Milk Punch for Christmas

Almost three years ago, our daughter married a great young man from Atlanta.We have learned much about the "South" since this union, it has been great fun.

We had the two of them here for a Christmas Celebration this year and they brought with them the magazine "Garden and Gun". I was looking for a Traditional Christmas Punch, but I do not like Eggnog due to the raw eggs, but as luck as it we came across an article about Martha Foose's Milk Punch.

Being good Kentuckians we love Bourbon so we gave this punch a try! Well, it was wonderful and lightened up the cooking and celebration greatly! We all highly recommend this festive drink.

Thanks Martha Foose.

Matha Foose's Milk Punch
(serves 1)
1 1/2 ounces good bourbon or brandy
2 ounces half and half
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
drop of vanilla extract
Ice cubes
Freshly grated nutmeg

Combine the bourbon, half and half, sugar, and vanilla in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly until the mixture is cold and frothy. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with a grating of nutmeg.

I actually had my son in law make this in batches and put it in my Mother's antique punch bowl. We served it in the bright red fosteria glasses that I saved from my Mom's yard sale pile.
It was so festive. I think this will be a Christmas Tradition in our house.

**Recipe from "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea"

Some Sage Advice

I loved cooking for two Christmas Celebrations.... but the best thing of all was that we still had fresh herbs in the garden. I made this appetizer with sage that was so popular! I used the regular garden sage, the size of the leaf was perfect!

Apricot Bites

Take a large dried apricot, place a small age leaf on it and wrap the apricot and sage leaf with a strip of bacon. Place this on a baking sheet and cook for about 12 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

Serve immediately!

Anniversary Trip

For our 35th Wedding Anniversary and my husband's 58th birthday,I planned a mystery trip for him. He had no idea where we were going. It was great fun. We ended up on the Island of Eleuthera, one of the outer Islands of the Bahamas. Well..it was amazing. The beaches were the best I have ever seen and I found conchs. I have been searching for this shell for years and I found them on the beach on my Mom's 91st Birthday! More to come on this trip but for now here is the recipe of the fruits of our labors!! My husband loved this salad.

BAHAMIAN STYLE CONCH SALAD

1 (2 lb.) conch meat 15 limes, squeezed 1 large tomato, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 celery stalk, diced 1 large onion, chopped salt and pepper cayenne pepper The best conchs are those that have been frozen in salt water. Squeeze limes and defrost the cleaned conch meat in the lime juice. Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add them to the lime juice. Chop the conchs into 1/2 inch cubes. It's easier to do this while they are still partially frozen. Return the conchs to the lime mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Taste and add salt and pepper and cayenne pepper, if needed. 1-2 hot peppers is usually enough.

Time Out

So sorry I have not blogged for a month!!! It has been wild but so much to blog about!! I am back and more committed as ever! I may work backwards on the last month!

The Biltmore

The largest house in America, the Biltmore was wonderful! We spent a whole day on the property , starting at the winery and then ending back at the winery. The tour through the house was excellent, if you go do get the audio tour,it was very well done and gave us an insight into life with the Vanderbilts. We want to come back and stay on the property. There is so much land to explore, different tours and I can not wait to see the gardens in bloom. We had a great lunch at the Stable Restaurant . I had a triple grilled cheese sandwich with pesto in between each layer, while my daughter had a delicious pizza. Her pizza was on flat bread with white cheeses, pesto, tomatoes and of course Basil.

We waited to see the lights turned on....magnificent! I cannot wait to come back.

The last day we journeyed into Asheville. What a great town. We had a great day shopping, eating and exploring. Our Thanksgiving Excursion to the Mountain Cabin was a great success!!

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS MOUNTAIN STYLE

With content hearts and tummys, we headed back up the mountain to our hideaway retreat. A major concern with having our Thanksgiving meal out was the absence of leftovers. It was decided that each family would bring a contribution from home for our "leftovers". My Son-In -Law brought a wonderful smoked turkey from a favorite BBQ spot in Georgia, while my Son brought a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon. I did not ask what that contribution was left over from. I provided the appetizers. We settled in for a long wonderful afternoon of football watching, game playing, dog loving, and hot tubing. My Daughter-In-Law's contribution of the game "Apples to Apples" was a tremendous hit. I must say it was one of the most relaxed post Thanksgiving meal days I have had in a very long time.

By far the best appetizer of the day was the light version of the Spinach-Artichoke Dip, that I had found in the Food Network Magazine. Much to my delight it had a whole cup of fresh Basil included in the recipe. We made sweet potatoes chips to use as the dippers and promptly consumed the whole dish! As we watched the sun set over the mountains, I felt a tremendous wave of gratitude for Family, Love, Good Food and yes even all the dogs accompanying us on this journey. Thank you for such a blessed life.

Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

25 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 servings

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 10-ounce bag baby spinach
• 1 cup packed fresh basil
• 3/4 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, squeezed dry and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 or 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Baked chips, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Stir the spinach and basil into the boiling water and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge in the ice water. Drain and squeeze dry, then roughly chop.

Puree the beans, cream cheese, garlic and chicken broth in a food processor until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Transfer to a medium bowl and fold in the spinach and basil, artichokes, parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Add the cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste.

Mist a deep 1-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the dip mixture in the dish and top with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with baked chips.

Per serving (1/4 cup): Calories 100; Fat 5 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 19 mg; Sodium 338 mg; Carbohydrate 7 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 6 g

Photograph by Karl Juengel/Studio

Grove Park Inn Thanksgiving Buffet

Rather than cook on the mountain, we drove into Asheville and had the luxury of attending a Thanksgiving Buffet at a very special spot! The Grove Park Inn is absolutely incredible, from it's wonderful location high on a mountain overlooking Asheville to its amazing gardens and stone facade. I love historic hotels, they provide a glimpse into the "people side" of our great history.

The Buffet had amazing food, and so festively presented. I hope you will look through the Video, if it makes you hungry, try the recipe below. I am not sure it is the same but it tasted similar. This Cheese Log was voted the favorite by the Ladies, the Guys were mixed on a fav but all agreed the Corn Pudding was to die for (I had it for my dessert!)

If you go during this time, please allow time for what looked like a time honored tradition, hanging out in the lobby. This lobby is not any lobby, from it's massive hearth and rugged stone walls, it begs you to linger. We had a Bloody Mary and joined the festivities watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, it was a wonderful mix of young and old, all thankful to be sitting in this great place with family and friends.

Pecan and Cranberry Cheese Log

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 cup)

4 ounces blue cheese (1/2 cup)

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese, optional (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (about 1 3/8 ounces)

About 3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

By hand or in a food processor, thoroughly combine cream cheese, blue cheese and feta, if using. Mix in cranberries by hand. Spoon cheese mixture onto plastic wrap; using the plastic wrap, form into a log about 8-inches long. Refrigerate until firm, then wrap in foil and freeze.

To serve: Unwrap from foil and defrost slightly in the refrigerator. Roll the log in the pecans and place on serving platter. Allow about 30 minutes for the cheese to warm to spreadable consistency before serving with crackers or crostini.

Wine pairing: Cream cheese mellows the salty, pungent bite of blue cheese. Add dried cranberries and Merlot becomes a logical pairing partner.

Makes 1 cheese log (about 8 inches by 2 1/2 inches)