Happy Birthday Jesus #BundtBakers

Happy Birthday Everybody!!!  Our friend Sue, of Palatable Pastime, is hosting our Bundt Bakers Group today.  Sue invited us to share a Birthday Bundt today because "Everybody has a Birthday during the year, so let's celebrate Everybody's Birthday.

#BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

I do have family and friends that celebrate birthdays in January but none for whom I bake a cake.  The last birthday cake I made was served on Christmas Day when we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus whose birth we were celebrating.

I made a wonderful Eggnog Bundt with a Buttered Rum Sauce and we sang Happy Birthday to our Lord as is our tradition that has been passed down from when I was a child.  My mother would always make a sheet cake with a bed of coconut holding a baby Jesus.  My Mom would have birthday candles on the cake and the youngest child would have the honor of blowing out the candles.  I don't make the same cake each year and I don't have candles but we do sing and recognize why it is that we are all gathered at the table.

This cake came about because I had Frank on a mission to make me a Hot Buttered Rum for this post. He was doing a google search and evidently liked this recipe because he printed it out and left it on the kitchen counter for me.  The recipe was for a pound cake that I knew from experience would bake up very well in a bundt pan.

Frank loves eggnog, so I am sure that is what caught his attention with this cake.  I love buttered rum so I was game.  I also liked that I could make this cake on Christmas Eve before we left the house for our visit at Frank's brother's house.

I knew that I could make the buttered rum sauce early in the day and just reheat it right before serving.  

I served it up simply with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.  This cake was a huge hit with everyone but was especially loved by my sister, Dawn, who said, no less than 3 times, "you have to blog this cake, this is the best cake ever".  Every cook and baker loves to have their creations praised so this was a wonderful Christmas gift for me.

This cake is filled with Holiday flavors, however I think it would be good for any of the cold winter months.  Why not serve it up to your Valentine or to your next loved one that celebrates a winter birthday.  They will be thrilled.

Eggnog Bundt with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

slightly adapted from McCormick Spice Company

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. half and half

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 t. ground cloves

1 t. vanilla paste

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 eggs

Rum Sauce:

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 stick butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. dark rum

1 T. vanilla extract

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, set aside.  Mix milk, half and half, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a 2 c. measuring cup, set aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each.  Gradually add in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk mixture, on low speed until just combined.  Pour into a bundt pan that has been liberally treated with baking spray.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven  for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Rum Sauce: Combine brown sugar, butter and cream in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, over med high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in rum and vanilla and return to a boil.  

You can pour the rum sauce over the entire cake or (as I did) slice the cake and drizzle each piece with a generous  amount of sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Print Recipe

Don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

• Banana Bundt Cake with Vanilla Caramel Glaze from All That’s Left Are the Crumbs
• Birthday Buttered Rum Cake from Faith Hope Love and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Bundt Cake de Bollo, Canela y Nutella from La Mejor Manera de Hacer
• Confetti Birthday Bundt Cake from Palatable Pastime
• Confetti Lime and Cheese Bundt Cake from Bizcocheando
• Cookies and Cream Sprinkle Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Doughnut Funfetti Bundt Cake from Kids and Chic
• Eggnog Bundt with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon and Prosecco Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• Piñata Birthday Bundt Cake from Patty’s Cake
• Piñata Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Sugar Cookie Bundt Cake from Cookaholic Wife
• Tropical Birthday Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious

Pork Tenderloin with Lemon and Rosemary Sauce for #ImprovCookingChallenge

Welcome to the Improv Cooking Challenge, a fun little group led by Nichole of Cookaholic Wife. This month we were given the challenge of making a recipe that contained Lemon and Rosemary.  A few weeks ago I decided to use lemon and rosemary in cupcakes.  I don't know what I did wrong but let me tell you....those cupcakes volcanoed ad overflowed all over my oven.  What a stinky, awful mess.  I was happy it was early in the month so I had time to come up with another idea.

I had pulled out a pork tenderloin for dinner and found a recipe by Ina Garten for an Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin that I modified a bit since there were only two of us for dinner and I only needed to make one tenderloin.  I did not add any dijon mustard to the marinade and I used a tuscan herb olive oil.  

I followed the directions for searing and then roasting the meat after it spent the day in the marinade. It turned out perfectly cooked.  Tender, juicy and melt in your mouth delicious.

While taking photos, it came to my attention that this plate could use some color.  It is awfully brown but.....we were hungry, it smelled wonderful and I wasn't spending anymore time on prep.  

I'm anxious to see how the others improvised to include Lemon and Rosemary in their dishes.  Make sure you stop by the links following my recipe and see what they came up with.

Lemon and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

adapted from Ina Garten

1 pork tenderloin

juice and zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Leaves from 1 sprig rosemary, minced

Leaves from 1 sprig thyme

2 T. Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

1 T. olive oil

Place the lemon zest, juice, 2 T. of flavored oil, and seasonings into a large plastic bag that seals. Seal bag and shake to combine ingredients.  Trim any silverskin from the tenderloin and add it to the marinade.  Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours.  Remove tenderloin from marinade, leaving any bits of herbs clinging to it.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large, oven proof skillet over med high heat.  Add the tenderloin and sear on all sides.  Place the pan into a preheated 400* oven for 10-15 minutes, until an internal temperature of the thickest part of the roast reaches 140*.  Remove the roast from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" thick slices.  Print Recipe

More Lemon and Rosemary Creations

An InLinkz Link-up

Ham, Broccoli and Cheese Crockpot Chowder #FantasticalFoodFight

Our theme for this month's Fantastical Food Fight is Slow Cooker Soups.  I have been sharing tons of soup recipes this month which is only fitting because January is National Soup Month.  It seems like every blogging group to which I belong has jumped on the bandwagon.  To top things off, I am starting a new group called Soup Saturday Swappers and our first posts are scheduled for this upcoming Saturday....so stay tuned.  You can learn all about Fantastical Food Fight and learn how to join us at this information post.

Today, however, we are doing soups in slow cookers or crockpots.  When Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes  sent out the information on this party, I was pretty excited.  You see, it was the week following Christmas and I had a ton of leftovers that needed using.  Soup is a great way to use up leftovers.

For this soup, I used up some of the ham and broccoli that was left from Christmas dinner as well as the cheese that was left from our cheese platter that was set out before dinner.  It was a very easy soup to throw together and the crockpot did all the work.  We went out and ran some errands.  When we got home the house smelled heavenly and we sat down to a light dinner which was very welcome after all the eating we had been doing.  Even making this soup, we still had enough ham for sandwiches, ham and eggs and No Soak Bean Soup that was also made in the crockpot.  

I adapted this recipe from one found on Return to Simple.  Melissa did not use leftovers for her soup but the recipe adapted very well.  I had a mixture of colby jack, swiss and muenster cheese cubes that I tossed into the food processor and grated up.  You could buy grated cheese of your choice or use whatever cheese you have on hand.

Ham, Broccoli and Cheese Chowder

adapted from Return to Simple

2 c. cooked ham, chopped

2 c. steamed broccoli,  coarsely chopped (you could also use frozen)

half of a small onion, diced

2 c. grated cheese (I used a mixture of colby jack, muenster and swiss)

4 c. chicken broth

dash of nutmeg

1 c. heavy cream

pepper to taste

Place ham, cheese, broccoli, onion, broth and nutmeg into the crock of a slow cooker.  Turn on low and cook 4-6 hrs.  Add the cream, stir to combine. Taste and season with additional pepper, if needed. Print Recipe

More Crockpot Soups

An InLinkz Link-up

Not my Mother's Kitchen: A Book Review with Recipe

Shortly after I moved into the new house, I received a package from Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  I opened the package and found the book Not my Mother's Kitchen by Rob Chirico.  I sent Cam a private message asking if I had won this book from Foodies Read to which we both belong.  Cam responded saying that when she had reviewed the book on Foodies Read, I had mentioned that it sounded interesting, so she sent it to me.  That is just the kind of person Cam is and I was blessed to get to meet her in person last week when I was in California.

 

Cam gave the narrative of this book 1 star out of 5 while giving the recipes 4.5 stars out of 5.  While I didn't dislike the narrative as much as Cam, I wouldn't rate it much higher. You can find Cam's complete review here.  My main problem with Chirico's story is that he gives the impression that because his mother did not enjoy cooking and being in the kitchen, that he holds her in disdain.  Chirico does not seem to be able to embrace the fact that we are all built differently, with different tastes, likes, dislikes and attitudes.  

I could easily say, as Chirico did, that my mother was not much of a cook.  But that would be only part of my mother's story.  You see, by the time I came along, my mother had already been married for 21 years and had spent 17 of those years raising my brothers.  Now, if you were to ask my brothers, they remember Mom as a wonderful cook and a woman who spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

I was born in 1958, during the advent of Campbell's soup casseroles and frozen dinners.  My mother was working outside of the home and took great advantage of being released from the kitchen by using all the new, prepared foods that were available.  Mom would still cook occasionally but for the most part we had quick meals made using all the modern convenience foods.

My sister was born 6 years after me.  Her childhood food memories are mostly of eating out at restaurants.  My parents financial situation was much more comfortable than before and they enjoyed going out and being served instead of serving.

All this as just some background as to why Chirico's story struck a nerve with me.  He made his mother seem very one dimensional and left you feeling that he felt that, somehow, his mother should have shown her love for him through food regardless of the other ways she showed him her love and concern.

I had also just finished reading Stir by Jessica Fechtor, who in a complete 180 from Chirico, talked of how she felt the love and warmth of her grandmother through food even though she could never remember her grandmother cooking anything.  Fechtor learned from her grandmother that buying and providing the very best that she could was how she showed her love and affection to her family.

In Not my Mother's Kitchen, Chirico states he had never had garden fresh vegetables while growing up.  I was lucky enough that my parents had a garden and summers were filled with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.  One thing that Chirico and I did have in common, however, was that certain vegetables were never even thought of or looked at in our house.  The only greens I can remember as a child was spinach and that came from a can.  My mom, like many of her generation served us canned veggies at every meal.  The were mushy and flavorless and I thought that was what vegetables tasted like until I got out on my own, started cooking and experimenting and discovered that while I had thought I hated vegetables (except for tomatoes, cukes and peppers) I actually loved them....they just hadn't been cooked properly for my taste.

The recipe I chose to showcase from this book is Sauteed Tuscan Kale with Toasted Pine Nuts.  One of the things with which I do agree with Chirico is that food is best simply prepared to allow it's natural goodness to shine.  This was a perfect recipe to bring out the earthy, bright flavors of the kale.

As a gentle slap to Chirico I put in a clove of garlic minced instead of a measurement.  This drives him crazy because garlic cloves come in all different sizes....I am of the mind that if you are cooking this dish, you know exactly how much garlic you like and will pick the size of clove accordingly.

Linking up with FoodiesRead2017 

Sauteed Kale with Toasted Pine Nuts

slightly adapted from Not My Mother's Kitchen by Rob Chirico

1 bunch Tuscan (flat leaf) Kale

3 T. pine nuts, toasted

2 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of crushed red pepper

drizzle of Balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Stem the kale and wash the leaves shaking them to remove most but not all of the water clinging to the leaves.  Cut the leaves into ribbons.  Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over med high heat.  Add the garlic and crushed red pepper, cook and stir for a moment or two until fragrant and lightly browned.  Add the kale and stir to coat with the olive oil mixture.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender.  Uncover, raise  heat to med high and allow any liquid to evaporate.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar while still on heat and toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired and turn into a serving bowl topped with the toasted pine nuts.  Print Recipe

Warming Up Mid Winter....

We had a wonderful time last night up in Northern Michigan, warming up with good wine, good food and good friends.  It may have been cold outside but inside we were bathed in the warmth of a beautiful wine tasting dinner hosted by The Springbrook Inn, located in Prudenville, Michigan. Springbrook Inn is owned by the lovely Kathy Grover and is home to the East Bay Grill ran by Chef, Cole Morison.  Together, they put on 6 wine tasting dinners each year.  Chef Morison supplies the menu to his wine purveyors and they pair each course with a wonderful wine which is then available for purchase by the guests.

This is the second wine tasting that we have attended at Springbrook Inn.  When we walked in we felt as though we had entered a Winter Wonderland. The dinner is limited to two long tables of guests, each who received a menu of the courses with the wines with which they would be paired at their assigned seats.

We started the evening with cocktails, toasting the New Year and family and friends both near and far. The cocktail hour is precisely one hour, after which Chef Cole Morison came out and introduced the first course, a Winter Vegetable Bisque that was garnished with a square of puff pastry and sprinkled with some gingered garlic.  This dish was paired with a Domaine Laroque Cab Franc from Southwest France.  The sommelier explained that while it is unusual to start a tasting with a red wine he felt that this was the perfect match for the bisque. I could not have agreed more.  On the nose; spice, berries and earth.  On the palate: Silky with medium body, very dry.  It brought out the earthiness of the winter vegetables and was sweetened slightly by the candied ginger.

The second course was a lovely pasta with an orange saffron sauce topped with a perfectly cooked shrimp and scallop.  This was paired with a Chardonnay from Jam Cellars out of Napa Valley.  This is a buttery Chard..you can almost smell the butter...it is smooth and creamy, very full bodied.  This wine was perfect with the salty sweetness of the dish.

The entree  was Veal Scallopini over a White Bean Puree paired with an Italian Chianti Classico from D'Albola.  I felt the White Bean Puree was the star of this plate. Not that I didn't enjoy the Veal but the puree was smooth, earthy and continued that feeling of warmth that pervaded my evening.  The pairing was nice as the wine was also very earthy, smelling of "dirt" and tasting of cedar and figs.  It was dry and soft with a bit of sourness that caught my attention.

Our dinner was finished with a Tiramisu that was served with another Italian wine.  This one, a sparkling Prosecco Brut from Mionetto was a light, fruity wine that is made from 100% Glera grapes that are harvested in late September.  

It was an exceptional evening and I am excited to attend upcoming wine tasting dinners at this wonderful Inn.  You can follow Springbrook Inn's facebook page to keep informed of these and other events taking place.

A New Wine for A New Year

Our friend, David, over at Cooking Chat has invited us to try and share a New Wine for a New Year. So I did and I am.  And so did many more of us who belong to this fun little group we call Wine Pairing Weekend.   I will be linking to all the others at the end of this post, so stop by and learn of some new, wonderful wines to try in 2017.

I also belong to a group called The French Winophiles.  This month we are discovering the Savoie region and I wasn't having any luck finding wines from that area in my part of the Country.  I had a trip planned to California that was starting in San Francisco.  My friends, Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog and LM of binNotes, both recommended I go to K&L Wine Merchants while in San Francisco.

I went into the store and was immediately helped by wonderful staff who finally turned me over to John who helped me not only find the wines from the Savoie region of France but also set me up with a nice bottle to give my cousin's daughter who was providing a room for us while we were in San Francisco.  John also said one of his favorite wines in the store right now was Valravn from Banshee Wines.  John told me that this wine is hand made locally on a very small scale and that their store was lucky enough to get some.  John went on to tell me that Banshee Winery was trying to showcase the Zinfandel grape and that they, in his opinion, had nailed it.  He convinced me so I bought a bottle and took it with me to my brother's house.

We got up early the next morning and drove south.  When we got to my brother's and settled in, his wife, Mary, took us to the Madonna Inn for lunch after which we went into San Luis Obispo for shopping.  When we got home, Mary put together a counter full of goodies.  We had brie cheese with blackberry jam, fresh fruit, veggies and sausage platters and I opened up the wine.  

I thought the wine was lovely.  It was smooth and much lighter than most zinfandels I have had.  It had a slight peppery finish to it, which I loved.  Good wine, Good food, Good company. Time spent with family....how much more perfect can life be?

Here are the New Wines being shared today

• Wine Predator wrote about New Year, New Wine: New Jersey?
• A Day in the Life on the Farm tried a New Wine for a New Year
• Grape Experiences shared Try Something New: Moroccan Wine with Lamb Tagine
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla posted Young Nation, Ancient Vines in Croatia: Pairing Crni Rižoto + Dingac Vinarija’s Peljesac
• A Palatable Pastime served Duck Ragout with Creamy Polenta
• L'occasion shared about The Wines of Red Mountain
• ENOFYLZ Wine Blog served Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa and Mencía
• foodwineclick tried Something Old, Something New - Flank Steak & Douro Red
• Rockin Red Blog is Journeying into a Glass of the Unknown
• Pull That Cork posted Loire Valley Red Meets Onion and Bacon Tart: When Old Becomes New
• The Swirling Dervish paired Lacrima di Morro d'Alba and Broccoli Rabe Lasagna
• Tasting Pour served up Lamb Stew and Wine from Lebanon
• Vino Travels shared Journey to Trentino with Teroldego and Spaghetti Carbonara
• Cooking Chat paired Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Canary Island Wine

Please join the conversation about new wine and food pairings to go with it! Our live #winePW Twitter Chat will take place today, January 14, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. Just tune into the #winePW hashtag between 11 and noon ET that day. Check out past and upcoming Wine Pairing Weekend events here.

Heading Home and the Weekly Menu

TGIF? I am torn as to how true that is today.  On one hand, I am leaving my brother and his family after a too short visit.  On the other hand, we are heading back north to San Francisco and on the way are stopping to have lunch with my friend, Cam, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, whom I am very excited to meet in person.  We are also spending the afternoon at the Monterey Aquarium followed by dinner with my cousin at The Stinking Rose,  So this Friday is filled with lots of emotions and feelings.

Last night, Larry and Mary took us to The Range for our farewell dinner.  I have been wanting to go here each year since they opened but life always had other plans during my visits.  This time they made sure it happened and it was a lovely and fun experience.

Tomorrow, I get to see Frank again!  Woohoooo.....I really hate being apart from him.  Our flight is early, 6 am, and we have to drop off the rental car so that means we will be on the way to the airport around 3 am.  Ugh.

When we get home, life isn't returning to normal though.  Sunday morning, after Mass, we will be heading north to our friends, Bob and Cathy, to join them for another wine tasting dinner at Springbrook Inn.

I am getting ready right now to join my niece, Natasha for our final walk and talk of the trip, but wanted to jot down my Weekly Menu real quick before I'm off the computer for the day.

Life returns to normal on Tuesday.  Please stop by to learn about the remainder of this trip, the wine tasting dinner and the coming week.  See you soon.

Saturday
Dinner downtown after landing

Sunday
Wine tasting dinner

Monday
Dinner on the way home

Tuesday
Chicken Cacciatore over Pasta

Wednesday
Pork Tenderloin
Mashed Potatoes
Glazed Carrots

Thursday
Chicken Piccata
Lemon Basil Fettuccine
Steamed Green Beans

Friday
Poached Fish
Steamed Rice
Roasted Beet Salad