake; a dense chocolate cake made with both cocoa & 88% dark chocolate, covered in dark chocolate ganache.

Oh, and yes...it may resemble a certain signal often seen in Gotham's night sky...

Happy Birthday, Batman.

Wartime Wednesdays: Honey Twist Bread

Common Causes of Inferior Bread
POOR FLOUR---A cheap flour may be an expensive flour because it makes a loaf inferior in texture, flavor and volume.
OLD YEAST---Dead yeast plants cannot leaven bread. Old compressed yeast cakes or dry yeast which has been stored away until many f the yeast plants are dead will act very slowly if it all and will not give good results.
TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE KNEADING---Dough kneaded too much becomes sticky and will not rise well in the oven. Dough kneaded too little makes streaked bread, poor in texture, which sometimes contains lumps that might have been worked out in kneading.
TOO MUCH FLOUR---Too stiff a dough makes coarse-textured bread of small volume and dry crumb.
OVER-RISING---Too long rising gives a very porous loaf with little flavor, a pale crust and a porous crumb with broken, irregular texture. This bread crumbles badly. If the rising continues too long, the dough may become sour
UNDER RISING---Too little rising gives a loaf which is small and flat. It browns too quickly in the oven. The crumb is compact and dull.
TOO COOL AN OVEN---Bread will continue to rise too long if the oven temperature is too low. The result is bread that is very porous in the center and upper par of the loaf. The bread dries out before it begins to bake.
TOO HOT AN OVEN---The dough crusts over immediately and cannot continue to rise as it should the first ten or fifteen minutes it is in the oven. The crust becomes very brown before he crumb is baked.
ROPE IN BREAD---Rope may appear at any time but is most likely during hot, damp weather. It gives bread a ropy, stringy quality and a very disagreeable odor and makes it unfit for use. It is due to a type of bacillus which may be in any one or more of the ingredients used in bread.
If rope develops, all utensils used in making bread and containers in which bread is stored should be sterilized with boiling water and rinsed with water to which vinegar has been added. Since acid inhibits the growth of the bacillus, 1 tablespoon vinegar for each quart of liquid should be added to each subsequent batch of dough until all the materials in stock at the time of rope appeared are used up.
---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition, published 1943


A nice bread with a honey-sweetened crust. Made a ridiculous amount, so I sliced up the remainder & turned it into French toast. Worked really well.

Cookbook Review: A Century of Flavors: Nielsen-Massey Vanillas

Spa Salad with Almond Vinaigrette

I've never really understood why the term 'vanilla' is commonly used to describe something that's safe or bland. Because in my experience, vanilla adds excitement & depth to just about anything.

When I received my copy of the book, and seeing the recipes offered by the folks at Nielsen-Massey, I knew the only real challenge would be my foodie OCD. Too many tempting dishes to choose from...and of course, I wanted to try them all.

It's a small but beautifully photographed book, with a good range & selection of recipes. Sweet & savory. Typically, it wasn't easy to whittle the down but I finally choose these three, starting with the Spa Salad.

The salad itself was light, as it's name suggests, with baby spinach, red onion, strawberries & sliced almonds.
It's the dressing, the vinaigrette, that really gave it some 'oomph'; mustard, maple syrup, vanilla & almond extracts, oil & rice vinegar.

The vanilla & almond went very well with the strawberries, which in turn pairs well with the spinach.

This was the only one of the three I tried in which the vanilla was present as a primary flavor, rather than an underlying enhancer.






Fillet Mignon with Vanilla Wine Sauce

This one...well, this one is going on the 'serve to company' short list.

A nice cut of beef gets seared & finished in the oven; that part's simple. But it's the Vanilla Wine Sauce that sends this over the top.

Beef stock, red wine, onion, marjoram, garlic, vanilla extract, tomato paste & brown sugar are simmered till reduced, then strained. Butter is whisked in till the sauce becomes glossy.

Thinly sliced mushrooms are sauteed in clarified butter till browned.

Steak, sauce, mushrooms...set it down in front of your guest & watch in amazement as it's literally inhaled before your eyes.

Matt made a lot of "mmmhmm" noises during this time. Eventually was able to tell me just how good it was.

Sauce was very smooth, very deep; complex but unobtrusive, so it went very well paired with a piece of meat you really want to emphasize.

And thanks to the advances in modern culinary sciences, I was able to produce both the original here & a veg version for Alex & me! (see below for Alex's plate!)

Using vegetable stock in lieu of beef, & half a recipe, even with faux beef strips this sauce was fantastic.







Vanilla Cashew Caramel Corn Crunch

Caramel corn; that's good stuff. But when you add some quality vanilla & perhaps some chopped cashews well...you can take your Cracker Jack & leave, thank you.

The smell alone makes you want to dive in, though it's best to wait till the caramel's cooled a bit...there's such a deep mix of flavors, a richness. Hard to stop eating it.


The book gives some basic ways to use vanilla, as well as some unexpected options. Whether showcasing or adding a layer of flavor, the Nielsen-Massey cookbook is a good one to have around.






Veg version, Morningstar Farms 'steak' strips replacing the actual steak.

Feel Better Soup

Last weekend, Matt came down with...something. I don't know if chicken soup really is the cure-all to end-all, but I'd recently made a smoked chicken stock (remains of a whole chicken Matt had smoked with many vegetables & herbs), so it seemed the culinary stars were in alignment.

The most fragrant broth I've ever come across, simmered with several slices of ginger & a few Kaffir lime leaves (later strained out), and at the last minute, some noodles tossed in.

Doesn't look like much, but according to Matt, it was amazing. And eaten with a limited-edition, numbered, Star Trek Spork, it may just have helped him Feel Better.

Seems the only one who can drag me out of semi-blogging retirement is Deb, & her Souper Sundays...so, here you go!

Smoky Tomato Soup with Gruyere Toasts

It has been ages since I joined Deb's Souper Sundays, so this past week I made this recipe for tomato soup.

Easy soup, few ingredients. Lots of tomatoes, some thyme & sweet smoked paprika as the heavy-hitters.

The flavor was most certainly diminished by out-of-season tomatoes. Trying again in two or three months would likely make this a heck of a lot tastier.

Finished with the tiniest amount of cream & blended & strained (I used an immersion blender instead), and served with baguette slices, toasted under a broiler, topped with shredded Gruyere and broiled again. Nice, light...not exactly dinner, but an excellent lunch.

Smoked Chicken, Apple, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad with Cheese Biscuits

Well, not really much to say about this.

Mix of baby lettuces & spinach, diced green apple, bleu cheese & toasted walnuts, tossed with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.

Smoked chicken for Matt, Quorn cutlets for us.

Cheddar cheese biscuits. Dinner. Yum.

Because I'm Still Irish the Other 364 Days

Medallions of Beef with Port Sauce & Cashel Blue Cheese

Everyone was making their colcannon & stew & lamb for St. Patrick's day...only my second-favorite holiday of the year (go ahead, guess what took the #1 spot?).

Meanwhile...everyone in our house was sick. So, no celebrations on the 17th for us.

But seriously, I don't need a special day to celebrate Ireland or my Irish-ness. I'm about half-Irish, thought honestly I'm not sure which parts...

So, I went ahead & made something a week or so later. And because Ireland is not about green beer, I decided to celebrate the amazing culinary strides being made across the country.

For Matt, a gorgeous piece of beef, seared on both sides, put into a baking dish, topped with minced shallots, a Port reduction sauce, pine nuts, S&P, lemon juice & crumbled Cashel blue; place under the broiler till the cheese is bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

(We also did this using Morningstar Farms 'steak' strips for the vegetarians, & it worked just as well.)

Was it good? Matt could barely talk; he practically inhaled that thing. So yeah, it was good. The Port reduction was amazing, even the non-meat version.

Boxy Potato Cake

Grated potatoes, mixed with some chopped & cooked bacon & scallions, an egg yolk, a little flour & S&P; mix till combined.

Using a biscuit cutter or crumpet mold, portion the mix & make rounds. Cover with plastic, chill at least an hour.

Heat first oil, then butter as well, in a frying pan, cook potatoes on each side till golden & warmed through. Top with slice of crisp pancetta.

What's there to say? Potatoes! Fried! Of course it was delicious. Stereotype or no, the Irish know their potatoes.

Cookbook Spotlight: Gale Gand's Brunch!

Sometimes, you just know when something's a good fit for you.

A style of jeans, a radio station, a restaurant...you realize 'this is it; what I've been waiting for'.

This can happen with people, as well.

When Cath & I first 'met', by way of Blog Party, I knew. And when I discovered her OCF (Obsessive-Compulsive Foodieness) during the first Brunch party, it was a done deal. I'd found my soul mate.
Friend, sister, cheer squad, sounding board...I'm lucky to get all that, because we both realized we 'fit'.

It can happen with chefs, too!

The first time I watched the now-defunct "Sweet Dreams" on television, I knew Gale Gand was a perfect fit for me, as well.

She looked like someone who actually ate the foods she made. She was sweet & funny & kind of dorky, which I can relate to.

And the food? Oh, yes, the food. All those pastries & candies. I was in love.

It wasn't until later that I learned about her restaurant, and her 'savory' side, if you will.

And I thought 'this just keeps getting better & better!'

Since then, I've bought & baked from her cookbooks. Loved everything I tried. She was still a good 'fit' for me.

So when Cath suggested we dust off Cookbook Spotlight with Gale's new cookbook, I was all for it.

I mean...it's a cookbook about brunch by Gale Gand. Falls under the heading of 'no brainer'.

And that was more or less the response I got from those I asked to join Cookbook Spotlight.



Deb was not the first one to lament the unreasonable task of choosing just one recipe to test.
But she managed to narrow down her options & baked up these beautiful Cranberry Angel-Food Muffins.
According to Deb, they were light, sweet & deceptively good. Perhaps the name should be changed to 'Devil's Food'!




Ashley had mixed results, despite trying out two recipes.
Admitting her preference for cooking versus baking, Ashley made both Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake Muffins & Corn & Parmesan Fritters. The muffin tops were a hit, but the base not as much. The fritters, apparently, were 'OK', but she's not sold on them.



Erin scratched an item off her culinary to-do list as she baked up scones for the very first time.
With the help of her trusty Kitchenaid, she tried out the Ginger Scones with Peaches & Cream. Knowing her as I do, it was no great surprise to learn she loved them. Girl loves her ginger.



Judith didn't let Cookbook Spotlight falling in the middle of Passover stop her from making something tasty; turns out Gale included a very good recipe for Fried Motzah.
Despite insisting it's not the most photogenic dish, her Matzoh Brei looks good to me.



Abby was very excited to test this book; seems she's as big a fan as I am!
Going with the Basic Waffles, because how can that be wrong, she was very happy with the finished product.



barbie2be invited a few friends over, to help her try out the book. Selecting the Asparagus with Poached Eggs & Parmesan (as well as the Bacon Scallion Scones), it was declared a success, even by a nine year old! High praise, indeed.



Bellini Valli echoed a common response among those asked to join Cookbook Spoltight...overwhelming enthusiasm.
And like most of us, she struggled to pick just one recipe to make, finally settling on Spiced Apple-Raisin Turnovers. Let's just say...she's loving this book!



Melody was just one more enthusiastic tester, and I recognized those all-too familiar sticky tabs blooming a-top her copy.
Proving how easy it is to use, she was able to whip up these Caramelized Apple Crepes with ingredients she had on hand.
And yes, she really really loved them.



girlichef overcame obstacles of almost-comedic proportions to join in, but it all worked out in the end. And her reward? A steaming hot cup of White Hot Chocolate! Much better than devouring the book...



Natashya, like everyone else, wondered what one dish to make...but made an excellent choice in the Cucurumao; a baked egg dish. Yes, she loved it. And yes, she's hanging on to that book.

Someone smack me! How could I forget about my own book winner?


Pam couldn't help herself; she tried out three different recipes. And every one was good. Strawberry Lemonade, Frittata & Hand-Formed Pear & Almond Tartlets made for an excellent dinner! Hey, we do breakfast for dinner, why not brunch?



Ok...I couldn't do it. I couldn't make just one recipe. Because...see? It's me. Cath knows this!

So for Easter, I made Brunch!

I made too much food, as is customary in this house, but every single thing was a hit.




Peanut Butter & Jelly Turnovers

Crunchy, flaky outside, the peanut butter & jelly worked very well, & the thin glaze on top gave it enough sweetness to be a dessert without being overly so.







Cheddar, Pancetta & Spinach Frittata

Just enough prosciutto to make itself known without overwhelming the other flavors, & substantial without being heavy.







Ginger Scones

Mmmmm....Ginger. Scones.



Basic Waffles

Light & flavorful.



Goat Cheese & Chive Hash Browns

Excellent crunch, lots of flavor. The goat cheese is unexpected, but goes surprisingly well with the latkes.

So, my take on Brunch! It rocks. It's great. It's heavily sticky-tabbed. I'll use it again & again, because even here I had to limit myself to what I could make in a few hours.

Everything is easy to make, nothing too complex. It's a book anyone can use, and should. Wide range of recipes, so if you can't find something here to make, I'm afraid the fault lies with you.

Be sure to visit Cath to read about the other half of the Cookbook Spotlight reviews.

Wonton Noodles with Chicken & Thai Peanut Sauce

Oh hey...look! Another Asian noodle dish. What are the odds...

This is a recipe that called for spaghetti (heck, it's in the name), but I have issues with thin pastas so we opted to use a wonton noodle instead.

Turns out, it wouldn't have mattered. The way the dish is prepared, still got soggy noodles.

Anyway...chicken (or Quorn) gets briefly marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, lime juice, oil, garlic & ginger.

Meanwhile, more soy sauce & lime juice, peanut butter, broth (we used veg), sugar, salt & pepper flakes simmer.

Grill the chicken (recipe says about 5 minutes per side; it took a lot longer when we did it); let it rest, then slice.

Cook & drain noodles, toss with sauce, chicken (which...uh...we forgot to do), & scallions (which...uh...we neglected to use); top with chopped peanuts.

Matt liked it. Alex inhaled it. I, of course, had noodle-texture issues, so Matt very sweetly dumped mine into a skillet & gave it a quick fry.

Strongest flavors were peanut & soy, so if you like that sort of thing & can handle very soggy noodles, go for it. Otherwise...maybe not worth your time.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

And yes, I mean it. Vegetarian. That would be 'faux' shrimp in the photo!

Mmm...BurnedMeat Flavor

We have a new Asian grocer in town; one that is very much like a 99 Ranch Market...something we've missed rather terribly since leaving California.

Well, it's like a 99 Ranch, except it's clean. And organized. And has less of that overwhelming fish smell...but otherwise, exactly like a 99 Ranch.

I had great fun roaming the aisles, grabbing various things, whether to restock, try or get simply because it looked interesting.

But when I came upon this, I had to pull out the camera. I don't feel I need to explain the 'why'.

Vietnamese Steak Sandwich

It was a sandwich. Southeast Asian flavors. Matt & I thought it just 'ok', but Alex loved it.

We love how much Alex goes for Asian flavors.

He & I, of course, were eating a vege-fied version of the recipe; using Morningstar Farms Meal Starters 'steak strips' in lieu of actual beef.

Really not much else to say...









This month, Blog Party's a little bit naughty as we indulge in our most favorite, uttermost cravings...for April, we're giving in to Devil's Food!

You have till Friday, 17 April to join; so go on...give in, you know you want to!

Spicy, Crisp Tofu on Mint-Avocado Salad

No deliberate attempt to 'eat healthy' or anything like that, but the weather (prior to these past two days) has been very spring-like & a craving for something light & fresh came a-knockin'.

As it happens, I had this salad recipe bookmarked; it seemed as good a reason as any to give it a try.

Tofu, pressed then dipped in chile sauce & dredged in panko, and fried till crispy (hang on, I know what you're about to say: but remember, if your oil is at the right temperature, very little oil is absorbed by the food).

Toss torn butter lettuce & whole mint leaves with a dressing of chile sauce, orange juice & zest, olive oil & salt.

Plate a large handful of salad, top with thinly sliced & fanned avocado, serve tofu on the side.


This was really quite good. Tasted like 'Spring'; although admittedly we were hungry a few hours later. Perhaps better suited as lunch dish than dinner.














This month, Blog Party's a little bit naughty as we indulge in our most favorite, uttermost cravings...for April, we're giving in to Devil's Food!

You have till Friday, 17 April to join; so go on...give in, you know you want to!

Blog Party#45: Devil's Food

No joke, it's time to announce the next Blog Party theme...where I play advocate.

Devil's Advocate, that is.

Because this month, we're being wicked & giving in to our most tempting dishes.

For April, it's all about Devil's Food; the things you love most & tell yourself you shouldn't have...but want desperately.

You know what I mean. Your 'forbidden fruit' foods. The ones, if given the chance & a magically shrinking waistline, you'd consume with glee & abandon.

For me, it's cheesecake. Hands down.

So, let's have a little fun this month..it's only one night. You know you want to...

Turn your most desired foods into miniature form, mix up your dangerous drinks, and join the party!

To RSVP, send your entries to thehappysorceress at gmail dot com no later than Friday, 17 April; I'll post the round-up as close to that Sunday as I possibly can, allowing enough time for a proper penance.

Questions about Blog Party? Visit our fact-packed info page.

And I hope to see you all there!!



Tagged with: Food and Drink + Blog Party + Events + Appetizers + Cocktails + Canapes + Parties + Finger Food + Mocktails + Temptation + Blogging

We Have a Winner!

A few days ago, I gave you a chance to win a copy of Gale Gand's Brunch!; then of course I got busy & completely forgot to post a winner. D'oh.

Big thanks to everyone who entered...but the winner is: (imagine drum roll here) Pam!

Your book is on it's way. Let me know when it arrives, and I look forward to seeing what you make.

Italian Chicken, Bean & Pasta Soup for Souper Sundays

This was a pretty awesome soup. Making stock from the remnants of this roast chicken, & using the recipe for Pasta and Bean Soup from Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews & One-Pot Meals...proscuitto crisped in oil, then lots of veggies, Stock, water, potatoes, cannellini beans, pasta, & the last of the chicken from the roast.

Full of flavor, & very filling. Or...so Matt says!




Sending this to Deb for her weekly Souper Sundays...

Blog Party#44: Brunch...Worth Getting Up Late For, Again---The Round-Up

Welcome to another Blog Party post-mortem! Forty-four parties, can you believe it?

This time, it was all about Brunch...wonderful breakfast & lunch-y items, served up in little bites, fantastic (and often fruity) drinks to go with.

It's been gorgeous here: sun shining, warm, trees & flowers in bloom. So I wanted decorations that mirrored that whole 'awakening' thing.

Light & spring-y; I found this pretty magnolia pattern to decorate the table. From napkins




to runners



candles!



And music...of course, there's music.

Brunch foods naturally lend themselves to coffee, so what could be more appropriate than Peggy Lee's Black Coffee?




I could not pass on this one: Juice Newton - Greatest Hits. Queen of Hearts, anyone?



Ok...stretching a bit, but why not: The Chieftans 9: Boil the Breakfast Early.




We had a good-sized group this time; clearly, brunch isn't just my favorite meal!

Our first guest, and a nice & early one at that, was Bellini Valli.
BV is definitely a brunch fan, and if you had the chance to taste one of her Baby Spinach, Ricotta and Feta Quiches, you would be, too!

Trust me, they didn't last long...thanks so much for coming, BV!













Next through the door, Deb!

She's been on a rather admirable health kick lately, and she even managed to walk the straight & narrow here! Girl, I admire your restraint, I really do.
And yet, her Aloha Sunrise Power Bars with all that tropical fruit went like the proverbial hotcakes!
Personally, I loved the Papaya-Carrot-Orange Juice Shot the best, but that's just me.
Always glad to see you, Deb!















Natashya was next, sans puppies, sadly, but she more than made up for it with her Banana Pecan Honey Bread; mmmm. Just mmmm.
And those After Eight Cappuccinos got the group warmed up...in more ways than one!
Happy you could come Natashya...next time, smuggle the pups in your carry-on, ok?













I was very happy to see Melody again; it had been months since she BP'd, but life has that funny habit of getting in the way, doesn't it?
It was a triumphant return...in my opinion, at least...when she unveiled her tray of Mini Monte Cristos. Why these sandwiches are so delectably perfect, I may never know. Or care. Yum.
But there was great interest in her blood orange-based Morning Martinis; strong & beautiful.
Great to have you back, Melody!













Our next guest was a new face to BP; there was, of course, a very warm welcome for Suzie!
She may have been a fist-timer, but that didn't stop her from hitting a culinary home run with her Goat Cheese, Potato & Rosemary Tortilla. Nice
And to no one's surprise, her proffered Champagne was happily accepted.
Hope you enjoyed it, Suzie...and do come back!

Another new face as the doorbell rang, with the traditional welcoming of a fellow finger-foodie; hello to Irene!
Also knowing how to make a good first impression, she came laden with these lovely Braised Baby Artichokes with Garlic, Thyme & Parmesan, as well as this Raspberry Madness Coffee Cake. Good call!
It was wonderful to meet you, Irene; please come back again!











Our regulars may miss a party now & then, but it seems like 'brunch' brought everyone back...including breadchick!
She went all nostalgic on us, serving up some hearty Hunting Camp Hash, from the corned beef she'd made earlier. Score for family recipes.
Plenty of Irish Coffee to go around, keeping with our unintentional innocuously tipsy beverage theme!
Always good to have you here, breadchick.










We waited just a bit longer, knowing dear J would be by any minute...and there she was!
She's always worth waiting for, in addition to her wonderful company, she always manages to come up with interesting bites. No disappointments this time: Miniature Eggs Benedicts, little cups of Creamy Scrambled Eggs, & Smokey Tarte Flambe. Yeah, it went over well.
Nice White Peach Bellinis kept the party going...if my keeping you sane produces this? I'm happy to have the job!








I had a few dishes, too...keeping with that 'hey, its Spring' vibe.



Crostini with Chopped Egg & Asparagus

Crunchy bread topped with a tarragon mayo-flavored egg & asparagus salad.



Smoked Salmon Cake with Chive Cream Cheese

Pretty little morsels; pancakes that were essentially crepes, topped with a whipped chive cream cheese & smoked salmon, served with a mustard vinaigrette-touched salad.



Raspberry Jam-Filled Mini Muffins

Sweet & tiny muffins, harboring jewel-like bursts of raspberry jam.

Mango Lassi

Creamy, filling, sweet. Yum.



I apologize for my tardiness; though I suppose, with the theme of being a little slow & laid back, I'm really just following suite, right?

You ladies never let me down...your various interpretations of Brunch foods wowed me yet again.

Thanks to all of you, not only for joining in but for your patience!

Hope to see you all back next month...which, as it happens, is only days away!



Tagged with: Food and Drink + Blog Party + Events + Appetizers + Cocktails + Canapes + Parties + Finger Food + Mocktails + Brunch + Blogging

Invitation to Brunch...

Cath and I are co-hosting a new edition of Cookbook Spotlight on April 17 with Gale Gand’s new book.

You may remember from the last few Cookbook Spotlights that food bloggers select recipes from the same cookbook, make the dish, and blog about it. We follow with a round up of everyone's choices and pictures. It’s always fun and interesting to me to see what different people pick to cook or bake from the same book.

This go-round we’ve been offered a chance to cook from Gale’s new book, Gale Gand’s Brunch!

I have an extra book and would like to invite one reader to participate.

If you would like to join this food blogging event, please send me an email at thehappysorceress (AT) gmail (DOT) com with your snail mail address by noon EST on Friday, March 27. I’ll have Donegal randomly select one person to join us. If you don’t have a blog but would like to participate, I’ll be happy to post your blog entry here.

Look for the event on April 17 and the round up on April 20!

Blog Party Reminder

The Web's favorite virtual cocktail party is letting you sleep in this month, as we're down-sizing the best brunch bites, and mixing up the dandiest daytime drinks.

Want to join the party? There's still time; just get those entries to me no later than Friday night (thehappysorceress at gmail dot com).

Hope to see you there!

The Giant (Birthday) Chocolate Chip Cookie

Taken to school so Alex could celebrate his birthday...again.

To my surprise, more than half came back. What am I supposed to with it?







This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March


















This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

The Baseball-Playing Rockstar Batman-to-be Turns Six

Yikes! Today was Alex's 6th birthday, though he informed me he didn't feel any different from 5.

He wanted Pad Thai for dinner (beams with pride, his mother does), so we packed up the ingredients and our rather large wok & had Southeast Asian food with his grandparents.




Peanut butter cake, with milk chocolate frosting. Songs were sung, flames were extinguished (rather saliva-free, thankfully).




The cake; it was happily consumed.





And among the gifts? This very nifty Superman jacket!! Yes, he wants to be Batman, but that doesn't mean he can't like Supes, too.


Happy Birthday, little man. Stop growing up so fast, will ya?









This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Bi Bim Bap A Whomp Bam Boom

I've only had Korean food once before, and I have Sarah to thank for that, via the dormant Dine & Dish. I ordered the Bi Bim Bap, and while at first skeptical really enjoyed it.

I thought it a good dish to recreate, which is hilarious when you realize exactly how many mini recipes are required, but what the heck; did it anyway.


I used this recipe; skipping the spinach, and opting to not saute the carrots & cucumbers. Also, oddly enough...at no point does the recipe tell you to actually cook the marinated chicken. Um...yeah. Went ahead & did that, anyway.

And yes, it was good. But the reason I wanted to make this, really? So I could make the gamja jorim, a sweet & spicy braised potato dish, for which Ellie had given me a recipe.

When first served this, among many other 'sides', I didn't know what they were & was pretty sure I didn't want to. Then Matt tried them, said 'potato', and suddenly I looked down & all my taters were gone! So good.

So when I asked for help, Ellie stepped in & made the dish her grandmother had taught her mother and her mother had taught her, and graciously shared it with me.

LOVED it. Great texture, and yes, sweet & spicy. Served them right in the bowl, to be mixed with other toppings.

So thanks to both Sarah & Ellie for this one!






This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Why Having a Pastry Chef for a Grammy is a Good Thing

Because, if you're Alex, she'll decorate your birthday present with cookies she made & decorated just for you.




Two of his favorite things: Superheroes & baseball (that would be a Pirate next to te baseball).








This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Wartime Wednesdays: Angel Cake

Standard Method of Mixing Cakes Without Fat

Cakes without fat depend for leavening largely upon the air beaten into the eggs. The whites and yolks of the eggs may or may not be separated, depending upon the kind of cake. If using the whole egg, beat it till thick and lemon-colored; if using only the yolk, beat till thick and light in color; add the sugar gradually and beat after each addition until the sugar dissolves.
Add the flavoring and liquid, if there is any, and fold in the sifted dry ingredients.
When the whites have been beaten separately, they are added last, using the folding motion. Do not beat the mixture after the whites have been added. Place at once in a slow oven(300-325 F).
---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition; published 1943


I've had a craving for Angelfood cake lately; and oh look; the VBotAMCB had one. Convenient.

Seven egg whites, beaten with sugar, cream of tartar & salt till 'stiff foam', vanilla mixed in (couldn't find the almond extract also called for, which is fine by me), the 4x sifted flour & a big of sugar folded in, then poured into an ungreased tube pan. Bake in a moderate oven till done.

Good flavor, nice crumb. Much more dense than expected, but tasty. Freezing the rest to save for grilling this weekend.










This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Smoked Gouda Potato Gratin

What's not to like? Potatoes, cream, smoked Gouda, mixed together with milk, garlic, thyme, sea salt & pepper. Baked till potatoes are tender.




With a recipe as easy as this, and a final product so good it practically melts in your mouth, unless you're lactose-intolerant, there is no excuse for not making it.





This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Beef & Potato Empanadas

Maybe it's because Brilynn finally joined Twitter, but I had this sudden urge to make empanadas.

Quick search found this; the pastry was fantastic. The filling, good (using Morningstar Farms crumbles for me) but could use a little something else. Cheese, vegetables, more spices. But it was a solid foundation, and I know I'll be making them again.






This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March

Scenes From a Party...in Space

From Alex's party yesterday; the theme was outer space and yes, he dressed as Mars' most famous son, J'onn J'onzz. He was trying to look all serious, and super-hero-y here.



With the mask...which was pretty nifty.



Live-Action Comics!







This month, we're sleeping in a little late, but the party won't suffer...we're having Brunch!

RSVP by Friday, 20 March