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WHAT IS MULLED CIDER?
Mulled cider is a traditional hot drink made from apple cider and flavored with spices like citrus, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Traditionally the cider used is a "hard cider", meaning there is alcohol involved, but you can use regular apple cider for a chilly weather drink that everyone can enjoy.
Mulled Cider comes from the pagan tradition of Wassailing. Traditional wassail was made from mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and sugar. It was typically served in giant silver or pewter bowls. The term wassailing usually refers to the pageantry of carrying in the giant bowl with pomp and circumstance and splendor. A song was sung and then everyone partook of the wassail bounty.
Today Wassail generally refers to a hot apple cider stewed with various spices and fruits.
Does anything smell better than a pot of wassail on the stove? The whole house smells like autumn and thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one. Cold fingers being warmed by the mug of spiced cider, a fire crackling away in the fireplace, maybe friends are over for a bonfire. Hot Mulled Cider/wassail is the perfect treat.
Best part...if you make too much you can store it and reheat the next day!
This recipe uses 1/2 gallon of apple cider, so recipe yields about 8 cups
YOU WILL NEED:
1/2 gallon Apple Cider
1/2 lemon, sliced with peels.
1 small orange sliced, with peels.
10 whole cloves
3 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup fresh cranberries
1 nutmeg pod, lightly zest the surface to scratch it up a bit
2 TBSP brown sugar
you will also need a mesh strainer.
in a large pot, combine the apple cider and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil over medium high heat. As it starts to come to a boil add the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to medium and let boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer..the longer the better.
when ready to serve, pour cider through mesh strainer and into mugs. You can garnish with a cinnamon stick or a citrus slice if desired.
**You can try various spices for your own version. Some people use ginger and allspice berries, some people only use orange, some people omit the cranberry. Some people love cinnamon and clove. It is up to you how spicy and how detailed you want your cider to be.
** Dont feel like going through all that work?? There are premade mixture!! You just add it to your cider or hot water. stir and boil!! Or you can get premade spice blends with real bits of dried fruit and spice pods etc.
**Like the smell but not the taste?? Get a wassail/hot mulled cider candle!!
** Plus you need cute apple mugs to drink it from
FINALLY!! I have been eagerly anticipating the newest season of Great British Bake Off!!
Season 11 will be uploaded one episode at a time every Friday here is the United States , on Netflix.
A few changes have been made to the Bake Off format. They have pitched their tent in a new location (Down Hall), and each contestant will live 24/7 there in their own little bubble together. So depending on how far they make it into the competition they could be away from their families for a week or for 7 weeks!! Thats crazy!
Prue declared Battenberg a lovely cake to start with, and is typically a marzipan lovers favorite cake (Hers included)
Paul wanted to see a smooth marzipan, start contrast in color and a punch of good flavors.
Battenberg is difficult to make, it requires a good sponge that isnt overbaked but sturdy enough to hold its shape when cut and stacked. Cake cant be too warm or too cold when it is cut either. So there is a lot to think about when making one!
DAVE- An Espresso Martini . Chocolate liquer and vodka flavored cakes
HERMINE- Chocolate and Orange cakes. In her marzipan she used orange marmalade instead of eggs.
LAURA- Raspberry Ripple and Coconut Cake
LINDA- Tribute to her deceased cousin, cake made to look like ambulance.
LOREIA- Bubble Gum and Cream Soda with BRIGHT BLUE marzipan.
LOTTIE- Rhubarb and Custard Cakes, inside is a star shaped pattern.
MAK- Lots of middle eastern flavors like ginger and orange, covered in a pistachio marzipan instead of the traditional almond.
MARC- Sour Cherry and Chocolate Walnut Cakes with rosewater Marzipan.
MARK- Turkish Bazaar inspired cake, with orange, pistachio, cardamom and pomegranate flavors.
PETER- Gluten Free dark chocolate and orange cakes with a polka dot marzipan covering.
ROWAN- Mozart inspired Magic Flute BB cake. Dark night sky marzipan covering with an intricate temple inspired cake inside.
SURA- Lemon and Orange cakes with traditional marzipan decorated with sculpted marzipan fruits.
________________________________________________________________________________
SO Rowan looks like he bit off more than he could chew. When he took his cakes out and started to cut, a few of them were still almost raw inside, so he resorted to putting them into the microwave to dry them out a little bit. This means he ran way behind and had to alter his temple design quite a bit.
Sura's cake completely bubbled over in the oven.
Lotties cakes were so moist she was having issues to keep her star shape looking clean and crisp.
many of the bakers were having issues frosting their layers and keeping them together, rolling their marzipan and wrapping them neatly and cleanly.
ROUND 1 JUDGEMENT:
DAVE- The coffee overpowers and Paul said it just blended the wrong way.
HERMINE- Her marzipan was delicious with the use of marmalade instead of eggs. Judged well and a pleasure to eat.
LAURA- No real distinctness in her sponges. Flavors ran together and wasnt real neat.
LINDA- overbaked and dry.
LOREIA- striking color and layers but the flavors were just too intense and overpowering. Bone Dry and too thick marzipan.
LOTTIE- Despite the messy star pattern the colors were wonderful. Her cakes tasted the same but had a good sturdy rhubarb jam.
MAC- Pistachio was overdone with the pistachio marzipan. But had a good ginger spice cake.
MARC- The decorations were too busy, and the rosewater marzipan was overdone.
MARK- Good texture.
ROWAN- Heavy Sponge, too wet. He had to go with a "deconstructed temple" since he ran out of time. But they liked the look of the marzipan covering.
PETER - Very Neat. Lovely Texture. Gluten Free flours tend to make great sponge. Great and Well Done.
SURA- Really pretty and neat, good texture and a really lovely piece of cake.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGE: 6 identical Pineapple Upside Down mini cakes.
Light buttery cakes with a perfect caramel, topped with a pineapple ring, maraschino cherry and whipped cream.
Get the caramel too dark it can become bitter and can make the sponge too hard to get out of the tin. Too much caramel the sponge wont rise, too little the sponge wont have flavor.
POOR LINDA... Her syrup was dark, and she put in too much syrup n her tins so her poor little cakes wouldnt rise, then she had to piece them together at the end.
the last few minutes of the challenge everyone was furiously fanning their bakes with their cookie sheets, pacing and saying things like "oh dear". Everyone had hot cakes and many had issues with their whipped cream melting and falling off.
POOR MARK!! As sura put her cakes on the table she went to shoo a fly and knocked into Mark, dropping all but 2 of his cakes. WHOOPSIE!! She felt so bad she was crying. But they told Paul and Prue what happened so they were able to judge his 2 standing cakes, picking the best one.
JUDGEMENT:
12: Linda (didnt rise, not properly cooked, patchworked together, too much caramel)
11. Marc- (Very dark, stuck in tin and bitter)
10. Loreia (too light)
9. Dave (just OK)
8. Mak (problem with heat. doughy)
7. Mark (over-caramelized but nice height)
6. Laura ( Dark in Places)
5. Hermine (Nice and light. well balanced. good flavor)
4. Lottie ( Neat and uniform)
3. Rowan (Neat, nice color, nice cake)
2. Peter (Good color, good caramel, good piping)
1. Sura (Well balanced, lovely)
SO FAR LOREIA, MARC AND LINDA ARE IN BOTTOM THREE(Per paul and prue)
SHOWSTOPPER CHALLENGE. Cake Bust made to look like their personal celebrity hero. Needs to be made and sculpted from cake and decorated with a fondant or icing. Cake needs to be well baked but have good structure to withstand the weight and pressure. Also needs to have good internal structure to hold the cakes up. Prue says too much frosting is a no-no it can make the cake too sweet.
DAVE- Tom DeLonge . Dark chocolate and Mint.
HERMINE- Lupita Nyong'o. Chocolate and Coffee
LAURA- Freddie Mercury. Lemon and Elderflower
LINDA- Bob Marley. Lemon and Orange
LOREIA- Louise Bennett-Coverley. Chocolate and Chili
LOTTIE- Louis Theroux. Coconut
MAK- Bill Bryson. Lemon and Madeira
MARC- David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. Chocolate.
MARK- Charles Darwin. Ginger spice with coconut buttercream
PETER- Sir Chris Hoy.
ROWAN- Marie Antoinette. Chocolate and cherry with choux buns for hair.
SURA- David Attenborough. Coconut with raspberry buttercream.
Poor Rowan. Another overpromise. Choux buns were a total bust so he had to improvise on her hair.
Lottie made a skull head and then covered it with fondant and sculpted, making a much more realistic looking cake.
Hermine sculpting looks ridiculous, but her fondant work on Lupitas dress is legit.
Freddie Mercury is losing his head and has beaver teeth. Laura is having a hard time keeping his head upright.
David Attenborough fell over, so Sura propped him up on a roll of frosting bags, so it looks like a travel pillow.
JUDGEMENT:
DAVE: Toothpaste and chemical taste from the mint. "Let yourself down on texture and flavor"
HERMINE: Chocolate cake is amazing, fondat on dress looks real. Face not so much.
LAURA: giggled at poor Freddie's head. But very moist and delicious and Paul loved the flavor.
LINDA: Delicious, and all the elements of a good sponge. Citrus with lemon curd is delicious.
LOREIA: Doesnt really look like her, and chili is overwhelming the chocolate.
LOTTIE: Recognizable, good flavors but overbaked.
MAK: Lovely flavors but very dry
MARC: Does NOT look like Ziggy. Dense and overbaked but great flavor.
MARK: Well baked, well done.
PETER: excellent. Spot on. great concept, witty and well done.
ROWAN: Pauls advice "Say less, do more" Lovely cherry flavor, tasty cake"
SURA: Good flavor and texture.
STAR BAKER: Peter wins star baker this week with a good signature, 2nd in technical and a spot on show stopper.
GOING HOME: Loreia. Came down to Overbaking and Overflavoring. Paul saw a lot of potential in Loreia, but as a judge could get involved and tell her to pull back or watch her stuff.
Loreia: " I am proud. I did quite well to get here and I stayed true to myself".
Great way to start off season 11!!
This is an easy and delicious way to use up those leftover garden veggies (Or storebought...you know the ones you keep meaning to use, but they look at you all pathetic every time you open the fridge).
This recipe has you almost doing a blanch on the vegetables first to tender them up so you arent hovering over the frying pan all night waiting for them to cook down. The longest part is waiting for the water to boil!!
YOUWILL NEED:
4 or 5 Carrots- peeled and quartered
1/2 pound of Asparagus, trimmed and woody ends discarded
2 cups Sugar Snap Peas, washed.
3 TBSP Butter
4 TBSP Honey
1.5 TBSP white Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
IN a large pot of salted boiling water, boil carrots 3 minutes. Then add asparagus and snap peas, boiling for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and drain well.
IN a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in honey and vinegar until combined well. Add vegetables and season with salt and pepper. toss and make sure everything is coated well. Let cook about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer another minute.
Transfer to serving bowl and ENJOY!!
I cant even tell you HOW EXCITED I AM for Season 11 of GBBO to hit netflix this Friday!
I am a HUGE fan. Across the pond they will have access to it 3 days earlier every week, which is going to be SO HARD TO IGNORE SPOILERS!!
What we know so far (here in America anyways)
Steely Eyed Silver Fox and King of Bread Paul Hollywood, and queen of bright color blocking and chunky necklaces Prue Leith are back as main judges. SO watch out for the claggy bakes, soggy bottoms, booze up the desserts and make those calories worth it!
Everyones favorite shag haircut emo comedian Noel Fielding is returning as host. A familiar face we are missing this year is sweet little Sandi Toksvig, who left GBBO to focus on other projects.
Replacing Sandi is a familiar face to some, Matt Lucas. (my family knows him as Nardole from Dr Who). Apparently he is a GBBO enthusiast and rumor has it that on first day of filming made himself sick taste testing everyones bakes!
Format will remain the same . Round One, signature bake. Each contestant makes their best version of whatever that weeks theme is.
Round 2, blind technical. Paul and Prue choose a rather difficult item for the contestants to make (sometimes it is quite obscure), give them limited instructions (usually it will just say "bake", but no temps or times. Or Make creme pat but no recipe...really testing contestants knowledge of baking) and then blind taste test each one and rate them on how well they understand the science behind baking.
3rd Round is showstopper. Each contestant goes all out and really wows the judges with their creations. (remember Paul Jagger's bread lion everyone??)
Each episode one contestant gets awarded star baker, and one contestant goes home.
So here is the lineup for season 11:
DAN: AGE 30. Armoured Guard from Hampshire Strengths lie in bread and clean decoration
HERMINE: AGE 39. Accountant originally from Benin, West Africa, currently living in London. Love of high end patisserie!
LAURA: AGE 31. digital Manager from Kent. Loves strong flavors and putting modern twists on old favorites.
LINDA: AGE 61. Retirement Living Team Leader from East Sussex. Strengths are classics and home comfort cooking
LORIEA: AGE 27. Diagnostic Radiographer from Durham. Rarely follows a recipe and makes jamaican food
LOTTIE: AGE 31. Pantomime Producer from East Sussex with a dark sense of humor and is a perpetual perfectionist
MAKBUL: AGE 51. Accountant from Greater Manchester. Great at pastries and loves to incorporate honey from his own hives into his baking.
MARC: AGE 51 Bronze resin sculptor from Cornwall. After losing a leg in a motorbike accident, took up baking bread as a form of therapy.
MARK: AGE 32 Project Manager from Liverpool. His baking style is influenced by his irish heritage and he has an affinity for african and asian flavors as well!
PETER: AGE 20 Accounting and finance student from Edinburgh. Also a competitive badminton player, Peter has been cooking seriously since he was 12. He loves to use traditional scottish ingredients whenever he can.
ROWAN: AGE 55 Music Teacher from Worcestershire. Passionate about french patisserie, he also has a love or recreating 18th century Georgian era recipes. He loves to use flowers in his decorations.
SURA: AGE 31. Pharmacy Dispenser from London. iddle eastern and asian influences is a hallmark of her food. Loves to improvise and inject personality into each recipe and particularly enjoys fragrant floral flavors like cardamom, rose and orange blossom.
Looks like a great bath, cant wait to watch and have a follow up blog post tomorrow!!
You use pre-made cake cones (flat bottom), and get some chocolate candy melts and colored candy melts (or you can do white and use food coloring) and some various sprinkles and candies like M&M or Reeses Pieces.
YOU WILL NEED
Cake Cones
Yellow Cake Mix
Can of whipped Vanilla Frosting.
Chocolate Candy Melts
White Chocolate Candy Melts
Food Coloring
Sprinkles
I love a good cookie. I typically dont like cookies with nuts, but for pecans I make an exception. I love a good sandy, but these are different. They arent your typical hard shortbread cookies, they are thick and chewy with a great, buttery pecan treat.
Make sure your nuts are fresh. I actually keep my nuts in the freezer, so when I bake with them they dont get mealy.
BEFORE YOU START: You will need to sautee your pecans in butter to brown them and really get a great flavor!
2 cups Chopped Pecans
2 TBSP butter.
in a saucepan over medium heat, start to brown the butter. Add pecans and toss to coat, and keep cooking until toasted .
COOKIES:
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups AP flour, sifted.
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp good vanilla
In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In mixer on medium speed, cream butter, and both sugars together. Do this for about 2 minutes or until butter and sugars are nice and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and continue to mix for another minute.
reduce speed a little and Gradually add the dry mixture a little at a time, mixing well between each addition. Fold in your toasted pecans, incorporating throughout the dough evenly. wrap and chill.
(Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
using a cookie scoop, roll dough into balls (about 3 to 4 TBSP) and place on cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden. Any jiggle in the middle is acceptable, they will firm up a little with cooling. Let cookies sit on cookie sheet for a few minutes so they dont rumple up when you try and remove them. Transfer to a cooking rack.
Cool completely and keep in airtight container.
ENJOY!!
ahhhh punch. Growing up Latter Day Saint (Mormon), I can claim with certainty, that no one has had more punch than I have. Every function. Every party. Every reception. Punch. And now there is a holiday to celebrate it!! Mormons are notorious for their punch. Legit.
PINEAPPLE ORANGE PUNCH
Rice Krispy Treats are one of those things that I just REALLY love. If there is a pan of treats, I will eat them. Like all of them.
Here are 3 of my FAVORITE Rice Krispie Treat Recipes.
THE ORIGINAL: buttery, gooey, krispy and crunchy without being too hard and break your tooth chewy.
RECIPE: 6 cups Rice Krispies
3 TBSP butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
in large saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter and marshmallows . Stir frequently until fully melted and remove from heat. Add 6 cups of Rice Krispies and fold until completely incorporated. Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, press the mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan. Let cool, then cut into squares and refrain from eating the enitr pan in one sitting!
In a large saucepan over medium heat combine
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
stir constantly until everything is melted and bubbling.
Remove from heat and add 6 cups rice krispies. Stir until completely coated.
Press into a buttered 9x13 pan with a buttered spatula or wax paper.
Now onto the magic...
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
sprinkle evenly on top of the pan of treats. Place in a warmed oven until the chips have softened. USe a spatula and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the treats. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
1/4 Cup salted butter
1/2 TBSP brown sugar
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups rice krispie treats
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter. Keep over heat until butter starts to brown down. At this point , reduce the heat to medium low add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add rice krispies and fold to completely coat. Press into a buttered 9x13 pan using wax paper or buttered spatula. Let cool completely before serving
Rice Krispie treats are just so versatile, and look at these photos for inspiration of what you can do with the humble RKT!!
Dip in white chocolate and add sprinkles!
A little green food coloring, some redhots and royal icing
Shape into eggs, dip in white chocolate and sprinkles!
Use a candy stick, dip in dark or milk chocolate and add mini m&m
after folding all ingredients together, add M&Ms to mix before pressing into pan.
Mini M&Ms, Mini Robin Eggs and a variety of sprinkles to make this springtime treat!
white chocolate and patriotic sprinkles for a 4th of july special!
orange food coloring, shape into a pumpkin, add a pretzel rod and some green frosting and perfect fall pumpkins!SEPTEMBER 17 is Monte Cristo Sandwich Day!! Did you know this delicious sandwich came with its own holiday? To celebrate fry up one of these bad boys AND ENJOY !
A Monte Cristo Sandwich is traditionally a sandwich with ham, turkey and swiss, then dipped in a french toast like egg batter and fried. It can then be served plain or sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam or preserves. So it's a grilled cheese sandwich on super steroids!
It is definitely more of a savory sandwich, but the jam and sugar add just the right touch of sweetness! If you are like me you really dig a sweet and savory combo, and the Monte Cristo really helps scratch that itch.
HISTORY: Most food historians believe the Monte Cristo is a cousin of the Croque Monsieur. (a ham and gruyere sandwich fried in clarified butter). Starting in the 1930s many cookbooks started including this sandwich under the name French Sandwich, French toasted cheese sandwich or French Ham Sandwich. It is generally accepted that the Monte Cristo was first served in California diners and restaurants in the 1950s.
In 1966 Disneyland in Anaheim California helped cement the popularity of the Monte Cristo Sandwich when they began to feature it in New Orleans Square at the Blue Bayou and Tahitian Terrace restaurants. It continues to be a popular item to this day.
serving size is 1 sandwich
YOU WILL NEED: White Bread (A good hearty/sturdy bread)
sliced turkey
sliced ham
swiss cheese
Mayo
2 TBSP Milk
1 egg
2 TBSP butter
1st- Prep the Bread. Take 3 slices of a good sturdy/hearty white bread. Stack them up and cut off all the crusts.
2nd. In a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet, place the butter and start it melting. THEN
3rd. In a shallow dish whisk together the egg and milk and set aside.
NOW
START ASSEMBLING THE SANDWICH
1. Place 1 slice of bread and Top with slice of swiss cheese and some ham.
2. Take 2nd slice of bread and spread some mayo, place mayo side down on ham. Spread more mayo on side facing up.
3. Add turkey and top with another slice of swiss cheese. Top with remaining slice of bread.
4. Press down on the sandwiches to flatten them together (Smoosh em good!!)
NOW ONTO COOKING THE SANDWICH:
1. Dip flattened sandwich quickly into the egg mixture to cover both sides (you want it coated, not soaked) and place in hot pan in the melted butter.
2. Cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese starts to melt. Carefully flip sandwich and fry on other side.
DIG IN!
1. Cut Sandwiches on the diagonal and serve as is OR
optional: dust lightly with 10x (powdered) sugar and serve with a side of raspberry jam or preserves!!
Enjoy your Monte Cristo!!
September 16th is National Guacamole Day....who knew? (Now you do!)
I remember when I was a kid I HATED guacamole (Or thought I did, I refused to eat it because I just KNEW that anything that looked like a wad of snot had to be terrible). We would go to mexican restaurants and I would always say No Guacamole.
Fast Forward years later when I actually tried avocado and realized just how much I missed out on for all those years! I am OBSESSED with it. When we go out to eat I will order tableside guac. I order extra guac on the side, Guac to me is like Franks Red Hot..."I put that sh** on everything.
Of course the #1 ingredient is Avocado. The best avocados for Guacamole are the little HASS avocados. The really big ones from florida are tasty to eat on their own, but are full of water, which makes for a less tasty guac. So find a little hass that isnt hard as a rock, the skins are a little darker, and has a soft touch when pressed(not stick your finger through soft, but yields under pressure soft) Do the squeeze test in several places to determine ripeness.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2-3 ripe Hass Avocados
1/2 sweet onion , diced small
2 roma tomato , diced small
fresh cilantro, small handful chopped
jalapeno, chopped small
garlic, 1-2 cloves chopped
lime juice
salt, pepper
cayenne pepper (or see optional)
OPTIONAL : Tajin Clasico seasoning (I have found this adds a nice kick without being all cayenne peppery and LOVE IT in my guac.)
Remove flesh from avocados and discard pit and skins mash lightly with fork or potato masher, sprinkle with lime juice so avocado doesnt turn brown as quickly. mix.
add onion, tomato, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro.. fold in and mix to distribute evenly.
add salt and pepper to taste. Add cayenne or Tajin Clasico.
can be eaten immediately, but like anything tastes better after flavors have had time to meld and really get to know each other.
cover with saran wrap directly on top of guac to keep all air out. refrigerate leftovers.
enjoy!!
Brewers Yeast Dog Treats from Petful.com. This recipe contains brewers yeast, cheese, egg and oats making an irresistible nibble for your pooch!
Peanut Butter and Parsley Treats- from Hermodernkitchen.com
peanut butter, flax, oats and parsley will make your dog drool and help freshen breath at the same time!
Pumpkin and Apple Treats from Fakeginger.com
Pumpkin, and Apple combine to make this special treat that dogs adore. I use whole wheat flour in this, they can be frozen, or put in the fridge for about 2 weeks. If your dog is picky they last about 3 or 4 days at room temp.
Soft Peanut Butter and carrot treats from Sallysbakingaddiction.com
These soft treats are full of smooth peanut butter and carrot and your pup will be licking their chops!
Spinach Carrot and Zucchini Treats from Damndelicious.com
Like everything over at DamnDelicious, this dog treat is no different. This is one that is definitely Rico approved and one that is made most often at our house!!
Or you can try your hand at mixing and matching a variety of ingredients until you find something your dog likes! IDEAS:
Whole Wheat Flour, and rolled oats make a great dry flour base.
brewers yeast, eggs, cheese and flax seed make great additives for healthy coat
parsley is a great additive for fresh breath!
pumpkin, apple, banana, peanut butter, blueberry, mango and carrot are great for flavor, binding, healthy eyes, teeth, coat and are some healthy dog favorites!
Rico has a favorite of whole wheat flour with flaxseed, brewers yeast, eggs, cheese and parsley. It tastes like pizza crust and when it is in the oven he will not leave the kitchen!! He would eat an entire pan of these if I let him...
see what you can come up with for your fur babies...they will thank you!
I LOVE a good chocolate milkshake. Actually my favorite is a chocolate Malt. Vanilla Ice Cream, chocolate syrup and a healthy dose of malt powder. Thick and creamy and rich, is there anything better?
For 5 years I was the general Manager of a super premium ice cream store. We were known for having amazing shakes, our blenders were constantly being washed. Any flavor, any mix in, , whatever you wanted. People would always tell us "why is your shake taste so much better than xxx down the street" or "You guys make the best shakes, what's your secret?"
I would always tell them "Love".
(Actually, thats not the secret. )
SO in Honor of Chocolate Milkshake Day I am posting how to make the PERFECT chocolate shake.
You COULD make a shake with chocolate ice cream, but good old fashioned chocolate milkshakes are made vanilla with chocolate sauce/syrup. (sometimes called a Black and White)
INGREDIENTS:
Vanilla ice cream
Chocolate Syrup of choice
*Simple Syrup (Here's the secret!!)
Whole Milk (you can use skim or 2%, but whole milk knocks this out of the park!)
*SIMPLE SYRUP- is easy enough to make. Combine equal parts water and sugar together. Stir stir stir until sugar is dissolved. For a thicker or more sweet syrup you can add more sugar, or less water, but I found that a 1 to 1 ratio is perfect. Put it in a squeeze bottle and KEEP IN FRIDGE for other cooking, baking or cocktail needs. Or you can purchase premade simple syrup , but I find homemade tastes better!
In your blender add
2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 cup milk for a thick shake, 3/4 for a thin shake.
a good squeeze of simple syrup (about 1-2 TBSP)
1/4 cup chocolate syrup or sauce.
Blend
voila, the amazing chocolate shake.
Serve with whipped cream on top for a real treat.
NOTES
** A higher quality ice cream is going to yield a better milkshake. The higher the milkfat, the more decadent the shake. We have a dairy nearby that sells premium fresh ice cream, and those shakes taste WAY better then when I make it with grocery store ice cream.
**A good quality syrup is not a huge deal. I find that Hersheys syrup makes a really great chocolate shake. Some people swear by Ghirardelli, or whatever. Use what you love, and we love good old fashioned Hersheys Chocolate syrup.
**The higher the milkfat in your milk, the creamier the shake.
**You dont HAVE to use the simple syrup, but I will tell you that the syrup almost acts like a binding agent and there is less splitting and separation of milk and cream AND it adds just the right sweetness dimension that is a great complement to the earthy almost bitter chocolate syrup.
HAPPY CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE DAY!!
I LOVE Le Creuset kitchenware items. I really do. Yes, they can be a bit pricey, but their stuff is JUST.SO.GOOD!! Their dutch oven is amazing. Heavy duty, durable and the colors are just so vibrant and beautiful. There is something about Le Creuset that just sets itself apart.
We just moved into a new place, and I have had the opportunity to update my kitchen wares, pots, pans, dishes etc. New place, new stuff...thats the rules right?
I came across this post and saw the Le Creuset has launched a new color to their collection.
It...is...GORGEOUS!!
A beautiful rustic dark teal. Absolutely stunning! When I was younger I loved their red and yellow and orange stuff, but the older I have gotten the more I love the deep jewel tones and understated elegance of the darker colors.
LOOK AT THIS STUFF!!! (Click the link to take you to all the new Le Creuset items.)
Le Creuset New Color Launch: Dark Teal
