Homemade Limoncello
JACKPOT!
(what someone blurts out when they get a bottle of homemade limoncello as a present for Christmas)
Have you had limoncello before? Oh man, it's good! If you've never had it, it's a sweet Italian lemon liqueur that comes from the Amalfi coast and it's abso-fricking delightful. It's pretty much the nectar of the gods, if you ask me. I love adding it to sparkling water, drizzling it on top of vanilla ice cream, mixing it with cranberry juice or sipping it from a fancy cordial glass. Limoncello is heavenly when served directly from the freezer where it remains cold, syrupy and viscous. Think maple syrup but lemony & boozy!
If you're trying to figure out what to make for the holidays, might I suggest this? You need about 8 days from start to finish and it lasts up to 3 months in the freezer. The hardest part is giving it away! Now, tell me what are you waiting for! There are people to impress...
Coconut Lime Bars
I think you've heard me confess in some other post that I am not a big chocolate lover. Yeah, I said it! I like chocolate, I just don't LOOOVE it like I love desserts starring coconut, citrus, nuts, cinnamon, or fruit. When Christmas rolls around, I have a bunch of chocolate related gifts from people and what do I do with them? I pass them off to my husband, who happily devours anything sweet in nature.
If you were to give me any type of homemade treat for Christmas, I'd happily enjoy a little package of these Coconut Lime Bars. Let me tell you why! Imagine two outrageously chewy cookies (one coconut & one macadamia nut lime) placed on top of each other & smooshed together in bar form. That's what these bars taste like. The bite is AMAZING and that crunch from the macadamia nut? I die.
So when you're thinking of homemade gifts, consider your friends (like me!) who don't go gaga for chocolate. These will certainly do the trick! Besides, your bars will stand out in a crowd and you know how much we want that ;)
Pear Cranberry Walnut Bread
MOIST. Does that word make you cringe? Sorry about that. It looks especially bad when it's in CAPS, huh?
The word MOIST doesn't bother me for some reason. I do, however, cringe at the words ointment and discharge but that's a completely different blog post altogether. To cater to the moist haters, I tried searching on the Google machine for some synonyms and what I found just doesn't cut it.
I wouldn't call this Pear Cranberry Walnut Bread humid, drizzly, soggy, misty, mushy or clammy. It's just dense, sturdy and moist- everything I like in a sweet breakfast/snack bread.
Sweet pears make up most of the liquid base. Cranberries add a little tartness and a pop of color. Walnuts provide good crunch and the lemon zest adds a little perfume into the bread. It's no surprise that a loaf didn't last 24 hours in the Shutterbean household.
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Pear Custard Pie
PREP TIME: 15 min.
COOK TIME: 40-45 min.
What did I during the 40-45 minutes of cook time? A LOT.
After putting the custard pie into the oven and setting the timer, I cleaned up the kitchen, gathered laundry piles, sorted laundry piles and then put a load of laundry in the washer. I ran upstairs, checked my email, glanced at my phone, wrote 2 emails, read my horoscope, checked my online bank statement, sent a silly text message, checked my email again and ran downstairs. I proceeded to squeeze my cats, then I picked up a rogue sock off the floor, placed that sock in the hamper, grabbed a glass of water, glanced at the timer, checked out my eyebrows in the mirror, got the mail and then ran back into the kitchen. I laid a nice tea towel down in preparation for the pie, grabbed a few forks, and realized there was an entire surface of counter that I missed in my cleaning up process and then I waited.
The pie came out of the oven and I stared at it impatiently. I went into my kitchen cabinet and grabbed some confectioner's sugar, brought it over to the sink to load up my little strainer and proceeded to spill some sugar all over myself and the counter (I always do this!). I dusted the top with confectioner's sugar then I dove into the pie and totally messed up the first slice. Oh well. I stood on a chair to take a few shots then I almost fell but luckily I braced myself. I stepped down from the chair and quickly ate the messed up slice. Realizing that my husband would want some, I scooped out a slice and walked over to him happily sharing what I just made.
Not only was this pie a perfectly comforting treat on a chilly afternoon, it was so light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. The pears were incredibly tender! I heard his fork hit the plate a few times and then I heard a slight thud of the plate on the table. I looked over to see that he had stopped. He looked at me apologetically because he didn't want to finish. Then I remembered that he doesn't like custard based desserts. Sad trombone. How could I possibly be mad when the prep time was so short? Look at all I accomplished during that cook time. I guess that means more for me, right? At least he ate two bites.
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Cardamom Pear Butter
Sometimes when I'm daydreaming I like to imagine what the Tracy Shutterbean of 5 years ago would think if she saw the Tracy Shutterbean of today. If you told me 5 years ago that people would refer to me as Tracy Shutterbean I'd be like, "Whaaat?" If you told me I'd learn how to can, have a canning party and make Cardamom Pear Butter I would have responded, "Schyeah right!"
What I've learned about canning (and there's so much more I have to learn!) is that not super hard; it just takes practice. Canning is about accepting the good & the bad. Sometimes a jar (or two) will break, lids might not seal, or a lid (or four) will drop on the floor while you're sealing the jars (always sterilize lids more than you need!). You're learning EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. The key is to stay organized!
What I learned while executing this recipe is that to call something a butter, you have to cook the mixture until it's SUPER thick. Even though I cooked this butter for the extra 20 minutes suggested by the recipe, it still hovered in the between pear sauce & pear butter realm. Perhaps I had more than 6 lbs. of pears? Maybe that's it. What I do know is that my "butter" tasted amazing and all of my jars sealed just fine. So far, so good.
The reward for hard work is opening up a jar and spooning spiced pear butter on your morning yogurt with a little bit of granola. I can see why some people have a hard time giving away their canned goods. Don't be surprised to find me on an episode of Hoarders!
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese
The other day I was perusing the refrigerated section of Trader Joe's and I saw a little tub of pumpkin cream cheese. The tub looked up at me with its beady little eyes and said, "I dare you to make your own pumpkin cream cheese, Tracy."
Clearly I showed that tub who's boss!
If you've got extra pumpkin puree hanging out in your fridge, you can put it to good use with this recipe. Pumpkin cream cheese tastes just like a subtly sweet pumpkin cheesecake. Sounds good, right? It pairs perfectly with: crackers, gingerbread, graham crackers, cookies, bagels, you name it. Now if only I could convince Cooper to try some. His stubbornness just means more for me, right? I totally win this battle.
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Vanilla & Ginger Crumble Rice Pudding
I took the plunge and bought a pound of vanilla bean the other day off the internet. The vanilla arrived in a small box and was vacuum sealed in a plastic bag; it made me feel like our UPS man was a drug dealer. The second I opened the box, my kitchen was instantly perfumed with the heady scent of Tahitian Vanilla. My excitement grew knowing how many recipes I could knock out with this vanilla hoard at my disposal. I quickly flipped through the latest issue of Donna Hay Magazine, knowing that there was a beautiful spread about rice pudding. I located the recipe Vanilla Ginger Crumble Rice Pudding and dove right in.
Creamy arborio rice mixed with vanilla beans, drizzled with maple syrup and topped with crumbled gingersnaps. It's simple and comforting and it was exactly what I needed after spending the morning at a damp & foggy pumpkin patch surrounded by 3 year olds. Think dessert risotto with a slight ginger spike! I promise you won't need a store bought air-freshener when you have the intoxicating scent of vanilla rice pudding cooking your stove.
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Coconut Maple Granola
If you've been listening to me on the Joy the Baker Podcast, you already know that I have an inner hippy and I like to make my own granola. You also know that I'm absolutely smitten with coconut oil and find any excuse to use it. What you may not know is that this granola is the first time I've used coconut oil as a replacement for my favorite granola lubricant, olive oil.
This Coconut Maple Granola is the perfect snacking granola. Sure you could add some to a bowl of Greek yogurt or replace your regular breakfast cereal with it, but when you pour a little in your hand and take your first bite, you might bypass a bowl completely. This is the kind of granola that begs to be eaten directly out of the jar. Perhaps it's the crunchy roasted almonds mixed with golden oats and coconut or maybe it's the salty/savory vibe that fuels the addiction. All I know is that this granola is dangerous and I think it's the coconut oil's fault! Go ahead, embrace your inner hippy and make some.
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