Garlic Beer Cheese Bread

This recipe was one a co-worker (Sara Hanson) shared with me at the Zoo. It was delicious then and it still is today! It would pair really well with a homemade chili during a tailgate. I thought the loaf worked really well, but you could also make muffins if you got some fun muffin cups to make them in for transporting. It's a great recipe and a fun one as you really can taste the hint of beer and delicious garlic. Enjoy!!

Garlic Beer Cheese Bread
from a very sharing co-worker
3 cups Self Rising flour
4 1/2 tbsp. Sugar
1 tbsp. minced Garlic (about 4 cloves)
Pinch of dried Basil
Pinch of dried Oregano
Generous handful of grated Cheddar Cheese
1 12oz can/bottle of beer (I used Amstel Light - it's what was in the fridge) - must be room temp.
1 stick butter, melted (I only used 1/2 stick)

1. Preheat the oven to 400* F

2. Combine the self rising flour, sugar, garlic, basil, oregano and mix well.

3. Add the Cheddar Cheese and mix to coat all of the cheese

4. Pour in the beer and mix just until all of the flour mixture is moistened, then empty into a large loaf pan - prepare pan by spraying with Pam

5. Brush a little melted butter over the top and place in the oven - Set the timer for 45 minutes

6. Every 15 minutes brush the top with the melted butter until the 45 minutes is up

7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then on a wire rack for one-hour. Promptly wrap to avoid drying out.

Squash Coconut Soup

I went on a squash kick a couple years back where all I would eat it seemed was squash. This is when I first discovered Squash Ravioli and I had remembered how to make just basic squash halved with a sprinkle of brown sugar - yum! Well....I tend not to eat a ton of squash as my significant other hates the consistency, but every once in a while I see a recipe and feel inspired to make one of my favorite foods. This Squash Coconut Soup wasn't anything amazingly out of the ordinary, but it definitely would do the trick in the cold of winter to "warm the cockles of your heart," a saying my mom used to always use meaning "to make someone warm and happy." Enjoy!

Squash Coconut Soup
from Celebrated Chefs Cookbook


2 1/2 lbs. winter squash (halved and seeded)
1 to 2 tbsp. EVOO
Kosher Salt
1 can (13.5) oz. coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. paprika
Pinch ground cloves
1 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine)

1. Preheat the oven to 350* F

2. Rub the cut surfaces of the squash with EVOO and season with salt. Se the halves cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool, then scoop the flesh roughly mash in a bowl.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk with the spices and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Heat the canola oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mirin, then add the pumpkin with enough water to just cover the vegetables (about 4 cups). Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. The recipe calls for shredded real coconut (unsweetened) and chopped cilantro over the top with lime juice - I didn't do this part, but it would have probably added a kick.

Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Pound Cake

I've been on this sweet kick lately and this recipe seemed like a nice mix between sweet for dessert and sweet for breakfast. Who doesn't love a piece of cake with your coffee in the morning? These were such a fluffy treat to start the day off right. I'd recommend you make a raspberry sauce or jam for them as they tasted 10x better with a dollop of jam on top. Enjoy!!

Poppy Seed Pound Cake
from Gourmet Magazine
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup poppy seeds
3/4 tsp bakign powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 vanilla bean
1 3/4 sticks undalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, warmed in very warm water 10 minutes
1/2 cup half-and-half at room temperature 30 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350* with rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt.

3. Scrap seeds from vanilla bean with tip of a pairing knife into a bowl, then add butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer at med-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with half-and-half, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just incorporated.

5. Spoon batter into loaf pan, smoothing top.

6. Bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into cetner comes out with crumbs adhering. 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing.