The Charmed Kitchen

Homemade Bath Salts

Another easy homemade gift is bath salts. The ingredients are fairly easy to find. Epsom salts can be found at any drug store.  Essential oils can be found at most craft stores. Food coloring- grocery stores. Try to find pretty jars to put them and finish with a pretty label. This is a fun craft for kids to make for Mom, teachers etc. I like using essential oils, but you can use perfume, too. Sometimes I add small amount of dried flower petals. If you do that- just small amounts and crumbled pretty fine, so there won’t be issues with clogging drains. Here are the directions.

Bath Salts

Epsom Salts

Fragrant oils

Food coloring- optional

Flower petals

Place 2 cups Epsom salts in a non-reactive bowl and add a few drops of scented oils and a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Toss to distribute, or place in a jar with a tight fitting lid or even in a plastic bag and shake mixture well. Take a whiff. If you can’t smell them, add more. You can add more coloring, too if needed. Add a few petals, broken up, for additional fragrance and for color. Place salts in a glass jar with a lid or in a plastic bag and let stand 1 week. Smell again and adjust fragrance as needed. Fragrances mature and you may find them too weak or strong. Add more oil or cologne to heighten aroma or add more salts to cut down on intensity. Keep in mind that the bath salts will be diluted a lot in a bath, so a little strong is good.

The oils are available at many craft stores and by mail. See the section on mail order in the back of the book. Choosing the fragrance you want to use can be a little trickier. Most of the florals are a safe bet, but you may want to get more creative. Citrus, herb, spice and woody fragrant oils can add a dimension to your bath salts that make them really outstanding.

To present them as a gift salts can be put in a wide-mouth jar, with a lid. Decorate with ribbon and attach a small scoop, if you like. Discount and dollar stores are a good place to find attractive jars at a reasonable price as well as garage sales and resale shops. You can also package them for individual use in lollipop bags with a card board header, like the herb packets. I like to make different fragrances and label them  (relaxing bath, earthly delights, sweet dreams, etc. I then package them in the bags and add a few to a gift basket.

Peppermint Candy Bowl

A friend saw these bowls and trays, made from candy, and wanted to know if we could make them. I said sure, and we rounded  up a bunch of peppermint candies. The trays are just peppermint candies that are melted in the oven and cooled. We also made a bowl. The process is pretty simple. Preheat your oven to 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Unwrap the candies and place them about 1/4 -1/2 – inch apart on the baking sheet. We set the timer for 5 minutes- but they actually took about 10 minutes to melt and come together in a flat “tray.” Remove from the oven and cool a few minutes- you can trim the edges once they have cooled a little- but before they are completely cool- or they will have gotten hard and will shatter.  The first attempt was super easy. The second time we arranged them in a circle, instead of a rectangle. Took it out of the oven and placed it on top of a metal bowl to cool. The result is a bowl made from candy. Fun project to do with kids, with supervision. Let them unwrap and arrange- adults should handle the candy when it comes out of the oven. You can also make small bowls. Other hard candies also work. Solid color hard candy will give you a stained glass effect.

Arrange unwrapped candies on a tray

Bake until melted

While warm, place over a metal bowl to shape

Making a tray

Trim edges while warm

Finished tray

Curry Coconut Shrimp

Eating shrimp always feels like a splurge or a special occasion. I think that started in my childhood. We didn’t eat shrimp often when I was a kid. Only a few times a year, always a special occasion. New Year’s Eve, for sure. My mom would make the classic shrimp cocktail, cold shrimp, served with cocktail sauce, served in pretty stemmed glasses. As an adult I have learned to enjoy shrimp a lot of different ways. I eat it more often now, but it still feels special.

Curry coconut shrimp is a favorite of mine, and pretty easy to make.  Cleaned, raw shrimp are dredged in flour, egg wash and a Panko bread crumb-coconut mix and then fried.  I add some homemade curry powder to the eggs for a little extra flavor. Here is how I make mine. You don’t need a special occasion to make it.

Curry Coconut Shrimp

2 cups oil – I like peanut oil
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1-2 t. curry powder, or to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut; set aside. Combine eggs with curry powder, set aside. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste. Working one at a time, dredge shrimp in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the coconut mixture, pressing to coat. Working in batches, add shrimp to the Dutch oven and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce, if desired. Serves 4.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

I love a good oatmeal raisin cookie. Heck, I love cookies in general. It’s a classic and always popular. Like a lot of classics though, it can be fun to change things up a little. Sometimes you create a new classic.  I had a request for oatmeal cookies but with something other than raisins.  I ended up using dried, sweetened cranberries and the result was quite nice. Moist cookies with just a touch of tartness from the cranberries. A new classic that I plan on making again.

 Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

3/4 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. water

1 t. vanilla

3 c. rolled oats

1 c. flour

1 t. salt

1/2 t. soda

1 c. dried sweetened cranberries

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Beat together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until smooth. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into butter mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheet. I use a cookie scoop- it makes for uniform cookies and is faster than using a spoon. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

This is a fun show with a lot of great local vendors. It is also going to be a warm day, by December standards. Nice weather to get out and get some shopping done.

It is at Wildwood Cultural Center in Mentor on Sunday, December 6, from 10-4. I’ll have books, herb mixes, bread and soup mixes, jellies and more. Stop by and say hello. Every year the Wildwood Garden Club makes the most amazing fresh green arrangements. They’ll have wreaths, swags and table decorations. I’ll also be providing the concession food for sale that day.

Here are some details from their website.

The City of Mentor’s Wildwood Cultural Center and Community Arts Commission present the 36th Holiday Display & Craft Show Sunday, December 6, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Wildwood Cultural Center, 7645 Little Mountain Road in Mentor. Admission is $1.00.

Over 25 local fine artists and crafters will be selling unique holiday crafts including wreaths & swags, ornaments, jewelry, baked goods and wood crafts. Wildwood Garden Club will sell live greenery, floral arrangements and centerpieces. Holiday music will be performed at 2 p.m. by The Wildwood Singers.

https://www.facebook.com/WildwoodCulturalCenter/photos/a.713869441956699.1073741830.113142275362755/1081860131824293/?type=3&theater

Alfajores Cookies

It is that time of year. Cookie baking time. There are the cookies we just have to make. Family favorites, traditional must haves. I get that. I have a list of cookies I bake every year. But, to keep it interesting, I like to add some new cookies to the list.

If you are looking for a new cookie you might want to try Alfojores. Made with cornstarch as a primary ingredient, they are very crispy and light. Sandwiched together with dulce de leche, they make a wonderful dessert.  These cookies are popular in a number of South American countries and Spain, although the origin might be from the Middle East.

Alfajores Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon rind, grated

1 1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter; add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla and lemon rind. Sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixture and mix well. Drop batter by small spoonfuls onto well-buttered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove immediately. Sandwich the cookies together with (dulce de leche) sweet milk dessert. Makes 40 cookies.

Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam)

This is the easiest way to make Dulce de Leche…the taste is pretty authentic and the work is almost completely eliminated!

1 can sweetened condensed milk, label removed

Place the can inside a large pot on top of a wire rack. I use a round rack used for cooling cakes. If you don’t have a rack place a towel on the bottom of the pot. Add water to completely cover can, plus 1-2 more inches. Simmer, covered, for 4 hours, making sure the can is always completely covered with water…if not…there is an explosion!! Leave the can to cool several hours and only then open it and serve. Serve the golden-brown confection over flan, as a filling for crepes, cakes or just plain. For breakfast you can spread it on croissants, rolls or toast.

Brussels Sprout Truffles

This might be one way to get someone to eat Brussels Sprouts!! This would make a nice hostess gift for your next holiday party. It is also a project kids could do, with a little practice. I made my truffle recipe and put it in the fridge to firm up. The recipe follows. Then I took some of the larger outer leaves off Brussels sprouts. I trimmed the bottoms off to make peeling of the leaves easier. You’ll need two leaves for each truffle so be sure to have plenty. I had about 60. You’ll also need a few ounces of chocolate, for coating the leaves. Use whatever chocolate you like. The better quality of chocolate you use, the better the truffles. I wiped the leaves clean, and then melted several ounces of chocolate. I used a pastry brush to brush the insides of the Brussels sprout leaves with the melted chocolate. Once the chocolate had hardened I gently peeled off the leaves and discarded them. Since the leaves were different sizes I rolled out portions of the truffles that would fit the size of the leaves I was using. I pressed the truffle mixture in one leaf and then placed another leaf, of similar size, over the filling.  Normally I would roll the truffles in cocoa powder- but in this case, I didn’t. I wanted the truffles to stick to the leaves and leaving them plain seemed like the best way to do that.  The end result was very cute. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Chocolate Truffles

1/3 c. whipping cream

6 T. butter, cut into small pieces

2 c. chocolate chips- or 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated or chopped coarsely

Unsweetened cocoa

Heat cream to boiling in small saucepan. Stir in butter and cook until melted. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Place in shallow bowl and chill until firm, at least a couple of hours. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in cocoa. Sometimes the mixture is quite firm and hard to roll into perfectly smooth balls. You can roll them out as smooth as you can, roll in cocoa and then roll again to smooth out. You might want to give them another roll in the cocoa after that.  Makes about 30.

Leaves brushed with chocolate

Remove leaves gently

Press 2 leaves together over the truffle filling

Buddha’s Hand

At a recent party, a dear friend brought me this exotic piece of fruit. Well, exotic to me.  I’d seen them before, but never had one of my own. It is called Buddha’s Hand and it’s a type of citrus. Just holding it, you definitely get the smell of lemons. It is larger than a grapefruit, with these cool “fingers” that grow out from the base. Unlike lemons, Buddha’s Hand doesn’t have a juicy center.

I didn’t want to waste it so I looked into how to use it.  I knew I wanted to zest it. When zesting most citrus fruit, you need to avoid the white pith, which is bitter. That is not the case with a Buddha’s hand. The pith is not bitter and can be used. I cut it in half and started zesting.

I used my microplane at first, but it was too difficult, so I went up a size to a slightly coarser grater. I tasted some and it had a nice, lemony taste and not at all bitter. I ended  up with about 3 cups of zest- and I had only used about half of the Buddha’s hand. I put the zest in containers and tossed most of it in the freezer. I did use some on catfish for dinner that night and loved it.

Still, I had 3 cups of zest and had only used half of the fruit. It was time for plan B. I make candied orange peel, lemon peel and ginger. Why not candy the rest? I sliced the remaining fruit and put it in a saucepan, covering it with water. I simmered the sliced fruit for about 10 minutes, then drained off the water. This keeps it from getting bitter. I added fresh water to just cover the slices and added 1/2 cup of sugar. I boiled it down until the liquid was gone. I watched it carefully to make sure it didn’t scorch as the liquid evaporated. I put about a cup of sugar in a shallow pan and spooned in the sliced Buddha’s hand. I stirred it, kind of tossing it around until it was all evenly coated. I spread it out in the pan and allowed it to cool and dry a little overnight.

I tried it the next morning. The candied Buddha’s hand tastes really good. Very much like candied lemons. I also had a friend taste it, and he liked it, a lot!! I’ll use it as a snack and chopped up in baked goodies. I might try dipping some in melted chocolate, too. I thought that might make a nice gift.

In the end, I really had fun. Trying something that was new to me. Experimenting. I don’t think there is any profound message here. Maybe just to keep your mind open, to trying new things and keep learning new things. I could see myself getting one and doing this again- but I’ll have to use up all that zest, first.

An inside view

One big pile of zest

Candied Buddha’s Hand

Cream Wafer Cookies

Cream Wafers  are a little more work than most cookies but they are worth it. They are the most requested cookies of all the ones I make. The secret is the dough, which contains no sugar. It is made from only three ingredients- flour, butter and heavy whipping cream. When baked they turn into flaky layers that melt in your mouth.  Seriously, if you want to really impress this holiday season, show up at a party with these cookies. They are coated in sugar before baking and you can use tinted sugar, if you like. You can also tint the frosting if you like. Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!!

Cream Wafers

1 c. butter
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. flour
extra fine or granulated sugar
Frosting:
¼ c. butter, softened
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
food coloring, if desired

Mix butter, cream and flour well. Wrap and chill at least an hour. Roll chilled dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut out into 1½ inch rounds or even little hearts or stars. Transfer cookies to a sheet of wax paper heavily coated with extra fine or granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and prick each cookie 4 times with a fork. Bake at 375-degrees 7-9 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. Cool on rack. Mix frosting ingredients. Put 2 cookies together with frosting to make “sandwiches”.

Kale Fried Rice

Among the planters I brought in for winter was a big pot, filled with kale. I was watering my indoor garden, when decided I wanted some fresh greens for dinner.  The chard tempted me, for a moment, but the kale won, in the end. I made fried rice, adding the kale and some scrambled egg. It was simple, but very satisfying. You could make it this way, or even add some (dare I say?) leftover turkey to it.  Either way, it was pretty darn good. I like kale and other leafy greens, but tire of eating them the same way all the time. Pairing the kale with the rice was nice.

Kale Fried Rice

2 T. oil
1 egg, beaten
1 onion, sliced
4 c. chopped kale
3 c. cooked rice
1 c. diced cooked turkey – you could use shrimp, chicken, etc., optional
Chopped green onions
Dash of hot sauce
Soy sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the egg- making it a sort of flat pancake. Cool and cut into strips. Set aside. Heat remaining oil in pan and cook onion until tender. Add kale and cook until wilted and tender. Add rice and turkey or other protein, if adding, and cook until heated through. Add onions, season and serve. Serves 4.