 I have been fighting the January cold/flu combo that has most of my friends and family down for the count. Thanks to my misery, and probably the Doodle and Big Guy, I have been spending time alone trying to rest and recuperate.
I started to think about my week’s activities and whether I would be able to attend my weekly @rotaryclubofsaintlouis meeting. I will be on the mend by then, but it did make me grateful for this extraordinary group of people who would miss my attendance. I then realized we should all be so lucky. I hope you all have your outlet that gives you purpose and a sense of giving back to your community.
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 My parents raised my brother and I in an artistic home where they encouraged the study of music, theater, and dance. My poor brother, who wanted nothing to do with it, did his best to ride the wave. My goal, when I applied to college, was to enter the musical theater program. Unfortunately, due to a fork in the road, I accepted an invitation to be a vocal music student. My main voice teacher was a lovely lady raised in the South. Carole was of a distinct cultural background, but one thing she shared with the typical Southern cook was her love of food, especially desserts. She graciously shared her recipes, and this dessert is one from the books. The simplicity is its strength. You place graham crackers on a baking sheet as the bottom layer. I use parchment paper since the toffee can be sticky. The toffee is two sticks of butter, one cup of brown sugar, and one cup of crushed pecans. Once you have cooked these ingredients together, you pour it over the graham crackers, then bake it for ten minutes at 350 degrees. The dessert is magic, but I warn you it does not come with an “antidote.” It took strong will power NOT to eat them all in one sitting!   Big Guy has fallen in love with this recipe. It may sound like a White Castle Burger, but the cooking process is smashing the burgers into a field of shaved onions. As the burger cooks, it caramelizes the onions giving it a distinct flavor that does not require condiments. Unless, of course, you were given a gift of a fabulous jar of maple onion jam from @larder_cupboard. The added flavor profile of maple and apple cider vinegar with the onions elevated the burger into another level served with pretzel buns. I love the inspiration of this jam which we shared with @abrandt1026. She commented that she did not give us the jam as a gift to guilt us into serving it to her with the burgers, but we felt honored to share the experience with her, and memories, of this terrific meal.   Big Guy and I enjoy wandering the aisles at our local antique malls. It is a fun way to spend time, stretch our legs, and it certainly gives us creative ideas.
Over the holidays, we were walking through @getyourpickson66 when we discovered a Bob’s Cola box. I was looking for a box to display my family’s vintage village glitter and paper ornaments and this box had the perfect number of spaces for my collection. While I struck “gold” on this find, I became interested in the history of the box. The box itself was a vintage bottle crate. The lettering on the side not only noted Bob’s Cola, but St. Louis. I cannot confirm it, but the box may have been produced by the beverage company for use in our local market. I am on the hunt for more information, but I love that we were able to take a piece of St. Louis history and give it a new life. It is the perfect box that allows me to see the ornaments, remember the stories attached to them, and entertain the thought that my parents and grandparents may have enjoyed Bob’s Cola during their lifetime.  The weather outside is frightful, so it must be time to make ice cream. Right? I realize the idea is ludicrous, but I had multiple reasons to make it. First, my dairy products were about to expire and with the cost of food, I was not going to throw it out. Second, @abrandt1026 gave us fabulous chocolate raspberry sauce for Christmas thanks to her visit to @larder_cupboard. And third, ice cream is perfect any time of year! So, grab a pint of ice cream, warm up your sauce, put on your sweaters, and enjoy a decadent treat. You deserve it!   I found myself pulling pages out of holiday magazines with various cookie recipes. Big Guy noticed my pile was getting high, so he turned to @kingarthurbaking for a solution.
One of its most popular cookbooks, The Essential Cookie Companion was revised and updated for today’s bakers by @kingarthurbaking and their expert team of test kitchen experts. Not to mention, the timing was perfect as it was a great surprise in my Christmas stocking! I was immediately inspired just looking through the pages, but I was most impressed with the introductory pages that explained the types of ingredients used to be successful in my bakes along with clear instructions on the science of using proper measurements. I have not started yet, but I already feel more confident to lean into my desire to be a better baker!  I assume there was French Toast consumed in the Saint Louis area during our recent snowstorm thanks to the rush on bread, milk, and eggs. While I appreciate this breakfast treat, Big Guy and I were in the mood for a hearty breakfast. I stepped back and let Big Guy take over the @carondeletkitchen as one of his specialties is biscuits and gravy. He tells me it is a basic recipe with fat, flour and milk enhanced with pepper and sausage. It seems like magic to me, so I just sit back and enjoy the outcome. Who can argue about an omelet and biscuits and gravy? It was great to be fortified so I was ready to tackle the snow!   The holidays would not have been complete without making the traditional family meal of meat pies. I realize the name is horrific, but it really is a perfect description. I will explain as the two major ingredients are ground sirloin and pork sausage, hence, its name. Obviously, there is so much more to it such as the addition of onion, carrots, celery, and Herbes de Provence. Fortunately, I can buy the herb mixture at the store, so no more mixing my own with thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaves. The other benefit of living in today’s world is I can use my @cuisinart to blend the ingredients together into a savory pie. As the mixture can be slightly grey, I add a touch of Kitchen Bouquet to darken the pie making it most pleasing to the eye. I hope you have a special meal as part of your holiday traditions. Big Guy and I enjoyed making this recipe our own as we bumped up the flavor and reduced the workload!
 I ended my bowling league season with a jar of kisses made by @hersheys. Our fearless leader decided to do a trivia question about the song: "White Christmas," which was an easy answer for me as this movie is one of my favorites. Ralph asked who knew another movie Bing Crosby sang "White Christmas." The answer is Holiday Inn. Ralph planned no prize, so the other bowlers opted to gather up the kisses and give me my well-deserved reward…with their love. Rim shot, please! Once I got home, I realized I could make two batches of cookies from one recipe. I grabbed the mixing bowl and made peanut butter cookie dough. I used the kisses in one batch and made the other one plain. It turned out perfect but drove my poor Doodle mad since she loves peanut butter. Sorry baby, these are adult treats!
 We enjoyed the holiday season filled with outings, get-togethers, and family time. It was also the year when Hanukkah started on Christmas Day.
Our tradition is to make a “manly” quiche for breakfast on Christmas Day. It is an old @emeril recipe which, as Big Guy says, has the ingredients to satisfy the hungry heart. It was something we all looked forward to for Christmas especially the men in the family! The bottom of the quiche calls for hash browns, so Big Guy, falling into my two meals in one theme for the year, suggested we also make latkes to observe Hanukkah. Latkes are a traditional Jewish dish made from potatoes that are like a pancake or fritter. It turned out to be the perfect “appetizer” slathered with apple butter before we dove into the quiche. It was a lovely way to maximize ingredients while also observing two major holiday events. |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
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