INGREDIENTS

Sponge

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Dough

• 1  2/3 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, cut into 10 pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup raisins, currants or candied fruit

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Icing

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons water

STEPS

1. Line 1 cookie sheet with parchment paper or coat with butter or spray.
2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is just lukewarm, no more than 110°, then pour the warm milk into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast.
3. Stir in the flour and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the sponge ferment until it is bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the sponge is ready, prepare the dough: combine flour, sugar, salt, and spices in a bowl of your electric stand mixer and stir well to mix.
5. Place on the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add the butter.
6. Mix until the butter is worked in well.(about 2 minutes.)
7. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape in the sponge; add the egg and return to the mixer with the paddle.
8. Mix on lowest speed for 2 minutes; stop mixer and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
9. Mix the dough again on medium speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes.
10. Decrease speed to lowest and add the currants or raisins and candied fruit; mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
11. Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl and turn the dough over so that the top is buttered.
12. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
13. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press it into a rough square; divided the dough into 12 equal pieces with a knife or bench scraper.
14. Round each piece by pressing it under the palm of your hand as you rotate your hand around the dough.
15. Arrange the buns on the prepared pan and press a cross into the top of each bun with the back of a blade of a table knife.
16. Cover the pan with a towel or buttered plastic wrap and allow the buns to rise until they are almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
17. About 15 minute before the buns are completely risen, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 375°.
18. Bake the buns until they are deep golden and feel light, about 15-20 minutes.
19. Just before the buns are finished baking, bring the sugar and water for the glaze to a boil; brush the glaze on the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
20. Remove buns from pan and put on cooling rack to cool.

Icing:

1. Combine the powdered sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir well to mix.
2. Place over low heat, and stir until the icing is just warm to the touch.
3. Scraped the icing into a paper cone or a small plastic bag and snip the corner.
4. Pipe a cross on the top of each cooled bun, following the indentation made before baking; let the icing dry for 30 minutes before serving.

I’m so excited that spring has finally began in Florida.  this is the time of year that my great grandmother Bessie would begin planting peas in her garden.  Just after the last frost.  She was one amazing woman.  Till her death at the age of 92, she was still working as hard as a horse as my mom would put it.  Planting her own garden, canning food for the family and friends and making every meal from scratch.

Farmers markets were one thing she never needed to go to.  She had her own right there behind the house.  I can still remember even going in the fall and finding sheets (actual bed sheets) lined under her beds with beans drying on them to put up for winter.  Or going down in her basement to see walls lined with vegetables, pickles and fruits she had canned for the winter as well.

 Not everyone is as lucky to be able to have a garden right outside their back door.  I am not sure why, because even city dwellers can have a small container garden on their balcony to produce their own fresh vegetables.  I guess thats why farmers markets are so popular.  You can get fresh locally grown produce and a much better cost than those supermarket chains.  You will be so happy with the things you find, sometimes even home made breads and jams.  Y’all, fresh is so much better than all those chemically enhanced products in the stores.  So everyone get out there like I do almost every weekend, and get your hands on some of that fresh, locally grown produce.  You will not be dissapointed.  It’s all so good.  Just look at what I found at a local farmers market this past weekend…..

Y’all are gonna love these little beauties.  Just in time for St. Paddies Day, you can make these little delights.  They are so light and airy with a creamy filling.  You might want to double the batch because these little lucky charms are going to go fast.

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2  Tbsp.  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2  tsp.  baking soda
• 1/4  tsp.  salt
• 1/2  cup  butter, softened
• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1    egg
• 1  tsp.  vanilla
• 1/2  cup  buttermilk
• 1  1-oz. bottle  green food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
• 1  recipe  Whoopie Pie Filling, recipe below

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.

3. Spoon batter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets.

5. To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies.

Whoopie Pie Filling: In medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an 8-ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme.

To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

I like to make it year round, but especially during Mardi Gras…..ENJOY

Ingredients :

• 2  pounds  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped in 1” squares
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  pounds  sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices ( I buy the spicy links)
• 2  medium onions, chopped
• 1 lb of Shrimp
• 1 large tomato diced small (or 1 large can diced tomatoes)
• 1  large green or red bell pepper, diced bite size
• 2  cloves fresh  garlic, chopped
• 3  cups  rice ( I use family size yellow rice)
• 8  cups chicken stock ( I like to make mine fresh and freeze for just this recipe)
• 1/2  to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• Hot sauce to taste.

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat,brown the chicken and season with salt pepper.

2. Add sausage and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until browned add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring constantly for approximately 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, ground red pepper, paprika and chili powder.

4. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, add the shrimp and simmer another 5-10 minutes or until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

5. add hot sauce to taste individually.

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Splash of orange juice or lemonade
• 2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
• 1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
• 1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
• 4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.

Y’all know I love my southern roots.  I can’t wait for the day I can call Tennessee my home.  You have also seen me make some things with “moonshine”.  Well keeping with my drinkin out of the jar background, I decided to try my hand at a drink I saw on the internet.  This is a keeper and will be my go to anytime I need a quick cocktail for entertaining.  It is quite simple, and I am already half through my first one, so I apologize for spelling errors.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup blueberry’s
• 1 quart vodka
• frozen lemonade concentrate
• simple syrup

First and foremost, use a good vodka.  Don’t go cheap.  You are going to get a good dose of it, so use one you like.  Put about 1/2 cup blueberries in a  quart jar and fill with vodka.  Put in your refrigerator for at least 12 hours.  This will adequately infuse the vodka with blueberry flavor.  Strain vodka and reserve blueberries for garnishing drink.

Make the frozen concentrate lemonade, but only use 3 cans water.  We want it a little strong.

Fill a pint jar with about 10 blueberries and ice.  Then add 1 part vodka to two parts lemonade mixture.  Put lid on jar and shake.  Open, garnish with reserved blueberries and enjoy.  You can use the simple syrup to adjust sweetness to your individual liking.

Yield: about 14    4inch  pancakes

Method:

If you are going to be using them, begin by making the Butter-Pecan Syrup and the  Whipped Cream Cheese.  You can hold the syrup warm on the stove while you make the pancakes and the Whipped Cream Cheese can go in a serving vessel on the table.

Pre-heat your griddle or heavy pan over medium heat.  If you are using a non-stick electric griddle, set the electric griddle temperature a little under 325°F.  You can tell if the griddle is hot enough when a couple of drops of water sprinkled onto the cooking surface “dance” with a sizzle and a hiss, before evaporating. For surfaces which aren’t non-stick you will need to grease it up with a little oil or clarified butter on a paper towel before proceeding to cook.

Next, melt your butter.  I do this by placing the butter in a bowl and putting it in the microwave on high for 1 minute.  Then, I let the butter sit until I need it in the recipe.  This way I make sure the butter isn’t too hot.

Weigh and measure all of the dry ingredient into a bowl large enough to hold all of the batter.  Then, with a whisk, stir to thoroughly combine.  This breaks up the lumps that might exist in the flour or cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and food coloring.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture; stir until mostly combined.  Add the melted butter to the batter; folding gently.

For each pancake, pour ¼ cup of batter on to the hot griddle.  Cook the pancakes on the first side until they puff up and are full of bubbles and the edges begin to look dry; about 4 minutes

Turn the pancakes over and cook on the second side until they are cooked through; roughly another 3 minutes.

Pay attention to your heat, if on the first side the pancakes are getting really dark before bubbles start to form and the edges begin to dry, turn the heat down. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve hot with the Whipped Cream Cheese and Butter Pecan Syrup.

Whipped Cream Cheese

Method

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer.

Using the paddle/beater attachment and the lowest setting, combine the ingredients until well incorporated.  Once, you won’t get splattered, increase the speed and “whip” the ingredients together until smooth.

Serve in a small bowl alongside the Butter Pecan Syrup.

Butter Pecan Syrup

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place the pecans on a sheet tray and place them in the oven.  Toast the pecans,  stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned and fragrant.  You don’t have to go too far, because we are going to cook them in the butter for a few minutes as well.

In the meantime, preheat a heavy 10-inch sauté pan over medium.  Add the butter and let it begin to melt.

When the butter is mostly melted, add the pecan halves.  Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pecans are well toasted and have a rich brown color.

When the butter begins to foam around the pecan halves, add the maple syrup all at once.  Continue to cook the butter-syrup mixture until it is hot and bubbly.

Momentarily remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla extract and the water; incorporating with a whisk or wooden spoon.  Return the pan to the heat and cook the mixture for a 3-4 more minutes; until the mixture is hot and thickens slightly.

Taste the syrup and add a pinch of salt.  Taste again.  (It isn’t really necessary to taste the syrup first, but doing so gives you a great example of how salt really influences flavor even in sweet things).

This syrup can be made well in advance and rewarmed before serving.  As it cools, it will “break” on you; meaning the syrup and butter will separate.  Just give it a good stir before saucing the pancakes.

1 oz Stoli® Limonnaya vodka
1 oz blueberry schnapps
1 splash sweet and sour mix
1 dash cranberry juice
1/2 tsp sugar

Pour the vodka and blueberry schnapps into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Add sweet and sour mix and cranberry juice. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist, and serve.

This has been the coolest weekend so far this fall in Tampa.  Temperatures in the 50’s at night and mid 70’s during the day.  I love this weather.  But being a little chilly usually means I need something to warm me up.  I moved to Florida 25 years ago and my blood has thinned.  So its time to get my big stock pot out and make some Chili.  Now a lot of you have tried my other chili recipe here on my site, but this ones a tad different.  I decided to make a chili in honor of one of my favorite states.  Tennessee.

I saw a mason jar sitting all by itself on a shelf in my pantry.  It’s filled with a very clear liquid that is very potent, and it is from Tennessee.  Yupp….I’m talking about Moon Shine.  So this is going to be my special ingredient in my chili, along with smoked bacon.  I’ve found that moonshine brings out a spicy flavor in tomatoes, somewhat like vodka does in a good vodka sauce.

I did try a few new things this time, and if I do say so myself.  It turned out awesome.  I made a double batch because all my friends ask for my chili, so if you want a smaller amount, just half my recipe.

I hope y’all enjoy, and by the way, you can always leave the moonshine or whiskey out if you prefer.  Not sure why you would want too, but to each his own.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 slices of smoked bacon (diced)
• 3 lbs. ground chuck
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons house seasoning
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 yellow pepper (diced)
• 2 green peppers (diced)
• 1 purple onion
• 2 sweet onions
• 4 cups beef broth/stock
• 1 shot glass of Moonshine (or whiskey)
• 2  28 oz. cans  crushed tomatoes
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 8 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2  7 oz. cans chopped green chilies
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 quart tomato sauce
• 4 squares baking chocolate
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 tablespoons corn meal

Brown and render the fat out of your bacon in large stock pot.  Drain the bacon fat for future use.  Place bacon in bowl, add ground chuck, smoked paprika, house seasoning, onions and peppers in stock pot.

Drain your beef mixture once cooked and return to pot.  Add back the bacon,  beef stock, shine or whiskey, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, green chilies, tomato paste and tomato sauce and cook at a low simmer for 1 hour.  Now add chocolate, cinnamon sticks and corn meal to the chili, cover and let simmer an additional hour.

Garnish with some green onions and cheese and enjoy.

I have been being nagged by a good friend of mine for some coconut macaroons.  So I decided today to make them, but change them up a notch for the holiday season.  So this is my first New Years recipe.  I had to actually leave the kitchen and type this blog in the living room so I would quit eating them.  They are so moist and the white chocolate just adds an additional layer of taste.  I found it easiest to melt the white chocolate and put in a small squeeze bottle with a small tip.  That way I could just go back and forth across them once they cooled.

I am delivering these to her in about 30 minutes.  Lets see if she gives a thumbs up on this new twist to her favorite cookie of mine.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (11 oz) Sweetened Flake Coconut
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 bottle red food coloring
• 8 Tbsp. cake  flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1.   Bring water and sugar in sauce pan to boil.
2.  Place coconut, egg whites and flour, salt  and cocoa  in bowl with paddle and mix together.
3. Add liquid, vanilla, and food coloring to mixer and continue mixing till cooled down.

Then I use a pastry bag with the medium star tip and squeeze out about a quarter dollar sized circle onto baking sheet.

Bake at 325F. for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them incase your oven cooks quicker, you don’t want to burn these beauties.

Let cool slightly before removing to wire rack.

They are good like this, or you can melt some white chocolate and drizzle across them after they are cool on the cookie rack.