Homemade Vanilla Extract

Sometimes shopping during this holiday season makes you a little frantic/tired/weary or BSC! Last week, I was on a mission to find house slippers for Elena to wear around the house. She usually wears her shoes, but most often goes barefoot while in the house. It's getting a little bit colder as we head into the Fall and Winter season, and she needed something cozy for around the house instead of her bare feet.

I went to my go-to store (Target) and found the most hideous glittery over the top princess slippers and Hello Kitty slippers. There was another plain boot style slipper but they didn't seem comfy for her. Honestly, I didn't want any of these slippers nor did I want to scour another store to find them. The easiest solution would have been to find something online but I needed something right away. I texted my husband which one of these slippers to purchase and his quick response was "definitely not the Hello Kitty." I reluctantly bought the princess slippers and came home with the kids.

I wasn't really happy with my purchase because I typically avoid anything princess-y for Elena, and I don't want to give her that princess infatuation just yet. I searched online and had found that Target had sold Minnie Mouse slippers as well, but my store had them out of stock. (Elena loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse!) I called maybe about 6 stores to see if any of them had them in her size, and it turns out there was one store that had them in stock. They placed them on hold for me to pick up, but the real kicker was that this was the store I had originally wanted to shop at - (a bigger Target) versus my own. Mommy lesson : always trust your gut instinct and more importantly do your research before shopping.

I want to save you some time for the holidays and not struggle shopping around at the stores like my mommy madness up above. Start making your own homemade vanilla extract, it's one of those DIY projects that you need to add to your to-do list. It's simple and so straightforward that you will be kicking yourself in the butt for not making it sooner.

Cognac Cherry Preserves

What would you do with 10 pounds of cherries?

Sounds like a cherry-extravaganza to the max if you ask me. Could you munch on them like there was no tomorrow and possibly have semi-permanent cherry stains on your clothes and hands? Or would you prepare something sweet or savory? I ask this because I was lucky enough to be presented the 10 pound cherry challenge hosted by OXO and the Northwest Cherries. They sent me and several other bloggers 10 pounds of cherries along with some OXO kitchen tools to use them in a recipe of our liking. Oh happy cherry day to me!

Strawberry-Poppyseed Vinaigrette

I really wanted to share my Anniversary dessert with you today, but I’m not quite happy with the pictures that I have taken. (I’m re-doing the photo shoot.) However, this is the next best thing, this delicious salad dressing. I have been making it for the past couple of weeks and I simply just get enough of it. Most times you only see what I’m eating for dinner, and this is your chance to see my lunch today. Typically, my go-to salad dressing is a good quality olive oil and vinegar, but this vinaigrette is a nice change-up, too. Highly addicting!

Strawberries are coming back in season, and have been on sale quite frequently. It’s been one of my go-to shopping items for the past couple of weeks. Plus, I’m totally guilty of making chocolate-dipped strawberries as a quick dessert, too. This salad dressing is easy to put together, mix all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, to really puree the strawberries to make this tasty vinaigrette. I have made it with champagne white vinegar that I found at Trader Joe’s and that gave an extra sweet tang to it. I also made it with regular red wine vinegar, and it was just as tasty. Whatever vinegar you have on hand, it will make for one addicting vinaigrette.
Light, sweet, and fresh. I love it served over a bed of spinach with fresh sliced strawberries, slivered red onions, pumpkin seeds and crumbled goat cheese.

Strawberry-Poppyseed Vinaigrette   
Adapted from Cheeky Kitchen
Printable Recipe:
Ingredients:1 clove garlic
1 heaping tablespoon, slice of a small red onion
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh strawberries (or raspberries)
1/3 white balsamic vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppyseeds

Preparation:

Place all ingredients (except poppyseeds) into a small food processor or blender. Blend until entirely pureed. Stir in poppyseeds.

Serve immediately over your favorite salad or store for up to 48 hours.

Yield: 2 cups of vinaigrette

Review: Absolutely one of my favorite vinaigrettes to make during strawberry season. Add some grilled chicken for extra protein to make it a light and healthy lunch. This might make for a great addition to your Easter brunch/dinner menu as well!
Side Note: When food styling salad dressings, don’t dress the salad entirely. You want to capture the essence of the dressing, so lightly spoon it over your salad. This vinaigrette looks absolutely gorgeous all by itself when lightly spooned over on top, and the spinach won’t look wilted when taking pictures. (Another tip I learned from food styling!)

Lemon Curd

One of my favorite food scents is citrus because it’s so invigorating and calming. The small whiff of a lemon instantly takes my breath away. I love having a giant Meyer lemon tree in my backyard and picking them off whenever I need them. I’m always trying to use them for something or give them away to my friends and family. Sometimes when I chop up some garlic that smell lingers on my hands, so I’ll grab half a lemon and rub my fingers in it. Cleansing the smell away and then I’ll toss the lemon half in the garbage disposal and let it cleanse that, too. Letting nature do it’s job for me. There are plenty of ways to use up lemons and I’m always looking for them.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade and a whole lotta other things. Well, I wanted to make a small batch of lemon curd to go along with some French macarons that I had been wanting to make. I finally set aside some time to make French00 macarons since I have had them on to-do list for the past several months and I needed lemon curd as part of my filling. Homemade lemon curd is like a tangy lemon jelly and easy enough to prepare. It’s delicious enough to eat by the spoonful or on top of your favorite breakfast treats – scones, muffins, and even better sandwiched between two cookies. Stay tuned tomorrow for the lemon macarons, too. Enjoy!

Lemon Curd
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3 lemons
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
½ cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel of three lemons. Do not remove the white pith, it’s quite bitter.

Place the lemon peel in a food processor and pulse until finely minced, and add the sugar and pulse until combined.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar/lemon mixture until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs one at a time until fully combined. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined.

In a saucepan over low heat, add the lemon mixture and cook until thickened (about 10 minutes). Stir constantly and once the mixture has reached 179 degrees, it is fully cooked. Remove from heat and let cool and refrigerate.

Review: Mmmmmm, lemony sugary heaven. Plus, these make fantastic giveaways for friends and family. I had participated in a homemade cooking exchange in December, and had a small budget of ten dollars to make my elfster a gift. I had gifted a basket of lemons with a jar of homemade lemon curd and scone mix and hoped it would be something different to enjoy. Luckily, my elfster absolutely loved it – meyer lemons are hard to come across east coast. Luckily for me, I had plenty to share.

Easy Strawberry Jam

I've been watching alot of Barefoot Contessa lately. This was a fairly easy recipe to follow and make without having to use pectin. Also, make sure you have a working candy thermometer and use a dutch oven...it all helps in the end for accurate readings of the jam and cleaning a dutch oven is easier than a stainless steel pot! I love using this strawberry jam with crackers, or for the perfect PB&J and strawberry jam over ice cream...Oh my goodness!

Easy Strawberry Jam
Adapted by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients:
3 pints fresh strawberries
3 cups superfine sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and small-diced
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation:
1. Place the strawberries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain and hull the strawberries. Cut the larger berries in half or quarters and leave the small berries whole.
2. Place the strawberries in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot such as heavy Dutch oven and toss them with the sugar and orange-flavored liqueur.
3. Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Add the apple and blueberries and continue to keep the mixture at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, until the jam reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. This should take 25 to 35 minutes.
4. Skim and discard any foam that rises to the top. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then store covered in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for at least 2 weeks.
5. To keep the jam longer, pack and seal in canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Review: I've already made a second batch of strawberry jam...and I will continue to make it so we don't have to buy the boring jam at the store anymore. This is so easy to make, and the house smells divine of strawberries. The Grand Marnier is a great addition and granny smith apple seem to heighten the flavor. The blueberries adds tartiness to the jam, too. One batch makes about 4 small jam canning jars full with a little bit left over.

Cilantro Oil & Smoked Red Pepper Sauce

Here's the follow-up to my Mesa Grill post. The relishes on the dishes that compliment them to perfection! I love the vibrant color of the cilantro oil, and the spicy kick from the Smoked Red Pepper sauce...it gives a good amount of heat and a beautiful touch to the dish. It helps create those unforgettable Mesa Grill dishes with fresh flavors.

Adapted from Mesa Grill Cookbook - Chapter Relishes, Sauces & more

Cilantro Oil
Makes about 3/4 cup
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (stems included)
10 fresh spinach leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation:1. Combine the oil, cilantro, spinach, and salt in a food processor and mix for 5 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (don't press on the solids, or the oil will get cloudy) into a bowl. This can be made up to 2 dys in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Smoked Red Pepper SauceMakes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chiptole chile puree
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil

Preparation:
1. Combine the red peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, honey, mustard, and chiptole puree in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. 2. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified.
3. Strain the sauce into a bowl. This sauce can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

I have the perfect sauce bottles for these two wonderful sauces. I'll probably make a mini Bobby Flay meal using the sauces or use them sparingly on whatever dishes I have. These will keep in the fridge for at least a month! Yipee!