Winter Coffee Recipes

April 12, 2021 by 3 Comments

Add a delicious cup of Steeped Coffee with breakfast in bed for mom with these coffee recipes. Easy AND delicious!

GINGERBREAD LATTE

Ingredients

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp molasses – blackstrap or regular

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp strong Steeped Coffee

1 cup milk of choice – almond milk, coconut milk, etc.

sweetener of choice, to taste

Instructions

Mix everything together in a small pot or in a mug. Then heat until desired temperature is reached. (Alternatively, if you want a foamy latte: Mix spices into coffee. In a big measuring cup, heat or microwave the milk until foamy. Then pour the milk into the coffee mixture.)

PEPPERMINT MOCHA LATTE

Ingredients

1/4 cup lowfat milk

1/4 cup coffee

1 tablespoon dark chocolate syrup

1 drop peppermint extract

Instructions

Brew some coffee and heat milk in microwave until hot. Mix chocolate syrup and peppermint extract into coffee. Foam milk with milk frother or just pour hot milk into cup. Sit down and enjoy!

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RUMI’S JHAL GOSHT (BEEF OR LAMB CURRY)

January 31, 2019 by 2 Comments
home made indian food
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
Curry spices (see below)
1 1/2 pounds lamb or beef stew meat
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (stems and leaves)
CURRY INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (depending on heat tolerance)
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (seed and devein pepper to moderate heat)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon each kosher salt and sugar
2 bay leaves
2 to 3 green or black cardamom pods, cracked open
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté until translucent to light brown. Add curry spices and stir well. Let spices cook, then add water sparingly to avoid sticking or burning—no more than 1 tablespoon at a time–throughout the cooking process, 6 to 8 minutes to develop flavor.
2. Add meat, stirring well to distribute; cook over medium to high heat until well seared.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add yogurt, tomato paste, and cilantro.
4. Cover and continue to braise for 40 to 50 minutes, until meat is tender.
5. Remove cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods.
TRY THIS: Substitute 1 whole chicken cut into generous pieces; braise until golden brown, then cook for 30 minutes.
Recipe and photo with permission from The Urban Forager: Culinary Exploring & Cooking on L.A.’s Eastside
By Elisa Callow Photographs by Ann Elliott Cutting
Prospect Park Books/March 2019
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Chicken Lollipops

February 22, 2016 by 10 Comments

Here is a quick great recipe for Buffalo and Asian BBQ Chicken Lollipops by Chef Josh Capon.  These were snapped up in seconds, and smelled amazing as well.   This recipe was provided by Chef Josh Capon at the JCPenny Tailgating Party, and is perfect for the next party you are throwing.

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Ingredients:

5 lbs chicken wingettes

1 cup flour

1 bottle Franks hot sauce, or hot sauce of your choice

1 pint bleu cheese dressing

2 cups Hoisin sauce

1/2 cup soy suace

2 tbsp Tabasco

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1 cup season rice wine vinegar

vegetable oil for deep fryer

black and white sesame seeds

celery, carrot and cucumber sticks

salt and pepper

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  1. Chop off both ends of the wingettes using a sharp knife removing the joints.  Pull out one of the two bones and push the meat to one side.  Set aside in fridge until ready to use.  These can also be frozen at this point to decrease prep time during the week
  2. Make the Asian BBQ sauce:  Mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and Tabasco in a small mixing bowl
  3. Marinate the cucumber sticks in the rice wine vinegar for one hour then remove and place in refrigerator.
  4. Preheat fryer to 375 degrees, season wings in a mixing bowl with salt, pepper and a light dusting of flour.  Place wings into fryer and cook at 375 in small batches until golden brown.
  5. Let drain then place in a bowl with with salt.  Then toss in your choice of sauces and coat thoroughly.  Serve the Buffalo wings with bleu cheese and celery as well as carrot sticks.  The Asian BBQ wings can be sprinkled with the sesame seeds and served with the pickled cucumbers.
  6. Serve immediately and move out of the way.  Once your guests try these they will disappear fast as well as your hand if you aren’t careful.
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Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Pomegranate-Mint Relish

January 19, 2016 by 4 Comments

The holidays are now finally winding down for a few months unless you have a significant other, Valentine’s day is around the corner, men, do not forget.  Speaking of significant others, below is a recipe by Chef Jula Jaksis from Employees Only- her restaurant in NY on Christopher St.  It is for Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Pomegranate-Mint Relish, using the POM Wonderful pomegranates.

lamb_meatballs_914x414_ALT1

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 lb. ground lamb
  • ¼ cup shallots, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ½ cup chicken stock

Yogurt

  • 1 4-oz. container Greek yogurt
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • Pomegranate-Mint Relish
  • 1 cup arils from POM Wonderful Pomegranates
  • (or 1 cup POM POMS Fresh Arils)
  • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Meatballs:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, shallots, garlic, spices and herbs.
  2. Pour the chicken stock over the bread crumbs and add to the lamb mix; combine well.
  3. Portion meatballs into desired size.
  4. In a hot pan with olive oil, sear the meatballs on medium-high heat. (Depending on the size of the meatballs and if you prefer the center to be slightly rare, searing in the pan just until browned will be fine. If you prefer a well-done center, place the meatballs in a 400°F oven for an additional 5–8 minutes.)

Yogurt:

  1. Mix the yogurt with the lemon juice until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate until serving.

Pomegranate-Mint Relish:

  1. Prepare fresh pomegranate arils, if necessary.*
  2. Add the arils, mint, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil and red wine vinegar together; salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

  1. Line the meatballs on a plate and put a dollop of the yogurt on each.
  2. Liberally sprinkle with the Pomegranate-Mint Relish.

*To prepare fresh arils, score 1–2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

In addition to Pomegranates in whole form there are also new POM POM Fresh Arils which are 4.3 ounces and 100 calories each.  Each one contains quite a few of those delicious little fruit bits pomegranates are known for.

These quick open packs are perfect for lunch boxes for kids and adults as a healthy alternative to fruit snacks or candies as a lunch time treat.

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Lamb Shawarma and Tahini Sauce

November 14, 2014 by 3 Comments

American Lamb is one of the most versatile meats available in your local grocery store. It imparts a wonderful taste to your dishes and makes for some incredible Latin, Middle Easter, Asian and Mediterranean foods. From gyros, kabobs, bulgogi, or stew- all can use American Lamb to truly bring out the proper international flavor while still buying local. Nearly 82,000 family owned sheep operations are in existence in the United States giving us consumers a steady rate of local family owned meats.

WP_20141030_18_53_41_ProToday we will be making a wonderful traditional Mediterranean dish, Shawarma. Shawarma is a marinated lamb dish which is put over rice, inside of pita or simply by itself. This dish is incredibly easy to prepare and a delicious way to bring some international flare to your dinner room table without having to break the bank on odd spices and ingredients that will only be used once. So be sure to check it out and enjoy. Also I threw together a tahini sauce which is great when poured over the Shawarma, but is not necessary to make this meal. If you do make the tahini sauce, it is quick and easy, but you might want to make quite a bit.  It can be poured over or dipped into by everything, which it will be once you taste it.

Lamb Shawarma

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular yogurt can be used)
[Read more…]

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Sea Bass Spring Rolls

November 11, 2014 by 2 Comments

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Makes 14 spring rolls

Ingredients:

½ lb    Chilean sea bass, cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 lb    kani (imitation crab), shredded

3 Tbsp    mayonnaise

1 Tbsp    sesame oil

½ tsp    mirin

½ tsp    kosher salt

14    sheets feuille de brick or spring roll wrappers

  • oil, for frying

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine sea bass, kani, mayonnaise, sesame oil, mirin, and salt.
  2. Spread filling over the bottom-center of each wrapper. Fold in sides; roll up tightly.

    3. [Read more…]

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Eggplant Chicken
 in Garlic Sauce Recipe

November 7, 2014 by 1 Comment

Makes 2 servings

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Ingredients:

1 lb    eggplant, cut into 1½-inch chunks

  • kosher salt, for sprinkling

1 lb    skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 Tbsp    cornstarch, for dredging

3 Tbsp    chopped garlic

¼ tsp    chili pepper flakes

⅓ cup    shredded carrots

  • canola or vegetable oil,
for frying

Dark Sauce:

⅓ cup    low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp    sugar

1 tsp    toasted sesame oil

1 tsp    ground black pepper

1 tsp    cornstarch

Instructions:

  1. Sprinkle eggplant chunks with salt; allow to rest for 20-30 minutes (this process will prevent eggplant from soaking up too much oil during frying). Rinse salt from eggplant and drain well.

    2. [Read more…]

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Cooking with Arla Dofino Cheeses

September 29, 2014 by 6 Comments

Disclosure- “I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Arla Dofino. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

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There are many snack options on the market for kids after school, some of which are quite un-healthy and some of which are quite the opposite. One such option is cheese. In moderation cheese is a delightful change of pace and makes for a quick easy snack for kids and parents alike. Today we will be looking at a few of the cheeses available from Arla Dofino.
Arla Dofino has been making cheese for over 100 years in the heart land of the USA and one of the cheese making capitals of the country- Wisconsin. By using all natural ingredients and hormone free, the environmentally friendly way to make cheese. There are several varieties of cheeses available by Arla Dofino which include Havarti, Gouda, Fontina, Edam and Muenster in a variety of flavors ranging from Creamy, Light, Dill, Caraway, Jalapeno, Smoked, Chipotle, Pesto, Chili Lime, and Cracked Peppercorn there is destined to be a favorite for those with distinguished palettes or just those picky eaters among us.

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We had the pleasure of trying a few of the cheeses available and tried the Havarti line, since that what our local stores carried. For those of you like us who aren’t very familiar with Havarti, it is creamy and buttery in flavor and is perfect for crackers and sandwiches as well as cubed as a light snack. We tried the Dill flavor and the regular flavor of the cheeses the Dill was a favorite of the adults and the plain was a favorite of the little guy. He enjoyed the dill but loved the regular. He enjoyed it so much not only was it an after school snack but also a requested addition to the next day’s lunch box which is always a rare event. Below is a quick recipe for a light nutritious lunch addition for kid or adults:
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