Maple Bacon

I cooked bacon a different way this morning.  It turned out simply delicious.  I saw Ina Garten do this on tv so I thought I'd try it.  Place a baking rack over a sheet pan.  Then place the bacon strips on top of the baking rack.  Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  The time will vary depending on how thick the bacon is.  When the bacon is done, take it out of the oven and brush the strips with real maple syrup.  Put the bacon back in the oven for a couple of minutes to crisp up.  It tastes so good, slightly sweet and salty at the same time.  Not to mention how easy it is to cook.

Strawberry Soup

I found a wonderful and very easy recipe for a cold berry soup.  It would be great as a first course and I bet it would even be good as a light dessert with some graham crackers or sugar cookies.  It would be beautiful garnished with a strawberry fan.  The recipe calls for fresh strawberries but I used frozen, thawed strawberries instead.  I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website.  The internet is a wonderful  thing.  You can find a recipe for anything.  Of course, the trick is being able to read a recipe and know that it will actually be good.  If I go to the trouble of cooking I want the food to be outstanding, not just okay.  This one I think is outstanding.

Chilled Berry Soup
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Place strawberries in a food processor; cover and process until pureed.  Add the ginger ale, milk, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla;  cover and process until blended.

Pout into a large bowl; whisk in sour cram until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.  Yield:  4 servings

Banana Ice Cream

I know it seems really strange to be making homemade ice cream in January, but it is a special treat even in the winter time.  I was looking for a recipe and came across the directions for the ice cream attachment for my Kitcheaide mixer so I thought it would be fun to make some ice cream.  Besides, John loves ice cream and it doesn't hurt to keep your husband happy.  I chose a very simple vanilla recipe that can be made in a conventional ice cream freezer as well.  I spied some bananas on the counter and since I'm trying to do a better job of not letting food go to waste this year, I decided to put them in the ice cream.  It took very little effort and was simply delicious.  (John was very happy.)  This recipe makes 2 quarts which was great for us.

Banana Ice Cream

1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
dash salt
1 cup half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas

Scald milk until bubbles form around the edge.  Remove from heat.  Add sugar and salt.  Stir until dissolved.. Stir in half and half, vanilla and whipping cream.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.  Add bananas.  Freeze as directed.

New Pancake Recipe

I've used the same pancake recipe for years.  It is quick and easy and I always have all the ingredients on hand.  However, I decided to try a new recipe and I think it is even better.  I found it on Martha Stewart's website and it uses buttermilk which I don't always keep on hand but the pancakes were delicious.  John said he liked these better than the old recipe and he loves pancakes.  I usually make a full recipe of pancakes even though there are only two of us because I freeze the leftovers.  I put wax paper between the individual pancakes and put them in a plastic freezer bag.  That way it's easy to remove the number you want.  Here's the recipe.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Heat griddle to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add eggs, buttermilk and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine.  Batter should have small to medium lumps.

Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter onto the griddle.  Wipe off excess.  (My griddle is so well seasoned that I skipped this step.)

Pour pancake batter on the griddle.  When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over.  Cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute.  Repeat with remaining batter.  (The recipe says to make 6 inch pancakes.  I don't make mine that big.  I make mine about 4 inches in diameter.)  Makes nine 6 inch pancakes.

I also tried a beverage recipe that would be very good for breakfast or brunch.  I'm always looking for something different and this would be a change from plain orange juice.  My inspiration was a cocktail that Ina Garten made on her show.  It used four kinds of citrus juice and vodka.  I wasn't interested in the cocktail but I thought the combination of juices would be interesting so I modified the recipe to make it non-alcoholic and to suit my taste.  The cocktail is called juice of a few flowers.  I added sugar and diluted the juices with a little water.  I thought the drink was very refreshing, a little sweet and a little tart and I really like the mix of citrus juices.

Juice of a Few Flowers Punch

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (1 grapefruit)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
3/4 cups sugar (or more to taste)
4 cups water

Combine the four juices and add sugar.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add water and stir. Chill and serve over ice.

Something New for a New Year

One of my favorite things is to tell someone else something new that I've learned.  I was born to be a teacher and even though I don't do it professionally anymore, I can't help but share new things with other people.  I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes and techniques so why not combine the two.  So this blog will be about the new things I discover as I cook my way through 2011.  I'm new to blogging but that is exciting too.  Something new for me to learn.

I've already discovered some great recipes, even though the year is still fairly new.  But I'm going to start with the soup I made for supper last night.  Sweet Potato-Peanut Soup with Ham Croutons.  I found the recipe in the 2002 Christmas with Southern Living.  I had some spiral sliced ham that I needed to use up and I was intrigued by the combination of sweet potatoes and peanut butter.  The soup wasn't hard to make and the result was delicious.  The ham croutons were a good addition to the soup too.  It was really rich and thick and the color was beautiful.  Here's the recipe.  I just made half of the recipe.  I'm just cooking for two these days.  Half of the recipe made enough for us to eat it twice.

Sweet Potato-Peanut Soup with Ham Croutons
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (I used dried rosemary 1 teaspoon)
2 cups cubed ham
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute 10 minutes or until tender.  Add broth, potato, and chopped rosemary.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is very tender.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add ham, and cook until browned and crisp on all sides.  Drain on paper towels.

Process potato mixture, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth. (I used my immersion blender.)  Return mixture to Dutch oven; stir in peanut butter.  Cook over medium-low heat until soup is smooth, stirring often.  Stir in whipping cream, salt, and pepper; cook until thoroughly heated.  Ladle into bowls and top with ham croutons. Yield:  10 cups