Homemade Raspberry Liqueur
Homemade Raspberry Liqueur
I make a lot of different liqueurs. Raspberry liqueur is probably one of my favorites. It reminds me of a warm summer afternoon.
I love raspberries. My parents had a row of raspberry bushes at the back of the yard, so I grew up enjoying them fresh. I preserve raspberries to enjoy all year long. I freeze berries, make jams and jellies and dehydrate some.
I also enjoy using some to make homemade raspberry liqueur. You just start with alcohol – I most often use vodka – then you add raspberries. I sweeten it later on, but you can leave it unsweetened, if you prefer.
Its beautiful color and great flavor make it nice for sipping, or used in mixed drinks. Think of it as just another food preservation method. Here is the recipe, in case you want to make it. Makes a great gift, too.
You can use fresh or frozen berries.
Homemade Raspberry Liqueur
1 lb. raspberries*
3 c. vodka, you could use brandy
1 ¼ c. sugar
Combine fruit and vodka and let stand 2 -4 weeks. Stir in sugar and age 3 months. Strain and filter. Makes 3-4 cups.
*You can use frozen berries, too.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Brownies
Gluten-Free Zucchini Brownies
These brownies are everything you want in a brownie. Sweet, moist and very tender. The fact they are also flour and gluten-free is a nice bonus for those who can’t have gluten.
You might think, when you read the ingredients, that I left something out. I didn’t. They baked up beautifully and had a wonderful texture.
I made them for a dinner with friends and everyone liked them, a lot. I think the next time I make them, I might also add some chopped nuts.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Brownies
1½ c. shredded zucchini
1 c. almond butter- but you could use peanut butter instead
1 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. honey – but you can use 1/2 cup if you want a sweeter brownie
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 inch pan, set aside. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well blended. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before cutting. Makes 16.
Pickled Rainbow Carrot Salad
Pickled “Rainbow”Carrot Salad
This was one of those dishes where it came out great, but was not what I had planned in the beginning. Let me explain.
I had picked up some beautiful rainbow carrots at a local market. They come in colors ranging from yellow to purplish red. I wanted to make something special with them, highlighting their vibrant colors. I liked the idea of a kind of pickled carrot. Made up the recipe as I went along. I knew the flavors would go well with the rest of the dinner that was planned.
The carrot salad worked out so well. Great flavors- but there was a problem.
I had used a red wine vinegar and by the time everything was done cooking, the color of the carrots had changed. They all looked, well, like regular carrots. No one knew the difference, except me. I felt bad that I had cooked all the color out of the rainbow carrots, but the flavor was good. I guess, in the end, that is what really matters.
So here is the recipe. Feel free to use what ever color carrots you like- it won’t matter in the end!!
Pickled Rainbow Carrot Salad
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 c. vinegar- red wine or cider vinegar preferred
1 c. water
1 ½ lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ c. sugar
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. salt, or to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 t. ground ginger
Hot sauce to taste
1 bay leaf
In saucepan, combine onions and garlic with the water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Prepare other veggies while onions simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered about 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Let salad cool down, then store in fridge until ready to serve. Best served the next day. Remove bay leaf and garlic cloves before serving.
Rainbow Carrots
Homemade Apple Fritters
Apple Fritters
I love apple season. Besides eating them fresh, I enjoy cooking with fresh apples. One of my favorite apple dishes is apple fritters.
Fritters are similar to doughnuts. Rather than being made from a dough that is rolled and cut, like doughnuts, fritters are made from a batter. The fritter batter is spooned into oil for frying. They are actually very easy to make.
Good fritters are light and airy inside, with a crisp outside.
These are very good fritters. These fritters have diced apples and cinnamon and cook up tender and light. You could play around by adding other fruits, like pears, peaches or even berries. They are good plain, but can be rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze.
So enjoy one of the best recipes of the season, and make yourself some fritters.
Apple Fritters
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
1 c. diced apples
oil for frying- I used coconut oil
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about 4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. While warm roll in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. Makes about 32.
Chocolate Beet Cake
Chocolate Beet Cake
I made this cake as part of a class on cooking with root vegetables. I have posted it before, but thought I would post the recipe again. The cake was so enjoyed in class- I wanted to share the recipe.
When I say beet cake, a lot of people give me a funny look. First, there are the beet haters, and you know who you are. The people who just don’t like the taste of beets. I get that, beets are an acquired taste.
Then there are the people who like beets, but could never picture them in a cake. I bake cakes with carrots in them, zucchini and even parsnips. Adding beets to a cake is not so far off. The beets add a subtle red color to the cake, but they also add moistness. The end result is a cake that is full of flavor and has a wonderful, moist texture.
Truth is, I don’t really taste the beets in the cake much at all. I taste the chocolate. So here is the chocolate beet cake recipe. I hope you enjoy it.
Chocolate Beet Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
1½ cups grated cooked beets
2 teaspoons vanilla
Powdered sugar, optional, or cream cheese frosting- recipe below
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, soda, salt, sugar and cocoa in a bowl; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and oil. Beat in vanilla and continue beating until well blended. Slowly beat in dry ingredients until well mixed; stir in beets. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched lightly with finger. Cool in pan on a rack. Frost cooled cake, or dust with powdered sugar.
Frosting recipe:
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar- or more to taste
1 stick butter, room temperature
Beat all together until fluffy. Frost cake and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Carrot Pasta Sauce
Carrot Pasta Sauce
This pasta sauce is one of my favorites. Most people don’t think of carrots when they think of pasta sauce, but maybe they should.
It’s a simple sauce that packs a lot of flavor.
The process is easy. Just cook carrots, and few other ingredients in stock, until the carrots are really tender. Most of the liquid cooks off. Puree, then toss the sauce with pasta, rice, or even with veggies or meats.
It is a pretty color, too. You might even get kids to eat carrots, this way.
Here is the recipe.
Carrot Pasta Sauce
1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. cream, half and half or evaporated milk
1T. fresh dill or 1 t. dried
Hot cooked pasta
Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, carrots and stack and cook until carrots are very tender. Much of the liquid should have evaporated by then. Place mixture in blender and add cream or milk, mixing until smooth. Add dill and adjust seasonings, tossing over hot pasta to serve. I sometimes top with some shredded Parmesan cheese, too.
Variations: Use sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash or even peas for different tastes.
Martha’s Beets
Martha’s Beets
I had picked up some beets from a local farmer the other day. I have made this dish many times and it seemed like a good time to make it again.
This is a recipe that my friend, Martha, made for us one chilly autumn afternoon. The amounts are random for a reason. Just use what you have- more or less – and let the flavors blend together gently. It is perfect for warming you up on a chilly day.
Full of earthiness and great fresh flavors it is always a favorite of mine. I always think of her, with great affection, when I make it. Love you, Martha. So glad we got together over the weekend.
Martha’s Beets
Oil
2 Onions, chopped
Potatoes, cut in big chunks, peeled, if desired
1 bunch beets, with greens*
Chicken or vegetable stock
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Cook beets in boiling water for 20 minutes. Cool and slip off skins. Cut up larger beets, if desired. In large pot cook onions in oil until tender. Add potatoes and prepared beets with just enough stock to keep them from sticking. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile chop up the beet greens. Add them to the pot and stir in. Cover and continue cooking until greens are tender. Toss in fresh parsley and cook 5 minutes longer.
* If you can’t find beets with greens, or if you like more greens, you can also add red Swiss chard in place of the beet greens.
The Importance of Friends
Friends are the family we choose. The people who, for whatever reasons, touch our souls and lives in ways that make us more than who we would be without them.
I just got back from a “staycation” with a group of friends, and it gave me a chance to think about friends, and the importance of them in our lives.
The long weekend was planned as The Big Chill vacation. My sweet friend, Martha, booked an airbnb in Lakewood so we could all be together. It was, in part, to celebrate the birthdays of several of us. It was also a chance to spend some time together. Some of us live in town, others came from pretty far away. We had a wonderful time.
I can’t even imagine what my life would be like if I had never known Martha. She is an amazing woman with an intelligence, kindness and wisdom that are unsurpassed. We have been through so much together over the years. We met in college, were roommates for a time. I am godmother to both her kids. I love her kids as if they were my own. She is, in every way, a sister to me.
There were other friends there as well. People who I can sit down and spend an evening with, laughing so hard we can hardly breathe. The people that, even if I don’t see that often, you can start up again as if you talk every day. The people who you love, unconditionally. The people who accept you, flaws and all.
Friendships aren’t always measured in years. A friend of Martha’s, who I had never met, came to join us for the weekend. She lived far away and I had never met her, but I knew how much Martha thought of her. I met Lori and felt as if we had been friends forever. Pretty cool when that happens.
I like to think of friends, and family, as all the plants in my garden. Each one a little different, but beautiful in their own way. Some need a little more attention than others, but with a little time and effort, you are rewarded with a yard full of colorful blooms and lush growth.
There are few guarantees in life. Time passes so quickly. We all get bogged down with the chores of daily life, the tasks that suck up so much of our precious time. Sometimes, it’s better to forget the work and see your friends. Make time for what matters in life. People are always more important than things.
So do it. Get out to your garden and see your friends. You won’t regret it, not for one minute.
Birthday Tiramisu
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is one of those desserts that everybody seems to like. I have a dear friend who loves it. I mean really loves it. So much so, that I make it for her birthday every year.
Her name is Sue and the running joke is that she calls it Tira-for Sue. Since it was her birthday on Saturday, I made it.
Tiramisu is a layered dessert made from ladyfingers, drizzled with coffee, egg custard (zabaglione) and cocoa. There are a lot of variations out there. This happens to be one I like, and it is Sue’s favorite. Enjoy!!!
Classic Tiramisu
5 egg yolks
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Marsala wine (not cooking wine)
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 lb. mascarpone cheese
2 c. strong coffee, room temp.
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. brandy
1 T. vanilla
48 ladyfingers
3 T. cocoa
Make zabaglione (egg custard). In double boiler, over simmering water, beat together egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored. Stir in Marsala and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and will mound on a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down. You can place in bowl in fridge 30 minutes or so. Beat together whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in mascarpone and chilled zabaglione. Chill 1 hour. Stir together coffee with remaining sugar, brandy and vanilla and set aside. Assemble tiramisu by placing 16 of the ladyfingers in the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Drizzle about 1/3 of the coffee mixture over the ladyfingers, about 1 tablespoon each. Top with 1/3 of the cream mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa. Repeat this process 2 more times until all ingredients are used. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 12.
Sue’s Wine and Tequila Punch
Sue’s Wine and Tequila Punch
I would never have thought that combining tequila and wine would taste so good, but it really is a great drink for summer parties. I had a request for this recipe, and I am going to share it with you, the best that I can.
I normally am pretty good about measuring ingredients and writing things down, but a friend actually brought this to the party last night.
My friend Sue, is a very good cook. She has great instincts when it comes to flavors. She is also lovingly known as the Queen of Substitutions. She will start with a recipe and then just add what she has on hand. Often things work out, sometimes, not.
This is one of those times when things worked out very well, indeed. She was watching TV and saw a recipe for a tequila and wine punch. She had the tequila and wine, but not quite all of the other ingredients, so she kind of made it up as she went along. The end result was a drink that was not too sweet and very refreshing.
So here is the recipe.
Sue’s Wine and Tequila Punch
1 1/2 c. tequila
1/2 bottle of wine, use what you have on hand, Sue did
1 c. margarita mix
1 c. orange juice
1 or 2 oranges, sliced thin
ice
In pitcher, combine tequila with wine, mix, juice and oranges. Add lots of ice, stir and serve.
