Fetish for Penzey's Spices

For Fun, just before organizing my spices, I took pics.

Making Raspberry Jelly and Syrup

I have Heritage Fall Bearing Raspberry Bushes and have been canning them for years.  This years harvest canned.

Lemon Creme Cake

This is the one of the most delicious cakes I have made. I have actually succumbed to Duncan Hines cake mixes after being humbled by my husbands philosphy of make it simple. I used to believe that if it isnt homemade it isnt worth my time but he told me to add a package of pudding to the cake mix and in a fit of laziness I listened. Also on the box it says to cook at 325 instead of 350 for darker pans and it produces a moist coarse crumb cake the equivalent to a cake made from scratch. I put on a layer of homemade lemon curd (recipe follows) with my homegrown/homemade blackberry jelly and then frost with a lemon cream. The lemon cream is 2 cups whipped cream with 1/4 cup powerdered sugar, thickened with a teaspoon of hot water/knox gelatin. Then after whipped, I fold in 1/1/3 cups homemade lemon curd. It is a fantastic cake.

Lemon Curd Recipe:

1/2 Cup Butter

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

Grated rind of two lemons

1 Cup Lemon Juice

8 Egg Yolks

2 Egg White

In double boiler melt butter and sugar.  Stir in lemon rind and juice.  Beat egg yolks and stir into lemon mixture: Beat egg whites and fold into mixture.  I had to put back into my kitchenAid mixer and remix.  Pour back into double boiler.  Stir constantly for 20 minutes until thickened.  Can pour into canning jars and seal following canning instructions on internet. 

Luxury Salad

Sooo... In Black Books, my favorite britcom, Bernard, the proprieter unwisely decides to turn his bookstore into a restaurant by night after experiencing the brewed bean leasure bookstore complete with fluffed up lime colored couch forced upon him by Manny. He makes this absurd creation named Luxury Pie into which goes everything but the kitchen sink. With ingredients flying he makes a detestable loathesome creation.

Well, Luxury Salad is the name my old man gave to my salads, although they are not loathesome. I prepared these almost daily in an effort to look (be) more healthy-HA! Here are some pics of my Luxury Salads. They are an easy way to use Costco's laughable copious portions of vegetables. Some days they include cottage cheese with tuna, cottage cheese with sliced beef and a mixture of cheeses and nuts. Others include a southwestern flare of black beans with rice or corn seasoned with one of my favorites, dried ground Chipotle.

S & W Tomatoes are Shite

These are pics of my recent nightmare with S&W Organic Tomatoes. Only about 1/2 of each can is usable and the other half includes ends, stems and skin. I will not buy their tomatoes again. I can't believe a company sells this kind of garbage in America and gets away with it!

Peppermint Divinity

I love the Better Homes and Gardens recipe for Divinity but I add chopped peppermint candy canes,  it adds a lovely flavor. 

Coq Au Vin

Tried this recipe last week for the 1st time.  I wasnt prepared for the strong wine taste, but once I finished consuming this wonderful dish, I give it an A.  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coq_au_vin/

Italian Cream Sodas

I love Italian Creme Sodas and by far the best quality syrup to buy is Monin brand.

Found cheapest on http://www.lollicupstore.com/s.nl/sc.31/category.632/.f.

They have the cheapest shipping for these glass bottles. Their syrups are made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. I wish Coke would change to cane sugar and put it in the cans. Here are pics of sodas I made. One is Peach and the other is Strawberry.

Make your own delicious Creme Soda by following some of the recipes below or Lollicup has some cool recipes of their own ....

Basic Italian Soda Recipe
1 oz syrup, 8 oz Club Soda & Ice.

Basic Italian Creme Soda Recipe
1 oz syrup, 1 oz half & half, 8 oz Club Soda & Ice.

Irish Rose Cream Soda
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup 1/4 oz Irish Cream Syrup ½ oz half & half
8 oz Club Soda, Ice and top with whipped cream.

Blackberry Sour Cream Soda
3/4 oz Blackberry Syrup ½ oz Lemon Syrup ½ oz half & half
8 oz Club Soda, Ice and top with whipped cream.

Creamsicle Soda
1 oz Orange Syrup ½ oz Vanilla Syrup ½ oz half & half8 oz Club Soda, Ice and top with whipped cream

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake

This is one yummy cake. 
So I created this cake by taking a Duncan Heinz white cake mix and followed the directions on the box but added white chocolate instant pudding mix and 3 whole eggs instead of egg white. I took out half the batter and poured into my 9" round pans. Then added unsweetened Natural Cocoa chocolate powder from Penzey's and mixed with the remaining batter. I then spooned chocolate cake mix on top of white batter and swirled in. I baked at 325 for 28 minutes. I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with a pat of butter and spread on the 1st layer. I then whipped 2 cups of cream, added 1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate powder from Penzey's, powdered sugar to taste, vanilla.  Then took about 1 teaspoon melted knox gelatin with 1 T hot water. The gelatin helps the frosting stay in place but spread fast.  Spread generously on cake. Voila-very moist beautiful marbled cake. Sorry it's not an exact recipe, I kind of cook off the cuff.

T's Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil

These cookies I developed myself because I wanted to incorporate the yummy taste of coconut without the coconut shreds-I hate those things.  These have a lovely depth of coconut flavor and are very hearty.

T’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ sticks Butter softened (3/4 C)

¼ Cup Coconut Oil (Nutiva Organic) melted

1 7/8 Cups Brown Sugar

6 Tablespoons White Sugar or Organic Cane Sugar

2 Eggs

4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

2 ½ Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 ½ to 2 Cups Regular Oatmeal (depends on your liking)

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees.  Beat butter in mixer then add sugars and beat again.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy about 1 minute.  With mixer running very slowly add melted coconut oil very slowly or stop mixer and add in small additions beating after each addition (If you add at once the coconut oil might solidify).  Mix in baking powder, soda and salt until well incorporated.  Add flour and mix in, then oatmeal.  At this point you can either stir in chips by hand or mix in using mixer.   Using a small cookie scoop for evenness and unscoop onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Cookies don’t spread so you can put them fairly close together.  Push the cookies down slightly with palm of your hand.  Bake for 17-19 minutes; don’t let them brown because they are not as good.  Enjoy the wonderful coconut flavor in the cookies.