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Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Jackie Dodd-Mallory

Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream

There are two ways to look at this.

It’s either the summer death rattle manifesting itself in an ice cream during the first week of fall, or it’s the nexus of the best of summer treats and the best of fall beers joining forces at the perfect moment.

For this, I used Bison Chocolate Stout. Rich, dark and beautiful. Although I did try and hold out for the Stone Chocolate Mint Stout that I’ve been teased with for months now, I may have to give this recipe another try when the red tape is lifted and the world is able to indulge in that.

I also used Green & Blacks Mint Dark Chocolate, adding a smooth peppermint flavor.

Resulting in a rich, smooth ice cream that’s like a Girl Scout Thin Mint, but with beer. And, that’s really what those cookies need: beer.

 

 

Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chocolate stout or chocolate mint stout
  • 7 ounces of 60% dark chocolate with peppermint oil such as Dark Chocolate Mint from Green & Blacks, broken into chunks
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 1/4 cup white sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a pot over medium high heat, add the cream, milk, mint leaves cream and stout. Bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, remove and discard mint leaves, and stir in the chocolate until melted.
  • In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks and the sugar, whisk until well combined. Slowly add the chocolate milk, whisking continually, until about 1/2 the mixture has been added to the egg yolks. Add the egg yolk mixture back into pot, whisk until well combined. Return pot to heat and bring to a mild simmer.
  • Refrigerator until chilled, about 3 hours.
  • Churn in ice cream maker according to manufactures directions. Chill until firm.

 

 

 

Green & Blacks provided me with a sample of chocolates used in this post. I was not monetarily compensated for this recipe. All thoughts, opinions and ideas are my own. 

Jalapeno Bacon Dip

This is a Game Day win.

Maybe it’s cliche but my favorite part of game day parties is the food. And the socialization.

I understand football, don’t get me wrong. I played powder puff in college at the Free Safety position, I even made a girl cry once. But that’s on her, if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the end zone.

It’s just that my attention span is pretty short when it comes to things I have no emotional investment in the outcome.

But I do love being at the house of true fans, which give me some emotional investment in their team winning. I’ll root for your team, and bring you some bacon dip, as long as your team isn’t playing The Seahawks. Because if I root against The Seahawks, I might wake up a single woman the next day.

Jalapeno Bacon Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 fresh jalapenos
  • 16 ounces cream cheese
  • 6 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup divided
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Cut the stems off the jalapenos.
  3. Since the seeds of the jalapenos contain most of the heat, you can adjust the heat level of your dip depending on how many seeds you leave in. For a mild dip, remove them all, for an extra spicy dip, leave them all in. I removed the seeds from one pepper and left the seeds from the other. The dip was perfect heat level for some, but too spicy for others. I would recommend removing at least half of the seeds to serve to a large group.
  4. Chop the peppers.
  5. In a food processor add the chopped jalapenos (with the amount of seeds you want), cream cheese, 1 cup parmesan, sour cream, bacon (reserve a few tbs for a garnish on top), smoked paprika, and garlic powder and process until well combined.
  6. Pour into a baking dish. Garnish with remaining cheese and bacon.
  7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  8. Serve warm.

 

 

 

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

 

When it seems like your entire life revolves around a food blog, small things make you really excited.

Like making homemade tortillas with beer and realizing how much better they are than any other tortilla you’ve ever had.

Or getting a shout out from The Cooking Channel as if they knew just how to fuel your obsession with them.

Or realizing that because Foster Farms is willing to fly you into Napa a few days early for the National Cook-Off Finals, you get to visit the following breweries: Laguanitas, Russian River, and Bear Republic.

And then your Aunt tells you that your Grandma and Guy Fieri’s Grandma where roommates in college, which sounds like a Mad Lib, but turns out to be true.

Small wins that make me so excited, you’d think I won a Beer Cooking Oscar. This is what keeps us playing the Man Behind the Curtain on these little blogs we are so dedicated to. Bloggers are easily excitable, which maybe why we spend so much time on the other side of these computer. Sometimes our excitement isn’t fit for public consumption.

Back to these tortillas. Homemade tortillas are a completely different animal from those cardboard disks they sell in supermarkets. Soft, slightly sweet, and they only take 5 minutes to make. To use a beer analogy fit for an SAT exam:

Coors Light is to Pliny as Store Bought Tortillas are to Homemade Tortillas

I’m not kidding, that much different. If you don’t believe me, and really, why should you, I’m just the overly excited girl behind the screen, try it and report back. I really think you’ll be amazed.

For this recipe, I used Lagunaitas IPA. And like I’ve mentioned before, IPA’s give you a huge punch of beer flavor. If you want a milder beer flavor, grab a traditional Pale Ale, a Blonde or a Wheat Beer.

 

 

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

Ingredients
  

For the Tortillas

  • 2 cup Masa
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup room temperature beer
  • 2 Tbs melted butter or olive oil

For the Chicken

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup beer

Recommended Garnishes

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 avocado chopped

Instructions
 

  • Chop Chicken thighs into small, bite sized pieces. In a bowl, place all spices and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
  • Heat olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the pieces and sear quickly. Reduce heat, add beer, cover and cook until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, add the Masa and the salt, stir to combine.
  • Add the beer and butter, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa.
  • Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
  • Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
  • Press, rotate and press again until thin.
  • Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
  • Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.
  • Fill tortillas with chicken, garnish and serve.

 

 

Cheesy Potato Pancakes with Jalapeno Sour Cream

I like to throw parties, invite people over and make them feel at home. I like to make more than enough food, and for everyone to leave very full and with a take away bag of goodies. But the last time I had a little gathering at Casa De Dodd, I had overlooked my Gluten Free friends. I had remembered the vegetarians, and the vegans, the people who don’t drink beer, but for the ones who are allergic to gluten there wasn’t much. I felt terrible.

Gluten Free isn’t a fad diet. It isn’t Paleo or Raw or Weight Watchers. It isn’t a choice. It’s a medical condition and a food allergy  that is one of the fasted growing diagnosed food allergies in the United States.

Gluten Free (Celiac’s Disease) people don’t want to give up bread. And regular pizza, or hamburger buns and flour tortillas, they don’t have much of a choice. Eat gluten free or become debilitatingly ill. Have you ever had food poisoning? In away, it’s like that.

And with over 3 million American’s allergic to gluten, chances are your next party may have one. It might even be you, Celiacs is most often diagnosed in adulthood. Because we want everyone who walks into our parties to feel at home, we all need to have a stock pile of appetizers to accommodate. Because unlike other diets, this isn’t a choice.

Because gluten is used as a thickener in tons of processed foods, it can easily hid in obscure places like canned soup, pre-made salad dressing, imitation crab, cheese spread and some brands of soy sauce.

At each party I need to have a few Celiac Friendly dishes that I made from scratch so that I can be sure there isn’t any rogue gluten waiting like a digestive ninja to attach my friends insides. Potatoes are a great place to start. Because who doesn’t love potatoes? It’s like not liking puppies or The Beatles.

So when you come across Gluten Free appetizers and dishes that you love, bookmark for them for gatherings. Because your friends would do it for you.

Cheesy Potato Pancakes with Jalapeno Sour Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red potatoes, grated with a cheese grater
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs masa (corn flour used to make corn tortillas)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (if using pre shredded, check to make sure it does not contain gluten)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 jalapeno, diced, stem and seeds removed
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Place grated potatoes between several sheets of paper towels, press to remove some of the moisture. In a bowl, combine the grated potato, egg, masa, salt, pepper, cayenne and onion powder, mix until combined.
  2. Heat olive oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Form potatoes into silver dollar sized pancakes about 1/4 inch thick. Add to the pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes, then flip pancake. Top the pancakes with a small amount of cheddar cheese, cook until cheese is melted and underside of the pancake is browned, about an additional 3 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to drain on a paper towel.
  3. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, jalapenos and smoked paprika, mix. Top the potato pancakes with sour cream. Serve warm.

 

Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

 

I have a confession to make. Before starting this blog, I tried to make beer cheese soup and failed. I was baffled, at first, but figured out that a combination of my lack of patience (manifesting itself in my cheese dumping rather than slow adding) and a furious boil, resulted in a sloppy mess.

Second confession of the day (just call yourself a priest, and I’ll say a few Hail Mary’s on my way out) is that even though I love this recipe, I think I may love the photos more. Because right after I took them I was reminded via ping of my first post and how on their best day, those photos are hideously below average. I’ve worked really hard to bring my photography up to an acceptable standard and these photos reminded me of how my work is paying off.

Third confession, I won a state-wide Cook-Off on Friday. Ok, not really a confession, but I’m excited, so I thought I would share.

Fourth confession, I still have  a crush on Luke Perry. And Val Kilmer’s character in Real Genius. Looks like I went one confession too far.

Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

Note: Cheese sauce separates easily if the mixture is brought to a boil, or if pre shredded cheese is used. If the mixture does separates, try to puree the cheese sauce with a hand blender before you add the noodles.

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeno stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tbs corn starch
  • 12 ounces Hefeweizen
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese thinly grated, don't use pre shredded
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni noodles

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and jalapenos, cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the butter stir until melted.
  • Sprinkle the flour and corn starch on top of the melted butter and whisk until combined.
  • Add the beer, broth and cream bring to a low simmer.
  • 1/4 a cup at at time, add the cheese and stir until completely melted before adding more (do not boil or cheese will separate). Repeat until all the cheese is incorporated into the soup.
  • Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and stir to combine.
  • Add the macaroni noodles and cook until noodles are al dente.
  • Add additional beer or broth to thin to desired consistency.

Cucumber Cups Stuffed With Goat Cheese Caprese

 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

On Friday I fought a culinary chicken battle that ended with a giant foam core check with my name on it. This was my second attempt to win the Semi-Finals of the Foster Farms Chicken Cook Off, last year wasn’t my year. But this year, I won a giant check, a trip to Napa, the opportunity to cook at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (my favorite prize so far) and the chance to grab another Giant Check worth ten grand.

I’m so excited. Not just because the other dishes I was competing against were incredible and each worthy of their own Big Check, but because, in a way, this Big Check (that currently sits on my bar, in all it’s 4 foot long splendor) serves as a validation for what I do. I’m good at this! See, look, other people picked my recipe out of thousands of other ones!

Maybe that seems silly, I create 3 to 5 recipes a week, post them for you and you seem to like them. You send me emails and post comments telling me that you liked my little creations. That should be enough, right?

But for some reason, that Big Check gave me tangible evidence that my recipes are good. Other people, who don’t even know who wrote that recipe, liked it.

Maybe I have a future here.

;

For this, I’m resurrecting and re-creating one of my most popular posts.

I love these little cucumber cups, so easy, so versatile, the perfect thing to throw together for a party. They take about 5 minutes, and they look so fancy. I used persian cucumber for these, smaller than your standard English cucumbers and the skin is so thin, there is no need to peel them.

Just use a small melon baller to scoop out a good portion of the middle, or use a paring knife to cut a wedge out of the middle and you can fill them with just about anything.

Cucumber Cups Stuffed With Goat Cheese Caprese

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup balsamic
  • 4 Persian Cucubers
  • 2 oz goat cheese
  • 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
  • 3 large basil leaves, chopped
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Place balsamic in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook until reduced by half (you can also by pre-reduced balsamic, called balsamic glaze, in the market near the balsamic vinegar).
  2. Cut the cucubmbers into 1 1/2 inch slices. Use a melon baller to scoop out the middle, leaving the walls and bottom in tact.
  3. In a bowl, add the goat cheese, tomatoes, basil and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Fill cups with goat cheese mixture, drizzle with balsamic reduction.

 

 

Beer & Bacon Pecan Bars

 

 

Clearly, I’m ready for fall. And in Los Angeles, that just means that Dodgers games are starting to end and I get to wear a light sweater. If I feel like it. Oh, and fall produce. If I haven’t mentioned to you before my favorite part of living in Southern California, its this: Farmers Markets.

This Golden State that I live in grows half of all the produce grown in the United States (that’s a lot) and we get to have Farmers Markets nearly every day of the year. And although mid-rant I realize that this post doesn’t even contain any produce, it does contain those fabulous flavors of fall. With bacon. And beer. And fall farmers markets are my favorite. No matter what day of the week, somewhere in Los Angeles there is a Farmers Market in which I can unnecessarily bundle up and walk from stall to stall with a cup of coffee buying local vegetables in the "chilly" mid 60 degree weather.

Pecan pie will always remind me of fall and for nearly a year I’ve wondered what it would be like to add bacon. And of course, beer.

Turns out, these are the best damn pecan pie bars I’ve ever had.

 

Beer & Bacon Pecan Bars

Ingredients
  

For The Crust:

  • 1 stick plus 2 tbs 10 tbs unsalted butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs water

For the Filling

  • 1 cup stout
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 cups chopped pecan
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 strips of bacon cooked and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • In a food processor add the flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and salt, pulse to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the food processor. Process until butter is incorporated into the flour mixture. Add the water and process to combine. Add additional water, 1 tsp at a time if there is flour that still hasn't been dampened.
  • line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (this will make it easier to remove from the pan) and dump the shortbread into the pan. Press into the bottom of the baking pan in one even layer.
  • Bake at 350 for 12 minutes of until a light golden brown. Allow to cool before adding the filling or the crust and filling will mesh together.
  • In a pot over medium high heat, add the stout, cook until reduced by half. Add the butter and stir until melted, remove from heat. Add the sugar, pecans, cream, corn syrup and stir until melted. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the eggs and stir until combined.
  • Pour the filling over the crust, sprinkle with cooked bacon and bake at 350 until the filling no longer jiggles when you gently shake the pan, about 25-30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Compost Toffee

There is this bakery in New York called Momofuku Milk Bar that sells baked goods so perfect, they defies the laws of baking. They have this incredibly popular Compost Cookie recipe that people line up to buy fresh out of the oven.

And I’ve been missing New York a lot lately, and the time I used to spend there, before I was a mom. I miss the roof top parties, the back stage passes, the music festivals, the rock shows, chatting with celebrities, chefs tastings, my single friends with fascinating careers, and epic dinners that lasted all night.

Which might be why I wanted to a little piece of the NYC I miss, turned into a toffee.

But then last night I got to do something even better than all those night in New York during my 20-something life. I ran around the back yard playing "I’m gonna get you" with my little girl, while my husband volunteered to do the dishes, and then my daughter curled up in my lap to eat rasins and watch Sesame Street.

No passes, no list, no plane tickets.

As much as those pre-mom nights had a higher marquee  value, this is the good stuff. This is what I’ll miss when I’m old, and even my grandkids have babies.

I loved my 20’s, and I’m glad I was able to run around the world with my husband, but now I’m glad to run around the back yard with my daughter.

And if all I have left of New York is memories and cookies I turn into toffee, I’m ok with that. Because it all comes down to my life’s motto: Figure out what is great about the situation you are in and enjoy the crap out of it. 

Compost Toffee

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 2 tbs water
  • 2 cup 60% dark chocolate
  • 1/4 cup pretzels, smashed
  • 1/4 cup potato chips, smashed
  • 2 tbs butterscotch chips
  • 2 standard sized graham crackers, smashed

Instructions

  1. In a large pot over high heat add the butter (make sure to use a large pot) and stir until melted. Clip a candy thermometer onto the edge of the pot, add both types of sugars, corn syrup and water. Stir continuously until it turns an amber color and hits 300 degrees. This process will take between 15 and 20 minutes from start to finish. pour onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat. Allow to cool.
  2. Add the chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until chocolate is melted. Pour over the toffee and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining ingredients evenly over the warm chocolate. Allow to cool until set.
  3. Cut into pieces.

 

Chili Beer Chicken Wings

 

 

Last Friday I was able to visit the Los Angeles CBS studios. They even let me do a cooking segment. Originally slotted for 4 to 5 minutes, the loved me so much, they let me run to 6 1/2 minutes. Aren’t they great?

A few questions threw me off, "Were you in a sorority?" and "What IS craft beer?"

The first, I’m ok with dismissing, but the second left me to wonder. If you have to define Craft Beer in one sentence to someone who knows nothing about beer beyond the college Greek System drinking games, how would you do that? It seems like everyone has different definitions, some focusing on the size of the brewery, or the quality of the ingredients or the breweries funding source or even if the company is publicly trader. But what about the beer? What makes if truly craft? You could write entire books trying to answer that one question.

What is "craft beer"?

If you have a quick, one sentence answer for me, I’d love to hear it.

But in the meantime, I’m going to introduce you to a beer that was perfect for my sort of sweet, fairly spicy, beer infused chicken wings that are sort of perfect for the beginning of football season.

Dogfish Head, Festina Peche is brewed with peaches (not an extract) that feeds the yeast so the peach flavors are pervasive. Not a beer for everyone, it tends to be a bit polarizing, but an excellent example of a well done Berliner Weisse fermented with peaches. It is also an excellent beer for this recipe.

Chili Beer Chicken Wings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 lbs chicken wings and drumsticks
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup beer
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp red chili flake
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs rice wine vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425.
  • Rinse the chicken wings in cold water and dry well.
  • Sprinkle chicken on all sides with cornstarch and rub to coat.
  • In a separate bowl, add the beer, soy, honey, chili powder, garlic powder, red chili flake, salt, and vinegar, stirring well to combine. Add the chicken, toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for ten to twenty minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • Remove the chicken from marinade and arrange wings on the baking sheet and bake at 425 for ten minutes.
  • While the chicken is baking, add the remaining marinade to a pot over medium high heat, stiring frequently, reduce until thickened and syrupy, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Once the marinade has reduced, remove the chicken from the oven and brush with the thickened marinade, turn them over, brush with marinade on the other side.
  • Return to the oven and allow to cook for an additional ten minutes, basting again.
  • Allow chicken to bake until cooked through, an additional 10-15 minutes.
  • (Note: the total cooking time for the chicken will be approximately 25-35 minutes, requiring basting every ten minutes)

 

 

Coconut Cornmeal Shrimp With Jalapeno Peach Jam

 

I’ve had a busy week, and my body has decided to request that I slow down.

On Friday, I was asked to do a cooking segment on CBS news in Los Angeles. I’ve spent the week preparing. My husband helped me run through the segment in the evenings, and for an entire week my drive home consisted of me practicing my talking points, out loud, looking like a crazy person, on an LA freeway. It  all seemed to work, the segment went well:

The Beeroness Cooks on CBS

 As soon as I started my drive home from the studio, I started to crash. The next morning I lay in bed as my incredible husband got up with Tater, and I was able to sleep until the late, late hour of 8:45. In Mom Time, that’s pretty close to sleeping until noon. As I lay in bed, trying to pull myself together and trick myself into thinking I’m not actually sick, I watched this, this and this, and laughed so hard I think it worked. Maybe it’s true what they say about laughter and that whole "Best Medicine" thing.

And on Thursday I leave for the Foster Farms Cook-Off. I’ll be competing against 4 other cooks for $1,000 and a trip to Napa for the Cook Off Finals with a prize of $10,000.

Wish me luck! I’ll be posting on twitter and instagram as the contest goes along.

And now, the recipe. I bought a huge bag of Masa to make corn tortillas with, and if you have never made corn tortillas, you really, really need to . They’re so good, nothing like those cardboard disks they sell at the store, and they take about 5 minutes. The flavor is so good, I’ve been throwing the corn flour into everything, I’m totally in love with it. And the Jalapeno Peach Jam I also used on pork chops. So Good.

Coconut Cornmeal Shrimp With Jalapeno Peach Jam

Ingredients

For The Jam:

  • 3 cups peaches, skin removed, chopped
  • 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, diced
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

For The Shrimp:

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 lbs raw shrimp, shell and tail removed
  • 1 cup Masa Harina
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup oil

Instructions

  1. Add the raw shrimp and coconut milk to a bowl. Chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes while you make the jam.
  2. In a pot over medium high heat, add all of the jam ingredients. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer (not boil) until thick, and the peaches have broken down, about 45 minutes. Smash peached with a potato masher until a jam like consistency is reached. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. In a bowl, combine the masa, coconut, salt, pepper and pinch cayenne. One at a time, remove the shrimp from the coconut milk and allow to drain a bit before adding to the cornmeal mixture. Coat the shrimp well in the corn meal mixture.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
  5. Remove from heat. You can either top the shrimp with the jam or serve the jam as a dipping sauce.

 

 

Beer Soaked Apple Pie With Cheddar Beer Crust

When it comes to baking, I’m always intrigued by a new spin on an old favorite. Not to say that I don’t fully appreciate the simplicity and beauty of a perfect and well done classic recipe.  I’ll never tire of a traditional, straight forward apple pie with a huge scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

But I was introduced to the pure magic of a cheddar pie crust as an encasement for a traditional apple pie, by Kelly of Evil Shenanigans. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I want to beer-ify (it’s a word) that perfect pie. Kelly’s cookbook, Not So Humble Pies is all about how to take that sweet little pie you’ve always loved and turn it into something they’ll never forget.

She even agreed to let me post my modified and beer-ified version of the crust that’s in her book. Maybe because she watched me greedily inhale two pieces of her pie in record time and was afraid of my possible reaction to not having said pie in my life any longer.

Here is my beer version of an apple pie with a cheddar crust. Which served as dessert, then breakfast the following day, then dinner.

It’s pretty versatile.

 

 

Beer Soaked Apple Pie With Cheddar Beer Crust

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6-8 tbs beer pale ale, or wheat beer work best
  • 2 tbs melted butter to brush on prior to baking

Filling:

  • 7 cups Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and sliced (Granny Smith are the only apples that will not turn mushy during this process)
  • 16 oz pale ale or wheat beer
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp corn starch

Instructions
 

  • Combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor, pulse a few times until its combined. Add the butter and process until well combined, about 2 minutes.Add the remaining flour and process until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  • Move to a bowl and add the cheese and 6 tbs beer, mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix. If the dough is too dry, add more beer until the right consistency is reached.
  • Split into two equal sized portions and form into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, about two hours. Because this dough is so soft, it is very important for the pie dough to be very cold and very firm.
  • Place the apples, lemon juice and 16 ounces of beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours. If the apples are not fully submerged, toss every half hour to redistribute. Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain and dry for about 30 minutes, or until fully dry.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Add the apples and the remaining filling ingredients to a bowl and toss to coat.
  • On a well floured surface, place one of the disks, add flour to the top of the disk as well.
  • Roll out into an even thickness. Marble rolling pins are very cold and don’t disrupt the fat inside the dough, making them an excellent choice for rolling pie dough. When you place your dough in the fridge to chill, add your marble rolling pin as well, allowing it to chill.
  • Add you pie dough to a pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess. Add the filling.
  • Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie. Press the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edges, cut holes to vent steam.
  • Brush with 2 tbs melted butter.
  • Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cover the edges with foil of the edge starts to brown too quickly.

Crust adapted from Not So Humble Pies, Kelly Jaggers

Brownie Waffles

I can’t decide if I’ve been obsessed with Dessert for Breakfast or if it’s really an obsession with Breakfast for Dessert.

 

Well, you say, it depends on what time of day said meal is being consumed. Although if this dessert/breakfast hybrid is eating all day long, the lines get a little blurred.

Now that I’ve shared with you my Pecan Pie French Toast, and Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes now I throw these Brownie Waffles at you.

I figured out that although I eat pretty well most of the week, I let myself eat whatever I want at my Saturday morning breakfast, making me want to get the most bang for my bite. Hence, breakfast and dessert crammed into one plate. I hope you don’t mind too much.

And if you want to get craaaazy, go ahead and top this with vanilla ice cream. And sprinkle it with bacon. But make sure and invite me over.

Brownie Waffles

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk (divided in half)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, divided
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications.
  2. Get out three bowls.
  3. In the largest bowl, add the flour, baking powder,cocoa powder, and salt, stir.
  4. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup milk. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Add the remaining milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and only the yolks of the two eggs.
  5. Add the whites to the third bowl, along with the sugar. Whip with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
  6. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the chocolate milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold into the egg whites until just incorporated.
  7. Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications, using butter flavored cooking spray if indicated.
  8. And I recommend topping with whipped cream, or ice cream, or frosting, or chocolate chips, or all of it.

Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

 

If you live in the Los Angeles area, I’m going to need you to do me a favor. I’ve somehow been booked on CBS, Los Angeles mid-day news with a cooking segment this Friday, August 31st. They want me to do a quick Cooking With Beer segment on the news at noon. People will be hungry, naturally, it is lunch time, and my hope is that this will persuade them to ignore any brief moments of nervousness that I have.

But If you could tune in, and support me, that would be great. I’m not really nervous, I keep waiting for that to set in, but it hasn’t yet. When it does, I would love to know that people who have been visiting me here on this little blog for the past year are out there cheering me on.

That would be great.

In the meantime we’re going to make some cookies. These call for the classic Beer Nuts, which I found myself in possession of after a particularly round night of cards at my house. Several bags of Beer Nuts left by an anonymous donor.  And I can’t just leave them in my pantry, I need to find a use for them.

We are also going to revisit that crazy idea I have of making beer extract. Because vanilla is just too…well, vanilla.

 

Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup stout beer
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips 60%
  • 3 oz bag Beer Nuts

(Makes 10-12 cookies)

    Instructions
     

    • In a pot over medium high heat add the beer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 tbs.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both types of sugar, beat until well creamed. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the 1 tbs of beer extract and beat until well combined, scraping the bottom to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
    • In a sperate bowl, add both types of flour (these two types of flour are very important to the end result of your cookies, regular all purpose flour will not give you the same results), cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix on medium/low speed until just barely combined, don't over mix. Add the chocolate chips and Beer Nuts, and stir until incorporated.
    • Resting the dough is an important step in this recipe. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop golfball sized scoops of dough, roll them into round balls and place on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • Bake for 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown, don't over bake. (If you don't chill the dough, or if you make smaller sized cookies, the cooking time will be much shorter. Start to keep an eye on your cookies after about 14 minutes).

     

    Panko Pork Chops With Jalapeno Peach Jam

    My two-year old has started to name her stuffed animals.

    While the majority of two-year olds default to naming stuffed animals after physical attributes (Spot, Stripes, Blackie, Snowy), Tater has decided, all on her own, on the following names for her 5 favorite stuffed animals, who she collectively refers to as her "Pals:"

    Dobies, Rocket, Stewie, Sam and Zach

    I have no idea where these names came from and to my knowledge she knows no one by those names. I’m constantly impressed by her and inspired to push the boundaries of my own creativity. Because if she has already started to eclipse the limits of my own ability to innovate what will I have to offer her in the years to come?

    While Tater and Stewie (the bear) helped me make these pork chops I needed to add something new. I dug out some peaches and made a little jam with some jalapeno.

    Not as creative as a two-year old naming Pillow Pet "Dobies", but pretty tasty and I’ll have to work on upping my game so I’m not out crafted by my offspring, who requested "Chocolate Bacon Pancakes" for breakfast on Saturday morning.

    Panko Pork Chops With Jalapeno Peach Jam

    Ingredients

    For The Jam:

    • 3 cups peaches, skin removed, chopped
    • 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, diced
    • 1 tsp cornstarch

    For The Pork Chops:

    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup Almond Milk (can use regular whole or 2% milk cow’s milk)
    • 4 Boneless Pork Loin Chops
    • 1 tsp salt, plus one tsp salt, divided
    • 1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • pinch cayenne
    • 1/4 cup oil

    Instructions

    1. In a pot over medium high heat, add all of the jam ingredients. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer (not boil) until thick, and the peaches have broken down, about 45 minutes. Smash peached with a potato masher until a jam like consistency is reached. Remove from heat and set aside.
    2. In a bowl, combine the milk and egg, beat well. Sprinkle the pork chops on all sides with salt and add to the milk mixture. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for one hour.
    3. In a bowl mix the bread crumbs, remaining 1 tsp salt, pepper, and pinch cayenne. Remove the chops from the milk mixture, allowing excess milk to drain off. One at a time add to the bread crumbs and toss to coat.
    4. In a skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat (not too hot or the bread crumbs will burn). Add the Panko coated chops to the pan and replace the lid. Cook until the underside is golden brown, about 4 minutes, carefully turn the chops and replace the lid, allow to cook until cooked through but still moist in the center, about 4 additional minutes.
    5. Serve the pork chops topped with the jam.

      This jam can also be used as a dipping sauce for Coconut Cornmeal Shrimp!

    Smoked Olive Oil Rosemary Shrimp & A Smoker Giveaway

     

     

     

     

    This is by far my favorite giveaway I’ve ever been a part of.

     

    I’ve secretly always wanted a smoker. Such unique flavors and no real way to get that without very specific culinary equipment. But the smokers I have always come across are so large, bulky and intimidating. Including those that my Step Dad seemed to fashion on a regular basis out of abandoned aluminum items such as non-working refrigerators and ancient gym lockers.

     

    I didn’t really want one of those eyesore monstrosities just hanging around my back yard. Clearly there was some adolescent trauma involved in my hesitation to purchase a smoker.

     

    And then I get an email from those wonderful people over at Big Kitchen, with tales of a stovetop smoker that I can store in my pantry.  They even wanted to give it to me, and give one to you. Of course, I said something along the lines of Hell Yes.

     

    This is a fantastic option for those of you who want those great flavors of smoke without a gigantic metal object taking up residence in a remote corner of your yard.

     

    And if you win, you can walk around your kitchen thinking, “I wonder if I can smoke that?” as you slowly realize what it must be like to live in Snoop Dogs head. Sort of.

     

    As a girl who is constantly striving to fit into skinny jeans, I also feel compelled to point out that this little sucker crams an enormous amount of flavor into any food without adding a single calorie. And in most instances, it removes calories by rendering fat from meat. So much win.

    It’s also simple to use.

     

    Step 1: Place the base of the smoker on top of a stove burner, and add a few table spoons of woodchips in the middle of the base of the smoker

     

     

     

    Step 2: add the drip try right on top of the pile of wood chips.

     

    Step 3: Spray the wire rack with cooking spray and add to the top of the drip tray. Add the food to the wire rack.

     

    Step 4: Slide the lid onto the smoker leaving a small vent. Turn the burner to medium heat (don’t turn it too high).

     

    Step 5: once you start to see the first slight whips of smoke (about 2 minutes) use oven mitts to close the lid and start the cooking time.

     

    A few things to remember while smoking food indoors:

    • Be realistic about the fact that you are using a smoker indoors, the smell will invade your house. But it seemed to dissipate in a few hours.  Run your hood fan on high while smoking.
    • This gets blazing hot. Keep the hands of tiny humans far far away from this thing.
    • Although this stovetop smoker was a bit smaller than I had expected, the instructions show you how to easily modify the unit to accommodate larger items, like a turkey. You can smoke a TURKEY in this thing! (Get ready for a very smoky Thanksgiving)
    • You can even use this on your regular grill alongside your burgers and hot dogs.

    Smoked Olive Oil & Rosemary Shrimp

     

    ¼ cup olive oil

    1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

    pinch of salt

    ½ tsp pepper

    14 large raw shrimp, peeled

    7, 6 inch wood skewers

     

    2tbs Alder wood chips

     

    In a bowl combine the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and allow to marinate for 5 minutes Remove from marinade and add two shrimp to each skewer.

    Smoke over alder wood chips using the above instructions for 15 minutes.

     

     

     

    Giveaway details:

     

    One Cameron Stovetop Smoker from Big Kitchen, shipped to USA addresses only.

     

     

    5 ways to enter,

    You do not have to do all five. Each one gets you a separate entry.

     

     

    1. Leave a comment of any sort.
    2. Follow me on twitter @domesticfits and leave a comment saying you did so
    3. Like Domestic Fits on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so
    4. Follow Big Kitchen on twitter @BigKitchenStore and leave a comment saying you did so
    5. Like Big Kitchen on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so

     

     

    Contest closes Thursday, August 30th. Winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

     

    We have a winner! Congrats to Meredith #59!

    Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

    There are some great elements in this world we live in that we beg the universe to some how bring together.

    Like a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series

    Or an episode of The Office directed by Christopher Guest

    Or Trey Parker have complete creative control over The White House Holiday Card

    Or a reality show hybrid of The Bachelor and Fear Factor

    Even though I have to come to terms with the fact that those things will sadly never exist, I can meld brown butter and beer cheese into the greatest of all grilled cheese sandwiches. It won’t have the cultural repercussions of any of the above unions, but it is the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Too bad I didn’t have the forethought, or the consumptive restraint, to create a beer tomato soup to go along for the journey.

    Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 oz cream cheese
    • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
    • 1 tsp cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup Pale Ale
    • 4 oz cheddar
    • 8 slices bread
    • 4 tbs butter

    Instructions
     

    • In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cornstarch and beer. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the beer cheese generously onto 4 slices of bread. Top with about 2 tbs of cheddar and then top with a clean slice of bread.
    • In a skillet with a lid melt the butter over medium heat (don't allow the butter to get too hot or it will burn) until just starting to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the sandwiches, and replace the lid allowing the sandwiches to steam in the pan until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, replace the lid and allow to cook until the other side is a light golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 additional minutes.

     You can also use the pre-oven beer cheese from my Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip.

     

    Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

    I’ve spent all day with an internal struggle about the limits of my acceptance of other people. Probably a much too serious intro for a post about pancakes, but bear with me, you might have some insight I could really use.

    I’ve always prided myself on being a person who is able to see people for who they are, in the context of their own culture and life experiences and find beauty, talent and value without the qualification and framework of my own situation.

    Whether it be a trailer park in South Central Los Angeles, a cave in Morocco, or a bus bench in Greece I’ve always been able to do that. Easily.

    But today I was challenge with a though: what about hateful, small-minded, bigoted people?

    What about racists?

    The homophobic?

    Are those people I should love and keep in my life?

    I had an interaction with someone who left me wondering about my assertion that I have the anthropological capacity to care about other people regardless of who they are, what their beliefs or culture dictates, without judgement.

    Can I judge someone merely for judging others? Isn’t that the epitome of hypocritical?

    Isn’t the greater definition of open-minded and open-hearted to love those who are a challenge to love? I do believe that there is good in everyone. But is it worth it to try to dig past the hate and anger of a racist or homophobic friend or family member, or is that level of toxicity a fundamental deal breaker?

    If you have some insight, let me know. For now I will proceed with caution, because the bottom line is I want to love everyone. I don’t want anyone, or any group of people, to be designated as a group I should hate. Because hate just breeds more hate.

    Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup flour
    • 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 3 tbs brown sugar
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1 egg
    • 1 1/4 cup milk (use coconut milk for dairy free, this is what I used)
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/3 cup raisins (plus more for garnish)

    Instructions

    1. In a bowl add the flour, oats, salt, brown sugar, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix until well combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the milk, egg and vanilla, stir until just combined. Add the raisins and stir.
    2. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat, coat with cooking spray.
    3. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the hot griddle. Cook until dry on the edges and bubbles start to form in the center. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes.

    (Yield: 6-8 pancakes)

    IPA Ceviche

     

    As summer nears it’s inevitable end, it’s not the weather that I’ll miss the most. In fact the leather boots and chunky sweaters of colder days are starting to beckon. The produce, back yard grills, the smell of life and food floating on a late afternoon breeze will be lost in the dawning of fall.

    This isn’t a recipe about avoiding the oven, or  grumbles of triple digit heat, it’s about enjoying August produce, paired with those Summer release beers and spending as much time as you can in the open air before we’re all forced to head inside, cook with squash, and drink stouts. Which I am already looking forward to.

    IPA Ceviche

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon
    • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
    • 1 1/2 lb raw shrimp shell & tail removed, chopped
    • 1/2 cup IPA Beer
    • 1 yellow onion diced
    • 3 cups tomatoes diced
    • 1 large jalapeno diced, stem and seeds removed
    • 1/2 cup cilantro
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp red pepper sauce such as Sriracha

    Instructions
     

    • Add the lemon/lime juice and raw shrimp to a small bowl. (Shrimp will "cook" in the juice as it marinates.)
    • Mix beer, onion, tomato, and jalapeño in a large bowl, allow to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
    • Drain the vegetables and return to large bowl.
    • Once the shrimp have "cooked," drain and add them to the large bowl along with the salt and pepper sauce, toss to combine.
    • Serve cold with corn chips.