Homemade Irish Cream

I think I should make this for Christmas!  YUM.  Thank you Design Sponge, as usual :)

irish4.jpg

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup strong coffee
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon dark cocoa
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 14-ounce can organic, sweetened condensed milk*
  • 2 cups Irish whiskey (I used Bushmills)

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Bring the coffee to a gentle simmer in a medium-size saucepan.

2. Add the cream, cocoa, sugar, honey and extracts, and whisk thoroughly.

3. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to thicken.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat; whisk in the sweetened condensed milk.

5. Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe glass, ceramic or metal bowl, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

6. Whisk in the whiskey until completely blended.

7. At this point, you can either allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then serve or transfer it to a lidded container and store it in the refrigerator.

8. Serve over ice.

Greek Sandwich

SERVES 2  

So, it may not look like much of a sandwich in this photo, but putting all of these ingredients between two slices of good bread... you really can't go wrong!  I included the Black Olive tempanade on mine, but didn't add it to Danny's sandwich and he had no complaints.  I think it just gives in a little extra flavor.  

Also, as a side note:  For meals like this where I'm only using 1/2 of an avocado and 1/2 of a red pepper, I go ahead and slice he remainder so it will be easier to use in the future.

INGREDIENTS: 
  • 4 slices of bread, preferably something substantial like 7-Grain of Nut-Oat
  • hummus, can be homemade or store bought
  • 1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced
  • lettuce pieces
  • 1/2 small shallot, minced
  • 1 T. crumbled feta cheese
  • black olive tempanade
  • s + p
DIRECTIONS: 
  1. Prepare each ingredient as instructed.
  2. Spread a generous layer of hummus on one slice of bread, and the olive tempanade on the other slice of bread.
  3. Start with the trickiest ingredient, in this case it is the red peppers.  (The hummus gives some stability for slippery veggies.)
  4. Layer the remaining ingredients on the sandwich.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

SERVES 2  

I packed this light meal for our lunches the other day, and it was delicious!  We were both plesantly surprised by the tastiness of this simple grain salad.  I did not have shallots, so I omitted these.  It ws still good, I just had to add a little bit more salt.


INGREDIENTS: 
  • 1/3 cup qunioa
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 small shallot, minced
  • 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 ounce fresh goat cheese, crumbled
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Prepare quinoa with 1/4 teaspoon salt as instructed on package.  
  2. Combine cooked quinoa with tomatoes, parsley, shallot, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Top with cheese.

Cranberry Almond Tuna Salad

SERVES 2  

This simple recipe is based on a Chicken Salad my mom, Debbie became known for when we were growing up.  The secret ingredient is the curry powder, adding extra flavor without having to use a lot of salt.  I can make two pyrex conatiners for us to take to work in less than 10 minutes.  So easy and refreshing!

INGREDIENTS: 
  • 1 can Albacore White Chunk Tuna (in water is best)
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 10 grapes, green or red, halved long-ways
  • 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
  • 1 T dried cranberries
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 1/2 t curry powder
  • s + p
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Strain tuna, flake into medium-size mixing bowl.  Combine all ingredients.  Mix lightly, being sure not to smash the grapes.
  2. Season with s + p to taste.
  3. To keep the sandwiches fresh, I package the tuna salad seperately from the bread, cheese and lettuce.
  4. When it's lunch time, add the salad to the sandwich. Or, for a simple tuna melt, I remove the lettuce, add the salad to the bread and top with cheese.  Use a toaster oven to melt the cheese.  Add the lettuce, and enjoy!

Vegetable Enchiladas

(borrowed image of the same recipe...my image coming soon)
SERVES 8  

 

If you could see the piece of paper this recipe is printed on, I think it would explain how much we enjoy this dish.  It has been around for a few years, and is showing some wear... :)  One reason I like this recipe so much, is it's freezability if I want to make a meal for another time.  I usually make two batches and freeze one for up to 2 months.  To do so, prepare the enchiladas through set 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dish with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.  Keep sauce in an airtight container.  Freeze the enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.  Then to bake from frozen, thaw the sauce in the refrigerator overnight (or microwave for 2 minutes).  Cook enchiladas in a 400 degree oven, removing the foil and plastic wrap and pouring the sauce over the dish; cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil, bake until bubbly and delicious (15 more minutes).  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: 
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 t. cumin
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Vegetable Broth
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 3 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
  • 16 corn tortillas

 

DIRECTIONS:
  1. Make sauce:  In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook whisking 1 minute.  Whisk in broth and 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.  Season with s + p, set aside.
  2. Make filling:  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with s + p.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes (or 1 9x11-inch dish and one smaller one) set aside.  Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave for 1 minute.  Or stack and wrap tortillas in foil and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
  5. Dividing evenly, spinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce.  Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15-20 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes, serve garnished with scallion greens.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Vegetables

SERVES 4  

This recipe is based off of a recipe from my all time favorite food magazine, Everyday Food (Martha Stewart).  I did not have bok choy, so I replaced it with some Costco frozen sauted veggies, and it was awesome.  Those veggies surprise me everytime I use them, and of course they are lasting a really long time!  Also, to my vegetarian friends: I think this recipe without the chicken would still be tasty becuase the sauce is so good.  Give it a try and let me know!

INGREDIENTS: 
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T. rice vinegar
  • 2 t. light brown sugar
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 5 t. flour
  • 3-4 dashes Old Bay Seasoning
  • fresh gound pepper
  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 t. minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 4 cups vegetables, prepped for sauteing 
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and sliced
  • cooked rice, for serving

 

DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons water.  
  2. Slice chicken into thin strips.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, Old Bay Seasoning, and a generous amount of ground pepper.  Toss chicken with flour mixture until coated.
  4. In a large skillet, heat oil, garlic, and ginger over medium-high until fragrent, about 1 minute.  Add chicken in a single layer, pressing again pan to sear.
  5. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. 
  6. Add vegetables and jalepeno, cook stirring frequently.
  7. Add soy sauce mixture and cook until sauce thickens slightly, 2 minutes.
  8. Serve over rice.