Dark Rum Cake

You know how there are some recipes in which you really don't notice the fact that it contains alcohol at all?  This is not one of those.  The rum flavor is bold.  That's why it's called Rum Cake.  ;)

So, if you can handle it, here's the recipe:

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1/2 cup dark rum

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Glaze:

1/2 cup butter

1/8 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup rum

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube or Bundt pan.

Sprinkle nuts over the bottom of the pan.

2.Mix together the cake mix, 1/2 cup dark rum, eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil, and vanilla pudding mix.

Pour batter over the nuts in the pan.  The rum aroma will be STRONG! 

3.Bake for 1 hour. Cool, and invert cake on a serving plate.

Prick the top of the cake all over with a fork.

4.To Make The Glaze: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in 1/8 cup water and the 1/2 cup sugar.

Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove glaze from heat, and stir in 1/4 cup rum.

Drizzle over the top.    

 

 

Pan-Fried Steaks with Mushroom and Wine Sauce

I impressed myself with this one! Mr. Tipsy was equally impressed and quickly declared this

"The Best Steak" I've ever made! ;)

The butter, shallots, mushrooms, red wine.... it really was amazing.

Here's the recipe:

paprika

salt

black pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme

steaks, your choice but make sure they're semi-thick (less than 1")

sliced baby bella mushrooms, 1/2 pkg.

1 minced shallot

2 TBSP real butter

2 TBSP red wine

1 1/2 TBSP olive oil + 1 1/2 TBSP butter

1. Sprinkle steaks with paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme.

2. Heat 2 TBSP butter in skillet over medium high heat.

Add shallots and stir approx. 1 min. Add mushrooms and cook until tender.

3. Add red wine and cook until thickened slightly.

4. Heat olive oil and remaining butter over medium high heat.

Add steaks and cook until desired doneness.

5. Top with mushroom sauce and serve immediately

with the red wine you opened especially for this recipe!

Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

This is one of those entrees that looks like it it took alot more work than it actually did.  ;)

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin

salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2c. sliced mushrooms

3/4c. red wine

3/4c. chicken broth

1 packet dry brown gravy mix

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350*.

2.  Sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste.

3.  Add butter and olive oil to medium high skillet.  Once butter is melted, add pork and sear on all sides.

4.  Remove to a prepared 9x13" baking dish.

5.  Top with onion, celery, and mushrooms.

6.  Pour wine and chicken broth over the top.

7.  Bake approx. 45 min., or until internal temp. reaches 160*

8.  Remove meat to serving dish.  Add gravy mix to wine mixture and stir until thickened slightly.  

9.  Spoon sauce over pork and serve immediately. 

I like to serve this with garlic mashed potatoes, peas, and, of course,

the remaining bottle of red wine.

Gin Martini Chicken

You don't have to be a big fan of gin martinis

(personally, I prefer vodka) but you do have to love olives!

2 TBSP olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup gin

2 TBSP dry vermouth

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook

until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per side.

3.Reduce heat to medium, and add the butter and garlic.

Saute for about 5 minutes, until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant.

4. Pour in the gin, vermouth, lemon juice, and olives;

simmer for about 20 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

For serving, I like to pile the olive mixture on top of chicken breasts, drizzling with extra sauce.

Garlic infused angel hair pasta is an excellent side dish.

Rice Wine Vinegar Substitution

I love it when I learn substitutions for ingredients. 

Last night, as I was preparing the rice for my (awesome!) homemade sushi, I discovered that I did not have enough rice wine vinegar.  It's not something I use very often so it didn't occur to me to check that I had enough prior to cooking the rice. 

Anyway, it turns out that you can substitute an equal amount of sweet vermouth for the rice wine vinegar.   

The flavor was good and I would definitely
make the substitution again.

Cheers!  

On Pairing White Wine with Seafood

We've all heard about how you're supposed to pair

white meats with white wine

and red meats with red wine  

Well, I just read why white goes so well with fish. 

According to the March 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine,

white helps to make the fish taste less "fishy".

Here's exactly what is says:

"Diners have long paired fish with white wine, and now scientists know why:  They've discovered that iron present in red (but less so in white) brings out seafood's fishy aftertaste."

So now, next time someone says they would prefer something else,

you can come back with a scientific explanation for your wine choice.  ;)

Sirloin Steaks with Red Wine and Cognac

These steaks call for garlic, red wine, cognac, fire

- sounds awesome already, right? 

Not only do these steaks taste amazing, the presentation is gorgeous.

You will need:

4 sirloin steaks, medium thickness

freshly ground pepper

1 TBSP lemon pepper

1 tsp. salt

5 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic

1/2c. red wine (I like Cabernet for this recipe)

3 TBSP cognac

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 shallot, chopped

1/2c. heavy cream

lighter

1.  Grind fresh pepper over steaks; sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt.

2.  Melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Add steaks and cook to desired doneness.

3.  Add garlic and wine.

4.  Pour cognac over the steaks and light with your lighter.  The flames burn off fairly quickly. 

Remove steaks and set aside.

5.  To the pan, add green onions, shallot, and heavy cream. 

Cook and stir until hot. 

6. Spoon sauce over meat and serve immediately.

Vegetarian White Bean Stew

 This is what I served for dinner last night. 

It's a super easy one-pot dinner that is healthy, filling, and absolutely delicious!

This recipe makes a lot but it does freeze very well.

This is what you need:

1 TBSP olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 green chile peppers, seeded and minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1c. white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)

2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth

2 tsp. chicken bouillon

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1.  In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. 

Add onion, garlic, and chile peppers.  Stir and cook

until onions begin to soften.

2.  Add all of the remaining ingredients.

3.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes.

4.  The white is already open, so pour a glass, relax,

and enjoy the amazing aromas that are filling your kitchen!

Cheers!

Kicked Up Chicken Broth

If you don't make your own chicken broth (who does, really?),
here's a tip from Julia on how to jazz up the store bought stuff: 

Add white wine! 

I've tried this a few times and it really does enhance the flavor.

I mean, it's still chicken broth, but its really good chicken broth! 

Here is what you do, according to Julia
in Mastering the Art of French Cooking:

Start with 2c. store-bought chicken broth.

Add 3 TBSP each: sliced onions, carrots, and celery,

1/2c. dry white wine, 2 sprigs of parsley, 1/3 bay leaf,
and a pinch of fresh thyme.

Simmer 30 min., strain, and it's ready to go in your recipe.

Bonus:  You now have a bottle of white open,
so you might as well have a glass!

Cheers!

Cherry & Bourbon Bites

These little candies are super easy to make and are perfect for the holidays

because you make them about a week or so ahead of time. 

I used Old Granddad's Kentucky Bourbon but you could easily substitute rum.

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. bourbon

1/4 c. corn syrup

3 c. finely chopped vanilla wafers (make it easy, do it in the blender)

1 1/2 c. ground pecans (same here - blender)

24 candied cherries, halved

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Melt chocolate chips, in microwave or over double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and corn syrup.

3. In a medium bowl, toss together the vanilla wafers and nuts.

4. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crumbs in the bowl and blend well using your hands.

5. Shape into 1-inch balls and press a cherry half into the center of each one. Roll each cookie in confectioners' sugar to coat.

6. Store in an airtight container.

These are pretty tasty right away but the flavor improves
over a few days.