Tom's Margaritas

Really, there isn't anything more special about these than most recipes, but this is the recipe from my hubby's 15 year old self. 

A relative sent an email to us today asking for the Margarita recipe my hubby used to make for all the adults in Kelowna when he was about 14-15 years old. Some of us from "the old days" got early bartending skills when our relatives sent us into the kitchen to fetch them a drink by pouring "two fingers" of whatever booze in a glass with some mix. Here is my husband's recipe for those fabulous Margaritas from days gone by:
1 ounce of tequila
1 ounce of triple sec...
1/2 ounce of lime cordial
Ice
Put in a blender. (This is for one serving)
Pour into prepared salted rimmed glasses
Stir with your finger

Maya Angelou's Caramel Cake

I love the late Maya Angelou's poetry, her  rich inspirational real stories as well as the way she transformed her pain into purpose.  She was also a fantastic cook.  Here is a recipe for her Caramel Cake, a cake I can only describe as being a replica of my family's favourite from The (old) Sperling Bakery - a cake that we all loved until our neighborhood bakery closed down.  It was so exciting to find a recipe that tastes just like it!

Serves 8

8 tbs. (1 stick of butter), 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup Caramel Syrup (recipe follows), 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup milk, 2 large eggs, Caramel Frosting (recipe follows).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2-8 inch layer cake pans with greased wax paper.  In large mixing bowl, beat butter, and add 1 cup sugar gradually until light and fluffy.  Beat in syrup.  In medium mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.  In separate medium mixing bowl, beat eggs about 3 minutes, until foamy.  Add remaining sugar, and beat until there is a fine spongy foam.  Stir into cake batter until blended.  Divide batter between cake pans.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Remove pans from oven.  Test to make sure cake is done with toothpick.  If not return to oven for 10 more minutes.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto rack, and remove wax paper.  Let cakes cool to room temp before frosting.  To assemble:  Centre one cooled cake layer on cake plate.  Cover top and sides with generous helping of frosting.  Place second layer evenly on frosted layer.  Repeat frosting procedure.  Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Caramel Syrup:  Heat 1 cup white sugar in heavy skillet over low heat and stir constantly until melted to a brown liquid.  When it bubbles, remove from heat and slowly add boiling water, stirring constantly.  Pour into container and cool.
Caramel Frosting:  Brown 6 tbsp. butter in heavy pot over medium heat-be vigilant or it will burn.  Allow butter to cool.  In large mixing bowl, add 8 ounce pack confectioners' sugar, 4 tbsp. heavy cream, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and beat until smooth.  If frosting is too stiff, add tbsp. of half and half or full cream to thin.

Valerie Bertinelli's Seriously Good Sausage Bites

I love Valerie Bertinelli and her cooking show.  I got this recipe and gave it a try.  Let me just warn you, they are very addictive but WOW, they are a great little hors d'oeuvre with a glass of wine and good company.  Not many people would give them a second look at these appetizers because they are far from fancy....but everyone will love them! 

Cooking spray, 10 ounces of bulk hot Italian sausage (I used about large sausages), 3 cups of self-rising flour, 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, 1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce, 1 1/4 cups grated Cheddar cheese.

Put the oven to 400 and arrange the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.  Coat 2 baking sheets with the cooking spray.  Cook the sausage in a medium skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until cooked through and no pink remains.  Using a slotted spoon transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Combine flour and butter in food processor or with pie dough cutter (or fingers).  Drizzle in buttermilk and Tabasco and pulse just until dough comes together.  Turn the dough out into a large bowl and fold in the sausage and cheese.  Using two spoons, shape the dough into walnut-size balls and drop onto the baking sheets.

Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to remove and transfer to a platter.  Bake the remaining sausage bites in the same matter.  Yum!!!!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Black Truffle Salt

OK, this was just too easy and of course, you have all probably tried this recipe already.  But if my family devoured these babies and the pan was left completely empty, then you know that this simple side kick was delicious.  The secret of course is to cook the Brussel sprouts in the oven until the leaves are crispy.  Some might even turn a tinge black.  But inside these gorgeous little morsels is a centre of complete and luscious creaminess.  Oh my God, they are good.

Turn the oven on to 350.  Then pile as many Brussel sprouts as you wish (mine was half a large bag) into a roasting pan.  Drizzle with a few tbsp. of olive oil, sprinkle about 1 tbsp. of garlic powder over all and then a tsp. of black truffle salt.  Obviously, if you are roasting less vegetable, adjust your seasonings.  Toss the Brussel sprouts so that the olive oil and seasoning is all over, then pop into the oven and wave goodbye for about one hour or until the Brussels are good and crisp.  Sweet and nutty deliciousness.  I am making more tonight.  And as if you didn't already know, Brussel Sprouts are seriously healthy too.

Here's to 2017~Happy New Year!!

Well, it certainly is great to be back.  I've noticed over the last several years I've not posted all that much, though I've never stopped cooking!  I am however looking forward to posting some of my new and favourite recipes and to filling up 2017 with lots of delicious dishes here at Succulent Sage.  I've also set some goals around food as well....such as teaching my two boys how to cook lots of our favourite family recipes and having monthly Sunday dinners with friends and family.  So today, in addition to posting some new recipes, I'm going to start by posting my favourite things from 2016.  Shall we begin?

Favourite Cookbooks of 2016:  Dining at Delmonico's the story of America's oldest restaurant (had dinner here with my family in Manhattan December 2016), Buvette, the pleasure of good food by Jody Williams, Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook (love the make ahead gravy recipe), Better on Toast by Jill Donenfeld (my fav is wine marinated mushrooms with Boursin on toast), Valerie Bertinelli's One Dish at a Time (her Sausage Balls are delicious), Ina Garten's Cooking for Jeffrey, Anthony Bourdain's Appetites and Tracy Pollan's, The Pollan Family Table (Amazing Paprika Shrimp recipe).

Favourite Food Magazines:  The British Magazines, Olive and Delicious, Food & Wine, Saveur, Cooking Light and Chatelaine!

Favourite Kitchen Things:  My Le Creuset soup pot, Cuisipro gravy fat separator, Veggetti a spiral vegetable cutter for low carb eating (so you pretend that zucchini noodles are like real pasta noodles!) and from The Pike Place Market in Seattle, another beautiful addition to my Polish Pottery collection, a gorgeous salad bowl.

Favourite New Recipes:  I will post!!!