Liz Dodder

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

by liz · Dec 13, 2016

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had “No Fail” in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

After making the Roasted Banana Cream Pie with Butterscotch Ganache (so good!) in the Nestlé Kitchens during this summer’s pie contest, I was ready for something a little easier…a little slower, with a nice Southern drawl.

Watch the video above to see how easy it is.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie from Meals.com

Ingredients for 8 servings:

FILLING

3/4 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk (fat free is ok)
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust

TOPPING

1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

FOR FILLING

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil, as shown above.

BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl. INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.

POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

BAKE at 425° F, as shown above, for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.

FOR TOPPING

MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.

BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had "No Fail" in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

Ingredients

FILLING
¾ pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
¼ cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA FAT FREE Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust*
TOPPING
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

FOR FILLING:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil.
BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl.
INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.
POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
BAKE at 425° F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.
FOR TOPPING:
MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.
BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

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Cooking with Wine: Roast Chardonnay Chicken Recipe

by liz · Dec 12, 2016

I love French food and wine…and I love eating and drinking local. These two loves inspired me to create a local version of a typical French dish: oven-roasted chicken with vegetables and herbs de Provence. Of course, this is using local Chardonnay – in the dish…and in my glass.

In a Santa Barbara County garden you can find rosemary, lemon thyme, basil and chives. And garlic, of course! Also, fennel is a bountiful crop on California’s central coast, which you can usually substitute for celery, instead of a traditional mirepoix (French base of onion, carrot and celery). Browning the chicken before roasting gives it a richer flavor than more simple roasts and the end result is a savory, delicious one-pot meal that pairs perfectly with the subtle body and flavors of Alta Maria Chardonnay.

Also, try this Winter Squash Chardonnay Risotto.

Roast Chardonnay Chicken with Santa Barbara Herbs

Author: Liz

Recipe type: Main Dish

Prep time: 6 hours 20 mins

Cook time: 80 mins

Total time: 7 hours 40 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 4-pound chicken
3 cups Chardonnay (2009 Alta Maria Chardonnay)
1 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 cloves garlic: 6 whole, 2 diced
3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (like lemon thyme, rosemary, basil, chives, marjoram) or 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
2 lemons: 1 sliced, 1 juiced
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
1 small onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 small green cabbage, cored and quartered

Instructions

In large bowl, combine the Chardonnay, 1 cup olive oil, diced garlic, herbs, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 6 hours. Turn occasionally.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel and garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are caramelized, spoon them along the sides of the pan.
Remove chicken from marinade and add to the middle of the pan. Sear each side until slightly brown, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange the quartered cabbage around the sides of the chicken and pour the marinade into the pan over the chicken and vegetables.
Cover the pan with a lid and roast in the oven for 60-70 minutes, until the chicken is done (meat is cooked through when cut, leg separates easily from the body, or 170 degrees on meat thermometer). Remove lid and let it rest at room temperature 10 minutes.

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Roast chardonnay chicken with santa barbara herbs recipe

Homemade Eggnog Ice Cream

by liz · Dec 11, 2016

One thing I’ve learned through my attempts to cook from scratch is that I now love foods I used to hate. Asparagus, eggplant, brussels sprouts and bone marrow are just a few items on the long list of foods that taste better made by me. Another one is eggnog.

I’d only ever had pre-made store-bought eggnog before, and it was so thick with a strong and manufactured, sweet, eggy flavor. It tasted too-strong and fake, much the way Mrs. Butterworth’s maple flavored syrup compares to real maple syrup from trees in Canada or Vermont. It always made me slightly queasy.

This year, I was in such a holiday mood, that when I came across a recipe online for old-fashioned eggnog, it sounded frothy and merry and delicious. I also realized our ancestors knew how to cut the cream and make anyone love eggnog: with a lot of liquor.

Using the old-fashioned recipe, I created my eggnog with one difference. I used only Cognac and Cointreau as the potent ingredients – but I followed the same overall measurement of liquor. It took an awfully long time to whip the mixture into peaks, but I was committed. I did both sets of whipping with vigor, for an especially extended period of time. When it was ready, it was delicious…the best eggnog I’d ever tasted.

It was so airy and light, with a lovely delicate flavor. But it was a bit difficult to drink, as the froth that had been whipped so superbly now stuck to the side of the glass heroically. But I wanted that foam with the drink, much like a perfect cappuccino.

I knew what would fix this! Ice cream. Putting the whole thing in an ice cream machine would freeze the mixture while still keeping it slushy because of the alcohol. It would be the perfect homemade eggnog ice cream shake. And so I froze it. And then I ate it. And drank it. And spooned it into my coffee in the morning. And served it to everyone who came into my house. Then, we drank more. It was the perfect beginning to my holiday mornings and the perfect end to my holiday dinners.

I really do love eggnog, now just as much as my ancestors did.

Luscious Leftovers: New Year Bloody Mary Meatloaf

by liz · Dec 10, 2016

New Year's Bloody Mary Meatloaf — New Year’s Bloody Mary Meatloaf

After a long New Year’s weekend, we had a fridge full of leftovers and a craving for comfort food. My friend the Comedienne thought up this recipe as she rummaged through a fridge-full of delicious dinner, snack and cocktail-mix remnants.

It’s great after the holidays or any time you have a lot of leftovers in the kitchen. Caramelize some onions and garlic, then add any delectable tidbits you have in the fridge: roasted potatoes, chicken and fennel sausage, figs, stuffing or other side dishes and casseroles. Blending these additions before mixing them into the ground beef spreads the flavors throughout the loaf. And after the holidays, the time is right for a unique, home-made catsup using spicy Bloody Mary mix, something we had plenty of on New Year’s Day. Perfect for curing hangovers and filling bellies.

New Year Bloody Mary Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2-4 gourmet sausages (jalapeño mango, chicken fennel or any other gourmet grocery variety)
Any amount of other leftovers (stuffing, figs, tomatoes, vegetables, gravy, etc.)
1 pound ground beef
Freshly ground salt & pepper
4 T fresh basil, chopped
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (fresh)
1/4 cup milk
Spicy Bloody Mary mix
Leftover cheese (we used Carmody, but anything will do)
5 slices pancetta

Directions:

Warm the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until slightly browned/caramelized. Remove sausages from their casings, and blend along with other leftovers until smooth (if you’re using a larger amount of leftovers, reduce sausages to 2). Add half the onion/garlic mixture and blend in.

Add this blended mixture to the ground beef. Add salt, pepper, 1 cup spicy Bloody Mary mix, 2 T fresh basil, eggs, breadcrumbs and milk. Mix thoroughly.

Oil a large baking pan with sides. Lay the meat mixture in the pan in long thin layer. In the middle, lay down a strip of cheese – however much you like, we recommend a lot – and roll sides of loaf up and over the cheese (like a jelly roll). Put the meatloaf in the fridge to set and preheat the oven to 350.

Put reserve onions/garlic in small stockpot and add 2-3 cups spicy Bloody Mary mix. Add 1/4 cup red wine leftover from the night before (if you were all big drinkers the night before, you can substitute with balsamic vinegar). Cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Turn the heat off.

Place meatloaf on prepared pan and top it with a layer of the reduced Bloody Mary mixture, then lay the pancetta on top. Cook for 45 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Garnish with remaining fresh basil and serve with Bloody Mary catsup.

Obviously, this meatloaf pairs very well with both leftover red wine and – you guessed it – spicy Bloody Marys. You’ll feel better almost immediately.

Happy New Year Cocktail: Spiced Apple Cider

by liz · Dec 9, 2016

When I saw this recipe for Spiced Apple Cider, it reminded me of the Vin Chaud (mulled wine) I’d had and loved in Europe during the holidays. I could often smell it wafting from doorways of small restaurants and upon entering friends’ homes or churches. Even places like train stations and gas stations served it, which cheerily sustained me through the cold winter months.

I remember when Ani got the inspiration for this cider, and I thought it would make a perfect cocktail recipe for a New Year’s celebration in wine country. I could please everyone: plain cider for the mocktail drinkers, spiced wine for the wine country fanatics and cider with vanilla vodka or rum for the most festive of friends.

I tested it out in preparation; following the recipe was easy…so much easier than the homemade eggnog I’d recently tried out. You just need spices and apple juice for the base, and it only takes 15 minutes of cooking time. I also decided to chill some of the plain cider after cooking to satisfy those that might want their cocktail on the rocks.

Here are some cocktail variations you might try:

Add vanilla vodka or rum (or your favorite spirit) to the hot cider.
Add your favorite spirit to chilled cider along with a splash of carbonated water over ice.
For mulled wine, substitute 1 bottle of medium to full-bodied red wine for the apple juice, add 1/4 cup sugar, cover immediately and cook on low (so it never reaches a boil) for 20 minutes.
For white wine cider, substitute 1/2 bottle of medium to full-bodied white wine for 1/2 of the apple juice, add 1/8 cup sugar, cover immediately and cook on low (so it never reaches a boil) for 20 minutes.

For me, this will make the cheeriest, easiest and most versatile of winter celebrations. Happy New Year!

If you’re looking for something creamier, fancier or more holiday-themed, check out this old-fashioned eggnog adventure (pictured above) and the coffee-creamy-martini or latin-inspired eggnog below.

Links:

More holiday celebration drink recipes:

After Midnight Javatini

Costa Rican-Style Eggnog

Top 10 New Year’s Cocktails & Coffee Recipes

by liz · Dec 8, 2016

With this roundup of our top 10 New Year’s cocktails + coffee recipes, you’ll be rocking in the new year.

1. Coffee Abuelatini

With iced coffee, chocolate and cinnamon flavors, this Coffee Abuelatini above is a classy choice for entertaining.

2. Puerto Rican Rum Punch (Coquito)

Try this Latin-inspired cocktail to add some spice to your New Year.

3. After Midnight Javatini

After Midnight Javatini above is terrific for holiday late-night celebrations. A chocolate-rimmed glass and a hint of coffee liqueur add a flavorful twist and a festive flair to this one-of-a-kind beverage.

4. Spiced Apple Cider

Cloves, cinnamon sticks and anise pods give this Spiced Apple Cider a festive and tasty flair that you will completely love. For an adult party, add an optional splash of vanilla vodka or rum.

5. Hot Peppermint Mocha Shots

For some non-alcoholic drink, these Hot Peppermint Mocha Shots add a peppermint kick and hint of coffee to your cocoa for a grown-up version of a childhood favorite. This tasty winter warmer is a rich and decadent party pleaser.

6. Vanilla Cappuccino

And for a morning-after rouser, try this simple Vanilla Cappuccino above, with a hint of cinnamon.

7. Caramel Macchiato Cappuccino

Craving the coffeehouse taste at home? Try the smooth, rich flavor of Coffee-mate Caramel Macchiato, a shot of espresso and steamed milk in this easy Cappuccino recipe. It doesn’t get more delicious.

8. Heavenly Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Liqueur

Hot chocolate with coffee and hazelnut liqueurs shown above will warm your soul on a cold night.

9. Rich ‘N Creamy Mint Cocoa

This elegant Creamy Mint Cocoa is perfect for chilly nights. Add a little Irish crème liqueur to add extra dimension! Top with whipped cream and dusting of cocoa.

10. Hot Buttered White Chocolate Caramel Espresso

Hot Buttered White Chocolate Caramel Espresso is rich and flavorful and ready in 5 minutes. This one is perfect for entertaining.

Vin Chaud: Heavenly Mulled Wine

by liz · Dec 6, 2016

I once attended Christmas Eve Mass in an old cathedral built in the 1100s in Lausanne Switzerland. What I loved the most about this was the musty, mystical feel of the church filled with villagers in the cold night, the fact that I could understand much of the sermon in French, and the vin chaud (mulled wine) they served everyone at the end.

Being a new wine drinker, I’d heard of mulled wine but never tried it. This “warm wine” is heated and steeped with spices like clove, cinnamon and anise and then served hot, steaming with fragrant spices. It tasted like Christmas in a glass, but also of the vineyards. It was heaven. And I was drinking it in the perfect place.

I found mulled wine all over Europe during the holidays and through the cold winter months. It reminds me so much of winter holidays that I now make mulled wine at the end of every year, and into the new year too. I like to make it with local wines, especially young table wine and freshly-ground nutmeg to keep the experience original.

For a more modern, fusion vin chaud you can use white wine (making it more cider-like), add different combinations of fruit juices, grate fresh ginger into the mix and experiment with herbs to create different flavors. Make your own unique winter concoction and settle in for the winter.

Recipes to start:

from Nestlé Kitchens (easy)
from Food Network (easy)
from Epicurious (more involved)

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