Chai Tea Concentrate

In today's ever-expanding market for overpriced coffee and energy drinks, the perfect pick-me-up is a balance of taste and caffeine. Some people require their daily fix from a Ginormous Triple Caramel Crapafrappacino with extra whip.  Others are fine drinking the watery sludge that comes out of the office drip coffee machine. For me, it's a nice periodic boost from a creamy, spicy chai tea latte.  You see, I have a funny relationship with caffeine. I avoid caffeinated coffee at all times, since it tends to make my head spin and my heart feel funny. I can't even take headache medication with caffeine in it because it makes my heart race. However, on those days that I need to find a little energy boost, I discovered one drink that always has the perfect effect: chai Tea Latte. Around the house, it has become a little bit of a joke. All it takes is one $4 cup of my "performance enhancing drugs" and I become a whirlwind of focus and energy. I use its effects to help me clean the house, organize my office, and accomplish other tedious household tasks.  What this effect says about my neurochemistry can be up for debate among my friends.

As for taste, I guess I first fell in love with chai tea while getting my undergraduate degree. I found a small coffee shop on campus that had the creamiest, most delicious chai tea that I had ever tasted. I also became enamored by the idea of making my own after visiting an Indian friend one winter break. Now, almost 10 years later (geez, has it been that long already?!) and many trips to Starbucks I decided to go ahead and make my own. The result was a quick and easy chai tea concentrate that is as delicious (if not more so) than Starbucks.

Chai Tea Concentrate
Yields: 4 cups of concentrate, making about 8 cups of latte
Ingredients:
12 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (use one less if you have really large sticks)
2 star anise
2 tablespoons of brown sugar, or more to taste
4 inch chunk of fresh ginger (or enough that would equal about 4 inches)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups of water
8 black teabags

Directions:
Place all of the spices and the water in a pot. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn to medium-high to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the teabags in the water to seep for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid, discarding the solids. Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in an air tight container. This can be refrigerated and saved for up to a week.

To make a chai tea latte, add equal parts concentrate and milk. It is good for both iced and heated drinks. I also like to add a drop of vanilla extract to mine. Optionally you could instead add a whole vanilla bean to the cooking process to add the vanilla flavor. To make a fancy latte, add a bit of foamed milk to the top of the drink.

Adapted from: gimme some oven

Cherry Supreme Crepes

Every week my husband and I celebrate "Pancake Sunday". As you can imagine, we do so by making pancakes every Sunday. Although it sounds a little silly, it is actually a continuation of a tradition followed by my husband's grandparents as he grew up. After working hard all week, Sunday was the morning when they would slow down and have some time together. Likewise, this is a tradition that we decided to include in our own household, and it has come to be a small something special that we look forward to.

This particular Pancake Sunday idea came from a friend of mine. Crepes, or "french pancakes", have been a family favorite of my own since I was younger. I first tried a real crepe during a wine festival in Germany as a teen. It was an incredible process - the delicate cake must be spread as thin as possible, flipped (without tearing...) to cook both sides, and have the heat set just so. Needless to say, it took me a few tries to get right. The cherry sauce was of particular interest to my friend. If cherries aren't your thing, you could easily make the sauce recipe below with your favorite fruit, or just cover the crepes with maple syrup or Nutella. It all depends on your tastes.

Cherry "Supreme" Crepes
Yields: 9 crepes
Ingredients:
Crepes:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
oil, butter, or cooking spray

Sauce:
2 cups pitted fresh cherries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Directions:
To make the crepes, sift the flour once, and then sift again with the salt, baking powder, and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, water, and vanilla. Make a well in the sifted ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix together with a few swift strokes, but leave somewhat lumpy. Heat a small, non-stick skillet (I used a small, well seasoned cast iron) and grease with a few drops of oil or some cooking spray. Add about 1/3 cup of batter to the skillet, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. cook over moderate heat until bubbles start to form in the crepe. Flip gingerly, and allow both sides to cook to a golden brown color. Be sure to reapply the oil/butter/cooking spray after each crepe for it to cook properly.

To make the sauce, heat the pitted cherries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries release some of their juices. This juice will simmer and thicken slightly. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and pour it into the mixture. Allow the sauce to boil, and then remove from heat. Keep the mixture warm. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

To prepare the crepes, add the cherry mixture in a line in the bottom half of the crepe, and then roll. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar and serve.

Smoked Porchetta

About this time last year we went on our dream vacation to Italy. For those of you whom have not gone yet, I will tell you that it is a magical country. The people are friendly, the land is beautiful, and the food....oh God, the food. One year later found us reminiscing about the trip, tracking our day by day movements throughout the countryside. Towards the end of our journey we stopped in this ancient little town called Oriveto. Situated high upon a plateau, this unassuming town has played an important role in Western civilization since before the Roman Empire.  In modern times, the oldest part of the town has become quite sleepy during the day. Little shops are open for tourists to enjoy the local goods - mostly great white wine, leather products, hand carved olive wood, and ceramics. Just before leaving, we visited the weekly open air market to experience the local scene. Given the towns remoteness this market is how the locals get all of their goods from outside the town. It is quite the event.

Before visiting the market, we were advised to try a regional pork sandwich. After a little searching, we found a food truck selling the most delicious meat we'd ever seen: PORCHETTA! The traditional Italian porchetta is an entire pig, de-boned, filled with herbs and spices, and slow cooked to perfection.

As you may imagine, all of this reminiscing made us hungry and led to us thinking that there MUST be some way to re-create that delicious meal at home. However, we have neither the room in our bellies or in our refrigerator for an entire de-boned pig. After adapting some recipes online and using John's expertise with the smoker, we think we have found a delicious combination that imitates that heavenly sandwich we found on the streets of Orvieto.

Our rendition of porchetta requires just two parts of the pig: the lean tenderloin and the juicy skin-on pork belly. The combination of the two gives you a nice meaty flavor, a fatty bacon texture, and the crispy pork "cracklin" that ties everything together. Though the original recipe called for an oven, we opted to cook the entire thing on the smoker and grill. This gave us the ability to add a nice light, sweet, smoked flavor to the meat using apple wood (specifically some Ozark apple wood that we found at a local farmers market). The end result was nothing less than perfect delicious.

For tips on smoking meat and further details on the process, please see John's upcoming smoking post.

Smoked Porchetta
Yield: A lot of meat. Seriously, you're going to need to freeze some of this, or invite 8-10 people over.
Ingredients:

Salt Rub
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
2 Teaspoons toasted fresh Rosemary, Chopped
2 Teaspoons toasted Fennel seed, crushed
2 Teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 Teaspoons freshly ground pepper
zest of 1 lemon

Herb Rub
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary

The meat
12x12 inch slab of skin-on pork belly
1-2 lbs of pork tenderloin, about 3 inches in diameter

oil
string

Directions:
Score the skin side of the pork belly with a sharp knife (seriously, the skin can be very tough). Combine the ingredients for the salt rub in a small bowl. Lightly oil the inside of the pork belly and sprinkle half of the salt rub on it. Then sprinkle on the herb rub. Place the tenderloin in the center of the belly, and then roll the belly tightly. Secure the roll with kitchen twine and sprinkle the outside with the rest of the salt rub. Finally set it on a platter, cover, and then place in refrigerator for about 12 hours.

Heat your smoker (or charcoal grill if using an indirect cooking method) using lump charcoal to about 275°. Put the porchetta in the smoker for about 5 hours, checking the temperature of the smoker every 30-45 minutes. A light application of smoke is recommended for this recipe as you don't want to overpower the subtle flavors of the rubs. Your pork will be ready when the internal temperature reaches 160°.

At this point, remove porchetta from smoker and place on a hot grill (around 375°) for about 10-15 minutes to crisp the skin. Be careful during this step as the hot juices and fat from the pork will catch fire easily, spiking the temperature and burning the outside. You're looking for a nice golden, crisped outside.  You want to minimize the charring to the skin as much as possible.

Remove the pork from the grill and let it rest for 20-25 minutes before cutting. Serve on hard rolls or buns with your choice of sauce.  We like to use a jalapeno-vinegar sauce that is sold locally here.  You don't want to use anything like BBQ sauce on this.  Instead look for sauces like a salsa verde or something that you would typically put with Puerto Rican or Cuban-style roast pork.

Recipe adapted from: iamafoodblog

Orzo Salad with Mandarin Oranges

All right, I'll admit it, I'm using the term "salad" here very loosely. In reality this dish is a light and refreshing dessert that is perfect for spring and summer. After all, nothing can possibly use twelve ounces of whipped cream and still be served in the salad course. Or for that matter, served as a side dish for the main course (as it was for our meal).

During our meal planning this week, I was looking for a nice light side dish to go with a smoked porchetta (details coming soon!) that had caught our eye on another food blog.  In a moment of what appeared to be inspiration, my husband told me "Oh, my mother used to make a great orzo salad! We should find something like that!". Now, my husband does not often eat salad willingly, so that should have been my first red flag. Not realizing his true intent I agreed, and we set to finding a recipe. Most of the ingredients sounded perfect: Mandarin oranges, pineapple, pasta...delicious! However I was slightly suspicious when the recipe also included whipped cream. "Surely it couldn't actually be a dessert, could it?", I thought cautiously. Not wanting to disappoint him, I created this wonderful dish in hopes that it would work anyway. At first taste, I was hooked on the combination of the fruity filling mixed with the starchy orzo. It actually reminds me of the tapioca salad my grandma loved from the grocery in Decatur, Indiana. Unabashedly, I threw it on the table with the meal and declared it a salad. We're adults now! We can call our dessert anything we want!

Orzo Salad with Mandarin Oranges
Yield: about 12 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 box orzo pasta
20 ounce can crushed pineapple (in juice)
2 small cans mandarin oranges (in juice or light syrup)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
12 ounce container of whipped cream topping
Maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Cook the orzo until tender, around 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the orzo under cold tap water and set aside. Drain the fruit and reserve all of the juices. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, sugar, and flour, and then add the fruit juices. Cook slowly in a saucepan over medium-low heat stirring frequently until thickened. It will have the consistency of a thin custard. Pour the mixture over the orzo, mix evenly, and let stand overnight.

The next day, mix together the orzo with the saved fruit and whipped cream topping. Garnish with cherries if desired (Not pictured, as my husband hates maraschino cherries).

Adapted from Cooks.com

Tropical Popsicles

I've come to dread the summer here in Florida. I hate feeling sweaty day and night, forcing me to stay cooped up in the house with the A/C blasting. On those hot, sticky days I crave refreshing and icy treats to help cool me down. Today was one of those days. After coming inside from doing some yard work, I searched the kitchen for something cold. The result was making up this recipe using what we had on hand.

It was a lucky accident that we had both pineapple and mango in the house at the same time. It is mango season here in Florida, so they are plentiful in stores and in gardens. I have learned over the years that it is better to have a friend with a fruit tree rather than owning one yourself. The reason for this is that a mature mango tree can produce 200-300 mangoes a year. That is a lot of mangoes to give away quickly before they turn into a gooey, sludgy mess. Our friend Daniel has a mango tree, and recently gifted us with a beautiful ripe mango. Coincidentally, we had also bought a fresh pineapple at the store that day. Through a stroke of ingenuity, I blended them into a sweet, tropical treat to beat these blistering Florida summer days.

Tropical Popsicles
Yield: about 6 popsicles, or 4 popsicles and one tasty smoothie/mixed drink
Ingredients:
1 small-medium fresh mango, cubed
1 cup fresh pineapple
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup unsweeted coconut water
1 teaspoon honey (optional, if additional sweetness is needed)
splash of white rum (optional)

Directions:
For additional instructions on how to cut a mango, please see this erm....instructional video. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours. To remove the popsicle from the mold, place the bottom of the mold for a few seconds in lukewarm water until the popsicle releases.

If you are like me and can only make 4 popsicles at a time, you may optionally chill the extra liquid for a delightful drink. You can even add a bit more white rum to your taste, add a cocktail umbrella, and sit outside (preferably by the pool) to enjoy.

Caramel Pecan Dream Bars

I've been a food blog connoisseur for many years now, seeking out the next bold and flavorful dish to grace my tabletop. Now, with an in-progress bathroom remodel, I decided to try out food blogging as a hobby to pass the time while I'm stuck here at home.

This recipe is a family favorite of ours. As a child, these bars were only made for special occasions such as holidays or group potlucks. The smell alone while these were in the oven were enough to usher back memories of days in the kitchen with my mother. Although this is a dreadfully simple recipe, it always seems special when shared with friends. What makes this recipe so irresistible is the duplicity of tastes and textures between the base and the filling. The sweet, caramel-y, nutty filling is a delicious contrast to the soft, fluffy, buttery yellow cake base. I'm just sad that I now have to share the whole tray with my husband!

Caramel Pecan Dream Bars
Yeild: about 36 squares 
Ingredients:
For the base:
1 Package Yellow Cake mix (I recommend Pillsbury Plus)
1/3 cup Butter or Margarine (softened)
1 egg
For the filling:
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup Heath "Bits o' Brickle" baking chips

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 13"x9" pan.

In a large bowl combine base ingredients and mix at medium with mixer until crumbley, with a mostly uniform color and texture. Press this mixture into the pan to form a crust at the bottom.

In a small bowl, beat the milk, egg, and vanilla until blended. Stir in "Bits o' Brickle" and pecans. Pour over base. Spread the mixture thinly and evenly over the base.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.