Wine Cheese Bread

How about a little cheese with your wine? Bread that is.  I wanted something special to go with dinner so that’s what I baked today – Wine Cheese Bread and it was FABU! While it is a yeast bread, the end result is almost closer to a quick bread in texture. I think that’s because of the addition of the eggs. This was an easy bread to make with few ingredients, like most bread.

You’ll want to combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan.  Cook over low heat until very warm. I usually gauge this by when the butter is just about all melted but you can measure that around 120 degrees.  Set this mixture aside.  Stir 2 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of yeast together in your mixer bowl. Add the wine mixture and eggs. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Gradually add the remaining flour and the cheese to make a soft dough.  Mix for 8 minutes. Dough should have formed a ball in the mixer bowl.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, around 1 hour.  Punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes.  Place the dough in a greased pie plate. Cover and let rise again until double, around 40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover with foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.

This bread has an amazing texture. Crunchy and cheesy on the outside and cakey with a tang of the wine on the inside. I’m sure you will agree that this bread is FABU!

Wine Cheese Bread

1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. butter
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp dry yeast
3 eggs
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Set aside. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add wine mixture and eggs, beat at medium speed of an electric mixer 2 minutes. Gradually stir in cheese and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes). Place dough in a greased bowl turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough, let rest 10 minutes. Place dough in greased 1-quart souffle dish or 9 inch pie plate. Cover and let rise in warm place (85 degrees) free from drafts, 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover with foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Yield: 1 loaf.

Bourbon Chicken

I’m not much for eating mall food court fare.  But one thing I do love that you can get at the food court is Bourbon Chicken.  The tiny little free taste on a tooth pick draws me into the complete meal without too much trouble at all. In a diversion down Savory Street, I decided to make Bourbon Chicken at home.  This does require some thought as it needs to marinate overnight but, oh my, it is FABU!

I served the chicken with jasmine rice and a green salad. I adore jasmine rice almost as much as bourbon chicken. I don’t even think I have words to describe just how awesome I find the smell and taste of jasmine rice. The only thing that would have made this dinner better is if I had served it with cabbage like they do at the mall but, all in all, it was Mmmmm FABU!

Bourbon Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 ounces soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced dried onions
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Place chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the ginger, soy sauce, onion flakes, sugar, bourbon and garlic powder.  Mix together and pour mixture over chicken.  Cover dish and place in refrigerator.  Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove dish from refrigerator and remove cover.  Bake in the preheated oven, basting frequently, for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is well browned and juices run clear.

Kahlua Banana Brunch Cake

I’ve had this recipe for a long time, always thinking I’d find a time to make it. With New Year’s Day coming up, I thought it would make a great cake to take to brunch. It’s a big cake and will feed a crowd.  As a bonus, it contains one of my favorites boozes to bake with – Kahlua.

I love the way banana bread tastes and this cake has a similar texture.  The coconut adds a nice touch along with the subtle coffee flavor. I pronounce this cake Mmmmm FABU!

Kahlua Banana Brunch Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup Kahlua
4 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Optional: sifted powdered sugar

Grease a tube pan well. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, with remaining ingredients except coconut and nuts. Beat on low speed until mixture is well blended. On medium speed, beat 2 min., scraping bowl as you beat. Stir in coconut and nuts. Turn into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 min., or until golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 10 min.  Invert on cake rack; remove pan. When fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Caribbean Corn Bread

Intriguing is what I thought when I saw this recipe. I love corn bread. I remember a place where we used to go when we first got married that served the most amazing corn muffins. It was a buffet and you could have  all you wanted and that was my favorite thing to eat. I have never been able to replicate those corn muffins but it doesn’t stop me from trying.

This corn bread is so yummy. The rum, coconut and nutmeg, which are such different ingredients compared to any other corn bread I have ever made, combine to make a wonderful flavor. I wish I could be more descriptive. The flavor reminds me of something from my past that I just can’t put my finger on. Maybe I need to have another piece.

Sweet and exotic, I’m sure you will agree that this cornbread is Mmmmm FABU!

Carribean Corn Bread

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons rum
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flaked coconut
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8″ square pan.

Combine the milk, butter, rum and eggs in a large bowl; whisk until well mixed.  Add in remaining ingredients; stir just until moistened.  Spread in the greased pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until done.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cuba Libre Pork Roast

I decided to take a diversion off the FABU Highway down Savory Street when I saw this recipe for pork roast.  I’m really more of a last minute kind of cook so I had to remember to prepare for this one since the meat needs to marinate for two days before roasting.  The preparation was easy and the results FABU! The roast was tender and moist with a wonderful flavor that was totally worth the wait.

I served the sliced roast with garlic mashed potatoes, a green salad and Caribbean Corn Bread*.

I’m sure you will agree that the flavor of this roast is Mmmmm FABU!

*Look for the Carribean Corn Bread recipe to come!

Cuba Libra Pork Roast

Ingredients

1/4 cup dark rum
1 1/2 cups cola
2 limes, juice of
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 small pork roast (3 lbs. or so)

Combine all ingredients (except pork) until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Marinate pork, covered, for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Roast marinated pork, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast, covered, for approximately and hour to an hour and a half more, or until done.

An edible fruitcake

Fruitcakes. They’re a joke, right? We’ve all heard how fruitcakes make great door stops and the rumor that there is only one fruitcake on earth that just keeps being regifted. Some people actually LIKE fruitcake, like my mother in law.

I have sampled fruitcake over the years and while it seems a festive idea, it’s just not a very palatable one. I remember when I was fairly young my cousin’s grandma sent a fruitcake to her family for Christmas. It was one of the times that I tasted fruit cake that I thought, wow, this is actually kind of good. What I remember about that particular fruitcake is that it was loaded with booze and nuts. Yum!

When I saw this recipe for Bourbon Date Nut cake, I thought this might be a nice alternative to the traditional holiday fruitcake and it might even be tasty!

Edible Fruit Cake a.k.a. Bourbon Date Nut Cake

1 cup salted butter or unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

6 medium eggs

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup bourbon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 lb finely chopped pecans

7 1/4 ounces pitted dates, chopped

3 tablespoons coconut

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter and flour an angel food pan or bundt pan. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg.

Mix  flour, baking powder and nutmeg together, reserving 1/4 cup flour to dredge the nuts.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the bourbon, almond and vanilla.

Fold the the nuts, dates and coconut  into cake batter.

Pour this mixture into the prepared cake pan.

Cover the cake with foil for the first few hours of the baking period, removing the foil at your discretion depending on how brown you want it to become. You can place a pan of water in the oven to prevent cracking.

Bake the cake for six (yes six!) hours. The cake looked a little parched when I took it out of the oven so I gave it another drink of bourbon after removing it from the pan.

This makes a wonderful, cakey, boozy “fruit” cake that I’m sure you will agree is Mmmmm FABU!

Boozy Pumpkin Pie

I am not a pumpkin pie kind of gal. Mostly, I dislike the glurping noise it makes when you mix it and the texture of the finished pie. But I was very intrigued when I saw this recipe for Boozy Pumpkin Pie and had to try it.  It was awesome. The beaten egg whites lend a welcome lightness to the finished product and the Canadian Whiskey adds a nice sort of bite to it. I made the traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving but this is an extra special pumpkin pie to make for Christmas.

Boozy Pumpkin Pie

SERVES 12

1 (10 inch) pie shell

1 can (16 oz)pumpkin

4 large eggs, separated

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup half-and-half or whipping cream

1 cup Canadian rye whisky

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place pumpkin in large bowl and add the white sugar, egg yolks and cinnamon; beat well with mixer until thoroughly combined.

Add the cream, melted butter and whisky and combine well.

In another large bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff.

Sprinkle cornstarch over beaten egg whites and fold this mixture into pumpkin mixture.

Pour into pie plate lined with pie crust– I use a 10-inch Pyrex deep-dish glass pie plate and it fills it– and carefully place in oven.

Bake for 1 hour; center should be set at this time.

I must confess. Two things I just can’t seem to make are gravy and pie crust (although I’m getting a strong suspicion that I might have to add cupcakes to that list but that’s another post) so I use the frozen deep dish pie crusts that are gorgeous and work well.

There is a lot of filling here and will fill one large deep dish pie or two regular pie crusts.

This pie is Mmmmm FABU and your friends and family will think you are a super hero for making it!

Coffee Brownies

Coffee Brownies

Early this morning I was checking twitter and I saw a tweet from @Foodimentary announcing that today is National Brownie Day. Awesome! I can play along with that. I love the way coffee pairs up with chocolate and decided to make Coffee Brownies.

COFFEE BROWNIES

1 c flour, all-purpose

1⁄2 t baking powder

1⁄4 t salt

1 1⁄2 c sugar, granulated

1⁄3 c cocoa

2 slightly beaten eggs

1/4 c. butter melted

1/4 c. coffee liqueur

1/4 c. strong coffee

1/2 c. milk chocolate pieces

1/2 c. white chocolate

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1 c. chopped pecans

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cocoa, eggs, butter, liqueur, and coffee. Stir just until combined and then add the chips and pecans. Stir until incorporated. Spread in greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 9 large brownies.

These are gooey and chocolately and I’m sure you will agree they are Mmmmm FABU!

Beer Batter Bread

Beer Batter Bread

I was sitting here watching football and realized that beer is really a nice partner with football given all the ads for beer shown during the breaks.  So I decided to make Beer Batter Bread. This is a yummy yeast bread that is moist,  flavorful and extra easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons yeast (or 1 package)
• 1 cup beer
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan, sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal and set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast and mix to blend. In small saucepan, combine beer, butter and honey and heat to very warm. Pour into flour mixture along and mix until the flour is all incorporated. Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Punch down dough and pour into prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes, then bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20-25 minutes until bread is deep golden brown. Remove from pan and cool until warm before slicing.

Now you have fresh, warm bread that you made with very little trouble.  Mmmmm FABU!

Khalua Fudge Pound Cake

Khalua Fudge Pound Cake

It’s the beginning of December and Christmas and the associated parties will be upon us soon. If you need to feed and WOW a crowd, Khalua Fudge Pound Cake is the way to do it. I’ve been making this cake for about 20 years now and it has gotten rave reviews for all those years. Don’t let the length of the recipe put you off. While it’s not a 20 minute dessert, it’s not difficult and the results are more than worth the extra time you will put into it.

Khalua Fudge
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup Khalua
1/4 cup water

Cake:
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 lb unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda

Khalua Glaze:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp Khalua

Make fudge; in saucepan, over low heat. Mix ingredients. Heat to
boiling over medium heat; stirring. Cool.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease and flour 10 in tube pan.

Make cake: In small glass measure, mix milk and vanilla. In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat butter and sugar 3 min or until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour (in 1/4′s) alternately with milk mixture (in 1/3′s), beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon 1/3 of batter (about 2-1/2 cups) into medium bowl. Stir soda into fudge; stir into batter in medium bowl. Pour half of remaining plain batter into tube pan. Top with fudge batter; add remaining plain batter.

Bake 1hour and 40 minutes or until tests done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 min. Invert onto rack.

Make glaze: In food processor chop chocolate. In saucepan, heat butter, cream & Khalua to boiling. With motor running, pour into chocolate; process until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool completely. Drizzle over cake.

Mmmmmm FABU!