This year for Christmas we stayed in New England and visited the Love Muffin’s family. I wanted to make some extra cookies and treats to share with the 25+ family members. I decided that I would try my hand at peppermint bark. I’ve read recipes over and over and seen it on trays and in little goodie gift bags, but never made it on my own. So thanks to Pinterest I reviewed a few different recipes and decided to move forward with one of my own.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of candy canes
• 1 bag of Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 bag of Nestle Dark Chocolate Morsels
• 1 11×13 inch baking sheet
• Double Boiler
• Rolling pin or meat mallet (to crush the candy canes)
• Rubber spatula
• Foil

Directions:

1. Unwrap all of the candy canes and place them into a large plastic bag. 
2. After all of the candy canes are unwrapped, take your rolling pin or meat mallet and hammer away. It’s worth noting that the candy canes did pierce the bag in places so make sure you do this on a surface that can get dirty. I did it over a wooden cutting board.
   
3. After the candy canes are broken begin working with the chocolate. Fill your double boiler with a little bit of water (about 2-3 inches) and turn your stove burner on medium. Allow the double boiler to warm for a few minutes before adding the first bag of chocolate chips.
4. While the double boiler is heating cover the baking sheet with one seamless piece of foil, set aside.
5. Once the double boiler is ready (2-3 minutes) add two bags of chocolate chips and allow them to melt slowly. Stir with a heat resistant rubber spatula. After the chocolate is melted take 1/2 cup of the broken candy cane and pour it into the chocolate. Stir until all of the candy cane is incorporated into the chocolate.
   
6. Pour the mixture onto the foiled pan. Spread as evenly as possible. The bark will probably be any where from an eighth of an inch to a fourth of an inch thick.
7. Cover the melted chocolate with the remaining crushed peppermint and refrigerate to set.
8. After the bark has set (30-45 minutes) remove from fridge and break apart into pieces of your liking.

The bark should be stored in a cool, dry place and will keep for up to two weeks (if you can make it stay that long!).

Finished Product! Enjoy!

~cdog

For now, we leave you with this.

Jelly meat from Russia. Just because we love you.

nasty.

If we don’t blog again before the holidays, Happy Holidays!

Here is my favorite cookie and a recipe for it. What is your favorite cookie? Share in the comments!

LOVE!

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

• In large bowl, mix oil, chocolate, granulated sugar and vanilla. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray.
• Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat and shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

*To ensure recipe success, do not use self-rising flour in this recipe.

Butternut Squash Pizza with Crispy Sage
Yield = one pizza

1 recipe of pizza dough or 1 pre-made ball of dough (we used wheat dough for this recipe)
1 small butternut squash (about a pound, but you will likely have leftover squash)
olive oil
kosher salt
2 cloves garlic
fresh ricotta cheese
a few sprigs thyme, leaves removed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
10-15 sage leaves
oil for frying (we used olive oil)
Parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Remove the skin of the squash: Halve the squash and remove the seeds. The best way to cut the squash so that it cooks well on the pizza is to cut it into thin slices. We luckly had a fairly straight (rather than bulbous) squash so this was easy. You’ll want the slices to be no larger than a 1/4 of an inch thick. The thicker, the longer they take to pre-cook.

2. Place the slices of squash on parchment paper on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt to taste, toss to coat, redistribute onto sheet in one layer and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.

3. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic and mix it with the ricotta cheese, set aside. After rolling out the pizza dough and placing it on a prepared baking sheet, brush dough with olive oil. Then top it with salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Spread a thin layer of fresh ricotta over the crust. Sprinkle with fresh thyme to taste. Top the ricotta with baked squash slices. Top with more grated Parmesan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, fry the sage. Heat the oil in a sauce pan on medium, high heat. You can test the oil to find out if it’s hot enough by flicking a water droplet off of your finger. If it sizzles, it’s ready. The sage leaves should take no longer than 5 seconds in hot oil to crisp up. I tossed in one leaf first to see how it would fry up but it was pretty easy to tell when it was done (it curls!). So we threw in the rest.  Let the sage cool on a plate with a paper towel.

5. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the crispy sage. Voila! Pizza time!

Butternut squash, garlic ricotta, and fried sage pizza

This was a great pizza and it gave me a few ideas for new pizzas to make. Here’s to enjoying all of Fall’s bounty!

~cdog

This recipe is adapted from Alexandra’s Kitchen.

But a few weekends ago was something I had never experienced in my four years of living in Boston. Stud Muffin and I decided to check out St. Anthony’s Feast and I am so glad we did. From Friday to Sunday, three streets in the North End are shut down and vendors line the streets – these consist of food vendors, carnival games and people selling Italian-themed products.

We went for the food…

Buffalo Chicken Calzone from Bovas

Arancini!

SPICY

We happened upon this…

After all was said and done, we were full, but happy as clams!

We highly recommend checking out the festivals next August, you won’t be disappointed.

For those not familiar with pisco, as I wasn’t, here’s the rundown: pisco is a mixable spirit distilled from grapes. It is named after the Peruvian port of Pisco where the drink was originally exported.

Porton retails for $39.99 for a 750 ml bottle

The brand Portón, owned by the Kallop family, is made from a blend of three grape varietals (Quebranta, Torontel and Albilla). A juice from the first pressing of the grapes is made and then fermented, but not completely in order to retain some natural grape sugars that would otherwise be converted into alcohol. The fermented juice is then distilled to 86 proof in custom made copper pot still and is left to rest for five to eight months before bottling to let the flavors of the pisco develop. Because less sugar is converted to alcohol, 20 pounds of grapes must be used to make one liter of pisco. Portón’s new distillery was built to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, which paired well with ArtBar’s use of local and regional ingredients.

We were lucky enough to have dinner with Portón’s COO, Jean-Francois Bonneté, who also helped us really understand the depth and versatility of the spirit.

Now, onto the food and booze we had Tuesday. The USBG (United States Bartender’s Guild) Boston Chapter invited eight of its members from 8 different restaurant/bars in Boston to create a cocktail that would pair with a particular course the  ArtBar was preparing. Yes, that is right, 8 different cocktails and 8 courses. (Below, I included the full menu with the corresponding cocktail.)

What I found really awesome was how truly versatile the spirit is. The first cocktail we had was a welcome cocktail and it was called Grape 3-Ways and I could really see myself serving that as a cocktail at brunch – a great twist on the traditional mimosa. It included Portón, Pinneau de Charantes, Lavender Honey, Fresh Orange Juice, Champagne and Fresh Lavender. Then, stepping into the evening’s courses, we were introduced to a cocktail that was completely different from the welcome cocktail, but equally as awesome and that trend continued with each course.

The bartenders were really invested in each cocktail and it was apparent when each bartender presented the cocktail they created and explained exactly why they used certain ingredients. For example, Elizabeth Powell, Head Bartender at ArtBar, wanted to create a cocktail that really brought the drinkers back to the heart of America and incorporated apple into the flavors of her cocktail to make “Hometown Dream”, which was paired with a sauteed lobster tail in toasted brioche and a lobster corn dog with grain mustard sauce.

To truly get a sense of the flavors resulting in the pairing of the food and the cocktail, I sipped the cocktail before starting on the course, took a bite and then another sip. It really did enhance the flavors in the food.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how drinkable the spirit was no matter how it was prepared. I drink spirits, but not to the point where I usually ask for something by name. Portón would make me think differently the next time I’m interested in a cocktail.

The ArtBar served some amazingly good food, i.e. Bacon Mac-N-Cheese with Bacon Fondue (that was when I knew they were trying to win my love). And it was a real pleasure because through the night the bartenders were able to sit down and eat with us. It was a great opportunity to talk to the bartenders from some of our favorite places in the city. (I have included who created each cocktail in the menu below and what restaurant/bar they are from. You should really check them out.) Portón put on a great event and I look forward to blogging about my home cocktail experiments with Portón.

Find them on Facebook here and @PiscoPorton on Twitter.

Now onto the menu and cocktail pairings…

Welcome Cocktail created by Dave Delaney – bartender at Still and Stir in Worcester and the Citizen Public House in Boston

Grapes 3-Ways
3/4 oz. Portón
1 oz. Pinneau de Charantes
1/2 oz. Lavender Honey
1/2 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
Top with Champagne and 1 sprig fresh lavender

1st Course – Prosciutto wrapped bean spread with zahtar flavored olives and grilled naan

Cocktail created by Kelly Coggins, wine rep for Hangtime Wholesale and works part-time at Tremont 647

Love Porton #9
3/4 oz. Porton
3/4 oz. Aperol
3/4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
2 oz. crisp white wine
1 oz. club soda
Grapefruit zest

2nd Course – Maine Lobster

Cocktail created by Elizabeth Powell, Head bartender at ArtBar

Hometown Dream
2 oz. Porton
large dash extinct acid phosphate
1 oz. green delicious apple shrub
1 oz. Laird’s AppleJack
long spiral green delicious apple peel to garnish

3rd Course – Taco Trio: Pork cheek with pico de gallo and chipotle laced sour cream; charred tuna with nappa slaw and lime aioli; hanger steak with avocado, fried shallots and chimi churri

Cocktail created by Kevin Mabry, Bar Manager at jM Curley

Tip of the Cap
1 1/2 oz. Porton
1/2 oz. Luxardo cherry liquor
1/2 oz. Luxardo Triplum
1/4 oz. lemon juice
muddled strawberry
2 dashes Texas Pete hot sauce
1 oz. Cava

4th course: Mac & Cheese eggroll with guanciale and smoky fondue

Cocktail created by Sam Karachi, bartender at Russell House Tavern and also works at The Boston Shaker in Davis Square

The Royal Hunt of the Sun
1 oz. Porton
1 oz. Salers Gentiane Liquor
1/2 oz. Amaro Nonino
8 drops Lapsang Souchong Tea bitters
grapefruit twist to garnish

5th course – Georges Bank U-10 sea scallop rolled in applewood bacon with mango puree, red pepper essence and chive oil

Cocktail created by Sam Treadway, bar manager and co-owner of Backbar in Union Square

Peruvian BBQ
1 3/4 oz. Porton
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. maple syrup
1 dash smoked chipotle tabasco
Charred lime wheel to garnish

6th course -Roasted all natural sirloin with Mediterranean coucous, marsala syrup and heirloom cherry tomato salad

Cocktail created by Noon Inthasuwan, beverage director at Moksa Restaurant and Sommelier and Mixologist at OM Restaurant 

*Note: I made a comment that I don’t eat read meat and so I was brought another plate without the meat. I love good customer service, even if I wasn’t necessarily a “customer” that night.

La Cosecha (The Harvest)
2 oz. Porton
1 1/2 oz. Orleans Cider Vermouth
1 oz. Masala Syrup
Top with purple corn foam

7th course – Turtle panna cotta with raspberries, caramel sauce and a chocolate tuille

Cocktail created by Troy Clarke, President of the Boston Chapter of the USBG, Director of Food & Beverage at Royal Sonesta Hotel and Owner of TwelveTwentyFour Cocktails

Terroir Expression
3/4 oz. Porton
3/4 oz. Tonala Anejo Tequila
1/2 oz. Lustau Solera Superior Sherry
Dash of phosphate
Burnt orange peel to garnish
Carbonated

8th course – Cheese: Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Ford Farm Cave Aged Chedder, Vermont Creamery Aged Goat Cheese with lavender honey, spiced almonds and grilled baguettes

Cocktail created by Josh Taylor, bar manager at West Bridge in Kendall Square

Turning Red
1 1/2 oz. Porton
3/4 oz. Barbadilla Oloroso sherry
1/2 oz. Merlet Creme Cassis
1/2 oz. Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
Dash Peychaud’s bitters

I love this idea because it provides a chance for regular old folk to join in on the fun. I’m sure there will be plenty of staging on the ship, but not like the show where I feel like more is scripted and staged.

If I didn’t already have a vacation planned during this time, I would totally be  booking my stateroom.

Here is the press release about the opportunity (from Eater.com):

FANS OF BRAVO MEDIA’S “TOP CHEF” INVITED TO SET SAIL ON LUXURIOUS CULINARY JOURNEY

Inaugural “Top Chef: The Cruise” on Celebrity Constellation to
feature show’s judges and chefs in series of interactive events

NEW YORK, August 14, 2012 The most sought-after “reservations” in town for April 2013 will not be on land, but rather will be at sea, with the launch of the first-ever “Top Chef: The Cruise,” aboard the modern, luxurious Celebrity Constellation. The announcement was made today by Bravo Media, Celebrity Cruises, Magical Elves and Rose Tours, and offers fans of the Emmy-winning “Top Chef” reality competition series the chance to spend quality time with the show’s judges and chefs, making this a one-of-a-kind culinary vacation experience.

Hosted by two of “Top Chef’s” most beloved stars, Tom Collicchio and Gail Simmons, and featuring past “chef’testants,” the April 11-15, 2013 cruise will sail roundtrip from Miami, Florida, with stops in Key West, Florida and Cozumel, Mexico. During the voyage, guests will have the opportunity to savor events such as interactive “Quickfire” cooking challenges, culinary demonstrations, question-and-answer sessions, Top Chef menus and more. Guests also will enjoy Celebrity’s own award-winning culinary offerings, with cuisine created by a James Beard-featured chef, and inimitable, personalized service.

“The incredibly engaged fans of Bravo’s Top Chef are in for a one-of-a-kind and personal opportunity with Top Chef: The Cruise,” said Ellen Stone, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Bravo. “With complete access to talented former chef’testants and our amazing judges, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, fans will experience and taste the Top Chef culinary feats firsthand!”

Joining Colicchio and Simmons are chefs from past seasons of “Top Chef,” “Top Chef Masters” and “Top Chef Just Desserts,” including Hubert Keller, Tim Love, Jennifer Carroll, Tiffany Derry, Chris Hanmer, Michael Isabella, Spike Mendelsohn, Hosea Rosenberg, Angelo Sosa and Casey Thompson. Additional chefs to be announced shortly.

“There’s no better setting for ‘Top Chef: The Cruise’ than a Celebrity Cruises ship, because of the complexity of our culinary operation, the quality of our food offerings and the variety of our dining concepts,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, Senior Vice President, Sales, Celebrity Cruises. “We offer an update on the luxury vacation, so not only is food a standout aspect of what we offer, but so are modern, of-the-moment experiences and the chance for guests to explore what they’re passionate about – just like what they get by watching ‘Top Chef.”

Staterooms go on sale on August 16, 2012, at 12 pm EST at http://www.topchefthecruise.com. Additional information can also be found at the site.

If you love Top Chef and have an open week to go on a cruise, you should and then write a guest post for us!

-Kteb

© Con Poulos Courtesy of FoodandWine.com

Adapted slightly from the original recipe at Food and Wine:

1. One 7-ounce container of roasted-garlic hummus (I prefer Sabra)
2. Extra-virgin olive oil
3. Salt
4. Freshly ground pepper
5. 1 medium zucchini, sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
6. 1 ball pizza dough with extra flour in case of stickiness
7. Parmesan Cheese
8. Pastry brush & rubber spatula
9. 11×13 inch baking pan

The Love Muffin makes his own dough, but you can buy pre-made dough. I’d lie and say it’s just as good as ours, but in reality it’s not. Mooooooving on. The original recipe calls for using a pizza stone, but we usually don’t. It also calls for cooking the zucchini before placing it on the pizza. I prefer zucchini less cooked so we just let it cook on the pizza. Here are the adapted directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 500° . Remove the hummus packaging and stir in the garlic that sits on top. Let it sit while you prep the dough and veggie.
2. Slice the zucchini in 1/4 inch slices on the diagonal and set aside.
3. Flour the bottom of an 11×13 inch baking pan. Flatten out the dough to your desired thickness.
4. Once you have the dough to your liking, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. (We use a pastry brush to spread the oil across the dough).
5. Sprinkle the dough with salt, fresh-cracked pepper, and grated Parmesan.
6. Using a spatula, spread the hummus and top it with the sliced zucchini. Add more grated Parmesan on top of the zucchini and slide her in the oven.
7. Cook for about 10 minutes. The crust should be slightly brown with the vegetables slightly wrinkly and the cheese on top browning. Remove from the oven and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. I know, I know, it’s not easy.

This was honestly one of the best homemade pizzas we’ve made. The garlicy hummus adds so much flavor and now you have another use for all of the zucchini from the garden.

Enjoy!

~cdog

Let’s say you’re browsing the web and you come across a recipe you want to keep, rather than emailing yourself the link now you an use MyReci’s cute ‘Fork It’ pin to pin the recipe to your online cookbook. Your recipes are then shared across the network, giving you an opportunity to search other recipes. Given that Kteb and I are obsessed with all things social media and all things new (don’t hate), we were immediately taken with MyReci. I did some more research and discovered the philosophy of the site:

“Cook Better, Together: We’re a group of cooks passionate about building a strong, online community for all of us to become more active, more inspired, and ultimately better cooks. “

This philosophy is something I can definitely get behind. The best recipes are tried and true AND shared! So while you may be saying, Cdog, really, I don’t have time for another stupid social network. My response to you is, JOIN, you won’t be disappointed and we’ll all be better eaters for it.

It’s worth mentioning that there are others out there similar to this of course Pinterest (boring) and Punchfork - but if you want this bloggers opinion, MyReci is where it’s at.

They also have a great blog which you can read here. You can find MyReci on Twitter here, the CEO Vijay here, and their fab community manager here. Do yourself a favor and look me up on MyReci and let’s get sharing!

~Cdog

It’s finally here! The Hunger Games! I never thought I would get sucked in to a series like this, but I find myself so completely absorbed by it all, that I can’t stand myself. I mean today I read something about a Hunger Games inspired workout – a bit much,  I have to admit.  Though I am beyond excited to see the movie, I am not beyond crazy and going to the midnight showing tonight.

Instead, I may possibly just celebrate in my own way and have a Hunger Games-themed cocktail such as a Mockingjay or the sting of Tracker Jacker (we all know that isn’t good, or is it?)…  I know quite a few people that will also be excited for these fabulous concoctions to honor Panem, so without further ado… “may the odds be ever in your favor. Happy Hunger Games”

The Mockingjay

1.25 oz Frangelico

2 spoonfuls sour cherry macerate

.75 oz Cherry Brandy

Shake hard, strain over rocks. Garnish with a cherry and a few orange slices.

Katniss Everdeen Elixir

1.5 oz. CAMUS VSOP Elegance

0.75 oz. Punta Mes Vermouth

0.25 oz. Simple Syrup

0.75 oz. Lemon Juice

Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne

Shake all except champagne. Strain into flute and top with champagne. Garnish with mint sprig.

Effie Trinket’s Pink Drink

2oz Croft Pink 

1oz Premium Gin

2 dashed of Regan’s Orange bitters

3oz Ginger Beer

Pour all the ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass, stir briefly and garnish with a sprig of mint and seasonal fruit.

The Tracker Jacker’s Sting

Fresh seasonal fruit 
(recommended: strawberry, lime, orange, kiwi, and passionfruit)

¼ oz. Lucid Absinthe

1 ¼ oz. cachaça

½ oz. spanish brandy

½ oz. orange liquor

1 oz. red wine

In a cocktail shaker, thoroughly muddle the fruit with Lucid, cachaça, brandy, and orange liquor. Pour into wine glass. Float red wine on top of cocktail.

Ingredients:

Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt, until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

Chilled cookie dough

When dough is firm enough to handle, form dough into 1″ balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. I used a cookie dough scoop to help do this, the dough didn’t get as warm or sticky by using the tool. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.

Cookie dough balls

Now comes the hard part…the dipping.

Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. I used NESTLE Toll House Chocolate Chips and melted them in a double boiler. Using forks or a dipping tool like a toothpick, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Make sure to tap the fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

These truffles are super easy and quick to make and honestly if you show up to a party with these you will be a rockstar.

Finished truffle

And there you have it, probably the BEST no bake dessert ever.

~cdog

Original recipe courtesy of love & olive oil