Real Snow Sno-Cones

During our toddler's holiday party one of the teachers mentioned that they would be focused on snow related projects this coming week, due of course to the two weeks of snow that has accumulated. One project in particular caught my attention - Sno-cones. To that I say, "good timing" and, more importantly, "YUM!"

Our toddler has experienced sno-cones a couple of times in her short life. Once at the farmers market when she was about a year old. It was very hot that day and we all needed a refreshing treat. So, one sno-cone split three ways was just the ticket we needed to finish our shopping. The second was much more recent. A couple of weeks ago the circus came to Indy and my darling hubby took his little girl - mama was confined to the house at the time and had to miss the outing :( - and they had a terrific time. Her souvenir was a large cup in the shape of a white Bengal tiger that once held the sno-cone she and her Papi shared.

As the discussion with the teachers continued my mama bear brain kicked in and I couldn't help but think of all of the awful things that are probably in sno-cone flavorings - red dye this number, blue dye that number, high frictose corn syrup, and goodness knows what else. So, I left thinking that I could improve on the original by improving the taste while also making something more natural.

The next morning, I woke early thinking about sno-cone flavoring syrup and pancakes. So, I decided to combine my efforts. The pancakes were a slight twist on the Joy of Cooking's multi-grain pancake recipe (twist added to accommodate the contents of my pantry), a terrific pancake if you ever run across the recipe and happen to be in the mood for pancakes.

When I was little, my mother often made her own pancake syrup by making a simple syrup and adding vanilla. Were you talking to her, my friend Dina would tell you a very funny story from my early cooking efforts in which I ruined the syrup. I assure you, and her, that I've improved my technique over the years. So, I checked my stash of frozen berries and settled on raspberries.

My recipe for raspberry syrup is below. You can substitute any flavor berry you want in the recipe. I suppose you could also attempt a peach flavored syrup or something similar by cutting your fruit in small pieces and cooking it in the syrup,  but berries are by far the easiest and frozen berries make this treat available all year long. In addition to pancakes and sno-cones, you can top ice cream or other treats with the syrup.

The syrup turned out well. I made it a bit sweeter this time given the dual purpose, but you can easily cut the sugar by 1/2 cup. We had it first on our pancakes - a delish combo if I do say so myself - and even better when my darling hubby procured some fresh snow for us from the fresh batch that fell overnight. The trick to making a sno-cone, as my hubby explained to me, is packing down the snow since the crystals are much smaller than the shaved ice used in the traditional approach. And, I have to say, he's absolutely right! So, give this a try with your family. For obvious environmental reasons, I wouldn't advocate eating tons of snow from outside your backdoor, but if you happen to possess a sno-cone machine and are looking for a more natural way to flavor them, this might be an approach that you want to adopt.

Homemade Raspberry Syrup
Combine the following in a heavy bottom sauce pan

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Bring sugar and water to a low boil without stirring. You can swirl the pan a couple of times if needed, but do not stir with a spoon or other implement. When the syrup has come to a low boil, add one 8-10 oz. package frozen raspberries without syrup - thawed or still frozen, either is fine. Stir to combine. Allow the syrup to come to a boil a second time and allow to boil for approximately 5 minutes so that syrup forms and fruit infuses its flavor into the syrup.

Remove syrup from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Syrup is very hot and will cause a bad burn if it touches your skin.

Once syrup has cooled for 10 minutes, pour syrup through a strainer set over a heat proof bowl or a large  heat proof glass measuring cup. Push any remaining syrup through the fruit in the strainer to separate all syrup from the fruit pulp. Discard pulp. Allow syrup to continue to cool to room temperature. Transfer syrup to a squeeze bottle - I used a left over aguave syrup squeeze bottle. Any other clean squeeze bottle will work.


Real Snow Sno-cone

• 1 Dixie type cup for each sno-cone
• 1 bowl freshly fallen snow (metal is best for retaining the chill on the snow)
• 1 small ice cream or baking scoop for filling the cups
• 1 small metal spoon for packing the snow into the cup
• Sno-cone syrup in squeeze bottle

Fill a cup with scoops of snow until full. Using the small metal spoon, pack down the snow as much as possible. Top with a bit of syrup and carefully work snow around with spoon to distribute syrup. Add more snow to fill cup to the top. Pack again with the spoon and top with syrup. Serve.

Chicken Liver Spread

When I lived in Washington, D.C. one of my favorite weekly activities was to have Sunday brunch with friends and/or family. Whether at one of the many restaurants that offers a brunch menu or a friends house or entertaining at my own place, brunch was a weekly staple. This was also the time that I became a great lover of pate.


Now I'll be the first to admit that there are some really, really bad examples of pate out there and, unfortunately, I've tried a few myself. But, when it's done well, there's nothing better than a little pate spread thinly on a slice of crispy bread or a delicate cracker. A glass of Champagne or Prosecco only heightens the experience! 


At this time, I'm the only person in my household who likes pate. My wonderful hubby who typically loves most everything I make, even when I don't like how it turned out, won't even try it. My toddler tasted a small bite and hasn't yet come back for more - though I haven't quite given up on her. 


I have called this Chicken Liver Spread as I did not put it in a terrine nor did I seal it in a vessel with chicken fat, so we'll call it what it is - a spread. This recipe makes a rather large batch, so either find a few friends to share the goodness with you or plan to eat a lot of it quickly! I thought the results of this recipe were quite good. However, I still feel like something is needed to round out the flavor profile. If you give this recipe a try and have a suggestion, please let me know. When I discover the hidden ingredient needed to take this to the next level, I'll repost as Chicken Liver Spread II. Cheers!


Lisa's Chicken Spread I

• 1/2 a large onion, small dice
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 lb Chicken Livers, rinsed, drained and cleaned
• 1 small golden delicious apple, small dice
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1-2 good squirts of dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp bacon drippings
• 2 hard boiled eggs, shell removed
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet with high sides, melt butter. Add onion, apple, thyme, parsley, sage and garlic to the skillet stirring to combine. Allow to cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is translucent but no color has formed. 

Add well-drained livers to the pan and stir to incorporate. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and stir. Continue stirring often to ensure all livers are cooked through and no burnt spots develop. When livers are no longer pink, remove skillet from the heat and stir in bacon drippings.

Spoon skillet contents into the bowl of a food process that has been fitted with a chopping blade. Add egg and dijon mustard and pulse 10 times. Taste mixture for seasoning and adjust by adding more salt and pepper or dijon. Pulse again. When you're happy with the results, move the pate to a storage container. Allow the pate to cure overnight in the fridge. 

Serve the next day with toast points or crackers along side fresh fruit and good cheeses or cured meats. I had Rosemary Potato bread on hand and it was delish with this recipe!

Note:  The flavor of the pate is best if you allow it to come to just below room temperature before serving.

Cheesy Turkey Pot Pie & Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle for a Cold Winter's Night

We had a lot of turkey leftover from Thanksgiving even though I only roasted half of the bird on Thursday. This happened because, we, okay I, quickly found myself to be burnt out on turkey and leftovers this year. 


However, today we're in the midst of our first snow of the season, so I set out some of the turkey this morning to thaw with the intent of making something to warm our tummies this evening. At first I thought I'd throw together a quick soup and maybe offer turkey, cucumber and avocado sandwiches on the side, but my toddler would likely deconstruct the sandwiches and not eat anything except the bread. Moving on from that idea, I put the quandry in the back of my mind and checked in throughout the day. Late this afternoon the idea of making a pot pie appeared. 


This idea had many advantages. First, my hubby LOVES pot pie, I think it's one of his favorite comfort foods. Second, our toddler LOVES cheese. When you ask her what she wants to eat, 9 times out of 10, the answer is "cheese". Now, that cheese can take many forms - cottage cheese, grilled cheese, cheese and crackers, string cheese, etc., but consistently the answer is cheese. So, I considered adding cheese to the traditional creamy sauce in the hopes that everyone would be happy. Finally, to make myself happy, puff pastry could serve as the topper so I wouldn't have to make pastry from scratch. I love to cook and baking for me entails cookies, cupcakes and the occasional cake, but I don't make pastry crust. So, I thought my idea was an all around winner.


The filling for the pot pie came together more quickly than I'd imagined. In fact, my toddler asked for a taste of the sauce when she came home and immediately wanted her own serving in a small dish to enjoy while waiting for the finished product to come from the oven.


We don't have dessert every night at our house, but today I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand to make some version of trifle. The great thing about trifle, aside from the fact that it's yummy, is that you can really make any variation you want by changing up the flavor or type of cake and pairing it with a variety of puddings. You can even add other ingredients like cherry pie filling or berries to further expand your options. Whipped cream is typically a part of a trifle as it helps to have at least three layers in a trifle. In my case though, I went with some lite Cool Whip that I happened to have on hand.


The results of both dishes turned out better than expected. The pot pie was warm and comforting while the trifle was a bit like a holiday dessert and allowed us to end dinner on a sweet note. Let me know if you give either recipe a try.


Cheese Turkey Pot Pie

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 3 Tbsp AP flour + more for dusting when rolling out pastry
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 2 large celery stalk, small dice
• 2 large carrots, small dice
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 large or 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, microwaved for 5 minutes for large, 3 minutes for small, then cut into small dice
• 2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp Thyme, dried, ground
• 1 tsp Marjoram, dried, crumbled in hand before adding to pot
• 1 tsp parsley, dried, crumbled in hand before adding to pot
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Prepare all vegetables by washing and cutting in similar sizes. Shred the turkey and set aside.

In a heavy bottom dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Once foam has subsided from butter, stir in 3 Tbsp AP flour and stir to combine. Cook flour mixture until it takes on a slightly golden color, being careful not to allow to brown or burn.  Add the fresh vegetables (except for potato) and dried herbs, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Allow vegetables to cook until softened, but not browned.

Add the broth and milk and stir with a whisk to create the white sauce. Continue stirring over heat until the sauce thickens. When thick, add shredded cheese a little at a time whisking to incorporate each addition and allowing each to melt before adding the next. Add thawed vegetables, potato and turkey and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If sauce is too thick, add a bit of broth or milk, stirring after each addition until you achieve the thickness you want.

Pour contents of the dutch oven into two 8 x 8 baking dishes that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Top each pot pie with a square of puff pastry. Pastry should cover the entire contents of the pie, but not hang over the edge of the pan.

Cover one pot pie with plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to a month. Remove from freezer when time to bake and place directly into a hot oven.

Bake the remaining pot pie in a XXX degree oven until pastry is golden and has risen. Remove from oven and allow pot pie to cool for 15 minutes before serving so that turkey filling has a chance to set.  Cut pastry into six equal portions and serve.

Pumpkin Cheescake Trifle

For the cake layers of the trifle, mix together in a large bowl with a whisk until combined and smooth:

• 1 Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp low fat plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 whole egg
• Equivalent of 2 eggs in egg white product (e.g., Egg Beaters Just Whites)

Prepare a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and then pour in mixture. Bake cake according to package directions until done. Set aside to cool.

For the pumpkin cheesecake layers:

• 1 small package Jello Instant Pudding, Cheesecake flavor
• 1 ¾ cup of 2% milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground all spice
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ¼ ground)
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or ½ tsp ground)
• ¼ cup good quality maple syrup
• 1 15 oz can prepared pumpkin – not pie filling
• 15 oz tub or 2 8 oz tubs Lite Cool Whip – French vanilla if you can find it! – use ½ of the tub in the cheesecake layer and reserve the other half to build the trifle below

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Mixture will thicken as it sets. Place covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To assemble the trifle:

Line a clear serving bowl – or trifle bowl if you have it – with a layer of cake. Add a layer of pumpkin cheesecake mousse then top with a layer of cool whip. Continue building layers of cake, cheesecake and cool whip until bowl is full – ending with layer of cool whip. Dust top with a little cinnamon and sugar mixture or crushed ginger snaps.

Allow trifle to set for at least 2 hours, but not more than 6 hours, before serving. Scoop trifle into bowls and serve.