 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! 
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 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.  We have been making manly quiche for decades. Big Guy and I were initially inspired by a recipe by @emeril, we have played with the recipe over the years to make it our own @carondeletkitchen version.
The bottom layer is usually shredded hash browns, but Big Guy has been known to substitute tater tots. The eggs, onions, and sausage come next, and again, the sausage varies each time. In the beginning, we used @johnsonville sausage, then found a local sausage from @stoniessausage which has the perfect breakfast mix of smoked apple and bacon. While the original recipe called for rings of red peppers on top, Big Guy diced them and added them to the egg mix. The quiche is manly for its ingredients and size, so know you will enjoy this dish with leftovers for the next day.  I was recently shopping @legrandsmarket and noticed a beautiful sausage stuffed with chicken, provolone, basil, and tomato. I was immediately struck with inspiration to use it in a pasta meal. Big Guy got the ball rolling by cooking the sausage in the oven. While it baked, he created a sauce of olive oil, garlic, and roasted red peppers. Once the sausage was fully cooked, Big Guy pulled it out of the oven and cut it into small pieces to be tossed in the pasta. We opted to use fettuccine, but I am sure your favorite pasta would be perfect! It was a filling meal which we served with our favorite focaccia from @keycakesandco. It warmed our hearts and bodies on a chilly evening.
 I am spoiled rotten by Big Guy as he enjoys my purchasing fun tools as much as I do for use in @carondeletkitchen. God help the kids who inherit my collection!
I love the holiday season and look forward to the seasonal catalogs. I may not buy from every one of them, but @kingarthurbaking really hit my sweet spot this year. They had a snowflake brownie pan which I had to add to my other seasonal baking pans. It arrived and was a solid pan that I knew would make the perfect brownie. I surprised @abrandt1026 with this dessert as part of our weekly supper club and she was impressed by the details especially since I added a dusting of powdered sugar on top to bring out the snowflake design. I loved the response so much that I plan to make it again for Christmas. What a joy to find tools that add extra oomph to your baking!
The snow was falling, and I got the itch to make soup. Thank goodness Big Guy is crazy like me and volunteered to run to @legrandsmarket to pick up the ingredients for a beef barley soup.
The surprise was upon his return he also bought the ingredients to make his fabulous meatballs with the idea of doing a riff on an Italian wedding soup. Me being me, accepted the challenge to make two soups at the same time since both soups shared the same foundational ingredients of onions, celery, carrots, and peppers. Big Guy prepped the top sirloin and the meatballs while I chopped and sauteed the vegetables. Once our individual preps were complete, I added peas, pearled barley, top sirloin, and beef broth to one pot. The other pot had meatballs, flat noodles, and beef broth. Two soups for the price of one! Apron drop! |
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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