Allrecipes: Honey Dijon Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts.  (How many times has that been said in the world??)  Love them.  But if I'm honest, there's only so many ways to cook a sprout so that it tastes good.  And I've been getting bored of those ways.  So when I came across a post online extoling the virtues of Brussels sprouts with honey mustard, I had to check it out.  Sure enough, they're delicious.

Honey Dijon Brussels Sprouts
Loosely adapted from Allrecipes

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Toss the halved Brussels sprouts with the olive oil, then place facedown on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 20 minutes, or until sprouts are tender and browned.

While the sprouts cook, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Once the Brussels sprouts are done, toss with the honey mustard mixture until well coated.

Makes 4 servings

Ina Garten: Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramels

Because of the number of hours I worked right up until Christmas was upon us, I didn't get to do anything fun like make Christmas cookies.  So after the flurry of opening presents was over, I decided to do a little cooking.  And since it seemed like cookies were a little bit of a late idea (Santa had already come!), I decided to try something I had never done - homemade caramels.  I had read about a shop in California that supposedly has the best caramels in the country, Little Flower Candy Co., and I scoured the internet for information on how the owner makes them.  While the recipe is not available, the owner does drop hints here and there, and after matching these items up with the recipes available, I found that Ina's comes the closest that I have found.  Tweaked very slightly further, and I got an amazing caramel that is chewy but not sticky, with a deep caramel flavor offset perfectly by the salt.  Amazing.

Note: I used an expensive, very high butterfat butter (Buerremont 83%) in this recipe, and I highly suggest you do the same and use the best butter that you can source.  After all, butter makes up a significant chunk of the ingredients in this candy.  Garbage in = garbage out.

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramels
Adapted from Ina Garten

1½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.

In a deep saucepan, combine ¼ cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir -- just swirl the pan.

In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla bean paste with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248°F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square into bite size pieces. It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn oil. Sprinkle each piece with fleur de sel. 

Cut glassine or parchment paper into 4x5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

Makes approximately 100 pieces

Pioneer Woman: Homemade Cranberry Sauce

It's so hard to find a good cranberry sauce recipe.  Does anyone else feel my pain on this one?  Something that is still tart, but not so overwhelmingly tart that you make that *gack* face.  But also not so sweet that you feel like you're eating a candy bar.  And it's nice if you can get one where there's a little depth to it, and it's not just CRANBERRY.  I think this pretty simple recipe succeeds on all of those counts.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries
1 cup cranberry juice (or orange, apple or any other juice combination)
1 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or whiskey

Zest of 1 orange

Wash bag of cranberries under cool water, then dump into a medium saucepan.

Pour in cranberry juice and maple syrup.  Add orange liquor and orange zest.  Stir together and turn heat on high until it reaches a boil.  Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking over lower heat for about 10 minutes, or until the juice is thick. Turn off the heat.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Blood and Sand Cocktail

I'm honestly not sure how I came across this drink.  Somewhere online, some rabbit trail down into the depths of the interwebs.  But I'm glad I did.  I'm not normally a scotch drinker, so I did have a pause, but the other ingredients definitely add a sweetness that I appreciate.  Plus, this is an antique drink - dating back to around 1930!  A nice way to celebrate the beginning of holiday vacation.

Blood and Sand Cocktail

¾ ounce blended Scotch

¾ ounce cherry Heering

¾ ounce sweet vermouth

¾ ounce blood orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with some ice.  Shake just until blended, then serve in your choice of glass.

Spend with Pennies: Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

I've only gotten the hashbrown casserole from Cracker Barrel a handful of times, but every time I wonder how they can make such a creamy, delicious scoop of potato goodness.  Turns out the trick is cream of chicken soup (sorry, vegetarians).  This is a perfect casserole for both a dinner side dish or a breakfast with some good sausage or bacon.  And it's super easy to pull together.  If this wasn't a distanced Christmas, this would be breakfast.

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

From Spend with Pennies blog

32 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, defrosted
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (10¼-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 cups Colby cheese, grated

1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl reserving ½ cup of cheese for topping.  Place in a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish and top with reserved cheese.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 10 servings

Joy the Baker Cookbook: Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

I already have some good banana bread recipes in my repertoire.  So why would I choose to make yet another version?  One word: bourbon.  Plus, I was out of flax meal.  But mostly, bourbon.  I honestly wasn't sure how heavy-handed this recipe would taste, but the bourbon sits quietly in the background, accenting everything else.  I mean, you can tell it's there, but it's not running things.  And the finished product is delicious, especially warm with butter.

Note:  I found that my bread was almost burnt before it was done in the middle.  I would recommend covering the top with some foil when you're getting close to done to keep it from getting too dark.

Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread
From Joy the Baker Cookbook, as seen at Leite's Culinaria

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1½ cups (about 3) mashed ripe bananas (be certain to measure your mashed bananas and only use 1½ cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon, plus more for the baker
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute between additions. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the bananas, lemon juice, and bourbon and beat with the paddle until well incorporated. The mixture may look curdled, but that’s okay.

Turn the mixer to low, add the flour mixture all at once, and beat until almost completely incorporated. Stop the mixer, add the walnuts and chocolate, and stir by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon just until incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack and letting it cool completely, if you can manage to keep your hands off it. The banana bread will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings