Rum Punch

 

Oh. My. Goodness. This is so good! This is one of those drinks that could easily be downed by the pitcher; it is so delicious and refreshing. We had unseasonably warm weather a couple of weeks ago and I was in the mood for a fruity punch. I had to double the recipe in order to fill up this glass, used the rest of my tangerine ice cubes, and this was phenomenal! An added bonus is that, with all of the freshly squeezed fruit juices, it’s good for you. 

Rum Punch

1 oz. light rum
1 oz. dark rum
3 oz. pineapple juice
2 oz. freshly squeezed Melissa’s Valencia orange juice
1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 oz. grenadine

Stir the above ingredients together and pour over tangerine juice ice cubes. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you need to read this blog post, and buy this ice cube tray set. Garnish with citrus slices, add a glass straw,* and cocktail umbrella. You’ll thank me later. You will.

*You can find the glassware, complete with glass straws here.

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Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

 

Opening day of the baseball season always makes me nervous. That’s why I generally plan to do something and watch baseball in the periphery so as not to be let down. As luck would have it, I wasn’t, but I digress. This is a recipe that I have had around for ages. It’s from St. Louis’s “Feast” magazine. I had cut it out years ago with the intention of making it, and never did. I thought today would be a good day to do that, so I did. It is wonderful! You can read about how it came to be here.

 On a damp, chilly, windy day like today to be followed by a darned cold night, this is going to be a welcome evening addition with a cup of tea. By the way, I cut this recipe in half and baked it in an 8” x 8” square pan. It worked out perfectly. I’ll also add that the banana bread is good all on its own.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

As seen in Feast Magazine

Banana Bread (Yields 2 large loaves)

3¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking soda

4 overripe bananas

2¼ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

½ c. canola oil

4 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

5 oz. whole milk, divided

Custard

½ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. vanilla extract

2 T. dark rum

4 large eggs

1 c. whole milk

3 c. heavy cream

Foster Sauce

½ c. unsalted butter

1 c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

½ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. kosher salt

1 T. honey

¼ c. heavy cream

¼ c. banana liqueur*

¼ c. dark rum

1 c. pecan pieces, toasted

Preparation – Banana Bread:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. **

 In a mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat bananas, brown sugar and salt on medium speed until smooth. With mixer running, add oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer to low, add ¹⁄₃ dry ingredients and ½ milk; repeat until fully incorporated. Divide evenly between 2 prepared pans; bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes.

 

Preparation – Custard: In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Preparation – Foster Sauce: In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, heat all ingredients except alcohol and pecans until thick and bubbly, 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, add liqueur, rum and pecans. Allow to cool.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cube bread and add to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour custard over top and bake until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Pour cooled sauce over bread pudding and bake 10 minutes more. Serve.

 *I did not have this and didn’t intend to buy it, so I just doubled up on the rum.

 **This is too much work. I just sprayed the heck out of the pan with Baker’s Joy.

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Easy Baked Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

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It used to make me giggle when my grandmother could predict the weather on the basis of whether or whether or not her “rheumatism was acting up.” Well, I’m not laughing now. Our fluctuating temperatures and barometric pressure has both my sinuses and arthritis giving me grief, so the last thing I want to do is cook. But, a girl’s gotta eat, and this girl wanted comfort food. Thank goodness the freezer is full of individual containers of my homemade chicken noodle soup. That, a buttery crusty roll, and a heaping scoop of rice pudding may not have made me feel better physically, but it soothed my soul.

If you like rice pudding like I do, but don’t want to have to stand over the stove and stir endlessly, then I think you will enjoy this baked version. It goes together in a snap, all you have to do is allow it to bake, and then reap the reward of creamy deliciousness. If you don’t like raisins, leave them out, but I encourage you to include the rum no matter what.

Easy Baked Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

 
1/3 c. basmati rice
¼ c. granulated sugar
½ c. golden raisins
2 T. dark rum
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. whole milk
½ T. butter, plus more for greasing pan
Few gratings fresh nutmeg
1 T. vanilla extract
1/8 T. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 1 1/2-quart, deep baking dish with butter.  Sprinkle rice, sugar, raisins, rum, cream, and milk, into the bottom of the prepared dish and stir to combine. Bake for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are up, remove from oven, and add vanilla and cinnamon, stirring to combine.  Return to the oven to bake for an additional 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove from the oven and stir. If the pudding is still soupy, bake an additional 5-15 minutes until it becomes thick and creamy. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving. This is good both warm and cold, so refrigerate any leftovers to enjoy the next day. Serves six people amply.

Witches Brew Coffee

Halloween, like St. Patrick’s Day, is one of those few days when I begin my morning with spiked coffee. There is something so decadent about the combination of coffee and liqueur. It’s not often that I indulge myself like this, but this morning Witches Brew was on the menu. I enjoyed it by flickering candle light in galvanized jack-o’-lanterns.

However you celebrate, have a spooky Halloween!

Witches Brew Coffee

4 Demerara sugar cubes
4 cups freshly brewed Sumatra coffee
8 oz. rum
2 oz. cinnamon liqueur
Cinnamon cream (recipe follows)

In a heatproof pitcher, stir the sugar into the coffee until dissolved, then stir in the rum and cinnamon liqueur. Pour the coffee into warmed mugs or heatproof glasses and spoon the Cinnamon Cream on top. Serves four.

Cinnamon Cream: In a medium chilled bowl, whip 4 ounces chilled heavy cream with 1 ounce Cinnamon liqueur and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Spoon big dollops on top of hot coffee.

PRINT RECIPE

If you prefer cocoa to coffee, you will swoon for this Pumpkin Pie Cocoa.

This post is linked to:

Wonderful Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

This post contains affiliate links.

Time for a libation!

Well, I've gotta tell you, last week was not a good one. I was so far under the weather that I was almost underground.  I mean, you know you're in trouble when you walk into the ER (for the 4th time in five days) and everyone greets you like an old friend. But, I appear to have survived my injury, and am ready to get back on the blogging horse, as it were.

A replenishing of supplies was certainly in order after this past week, so we stopped at Sam's on the way home from what I hope was my final view of the ER...ever!  It's no coincidence that I headed straight for the liquor department.  In the going, look what I found!  Is this adorable, or what?

I'm not sure if this is a holdover from the holidays or what, but one went into the cart immediately.  I'm a fan of small, cute bottles of anything, so this appealed on that level, but I also appreciated the great assortment, in some cases of liqueurs that I had wanted to try anyway, but didn't want to buy a full-size bottle. I also love the little recipe suggestions on the side.  This is not a sponsored post, these are just the words of a half-crazed woman ready for a warm and satisfying cocktail.  I'll let you know which ones I make and like the best.

In the meantime, tell me what you all have been doing, and which of these drinks that you would make?

Did anybody miss me?!

This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Thursday Favorite Things

Mango Rum Batida

Oh, the fruits of summer!  Yes, I know that summer isn’t even close to being here, but the heat and humidity has arrived, as well as the numerous produce stands that seem to be popping up on every corner.  I can’t resist a stop and buy something every time.  This tends to lead to an overabundance of fruit, all ripening at once, and me frantic to find something to do with it all.  Let’s face it, a person can only eat so much fruit cocktail, am I right?

Today after a LONG day of plant shopping, heavy clay pot and sacks of soil hauling, planting, and mess cleaning, I couldn’t help but think what a good idea a cocktail would be.

Enter the Batida!  Served throughout Latin America, a batida is a blended drink with milk or freshly squeezed orange juice used as the base.  Fruit is then added, and everything is whirred in a blender until the consistency resembles that of a thick shake. Add some rum and you have a party!

Mango Rum Batida

1 lime wedge
1/4 cup tangerine sugar

1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks (1 cup)
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup white rum
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt

Garnish with lime slices

Rub lime wedge around outer rims of 4 glasses. Spread sugar in a saucer, and dip glasses in sugar to coat rims.  Blend remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Amaze Me Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Marvelous Mondays

Make it Pretty Monday

Pink Bikini

When the afternoon sun starts sinking in the Western sky it’s time to head to the deck with a cool cocktail.  Fruity and tropical is my choice for today and this recipe from Coastal Living is the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon snack.  A pleasure to imbibe from its coconut vessel, I feel like I’m on vacation, plus it’s so pretty!

Pink Bikini
From Coastal Living

Yield: 10 cups

Ingredients:

1 (1.75-liter) bottle raspberry lemonade

(we used Simply Raspberry Lemonade)

1 3/4 cups coconut rum

1 cup amaretto liqueur

Preparation:

Combine raspberry lemonade, coconut rum, and amaretto liqueur in a large pitcher. Stir well, and serve over ice in a quick crack coconut.

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday

On the Menu Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Rum Balls

After nearly a week of Thanksgiving prep, I was ready to be completely self-indulgent and make myself a cookie.  Not that I regret one moment that I put into making the day both delicious and lovely (Even nature cooperated with the perfect snow - blizzard-like for about ten minutes with accumulation only on the grass.), but to be perfectly frank, if I see another pumpkin recipe, of any kind, I think I'll scream.  No, I wanted something easy and rich and delicious and CHOCOLATE! So while paging through Martha's Cookies book I spotted a recipe that filled the bill in all categories. It was everything I'd hoped for, plus... booze! These are SO GOOD!  The recipe calls for them to be rolled in sanding sugar, but I also used confectioners' sugar and Dutch process cocoa.  Personally, I liked those rolled in the cocoa the best.

These decadent little morsels are reminiscent of those I used to get at André’s Confiserie Suisse when it was still in St. Louis. Gosh, I miss that place!



Here's a little step-by-step photo.



RUM BALLS

From Martha Stewart's Cookies

(Printable Recipe)

Vegetable oil cooking spray

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum

Coarse sanding sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate mixture, then fold in flour. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until top is shiny and a cake tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Break up brownie into small pieces; transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With machine on low speed, pour in rum, and mix until crumbs start to come together to form a ball.

Shape into 1-inch balls, and roll in sanding sugar to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet; refrigerate, uncovered, until cold, about 2 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Rum balls can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes 4 dozen