Hot Toddy

Makes 1 toddy

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When it’s cold and blustery out and when either of us is sick with a cold or throat woes, I make a toddy.  It is to be slowly sipped while you’re sitting in a rocker by the fire and under a blanket.  It feels good going down.  It may not cure you, but for a little while, you’ll feel pampered and warm. 

8 oz. water

1 teaspoon Simple Syrup* (recipe below)

1 jigger (1½ ounces) of whiskey, brandy or rum

1 small stick cinnamon

1 lemon slice, seeds removed

3 whole cloves

Bring the water to a boil.  Meanwhile, measure out the Simple Syrup and the whiskey.  Drop in the cinnamon stick.  Press the cloves into the lemon slice.  Put the studded lemon slice in the mug.  Add the hot water to the mug and allow the toddy to steep for a couple of minutes before serving.

*Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is very easy to make.  Make a batch and keep it for weeks in the fridge for making your favorite cocktails, toddies, for sweetening tea or lemonade.

Put equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Let it simmer a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Allow the syrup to cool before putting it in a Mason jar with a lid in the fridge. 

Sweet Spinach Custard Pie with Apples and Pine Nuts (PIE CONTEST WINNER)

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes One 10-inch pie OR One 9-inch pie and One 8-inch tart

Winning Entry for the Lost River Market & Deli Annual Pie Contest 2016

Well, my friends, I entered the annual pie contest at our local food co-op this year.  I wanted to make an unusual pie.  When I had received Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts cookbook years ago from my parents as a birthday gift I had marked this particular pie recipe because the photo made it look so scrumptious. (I must add that this book has NEVER failed me when making pies.)  This contest was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.  I made it and didn't get to taste it until the contest began. (It was a blind tasting.) Customers who dropped in at the store that day tasted the pie and voted.  And, to my surprise, I won!  Make this pie for a very special occasion.  I think it would make a lovely Thanksgiving dessert.  The original recipe called for a 10-inch pie pan.  I don't have one of those, but there was so much filling, I was able to make a 9-inch pie and an 8-inch tart.  The pie was for tasting and the tart was for a silent auction to benefit the local food pantry.  It went for $25.00 :-)

Quote from Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts: “This pie has a custard filling.  The combination of spinach with pine nuts and apples is unusual, but very good, especially when nutmeg and cloves are added.  This dessert is baked as an open-faced pie with a sprinkling of sugar, but a lattice top would be attractive.”

1 unbaked Perfect Pie Dough shell, chilled

2 pounds fresh baby spinach, washed

2/3 cup pine nuts

1¼ cups heavy cream

1¼ cups milk

½ vanilla bean

½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided

3 whole large eggs plus 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

3 medium tart apples, peeled cored, and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith apples.)

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

Steam the spinach leaves over boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until wilted but still bright green.  Remove from the heat, pat dry, and when cool enough to handle, chop coarsely.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the nuts are lightly toasted.  Let cool.

Combine the cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the vanilla bean.

Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup sugar with the eggs and egg yolks until light and fluffy.  Add the hot cream/milk mixture in a slow, steady stream, beating continually.  Strain the mixture into a large mixing bowl (one with a lip will help when pouring.)  Stir in the spinach, apples, nuts, nutmeg, and cloves.  Pour into the pie shell, sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar on top, and bake 55-60 minutes, until filling is set and the pastry evenly browned.  Let it cool a bit before cutting.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Variation:  For a more savory spinach pie, substitute a large pinch of cayenne pepper for the Tablespoon sugar sprinkled on top before baking.

Refreshing "Wet/Dry" Drink

Recipe from Cool Waters by Brian Preston-Campbell
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Makes 6 cups

My good buddy, Janabai, invited a few of us to her cute little cottage for a lesson on how to make croissants.  She made us a lovely lunch while we did all the waiting for the dough to do its thing.  She also made this fabulous drink that we gulped in unlady-like fashion!

6 cups still water
2 Tablespoons dried goji berries
2 Tablespoons dried currants
2 Tablespoons dried cherries
2 Tablespoons dried cranberries
4 whole cloves, crushed

Heat the water to 100F.  Pour into a bowl or jar, add the remaining ingredients, and steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and serve cold.

Tip:  Save the rehydrated fruit for another use, such as a delicious additions to your favorite stuffing recipe or blended with yogurt for a nutritious smoothie.

Winter Warming Hot Spiced Tea

Recipe from Everyday Foods

Husband-Tested in Alice Wootton's Kitchen

Serves 4

Be sure to have the ingredients to this delicious drink handy so that you can whip this up quickly for drop in guests, or wish to have something yummy to sip on while reading by the fire or when you wish to have something to warm you up after a hike in the beautiful hills of South Central Indiana. I use English Breakfast Tea, available in the bulk tea section of the Lost River Market & Deli. The cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and peppercorns are found in the bulk spice section of the store. The ginger root is found in the produce aisle. It's always satisfying to use local wildflower honey too! This tea would be especially good with cookies purchased at the deli.

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups water and a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (unpeeled), halved lengthwise, to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes. Add 2 Tablespoons or 4 tea bags of English Breakfast Tea, 1 cinnamon stick, 8 whole cloves, 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, and 2 cups low-fat milk. Steep over medium-low heat for 6 minutes. Strain through a sieve; discard solids. Stir in 1/4 cup honey (or to taste). Divide among mugs. Serve hot, garnished with more cinnamon sticks, if desired.

Sweet Potato Pie

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 8

Excuse me, but when my hubby tasted this, he said, “This is damn good pie!”  And to think I made it with a leftover sweet potato!  The day before, I had made Sweet Potatoes with Gorgonzola and Pecans and ended up with one extra baked sweet potato.  So, I scraped out the cooked flesh and stored it in the fridge while I searched for a recipe in which to use it.  The fellas were coming over for rehearsal.  They do love their music, but I suspect their main motivation is the dessert we have before we play music.  This is just the easiest pie to make and it was a huge hit with all the husbands I served it to. So next time you bake sweet potatoes, put an extra one in the oven and plan on making this treat for your family. 

  

1 (1 pound) sweet potato (I used one large sweet potato and it yielded 1 heaping cup of sweet potato flesh.)

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar.)

½ cup milk (I use skim milk because that’s what we always have in the fridge.)

2 large eggs, room temperature

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon or less ground cloves

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie dough 

Directions

Bake a large sweet potato whole in skin (prick the sweet potato with a fork) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until done. When cool enough to handle, halve the sweet potato and scrape out the flesh. Discard the skin.

Place the sweet potato flesh in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in the sugars, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked piecrust.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a soufflé, and then will sink down as it cools.

Nutritional Information

Servings Per Recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving:  Calories: 389; Total Fat: 20.6g; Cholesterol: 85mg; Sodium: 254mg; Total Carbs: 47.8g; Dietary Fiber: 2.6g; Protein: 4.5g