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Spicy Gold Smoothie
Spicy Gold Smoothie
My last post featured a way to preserve fresh peaches – in frozen peach cubes. This post includes a fruit smoothie recipe that uses the peach cubes. The name, Spicy Gold Smoothie, is a little silly but it is descriptive. This smoothie has plenty of golden fruits (peaches, Rainier cherries, and pineapple) and a nice spicy kick thanks to generous pinches of cayenne pepper and ginger. Use as much or as little as you like. I like icy heat, so I add plenty of spice. This smoothie is a great way to kickstart your morning! It also makes a nice afternoon snack.
Special thanks to my mother-in-law and father-in-law for the beautiful birthday table linens from Sur La Table. I love this store! We visited one when we were in Seattle. It is probably a good thing we do not have one near us. Thanks to my in-laws, we now have placemats, napkins, and beautiful dish towels! They are almost too pretty to use. But we will :-). I will also use them as photo props and decorative accents in the kitchen. Yes, I just wrote decorative accents. For those who know me, you know how strange that sounds! I am no Martha Stewart. But with these kitchen and table linens, I can pretend!!
Peach Cubes, Etc.
Spicy Gold Smoothie
½ cup frozen Rainier cherries (fresh would also work if you have them)
½ cup frozen or fresh pineapple chunks or cubes
¼-½ cup water or juice (tangerine, apple, orange, white cranberry, carrot, pineapple etc.)
6 ounces yogurt or kefir (~½ cup, any kind works – soy, coconut, regular)
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of powdered ginger
pinch of turmeric
Optional add-ins: protein powder, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves, ice cubes if you use fresh fruit (I like cold smoothies)
Pour contents into blender container. Cover with the lid. Blend until smooth and golden. Sprinkle with more spices if you want. Enjoy!
Servings: 2 snack-sized servings or 1 meal-sized serving.
Peach Cubes
Fresh AL Peaches!
Peaches are plentiful at farmers markets throughout North Alabama. We bought a small basket at the Greene Street Market last week. I enjoy eating them fresh, but there were a bunch in that little basket. So, I thought of ways to put them up and enjoy them this winter. Usually, I slice them and freeze them. Sometimes with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning. I might also add a bit of sugar. Frozen peaches are great for making cobblers, smoothies, peach pies, etc. However, depending on how you freeze them you can end up with a huge block of frozen peaches! Not the easiest to handle; unless you measure the quantity you need for a specific recipe and only freeze that amount in each container (I freeze 5 cups of peaches for cobbler).
I freeze pesto, tomato paste, yogurt, herbs, etc. in ice cube trays so why not pureed peaches!?! This weekend, I made pureed peach cubes! While making them, I vaguely recalled my mom doing this when I was a kid. The peach cubes are kinda boring looking, so I did not take a photo of them. A special thank you to Marilyn Evans for the beautiful photo of peaches available at the Greene Street Market at Nativity. I will take photos when the cubes are transformed in a recipe…maybe a smoothie, daiquiri, popsicle, fruit slush, something.
Peach Cubes
1 pound peaches, pitted and sliced (you can peel them if you want or just spot-peel as needed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Put the peaches and lemon juice into a blender container (or food processor container). Puree until smooth. If you want to leave a few large pieces, that is fine, whatever you prefer! Pour into ice cube trays. Freeze. Remove cubes and store in resealable plastic bags in the freezer.
Coming soon…what you can do with the peach cubes!
Blogiversary!
Bread and Butter Pickles
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of The Flaming Pot Holder (and it is my 46th birthday)! Thank you all for reading my posts, trying the recipes, commenting on the recipes, sampling my food/drinks, offering excellent feedback, sharing my blog with friends, etc. I truly appreciate it! I have thoroughly enjoyed the past year. I am looking forward to the upcoming year and some changes to the blog – weekly postings, categorizing the recipes, revamping the look of the blog, improving my photographs, and creating a Facebook page for the blog. All in due time :)
This blog started with a tribute to my mom – recreating her cornbread recipe. Today’s post is also about my mom, this time her incredible Bread and Butter Pickles. The pickles in the photo were actually made by my mom. Mom made me a batch for my birthday in 2009. She shared a few jars with friends, but the rest of the batch was mine. Best. Gift. Ever! Mom’s friend Ursula had an extra jar from my mom and she gave it to me. We are down to the last jar and a half and we are savoring every bite.
I have never made these pickles by myself. Over the years, I helped my mom countless times. When our second set of cucumber plants start producing, I’ll make my very own batch. Hope you enjoy mom’s recipe for bread and butter pickles. They are a wonderful accompaniment to a garden-fresh veggie dinner with cornbread!
Bread and Butter Pickles (Print recipe)
Vegetables:
9 cucumbers, washed, NOT peeled
6 medium white onions
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
6 garlic cloves
⅓ cup salt
Ice
Wash the cucumbers, do not peel them. Peel the onions. Wash and core the bell peppers. Peel the garlic. Slice the vegetables thin (either a mandolin or a food processor would work well and save some time). Layer the vegetables with ice and salt. End with a layer of salt on top. Cover with a lid or a clean towel. Let everything sit for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Drain thoroughly. Make the pickling mixture:
Pickling Mixture:
3 cups distilled white vinegar
5 cups sugar
1½ teaspoons turmeric
1½ teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
Combine the ingredients and pour the mixture over the drained vegetables. Heat to boiling only (stirring every now and then). Ladle into 8 sterile pint jars. Process according to your canner’s instructions. Wait one month after canning before serving. Makes: 8 pints.
Three Handwritings – Grandmom, Dad, and Mom?
Sausage Cheese Balls
Sausage Cheese Balls
In a previous post, I mentioned a variation of cheese straws – sausage cheese balls. Well, here is a quick recipe with only three main ingredients (optional seasonings can be added). It’s a fairly versatile recipe; you can use pork, chicken, or turkey sausage. If you want a vegetarian version, you can use soy or TVP (textured vegetable protein) sausage. You can make a gluten-free version using a gluten-free biscuit mix. I even prefer this to the traditional biscuit mix. I have not tried a vegan version with soy cheese and veggie sausage because I have not found a biscuit mix that it is vegan. This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. Just thaw, heat (optional), and serve.
Sausage and Cheese Balls (Print recipe)
1 pound sausage (pork, turkey, chicken, soy, or TVP)
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 cups biscuit mix (Bisquick or a gluten-free variety)
¼ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, or Aleppo pepper, optional
¼ teaspoon garlic powder, optional
Cook and drain the sausage (this makes the final cheese ball less greasy). While sausage is cooking, let the cheese come to room temperature. Combine the sausage, cheese, biscuit mix, and optional seasonings. I use my hands to mix it well. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350º F. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack. Serve immediately or you can freeze them. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes: about 4 dozen sausage cheese balls.
Butter Cookies
Butter Cookies
Not sure why my thoughts have turned to Christmas cookies, but they have. The temperature is in the 90s, the humidity is horrific, and it feels like we are in the 100s. Maybe that is why I am thinking about Christmas cookies at the end of July! Not to wish my life away, but I am longing for cooler days and nights.
Sorry for another post so soon after Friday’s post, but at least these cookies go well with the iced coffee! When I started this blog, I wanted to post 50 recipes a year, but I am shy of my goal. If I post three recipes before the end of Monday, I’ll meet it. I hope you will please bear with me :).
Doesn’t matter if you call them Russian Tea Cakes, Butter Cookies, Nut Balls, or Mexican Wedding Cookies, they are good! Hope these cookies put you in a cooler frame of mind.
Butter Cookies (Print recipe)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup sugar
2 cups flour
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
2 teaspoons half-and-half (or milk)
1½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, for rolling
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, nuts, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Chill dough in the refrigerator. Roll dough into small, quarter-sized balls. Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Place cookies on racks to cool for a few minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Return to cooling racks and cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes: about 3 dozen cookies.
Coffee Concentrate
Coffee Concentrate
Iced coffee is great year round, but I especially like it in the summer. Matt, on the other hand, prefers traditional hot coffee. This coffee concentrate is perfect for both of us since it is versatile and makes a great iced coffee or hot coffee.
You can use a fancy cold brewing system or you can use this method. You mix the coffee and water, let it steep overnight, strain it, and store in the refrigerator. Then you add cold water, milk, half-and-half, etc. to make a refreshing glass of iced coffee. Or add hot milk or water to make a great cup of hot coffee.
You can use your favorite medium/coarse ground coffee in this recipe. I like the espresso roast that is roasted in downtown Huntsville at the Kaffeeklatsch. For those who aren’t local, you can mail order coffee and tea from them. Or if that isn’t practical, you can make a New Orleans-style iced coffee, with a can of chicory roast coffee available at many grocery stores. If you are fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can buy their house brand chicory blend, which is reasonably priced. I also like these brands: Cafe Du Monde, Community Coffee, and French Market.
Coffee Concentrate (Print recipe)
1 pound coffee, medium grind 10 cups cold water
or*
12 oz can of ground chicory coffee 7 cups cold water
Pour the coffee into a large container that will also hold the water. I use my large stainless-steel mixing bowl that has a lid. Stir in a cup or two of water. Stir gently. Pour in the rest of the water. Cover. Let steep at room temperature for about 12 hours. I usually mix the coffee and water before I go to bed. Then, strain the mixture using a sieve (I use my large chinois covered with a layer of cheese cloth). I save the grounds – they are great in the garden and the compost. Pour the strained concentrate into a large Mason jar and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for about 3 weeks. Makes about 6-8 cups of coffee concentrate.
Iced Coffee
Ice (or coffee ice cubes**)
¼ cup coffee concentrate
¾ to 1 cup milk (soy milk, half-and-half, coconut milk, etc.)
Splash of cold water (I use milk and water, but use what you prefer)
Optional: sweetener, vanilla, chocolate syrup, peppermint, caramel
Fill a glass with ice. Add the coffee concentrate, milk, water, and optional flavorings. Stir and enjoy.
Hot Coffee
¼ cup coffee concentrate
¾ to 1 cup water
Optional: sweetener, milk, cream, etc.
Pour coffee concentrate into a mug. Heat water. Pour into mug. Stir and enjoy.
Café au Lait
¼ cup Coffee Concentrate
¾ to 1 cup milk (soy milk, half-and-half, coconut milk, etc.)
Optional: sweetener
Pour coffee concentrate into a mug. Heat milk. Pour into mug. Stir and enjoy.
Vietnamese-Style Iced Coffee
Ice (or coffee ice cubes**)
¼ cup coffee concentrate
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
Splash of cold water
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the coffee concentrate, sweetened condensed milk, and water. Shake vigorously and enjoy. If you don’t have a shaker, just use a glass and stir it well.
Notes:
*Included quantities for either a pound of coffee or a 12-ounce can of coffee. Either quantity works fine, just adjust the water.
**Coffee Ice Cubes: When you have leftover coffee, pour into an ice cube tray. Freeze. Store in resealable plastic bags in the freezer. Make sure the bag is sealed. Otherwise, if the power goes out and the cubes melt, you might end up with coffee all over your freezer. Not that this happened to us or anything :).
Tomatoes
Tomatoes from Our Garden
One of my favorite things about summer is fresh tomatoes! I’m not a fan of the heat and humidity in Alabama, but they certainly make wonderful growing conditions for tomatoes. In our second year of gardening, we are growing several varieties of tomatoes – Cherokee Purple, Chello (yellow/orange cherry), Mr. Stripey (orange and yellow), Arkansas Traveler (pink), Green Grape, Black Cherry Tomato, and Jubilee (yellow and orange). Quite the colorful harvest!
My favorite ways to eat fresh tomatoes – salsa, pasta sauce, soup, salad, and sandwiches! Or, just eat them plain! Growing up, tomato sandwiches were an almost daily fixture in the summer. I like traditional tomato sandwiches, but my favorite is a toasted, open-faced sandwich. Growing up, we called it a Summer Sandwich. Matt and I enjoyed our first sandwich a few weeks ago. Tastes even better when you grown the tomatoes in your garden! The sandwiches are especially good if you are local and can purchase FredBread. Great bread baked in downtown Huntsville, by a guy named Jeff!
I haven’t included any measurements in the “recipe.” This is just a general guideline. Feel free to customize it to your tastes. Hope you like it!
Summer Sandwich
(a.k.a. Toasted Open-Faced Tomato Sandwich)
Bread
Mayo
Mustard
Tomatoes, sliced
Salt and Pepper
Onions, sliced
Herbs, fresh or dried, basil, parsley, etc.
Cheese
Slice bread. Spread with mayo and mustard. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add onion slices. Top with herbs. Cover with cheese. Toast in a preheated 350º F toaster oven (or regular oven) until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with a few extra fresh herbs if you want. Serve and enjoy the taste of summer!
Shortcut Dobosh Torte
Today’s post is in honor of my dad, Grady. Today would have been his 78th birthday. My mom’s writing encouraged me to start this blog. But it was my dad’s love of food and cooking that inspired me to cook.
Dad (aka Poops) was not a fan of desserts but he loved this Shortcut Dobosh (Dobos?) Torte. Growing up, I made it for Father’s Day and his birthday almost every year. After reading the Wikipedia link for Dobos Torte, I am not convinced this is a true Dobosh Torte, but it certainly is a fast version. The secret to this quick torte/cake is pancake mix! I know it sounds odd, but it makes a nice torte. The cake layers are dense and spongy, yet light and airy at the same time. I have no idea where we acquired the recipe – it’s another faded clipping in my mom’s old photo album cookbook. It’s been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. I’ve made a few changes over the years, but it’s roughly the same recipe.
Back in 2006, Penzeys Spices, published a cooking magazine, Penzeys One. Each issue had a theme and they asked readers and catalogue subscribers to submit recipes matching the theme. For this particular issue (Volume 1, Issue 4), Penzeys issued a call for recipes from folks named Smith. Well, I’m a Smith so I submitted a few recipes. This torte recipe was selected (along with my Roasted Rosemary Walnuts recipe). They wrote a nice article and included a few photos. If you click on the photos, at the end of this post, you might be able to read the article if you are inclined. Or, if you want, you can even order back issues of the magazine. They are $6 plus $2 shipping. You can usually get back issues at Penzeys retail shops, too.
Hope you will give this recipe a try, even though it sounds odd since it’s made with pancake mix! Enjoy…
Shortcut Dobosh Torte (Print recipe)
Cake:
5 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (Penzeys of course!)
1 cup sugar
1½ cups pancake mix (We use Bisquick. I wonder if the gluten-free mix would work?!?)
Filling:
2 cups whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (Penzeys :)
pinch of espresso powder (or instant coffee), optional
Garnish:
2 squares (2 ounces) semisweet chocolate, shaved or grated
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, salt, and vanilla. Beat until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar. Fold in the pancake mix. Pour into two* greased and wax paper (or parchment) lined 9×1½ inch round cake pans.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Then, remove the cakes from the pans. Peel off the waxed paper or parchment paper. Let the layers cool completely on a cookie rack.
Now the tricky part…using wooden toothpicks as guides, split each cake into two layers (so you end up with four even layers). My layers were usually lopsided. So I came up with a different method…
*I pour the batter evenly into three round cake pans. So no slicing of the layers is needed. It doesn’t matter if the cake is three layers or four layers. You could even use two pans and keep them whole. You would have extra frosting that could be used to frost the sides. So it would be a 2-layered cake instead of torte. It would still taste good!
Please use the method you prefer (which might be limited by the number of round cake pans you have!).
Make filling by combining whipping cream, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Whip until creamy and thick.
To assemble torte, place cake layer on serving plate cut side down (if you sliced your layers). Spread with 1 cup of filling; sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of the shaved chocolate. Repeat for the remaining layers.
Garnish: Sprinkle toasted almonds and grated chocolate on the top layer. Serves: 10-12.
Cheese Straws
Cheese Straws
Today would have been my mom’s 76th birthday. Hard to believe it’s been almost three years since she died. Mom was my inspiration for starting this blog. She was a wonderful writer and gifted storyteller, though not the best cook. Mom was the first to admit it! She always said Dad was the better cook and she marveled at how Dad and I would cook without recipes. She urged me to write my recipes and share them with others. Hence this blog.
Mom had three favorite food groups – butter, salt, and mayo (it’s amazing she was as skinny as she was). Probably her favorite snack was cheese straws. Cheese straws have two of her basic food groups covered! It’s only fitting that I share the recipe today.
Cheese straws are a Southern party staple. We serve them at teas, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, open houses, gallery openings, and even at funerals. We give them as gifts and they are well-received. I always look forward to a package from our friend Ursula during the holidays. I know it will include her delicious cheese straws.
There are many different types of cheese straws. The traditional kind that I grew up with is made with flour, butter, cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, and salt. The dough is typically pushed through a cookie press into long thin crispy straws. However, there are many other varieties: cheese straw wafers, cheese straw “biscuits” with Rice Krispies, sausage (or soy) cheese balls, and even cheese straw dough wrapped olive puffs (the star of many 1970’s cocktail parties at our house!). The South loves cheese straws so much that there are bakeries that specialize in them and there are cooks who have a cherished cheese straw recipe handed down between generations.
I have experimented with some healthier substitutes. Gluten-free flour blends are better now and can be used in the recipe. Spelt flour also works. Personally, I have not experimented with a vegan version, but I have heard it is possible to use almond or soy cheese and margarine (or a coconut oil blend).
This particular recipe is a tweaked version of several friends’ recipes with a few of my own twists. Special thanks to Dan Tatum, Ursula Vann, and Connie Ulrich for sharing their recipes over the years. I must give full credit to Dan for the technique. I have always used a cookie press but then I tried Dan’s cheese straws over the holidays. He rolled them out with a rolling-pin and then cut them with a pizza cutter. They were awesome! Like little crispy, French fry-shaped cheese biscuits of goodness. The cheese straws in the photos are a little short. We ate the long, pretty ones and then I decided to take photos for the blog. Oops, I’m still learning! Hope you enjoy one of my ma’s favorite snacks…
Cheese Straws (Print recipe)
2 cups grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese, softened at room temperature*
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Paprika
Preheat oven to 375º F. Mix all the ingredients – you can use a food processor, a mixer with a dough hook, or mix it by hand, the old-fashioned way (my preferred method!). You will end up with a thick dough. You can use either method to form your straws:
Traditional method: Use a cookie press with a star attachment to form the straws directly on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
-OR-
Dan’s method: Use a rolling-pin to roll out the dough on a floured surface. You want the dough about 3/16”. You can use chopsticks on either side as guides. Then, use a pizza cutter to cut long, thin strips. Transfer them carefully to a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Store in an air tight container.
*Notes about the cheese: After grating the cheese, leave it out until it comes to room temperature. Whatever cheese you use, you want to grate it yourself! Store bought pre-grated cheese just isn’t the same in this recipe. Something must be added to keep it from clumping and it interferes with the texture of the cheese straws. Cheddar varieties: for the cheese straws in the photo, I used an extra-sharp aged white Cheddar cheese. They were delicious but not the same as when I use sharp or extra-sharp yellow Cheddar cheese. They just didn’t look the same. Cheese Straw Purists probably won’t like my white Cheddar substitution, but it’s what I had. I thought they were good, even if they weren’t traditional looking! And finally don’t skimp on the cheese, you want 2 full cups.
Extra Sorbet
Scenario: you make sorbet for dessert. However, you eat too much dinner. So, what do you do with the leftover sorbet? Well, we ran into this situation over the weekend with extra berry mojito sorbet. Can you say too much pizza?
Sorbet needs time to ripen (firm up) in the freezer. However, it can freeze really hard. So firm, that it is difficult to scoop out of the container. The good thing is, sorbet is very forgiving – you can soften it and refreeze it without altering the texture (unlike ice cream which makes weird crystals). I kinda thought there might be too much sorbet on Friday evening, so when I was serving dessert, I made a few extra scoops and re-froze them. That way, they were in convenient serving sizes for repurposing into tasty beverages. First, I made a sorbet spritzer on Saturday evening. Then, on Sunday morning, I made a sorbet kefir smoothie. I think they were both good ways to enjoy the deliciousness that was the extra berry mojito sorbet. Hope you also enjoy them
Print Recipe Feature
I also hope you like that I finally have a print button! I know lots of folks who use tablets, smartphones, and laptops in the kitchen and I do too on occasion. Though generally, I am a Luddite and I like an old-fashioned printed recipe (often I add handwritten notes in the margins). But I do not want to print an entire blog entry because I try to be mindful of printing too much. Now, with the handy-dandy Print recipe link, you can print a plain version of the recipe. Thanks to Anastasia at While Chasing Kids for the inspiration. Her blog is awesome and she has used this feature for some time. So I peeked at the code and we figured out how to do it on my posts. Eventually, I will go back and add it to some other posts (especially long recipes).
Sorbet Spritzer
(Print recipe)
2 scoops sorbet
Sparkling water, chilled (Pellegrino, club soda, seltzer, etc.)
Garnish: few berries (or whatever fruit is in the sorbet), mint leaves, and/or lime wedges
Serves: 2
Put a scoop of sorbet in each glass. Top off the glass with sparkling water. Garnish and enjoy!
Fruity Sorbet Kefir Smoothie
(Print recipe)
2 scoops sorbet
2 spears of fresh pineapple, sliced
2 fresh peaches, sliced (pits removed)
Splash of low fat plain kefir (or yogurt)
Serves: 2
Put all the ingredients in a blender. Cover. Process until smooth. Enjoy.
Other ideas for repurposing sorbet:
- Sorbet ice cubes: Just before you ripen the sorbet in the freezer, take some and freeze in ice cube trays. Then you can use the cubes for spritzers or smoothies. Probably easier than making scoops, freezing them, and then storing them. Just keep the cubes in a resealable plastic bag.
- Sorbet popsicles: You can make little square popsicles by placing a toothpick into each cube once it is semi-set. Then freeze until firm and enjoy. Or, if you have popsicle molds, even better! I guess little jars or cups with popsicle sticks would also work.
The Flaming Pot Holder 