Spicy Winter Simmer

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I live in a part of the country where summers are hot with high humidity. During the summer I curse the humidity; during the winter I sorely miss it. I noticed the other day how dry it was in the house. Plants were looking wilted, my skin was looking worse, and it was time to start adding some humidity into the air. If you find yourself in a similar situation, this is a delightful, easy, and fragrant way to add humidity and warmth to your home. You will also find that the addition of the lavender buds can contribute to a sense of calm and well-being. Use the recipe below to turn your home into a fragrant and welcoming spa-like space. Don’t feel as though you have to stick to the measurements, feel free to add more or less of any of these ingredients to suit your own desires.

 Spicy Winter Simmer

1 medium orange, sliced
2-4 cinnamon sticks
1 T. whole cloves
1 T. dried lavender buds, preferably French

 Place ingredients into a 4-quart saucepan; bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add water throughout the day as needed. Inhale and enjoy.

 

 

Cinnamon Ice Cream

 The late Mr. O-P did not like cinnamon. Can you imagine? I, on the other hand, love cinnamon, but, as spouses and partners often do, they give things up, or least put them on the back burner, in favor of something mutually agreeable. The other day while shopping I spotted a Dutch apple pie at a favorite local Italian market that somehow ended up in my cart. On the drive home I couldn’t help but think how wonderful a slice of that pie would be topped with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

 

Having never made cinnamon ice cream before, but also having an ice cream maker perpetually at the ready, I decided to give it a try. It is both easy, and delicious, although in my case not without incident. I may have mentioned that while number two son (and his wife and two cats) await the completion of their new home, they are living with me. While I was making the ice cream, the younger, more curious of their two cats, decided to knock down a picture. It startled me, I turned, mid-whisk, splashing some of the custard on the floor, stepped in it with my barefoot, slid, splashed my face and glasses with the custard that remained on the whisk, while not even breaking stride in the stirring process. Fortunately, no harm, no foul, both picture and I remain intact, and that calls for a scoop!

Cinnamon Ice Cream

2 large eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
¾ c. whole milk
1¾ c. heavy whipping cream, divided
2½ t. ground cinnamon 

1 t. vanilla

Crack eggs into a medium/small bowl; set aside. Whisk together sugar, milk, and 3/4 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, temper eggs,* and s-l-o-w-l-y add the whisk-warmed beaten eggs in a stream, whisking quickly so that the eggs do not curdle; stir in the remaining 1 cup heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool for 35-40 minutes. Refrigerate 6-8 hours, or overnight.

Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream maker (I use this one), and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

* The trickiest part about making ice cream is preventing the eggs from curdling. To do this you need to temper the eggs, which means to warm them up a bit so that the cold egg mixture is not shocked when it hits the warm custard mixture. I have found the best way to do this is to beat the eggs with the warm whisk from the custard mixture. Pull the whisk out of the custard, quickly beat the eggs in a separate bowl, put the whisk back into the custard, give it a couple of stirs, remove it and beat the eggs again. Repeat this back-and-forth process 3 to 4 times. At this point, the eggs have warmed up significantly enough to be added in a slow stream to the custard.

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Cinnamon Pie for “Psych-Os”

With the exception of baseball and British crime shows, I don’t watch a lot of television. Still, it does tend to run in the background when I’m cooking, working on various projects, or those rare moments when I clean. Because, during these times, I’m not paying close attention, I tend to have things on that I’ve seen in the past. Marathons are good for this. Recently I was watching a “Psych” marathon on the Hallmark Channel. I’ve seen every episode a number of times, and it’s mindless fun…or, perhaps, fun for the mindless.

Source: USA Network

One of the episodes is called “Dual Spires,” a clever take on the enigmatic “Twin Peaks.” In this episode psychic detective, Shawn Spencer, and his sidekick, Burton Guster (Gus), spend a lot of time eating pie, cinnamon pie in particular. This intrigued me because I had never heard of cinnamon pie, and I wasn’t alone.

This pie is for all of you “Psych” fans (“Psych-Os”) who haven’t been able to find such a recipe. It’s based upon my mother’s cheese pie that she made and served so often when I was a little girl. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Cinnamon Pie for “Psych-Os”

For crust:
12 whole graham crackers

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

6 tbls. unsalted butter, melted

For Filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3-1/2 tbls. ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Powdered sugar for dusting

Whipped cream for garnishing

For the graham cracker crust:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, sugar, and cinnamon. With motor running, poor melted butter in through the top, and allow it to run until all is combined. Press into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before filling. Leave oven on.

For the filling:

Place the cream cheese, granulated sugar, extracts, cinnamon, and eggs in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until set, 25 to 35 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick into the center of the pie and remove it cleanly. Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve it slightly warm or cool.

Dust the top of the pie with powdered sugar. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

PRINT RECIPE

Another crowd-pleasing pie that makes good use of graham cracker crust is this Lemon Cloud Pie with Lemony Graham Cracker Crust.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Over the Moon

Smells Good Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

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French Breakfast Puffs

Earlier in the week I was invited to a Wine and Cheese “Do” at the (stunningly exquisite, makes me want to spit on my place) home of one of the ladies in the neighborhood. We were all invited to bring something…or not…and most of the women who did (all of them, I think, we are nothing if not a very generous, social group), to be enjoyed at the gathering. I went a different route, knowing full well how tiring hosting can be, so presented my hostess with a gift bag of French Breakfast Puffs. It had been a long while since I last made them. Seven years, I think.  The reason for my lapse is that a dear friend used to love them, so every time we paid her and her husband a visit, I took her some. When she passed away, seven years ago, my habit of making them stopped.

It was time, I thought, to reintroduce these into my repertoire of breakfast and brunch goodies, so I baked up a batch. I had forgotten just how good these are. They have a delightfully delicate crumb, a wonderful hint of nutmeg, and are completely covered with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar. They don’t keep so you’ll have to eat them within two days or pop them into the freezer.

French Breakfast Puffs

 ½ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup shortening (I used Crisco)

1 extra-large egg

1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

\1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup whole milk

\

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Spray a 12-well muffin pan with Pam (or other vegetable-based non-stick spray).

 

In the work bowl of a mixer, cream together the first ½ cup sugar, the shortening, and the egg.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Add dry mixture to creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately dip in butter on all sides, and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Serve warm.

Makes 12 puffs.

This post is linked to:

Celebrate It Sunday

Make It Pretty Monday

Metamorphosis Monday 

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter Clone

I know I am probably in the minority here, but I am not a fan of the rolls at Texas Roadhouse. And, brace yourself, people, I don't like the ones at O'Charley's either. Truth be told, I am a crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside kind of girl, when it comes to rolls, that is, and just don't like the soft rolls with the doughy interiors. I do, however, enjoy flavored butters and particularly the honey cinnamon variety served at the Roadhouse. After a bit of experimentation I think I have come up with a version that closely replicates what they serve. I make mine in small amounts (Mr. O-P considers such things a punishment), but this recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, well, you get the idea. As a rule, flavored butters last no more than 2 weeks in the fridge, so keep this in mind when determining quantity. I think this butter is wonderful on a seedy honey wheat bread, warm from the oven. Enjoy!

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter Clone

½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon organic honey

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients into a small mixing bowl.  Whip at high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Mound in serving container and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until slightly firm.

This post is linked to:

Creative Party

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays