The Salted Caramel Craze is now for Breakfast?

Check out this Recipe for Crispy Waffles with Salted Caramel Coulis

Salted caramel became all-the-craze not too long ago and is still popular in a lot of desserts, but why not try it out for breakfast? Check out this recipe for crispy waffles with salted caramel coulis from Epicurious. It makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

Salted caramel coulis:

            1/2 cup sugar

            1/4 cup water

            1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

            3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

            1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

Waffles:

            1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

            2 tablespoons sugar

            1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

            1/2 teaspoon salt

            1 3/4 cups whole milk

            2 large eggs

            6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

            Peanut oil

            Powdered sugar

For salted caramel coulis:


Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits dissolve. Remove from heat. Stir in unsalted butter and fleur de sel or coarse salt. Transfer caramel to small pitcher or bowl. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Stir over low heat just until warm enough to pour before using.

For waffles:


Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk whole milk, 2 large eggs, and melted butter in medium bowl to blend. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk until batter is smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let batter stand at room temperature.

Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions (medium-high heat). Brush grids lightly with peanut oil. Pour enough batter onto each waffle grid to cover generously (about heaping 1/2 cup batter for 4 1/2x3 1/2-inch grid); spread evenly with offset spatula. Close waffle iron and cook until waffles are golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes.

Cut each waffle in half, forming either rectangles or triangles. Divide waffles among 4 plates. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with salted caramel coulis. Serve waffles, passing remaining salted caramel coulees separately.

New Year’s Eve Punch Recipe


One thing my kids look forward to each New Year’s Eve is the punch I make. I do serve a version of this recipe at my daughter’s birthday party, but I reserve this recipe as a treat especially for New Year’s Eve. The rest of the year we stick to drinking water.

You will need the following ingredients to make the New Year’s Eve punch:

1 2-liter bottle of gingerale
1 quart of orange juice
1 quart of fruit punch
8 ounces of rainbow sherbert
1 small bottle of maraschino cherries

Follow these instructions to make the New Year’s Eve punch:

Step 1:
Pour the bottle of gingerale in a punch bowl. My girls and I only use gingerale that is labled as having real ginger in it, but that is not a requirement for this recipe. We just like it better.

Step 2:
Add the orange juice and the fruit punch to the punch bowl and stir lightly to combine the three liquid ingredients.

Step 3:
Scoop out the rainbow sherbert and place it over the liquid ingredients in the punch bowl. You can place ten scoops, or completely cover the surface of the liquids. We love the sherbert, so we cover the top of the punch with it.

Step 4:
Press a cherry down over the top middle of each scoop of the sherbert. I like this as a decoration because it reminds me of the Shirley Temple’s I use to get as a kid.

Step 5:
Serve immediately.

Tip:
You can place the punch bowl over a tray of ice to keep the ingredients cool throughout your New Year’s Eve party.
 

Still Trying to Figure out What to Have for Breakfast?

Try Belgian Buttermilk Waffles with Glazed Bananas

 

If you’re entertaining family or friends or even both this holiday season, try this recipe from Epicurious for Belgian buttermilk waffles with glazed bananas for breakfast.

Ingredients

For waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

2 large eggs

Vegetable oil for waffle iron

For topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 firm-ripe large bananas, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices

1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup

Special equipment: a waffle iron (preferably Belgian-style

Accompaniment: sour cream or whipped cream

Preparation

Make waffles:


Put oven rack in middle position and put a large metal cooling rack directly on it. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs in another bowl, then whisk into flour mixture until just combined.

Brush hot waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and pour a slightly rounded 1/2 cup of batter into each waffle mold (see cooks' note, below). Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer as cooked to rack in oven to keep warm, keeping waffles in 1 layer to stay crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Make topping:


While last batch is cooking, heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then add banana slices in 1 layer and cook until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat and add syrup to skillet.

Spoon bananas over waffles, then drizzle with warm syrup before serving.

The Season For Tea

Well it is that time of year again and many of you are probably stressing out over the idea of presents, family, and whatever may be unique to your Holiday traditions.

But one thing to realize when fighting people for parking spots or that last high demand toy is that wherever you go, there is always a place at home to sit and relax.  This is an important thing to realize when fighting those grocery shoppers for a ham or a pre-baked pumpkin pie.

I know that these days are stressful and most holidays I end up shutting down both emotionally and physically since I believe that the most important thing is to see the people you love.  But when you can't do that, it becomes a strain on the heart.  It's like being stuck in traffic and needing to be at work in five minutes.  It is that pain that you can't do anything but watch the time go by until you are free.

This has little to do with tea because sometimes there are things that come ahead of having tea.  But one thing about tea and tea time is that it will never judge you.  And the major plus is that you can have it To Go.  Personally I love a cup( a very large cup usually) of Chai tea.  It really seems to make the season come alive for me even if I'm not home to see my mom or my good friends.  Sometimes it is the little things like the fuzzy feeling you get from enjoying each sip of your tea or the person that you have next to you through it all even though you can be a grumpy grouch during the season.

So in this season of hectic happenings, let your tea, whatever kind it may be, be a reminder that their is always someone who loves you and like every other year, this stress will pass.

Tea at Dim Sum

A Palate Cleanser

There are certain things that are simply better together; like a burger and a soda. Harry and Sally. A dog and his bone. Dim sum and tea.

 

One of the things I love doing with my family is going for dim sum on Sunday. That usually requires dragging out of bed my sleep-loving sister on her day off, piling our family into the car and debating which of the dozens of dim sum restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area we should go to.

 

Har gow, churn fun, shumai, oh my!

 

For dim sum virgins, the first thing the waiter or waitress will ask when you are seated is what kind of tea you would like. Most restaurants charge tea by the head, even if you're not drinking it and usually, you order one kind of tea to share with everyone at the table. I learned early on my family's tea preference at dim sum.

 

“Bo lay,” my father would tell the waiter.

 

Bo lay is a type of tea with a dark, intense flavor that can be slightly bitter if steeped for too long. That's why you'll usually get a pot of hot water placed on your table along with the tea, in case you have to dilute the tea. My father says bo lay is good for you and, more importantly, it helps cut the grease of the dim sum dishes, each delicious morsel washed down by the hot liquid. It is quite a palate cleanser and gets your mouth ready for the next bite. I realized later, after years of ordering bo lay, there are actually other teas the restaurant offers. Bo lay is still a favorite, but when I'm in the mood for a sweeter tea, I go for “gook bo” - half chrysanthumum, half bo lay.

 

Ketchup, My Favorite Non-Newtonian Fluid

When the ketchup won't come out of the bottle, simply tilt the bottle at about a 45 degree angle and tap it gently against the heel of your hand.
I have been using a lot of ketchup lately, ever since scoring a few bottles of the new Heinz Balsamic Vinegar version. Ketchup has many excellent qualities, of course: for one thing, it embodies a wide spectrum of flavors including salty, sweet, and umami. 
 
For another thing, ketchup is one of the world's few examples of a fascinating physics phenomenon, non-Newtonian fluids. And the more you understand how a non-Newtonian fluid works, the more easily you will be able to get ketchup out of a glass bottle without a hitch!

We all know what fluids are. They are, you know… fluids. Your basic fluid is technically a Newtonian fluid, which means that its viscosity increases in direct relationship to the pressure applied to it. That's a fancy way of saying that Newtonian fluids flow in a predictable fashion, regardless of how much pressure they are under. Think of the water at the bottom of the ocean, which is under tremendous pressure - but it still flows. As does the water vapor high in the atmosphere, where air pressure is almost non-existent.
 
Non-Newtonian fluids, on the other hand, have an unpredictable viscosity. In a Newtonian fluid, the harder you push, the thicker it becomes. A non-Newtonian fluid doesn't follow this rule. 
 
Take ketchup, for example. I have a half-full bottle sitting here beside me. If I pick it up by the neck and shake it rapidly back and forth, the ketchup inside behaves like a thick fluid: it sloshes side to side. But if I quickly turn the bottle upside down, the ketchup stays stuck there at the bottom (now the top), in seeming defiance of gravity. But if I then tap the side of the bottle against the heel of my free hand, the ketchup returns to a more fluid form, and begins to slide down the side.
 
One of the most dramatic examples of the physics of non-Newtonian fluids happened on Mythbusters. The team filled a swimming pool with a bluish mixture of corn starch and water. Slip slowly into the pool and you sink in. But slap it hard - or run across it quickly - and it becomes almost a solid.
 
The answer to the age-old ketchup frustration is thus provided by physics. When the ketchup won't come out of the bottle, simply tilt the bottle at about a 45 degree angle and tap it gently against the heel of your hand. This will return the sauce to a liquid, and presto, your fries are delicious again! 

Homemade Hot Cocoa with Peppermint



My daughter and her two best friends decided it was more important to have a get-together this Christmas than to exchange gifts. I applaud them for this decision, as it reminds us that Christmas isn’t about how much money you spend purchasing gifts. When I asked the girls what they wanted to eat at their little party, they said “hot chocolate.” Hot chocolate is a perfect choice, but I wasn’t about to let them have it plain. It is a party after all! I decided to spice up the hot chocolate by adding a few key ingredients.

First, you have to make the hot cocoa base. Normally, I would just use a hot chocolate packet from the grocery store, but this was a special occasion. I Poured 5 ½ cups of milk in a medium-sized saucepan. Then I added ¼ cup of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ½ cup of granulated sugar. I made sure to stir it constantly while bringing the ingredients to a boil. Once the cocoa reached a boil, I removed the saucepan from the heat.

Next, I added the peppermint flavor. I did this two different ways. I mixed in 1 tablespoon of peppermint extract, and then poured the homemade cocoa into individual mugs. After, I set a plain candy cane in each mug of hot cocoa.

Finally, I topped each mug of hot cocoa off with a handful of mini marshmallows, and a dollop of whipped cream. The girls thought they were in heaven. I’ll have to make this again Christmas Eve to have with my family!

 

Dulce de Leche Waffles

Great for the Holiday Season

Waffles originally started out as a dessert that was then adapted to be a part of the most important meal of the day. They originated as wafers in the medieval times, which were very light, thin, crisp cakes that were baked between two waffle irons. This produced a variety of different, flat, unleavened cakes that came from a mixture of barley and oats. The waffle has since evolved into something very different made with white flour usually. Check out this recipe from Aaron McCargo Jr. for dulce de leche cake waffles.

Ingredients

  • 1 box your favorite vanilla cake mix (or any other flavors)
  • Nonstick spray
  • 1/2 gallon good-quality dulce de leche ice cream
  • 4 bananas, sliced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup caramel sauce
  • 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
  • Whipped cream, for garnish

Special equipment: waffle iron

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and prepare a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top.

In a large bowl, add the cake mix and prepare the batter according to the pancake instructions.

Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray. Pour about 1 cup batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook the waffle according to the waffle maker's instructions. As each waffle is cooked, place it onto the prepared rack in the oven to keep warm.

When you're ready to serve the waffles, remove from the oven and place 1 onto a warmed plate. Top with 2 scoops ice cream, some bananas, drizzle with the caramel sauce and top with the walnuts and whipped cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

The Best Gifts for Tea Drinkers

Brew in style with these accessories

It's as much about the ritual as it is about the taste. The boiling of the water, the filling of the infuser, the smell as the leaves leak their flavor into the pot. Tea lovers know that their beverage of choice is a craft, not just a preference. And what better gifts are there for the leaf-inclined than the best tools with which to hone their craft? Here are just a few goodies you can pick up for your favorite guzzlers of the black, white, and green.

UtiliTEA Variable Temperature Kettle

Stovetop kettles are a time-honored way of making water hot, but they do have their limitations. You can pretty much only gauge whether water is boiling or not, without any way of reaching temperatures in between besides guessing and checking. This electric kettle comes pre-programmed with ideal temperatures for all your favorite teas. Drinkers of green know that it needs to be a little less than scorching hot when brewed, and white's delicate flavor needs its own specific level of heat too. The UtiliTEA kettle will only get your water as hot as it needs to be for whatever you're drinking.

 

Mug Infuser

Your favorite lover of tea probably already has their own special teapot, the one they break out for communal tea enjoyment, but sometimes you just need to simplify the solo brewing process. Tea balls and other, simpler infusers don't always have the finest mesh to keep straggler leaves out of the bottom of your cup, but this Forlife Brew-in-mug infuser features an extra-fine central compartment to make sure you're getting only liquid. It comes with a lid that doubles as a saucer, too.

 

Monkey Picked Tea Leaves

Apparently, it was once a tradition to employ monkey labor to pick the leaves that would later become tea. Somewhere in the world, someone is still doing just that. It may be an outdated practice, but it's certainly fun to imagine. I'm not sure if the monkey touch makes the tea taste any better. My guess would be yes.

 

Mug Cozies

Keep your tea warm and your hands unburnt with these adorable little mug sweaters. They're handmade, they button closed, and they double as coasters to boot. Knitted from soft cotton, these cozies come in a set of 4 and will fit any standard 10 ounce mug. 

 

Yixing Tea Mug

This lovely handcrafted mug features a magnolia design and is made of Yixing clay, which will absorb the tastes and scents of your favorite tea the more you use it. If you've got a standby flavor, reinforce it with this special vessel. Comes with a lid to keep your drink warm. 

I Love Bananas

I use them constantly as a base for smoothies.

They do more to serve to give us our potassium daily requirements. Bananas are such a good solid food. I remember, one morning, I was whipping one up and thought, ‘I wonder what the origin is of bananas?’

So hungry bloggers, I not only will divulge the fascinating history behind bananas, I will also provide a smoothie recipe, where (you guessed it!) bananas are the foundation for this treat.

Believe it or not, bananas actually originated in Southeast Asia. Additionally bananas come in all kinds of different variations of colors, not just the illusive yellow. They’ve also been found in reds and purples. Bananas are a very important food staple for developing countries, most notably in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Tip for those trying to gain weight in a healthy way: Blend 4 bananas with 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter and ice until you’ve made a nice frothy shake that contains no weird additives that you might find in whey or other protein powder shakes. Instead, you’re feeding your body with live nutrients that it can take and break down and utilize, not to mention the fact that raw almond butter delivers a hefty amount of protein as well as fat. And fear not, these are good fats. No trans-fats to found here.

A nice variation is to add unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar (or stevia) to taste, maple syrup (the grade A, amber kind, not the corn syrupy Butterworth’s stuff) might also taste nicely in this shake.

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