Eggnog Latté

Here it is … exactly what you’ve been waiting for as the holiday season approaches! The following is for the foodies in my audience: Yes! Absolutely! Without a doubt espresso is preferable to using double-strength instant coffee! But I’m lazy and this is excellent, just as it is. 

Eggnog Latté:

1-⅓ c. (329 mL) cold commercially made eggnog, divided
½ c. (125 mL) cold milk
4 tsp.-to-2 tbsp. (20 mL-to-30 mL) instant coffee 
½ c. (125 mL) boiling water

Dash ground nutmeg, as garnish

Combine 1 c. (250 mL) eggnog with milk. Steam in cappuccino maker, microwave oven, or heavy-based saucepan until temperature reaches 145-to-150 deg. F. on candy thermometer. As eggnog mixture steams, froth remaining ⅓ c. (79 mL) eggnog using battery-operated milk frother or steamer-pump of cappuccino maker. Stir instant coffee into boiling water to make double- or triple-strength coffee. Divide hot coffee between two mugs; stir in steamed eggnog mixture. Garnish with frothed eggnog and dusting of nutmeg. Serves 2. 

Steam eggnog and milk: Don’t use thermometer in microwave!

The milk frother attachment of my stick blender ...

… Creates a froth in less than 5 seconds!

Prepare double-strength coffee as recipe directs. 

Pour coffee into mugs, stirring in steamed eggnog-milk.

Garnish with eggnog froth and a little nutmeg. 

Pure pleasure!

Pumpkin Crème Caramel

I rarely eat desserts, but if Crème Caramel is on the menu, I go weak at the knees. The saving grace of this high-fat dessert is that it’s always served in small portions! Add pumpkin and it becomes a lovely reminder that - wrapped in a blanket of fog and frost - Fall has settled into the Time Zone and at the Latitude Where I Live. 

Crème Caramel normally needs a bit of last-minute preparation when it’s inverted onto individual serving plates that are carried to the table. That can be tricky when the kitchen is stacked high with dishes from the previous course and you barely have room to move, so this recipe dispenses with the fuss of single-serve portions. Instead, it’s prepared in a soufflé dish and inverted onto a large serving plate with slightly curved edges to contain the caramel run-off. I believe this make-ahead dessert is the ideal choice to serve guests after a heavy Autumn meal. 

Pumpkin Crème Caramel:

To Prepare the Caramel:

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

¼ c. (60 mL) water

Add sugar and water to small, heavy-bottomed  saucepan over high heat. Stir occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Watching pan closely and shaking it occasionally, continue cooking until syrup becomes a golden caramel color, 6-to-8 min. (Note: If sugar turns a darker brown, it cannot be saved. Throw it out and start again). Immediately pour into ungreased soufflé dish, quickly rotating and tilting dish to coat bottom and sides with caramel. If coating isn’t “perfect,” don’t worry about it, but do try to get as much caramel as possible around the dish, as this sets quickly. Set aside.

To Prepare the Pumpkin Crème:

¾ c. (180 mL) granulated sugar

1 c. (250 mL) puréed pumpkin (canned or fresh. See Note)

3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 c. (250 mL) whipping cream

½ c. (125 mL) milk

¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) salt

2 tsp. (10 mL) vanilla extract

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Bring a kettle of water to the boil and set aside. Add Pumpkin Crème ingredients to food processor or wide-bottomed blender, whirling on high 30-to-60 sec. until sugar dissolves and no pumpkin lumps remain. Pour into caramel-coated soufflé dish. 

Place dish in roasting pan, filling with boiling water within 2 in. to top of soufflé dish. Bake on middle oven rack 1-¼-to-1-½ hr., until skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. 

Refrigerate in soufflé dish. Shortly before serving, place a large dish with slightly curved edges over soufflé dish. Invert, allowing (the now-liquid) caramel to trickle deliciously down sides of Pumpkin Crème. Pass around the table, family-style. Serves 8. 

Note: Using fresh pumpkin? See How to Make Pumpkin Purée.

Tequila Mockingbird

I don’t drink much or often, so one of these had me down for the count.

Tequila Mockingbird:

Salt, as required

1 oz. premium Tequila
Lime, as required

Your humble recipe blogger 

I knew I was in trouble when I cried “I love Teela!” just before falling asleep on the table. For the instructions to serve this drink, see this scene from television’s award-winning The Big Bang Theory:

Hot-and-Sour Tofu Stir-Fry

The scent of a dish as it cooks provides a strong clue to its future success or failure. We salivated over the aromas as this Hot-and-Sour Tofu cooked, but eating it was even better! Do not use standard, thin hot sauces such as Louisiana or Frank’s or Tabasco in this dish. Where the recipe calls for “Asian hot sauce,” I used Chinese Sriracha sauce. Some like it hot: If you’re among them, you’ll love this vegetarian main course! 

Hot-and-Sour Tofu Stir-Fry:

Basmati rice, as required

3 tbsp. (45 mL) canola oil

1 large leek, white part only, cut into 1-in. slices

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. (15 mL) minced fresh ginger

One 12-oz. (350 g) pkg. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-in. (2.54 cm) dice

1 tsp. (5 mL) Asian hot sauce

3 tbsp. (45 mL) soy sauce

2 tbsp. (30 mL) balsamic vinegar

3 green onions, slivered or chopped fine, as garnish

Wash and drain basmati rice several times, until water runs clear. See How to Cook Rice, with specific attention to the section headed How to Cook Long-Grain White Rice. As rice cooks, prepare ingredients as noted above. Combine Asian hot sauce, soy and vinegar in small bowl, stirring well. When rice has nearly finished cooking, heat oil in deep skillet or wok over high heat. 

Add leek, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry 30 sec., or until garlic begins to brown very slightly. Add tofu, stir-frying 4 min. as you constantly turn and flip ingredients. Surface of tofu should be pleasantly browned. Add combined hot sauce, soy, and vinegar. Briefly bring to boil. Immediately reduce heat to simmer, covered, 3 min. Serve over or with rice, sprinkling with green onions. Serves 4.

Note: This marinade is not a “sauce.” I enjoy unadorned rice; if you don’t, you may want to add a little butter to the cooked rice. 

Start rice cooking before beginning stir-fry.

This large, fresh, organic leek had an amazing flavor!

Dice tofu. 

Chop or sliver green onions.

Combine hot sauce, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar.

Prepare and assemble ingredients before starting.

Stir-fry leek, garlic, ginger, tofu. Season with soy mixture.

Serve over basmati rice.

Gingered Butternut-Maple Soup

Tall adult woman dwarfed by squash

Today, we’re making soup. As you can see, we’re using what food scientists (with advanced degrees) call “one big mother” of a butternut squash. To get some sense of the humungous size of this squash, the in-cognito adult woman on the right tried and failed to hoist it. When she isn’t trying to smash the world record for squash lifting, this no-paparazzi-please woman is a well-known star in major motion pictures. The poster below is a familiar reminder of her Oscar-nominated performance in one such film. As you might expect, with her extreme height limiting the roles she can play, the lady dwells too much on past glories. Happily, she’s making a special appearance with us today, and has agreed to make this excellent soup if she can just lift the #@!%! squash onto the kitchen counter. Fortunately, food scientists (with advanced degrees) are standing by, eager to help our tall guest as she strains to lift the squash in the same outfit for which she met worldwide acclaim in this memorable role: 

With the squash finally on the counter, here’s today’s recipe!

Gingered Butternut-Maple Soup:

7 lb. (3 kg) butternut squash

6 c. vegetable or chicken stock

⅓ c. maple syrup

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. powdered ginger

¾ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 c. whipping cream

½ c. sour cream, as garnish

½ c. coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (see Index for How to Toast Nuts), as garnish

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Have male food scientist or other muscular person halve squash lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers from squash hollow. With squash cut-side down on parchment-lined sheet, make several slits in skin with sharp paring knife. Cover squash with foil, baking 60-to-75 min. or until squash is soft and cooked through. While squash is still hot, slice into manageable sections before scraping flesh of squash from skin.

Food scientist (with advanced degree) bisects squash.

Sliced squash assumes “bottoms up” position. 
Children under 18 should read no further.

Food scientist (still with advanced degree) peels hot squash
wearing silicone glove. Nothing else: Only silicone glove. 

To stock, add maple syrup, sugar, ginger, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne. Heat in large saucepan just until warmed through. Working in batches, place some of the cooked squash in blender goblet with some of stock mixture. Purée and transfer to large saucepan over medium-high heat. Repeat until all of squash has been puréed in stock mixture and has been added to saucepan. 

Purée peeled squash with stock mixture in blender goblet.

Bring soup just to the boil. Remove from heat, stirring in whipping cream. Taste, adjusting seasoning. Serve garnished with dollop of sour cream and flurry of chopped nuts. Serves 10 as an elegant first course, or 20 as sippers in small cups, shortly before guests move to dinner table.

Gingered Butternut-Maple Soup: Serve it in a bowl ...

Or serve it in a cup. Popular with anyone tall - or small.

Zucchini Casserole Deluxe

I don’t normally cook vegetables with the sort of accoutrements (translation: expensive stuff) that this recipe suggests. Doing so on a regular basis would send my food costs soaring. Taken together, the condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and herb-seasoned stuffing mix are costly. On the plus side, this delicious microwave recipe makes a pleasant change of pace. With the ingredients doubled or tripled and the cooking time slightly extended, this zucchini dish would be an excellent choice for a special dinner such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

Zucchini Casserole Deluxe:

1-½ c. sliced zucchini, unpeeled and in ½-in. pieces
½ c. coarsely chopped carrots, peeled
¼ c. chopped onions
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
¼ c. dairy sour cream 
½ - 10-oz. (284 mL) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 c. herb-seasoned stuffing mix, divided
2 green onions, chopped fine, as garnish

Spray-grease 8-in. square microwave-safe casserole dish, placing  prepared vegetables in it and topping with butter. Cover tightly with cello wrap, turning one corner slightly back to vent steam. Cook 2 min. in microwave at high setting. In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, condensed soup, and ½ c. stuffing mix. Gently stir into vegetables. Top with remaining ½ c. stuffing mix. Cook 6 min. in microwave at high setting. Serve hot, topped with finely chopped green onions.

Note: For more zucchini recipes, see One Click: Zucchini.

Slice zucchinis into ½-in. pieces.

Microwave prepared vegetables with butter in covered dish.

Combine sour cream, condensed cream of chicken soup,
and half of stuffing mix. Gently stir into vegetables.

Top with remaining stuffing mix. Microwave, covered, 
6 min. on high. Garnish with green onions.

Mushroom-Jalapeño Quesadillas

As you probably know, tortillas are highly versatile. Jot the word “tortilla” into the search engine at the top left of this blog and several recipes will pop up. I used 8-in. tortillas for this particular dish, which is adjustable to your needs. If you’d prefer to make this for dinner, with a hearty salad or vegetables on the side, it goes without saying that you should use larger tortillas. 

In the past, I’ve made this dish by slapping two small tortillas together; yesterday, I made it by folding a small tortilla in half, as a mini-serving. Add avocado, if you like, or perhaps a little seafood. Add extra jalapeños or remove them altogether. There’s no shortage of ideas when tortillas are on the menu!

Mushroom-Jalapeño Quesadillas:

1-to-2 tsp. canola oil, to lightly condition non-stick skillet
Tortillas, in size and quantity required
Sliced, sautéed mushrooms, in quantity required
Jalapeño peppers, sliced, in quantity required for personal taste
Shredded cheese, in quantity required for size and number of tortillas
Sour cream, salsa, cilantro, as optional garnish 

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, I can close my mouth, today!

Heat oil in skillet.

Sauté sliced mushrooms.

Heat jalapeños at your peril! They will make you cough. 

Instead, add directly to tortilla tops before adding cheese.

Warm tortillas in skillet to make them more pliable.

Sprinkle cheese over half warmed tortilla.

Fold tortilla - now a “quesadilla” - in half.

Slice and serve hot.

Or, for the larger two-tortilla slap ’n’ serve version:

Slap!

Serve!

Lorna’s Buffet Napa Cabbage Coleslaw

Quick and inexpensive, this excellent salad is a delicious addition to any buffet or potluck. I highly recommend it as a change from the “usual” greens. If you’re

My pal, Lorna

planning or are about to attend a large function, prepare and combine the cabbage, sui choy, and green onion in advance, adding the broken noodles and sautéing the flaked almonds just before serving. Today’s blog also includes a second post, just below this one, for a similar but not identical salad. Perfect for smaller gatherings, it serves 8.

Lorna’s Buffet Napa Cabbage Coleslaw:

To Prepare the Salad:

1 medium head crinkly (“Napa”) cabbage, slivered
1 medium head sui choy, slivered
2 bunches green onion, chopped fine
1 c. flaked almonds
½ c. butter or margarine 
One 3-oz. (85 g) pkg. single-serve dried instant noodles (any brand)

Combine cabbage, sui choy, and green onions in large bowl. Cover and set aside in cool place. Sauté flaked almonds in butter or margarine. Set aside for quick reheating in skillet or microwave just before serving salad. Moments before serving, break raw noodles into roughly 2-in. pieces, adding to salad with nuts and combining well.

To Prepare the Dressing:

½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. olive or canola oil
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Shake dressing ingredients together in covered jar. Pour over salad, tossing well. Enjoy immediately - noodles should be crunchy, not soft. Serves 16.

Whoops! This photo’s meant to illustrate
Lorna’s recipe for Cheesecake!

Leslie’s Dinner Party Coleslaw

This smaller, slightly different version of the slaw above is easy to make and super-quick! Both salads are a pleasant surprise at any gathering, especially for guests who’ve never tasted 

Dinner Party Coleslaw

a dried noodle salad. My friend Leslie Davis borrowed this recipe from The Johnson Lake Resort Cookbook. As I often do, I’ve tweaked it ever so slightly to reflect my personal taste. The resort meets my personal taste, too. A remote fishing camp partway up a mountain, the Johnson Lake Resort boasts two of the clearest, most pristine trout lakes in British Columbia, Canada.  

Leslie’s Dinner Party Coleslaw:

To Prepare the Salad: 

One 16-oz. (454 g) pkg. coleslaw mix

2 green onions, angle-sliced fine

1 tsp. (5 mL) canola or sesame oil

1 c. (250 g) sliced almonds, toasted

3 tbsp. (45 mL) sesame seeds, toasted

One 3-oz. (85 g) pkg. single-serve dry instant noodles (any brand)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 325 deg. F. Combine coleslaw mix with green onions in medium bowl. Cover and set aside in cool place. Warm oil in toaster or regular oven, lightly toasting almonds and sesame seeds in oil separate from one another, stirring to prevent burning. Watch carefully: Toasting time for seeds will be shorter than for nuts. Set aside. 

Moments before serving, break raw noodles into roughly 2-in. (5 cm) pieces. Add to slaw with nuts and seeds, combining well before and after adding dressing. 

Enjoy immediately - noodles should be crunchy, not soft. Serves 6-to-8.

To Prepare the Dressing:

1 spice packet from noodles

½ c. (125 mL) olive oil

1 tbsp. (15 mL) sugar

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt (do not reduce or omit)
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) soy sauce

Combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad, tossing well. Serve immediately.

Pour coleslaw mix into bowl.

Chop and add green onions. Set aside.

Toast nuts at 325 deg. F until lightly browned. 

Toast sesame seeds, too. Keep an eye
on them! They toast quickly!
Set nuts and seeds aside.

Use any brand of instant noodles you like.

Break them apart; set them aside.

Add noodles’ seasoning packet to dressing.

Shake dressing ingredients vigorously to combine.

Add nuts, seeds, and broken dried noodles to coleslaw.

Add even the last few bits.

Dress and serve immediately. You’re done!