Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 63

Be a Character

“Character is like a tree and reputation a shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

— Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
American statesman; 16th U.S. President: 1861-65; assassinated following Civil War

It’s Beer-30 Somewhere!

Celebrate National Lager Day with a favorite “cold one.” Or prep some recipe that lets your lager shine. I do not drink any beers, but beer, lager, wines, and other liqueurs work perfectly in various, scrumptious recipes. Here’s one of my go-to tastebud cravings, especially with warm, soft pretzels… okay, tortillas chips are great, too!

Beer Cheese Dip
Yummmmm! Talk about a comfort food appetizer!

¼ c butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (or smoked paprika), salt
¼ c flour
¾ c half-and-half cream or whole milk
2/3 c lager or beer (a darker varietal for more bitterness)
2 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (freshly shredded from a block)
1 c shredded Gruyere cheese (freshly shredded from a block)

Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan; stir in Worcestershire, Dijon, & seasonings. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Then whisk in ¼ c of the cream until lumps are all smoothed. Return to heat and gradually whisk in remaining cream, while whisking. Continue whisking till smooth. Then whisk in beer. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly before reducing heat and stirring in cheeses till melted and smooth. Serve with big, soft pretzels, tortilla chips, Cortland apple sections, or fresh veggies.

KISS Tips: Always use a block of cheese to avoid unplanned additives in pre-shredded cheese. Replace some or all of the Cheddar with other cheeses, such as Swiss or Pepperjack. The Gruyere cheese can be replaced with Gouda or another melty fave. During serving, this can be kept warm in a mini slow cooker.

The Sun’s Up!

 

“A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.”

— William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994)
American motivational writer

National Brownie Day

Let’s harken back to my 1998 variation on a popular mint brownie recipe. (We redubbed it with the Café Martin name, as that’s how Ron and I have long referred to our home.) And it’s perfect for the holidays and any other days, too!

 

Café Martin Creme de Menthe Brownies

Brownies:
½ c butter
¾ c sugar (or granulated monkfruit or coconut sugar)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 c sifted flour
½ tsp salt
16‑oz can Hershey’s syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ c Godiva chocolate liquor
½ c chopped pecans

Frosting:
2 c sifted Confectioners’ sugar (or powdered monkfruit or other)
½ c butter, softened to room temp
3 T creme de menthe liquor

Glaze:
1 c (6‑oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 T butter

Cream butter, sugar & eggs till light.  Add flour & salt, mixing by hand.  Stir in syrup, vanilla, Godiva liquor & nuts.  Combine until smooth.  Pour into greased & floured 9×13″ pan.  Bake 25‑30 min at 350°F.  Cool in pan.  Mix mint layer ingredients in mixer. (Add just a touch of green food coloring, if desired.) Spread over cooled brownie layer.  Melt glaze ingredients over low heat in top of double boiler. Stir till smooth; cool only slightly.  Pour over mint layer.  (Will be slightly runny.)  Chill in refrigerator.  Cut into small pieces.

 KISS Tips:  These are very rich, so small pieces are super.  I like to drizzle the glaze layer in fine lines, crisscrossing over the top.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

“We have not forgotten, nor will we. We live in a world made more free, more just, and more peaceful by those who will answer roll call no more, those who will report for muster never again. We do remember Pearl Harbor.”

— Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004)
40th US President & American actor

 

 

The Art of Attitude

 

“Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.”

— Wilferd A. Peterson (1900 – 1995)
American author & columnist

Dare to Be Confident!

 

“Confidence is a very fragile thing.”

— Joe Montana (1956-  )
American former NFL quarterback

Vote Early & Vote Often!

A friend of ours, is seeking help through Votes for her for the Bar Boss 2023 Bartender of the Year contest. We enjoy a great many friendships with folks who tend bar, so we are pleased to help Tami. If you care to join us, you can vote daily starting today (December 4) at 1pm EST (10am PST, through December 14 here on Facebook. To help her win the People’s Choice category and a chance for $10,000 and her picture on the cover of Bartender Magazine, please vote for Tamora Hatton:  https://barboss.org/2023/tamora-hatton
Thank you!!! Cheers!!!!

Cookie Monster!

Let’s look ahead to tomorrow, which is National Cookie Day, launched in 1987 by Ohio’s Blue Chip Cookie Company. Everyone has a favorite cookie, and more cookies are baked in the month of December than any other! But why not prep some Crackin’ Toffee Crunch to join the party? But wait! Is it a cookie? Is it a cracker? Is it a candy? Doesn’t matter! It’s scrump-diddly-umptious!

Whip up a batch today, so they’ll be perfect chilled to melt in your mouth tomorrow!

Crackin’ Toffee Crunch
36 Ritz crackers
¾ c salted butter
¾ c lt brown sugar, packed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c mini semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 c coarsely chopped pecans or praline nut mixture of choice
Sea salt
Lay crackers tightly together in single layer in parchment paper- or foil-lined baking pan with sides. In medium saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar over medium-low heat, using a wooden spoon to combine. Increase heat to med and bring to a rolling boil. Do NOT stir, but every 20-30 seconds, draw your spoon across the bottom in a criss-cross pattern. Continue this for 3 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Immediately drizzle or spoon all over the crackers; spread to cover entirely with a soft spatula. Place in 350°F oven for 5 min. Remove and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Use spatula to spread chocolate as it melts into an even layer. Sprinkle with salt & the praline crumbles. Use the back of a spoon to slightly press down on the pecan praline crumbles. Return to oven for 5 min. Then refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Use sharp knife to trim off uneven edges, if desired. Then cur or break in squares, triangles, or odd shapes. Store air tight in refrigerator or freezer.

KISS Tips: Stirring constantly can cause ingredients to separate and burn. You can also use any candy chips you prefer, inc white chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch. Instead of a praline topping, you can also opt for coarsely chopped nuts of your choice.

Don’t Fritter Away National Fritters Day!

 

 

Whip up some yummy fritters to tantalize your taste buds! “They” say that fritters have been around since the days of ancient Rome, and their popularity is even greater today.

 

 

For breakfast or dessert, it’s tough to beat fresh apple fritters… no canned apple filling will do. Serve them up dusted with powdered sugar and warmed 100% maple syrup on the side. Okay, whipped cream, made with some vanilla extract is also awesome!

 

Enjoy fritters… or croquettes… any way you like. Some are sweet. Others are savory. They all get fried and then served hot with dips or dustings. Make them as happy little fried dough balls or flattened, highly-textured, almost pancake thin flats.

I’ve shared Mom’s Zucchini Rounds recipe in an earlier post. (Still out here in my 2022 articles.) But a great variation on it is to double the sweet onion and cheese and also add shredded carrots.

 

Another favorite harkens back to Native American origins… the corn fritter… served hot and toasty with a generous scoop of honey butter. Well, yeah! Okay, I need those NOW! Here’s a great twist on the original is Fluffy Corn Fritters.

 

 

Fluffy Corn Fritters
3 c fresh white corn kernels (or frozen baby kernels, thawed)
1 green onion, very thinly sliced (green portion only)
¼ c sweet onion, finely chopped
1 c flour
1 c corn starch
2 T monkfruit or granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 lg or x-lg eggs, lightly beaten
¾ c heavy cream
Vegetable oil for frying
Garnish options: sliced green onion, chopped parsley, and/or a dusting of powdered sugar

Combine corn, onions, flour, corn starch, monkfruit and baking powder. Stir in eggs and cream thoroughly. Coat bottom of large skillet with vegetable oil over med-high heat. Scoop mixture by 2-3 T mounds into hot oil, spreading each lightly into flat, circular shapes. Cook 2-3 min, and turn over, letting it cook another 2-3 min till golden brown. Add more oil as needed. Drain on wire rack over paper towels and season with salt. Garnish as desired and serve hot. Makes 12-15.