Glühwein ~ Mulled Wine Recipe

I have a friend who does not even drink who has great alcoholic recipes, this is one of his.

1 bottle of bold dry red wine
1/2 cup of brandy or rum (optional)
1 cup water
1 large orange, peeled then juiced
1 lemon, peeled
1 lime, peeled (optional)
1/2 cup agave syrup or vanilla sugar
5-6 whole cloves
1 nutmeg, about 10 gratings
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, halved
2 star anise

Peel large sections of skin from orange, lemon and lime. Over medium heat in a medium sized pot, pour in agave syrup and water, then add the peels and juice of the orange. Add the vanilla bean, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg gratings. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. The liquid will reduce, so after around 30 minutes, add in about a half cup of wine. This allows the flavors to infuse and will create a syrup.

When your syrup is ready turn the heat down to low and pour in the bottle of wine and brandy. Bring back to a gentle simmer and heat for about 5 minutes or depending on how much alcohol you want to burn off you can simmer a bit longer. Ladle it into glasses and serve warm.

Total Time: 60-90 minutes
Yield: Makes 4-6 Glasses

Hot Buttered Bourbon

When I have a cold, etc I have a few glasses, sometimes using the cannabis option for the butter or honey.

2 T butter (softened)
¼ t honey/agave
⅛ t cloves
⅛ t ginger
¼ t cinnamon
1 C orange juice
½ T sugar
4 oz bourbon
Optional nutmeg, cardamom

Heat the orange juice over medium heat. Add the sugar and whisk until it dissolves, then turn the heat to low.
In a bowl or mortar and pestle, mix the butter, honey, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon until combined.
Once the orange juice reaches a low simmer, add the butter mixture and whisk until it melts. Whisk in the bourbon then serve immediately. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, which you can use to stir the drink if it starts to separate.

Drunken Pumpkin Pie

½ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. powdered cinnamon
½ cup graham crackers, finely crushed
2 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. coffee-flavored rum
.75 oz Irish cream

Bring sugar and ½ cup water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and drop in a cinnamon stick. Set aside, and let cool. (Once cool, discard the cinnamon stick.)
Combine the powdered cinnamon and graham cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl or saucer. Dampen the rim of a martini glass with water, and dip it into the graham cracker mixture.
In a shaker with ice, mix the vanilla vodka, coffee-flavored rum, Irish cream and .25 oz. cinnamon simple syrup. Shake and strain it into the rimmed glass.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

2 C half and half (you can use evaporated milk also of use 1 cup each)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

3/4-1cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2-2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 t cinnamon
2 t vanilla (smidge more is totally allowed, but only a smidge)

10-12 C bread or bread (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
1 C golden raisins

Set oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a11 x 7-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl whisk together first 7 ingredients to combine.
Fold in bread cubes and raisins.
Transfer the mixture to prepared baking dish.
Let stand for 10-15 minutes for the bread to absorb the mixture.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until done.

Serve with lots of whipped cream, vanilla sauce, or caramel topping.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I commonly do a double batch, with a simple math of 1 it is easy to multiple to any size.  You can also put chocolate kisses, jelly, jam, etc on these.  If you want a different kind of nut butter the recipe is the same.

1 C Peanut Butter (I usually do half creamy and half crunchy)
1 C Sugar
Egg

Preheat oven to 350
Mix well
Form the dough into small balls.  Put on cookie sheet then squash using a fork crisscross, or spoon if putting something on the cookies.
Bake 10-12 minutes

Vegetable Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

It is hot and humid.  How is Seattle more hot and humid than San Diego?  The heat has me wanting a cool refreshing meal.  The work is worth it.  If you want to do this as a salad you can skip the wrapper (it is a really good noodle salad as well).

Ingredients
For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2 T peanut butter
2 T rice vinegar
1 T soy sauce
2 t sugar
1/2 t of red pepper flakes
1 to 2 T water, to thin sauce, if necessary

For the noodle filling:
1 1/2 ounces cellophane noodles (also called bean threads)
1/2 t sesame oil
Red pepper flakes

For the vegetable filling:
1/3 seedless cucumber
1/2 medium carrot, peeled
1/2 red bell pepper
2 to 3 medium radishes
1 scallion, chopped

For the vegetable dressing:
1/2 T rice vinegar
1/2 t sugar
1 t fish sauce
1/2 lime, juiced, about 1 tablespoon

To assemble the rolls:
8 rice paper wrappers
2 T cilantro leaves
16 to 24 fresh mint leaves

Tools
Separate bowls for sauce, herbs, noodles, and vegetables
Mandoline or box grater
Cake pan for softening the rice wrappers
Instructions

Spicy peanut sauce

Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and creamy, and set aside.

Noodle filling

If the cellophane noodles are very long, break them into smaller bits. Cook the cellophane noodles according to the package directions.  We heated a medium saucepan full of water until almost boiling, then turned off the heat, added the noodles, and let them sit for about 10 minutes.  Drain the noodles, put them in a bowl, and toss with the sesame oil and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Vegetable filling

Use a mandoline or box grater to slice the cucumber, carrot, and red pepper into thin strips — or simply julienne by hand.  If you are using large radishes, you can slice them on the mandoline or box grater.  Or just slice into thin rounds by hand.  Whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a large bowl.  Add the vegetables and the scallion, and toss to coat.

Soften the rice wrappers

Fill a round cake pan halfway with warm water.  For each wrapper, immerse it in the hot water bath until it softens, which takes about 30 seconds.  Watch for it to begin curling, then immediately flip it over and continue flipping until it is just softened.  Use both hands to pull it up out of the water, being careful so it doesn't collapse on itself, and spread it immediately on a plate.

Filling

Fill the center of the softened wrapper first by laying about 3 to 4 herb leaves down the center.  Then lay down about 1 to 2 tablespoons of noodles (you want to have enough for 8 rolls).  Then, add 1/8 of the veggie mixture.  Add a few sprigs of cilantro and 2 to 3 mint leaves, depending on how large they are.

Rolling

To roll up your roll, first fold the top and bottom edges of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the edges towards the center and continue rolling the filled wrapper until it's closed and snug.  Continue this process with each of the wrappers.  You may need to change your hot water halfway through.  As you finish each roll, place it on a cookie sheet and cover the rolls with a damp towel.

Blackberry Jam

This is the base recipe, I multiple the numbers based on how many cups of blackberries (eg 3.5 C blackberries needs 3.5 Sugar and 3.5t Lemon)

1 cups crushed blackberries
1 cups sugar
1 teaspoons lemon juice

In a pan cook blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice on high heat for 5 minutes and reduce to medium heat and cook an additional 10-12 minutes.  Skim the foam off and store in a heat-proof container. The jam will thicken as it cools.

Cannasyrup

Last but not least (of the weed ingredient set), my favourite recipe that I should never make (cause I do the horrible mixing it with alcohol).

3 C filtered pure water

3 C fine granulated sugar

2 T vegetable glycerine or propylene glycol

2 g finely ground cannabis

Place your water in a pan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling add in your sugar and stir it until its completely dissolved, add in your finely chopped cannabis.

Cover the pot and let it boil for 30 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to medium heat and now add the glycerin.  Let it simmer for 10 minutes stirring once every minutes.

Using a french press, cheese cloth, or something similar to strain your liquid into a bowl.

Canna-Honey/Agave

15 grams cannabis

2 C honey or Agave
1-2 T sunflower lecithin

In a piece of cheesecloth about 10″ x 10″, wrap the cannabis.  In a quart jar, combine all ingrediants.  Fill crockpot with water and turn on low. Place honey jar in crockpot.  Once the honey is warm, periodically shake the jar and check the lid to make sure pressure isn’t building. If it is, burp the jar and tighten the lid again.  After 8 hours (or up to a few days if you’re the forgetful type), use a pair of tongs to remove the cannabis satchel from the honey and squeeze as much out as you can using the tongs. Odds are, there will still be some honey up in there. You have two options, make some extra strength high chia or squeeze it out with your hands.

Store in the fridge or in a cool dark place.

Coconut Cannaoil

5 cups water, distilled
2 ounces cannabis, finely ground
1 cup organic coconut oil

Melt 1 cup of organic coconut oil in crock pot on lowest setting.
Add 2 ounces of cannabis and 5 cups of water when the coconut oil has melted. Mix everything together.
Turn crock pot on high. Heat for one hour, stirring frequently.
Return crock pot to low setting. Allow the mixture to steep for 4 to 24 hours. Stir every hour.
Turn crock pot off. Pour the Coconut Cannabis Oil mixture little-by-little slowly over the top of the cheesecloth and into the container. Repeat this step as necessary to strain all of the liquid from the plant.
Cover container and place in the refrigerator. Wait overnight for the mixture to separate. Remove the hardened coconut oil from the top and discard the water.
Use Coconut Cannabis Oil in solid form, or melt down to use as a liquid.

Almond Cannamilk

½ cup raw almonds
3 cups water, distilled
cannabis, coarsely ground (recommended 1-4 grams)

Blend the almonds and water in a food processor until it resembles milk.
Strain the almond milk through a cheesecloth or strainer.
Add the strained milk to a saucepan and bring to a light boil.
Add the ground cannabis and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat. Chill and serve, or use as a replacement for milk in any recipe.

Cannamilk

1 C Whole Milk or Cream

1/8oz or 3.5g of finely ground cannabis

1. Add the milk and cannabis to a pan over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil, and then allow to simmer for about an hour.
3. Allow to cool and then pour into an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed. Use before the sell by date on the milk used.

Cannaflour

The shelf-life of cannaflour is less than 24 hours

dried cannabis
flour

Remove all stems and seeds from the dried cannabis. Grind cannabis in coffee grinder until it turns into a powder. You may have to repeat this step a few times.

Keep cannabis powder in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
Sift the cannabis powder and flour together until it is mixed evenly. For best results never use more cannabis than you use flour; keep the ratio 50-50 or less.
Use cannaflour in recipes just as you would regular flour.

Cannamayo

1 cup CannaOil
3 egg yolks
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t white vinegar
½ t Dijon mustard
pinch sea salt

Whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, vinegar and mustard together thoroughly.
Add the Cannaoil slowly while whisking constantly.
Whisk until the mayonnaise begins to thicken. (Add a few drops of water if it gets too thick.)
Store mayonnaise in a airtight container. Chill in the refrigerator.

Cannaoil

Two cups of Corn or Vegetable Oil
One Ounce of Marijuana mids broken up well

1. Place oil in slow cooker on low
2. In 20 minutes add Marijuana Buds
3. Observe buds, if not loosely covered in oil add more 1/2 cup at a time until covered
4. Cook for 6 hours on low, stirring every hour
5. Strain into a Mason Jar while reserving plant material (Set Aside)
6. Return plant material to slow cooker adding one 8 oz bottled water
7. Stir and cook two additional hours
8. Strain into separate mason jar and place in freezer
9. Extract oil from top of frozen water

Cannibutter

I have been using weed products in things, time to share how I make my basics, starting with butter

1 ounce of marijuana bud to every 4 ounces (one stick) of butter

*or two ounces of marijuana leaf to every stick of butter

cheesecloth
large stock pot of water

1. Place marijuana in food processor and blend until broken down into a chunky powder (the consistency of breadcrumbs.)
2. Place the puree into cheesecloth and tie the cheesecloth at the top so that it forms a ball. In a large stock pot over medium heat, place four sticks of butter. When it comes to a boil, turn heat to medium low and addd the marijuana. Process at a very low simmer for 2 1/2 hours to allow the marijuana to steep into the water.
3. Take off of the stove and squeeze out all of the liquid from the cheesecloth to ensure that all of the nutrients are added to the liquid. Place in the refrigerator and allow the butter to solidify. The butter will rise to the top above the water. Pull it out, and there you have your marijuana butter infusion.

Luscious and Creamy Tomato Soup

I love tomato soup.  I cannot stand the consistency of tomatoes, however they have an amazing taste.  This is all that wonderful taste.

3 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 C carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1½lb ripe plum or vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 C passata
2 C vegetable stock

1/2 C single cream or low-fat crème fraîche
splash dry sherry
crusty bread and butter, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion for 5-6 minutes over a gentle heat until almost softened but not browned. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaf and thyme and cook for a further 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the vegetables don't stick to the base of the pan.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then stir in the passata and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme, then blend the soup in a liquidizer or food processor. This will probably have to be done in two batches. Pour the soup into a clean saucepan, passing it through a sieve if you want it really smooth. Stir in the cream, a splash of sherry and extra seasoning if required.

Pour into large mugs or bowls and serve with fresh crusty buttered bread.

Broccomole

Not only am I picky, but I am allergic to the most annoying things.  Imagine not being allowed guacamole because the main ingredient causes the esophagus to close.  This is not a perfect replacement, however it is very good, and wonderfully creamy.

3 cups chopped broccoli
1 jalapeno, chopped, seeds removed
2 tbs green onions
1 tsp olive oil
2 ounces fat free cream cheese (tofu also works well)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbs cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Cook the broccoli in lightly salted water until very soft.  Drain broccoli very well.Transfer to a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, add additional olive oil for a smoother texture.

BBQ Chicken Sliders

This is a recipe designed for a party, when doing this for picky eaters (like me) it make more sense to separate into 3/4 roll portions and letting the annoying picky people make their own (or let us starve, we do kind of deserve it).

Flat of 12 dinner rolls

3 cups cooked chicken
⅓ cup BBQ sauce
½ red onion, thinly sliced
6 slices pepper Jack cheese
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Slice the rolls in half lengthwise.  Place the bottom half on a 9×13 baking tray.  Spread the chicken evenly on the rolls, followed by the BBQ sauce, red onion, Jack cheese, and parsley.  Place the remaining half of the rolls on top.  Brush with melted butter.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Garlic Basil Spread

Another steal from my god-sister.  I love basil

1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the Garlic Basil spread, combine the garlic, parsley, basil, pine nuts, olive oil, cheese, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor and pulse to form a paste.

Fococcia

My step niece in law (sometimes called God-sister) loves cooking about as much as I do.  This is fococcia from her (it is great having an awesome recipe obsessed member of the family).

3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 pounds, 8 ounces unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and allow to bloom for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture is foamy.
Add the sugar, 2 pounds of flour, and salt and mix by hand or a stand mixer for approximately 5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Add remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Form the dough into a ball, transfer to an oiled large mixing bowl and turn it to coat the dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. The dough may be made up to this point, punched own and kept covered and chilled overnight. Allow the dough to return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe
Preheat oven to 450F and place a rack in the center. Press the dough evenly into a well-oiled rimmed baking sheet and let it rise in a warm place, covered loosely for 1 hour or until almost doubled in bulk. Combine 1/3 cup oil, garlic and rosemary leaves in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Using your fingertips, dimple the dough evenly across the surface to make 1/4 inch deep indentations Using a pastry brush, coat the focaccia with the her oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the to is golden brown. Allow the focaccia to cook in the pan on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature, or split for sandwiches if desired.

Sack Posset

Doing the research for this one I found a few different end types.  I tried these two extremes ...

Custard
Take a quart of thick cream, boil it with whole spice, then take sixteen eggs, yolks and whites beaten very well, then heat about three quarters of a pint of sack, and mingle well with your eggs, then stir them into your cream, and sweeten it, then cover it up close for half an hour or more over a seething pot of water or over very slow embers, in a bowl

Drink

1 C granulated sugar
1 C cream sherry

Whole or ground nutmeg (whole gives a milder flavour)
2 C milk
5 egg yolks

Put the sherry, sugar, and nutmeg into a saucepan, bring to a boil and stir until the sugar melts In another saucepan scald the milk.
Put the egg yolks into a bowl and beat about 1/2 cup of the milk into them, then slowly add the rest of the scolded milk beating all the time, then back to the saucepan, medium-low heat and cook until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon.  Gradually add the sherry mixture, mix well but do not beat.
Heat through and serve.

Another reminder, booze does not entirely burn off, too much could get you drunk.

Blind Russian

0.75 ounce Irish cream

0.75 ounce Godiva white chocolate liqueur

0.75 ounce Kahlua

0.50 ounce butterscotch schnapps

Milk to taste

Fill shaker with ice, add liqueurs and milk.Shake and strain into glass.

Punch Romaine

Another Supersizer Go based recipe.  I do not remember which episode, I remember there being a dinner party, and Sue Perkins lacking sobriety to a serious degree (ie she was drunk).

1 egg white
1 oz. white rum
1 oz. white wine
1⁄2 oz. simple syrup
1⁄2 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. fresh orange juice
2 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine
Twist of orange peel, for garnish


In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine egg white, rum, wine, simple syrup, lemon and orange juice; shake vigorously until well mixed and frothy. Mound crushed ice in a large coupe glass, and pour drink around it. Top with champagne, and garnish with orange peel.

Indian Beef Fry

I read about this on BBC and had to try it.  I could write a 10 page essay on me being obsessed with spicy foods.  I will stick with just sharing this mildly modified recipe I tried.

2 lb beef cut into 2"-long, 1"-thick strips
2 large onions sliced very thin
2 large tomatoes chopped fine
2 T ginger paste
2 T garlic paste
2-3 green chillies (I did 4)
3 T coriander seeds
4 T fennel seeds
8 cloves
6 cardamom pod seeds
1" stick of cinnamon
20-30 black peppercorns
1 large onion chopped fine
50 curry leaves
1 C fresh coconut cut into 1"-long, thin slivers
1 T mustard seeds
4 T cooking oil (I go with coconut, cause that is kind of my thing)

Heat a flat pan on a medium flame till hot. Reduce the flame to simmer. Put the fennel, coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cardamon seeds, and cinnamon on the pan. Roast, stirring often till the spices begin to get slightly darker and give off their aroma. Turn off fire. Allow to cool slightly.

Grind the above roasted spices into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder (I keep a spare one just for this type of thing).

Put the meat, sliced onions, green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic paste and ground spices into a large mixing bowl. Mix well till all the meat is coated. Keep aside to marinate for an hour.

After an hour, put the above mixture into a large deep vessel and set up to cook on a medium flame. Do not add any water as the meat will give off its own juices. Cook till the meat is tender.

In a separate small pan, heat the cooking oil on a medium flame till hot and add the chopped onions to it. Fry till transparent.

Add the curry leaves and mustard seeds, and cook till they stop spluttering. Now add the coconut slivers. Cook till they begin to turn a pale golden color.

Add this tempering mixture to the meat and mix well. Turn on the fire (medium flame) under the vessel containing the meat and cook, stirring often, till the meat browns. The whole dish begins to turn a deep, dark brown in color. This dish traditionally has no gravy at all and is dry so if water is present, make sure to dry it off.

Hippocras

I love Supersizers Go. History and cooking?  What is there not to love? This one is from the Elizabethan episode.  In olden times this spiced wine was served as a digestive, but I say drink it on a hot day or a cold night.

1 stick cinnamon, broken into smaller pieces

small pinch of cloves (up to a tiny handful)
1" thinly sliced ginger
1/2 C sugar
1 bottle red wine

Optional

1/2 t course ground pepper

1/2 t ground nutmeg

Mix wine with sugar, and add the spices. Let stand for a day or two. Strain the wine through a moistened cheese cloth and rebottle the wine. Keep the hippocras in the refrigerator, and wait a couple of days before serving.

This is amazing both chilled and warmed (remember that warming does burn off some alcohol, but not nearly all, so it still counts).

Challah Bread

I love bread, like really love bread.  I would love to just eat bread, a million different kinds of it.  Hot with butter, with toppings, or without anything.  I will try to not bore you with too much bread in too short a time.

1/2 T active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100 degrees F/40 degrees C)
2 T honey
1 t salt
3 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 beaten egg yolk, or more; for brushing

Stir the yeast into the water, and let the mixture stand until a creamy layer forms on top, about 10 minutes. Stir in honey and salt until dissolved, and add the eggs. Mix in the flour, a cupful at a time, until the dough is sticky.

Sprinkle the dough with flour, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Form the dough into a compact round shape, and place in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over several times in the bowl to oil the surface of the dough, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Punch down the dough, and cut it into 3 equal-sized pieces. Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look.
Place the braided loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush the top with beaten egg yolk. (For a softer crust, brush with melted butter instead.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake the challah in the preheated oven until the top browns to a rich golden color and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with a spoon, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Cheese and Mushroom bread

Remember yesterdays bread?  This goes amazing on it.

Side note, I hate mayonnaise (I can handle homemade, but the jarred stuff is disgusting).  DO NOT SKIP IT, this is so much better with it, gives it an amazing melty feeling even when the bread is completely cooled.

1 T unsalted butter
1 t olive oil
3 C sliced crimini mushrooms
1 T fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
2 C shredded mozzarella
1 C shredded swiss cheese
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 t garlic
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 loaf bread (1 whole loaf cut lengthwise)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter melts. Add in mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms start to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Combine cooled mushrooms, thyme, mozzarella, swiss, mayonnaise, garlic and black pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
Spoon and spread mixture on the bread. Cook in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until bread starts to brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, allow to cool several minutes, garnish with fresh thyme leaves, slice and serve.

Easy, Simple, Fun Bread

I love this recipe for a million reasons (well, a long list of reasons) quite a few of which is that it can be easily modified.

Only the yeast cannot be changed without huge modification.

The water can be changed, however you have to be very careful with a modification as not everything will make the yeast bloom.

The sugar can be changed to a multitude of sweet products.

The salt can be low sodium, half sodium, etc, or cut entirely (though that is not suggested as it does hurt the flavour.

The oil is lots of fun to play with.  So many oil choices, so little time.  I love coconut oil, I use it everywhere, here it gives a mild tropical flavour if you eat the bread without any topping.

The flour can be changed, although the amount does swing based on which, sometimes by quite a bit.
Even the loaf style can be modified.  Want rolls?  Want a wider shaped loaf?  Want a thinner shape?  Try anything, just remember that bake time may change.

Try this one, play with it, find a combination you love as much as I love my coconut bread topped with pineapple jelly.  I have many recipes that use this as a base.

1/2 T (1 package) active dry yeast
2 1/4 C warm water (110° to 115°)
3 T sugar
1 T salt
2 T canola oil
6 1/4-3/4 C all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in two greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

The Courtesan

So beyond the name being awesome it tastes pretty damn good too

1.5 oz Ebb+Flow Gin

1 oz Depth Cacao
1/4 oz Maraschino
1/4 oz raspberry liqueur.

Shake with ice and serve up.

Eggnog Ice Cream

Beat together 4 egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until the yolks lighten in color and the sugar is completely dissolved in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Set aside.

Combine the 1 pint whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium sauce pan and bring just to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the heat, stir in 3 ounces bourbon and pour into a medium mixing bowl and set in the refrigerator. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 40 degrees, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

Once chilled, process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. Serve as is for soft-serve or place in an airtight container and put in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours for traditional ice cream.

How to make gay pasta

You need multiple pots. One for each colour
In each pot add water and food colouring
Boil noodles as normal
Drain, rinse, drain, then mix together

Grapefruit Hot Toddy

2 cups of water
2 bags of black tea
½ cup fresh grapefruit juice (about 1 grapefruit)
2 shots of bourbon
1 tablespoon maple syrup (whatever liquid sweetener you got will do)
2 cinnamon sticks (totally fucking optional)

Bring the water to a boil on the stove with a kettle or whatever the fuck else you use. In a large measuring glass or heat-safe pitcher add the grapefruit juice, bourbon, maple syrup, and cinnamon sticks. When the water is boiling, pour it into the pitcher, add the tea bags, and cover that motherfucker to keep it warm while the flavors mix. Let the tea steep for 3 minutes. Take out the tea bags and cinnamon sticks and serve that shit immediately.

Classic Cheesecake

1-1/2 C     Graham crackers crumbs
1 C +3 T   Sugar
1/3 C         Butter
4 8oz pkg  Cream Cheese, softened
1 t              Vanilla
4                 Eggs

Set oven to 325 F

Crust
Mix the crumbs, 3 T of the sugar sugar, and butter;  press into 9" cheesecake pan

Cake
Beat the cream cheese, the rest of the sugar, and the vanilla;  once well mixed add the eggs 1 at a time, mix on low; pour over crust

Bake for 55 minutes, until middle is nearly set

Wait until cooled to remove from pan

Candy Corn Cocktail

1/4 box lemon flavored gelatin powder
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup mango nectar
3/4 cup orange soda
1/4 cup Malibu Rum
Top with whipped cream

Boil water, add lemon gelatin and add mango nectar.
Pour mixture into a stem-less glass and chill in fridge for 3-4 hours.
Mix orange soda with Malibu Rum and slowly pour over chilled mixture.
Top with whipped cream.