apuginthekitchen

Sep 4

Hot Buttered Spiced Hard Cider

hot buttered spiced hard cider

This is a twist on my own recipe for Brown Butter Spiced Ale. The challenge is to create a winter or cold weather cocktail by the totally lovely or should I say loverly website Lover.ly., I am not getting married but browsing through their site made me wish I were, the photo’s, the advice, planning, literally everything you need to know or need to do to put together a wonderful and seamless wedding. I was asked if I would submit a recipe for a cold weather cocktail suitable for a wedding or a soiree. Every Friday they share a drink and I am hoping they like my submission.

About 2 years ago I created this drink for a recipe challenge on Food52. I wanted to create another drink along the same lines that reflects Fall and Winter, and what reflects fall and winter better than apples, the drink is warming and would be suitable for a special occasion. I used Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Apple/Ginger instead of the Ale. This drink is rich and sweet, buttery and spicy, has a kick from the ginger in the cider and the cognac and is so warming. Note: If you don’t have or like Cognac you can substitute brandy, bourbon or whiskey.

First apples of the season

Hot Buttered Spiced Hard Cider

Serves 2

12 ounces hard cider ( I used Angry Orchard Apple/Ginger)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powdered either is fine)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tbs cognac per glass (2 tbs cognac)
1 Cinnamon stick and slice of apple to garnish

Add butter to small saucepan and melt on medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add brown sugar and spices, cook until brown sugar is dissolved and the mixture is paste-like. Scrape into small bowl or ramekin and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the cider to the same saucepan and heat on medium until hot (don’t bring to a boil). Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the spiced butter mixture in serving glass, pour hot cider into glass add the cognac and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick and apple.

Sep 3

68 Comments

Uncommon Goods

Brooklyn Flag Project

Disclaimer: Uncommon Goods contacted me and asked to write a product review, I was allowed to pick out the products and they were given to me as compensation. The opinions are 100% mine and my assistant reviewers.

Bloggers have a voice, we put our stories and really our lives out there for the public to see, so we will sometimes be asked by companies to review or talk about or recommend their products to our readers. That is a big responsibility, at least I think it is, and I don’t want to represent anything that I don’t feel strongly about in a positive way, I was approached by Uncommon Goods and asked if I would consider writing a review of some of their products. I first visited their website and browsed, I liked what I saw, then I read about the company and liked them even more. As I scrolled down one of the first things I saw was the Brooklyn Flag Project click here to learn more about it, it’s wonderful and I am so proud that someone from my block association has entered this contest. I would love to see a flag for our neighborhood.

Uncommon Goods is an online store with offices and warehouse located right here in Brooklyn, they are a company that is much more than simply a great place to buy things. They are responsible employers paying a generous living wage, they are a company that gives back to their community, they showcase products from local Brooklyn artists and entrepreneurs as well as Fair Trade and sustainable products. They are all about community and for me that’s very important, when they contacted me and asked me to review some products I was happy to do it, they are my neighbors and in my opinion a business that I will not hesitate to recommend. They told me to look through their incredible online catalog and pick some items. They have gifts for everyone, gifts for her, gifts for him and gifts for kids of all ages, prices are varied and mostly very reasonable. I write about food, so I chose a few things for the home cook as well as a couple of kids gift items.

I picked out a 100% cotton apron and hand towel set, a herb oil infuser, a potholder loom and an Hypotrochoid art set for kids. My items arrived and the first thing I did was open the oil infuser. I knew it may take a few days for the oil to infuse with the herbs. I cut some rosemary and sage from my garden and filled the center tube with the herbs.

Ready to infuse

The instructions are on the side of the box, it’s pretty simple but I managed to add too much oil to the bottle and when you insert the tube with the herbs there will be spillage if you over fill. So watch that you fill exactly as its pictured.

instructions

After I cleaned up the olive oil spill here is what it looks like in the bottle, Now I just need to let it sit for a few days to infuse the oil with the herbs. I really love this infuser, it’s a great idea. Easy to use, attractive and who doesn’t love infused oil. This would make a great stocking stuffer or hostess gift. (NOTE: 4 days later the oil is nicely infused, used it to make a lovely fresh tomato sauce).

oil infusing

Salt and Pepper apron and towel

This is a really great apron, the quality is excellent, it’s hand drawn (so cute), the neck strap is adjustable and there is ample length straps to wrap and tie in the front, it has lots of pockets, I love that. One other feature I thought was a great idea is that it comes with a hand towel and there is a place you can hang it on the apron, it’s very convenient. This also will make a great gift either to yourself or anyone that cooks. Honestly, when I bake I always wear an apron, for everyday cooking, not all the time, but I really appreciate the quality and practicality.

hypotrochoid art set

I picked out two items for kids (adult kids would like too). The Hypotrochoid Art Set and the Potholder Loom. Both are great fun and my two assistants, Maia (9 yrs) and Laila (6 yrs) tested these items for me. Here is Maia’s review of the Hypotrochoid Art Set:

This hypotrochoid art set is really fun, but I think it needs more instructions. The instructions are on the back of the box. You have to write lightly or it will rip the paper, it takes practice but in the end it’s all worth it.

I will add that both girls used the art set the younger of the two lost interest after a few minutes, but Maia, age 9 really got into it and when she successfully made some beautiful shapes she was immensely proud and happy. This is a really fun item with a lot of learning potential and I highly recommend it. It got a thumbs up from the girls.

Maia using the art set

Success

When I saw the potholder loom it was exactly like the one I had as a child, it hasn’t changed. When I was young I spent hours with my loom making potholders and I was a young entrepreneur and took them door to door and sold to my neighbors. I chose this item partly for nostalgia but I also wanted to see how the girls would like it. Laila, chose this item and quickly set out to stretch the cloth bands on the loom. The instructions are clear but I think that this turned out to be a little more than Laila could handle so she handed off to Maia who finished it. If your child loves crafts this is a great product, it’s fun, teaches dexterity, patience and develops a love all things handmade. The girls both gave this a thumbs up and so do I.

First layer done by Laila

Maia finishes

Aug 29

138 Comments

A Lattice Aprium Tart For Fiesta Friday #31

Aprium tart

What is an aprium, I asked myself that when I saw them at the market. Well, an aprium is a hybrid fruit that is a cross between an apricot and a plum, hence the name apri (apricot) um (plum). They are quite delicious, the skin is a little fuzzy like an apricot and the flesh is juicy and sweet like a plum. I read that the taste and texture can vary, they can be more apricot than plum and vice versa. The apriums I bought were more plum than apricot I think, but were really quite delicious. I bought a lot of them and ate what I could raw or au naturale and decided to use the rest to make a tart. I missed last weeks party for Fiesta Friday, i was sick and completely lost my sense of taste so I didn’t cook. My offering for this weeks party is an aprium tart.

Fiesta Friday is hosted by Angie@The Novice Gardener who like me has been sick, feel better Angie your Crostini/bruschetta are gorgeous. Thanks for hosting, you rock!!

Julia Childs Pie Dough Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz cold butter cut into cubes

4 oz shortening or leaf lard

1/2 cup ice water

Whisk salt and flour together, add the butter and shortening or lard, using your hands or pastry cutter work into the flour until it resembles crumbs with pieces of the butter the size of peas.Alternately you could use your food processor pulsing it. Add the water and mix with a fork until combined. Don’t over work. Gather it with your hands, divide into two discs and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight or for at least an hour.

The fruit:

2 1/2 cups sliced apriums skin on

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix everything together and set aside.

Unbaked lattice top

I used a rectangular tart pan, pressed the dough into the pan rather than rolling it. You can do either. After the dough is in the tart pan place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. While the dough is in the freezer preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Roll the remaining dough into a thin round or rectangle and cut strips approximately 1/2 inch wide. Spoon fruit into cold tart shell and start making the lattice, lay strips about 2-3 inches apart diagonally snipping the ends that over hang, Lay more strips going the opposite way so they cross each other, brush each strip with egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

tart

I like to serve warm with some heavy cream, creme fraiche, whipped cream or ice cream. I guess you can tell I like a little cream with my pie/tart. Enjoy!!

ready to serve

Fiesta Friday

Aug 28

97 Comments

A Labor Day Giveaway

Cutting board and ice ream scoop

I am so excited about this giveaway, and pleased to share with TWO lucky people a gorgeous 10 inch walnut cutting board and an ice cream scoop, both hand crafted by Michael of Michaels Woodcraft. I have become a big fan of his work, the quality is amazing, you will be blown away by just how beautiful these pieces are. All you have to do to enter the contest is simply leave a comment. I do ask if you don’t mind pin on Pinterest and tweet on Twitter it’s not mandatory though. This contest is open only to those who live in the USA, so sorry my wonderful friends outside of the US, I checked and it would be cost prohibitive for me to ship outside of the US. So very sorry!! I will conduct two separate drawings one for the cutting board and one for the scoop. Both pieces are hand crafted by Michael in South Carolina, products of the good old USA and are heirloom quality, they will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Michael provides a tin of his homemade wood conditioner for the cutting board. You will get years of enjoyment from these beautiful products. The drawing will be on Friday, Sept. 5th. Good luck everyone!!

Walnut cutting board

Ice Cream Scoop

Aug 22

68 Comments

The Challenge: A Cookout Crate for Man Crates!

Google Image from “A Christmas Story”

You are probably asking yourself what is Man Crates, well, I thought the same thing when I got an email from the nice people at Man Crates. This blog is family fare so I won’t say what my first thoughts were, then my imagination went to that iconic movie “A Christmas Story” and the mancrate that Ralphies Dad got when he won the big award, you know that leg lamp (still makes me laugh). Man Crates is a crate full of wonderful goodies for any guy in your life, the ultimate gifts for men (Note: I was not compensated in any way for doing this post). In the email they said they were asking bloggers to put together a cookout crate and wanted us to let our imaginations run wild and put together what we think would make for a fun and delicious cookout geared towards men of course. I love a good cookout so I gladly accepted the challenge. Some of the gift idea’s I found on Etsy, some just google images. The cutting board is from Michaels Woodcraft.

MAN CRATES MANIFESTO
We say ‘no’ to ugly neckties, cologne samplers and executive trinkets. We don’t save wrapping paper, we don’t do ribbons.

We ship bragworthy gifts for guys. Gifts that you can’t wait to arrive because you know the recipient will love opening them.

Gifts that people gather round at the office, people following the sounds of wood being torn from wood by the included, laser-engraved crowbar.

We are Man Crates, and we deliver awesome gifts for men.

What would I put in a man crate, well here is what I came up with. I had to think about this. What do you think of my choices for a gift for that man in your life?

assorted dry rubs on Etsy

Oh yea, assorted dry rubs for the grill master. Love this assortment and the packaging is fantastic!

magnetic bottle opener put on the side of the grill on Etsy

Magnetic bottle opener so that he can attach to the side of grill and pop a cold one while he’s slaving over the hot grill!

man apron on Etsy

This apron is the ultimate manly grilling apron, men love having their tools organized and this apron does exactly that.

tee shirt on Etsy

You will need to identify the grill master and this tee shirt solves that problem.

to start the fire on Etsy

Who wants to bother with matches, get him this easy peasy lighter, click and light those coals!

Sit and drink cooler while waiting for your steaks to grill-on Etsy

So he’s a little tired of standing at the grill, how about this camouflage seat/drink cooler. Pretty cool!

Handmade custom walnut cutting board for the grill

Had to include a great cutting board that will fit on the side of the grill from Michael’s woodcraft, men love wood!! This can be customized for your grill.

grass fed beef

What manly cookout gift would be complete without some steak, organic grass fed steak of course.

salmon

Ok maybe some salmon too!! Fresh, wild and not farmed. Delicious!!

Net cover

After you take the time to grill all that great food who wants flies and other creepy crawly’s all over it, a net cover to protect your food. Ok, it may not be manly but it’s practical.

Aug 21

15 Comments

Custom Cutting Boards

I forgot to add what I wanted to say when I re blogged this. I wanted everyone to see Michaels work, he is a true craftsman and his cutting boards, ice cream scoops, rolling pins etc… are true works of art. I am totally enamored with his work.

Michael's Woodcrafts

August 21, 2014

I wanted to show you a custom board I finished and shipped this week. Sometimes when I pull out my lumber to begin making a new piece I can tell that the wood is beautiful, this time it turned out more beautiful than I initially thought. Walnut has ever rick color.

The customer wanted a large board made from walnut to use in his kitchen. This is a custom size board, 20 x 30 inch and made using American Walnut. I am not sure exactly how they plan to use the board other than he mentioned that he does a lot of baking.

Since he lives in California, it will take 3-4 days before FedEx delivers the board, I sure hope he likes it!

As a gift with every board I send a free tin of Wood Conditioner. My Wood Conditioner is homemade combining a mixture of food-grade mineral oil and pure beeswax. It will help you maintain the finish…

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Aug 15

142 Comments

Peach Hand pies With Buttermilk Molasses Glaze For Fiesta Friday #29

Little peach pies

This week for the party I decided to bring dessert, you can never have too much pie IMHO. I got some O’Henry Peaches from Food52 via Frog Hollow Farm, they were expensive but I was intrigued having never heard of O’Henry Peaches and wondered how they taste in comparison to the peaches I get at the green market. Well, let me tell you they are pretty amazing, luscious, tart sweet, juicy, I could go on and on. I don’t think I have had a peach that good since I had some Georgia peaches years ago. So enough about the O’Henry’s, these little pies are pretty special not just because of the peaches. The pie crust is Julia Childs master recipe that never fails me, it’s buttery and flaky and delicious. I thought it would be nice to add a glaze or drizzle to the pies, I found this wonderful full fat farm fresh buttermilk and wondered how that would be as part of the glaze with some molasses. The glaze is wonderful, simply mixed buttermilk, molasses and powdered sugar and drizzled on top of the still warm pies. The glaze is a little tangy, has some depth from the molasses and is great with the peach pie.

As always the main event is hosted by Angie@The Novice Gardener and this weeks co-hostesses are Selma@Selma’s Table love selma and her great blog and Jhuls@The Not So Creative Cook (she is really very creative). Hope you all enjoy!!

Julia Childs Pie Dough Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz cold butter cut into cubes

4 tbs cold vegetable shortening or leaf lard

1/2 cup ice water

Hand pie

Peaches

2 cups sliced peeled peaches

pinch of cinnamon

3-4 tbs flour (depends on how juicy the peaches are)

1/4-1/2 cup organic brown sugar (I went light on the sugar using only 1/4 cup)

Combine everything in bowl and set aside.

Assembling:

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough quite thin, it should be thick enough that it doesn’t break but try to roll as thin as you can. Cut into rounds and lay on parchment lined baking sheet. Make an egg wash with beaten egg and milk or water. Brush some of the egg wash on the edges of one of the rounds, put a heaping tbs in the middle and place another round on top. Gently press edges together and crimp with a fork that you dip in some flour. Repeat. Cut vent in the top of each pie, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking then bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about 10 or 15 minutes on a rack then drizzle some of the glaze on top. I like to serve warm.

Buttermilk molasses glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp molasses

3-4 tbs cultured full fat buttermilk (if you can find) If not regular low fat works just as well

In small mixing bowl add the powdered sugar, mix the molasses and buttermilk add by the tbs until the glaze is thick and a drizzling consistency.

Flaky pastry tart sweet peaches

Fiesta Friday

Aug 13

86 Comments

Long Bean In Tomato Sauce With Linguine

Long Beans and linguine in tomato sauce

You see in the photo of all the beautiful vegetables given to me by the wonderful lady from New Jersey that there are some very long beans, I have had long beans in Asian cuisine but never actually made them myself. I decided to take this Asian green bean and take them to Italy. This dish is similar to something my Mom made when I was a child. She would cook green beans in tomato sauce,the tomato and green beans were usually from my Fathers garden. It was one of my favorite meals, I loved to grate some pecorino romano cheese on top and eat with bread. I changed it a little adding some linguine to the beans and sauce.

New Jersey’s finest fresh vegetables

Long beans have a distinct flavor similar but not exactly like green beans. If I had to describe it I would say it’s more floral if that makes any sense to you. They are delicious and become very tender when cooked. The beans were cooked with shallot and garlic in tomato sauce from those beautiful fresh tomatoes you see here. You really don’t need a recipe for this, nothing has to be exact, make it according to taste.

Long Beans in tomato sauce:

Approximately 1/2 lb long beans, washed, stem end cut and cut the beans to whatever size you find manageable.

2 cups puree tomato

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Optional tbs of butter

Heat some olive oil in a saute pan, add the shallot, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until they softens, add the beans and toss to combine with the oil and aromatics saute for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato sauce, turn the heat to medium, cover with lid slightly adjar and let cook stirring occasionally until sauce has reduced and beans are cooked through.After the beans are cooked you can add the optional tbs of butter.

Beans in sauce

Cook your linguine or pasta of your choice to desired doneness and add to the tomato and beans, cook for a minute or two. Turn off the heat grate some romano or parmigiano or both on top and toss to combine.

Really good!

Aug 11

38 Comments

Suzanne’s Yeasted Buckwheat Waffles with Buttery Peaches

I am so excited for you to visit Lori’s wonderful blog and see my guest post. I was so happy to do it. Check it out and check out Lori’s fantastic healthful recipes.

We are here friends! Here in our new home! 😀 More pics to come soon! And hopefully I can get my kitchen unpacked so I can start “creating beauty in THIS kitchen!” 😉 Until then, you get to continue enjoying the beauty some of your fellow foodie bloggers have been creating for me.

Suzanne from A Pug in the Kitchen was so kind to bring some of her creativity to all of you! In addition to having the cutest name for a blog and the cutest design, I love her tagline, “good food with simple ingredients.” I remember first talking back and forth with this lovely lady…she had started following my blog but wasn’t getting notifications for some reason. Her enthusiasm to make sure that got fixed warmed my heart and so encouraged me! Well, it did get fixed, and ever since then I see Suzanne over here often…means so much!…

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Aug 10

114 Comments

A Simple Bread Salad For Fiesta Friday #28

New Jersey’s finest fresh vegetables

I’ll be honest everyone, last week was rough for me. Not only was I extremely busy with work but I have to somehow balance demanding workload with 2 very sick senior dogs who are deteriorating despite my best efforts. According to my Vet he thinks Nando had a minor stroke, Izzy has had a very hard time breathing it seems only one lung is usable, the right side of her heart is enlarged, her trachea and bronchial stem have collapsed. They are also both diabetic. You have to know how much I love my dogs and would do anything to make hem happy and as comfortable as possible. I lacked inspiration to make anything substantial but did get a wonderful surprise via my friend who lives in New Jersey, it seems her neighbor a feisty Italian lady is quite the gardener and although I have never met her in person she picked these beautiful vegetables from her garden for me. There is a story behind her tomatoes, the seeds are from Italy and every year after she harvests the tomatoes she saves the seeds to propagate the species I guess you could say.

Although this salad is very simple and really does not require a recipe it is nonetheless very special. The vegetables are all from the sweet lady in New Jersey who each year lovingly saves the seeds so that the blood line will continue and the Italian tomato lives on year after year. So my offering for this Fiesta Friday hosted and lovingly put together each week by Angie@The Novice Gardener and our amazing co hosts Saucy@ Saucy Gander and Margot@Gather and Graze. If you had to do a double take, yes, Saucy and Margot agreed to stay on as co hosts a second week in a row. That Dame Edna just won’t leave the party, she really knows how to party hard.

Panzanella aka Italian Bread Salad

Some stale bread, a couple of days old is good cut into bite size pieces

Good juicy ripe tomatoes

Shallot

Cucumber

parsley and basil

toasted pine nuts (optional) I love them in the salad

salt and pepper

red wine vinegar and olive oil

Put the bread cubes in a big bowl, mix the tomato, shallot, cucumber with some vinegar and oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the bread, add the chopped basil and parsley and pine nuts. Toss to combine and serve after letting it sit for about 30 minutes. The bread needs to soak up the juices of the tomatoes, vinegar and oil.