Decadent Shakes, Milkshakes with More, Reviewed

It's been said that you can't judge a book by its cover. Boy, is that wrong. I mean, take a look at the cover of this book. You know you want it, right? This is a book that you need to have in your cookbook library, and if you don't as yet have a cookbook library, then it's time to start.

I am all about the garnish. Flashy, showy, that's what it's all about. You eat first with your eyes, and if there is something that dazzles your visual senses, you know you're going to enjoy it. This book, Decadent Shakes, Milkshakes with More, by Matthew, Sarah, and Brandon Aouad, is a fabulous cookbook loaded with not only delicious shakes, but also incredibly inspired garnishes.

This book has turned making milkshakes into an art form. It provides a wonderful guide on how to do just that, including how to make every garnish shown in the book, and there are lots of them. Here you'll find garnishes featuring candy bars, cookies, pretzels, peanut butter, waffles, ice cream cones, and many other tasty goodies. If it's sweet and delicious, the authors have figured out a way to put it on top of a thick and frosty shake. Everyone, I think, appreciates being the recipient of a carefully crafted dessert. Here you can learn how to become an expert.

 

The recipes are easy to make and absolutely delicious. The first one I tried was Mocha Madness because of my love of the coffee-and-chocolate combination. Wonderful! I trimmed my jar with melted chocolate, and then embedded finely ground coffee beans into it. It made a striking presentation. The authors suggest topping this particular shake with M&Ms, and I did that, along with a few chocolate-covered espresso beans. Swoon!

 Both young and the young at heart are going to love the Jenga shake, topped with crisscrossed Kit Kat bars. How cute is this? With the holidays coming up, another must try is a dazzling dessert called the TVC Tree. The presentation consists of an inverted waffle cone piped with green icing and embedded with red, crispy M&M "ornaments." Wouldn't this make a fabulous holiday dessert?

And speaking of the holidays, in early October I start to think about holiday shopping. Let me suggest this cookbook. It's fabulous, makes a great gift for male or female, young and old, and will be one that is greatly appreciated, not to mention a cookbook that is actually used instead of gathering dust on the shelf. Who doesn't like delicious drinks and shakes, and a wonderful presentation to make the recipient feel so special?

I cannot recommend this book enough. Pick up a copy and have great fun with it. Use the recipes in the book, but also use them as a springboard to create some wonderfully delicious, artistic, milkshake concoctions of your own.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from The Anderson Group in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

For the past three months I've been trying to convince myself to order Chinese takeout. Mr. O-P and I had a favorite Chinese restaurant that was located not too far from the house. In order to get delivery, we had to have a minimum purchase of $20. That may not seem like a lot, but $20 is a lot of Chinese food.  The two of us could eat for three days on that food; my guess is that I’d probably have it until the end of the year, but I digress.

The other day I really had a hankering for Chinese food, and toyed with the idea of calling Green China for my favorite combination of carryout items, but it just seemed weird to be doing that on my own. I know, I know, I'll get over it, and move on, and soon I will have a refrigerator full of Chinese takeout containers. But for now, I think I'm going to have to content myself with just making Chinese food at home.

When I saw this recipe for beef and broccoli (coincidentally enough exactly the dish I was craving) that is also made in the crockpot, I figured, why not? Truth be told, instead of using the sirloin steak called for the recipe, I actually used a rather large filet mignon from the freezer. (As you may recall from this post, I'm trying to clean older items out of the freezer, in order to make room for something new.) The use of a filet in a dish like this may seem a bit extravagant, and perhaps it was, but I have quite a number of them in the freezer, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to eat all of them on my own. So I figured why not treat myself to a special dish this evening.

Whether I used the fillet or the sirloin, this dish was spectacular! I could not believe how easy it was to put together -- it almost seemed sinful -- and the aroma that wafted through the house while it was cooking was amazing. If you like Chinese food the way that I do, this is absolutely the recipe for you. I adapted it slightly by adding an entire onion that I sliced up and layered on top of the meat, and I thought this was just perfect. I may try this again and, instead calling it beef with broccoli, call it beef with vegetables and add thin strips of carrots in addition to the broccoli and onion as well as some water chestnuts and diagonally sliced pieces of celery. This recipe is a winner, no matter what you do. Highly recommended.

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

(Slightly adapted from Buzzfeed.com)

2 lbs sirloin steak or boneless beef chuck roast, sliced thin
1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. Water

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

In a medium bowl whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Pour mixture into the bottom of the crockpot.

Place slices of beef into the liquid and toss to coat. Layer sliced onion on top. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

After 4 hours, whisk together cornstarch and water in small bowl. Pour into crockpot and stir to mix well. Add the broccoli, and gently stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook 30 minutes more to cook broccoli and thicken sauce.

Serve over warm white rice.

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Happiness is Homemade
Inspire Me Tuesday
Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

 Full Plate Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home
Simple & Sweet Friday
Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Share Your Cup
Wildly Original
Creative Ways Party
Share Your Style
Simple Saturday Blog Hop
A Bouquet of Talent

Deviled Ham Spread

If you're not familiar with the Tiny Book series, stop what you're doing, and head to your local bookstore or library immediately. This is a series of, so far, four books that are just too good to pass up. The series that includes Tiny Book of Teatime Treats, Tiny Book of Christmas Joy, Tiny Book of Pies, and the one I'm going to talk to you about today, Tiny Book of Mason Jar Recipes, is produced by the same wonderful people who bring you the Cottage Journal, Teatime, and Celebrate magazines. These books are absolutely not to be missed. 

The series is new to me, and I stumbled upon these books quite by accident. Every time I go to the library, you just know that I have to look at the latest cookbooks. This one jumped out at me not only because of its cute small size, but also because it deals with food in mason jars, and I love food in mason jars, and think I must have every book published on this darling way of presenting food. 

This book differs from a lot of them, however, in that it doesn't deal with just one subject, but with the general premise, and I like that. This book has beverages in mason jars, dips and sauces, salad and entrées, desserts, preserves, and gifts to make and give to people for the holidays. What a great idea that is. Not only does your recipient get a wonderful mason jar, but also the yummy contents within. As an added gift, including a copy of this book would certainly make the recipient over-the-moon happy.

I found a lot of recipes in this book that I want to try, but the first one that I did was one for deviled ham. As a little girl my mother used to give me deviled ham on crackers. Those of you who go back as far as I do (Horrors!) will probably remember deviled ham in those little packages with the little devil on them. Remember those? So trying the recipe for deviled ham spread was a no-brainer. This delicious spread did not last long. I'm just going to reproduce the page from the book here so that you can see the recipe and leave it at that. I cannot recommend this recipe or the book enough.

I served it on wheat rounds with some pickled cherries. Super yum!

This post is linked to: Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday,  Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

The Perfect Porterhouse

I have a new rule in this house. Well, I have a couple of new rules, the first being, Dust woman! For God's sake, dust! The second being that nothing comes into this house without something going out. This goes for everything from books and magazines, to clothing and accessories, to home decor, to food. I am trying, without a whole lot of success, to embrace minimalism. Don't panic. This does not mean that I'm getting rid of any of my dishes. (Although, in all honesty, I did donate my entire set of Fiestaware to charity, but I was ready to see that go.) What this does mean, is that I am going through the freezer, and systematically getting rid of, or rather using up, all of the food that somehow made its way to the back, and has been since forgotten. Nothing dodgy, mind you, just things that need using.

In my endeavor in this regard, I stumbled upon a porterhouse steak. It had been bought back in March of this year, apparently by Mr.O-P who really used to enjoy grocery shopping. I pulled it out and looked at it. Mr. O-P used to be the fish maker and steak griller in the house. I really have little expertise in either of these areas. On the plus side, I am learning a lot about how to do both of these things, and since there was one lone porterhouse and one lone woman wanted to eat, I decided to do a little investigation.

I logged into one of my favorite online sites, epicurious.com, and found a recipe for how to make a porterhouse. The recipe is a simple one and really, really delicious. I’m not likely to buy all that many single porterhouse steaks in the future, but I was glad to have this one, and to learn how to cook it properly. As I sat down to eat it, I couldn't help but think of Jim, and all of the great years that we spent together. If you happen to be living on your own or even if there’s just the two of you, making steaks is really a simple process. Give this recipe a try. I think you'll enjoy it.

The Perfect Porterhouse

(Adapted from epicurious.com)

1 heaping tablespoon of finely chopped, mixed, fresh herbs (I used chives, thyme, and marjoram)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 porterhouse steak, (3/4 - 1-inch thick)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pat steak dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil to pan. When oil begins to smoke, add the steak and cook until brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in pan and stir in minced herbs. Spoon over steak to baste. Remove steak from heat and place on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Slide into oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the steak registers 120°F for medium-rare, about 5 minutes (or 125°F for medium, about 10 minutes). Transfer steak to a wooden board to rest, about 10 minutes.

Serve.

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
 Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Bacon Asparagus Cajun Pasta

I tend to make pasta once a week. I like it, there are endless varieties, and, like a girl I knew in high school, it's fast and easy. While all of the dishes that I make are good, some are better than others. This one falls into the latter category as being a "10" on the Yummy Scale (not an official unit of measure, but it should be). There is just something about those Cajun spices that take this over the top.

I spotted this recipe on the Small Town Woman blog, and it is a must try. Easy and intensely flavorful, you'll find yourself returning to this recipe again and again. 

Bacon Asparagus Cajun Pasta

​8 ounces rigatoni 

4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped

12 stems asparagus, cut in bite-size pieces

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

4 teaspoons Cajun spice

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

In a large skillet over medium heat place bacon pieces. Cook for 8 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for 8 minutes longer. Reduce heat and add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook just until slightly wilted. Remove to plate.

Using the same skillet pour in the wine, scraping pan bottom to remove browned bacon bits. Add cream, Cajun spice, and simmer to desired thickness, stirring frequently. Slowly add the Parmesan cheese, and stir until melted and smooth. Add bacon/asparagus mixture and drained rigatoni. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to: Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Roasted Red Pepper Soup Shots

I make no secret of the fact that I love Melissa's Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers. So much so that, when I'm down to my last jar in the pantry, I get positively panicky. Here's why. This jar of red peppers, as much of a pantry staple for me as are flour and sugar, can brighten any dish, substitute for fresh peppers, take the place in fine fashion of pimientos in casseroles, perk up a salad, give some zing to a casserole, make a superb sandwich topping or relish, and, as I will show you here, give you an appetizer or starter soup in about three minutes.

I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and, being the huge fan of roasted red peppers that I am, had to try it. I expected it to be good; I did not expect it to be amazing. It is! I mean, it gets five stars right off the bat for being so darned easy, but it also gets five in the category of taste. It is hard to stop eating once you start.

Serving it in shooter glasses with a variety of toppings give it both interest and extra appeal. You can also customize for holidays, using minced cilantro or parsley to make the shooters red and green for Christmas, using feta to make it appropriate for Valentine's Day, chopped egg to turn it into picnic food, crumbled bacon to make it football food, or a tiny sprig of basil to say "Welcome Spring" when the time comes.  It's Sunday! Time to sip some soup.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup Shots

1 15.5-ounce jar Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, with juices

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar (I used a bit more)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (use the best you can find)

Purée red peppers with their juices, Sherry vinegar, salt, and 1/4 pepper in a blender on high speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. With motor running, gradually add olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
 Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Homestead Wednesday
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home
Simple & Sweet Friday
Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Share Your Cup
Wildly Original
Creative Ways Party

Simple Saturday Blog Hop
A Bouquet of Talent

Peanut Butter Cup Crack Brownies

This blog post will be brief because, well, look at the picture. Do I really need to go on and on gushing about how good these are? The name alone, Peanut Butter Cup Crack Brownies, pretty much says it all. 

I'd seen this recipe, as perhaps many of you had, making the rounds on Facebook. After seeing it again and again, I finally caved and decided I had to make it. I made a big pan, divided it up between my dad, and my two sons and their families, and waited for the response. As you can well imagine, thumbs up all around. These are easy to make, rich, sweet, chocolaty, peanut buttery, and delicious. Need I say more?

Oh. P.S. It's my birthday!

Peanut Butter Cup Crack Brownies

 1 pkg. fudge brownie mix (not family sized)

½ cup chopped salted peanuts

12 peanut butter cups, chopped

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1¼ cups creamy peanut butter

1 Tablespoon butter

1½ cups crispy rice cereal

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare brownies according to package directions. Spread into a greased and foiled-lined 9” x 9” pan. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumb.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups and chopped peanuts. Bake 4-6 minutes longer or until chocolate is melted. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter; stir until smooth. Fold in the cereal, vanilla, and salt. Carefully spread over brownies. Chill until chocolate is set, about 2 hours. Cut into squares to serve.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

This post is linked to: Over the Moon, Merry Monday, Dishing It & Digging It, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday,