Margarita Popsicles

via Confections of a Foodie Bride

Yields: 12 popsicles

Estimated time: 5 hours 30 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8-12 small limes, usually)
• 1/4 cup silver tequila
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur
• 12 3 oz disposable paper cups
• 12 wooden popsicle sticks or spoons

Instructions

1. Heat water and sugar in a small sauce pan until completely dissolved and the water is clear. Let cool.
2. Pour into a pitcher with lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur.
3. Pour 2 1/2 ounces (5 Tbsp) of margarita into each cup.
4. Place cups into a baking dish and put the dish in the freezer.
5. After about 2 hours, start checking the popsicles. Once they’re frozen enough to support the wooden stick, insert a stick into each popsicle, pushing 3/4 of the way into the popsicle.
6. Let freeze several more hours or until completely frozen (I let them freeze overnight)
7. To serve, peel the paper cup away from the popsicle, starting at the seam of the cup, and carefully remove the bottom.
8. Consume immediately.

Fried Nutella Banana Pies

via Heather Christo Cooks

Uhm hot and gooey Nutella? Yes please!

Ingredients

• 1 chilled pie crust 
• 8 tablespoons Nutella
• 2 Sliced Banana’s
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 quart vegetable oil
• Powdered sugar

Directions

• Roll out the (store bought or get your Martha Stewart on and make it from scratch) pie crust to 1/8th inch thick.
• Use a 4” round cookie cutter to make circles of pie dough.
• Top with 1 tablespoon of nutella and a few pieces of sliced banana.
• Brush the beaten egg around the edge of the pie crust and then fold it over and very gently use a fork to pinch the edges together without breaking through the pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to fry.
• Bring the vegetable oil up to 375 degrees in a large heavy pot. Gently add the pies, a few at a time, to the hot oil and gently fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
• Gently remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or strainer. Quickly drain on a paper towel.
• Generously sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot (these stay hot for a long time!).

 

Christmas Is In The Air

via Make It Do

A Holiday on Your Stove Top

• 1 whole orange (or just the orange peel)
• 1/2 cup of cranberries
• 1 tbsp. of whole cloves
• 3 sticks of cinnamon (or a small handful of small pieces of cinnamon)
• a bit of grated nutmeg (if desired)

Directions

1. Quarter the orange.
2. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan.
3. Fill pan with water.
4. Place on the stove on the smallest burner, on the lowest setting.
5. Refill water as needed.

Tips:

Use an orange that is starting to get old… or just use the peel of an orange.  Don’t allow the water to completely evaporate, refill the water every time you turn the stove on (one mix stays good for weeks). 

With heating the mix does turn brown, but continues to smell wonderful, so one batch will usually last the entire Christmas season.

Natas do Céu (Heavenly Cream)

Ingredients

• 1 package of ‘Bolacha Maria’ cookies (about 16 cookies) can sub for Nabisco tea cookies
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• 6 eggs, separated
• 2 tbs water
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 tbsp
• 1 teaspoon milk
• Roll out the cookies into fine crumbs and set aside.

Directions

For the egg sweet topping

• In a small sauce pan, pour in 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Stir.
• Heat the sugar water until it forms a light threadlike syrup but do not boil or allow to become golden.
• In a small bowl, whisk the yolks with a teaspoon of the milk. Gradually, while still whisking, drizzle in the sugar syrup, incorporating it thoroughly into the yolks. Set aside.

For the white mousse

• Beat the cream with 1/4 cup sugar until peaks form and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, until foamy. Continue to beat on high speed while gradually incorporating 2 tablespoons of sugar.
• Beat until soft peaks form.
• Fold the egg whites into the cream until the egg whites are thoroughly incorporated.

To assemble

• Work in alternate layers starting on the bottom of glass bowl with the cookie crumbs. Pour a layer of cream followed by a layer of cookies until there’s no more left of both then ending with topping it all with the sweetened egg yolks.

Serves 6

Portuguese Kale Soup

This is a variation recipe from one of my mom’s staple soups, which I found on the Food Network by Rachel Ray. 

I have been eating this soup for as long as I can remember and it is still one of my favorites.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup of diced onions
• 1/2 cup of diced carrots
• 1 bunch of kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 6 ounces of chopped linguiça (spicy Portuguese sausage)
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 6 cups of beef stock
• 1 cup of kidney beans
• 6 ounces of diced tomatoes
• 10 ounces of diced potatoes

Directions

In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, onions and carrots and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the kale, linguiça, bay leaves, parsley and thyme and mix well.  Add the beef stock, beans and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and add the diced potatoes. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them to the soup.

Remove the bay leaves and serve hot.