01 January

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January 17, 2017

Hot Buttered Rum

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Hot Buttered Rum

Hot Buttered Rum

January 17: Hot Buttered Rum Day

Before we settled in the Southwest, we used to live in states with some serious snow days. When our apartments in Oklahoma and New Jersey did not have garages, it was such a hassle to scrape off the snow on our cars. And even though our townhome in Illinois had a garage, it was a workout shoveling the snow off the driveway. Coming back in the house from the cold, we would warm up with a hot beverage—tea, cocoa or a “spirited” liquid. One simple spiked drink included hot buttered rum, which was easy to prepare after expending energy out in the winter weather. A sip of it was certainly soothing. We rarely have snow days in South Texas now but we still make hot buttered rum to cozy up on some cold evenings as well as observe Hot Buttered Rum Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon/pat of butter
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • dash of ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg
  • dash of vanilla extract
  • 1-2 ounces rum
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • cinnamon stick to garnish

Directions

In the bottom of a mug, place the butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dash of spices (cinnamon and/or nutmeg). Add the vanilla.

hotbutteredrumsteps1

Pour in the rum and meddle the ingredients together. Pour in the hot water and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Serve hot. Yield: 1 serving

hotbutteredrumsteps2

Notes

  • The final food photo above was shot with our old sweaters and woolen hoodies, which have been stored away for years after moving to the Southwest. We still wear them on the occasion that temperatures drop to freezing, or during the holidays/winter break when we visit family and friends who live in northern climates.
  • Search our blog for other beverage recipes with “spirits” to warm your hearts.
 

January 15, 2017

Calamansi Juice

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Calamansi Juice

calamansijuice

January 15: National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day

Islander grew up with a calamansi tree in the backyard of her childhood home in Hawaii. When the tree bore a lot of fruit, her Daddy would pick a bunch of the “Philippine lime” and squeeze out the juice, making the whole kitchen smell so citrusy! Canned calamansi juice just isn’t the same—it tastes tinny—and doesn’t have that labor of love from Daddy for the family.

Following the theory of the “Proust Effect” that certain scents trigger memories, calamansi juice is definitely a delicious reminder of Islander’s small kid time “hanabata days” in Hawaii and of her Filipino heritage.

Don’t be fooled by the fruit, though. Calamansi looks like a mini tangerine when ripe. But it tastes super sour (like a lime) on its own and really needs to be juiced, diluted with water and sweetened with sugar. The recipe is quite simple and calamansi juice is very healthy and refreshing.

For a tart and tasty beverage for National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day, make calamansi juice.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup calamansi juice, fresh squeezed
  • 4 cups water, divided use
  • ½ – ¾ cup sugar, granulated white (or other sweetener to taste)

Directions

Wash the calamansi well and let dry. Cut the calamansi from the top to avoid slicing through the seeds. Squeeze the fruit in a strainer to make 1 cup of juice, discarding the seeds.

calamansijuicesteps1

Place the juice in a large bowl or pitcher. In a small pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Let cool completely. Add to the calamansi juice mixture. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of water. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Pour into glasses and serve with or without ice.

calamansijuicesteps2

Notes

  • Sugar dissolves better in hot water. That is why we boil them together to make a simple syrup to sweeten the fresh squeezed calamansi juice.
  • Use less water when diluting the juice if serving with ice cubes.
  • Calamansi is also known as calamondin. Learn more about its health benefits and culinary uses from Wikipedia.

 

 

January 14, 2017

Fire Cakes

Posted by HI Cookery under 01 January | Tags: , , , |
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Fire Cakes

Fire Cakes 

January 14: U.S. Ratification Day (1784)

Children everywhere most likely learn about their nation’s roots in school. Highlander, a Canadian who grew up in the United States, and Islander, who was born in the Philippines and became a naturalized citizen, also learned about American history through the popular Schoolhouse Rock television segments that were broadcast in between the Saturday cartoons. Those educational tunes were so catchy!

As today is U.S. Ratification Day, which commemorates the end of the American Revolutionary War/War of Independence, we remember one of the popular Schoolhouse Rock videos, “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”.

We also marked this day by making “modern” fire cakes, a simple staple cooked by the early American soldiers to sustain them while out on the battlefields. Original fire cakes were prepared by mixing flour, salt and water to form a flat dough which was baked over a campfire, hence the name. They taste bland and are kind of hard and chewy. Historical re-enactors at colonial sites still make them and teachers and parents sometimes show children how to make fire cakes to learn about life during colonial times. A cooking component for a history lesson is a great idea for an edible education!

Try this fire cake recipe in observation of U.S. Ratification Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • ½ cup flour
  • generous pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup water

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the wheat flour and salt. Pour water and mix until everything sticks together. Roll the dough into a ball.

firecakessteps1

Divide into two disks. Flatten on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Wrap any leftover fire cakes in plastic film and keep at room temperature.

firecakessteps2

Notes

  • We used wheat flour in this recipe to mimic what the militia and minutemen may have eaten during the Revolutionary War. White, refined flour was not available to them at the time.
  • We also used tap water in this recipe. We imagine that the soldiers used water from streams or wells (unlike our filtered water) to make fire cakes.
  • This recipe is not suitable for those who are gluten-sensitive.
 

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