Culinary Goods

Jared made this for Christmas and it was awesomely good. I'd only ever had the stuff you get at Mexican restaurants, so it was nice to have a not-as-sickly-sweet (but still pleasantly sweet) homemade version. My new favorite alcoholic beverage is Rumchata, but it's $25 a bottle, so this was much more economical. Plus, the non-drinkers could enjoy this as plain Horchata, and the drinkers could add rum to it (to have Rumchata) or a fireball shot to make it more cinnamon-y. Either way, everyone wins. This get an 8 and the recipe came from myrecipes.com. 1 C. uncooked long grain rice 8 C. warm water 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 C. whole milk 1 tsp. vanulla 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 oz. spiced rum per glass (to make Rumchata) Grated nutmeg, for garnish https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-rum-infused-horchata

Jared gave me The Food Lab cookbook for Christmas, and I made sticky buns for Christmas morning. These were a bit dry, but I blame myself because I cut down the sugar just a bit, so there wasn't as much caramel sauce. As you can tell from the picture, there isn't sauce cascading down the sides as there should be with sticky buns. Next time I make these I will add the exact amount of sugar and I think they'll be just great. Also, Smith's was completely out of buttermilk, and I wasn't about to go back out to the store on Christmas Eve, so I had to improvise with vinegar milk. Real buttermilk would also make it more fantastic. As is, they get a 7. This recipe makes one dozen. Later addition: I 1 1/2'ed the sauce, and it was a lovely change. While these definitely don't need more sugar, they weren't at all dry like they were before.  For the Dough 3 large eggs 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed I used 3 TBS total 3/4 cup buttermilk, well-shaken ...

Our friend brought these to dinner and they are the best Brussel Sprouts I personally have ever had. I asked him for the recipe, and here it is: So, he took 2 big bags of Costco brussel sprouts, quartered them, and roasted them in oile with salt and pepper for about 20-30 minutes at 425. he rotated the pans so they didn't get too brown. Then, he took 2 big Costco onions and caramelized them in oil and butter. The, he made bacon. Then, he grated Gruyere cheese. He combined all of these things together,, added 1/2 cup of heavy cream, put the cheese on top, and warmed them through. Then he broiled the top a bit. The ratios are 110 oz. roasted Brussel sprouts to 36 oz. of caramelized onions to 18 oz. grated gruyere (he got his as Costco) to 6 oz. bacon    

This picture makes me feel like I'm falling, so I'm sorry if it has the same effect on any of you. Anyway, these were actually pretty good, and I loved knowing exactly what ingredients went into my crackers. The recipe is very versatile, so you could add any combination of herbs and spices. The recipe came from foodnetwork.com. 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, finely grated 1 cup all-purpose flour  4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt  1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt  Pinch of cayenne  3 tablespoons ice water  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/homemade-cheddar-crackers-3141125

This looks terrible, but is had fantastic flavor, and I will definitely make it again. The cabbage I bought from Smith's had dumb black spots all over it, so I had to toss it, but this would be that much better with cabbage or even sauerkraut. It gets an 8, and the recipe came from thecozyapron.com. •  1 tablespoon olive oil •  1 (14 ounce) package beef smoked sausage, cut into bite-size slices  •  1 1/2 onion, sliced into thin semi-circles •  1/2 head small cabbage, halved again, cored and thinly sliced •  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper •  1/4 teaspoon ground caraway seeds •  Pinch salt •  2 cloves garlic, finely chopped •  1 cup German-style lager beer (Oktoberfest variety) I used a Hefeweizen •  2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed to bite-size pieces •  2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock •  1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar •  1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped https://thecozyapron.com/oktoberf...

I have a strange love affair with chocolate and peanut butter, so I thought these were about the best thing ever. They were easy to make and tasted damn good. I gave them an 8.5, and the recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. PEANUT BUTTER PUDDING:  1/2 cup granulated sugar  I used 1/4 C.  5 teaspoons cornstarch   1/8 teaspoon salt   1 3/4 cups 1%, 2% or whole milk   1/2 cup heavy whipping cream   1/2 cup creamy peanut butter   1 teaspoon vanilla extract MILK CHOCOLATE PUDDING:  6 tablespoons granulated sugar   2 tablespoons cornstarch   2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder   Pinch of salt   1 1/2 cups 1%, 2% or whole milk   1/2 cup heavy whipping cream   4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped   1 teaspoon vanilla extract TOPPING:  1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream   1 tablespoon powdered sugar...

So, this is officially the easiest fancy dessert that you can make. Seriously, it’s SO fast. You serve them warm out of the oven, so you really don’t need to do anything until 30 minutes before you serve them. Plus, they are amazing—a  9 if you like peanut butter. This only makes 4, so keep that in mind. Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes 6 ounces (170g) high quality semi-sweet chocolate, such as Ghirardelli or Lindt 1/2 cup (115g; 1 stick) unsalted butter 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners' sugar I did 1/3 cup and it was plenty sweet. You could EASILY do 1/4 cup or probably even 3 Tbs. 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 8 teaspoons (42g) creamy peanut butter (about 2 teaspoons per cake ) I used more than this, probably 1 Tbs. per cake optional for serving: ice cream, melted peanut butter and/or chocolate syrup for drizzling https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-lava-cakes/ You melt the chocolate and...