Homemade Irish Cream

Ingredients (makes 64 ounces)

3 cups Jameson's Irish whiskey
2 cups heavy cream
2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 T chocolate syrup
4 tsp vanilla extract

2 teaspoon instant coffee

 Variations:

• Try adding 1-1/2  tsp. of either almond, hazelnut or coconut extract or flavoring.
• Make Butterscotch Irish Cream by adding 3 cups Butterscotch Schnapps. 
• Note: Butterscotch Irish Cream will make more than 64 ounces

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree on high speed for 30 seconds.

Transfer mixture to an airtight container or glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Shake well before using.

Slainte'

Pretty Pink Applesauce

Applesauce is the easiest thing in the world to make and tastes so much better than store-bought.  A huge return for little effort.  Well, yeah, there are the apples and the fact that you need to remove their peels, or do you?  If you have a food mill at home, even that step can be skipped which narrows it down to coring and quartering.  Of course that is made simple by using the apple corer tool available everywhere for purchase.  I add the reddest of the peels back to the pot and cook along with the apples.  This gives the applesauce its pinkishness.

I do not add anything to my applesauce while cooking it as I am never sure of all the recipes I will use it for, and not everyone wants the sugar.  On the plate, however, I add a little brown sugar, a tab of butter and some ground cinnamon.  I like to serve it over top of homemade biscuits or Johnny Cakes.  Fabulous for breakfast!

If you are so inclined to make the best of everything, including the cores, refer to my recipe for Apple Peel & Core Jelly Jars!

Ingredients

6 lbs. red apples, peeled, cored & quartered (reserve peels)*
    Note: If you are using a food mill you can keep the peels intact
4 c water

Brown sugar
Butter
Cinnamon

Add prepared apple pieces to a dutch oven.  Add several of the reddest peels to the pot and add the water.  Bring to boil on high heat.  Reduce and continue to cook until all the apples are very tender (about 40 minutes).  With tongs, take care to remove all the peel from the pot.  If you like your sauce on the chunky side as I do, take a potato masher and go thru the apples until you reach the desired consistency.  If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can put small batches in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  You can also process only half the batch if you want some chunkiness.  If you are using a food mill, process according to manufacturer's directions, leaving peels behind.

Store in container with lid in refrigerator up to one week.  When ready to service, heat in pot or in microwave safe dish.  Add brown sugar, butter and cinnamon to taste.

Best Ever Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

The original recipe calls for cranberries.  I made mine with 1/3 cup each of cranberries, chopped figs & golden raisins.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups granulated sugar

1 can (15 ounces) 

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup orange juice or water

1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries, OR

1/3 cup each cranberries, chopped figs & golden raisins

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe makes two loaves.

(Recipe adapted from VeryBestBaking.com )

Pumpkin & Butterscotch Spiced Latte Fudge w Glazed Pecans

Pumpkin Fudge?  Uh, I'm not sure about that, but I'll give it a try.  One of my followers might find it enticing.  Well, I'm eating my words (no pun intended).  I took a recipe and tweaked it to make it my own.  I threw in some butterscotch morsels and a handful of glazed pecans, and I gotta tell ya ... LOVE IT!  A little bit goes a long way here, so plan on sharing it with your friends, neighbors or co-workers.

Ingredients

1 1/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
3 T unsalted butter
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 T espresso powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 c white chocolate morsels, chopped
1 c butterscotch morsels, chopped
1 3/4 c marshmallow creme
1 tsp pure vanilla or vanilla bean paste
1/3 c glazed pecans, chopped small

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, espresso powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, then boil for 12 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate  & butterscotch chips and marshmallow creme until melted, then stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker.

Pumpkin Rice Pudding with Pecan Praline Topping

This is comfort food for sure.  I do not like anything where the pumpkin flavor is overpowering, and this dessert has just the right amount.  The sweetness, and the flavors from the vanilla bean and orange zest are not masked by the taste of pumpkin, yet it comes through, albeit subtly, as well as the spices; all in a delicate, but very flavorful dessert. 

Ingredients

2 cups short-grain or Arborio rice

4 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk 

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup canned pumpkin 

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp each of nutmeg, cloves & ginger

1/2 cup golden raisins

Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

Praline Topping:

3 T evaporated milk

1 T butter

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2/3 cup chopped pecans (I like to toast mine first)

In a large saucepan, combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, orange zest, orange juice, and salt. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and most (but not all) of the liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard the vanilla bean. Stir in the pumpkin, spices & raisins.  In the meantime, prepare the topping.  Add evaporated milk, butter, brown sugar & salt to saucepan.  Heat over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and toss in pecans.  Stir until pecans are coated.

Serve pudding warm, and spoon praline pecans on top.  Add a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon, if desired.

Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

These scones are so rich and delicious, you don't need to serve them with anything else.  However, I can never keep it too simple, so I served mine with a scoop of my own homemade Spiced Apple Pumpkin Butter and a heaping spoonful of my friend's homemade Raspberry Jam.  Deelish!!

• 
  
• 
  
• Ingredients
• 
  
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups of flour
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup of cold butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cup of blueberries
• 3 T half and half
• Course Sparkly Sugar

Preheat oven to 350*.
In  small bowl add sour cream and baking soda. Mix together and set aside. Sour cream will become foamy.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives until the butter and flour form pea sized crumbs.
Beat the egg and mix in into the sour cream.
Add the sour cream mixture into the dry mixture, working it in with your hands.
Gently mix in the blueberries.  Do not over mix as the blueberries will pop and the juice will turn your dough gray.
Divide dough in half.  On a lightly floured cutting board pat each into 1/2" thick rounds. Cut each round into 6 triangles. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush each scone with half and half; sprinkle with course sugar.Bake for 24-26 minutes or until browned on the bottom and slightly browned on top.
Serve with jam, apple butter, lemon curd and/or sweetened whipped or clotted cream.

Spiced Apple Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients

2 c of fresh pumpkin puree or (1) 15oz. can
1/2 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
1/3 c pure maple syrup
2 T brown sugar
1/2 c apple cider
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T boiled cider (optional)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients into a large, heavy bottom sauce pan.  Bring to simmer on medium-low heat; then reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes or until liquid is reduced and mixture turns dark.  If a smoother consistency is preferred, use an emulsion blender or a regular blender and process until desired consistency.  Divide among 2 jars and secure the lids.  Bring to room temperature before refrigerating.