Summer Warm & Fuzzies

An apple a day keeps the doctor away ... or so they say. But this recipe isn't one of those. Oh no. Loaded with "buttah" and "sugah" this is definitely not doctor's orders. But it is darn good comfort food!

Perhaps its the comfort of the quintessential scent of Fall that makes me all warm and fuzzy. And I know you're thinking, "Rachelle, why on this green earth would I need something warm and fuzzy in the middle of June!?"

Well, the answer to that is this recipe is extremely diverse. Swap out the apples for summer blueberries or peaches and you've got a great 4th of July family brunch or dollop on some vanilla ice cream for a backyard bbq dessert. I just baked it in it's original form, but one could definitely get creative with the fruit.

So turn off the latest news, turn on your oven and create some smiles with this recipe.

Check out the whole recipe and my baking photos here:

Apple Puffed Pancake.

--Rachelle

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Tamara's Tropical Fruit Salad

Florida really only has two seasons ... Cold and Hot. And with the weather finally starting to warm up, I've asked my bed & breakfast chef friends to share with me some of their best springtime recipes for cooling down.

An no one would understand the need for cooling down more than Tamara at the Captain's Inn. Spending over 20 years sailing around the world, she has some of the best recipes for making you feel like setting sail, wind blowing in your hair, sun warming your face. Here is a fantastic Tropical Fruit Salad recipe from Tamara's cookbook, Mega Yacht Cooking. I can't wait to make this at home.

TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cantaloupe, cubed
1 small papaya, cubed
2 mangos, cubed
1 kiwifruit, peeled & sliced

Grated zest of 1 lemon & 1 lime

Whisk together first 6 ingredients; cover and
refrigerate.

In large bowl combine fruits and zest, cover
and refrigerate 2 hours. Pour dressing over
fruit, and toss gently; divide among chilled
salad plates, and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Vanilla Strawberry Bread

We're still smack in the middle of strawberry season here in Florida and berries are fresh, ripe, and in abundance. On the drive I make to Tampa every week I can still see the strawberry picking harvest going on strong.

What do you do with a pallet of fresh strawberries? Share 'em, freeze 'em, jam 'em, chop 'em, eat 'em, blend 'em, or bake 'em. Today, I baked 'em.

I experimented a little by combining about 3 different bread recipes I collected and made a vanilla strawberry loaf. It turned out just perfect. Not too sweet ... more bread-like than cake-like and very melt-in-your-mouth with a dab of real butter spread on a warm slice accompanied by a cup of tea. So, if you want to make this yummy treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack ... here's the recipe!

First ... the ingredients.

2 Cups of Strawberries
2 Packages of Vanilla Pudding
3/4 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup Canola Oil
6 Eggs
3/4 Cup of Milk (I added this later, so it's not pictured above)
4 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tablespoons Baking Powder

Wash your berries and then chop them into small bits ... try not to eat them all as you go!

Combine your oil, sugar, and vanilla pudding and then blend in eggs until "pudding-like." Should be a little creamy and just a bit lumpy. The pudding adds moisture and gives it the vanilla flavor.



Combine your other dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and baking powder)
in a separate bowl and then slowly blend into wet pudding mixture. Mix thoroughly.



Since I was experimenting with combining a couple of recipes to create this one, I needed some extra "umph" at this point. Despite the pudding, the batter was a little dry, so I added 3/4 cup of milk and then all the berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. I used a baking stone, so it took about 10 minutes more.

Let it cool for 15 minutes and then serve! Goes great with some cream cheese or butter. Mmm.


--Rachelle

Booze Away Your Blues

Erin Go Braugh! Happy St. Patricks Day!
When I think of St. Patty's Day ... I think of lucky four leaf clovers, green drinks and a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Aren't we all looking for a little luck these days? A pot of gold at the end of a rainbow would be just dandy! If it just weren't for those pesky pinching leprechauns!

Actually, life is pretty good and I consider myself lucky. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon having lunch and tea with my grandmother. Not only is she funny, but she has a lot of life lessons that are valuable.

I asked her, "Mamere, what did you and your family do during the depression? Obviously you survived and later thrived, what advise would you give?" To which she replied, "booze." Ha! Boooooooze away your blues, I thought! Appropriate for Saint Patrick's Day. Actually, the extended story included her father making "booze" in their basement and selling that to make the extra cash they needed to get by. All well and good during prohibition. Right? I come from a family of rebels. Wow. I thought this little hidden skeleton in my family was hysterical and left me light hearted for the rest of the afternoon.

She also talked about appreciating the simple things ... good food, friends, family and fun. Seizing an adventure out of life whenever and where ever you're able to find one. Even though times in the late 20's and 30's were tough ... almost every picture I have of my grandmother she is doing something fun and is exuding a beaming smile. Rollerskating, dancing, hanging out with friends. And at the end of a struggling era I have a picture of her with her first car, a 1939 Desoto.

So tonight, as your spending times with friends, whether you're having a pint at your favorite local Irish joint or spending it at home, raise a glass and toast to the good times in life. Believe it or not, these are those times. And just in case you need it, here are a few good beer recipes to get you through! I'm not much of a beer girl though, so I think the only green beverage I'll be enjoying tonight is some green tea.

Beer Recipes

Irish Drinks

Green Tea Recipes

--Rachelle

Tremain Street Cottages

Making Strawberry Pizza

Strawberries drizzled in almonds and sugar ... could there be anything more perfect? This is a snapshot of my strawberry pizza, a recipe from Arthur at the Adora Inn. His partner, John, told me a very beautiful romanticized version of the history of this recipe and how the crust was Arthur's Italian Grandmother's homemade recipe and how she would make this for him as a snack when he came home from school. The story formed images in my mind of flour dusted aprons blowing in the wind with a round faced, broad smiling older Italian woman in a red checkered dress standing in a Tuscan field greeting her grandson as he ran down the hill into her open arms ... (Did you hear a record scratch?) ... Arthur burst my bubble when he told me it actually was just a recipe from a dear friend of his that simply whipped this up in an instant for a dinner party when she realized she forgot to pick up a pastry. Still a beautiful story ... just not the Worther's-Candy-Commercial-Style-Story I had dreamed up.

Anyhow, this pizza is delicious for breakfast or dessert. The crust is light and flaky and includes an ingredient I've never thought of using in making crust ... ricotta cheese. Not to sweet ... not too heavy ... a slice of this pastry is the perfect compliment to a cup of coffee or tea.

Here are the key players ...


A bowl of fresh picked strawberries, a stick of unsalted sweet cream butter, 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 cup of ricotta, a bowl of sugar for sprinkling ... and I added a bowl of sliced almonds for some added texture.


Add together all your ingredients to make the crust ... flour, butter, ricotta ... and for me ... a little pinch of sugar. Blending this in a food processor or a deep bowl with a pastry blade works best. Arthur recommends not kneading it too much with your fingers as it makes the doe a little tough and less flaky.

After making your doe, roll it out and place it on a pizza pan and then pinch together the edge of the crust. I actually have a round pizza stone that I use for baking.

It helps to add flour to your hands to prevent the doe from sticking to your fingers ...

Next, slice your strawberries to layer onto your crust. Cutting them lengthwise makes for a prettier, almost heart shape.



Drizzle with sugar, almonds, and any other toppings you like. I made a mental note that adding some chocolate would be absolutely divine. If you are making this pastry just for yourself to enjoy ... feel free to lick your fingers at this point.






After 20 minutes in an oven set at 425 degrees ... you have a slightly sweet and delightful strawberry pizza. Enjoy!





Do you have any other fabulous strawberry recipes? Let us know!

--Rachelle

Polynesian Pancakes

Springtime scents and flavors are calling. After bundling up in layers and lounging around the house in fuzzy socks ... a sweet taste of things that remind me of warmer weather will do the trick to shake any winter blues. Zesty citrus, tangy pineapple, and creamy coconut are sure to warm up any weekend morning.

While this recipe may not be conducive to a bikini belly diet ... it will certainly bring your mind right to the beach!

This is Jim's newest creation at the Mount Dora Historic Inn, and I can't wait to try making this in my own kitchen this weekend. I'll be sure to post some pictures of my luau breakfast experiment.


INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour (or your favorite pancake mix)
1 Tbsp Toasted Orange Zest (available in the spice section at your local grocery store)
8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple Juice
2 Ripe Bananas ... Mashed
8 oz Can of Coconut Cream
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar


DIRECTIONS

1) Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2) Next, mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

3) Slowly stirring, combine wet and dry ingredients together. If batter is too thin, add a little more flour.

4) Make pancakes like usual!

Roasting Chestnuts

In addition to pomegranates, these are one of my favorite winter snacks. Packed with protein and low in fat, they're resolution friendly too! They taste a little like brown rice, are a satisfying snack and easy to make.

Just pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.

Place a dish towel over a cutting board (to prevent rolling nuts and missing fingers!) and cut an "x" into each chestnut. This helps with two things. One ... it makes for easy peeling and eating. Two ... it lets out the steam from roasting so they don't pop and explode in your oven. It might sound nice in the holiday song ... "hear the chestnuts POP! ... pop, pop, pop!" But it wouldn't be a pleasant picture.

Bake them for about 30 minutes until the shells have started
to peel and the insides look golden brown.

Let them cool, then enjoy!

Interested in seeing how chestnuts are harvested?
Check out this video ... click here.

--Rachelle
Tremain Street Cottages

Left overs in the pantry ...

Okay, so like a good little baker I stocked up on the essentials over the holidays. And, of course, after the new year with resolutions on my mind I have left over items in my pantry. Now what? Keep the canned items until the end of 2009? How long do canned goods REALLY last?

Well, I decided to bake something new instead. I can push the diet thing off for one more week, right?

A friend of mine gave me a entertaining recipe book for my birthday and one of the more interesting desserts was pumpkin flan. I jazzed it up a bit with bourbon sugar crust. It was the perfect thing to get rid of the left over pumpkin and evaporated milk cans in my cupboard. If you have any other interesting recipes to use up other holiday baked good ingredients ... please let me know!

Here's the Pumpkin Flan ...

Ingredients

1 14 ounce can of pumpkin
1 can of evaporated milk
1 3/4 cups of sugar (divided)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
(**If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, it is 1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg)
And for my version ... one shot of bourbon. To cook with.



1) Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, eggs, vanilla and spices in a deep bowl with an electric mixer until well blended.



2) Set oven at 300 degrees.

3) Over medium heat, place remaining sugar in a saucepan and stir until melted. This process takes awhile, but the sugar will turn a golden brown color and be sticky and VERY hot, so be careful. When the sugar starts to turn color, add the shot of bourbon.






4) Pour the sugar mixture into into a large, shallow baking bowl. You can also use smaller bowls, or ramekins to make individual servings. Next, pour the pumpkin mixture over the sugar.






5) Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Test the center with a knife or toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours (or overnight). When ready to serve, run a knife along the edge, then flip bowl upside down on a plate.


And so now I can move on with my diet ... no more pesky baking ingredients teasing me in the cupboard!

--Rachelle

Last Minute Holiday Kiss

So ... your dog ate the dessert ... or perhaps while carrying a bunch of packages, food, etc. your holiday party dish ended up face down in the driveway. Don't despair! Here's a QUICK and easy recipe idea for you that only involves 3 ingredients that you can buy at any 24 hour large-chain pharmacy or convenience store.

Ingredients ...

1) a bag of square pretzels
2) a bag of Hershey Kisses,
3) a bag of red & green peanut M&Ms (or other hard candy)



The hardest part of this whole recipe will be unwrapping the Hershey kisses ... and not eating them along the way ...


Cut a piece of parchment paper to line the inside of a cookie sheet. Then, place your square pretzels in a row with the Hershey Kiss on top. I used the dark chocolate kisses.


Next, bake at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. This is just long enough to soften the chocolate without melting it into a blob. Let them cool for one minute, and then press your M&M's in the middle of each kiss. The only holiday M&M's that were left at my local grocer were the almond kind. A little big. So, I also used some other red & green candy I found.


After pressing in all the M&Ms ... cool in your refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened. I put some trivets down on a shelf and just placed the entire cookie sheet of treats in the refrigerator. Don't try to pick them up until they're completely cooled. Trust me. You'll get a thumb full of scalding hot chocolate. After about 30 minutes, they'll be ready to go! Enjoy!




--Rachelle
Tremain Street Cottages

Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars

Here's the recipe for the Inn The Kitchen: Making Chocolate Raspberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients

2 Sticks of Butter (softened to room temperature)
2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt (1/4 tsp)
2 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 ounce)
1 Cup Seedless Raspberry Jam
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans (optional)

Recipe

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 baking pan. (I used parchment paper and doubled the recipe for a cookie sheet)

2) Beat butter until creamy. Then add in flour, sugar and salt until you have a crumb mixture. Set aside 3/4 cup of crumb mixture for topping.

3) Powder up your hands and fingers with flour (to prevent sticking) then press crumb mixture into bottom of your prepared baking pan.

4) Bake crumb crust for 10 to 12 minutes.

5) While crust is baking, mix 1 Cup of chocolate morsels and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth and then spread over a COOLED room-temperature crust.

6) Combine chopped nuts with remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over chocolate topping. Sprinkle on remaining chocolate morsels and then dollop spoonfuls of raspberry jam.

7) Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

8) Cool on a wire rack, cut and then serve!

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Easy As Pie

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Last year, I remember slaving in the kitchen for an entire day making a spiced pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon cream. Straining the pumpkin ... folding the pumpkin ... making the ginger graham cracker crust from scratch. All-in-all it took me about 6 hours to make. Then I find out that there are more people coming to our dinner party than planned and I thought, "oh crap! There's not going to be enough cheesecake!" So, knowing that I didn't have another 6 hours to whip up another one of these babies, I made a simple pumpkin pie from the recipe off the can. And would you believe, everyone loved the PIE more than the CHEESECAKE!?!?! The pumpkin pie was gone as soon as I put it down on the table, but I had leftovers of cheesecake for the entire week (not very good for my girlish figure).

Maybe it is the tradition of the dessert that gives us comfort and a little sentimental nostalgia, but pumpkin pie is always a Thanksgiving favorite. In case you need to whip one up last minute this Thanksgiving Day, here is the recipe to show you how quick and easy it is. Enjoy the holiday! Don't stress over dessert.

INGREDIENTS

1 Can Pumpkin (15 oz)

1 Can Evaporated Milk

1 Unbaked 9" Pie Shell

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves

2 Eggs

1) Mix all of your dry ingredients together ...

sugar, salt, cinnamon, & cloves. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.

2) Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Like my action shot?
I'll call it my egg blob. Yeah, it's not really a high-tech sports camera. Ha!

3) Add pumpkin to sugar and spice mixture.
Then slowly add in eggs and evaporated milk.

4) Pour mixture into pie shell. Then, take one beaten egg white
and gloss the pie crust for that browning effect.
In the absence of a pastry brush, it's just as easy to use your fingers.

5) Cover just the edge of the crust in tin foil (to prevent burning)
and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 45 minutes.

Voila! Easy As Pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!
--Rachelle

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Cornbread Stuffing

Here is another Thanksgiving recipe courtesy of Coconut Cottage Bed & Breakfast. Nancy says, "I don't generally write things down when I cook , whatever I accomplish is pure luck and happenstance." I am the same way in the kitchen. A dollop of this ... a pinch of that ... let's try a little of this ... it is experimental and fun. Enjoy!

MAMA’S CORNBREAD STUFFING
(serves four-six)

INGREDIENTS

2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
9 eggs
2/3 cup milk
A dollop of mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons of butter
parsley, sage, salt & pepper (to taste)


DIRECTIONS

Prepared 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix by adding 3 eggs and 2/3 cup milk and mix.
Add a dollop of mayonnaise .
Add 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Stir until blended, batter may be lumpy.
Pour mix into two round cake pans
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

While cornbread is baking:
- Finely chop 1/2 cup celery
- Finely chop one small – medium onion
- Coarsely chop 1/2 cup pecans

Boil turkey or chicken livers and finely chop.

Boil remaining 6 eggs and slice.

Will need turkey or chicken stock to blend.

In a large round pan, melt two tablespoons of butter and remove from stove. Crumble both pans of bread, add celery and onion, livers and turkey or chicken stock and mix.

If stuffing is too thick add a touch of water and extra butter, until you achieve desired texture. Add salt, pepper, sage and parsley to taste. Mix together and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, until celery is soft.

Fold in the pecans and boiled eggs and let settle.

Enjoy!

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Holiday Feast & Fixin's

I feel like I just gained a whole week of my life back. For the longest time I thought THIS past week was Thanksgiving. Thank goodness I was set straight before putting a turkey in the oven!

If you haven't done your T-day shopping or if you are just browsing for some more holiday cooking ideas, I've wrapped up our best holiday recipes below and included one new one that will probably blow your mind.

STARTERS & APPETIZERS

Savory Pumpkin Soup
by The Adora Inn

Quick & Easy Pumpkin Bread:
by Christopher's Inn

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
by Heron Cay Bed & Breakfast

Autumn Sangria
by Tremain Street Cottages

MAIN DISHES

French-Canadian Tourtiere
by Tremain Street Cottages

Peanut Butter Turkey Baste
by Magnolia Inn

Now, this one was the WOW-BLOW-MY-MIND turkey tip for me and one that we have not yet previously posted. Betty, Innkeeper at the Magnolia Inn, shared that they always smother their turkey in peanut butter. Yes, I said peanut butter. I love peanut butter. I'm even a big fan of Elvis' PB & Banana sandwich, but I would have never thought to baste a turkey with it! According to Betty, the peanut butter seals in all the juices making the turkey extremely moist. I'll have to try this one!

SIDE DISHES

Crazy Easy Cranberry Sauce
by Tremain Street Cottages

BREAKFAST THE NEXT MORNING

If you have family over and are planning to make breakfast too,
then definitely take a look at these pancake recipes.


Apple-Puffed Pancakes
by The Captain's Inn

Leander Pancake Wraps
by The Farnsworth House

Sweet Potato Pancakes
by Mount Dora Historic Inn

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