Recipe: Exquisite Eggnog

Here's my secret family recipe for eggnog. (Warning-- contains raw eggs)

Lena Austin

http://www.LenaAust in.com

Holiday Cocktails: Cherry Splash

Cherry Splash

Recipe courtesy Jill Davie

Cherry Splash

RELATED LINKS12 Days of Cookie Cocktails

Holiday Cocktail Party Guide

Top 10 Holiday Cocktails

Fine Giving Holiday Gift Guides

Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies

Ingredients:2 oz. Silver rum

1/2 oz. amaretto, almond-flavored liqueur

1/2 oz. Luxardo maraschino cherry liqueur

Ice

Wedge of lime

Splash of maraschino cherry juice

Maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:Pour rum, amaretto and cherry liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until ingredients are well combined and chilled. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Squeeze a lime wedge over drink and drop into glass. Add a pour of cherry juice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Recipe: Fauxtatoes Deluxe

For those of us on low carb diets, missing the mashed potatoes at holidays is pure torture. This recipe makes the pain a lot less.

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Bloody-Rimmed Martinis

Start to Finish: 10 minutes

Ingredients

•     Red decorating icing writing gel
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half or light cream
• 1/2  cup  coconut-flavored rum
• 1/4  cup  vanilla vodka or vodka
• 1/4  cup  cream of coconut
•     Ice cubes

Directions

1. Carefully pipe red gel around the rim of 4 to 6 martini glasses, letting it drip down the sides. Set aside.
2. In a pitcher stir together the half-and-half, coconut rum, vanilla vodka, and cream of coconut. Place ice cubes in a martini shaker. Add coconut mixture. Cover and shake. Divide mixture among prepared martini glasses. Makes: 4 to 6 drinks

Mabon Recipe: Apple Pecan Crisp

Apple-Pecan Crisp

Looking for a fruit dessert using Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix? Then check out this great apple-pecan crisp recipe.

Prep Time

25

Minutes

Total Time

1:20

Hr:Mins

Makes

12

servings

2/3

cup maple-flavored syrup

1/4

cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

8

large baking apples (about 5 1/2 lb), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 12 cups)

1/2

cup cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces

1

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix

3/4

cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In large bowl, stir together syrup, flour and cinnamon until blended. Add apples; toss until evenly coated. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
3. In same bowl, with pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives in opposite directions), cut butter into cookie mix until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Crumble mixture over apples in baking dish.
4. Bake 30 minutes. Very loosely cover with foil; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until apples are tender.

Makes 12 servings

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving)

• Calories 380
• (Calories from Fat 130),

• Total Fat 14g
• (Saturated Fat 5g,
• Trans Fat 0g),
• Cholesterol 20mg;
• Sodium 220mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 59g
• (Dietary Fiber 2g,
• Sugars 31g),
• Protein 4g;

Percent Daily Value*:

• Vitamin A 6.00%;
• Vitamin C 2.00%;
• Calcium 0.00%;
• Iron 6.00%;

Exchanges:

• 1 Starch;
• 1/2 Fruit;
• 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate;
• 0 Skim Milk;
• 0 Low-Fat Milk;
• 0 Milk;
• 0 Vegetable;
• 0 Very Lean Meat;
• 0 Lean Meat;
• 0 High-Fat Meat;
• 2 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:

• 4;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

© 2011 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Ranch Stew

Ranch Stew

1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup onions
2 cans condensed vegetable soup
1 16oz can pork and beans
3 cups water
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp instant minced garlic
1/8 ground cumin

Cook and stir ground beef and onion in Dutch oven over medium heat until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve with biscuits or cheese rolls.

Fall For Them Leaves

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Makes: 6 servings

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients

6 carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise in half

2 large parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut lengthwise in half

1  rutabaga, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4- 1/2-inch slices

1  sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4- 1/2-inch slices

8  fresh sage leaves

3 tablespoons Country Crock® Spread, melted

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. With a small sharp knife, cut vegetables into leaf shapes. Score some of the leaves with lines down the center to make them more "leaf-like.''

3. Put all of the vegetables and sage onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle Country Crock® Spread over vegetables. Season with black pepper. Toss to coat.

4. Roast in oven until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.

From the Test Kitchen

• Tip Substitute any root veggies you like, or whatever's available locally, for this dish.

Nutrition Facts (Fall For Them Leaves)

• Servings Per Recipe 6,
• Calories 140,
• Protein (gm) 2,
• Carbohydrate (gm) 25,
• Fat, total (gm) 4,
• Saturated fat (gm) 1,
• Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 6,
• Sugar, total (gm) 11,
• Vitamin A (RE) 2988,
• Vitamin C (mg) 30,
• Sodium (mg) 240,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Chuck Wagon Beans

Chuck Wagon Beans Recipe

1/2 lb bacon slices
3 lbs ground beef
1 lg onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2/3 cup beef broth
1-1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups catsup
3 tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans Bush's Baked Beans (13 oz)

In large pan, fry bacon until crisp, remove and drain. Pour away drippings. In same pan, add and stir ground beef, onion, and celery. When beef is brown and onion is tender, stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Cover and bake one hour, or in crock pot until hot and bubbly. Crumble bacon, sprinkle over beans.

Makes 12 servings, 1 cup each.

Southwest Spaghetti Pie

More a casserole than a pie, this dish is a perfect potluck contribution.

8 oz dried spaghetti
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 lb ground pork
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain well. Return to pan. Combine milk and egg and stir into hot pasta. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart rectangular baking dish (there will be some free liquid).
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook pork, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain off fat.
Stir chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper into meat mixture in skillet. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Spoon on top of pasta in dish. Sprinkle with cheeses.
Bake, uncovered, in a 425F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly around the edges. Let casserole stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Optional: Substitute equal amount of ground beef for the pork.

Recipe: Susie's Chai

Susie's Chai

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1. Pour entire can of milk into a clean, dry jar.

2. Add all the spices and cover tightly with lid.

3. Place in refrigerator. The longer it stays refrigerated, the better it gets.

4. To use, stir the mixture and scoop out 2-3 tablespoons directly into a cup of very strong, very hot black tea.

Makes 1-3/4 cups.

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Holiday Drink: Frosty the Caramel Apple Pie Cocktail

Frosty the Caramel Apple Pie

Go to Cocktails for more comforting, cold-weather recipes and videos.

Frosty the Caramel Apple Pie

By Stephen Phillips

This festive holiday cocktail draws inspiration from decadent caramel-apple pie.

Single Serve Recipe

Ingredients:1-1/2 oz. vodka or tequila

1 oz. Hiram Walker Butterscotch Schnapps

1-1/2 oz. apple cider

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Apple slice for garnish

Crushed graham crackers

Preparation:First, rim the lip of a chilled cocktail glass with your crushed graham crackers.

Pour all the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into your chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with an apple slice.

Note: Serve over ice in a large wine goblet.

See More Holiday Cocktails

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Lena's Diet Matrix

Short Ribs	Chicken Thighs	Pork Shoulder, cubed or Spam	Bulk Pork Sausage or Ground beef	Chuck Roast, cubed	Beans
Onions	Carrots	Celery	Garlic	Cauliflower, zucchini,  turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, spinach, or Broccoli	Mushrooms (add last)
Red Wine	White Wine	Beer	Vinegar	Soy Sauce	Beef or Chicken Broth (Homemade is best)
Diced tomatoes	Dried mushrooms	Bay Leaves	Fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and parsley	Honey	Ginger

This matrix is my not-so secret list of "throw together" meals. Be aware you can vary the liquids, but if you won't drink the wines or beers, don't cook with them. For example, I happen to be very fond of a Reisling (white) wine that comes in a blue bottle with a sun on the logo. It cooks well. OTOH, I can't stand most pinot grigio, so I don't have it in my food. Same goes for the beers. This year, I'm going to try some of the Samuel Adams flavored beers. However, don't overlook the stale beers left when someone throws a party. It's free flavor.

Same goes for the vinegars. Don't forget herbal vinegars. I keep white, cider, sherry, balsamic, wine vinegars and rice wine vinegars on hand.

Simply choose your meat (Row 1), choose your veggies (Row 2), choose your braising liquid (Row 3), and choose your flavor enhancers (Row 4).

Prep: Chop up everything in advance. Measure your ingredients or have them standing by. (Salt and pepper are always welcome, but be sparing.)

You may use a deep frying pan and a crock pot or (my new favorite) the electric skillet.

1. Braise your meat. Fully brown it in a splash of oil. The more carmelization, the more flavor. Remove the meat and either put it in the crock pot or bowl to add back to the skillet later.
2. Throw in the veggies and give them a stir-up to help scrape up the brown bits. (You can add mushrooms in the last few seconds, since they cook so quickly.) Throw the veggies in the crock or put in the bowl on top of the meat.
3. Now throw in the liquid, enough to cover the bottom and give you enough to give you some sauce. Scrape up the last of the brown bits and flavor from the pan.
4. Add the herbs/flavor to the sauce. Now, if you're using the crock pot, pour the sauce over the meat and veggies, slap on the lid, turn on the crock and walk away. If you're using the electric skillet, add the meat and veggies on top of the sauce and stir it well. Turn the skillet to low, slap on the lid, and check it every ten minutes until done.

The rest of your groceries are your snacks like eggs (for boiling), bacon and sausages, vegetables (see above matrix), chicken strips, sliced cheese, canned tuna/salmon. You can have mayo, but beware the calories. Mustard is better.

If you must have a carb substitute, try quinoa. It cooks like rice in a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa, and keeps very well in the fridge. It can be eaten as a hot cereal or used like rice or pasta.

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Re: Russian Tea

The first is the recipe I grew up with.

 

Friendship Tea Mix

Ingredients:
18 ounces Tang drink mix
1 cup instant iced tea
2 cups granulated sugar (or equivalent in Splenda)
1 package powdered lemonade mix
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix and place into a covered jar or other container. For hot tea mix 2/3 tablespoon to 1 cup of hot water. For iced tea mix substitute cold water and pour over ice.

Friendship Spiced Tea Mix

Ingredients:
1 jar (18 oz.) Tang or store brand equivalent
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup red cinnamon candy (red hots)
1/3 cup instant tea mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. To serve, stir 1 1/2 tablespoons of mix into 1 cup hot water, stirring until the candies dissolve.

About the Author
Brenda Hyde is a Mom of three, a freelance writer and editor of Old Fashioned Living. For information on subscribing to her newsletters Click here

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(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

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From: "treefairy04@yahoo.com" <treefairy04@yahoo.com>
To: Lena Austin <voiceomt2002@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: Recipe: Autumn Potato Gratin

Yummy

On Nov 11, 2011, at 18:24, Lena Austin <voiceomt2002@yahoo.com> wrote:

We serve this every year...

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¸.· ´¸.·*´¨)
(¸.·*  Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com