Spiced Pumpkin & Pecan Butter

It's happening. I caught a glimpse of a non-green leaf, the sun is looking different, days are shorter and orange is beginning to show up in my garden. No matter how hard I try to resist the pumpkin trends until September, I rarely have enough will power.
This particular recipe came to be after purchasing a jar of a similar nature at a cook/foodie haven; W-S. As I handed over way too much cash, my only thought was "I wonder if they have plastic spoons for the car ride home". I looked up many copycat recipes and made several batches, this is my favorite! I have found Effie's Nutcakes to be the perfect complement as well!

SPICED PUMPKIN & PECAN BUTTER

zest of 1/2 lemon and orange, grated finely (I also use candied peel, 1 Tablespoon each orange & lemon, I dare say it may be even better than the zest)
4 cups pumpkin or squash puree ( If using homemade puree, drain in jelly bag a few hours after roasting)
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Molasses (I use the robust or blackstrap)
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon each allspice, cloves and ginger

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook 25-30 minutes until very thick. Taste and adjust seasonings and sugar, keeping in mind the flavors will deepen upon sitting for a few days. Stir in 1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans. Fill sterilized jars and refrigerate or freeze when cooled. This recipe is not appropriate for canning as the filling cannot reach proper internal temperature. It keep about 3 months+ in fridge, at least a year in the freezer.

Green Tea Sangria

I'm making the most out of every summer minute! This sangria has been really refreshing and delicious! Maybe we can call it "healthy" and drink more of it?!?!

GREEN TEA SANGRIA
Make 1 cup of super strong green tea of choice; do not brew longer, instead use more tea leaves; I used a mango flavored green tea which was great and also jasmine green tea

SIMPLE SYRUP:
1 cup brewed green tea
1 cup sugar
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, Remove from heat and cool.

1 bottle White Bordeaux or Sauvignon Blanc of choice
1 cup green tea simple syrup
1 peach, peeled, pitted and diced
a handful of frozen grapes (these work great as they don't water down the sangria!)
1 1/2 cup club soda

Combine and let chill. Enjoy!

3 Pesto Recipes

Here are the 3 pesto recipes we made at tonight's tasting!  I hope you enjoy making some at home ! 

A few notes about ingredients;

Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford

Wash and DRY all of the herbs; herbs are strongest in the morning so consider making the pestos early in the day

You can freeze up to 1 year

Pesto lasts about 3 months in fridge, make sure to cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil after each use so it doesn't discolor

I used Parmigiano Reggiano but you could also add some Romano for a nice kick or blend the 2 cheeses

Toast all nuts before using. 300 degrees for 8 minutes 

Sage Pesto

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

2 cups sage leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese

Parsley Pesto

1 clove garlic 

1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup toasted almonds 

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese

Chervil Pesto

1 cup chervil

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese cut in chunks

1/4 cup toasted walnuts 

3+ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Tomato Basil Squares

I recently made this recipe after a 10 year hiatus. I can't remember why since it is so fantastic and delicious!! It was originally a Pampered Chef recipe that I made my own with a few tweaks. Hope you enjoy as tomato season is nearly upon us!

TOMATO BASIL SQUARES

1 batch your favorite pizza crust (my recipe is below)
2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (I used Four Corners Creamery, it takes 1 1/2 mozzarella balls)
¼ cup Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese, grated
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
4 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425°F
Roll out pizza crust on to flat baking sheet to 1 inch of edge. Bake 18-22 minutes until golden brown.
Top crust with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Combine Parm cheese, remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, basil and minced garlic and
mix well.
Slice tomatoes and arrange evenly over crust. Scoop cheese mixture over tomatoes; spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool 10 minutes and slice into squares.

(FYI I'm going to try making this with smoked fresh mozzarella next time...hence the photo!)

Pizza Crust
1 cup hot tap water
1 Tablespoon INSTANT yeast (adjust accordingly for active dry)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2-3 cups flour

Throw all of the ingredients together into your mixer with a dough hook attached and mix until dough is smooth and shiny. Let rise 15 minutes and roll out.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette can be so easy and delicious you'll never want to use bottled dressing again. It really comes down to your preference, but you can adjust this recipe to be more tart or sweet by adjusting the vinegar.

HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
1 teaspoon whole grain or dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (I used the 20 year old we sell at The Market and it's very sweet)
1/3 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Blend mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl with a whisk. Drizzle oil in slowly, whisking constantly until oil is emulsified. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
You can sweeten up really tart vinegar by adding a teaspoon or 2 of honey, or you can tart up a sweeter vinegar by adding a teaspoon of red wine vinegar!

Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Strawberries

I fell in love...with Carolina Gold Rice during a Spring vacation to Charleston SC. The affair continues...

COCONUT MILK RICE PUDDING WITH STRAWBERRIES

3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked Carolina Gold or Arborio rice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
pinch of salt

1/2 quart strawberries, cleaned and quartered
1/2 cup sugar

Place strawberries and sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Let sit at room temperature stirring occasionally while preparing the rice.

In a heavy (use your heaviest) large pot bring cream, coconut milk, water, sugar, rice and vanilla to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Gently fluff with a fork when finished cooking. Top a small portion of rice with strawberries and serve immediately. Rice is lovely served just warm, but this refrigerates and reheats really well too!
Enjoy!

Focaccia with Apricot Preserves, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese

I recently picked up a new cookbook (the first in over a year I'll have you know) called "Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry". Technically it's a year-round preserving book, but with lots of little bonus recipes that pertain to preserved goods are included. It's a beautiful book with many unique recipes for typical preserving, but covers many other preservation techniques and I am enjoying the sections on meat preservation!

I was looking to use up last year's apricot preserves before adding additional to the "larder" and this recipe looked fabulous! I only made a few minor changes to suit what I had on hand. I hope you enjoy!

FOCACCIA WITH APRICOT PRESERVES, CARAMELIZED ONION AND GOAT CHEESE

Dough;
1 cup hot water (hot from the tap is fine, no need to heat)
1 Tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast proofed in water)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

I throw the whole thing in my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook attached and allow to mix for about 5 minutes until a smooth dough has climbed the hook. Let rise about 20 minutes until nearly doubled. Punch down and place into a olive oil greased 9X13 pan, using your finger tips to make little depressions.

Toppings;
1 cup Apricot Preserves
1 large vidalia onion that you have caramelized
4 ounces goat cheese of choice; (I used Naked Goat which is aged, dry and firm. It was not the best baker, next time I will use ether fresh or a lovely Goat Gouda that we sell at The Boulevard Market)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Spread apricot preserves on dough first, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Add onions evenly across dough and sprinkle on goat cheese. Drizzle entire thing with olive oil. Add toppings and let rise again about 10 minutes. (These rise times are for instant yeast, if you use dry active, you will need to increase rise times)
Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. The shorter bake time will be a softer crust. For a crispier crust, you may consider using a bit larger flat baking sheet and rolling dough a bit thinner.

Chocolate Salame

This Chocolate "Salame" was fun for my holiday open house and wine tasting last week! It looks really funky and authentic and is a great conversation piece for your holiday gatherings! I revised a Nigella Lawson recipe to fit the ingredients I had on hand as well as chocolate salame I had tried in Italy. I will note my changes above Nigella's recipe posted below.

I used Callebaut 66% bittersweet chocolate, omitted all the nuts, replace the amaretti cookies with Leibniz Butter Biscuits and replaced the amaretto with cognac. The "icing sugar" is confectioners/powdered sugar and the whole string thing was quite the debacle. Honestly 5 adults got so frustrated and pissed off we ended up tying knots all the the thing to be sorta the same. Whatchagonnado? I also made mine into smaller portions and froze them wrapped in tinfoil then a ziploc, it turned out perfectly. Truly this is a make ahead, think 3 days or more in advance, to let all the flavors blend and the biscuits to soften up a bit. ENJOY!
NOTE: American conversion is listed at the end of each ingredient!!


250 grams good-quality dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped; 9oz
250 grams amaretti biscuits (crunchy, not soft) 9oz
100 grams soft unsalted butter 7 Tablespoons
150 grams caster sugar 3/4 cup
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
75 grams natural almonds (unskinned), roughly chopped 1/2 cup
75 grams hazelnuts (roughly chopped) 1/2 cup
50 grams pistachios (roughly chopped) 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons icing sugar (to decorate)


In the microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), or in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water (but not touching the water), melt the chocolate until smooth. While the chocolate’s melting, put the biscuits into a large freezer bag, seal and bash them with a rolling pin until you have a bag of rubble – not dust. When the chocolate’s melted, remove it to a cold place (not the fridge) and set aside to cool.
Cream the butter and sugar together; I do this in a freestanding mixer, but you don’t have to. You just need to use a large bowl and make sure the mixture is soft and superlight.
Gradually, and one by one, beat in the eggs. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage: all manner of ills will be righted once the chocolate is added later.) Then beat in the amaretto liqueur.
Push the cocoa powder through a little sieve or tea strainer into the cooled chocolate and, with a small rubber spatula, stir till combined, then beat this into the egg mixture, too.
When you have a smooth chocolate mixture in front of you, tip in the chopped nuts and crushed biscuits. Fold these in firmly but patiently to make sure everything is chocolate covered. Transfer this mixture, still in its bowl, to the fridge to firm up a bit for 20–30 minutes. Don’t leave it for much longer than this or it will be difficult to get out of the bowl to shape.
Unroll and slice off 2 large pieces of clingfilm, overlapping them, so that you have a large cling-covered surface to roll the chocolate salame out on. Tip the chocolate mixture out in the middle of this and – using your hands, messy though this is – mould the mixture into a fat salame-like log, approx. 30cm long.
Cover the chocolate log completely with the clingfilm, and then firmly roll it, as if it were a rolling pin, to create a smooth, rounded cylinder from the rough log you started with. Twist the ends by grasping both ends of the clingfilm and rolling the sausage-log towards you several times. Then put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours – though preferably overnight – to set.
Now – once it’s set – for the exciting bit: tear off a large piece of greaseproof paper and lay it on a clear kitchen surface. Take the salame out of the fridge and sit it on the paper. Measure out a piece of string at least 6 times longer than the length of the salame, and tie one end of the string firmly round the twisted knot of clingfilm at one end of the salame. Then trim away as much clingfilm as you can, but without cutting either of the tapered, nose ends, so that you can attach the string to these.
Dust your hands with a little icing sugar and then rub 2 tablespoons of icing sugar (more if needed) over the unwrapped salame to stop it getting sticky as you string it up. Plus it makes it look more like a salame!
Make a loop with the string, a little wider than the salame, and feed it over the end of the salame, close to where it is tied on. Pull on the trailing end to tighten (but not too tightly) and form another loop of string as before. Work this second loop around the sausage, 4cm or so further along from the first, tighten again and repeat until you reach the far end of the salame, then tie the string firmly round the other twisted nose of clingfilm.
With your remaining length of string, start to feed it back along the salame, twisting it around the encircling string each time it crosses a loop, then tie it again when you come to the end. Repeat these lengths as many times as you want, to make the authentic-looking pattern, but two or three times would be enough to get the effect.
Transfer it to a wooden board, and cut some slices, fanning them out as if they were indeed slices of salame, leaving a knife on the board, too, for people to cut further slices, as they wish. Obviously, when you cut the salame, you will cut through the string, but the many knots and twists keep it securely tied. Serve fridge cold, or very near to it.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

This Pumpkin Curry Soup has been a winter favorite of ours and went great with lighter red wines at our most recent Holiday Open House & wine tasting at The Boulevard Market!! 30 minutes is all you need to make this soup! It can also easily be vegan by replacing the heavy cream with coconut milk (sold in cans at the grocery store, unsweetened)and olive oil. I garnish it with crushed amaretti cookies or crumbled Maytag Blue depending on if you're feeling sweet or salty! Enjoy!

PUMPKIN CURRY SOUP

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon fresh Madras Curry powder
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine butter and olive oil and saute onions until soft but not browned. When onions are soft, add curry powder and saute 1 minute to release spices. Add stock & pumpkin puree and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer until soup has thickened. (You may add more or less stock depending upon desired thickness of soup) Garnish with crumbled blue cheese or crushed amaretti cookies; a lightly sweet, crunchy Italian cookie that has a distinct toasted almond flavor)

Cauliflower Soup

Last week I hosted an Open House and a Wine/Beer Tasting and served this Cauliflower Soup. It was a huge hit! For the wine tasting folks, I added a handful of chopped Keen's Farmhouse Cheddar too! I did omit the spinach....just wasn't feeling it ;) Isn't that the great thing about recipes? You can do what you like to make them yours. This is also a perfect way to use up the traditional holiday veggie/dip plate! Substitute the parsnips for celery and even add some broccoli if you've got it!

Fried Proscuitto makes a lovely garnish for this soup. Cut slices of Proscuitto in strips and saute or broil until crispy. We loved the soup with white wine! Enjoy!

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 head cauliflower, cleaned and trimmed into ½ inch florets
1 diced carrot
½ medium onion, diced
1 stalk diced parsnip
3 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
3 Tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
½ cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

In large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter and sauté carrots, onions, parsnip and cauliflower until softened and slightly browned.

Add stock, and stir, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add potatoes and lower heat and simmer about 15-20 minutes. Add spinach, cook about 3 minutes and add heavy cream. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste.

Remove from heat and serve.

Cinnamon Amaretti Cheesecake

I may be pumpkined out. It's hard for me to admit, but I believe I just have enough desire left for a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Cinnamon on the other hand is something I never get tired of, so I created this quick little cheesecake. This has gotten rave reviews at my cooking classes and wine tasting! I hope you love it as well!

Cinnamon Amaretti Cheesecake

6 ounces Amaretti Cookies, crushed into crumbs
4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine in a small dish and press into a 9 inch springform pan.
Bake crust in a 350 degree, preheated oven for 12 minutes.

FILLING;
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, beat cheeses and sugar until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla, stir until combined. With your mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next.
Pour filling into baked crust and bake 65 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool an hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Pumpkin Soup Concentrate for freezing

It's fall y'all!
Every year about this time, our rural roads are full of pumpkins sitting on wagons and in wooden crates for mere pennies. I coerce John into pulling over and picking up at least 15 pie pumpkins that leave our hands dirty and filled with those weird little slivers that pumpkin stems give you. Maybe a little sticky thrown in.
But they're homegrown and only $5. I proceed to put them in the garage and slowly use them until it freezes here permanently and they are ruined....until a couple years ago. I now process the buggers right away. Procrastination is never my friend.
I thought you might like an easy freezer recipe to deal with pumpkins and winter squash in a creative and useable way!
I begin by cutting my PIE pumpkins (or any winter squash) in half and roasting them until tender. I then scoop flesh into a suspended jelly bag or cheesecloth and allow to drain at least 6 hours. This keeps the puree drier and less likely to hold water during freezing. Once drained I mash and make this recipe:

Pumpkin Soup Concentrate

2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
4 ounces blue cheese (I used Maytag)
4 ounces Mascarpone cheese
1 cup chopped onions
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
Salt & Pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until softened but not browned. Stir in remaining ingredients and pack into freezer containers.

For soup add: 2 cups heavy cream, coconut milk (unsweetened) + 1 cup stock of choice or 3 cups stock

For flatbreads: Using already baked flatbreads: top with pumpkin and bake 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Top with prosciutto crumbles and greens that have been lightly dressed with balsamic vinegar

I have been working on a souffle recipe as well and will update when the exact proportions are complete!

posted from Bloggeroid

DIY Planner

Are you a planner/personal agenda person? I am and always have been. I have a bunch of old leatherish binders, a really beautiful ($55!!!) Day designer, notebooks and most recently apps for phone and tablet and laptop that sync...."I can't even". All were sort of useful but not really functional for my life right now. I run a retail business and an Inn and 2 wholesale companies. When I have a mistake/forget things, it can go downhill quickly (I prefer the term...shit hits the fan). However none of the planners are for people like me. They are for people that do meetings, make appointments or snack day at elementary school or get a manicure (I wish!!). I also hate the whole month since I get overwhelmed, but can't do a daily since there are ugly surprises when I turn the page at 5am. The weekly ones are nice but there's no space for writing "don't forget to order Halloween wines". So I created my own!
I purchased a Piccadilly Tiffany blue notebook, gathered up a bunch of cool stickers and whatnot I had in my "project room" and got to work.
I added tab dividers that work for me and pages like "Thanksgiving" with room for a guest list, decor ideas and a whole square to plan "the feast"!!!
I added a page for my Christmas gift list, thoughts and ideas every week as well as a spot for gratitude and planning my cooking classes.
Here's a whole slew of photos to get you inspired to create your own planner!

posted from Bloggeroid

Autumn Apple Cider Gin Cocktail

Seasonal and fabulous! Buy the freshest apple cider possible at your local apple orchard!

1 part Beefeater or Hendricks Gin
3 parts Fresh apple cider
1 dash Angostura bitters per glass
Slices of Apples for garnish
Ice

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Stir in all ingredients and add an apple slice for garnish!

posted from Bloggeroid

Apple Cranberry Conserve

My absolute favorite preserving recipes are small batch, quick prep, simple ingredients, great flavor and versatile. Am I asking too much?
Last month at my Preserving Class we hit all the above listed points with the Apple Cranberry Conserve! I served the conserve with a double creme cheese, but since have loved it with grilled chicken, added it as a layer to a pumpkin quick bread and served it as an ice cream topper....

Something to keep in mind; because of the short cooking and processing times, I thought the flavor was better after sitting for a week or so. I just did a rough chop so the cranberries were not chopped and the apples were chopped the same size as cranberries. You could chop a bit smaller for a softer texture in a shorter amount of time.

APPLE CRANBERRY CONSERVE

2 ¼ cups diced apples (I used a combination of Ginger Gold and Paula Red)
¼ cup water
½ cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 package pectin (Powdered for a firmer texture, liquid pectin for a softer set)
2 ¾ cups sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Combine apples, water and dried cranberries in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and add sugar. Return to a full boil and add liquid pectin and boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Fill jars, wipe rims, attach lids and rings and process in hot water bath for 5 minutes. Allow to sit at room temp for 24 hours undisturbed.

Making Shrub

As an "alcoholic beverage retailer" I get tons of publications with all the newest trends in cocktails, which is fun and frustrating. Fun because I always have new ideas from folks at the top of the industry, frustrating because we live in a small rural town in the midwest and "trends" are not the easiest to come by. Occasionally I concoct my own spin on cocktails if I can't find exactly what I need....hence the "shrub" recipe.

In all honesty I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but if it's made with vinegar, I'm usually game. The shrub is an old non-alcoholic beverage and you can read it's history all over the internet with a simple search. (I'm sorry, I hate to just repeat what someone else has said better before me :))

I had a quart of fresh strawberries needing to be used and lemons galore, so that's how I ended up with this recipe. I was a bit hesitant about strawberries as I don't usually care for strawberry flavored anything as it's SO sweet, but the shrub can really use the sweet to counter balance it's tartness. The recipe filled a wine bottle about 3/4 full so maybe yield is about 3 cups-ish.

Strawberry Lemon Shrub
2 fresh lemons, juiced
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 cup Champagne Vinegar (Champagne vinegar is a MUST or any delicate wine or rice vinegar. Do not use apple cider or white vinegar)
1 cup sugar

Combine strawberries, vinegar and lemon juice in a glass container. Stir and leave at room temperature for 48 hours. Add sugar, stir and allow to sit stirring or shaking occasionally up to 4 days.
Strain berries from juice using a jelly bag or cheesecloth and refrigerate before serving.

(This was the only photo I took and it's super tacky, but you'll get the point of what it should look like and the color is stunning!)



I served the shrub at my Preserving Class with Prosecco wine, a fruity, dry sparkling wine from Italy. You could also use and "Brut" sparkling wine. I would be hesitant to use any sweet sparkling wine. While the shrub is tart from the vinegar, it's still sooooo sweet in the layers of flavors. I also thought club soda was fantastic for a refreshing brunch drink! There are many cocktail recipes online, using shrubs in them. This keeps about a month in the fridge.

I think I'd like to try a pear/ginger shrub for the fall! Let me know what you try out and what your thoughts were on flavor combinations!!

Chicken Liver Pate for the freezer

Chicken Liver Pate

1 lb chicken livers
4 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp each fresh thyme, rosemary
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp French spice blend (quatre epices)
5 Tbs bourbon

Saute bacon until crispy, drain on paper towel. Fry chicken livers until cooked through about 8 minutes adding garlic halfway through cooking. Combine spices, bacon, livers and remainder of ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Add an additional tablespoon or so of butter if the mixture seems too dry.

I use the Quatre Epices quite often in pates, meatloaf and other savory meat dishes that need a little interesting flavor. Here is a basic recipe, but I did add a 1/8 teaspoon of allspice to mine as well.


1 tablespoon white pepper
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

If freezing, I always put a thin layer of olive oil to protect the top from freezer burn. Enjoy!

"Bon Voyage" Party Ideas and Menu

So, I know it's been a little while.....I thought you might enjoy seeing some photos from a recent "Bon Voyage" party I hosted for our 2 oldest daughters. The eldest is moving to Shanghai China and the middle daughter is moving to St Augustine Florida. I gathered some fun ideas from Pinterest and created a few of our own. I went with a "vintage world map" décor theme of pale blues, yellows and accents of green.

THE DECOR

I kept with the theme and cut and hand lettered a banner to hand across our dining room.



I simply cut the map into several equal triangle, wrote a letter on each and left 1 plain and punched 2 holes into the top of each. I then threaded jute through the hole and hung. I hung another full map above the dessert table and filled a huge blue glass vase with fresh sunflowers.



We placed small velum paper flags with "Bon Voyage" written in white ink and glued onto a wooden skewer. I used an assortment of tiny dishes and paper cups to be lively and fun as well as make sure I had enough small plates for everyone!

I also picked up some adorable "Airmail" style note cards and tied them in pairs of 2 with jute. (The idea WAS that each card would each have the girls new addresses on them and be ready mail, but hey...who knows their new addresses? Not my girls. So guests were able to take a packet home and I agreed to forward said addresses asap.)





THE DRINKS

Since this was mainly an outdoor party, I used my potting bench for outside drinks in buckets and set up a classic cocktail bar inside the dining room. A copper preserving pot and galvanized tub surrounded by wicker did the trick for the assorted craft beers and sodas and I included fun blue swirled straws!



We also had a cocktail bar set up for 2 drinks. The "Saint Augustine" and "Shanghai Tea". I found some super cute 6X8 inch chalkboards and wrote a recipe on each. I then included an ice bucket, lemon wedges, and assorted components for each drink. LOTS of fun!! Everyone got into the spirit and tried something new! I save several types of jars and wine bottles I like so I had fun putting the components into different bottles instead of just the same old thing! We didn't get straight on photos, but here I am making a (well deserved I might add) Saint Augustine!







THE TABLE

We had 28 guests, all family to wish the girls well. It's a bit of a challenge finding room for that many to sit together, so we set up 3 8 foot buffet tables in the yard. I covered the tables in 2 pale yellow curtain panels and 1 pale blue, flat, bed sheet instead of purchasing anything.



I used paper plates in a square style and wrapped the silverware in napkins and a piece of jute. We found some lovely bottles of Italian Barbera (Fuso is the brand) wine that paired well with our food and décor with a map label.



I tucked a few sprigs of statice flowers into Fentiman's Tonic Water bottles to brighten up the table and placed large world maps to cap off each end. The food was the main attraction however!


THE MENU

Appetizers;
Cheese Board
Baguette slices with pesto, tomatoes and feta
Fresh Radish Spread

Lemon Herbed Chicken
Seasoned Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce (on the side)
Wild Rice with Grilled Vegetables
Redskin Potatoes with fresh herbs and butter
Baguettes & butter
Fresh Cantaloupe
Sliced Sweet & Sour Cucumbers
Asian Coleslaw
Kale Salad with Peaches and Parmigiano Reggiano
Traditional Caprese Salad

Desserts;
Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
Pots de crème; Chocolate or Vanilla Bean
Victoria Sponge Cakes with Jumbleberry Jam
Old Fashioned "Dirt" Cakes

I am happy to post the recipes late this week, or feel free to message me for something in particular! Michigan is so full of fresh fruits and vegetables that this menu was easy to prepare and delightful to eat even for a large group! Most of the recipes were prepared in advance to keep me sane :) We did all of the grilling while guests arrived and had pleny of time to visit and have a drink before the meal.








And to finish up the great party, we did family photos. It will be the last time we are all together for at least 11 months.....so we seized the day. And the little dogs.