Coffee Cabinet (Rhode Island-Style Coffee Milkshake)

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I must admit that I am one of those people who falls victim to those Click bait articles that profess to tell you the “best” food item in every state. It can be the best cheeseburger, BLT, fountain drink, dessert, you name it. Largely, I am disappointed in those articles because they often list places I’ve never heard of, in towns that I didn’t know existed, or when they do list my town, I am in strong disagreement with their choice. Recently an article on the favorite drink in every state was one that I couldn't resist. When I got to Rhode Island (I seldom last that long) I saw the words “Coffee Cabinet.” Now, I don’t know about you, but when I hear those two words I think of a place where I store bags of beans and coffee filters. That wasn’t the case here. Come to find out, in Rhode Island a Coffee Cabinet is a coffee milkshake. I thought that sounded pretty good, wonderful, in fact, but in viewing the recipe, I had to ask myself, Pattie, why use milk when you can use Kahlúa…so I did.

Oh, mama! Is this thing good! The coffee syrup alone makes this recipe worthwhile; it is sensational! Add it to your malt mixer, blender, or whatever you happen to use to make such beverages, along with coffee ice cream and Kahlúa and you have an adult winner. I thought of my dad today when I used his older-than-I-am Hamilton Beach malt mixer from the 50s. (You can buy a new version here, and you must, you simply MUST!) I grew up sitting on the kitchen counter watching him make shakes, until I was too big to lift. The malt mixer and I go way back, and it still works!

Coffee Cabinet (Rhode Island-Style Coffee Milkshake)
Adapted from seriouseats.com

For the coffee syrup:
1 c. strong brewed coffee
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract

For the coffee cabinet:
1 pint coffee ice cream
1/4 c. Kahlúa
1/4 c. chilled brewed coffee
2 T. coffee syrup

In a medium saucepan dissolve sugar in coffee. Bring mixture to a light boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer until the mixture has reduced to form a slightly thickened syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate to cool.

Add ice cream, Kahlúa, chilled coffee, and coffee syrup to blender or malt mixer. Blend until smooth. If you prefer a thinner shake, you can add additional Kahlúa and or chilled coffee, if desired.

 Top with a spritz of whipped cream and chocolate-covered espresso beans.

 

Aunt Gladys' Disappearing Chili Sauce

This chili sauce has a unique history. It came from my great aunt Gladys on my father's side (where she got it I do not know). Aunt Gladys passed it to my mother after she had tasted it during a visit to their Oklahoma home. I remember I was about four at the time, and was quite taken with their lovely home that included a vast rose garden and walk-in freezer. You might want to read those last couple of words again. My mother was in absolute heaven at the thought of a walk-in freezer. She was an avid maker of pies, and could envision them all stacked up waiting to be baked at some future point.

After we concluded our visit and returned home, my mother made the chili sauce. She loved it, I loved it, everybody loved it. Next year, following a bumper crop of tomatoes, she decided to make it again, but couldn’t find the recipe. That recipe stayed hidden for the next decade or so. Aunt Gladys had passed away at that point, and no one knew what had become of it.

Fast forward five more years when my mother pulled out an old cookbook to use, and found the chili sauce recipe that she'd apparently used as a bookmark. Immediately, she sat down, wrote out a copy, and gave it to me for safekeeping, just in case she lost it again. After my mother passed away, I had such a taste for that chili sauce that I went in search of my copy, but, alas, couldn’t find it. About a year ago, I did. It was during the winter, so I decided I was going to put it somewhere for safekeeping so as not to have it escape me during the summer. You know what I’m going to say here, right? I did lose it. Then I found it, and then I lost it again.

When I finally found it for the last time I decided that I was going to do something so as to prevent this from ever happening again -- I framed it. It is now hanging on the wall in my kitchen where I see it every day, and am thankful for my mother, my aunt, and a family history that caused such a stir. Because it gives me such a warm feeling every time I see it, I encourage you to consider giving one of your old family recipes this same treatment, and if you do, I would like to hear about it.

Come back tomorrow for the chili sauce recipe in readable form with my delicious adjustments.

 
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The Bookcase of my DREAMS!

If you are a follower of this blog you know that I lost my dear dad, unexpectedly, in February of this year. What you don’t know is that he passed away in the middle of panting and construction projects on my home. What grieves me mightily in all of this is that he never got to see this wonderful project completed. Dad was in on the planning stages from the very beginning. We discussed ideas, we went over pictures on Pinterest, and I sent him sketches of what I wanted. He was as excited as I was, and bought me the fireplace insert for Christmas. I shared pictures of early stages of construction with him, but he never got to see the end result.

Because of all this, I would like to share this project with you. These additions were constructed in the downstairs great room, my “chill zone,” where I go to relax and watch baseball. (In thinking about it, the words “relax” and “baseball” don’t really go together, but I digress…)

I was interested in having a fireplace, because I love them (if I had my way I would have a fireplace in every room), and I needed a large bookcase to hold all my books. (If you are a bibliophile like I am, then you know that this doesn’t begin to hold all of my books, again, digressing…)

Because my husband and I spent 20 years of our life together working in rare book rooms in libraries around the world, I wanted to replicate that in my own home, and thus I needed a ladder. Here is the end result, and I absolutely love it!

This bookcase holds a lot of history, literally and figuratively.

Many of Jim’s rare books are contained here, his collection of dictionaries, my collection of Nancy Drew books.

My collection of mystery cookbooks are here. I don't use them mind, and would never kill anyone intentionally with my cooking, but I do know how (evil grin).

Sherlock has his own space.

There is even room (well, I made room) for a bit of whimsy in this “Haunted Typewriter” that types out H E L P  M E when anyone passes.

My dad has his own little shelf where his textbooks from Yale are kept.

Walking Across Egypt was one of my mother’s favorite books. It is displayed on a stand on the table.

I LOVE dictionaries! Only a part of them fit here.

Sitting at this library table makes me feel as though my family surrounds me with their love. Dad always questioned my need for both lighted shelves and a ladder (and boy are they expensive!); Jim would have found it pure folly. True, I’m tall enough to reach the books on the top shelf, but it is an ornament that I had to have. 

While I eventually intend to paint and decoupage the top of the table with mementos from my life and travels relating to literature, I currently enjoy breakfast in this warm, bright, and wonderful spot. Come join me! Stay tuned for the fireplace addition in a future post.

As an aside, the builder on this project is the same wonderful man who built my deck. You can read about that here.

Fort Fromage

Do the words Fort Fromage mean anything to you? If they don’t, then pull up a chair, you are going to love this blog post. And before I say anything else, let me say you’re welcome. That’s how much you are going to love this.

I can’t tell you how many times when the late Mr. O-P and I were planning a dinner party that we completely forgot to consider snacks to serve with a cocktail before the meal. This would invariably involve my sending Mr. O-P to Sam’s hours, sometimes minutes, before guests were supposed to arrive to pick up a big jar of mixed nuts, assorted cheeses, and perhaps a container of hummus. This was always a frantic situation because Mr. O-P was easily distracted. Case in point, I will never forget the night we were fixing a birthday dinner for my dad. All Jim had to do was go out and buy dessert. I thought I had everything else covered so I sent him out around noon to pick up dessert. Four and a half hours later he came home with a sprinkler and two tickets to Baltimore. I couldn’t believe it. Not only that, but he was pleased with this purchase.

“Who wants to go to Baltimore?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“We can fly to Baltimore, rent a car, and drive to Virginia Beach,” he said with a smug smile.

Okay, I was softening to this, “But that sounds a bit expensive,” I countered.

“Not when you get the tickets for $30 apiece,” he reported.

“Are we riding in the cargo hold?” I asked, horrified. Knowing some of the strange way in which we had traveled in the past, I thought this might be a possibility.

“No,” he said, “It was a lightning deal. I got us two round-trip tickets to Baltimore for $30 each, and I got the senior discount on mine, so it really only cost $27.”

I blinked. “But what about dessert?” I asked him, not quite so willing to let him off the hook.

“Don’t worry, I’m heading out for it now,” he assured me.

I looked at him. “I guess you know they will be here in 10 minutes,” I snarled.

“I’ll be back in time,” he assured me, and he was off.

Where am I going with this you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Had I known about Fort Fromage back in those days, I wouldn’t have worried about sending him out, last minute or otherwise, to pick up a pre-dinner nosh. Fort Fromage is something any of us can put together with the leftovers that we have in our fridge. You heard me, leftovers! Not only that, but it’s delicious. It can also be made ahead, and it only gets better with age.

I first learned of Fort Fromage when I read that a local restaurant was serving delicious sandwiches that were nothing more than slices of crusty bread, spread with Fort Fromage, and topped with pickled vegetables. At that time, with a crisper full of vegetables, the pickled vegetable thing quite appealed to me. But, having never heard of Fort Fromage before, I had to investigate. There are a variety of recipes — this one is based upon Jacques Pépin’s — but, truth of the matter is, that no two versions are ever going to be the same. The reason is that Fort Fromage is made up of a clove of garlic, dry white wine, and a half-pound of whatever cheese bits you happen to have left over in your fridge.

How many times have you looked at those little too-small-to-grate cheese bits and had no clue as to what to do with them? Here is your answer. Weigh out a half a pound of whatever cheese scraps you happen to have, toss them into the food processor with a clove of garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and pulse until it’s finely ground. Then, with the motor of the processor running, drizzle in 4-5 tablespoons of dry white wine until you end up with a creamy spread. How easy does that sound? Well, it is! Mine consisted of a little chunk of Brie, about a tablespoon of feta (boy was I glad to get that container out of the fridge!), some non-smoked provolone, and cheddar. It is absolutely wonderful! I wish I’d had this recipe before Jim passed away. He would have loved the quirkiness of it, the convenience of it, and because we were such cheese lovers and always had a wide variety in our fridge, we could have put some together every time we had guests — even the unexpected spur-of-the-moment ones —, and each time it would have been special. Well, at least I can enjoy it now, and share this recipe with you.

It is wonderful as is spread on crackers, pieces of toasted baguette, or with crudités, or, for a heartier snack, can be spread on top of slices of crusty bread, and broiled until the cheese melts. Delicious!

Fort Fromage

1/2 pound assorted cheese scraps
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)

Place cheese parts into a food processor and pulse 6-7 times until finely ground. Add garlic and pulse again.  Then, with the processor running, stream in white wine until a nice, spreadable consistency is reached. If you have used cheese that is particularly dry (as in the case of feta), add a dollop of mayo for creaminess.  Place into a lidded container and refrigerate for at least two hours. It gets better when refrigerated overnight.

Keep it cool and serve it attractively in this Chilled Cheese or Dip Server.

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Another fabulous, spreadable cheese to keep on hand is this Homemade Boursin. It kicks the packaged variety to the curb and is far less expensive.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

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The Saga of the Paella Pan

I am a passionate person. Those of us who are passionate people tend to anguish over many things. My anguish du jour (and I say “du jour” because indeed I do anguish about something new almost every day) is my late husband’s paella pan. Let me tell you the story of this pan.

My husband, too, was a passionate person, and one of his passions was cooking. He introduced me to all kinds of exotic cuisines that were completely new to my experience, and I embraced them all. One thing that he particularly enjoyed making was paella. He would make big pans of it, spending all day long on a dish that wasn’t supposed to be all that difficult, and would serve it at big parties we had with our friends. He decided one year, that the pan he had wasn’t big enough to serve the masses that often descended upon our home for a meal, and that he needed a bigger one. Upon hearing this, my mother’s ears perked up. She was always looking to buy someone that special something for Christmas that they didn’t deliberately ask for, wouldn’t expect, but would be delighted with its receipt.

So, my industrious mother managed to find a company that sold Spanish products, including paella rice, paella seasonings, and paella pans, and she put together quite a package of paella goodies for Jim that Christmas. Having never made paella, she had no idea what a paella pan looked like, so when she placed her order she asked for a large one. I can still see the look of shock and surprise on Jim’s face when he opened that box. My mother had given him the biggest paella pan that he had ever seen. If you’ve ever been to an open-air food market, say Camden Market in London, you may have seen food vendors stirring up food for the masses in pans this size. This pan is roughly 2 feet in diameter. This was way too big for Jim’s needs plus, every year one or other of our friends died off, and, sadly, our parties kept getting smaller and smaller. So, Jim put the pan aside.

Fast-forward a dozen years to today. My mother has now been gone five years, Jim has been gone a little over two, but the pan is still here. I stumbled upon it today, and it was like a kick in the gut. It was still in the shrink-wrap (and that was mighty shrink wrap, I had a devil of a time extricating the pan), and a wave of sadness swept over me. Suddenly, I remembered my mother’s delight in finding Jim the perfect gift; I remember the look of shock and surprise on his face when he opened it. I remember the parties that we used to have under the striped umbrellas, on the big brick patio at our house, with pitchers of ruby red sangria, pans of steaming, seafood-studded paella, laughter, music, conviviality, the works! Such good times. I have since moved house, most of those friends are gone, and here I am left with this pan, this unused, monster of a paella pan. It’s funny how something inanimate, and relatively insignificant, can cause such pain.

You may be inclined to tell me to donate it and get it out of the house, but I can’t do that. The fact of the matter is, I like it. I don’t make paella, I would never make this much paella, but because this pan caused happiness, shock, and awe in the past, it is going to have to be a part of my future. So, I am asking for your help. What can I do with this pan? It is big enough to use as a serving tray, I’m aware of that, but at a hefty ten pounds all on its own it, would be too heavy to carry. It is almost the size of my entire cooktop, so I cannot use it on the stove, and it would be too big to use near the stove. It may work as a centerpiece on a large table, but I’m not sure I have a table quite that large. Use your imagination, go little crazy if you like, and tell me what you would do with this behemoth among paella pans.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Wine’d Down Wednesday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

Oven Chicken Kiev

It was only on the most special of occasions that my mother made Chicken Kiev. When she did, it took her the entire day, so she would make a lot of them. Generally, she would make them for a fancy dinner that she and my dad would serve to their friends. Because she knew I loved it so much, she would make three extras to serve us for dinner the day before. Dad and I never minded having the same thing two nights in a row when it was something we loved. 

She would de-bone her own chicken breasts (back then it wasn’t all that easy to find chicken breasts without bones), flatten them, fill them with parsley, scallions, and butter, roll them up as tightly as she could, and then roll them in a crumb coating. Then, of course, they had to be deep-fried. I remember that I always got the job of doing dishes, and I hated cleaning that deep fryer. As much as I loved it when she would drag it out because I knew that something good was to be had, I hated emptying that oil (that I usually poured all over the counter and had a devil of a time getting up), and then trying to scrub that thing clean while keeping the plug end out of the hot soapy water.

So, when this recipe fell into mother‘s lap, the deep fryer was put away for good. No, this oven version is not as good as the deep-fried version, but it goes together quickly, is tasty and satisfying, and is company worthy, and it’s tough to beat all of that. Because you all seemed to enjoy my Chicken Piccata recipe so much, I thought I would share this one with you as well. It’s a keeper!

(As I always tell you, and it is so important here, marinate your chicken in buttermilk overnight for the juiciest most succulent results.)

Oven Chicken Kiev

(My momma’s recipe)

2 whole, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup minced parsley

4 pats of butter

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a baking dish with Pam; set aside.

Butterfly and halve chicken breasts (you learned how to do that here). Melt butter in a metal or glass pie pan. In another metal or glass pie pan combine breadcrumbs, cheese, basil, oregano, garlic salt, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast half, first in butter, then in the crumb mixture, coating well. Place chicken breasts into prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes until juices run clear.

While chicken is baking, stir together wine, scallions, and parsley. During the last 10 minutes of baking, pour this mixture on top of the chicken, top each with a pat of butter, and return it to the oven.

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Another easy, company-worthy chicken dish is this Asparagus and Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken. So good, and makes such a beautiful presentation.

 

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Wonderful Wednesday

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday

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Not Quite My Momma's Potato Salad

The late Mr. O-P and I disagreed on potato salad. He liked potatoes thinly sliced, while I liked mine cubed and chunky. You would not believe what a big issue this was in our household, so much so, that it got to the point where he bought the kind he liked at the local market, and I didn’t eat any at all.

With the heat of summer already upon us, striking us dead in our tracks in early May, I’ve been thinking about barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, and potato salad. These dishes, along with a delicious wilted slaw, were things that my mother would make in the middle of summer. She would serve it to us with tall glasses of sweetened iced tea. As a consequence, this is one meal that just says “summer” to me. So today, I was thinking about potato salad, trying to remember what she put in hers and came up with this one on my own. As far as I can tell, the only thing lacking here are radishes, and I didn’t include them because I didn’t have them.

I made it super easy on myself by using a package of Melissa’s Parisian Pre-Cooked Potatoes, a potato that can seriously change your life. Because I always feel that warm potatoes absorb more of the saucy goodness (This may be true, this may not be. This is not a topic that I have seen covered on “Myth Busters.”), I did blanch these for about two minutes in boiling water, drained them, and then cooled them only slightly (and by this I mean not at all), before cutting them into cubes. Using pre-cooked potatoes made this dish a breeze! Plus, the potatoes are so tender, buttery, and delicious, perfect to soak up all of the tasty ingredients in the sauce. If you can’t get your hands on these potatoes, well, complain mightily to your grocer, but in their place you can use an equal amount of Baby Ruby Gold Potatoes, cooked until fork tender and cubed. 

Not Quite My Momma's Potato Salad

1 14-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Pre-Cooked Parisian Potatoes, cubed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 sweet-pickle chips, diced

3-4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced (Extra for garnish, if desired)

½ cup chopped celery

1 small Melissa’s shallot, minced

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Paprika

Bring a large saucepan full of water to a rapid boil; add salt. Drop potatoes into the boiling water and heat through (1-2 minutes); rinse, drain, and slightly cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, toss potatoes with pickle chips, eggs, celery, shallot, and parsley. Add dressing and eggs to potatoes and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired, and then fold in dressing.

This gets better if refrigerated overnight.  To serve, dust with paprika, and top each serving with an egg slice and pickle chip.

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If you prefer a more German-type of potato salad, you will love Miss Hulling’s German Potato Salad from a local landmark restaurant.

 You can get more of Miss Hulling’s delicious recipes here:

 

 

This post is linked to:

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

This post contains affiliate links.

Chocolate Malt Cake with Chocolate Malt Frosting

I no longer do much for Easter. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to do something for Easter, it’s just that so many people have passed on, grown-up, have their own families, moved away, well… It is what it is. I make no complaints, I’m happy enough to do my own thing, but I do take a meal to my dad, and I did that on Good Friday. The meal consisted of a glazed spiral ham, a corn dish for which he has a particular liking, the pretzel salad that I mentioned here, a potato casserole, loaf of Rosemary Sea Salt Bread, and this cake.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, I am not a baker, but I got to wondering what my dad might like for dessert. I know one of his favorite things, besides pecan pie, is a chocolate malt, so I thought I would make a chocolate malt cake. The only thing stopping me was the lack of a recipe, so I decided to come up with one of my own. It was very good, but not without its issues. I wanted to decorate it and make it look pretty. Therefore, I cut up malted milk balls and put them on the top of the cake as you can see in the pictures, something I did the day prior to taking the cake to my dad. That was not a good idea. The malted milk balls absorbed moisture from the frosting, and got a little gummy. Pretty, but chewy. I also thought I would split the two layers for extra frosting. Dad did not complain because he loves his sweets, but to me that was just too much frosting. So, keep these things in mind when you make this cake, and you should, because it is very dense and chocolaty.

Chocolate Malt Cake with Chocolate Malt Frosting

Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate malt powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot, freshly brewed coffee

Frosting:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate malt powder
5 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans; set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, malt powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and using the paddle attachment, beat at medium high speed for three minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, and stir in the hot coffee by hand. Divide mixture evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on racks for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes are up, run a knife around the edges of the pans, and invert both onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make the frosting, cream butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in cocoa, malt powder, and confectioner’s sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency another 3 to 4 minutes. Frost cake as you see fit.

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This post is linked to:

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Feathered Nest Friday

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