Shiner Bock Beer Ice Cream from The Homesick Texan Cookbook

Wow, what can I say about an ice cream made with our favorite beer? Shiner is the beer of Texas!

Shiner Bock Ice Cream:


2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Shiner Bock beer
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cajeta, for serving (optional)
Crushed peanuts, for serving (optional)

In a large saucepan, stir together the cream, Shiner Bock, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Place over medium-low heat and cook just until the mixture is warm—do not let it boil—about 3-5 minutes.

When the cream is warm, scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture and stir into the beaten egg yolks until well combined. Slowly pour the cream and egg yolks back into the pot and while stirring, continue to cook until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 4 minutes. Again, do not let it boil. Remove the cream mixture from heat, stir in the vanilla, and then cool covered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

After the cream has cooled, freeze in your ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chill in the freezer for 4 hours for a firmer ice cream or serve immediately for a softer ice cream.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cinnamon Cornflake Squares from Real Simple

• Our children, our friends children and our grandchildren all love Rice Krispie Treats. I consider it to be an Iconic All American Recipe.
• Here's a twist on that recipe. These are basically Corn Flake Treats with a hint of Cinnamon.
• I think they'd be a perfect dessert any time of the year.
• I would certainly make them for Christmas.
• 
  
• 2 TBS  butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 10oz. package marshmallows
• 6 C cornflakes
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment, leave an overhang on two sides.
2. In a large saucepan, cook the butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring, until melted. Mix in the cornflakes and cinnamon.
3. Press the cornflake mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Let cool completely, then lift out and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Cheesy Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip from Wisconsin Cheese

As a Texan I love any recipe with Jalapenos.
I thought about making this recipe Tex-Mex but there was something about it that was intriguing to me. I  adapted some of it but I did not change the integrity of the original recipe.
It comes from Wisconsin Cheese.

6 jalapenos, divided
8 oz. (1C) mascarpone cheese
1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 C plain bread crumbs
1 TBS butter, melted

Slice 1 jalapeno into thin rounds, set aside
Dice remaining jalapenos, set aside

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl:
mascarpone cheese
cream cheese
cheddar cheese
garlic powder
diced jalapenos
Mix Well
Spread in the bottom of a 1 quart casserole dish

In a small bowl:
parmesan cheese
bread crumbs
melted butter
Mix Well
Sprinkle over dip

Top with sliced jalapenos
Bake 30 minutes
Serve warm with Tortilla Chips

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup with Quinoa and Kale

"In celebration of this time of harvest, when fresh local vegetables are available almost everywhere, go explore the farmer's markets, stop at farm stands, or just grab your favorite fresh veggies wherever you can, and make a minestrone. Express yourself!"

I recently posted a bean soup recipe that I created that's very similar to this. I like this one with the addition of Quinoa and Kale.
This adapted recipe comes from Food Matters. 
When it asks to dice vegetables, use a medium rough dice.

2 TBS olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 C fresh zucchini, diced
2 C green beans cut into 1" pieces
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red pepper
1 - 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes with the juice
4 C water
1 15oz. can cannellini beans with juice
1 15oz. can chick peas or garbanzo beans with juice
1 C quinoa
2 C chopped kale, stems removed
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp black pepper (to taste)
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

In a large stock pot:
heat the pot, add oil and heat
Add:
onion
carrot
celery
Saute for 5 minutes

Add"
garlic
red pepper flakes
Cook 1 minute

Add:
zucchini
green beans
salt and pepper
turmeric
Cook for 3 minutes

Add:
tomatoes
water
Bring to a boil
Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes

Add:
quinoa
Cover and cook for 15 minutes

Remove cover and Add:
Kale
cannellini beans
Return to boil & cook 5 minutes

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Persian KooKoo Sabzi and Indian Eggplant

We have eaten some incredible Indian Cuisine in England. I tried to get a few recipes from one of our favorite restaurants , but they were not willing to give them out. I understand that and am perfectly OK with it. So I've been talking to friends and researching Indian Cuisine Recipes. I have a new book and will post some of those recipes. I had almost given up on my search until I spoke to a friend at our bank, she's from Persia. She and I were talking about the blog and my passion for foods from around the world and the fact that I'm vegetarian and she shared two recipes with me. I always give credit to my contributors, so I'd like to take this time to say thank you to Fay. I love these two recipes that you shared with me.

The first one is called KooKoo Sabzi. I just had one of my Eggplant recipes published in the Dallas Morning News and I was talking with Fay about the article on Eggplant.
Here are the two Eggplant Recipes that she gave me.

KooKoo Sabzi:

A vegetable souffle with herbs and egg.

Some fresh chopped parsley
Some fresh chopped cilantro
There are no quantities listed for parsley and cilantro, just what you prefer.
1 - 2 TBS fresh dill, chopped
2 boxes of frozen spinach, thawed
6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
olive oil

In a bowl:
some parsley
some cilantro
dill
spinach
onion
garlic
turmeric
salt and pepper
baking powder
eggs
Mix Well

In a skillet, heat a good amount of oil on high heat, about an inch.
Add the mixture and flatten it into the pan.
Lower the heat to medium and cover it.
Fry the souffle for about 15 minutes.
Cut it into wedges and flip them over in the pan.
Cover again and fry another 15 minutes until the second side is golden brown.
Serve warm with Pita bread.



Indian Eggplant / Bhurtha

This is a traditional North Indian dish made with eggplant, tomato and seasoning.

1 eggplant
olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 large tomato, peel, seed, dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Broil the Eggplant:
Rub the entire eggplant with olive oil
Place whole on a baking sheet pan, turning often until the skin begins to blister., about 30 minutes.

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, scoop out the flesh and chop.
In a large skillet, heat additional oil and roast the Cumin Seeds until they begin to crackle but not burn.
THis will only take a few seconds.

Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until tender.
Add:
tomato
turmeric
ground cumin
ground coriander
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

Cook a few minutes
Add the Eggplant and continue cooking for 12 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Honey Spiced Nuts...... My latest obsession with Spiced Nuts!

I've posted many recipes for spiced nuts. I love them all. Here's my latest recipe.
I made these with a combination of Extra Large Peanuts and Whole Almonds. You can use all of one kind of nut or any combination. The next time I make them I'll try Mixed Nuts. Of course, in Texas, we also use only Pecans.

2 TBS olive oil
6 C nuts
1/3 C honey (I used a Lavender Honey from France)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBS salt
4 TBS sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat a large Saute Pan on Medium High. When it gets hot, add the oil.
Add the Nuts and stir for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to low and continue to saute the nuts for 7 minutes, stirring often.
Add:
honey
spices
salt
sesame seeds
Stir Well

Spread on a sheet pan.
Dry them in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes.
Cool before moving to a sealed container.
As soon as they're cooled you will need to scrape the nuts from the pan with a strong metal spatula and break up the nuts as you remove them.
I kept some small clusters.
They are absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Dallas Morning News Taste Section 1/8/2014

Today I opened the paper to find an extensive article about Eggplant, written by food writer and cookbook author Ellise Pierce ( Cowgirl Chef, Texas Cooking with a French Accent).
Ellise included my recipe for Tex-Mex Eggplant.
The basis of the article and the inclusion of my recipe is that there are options when choosing Eggplant as a main dish. It doesn't have to be slathered in grease or Marinara Sauce. The options that Ellise included are:


Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt / "This dish comes from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook, it typifies the vibrant cooking of London chef Yotam Ottolenghi".

Tex-Mex Eggplant from Grapevine food blogger  Terry Mosher  hippyinthekitchen.blogspot.com

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes and Capers from cookbook author Deborah Madison.

Quinoa and Roasted Tomato Eggplant Stacks with Basil Pesto from Stephane Beauchamp, executive chef at Lake Austin Spa Resort.

The article will hopefully convince the non Eggplant lovers that we who love Eggplant can offer you many choices from which you can change your mind about the mysterious vegetable!

Thanks you Ellise for the story and for including me in the article!
The full recipe can be found on my blog under November 2013.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!