It’s a foggy Monday morning and I manage to look pretty scummy as I walk home from a night of exorcism and stoner movies at my guitarist’s place. I’m unusually well rested because his couch is the squishy kind of comfortable and Molly Danger the Chihuahua makes a wonderful cuddle buddy.

I can hear what’s left of last night sloshing around in my bag, the bottle is a little too big and pokes out the top; the epitome of class. I can feel my kidneys hating me for forgetting to take my antibiotics last night, I suppose the rum didn’t help either. Most of the leaves are gone from the tree branches by now and it makes me desperately wish for something less deciduous, maybe some mountains while we’re at it. I’m homesick.

Feeling strange right now: not bad, but not really good. Then I realize there’s a word for that , I say “melancholy” out loud; it starts to rain big fat MELANCHOLY drops. I suppose I set myself up for that one. Thanks to the pauses in my thoughts, semi-colons are my new best friend. Though I really cannot be that pensive, I have a tightly wound ball of excitement in my bones and I know it’s just a matter of hours before it all bursts forth, today will a good kind of interesting to say the least.

Usually I have Mondays off. Right now I have every day off. I hear that a few of the clients from the job I was recently let go from are upset that I’m no longer there. They want to know where I am, they want to follow me. I should feel vindicated, but it’s difficult to to experience anything past flattery. I put so much energy, time and soul into making that place what it was and now it’s all fallen apart in a matter of days. Heartbroken!

My puppy should have had his morning walk hours ago, I feel guilty, but when I walk in the door he isn’t mad, just excited that I’m home now. Animals are impressive, they focus on the good and let all the bad shit just roll on by.  I’m almost out of cat food, fully out of money.  I will be job hunting today in an attempt to remedy my lack of income, but while I wait for invitations to interviews I’ll focus on sewing.  I’ve fallen in love with a new, more personal design aesthetic in the last few days and should be taking photos tomorrow with Lauren.  A very fun model who I am delighted to be working with.  Good things this way come.  I want to start a video cast to give my clothing label a more connected point of view, I’ll make the first one this week.  High hopes!

This being my first entry, I’m not exactly sure where to start. At the encouragement of several friends and family members – you know who you are – I’ve started something here. It may be something good, it may be something bad, we’ll just have to ride along with it and see what happens.

Two weeks ago, my mother gave me two freezer bags full of home-made pumpkin pie filling. Outside of your standard pumpkin pie, I had no clue what to do with it, and anyone who knows me knows that I’m not exactly a fan of standard. After staring blankly at the bags of orange goop, I had a flash of inspiration. Rum! Rum makes everything better, right? Well, almost everything…But pumpkin and rum seemed like a match made in heaven, so it was off to Google. After several minutes of browsing hopelessly awful recipes , I stumbled upon a Cooks.com page listing pumpkin rum bread pudding. Eureka! My mother’s sticky orange goop would work perfectly in a bread pudding, and what better time to try out such an autumn-y dish than Thanksgiving?

I started off by cutting 1-2 inch cubes of week-old homemade wheat bread. It took about 2/3 of the loaf to get the six cups of bread pieces necessary. My Fi wasn’t exactly thrilled at the loss of the bread; it took me promising to bake him 2-3 more loaves before he finally warmed up to the idea of bread pudding.

After I cubed the bread, the recipe called for 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. My knife selection isn’t exactly the greatest, so it occurred to me to simply crush them with a rolling pin. Crushed walnuts, chopped walnuts…Same difference. I ended up adding an extra 1/2 cup of the nuts, just because I went a little crazy with the rolling pin and had quite a bit left over.

With the walnuts and bread cubes in a 13×9-inch baking dish, it was time to mix up the pumpkin and rum part of the bread pudding. I started off with 3 lightly beaten eggs, to which I added 2 cups of 2% milk, 1/2 cup rum (I had Captain Morgan Spiced Rum on hand – it worked really well), 1/4 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, a pinch of ginger, and a can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk. Last but not least, I added roughly 4 cups of the pumpkin pie filling -almost equal to a can of the pre-made kind you buy at the store.

Next, the pumpkin mixture met the bread and walnuts in the baking dish, and a hot, steamy romance followed. OK, so maybe it was just an hour in a 350* oven, but it sure seemed like romance to me! It was beautiful. The smell of baked goods filled my house, and my Fi finally stopped mourning the loss of the home-made wheat bread.

Let me tell you, this recipe was DEFINITELY worth the destruction of one innocent loaf of wheat bread. It’s awesome…Comfort food meets Thanksgiving delicacy kind of awesome. It was a big hit with everyone who came by our house for the holiday.

Pumpkin Rum Bread Pudding

Efter en vecka full med mardrömmar om mr X och knappt någon sömn så blev jag tvungen att ta hand om en katt som väntade ungar. Mitt ex kom fram till att det nog inte var någon bra ide att hon skulle få kattungar igen och därför blev jag ansvarig för att hon skulle få det någorlunda bra. Fick henne en dag tidigare än vad vi planerat så jag var tvungen att snabbt göra i ordning rummet som jag hade tänkt hon skulle få bo i. Jag räknade att hon skulle få ungarna runt den sista november så jag var mycket orolig över att vi flyttade henne så sent i graviditeten. Hon var inte alls glad över att hon tvingades flytta men väl på plats så lugnade hon snabbt ner sig. Verkade nästan som hon tyckte det var skönt att flytta nu när hon visste vart hon hamnat.
Sotis som denna underbara katt heter var egentligen min katt från början som jag tagit hand om för att annars skulle hon bli avlivad. När jag flyttade ifrån mitt ex så hade jag ingen möjlighet att låta henne vara utekatt längre så då fick han ta över vårdnaden om henne. Han kastrerade henne aldrig för att han ville ha en kull på henne innan. Hon fick en kull och jag var dit och tittade till henne och ungarna ganska ofta. Jag blev otroligt ledsen för han hade stängt in henne och ungarna i sovrummet. Inget ljus för där finns bara ett pyttelitet fönster. En överfull kattlåda som stank fruktansvärt. Men ungarna klarade sig och sen var det inge mer med det.
Så fick jag höra för ungefär en månad sen att nu var det dags igen och han klagade över hur jobbigt det skulle bli. Jag ifrågasatte varför han inte hade kastrerat henne som han lovat men det var bara undanflykter och prat om att pengar saknades. Jag visste inte riktigt vad jag skulle göra eftersom jag redan har en katt och hund så kan man ju inte bara skaffa en till så där. Speciellt inte en fullvuxen katt som väntar ungar dessutom.
Så för en vecka sen ringde han och var riktigt bekymrad. Han visste inte vad han skulle ta sig till med henne och hon var ju så tjock. Han hade återigen blivit tillsammans med tjejen 30 mil bort så vad skulle han göra när kattungarna kom. Jag blev så fruktansvärt arg och jag önskar nu att jag verkligen läst lusen av honom men sån är inte jag. Jag låg sömnlös den natten och funderade hur det skulle gå för min stackars Sotis.
På morgonen så ringde jag till honom och lämnade ett meddelande. Antingen gav han mig nyckeln till huset så jag kunde komma och gå som jag ville och ta hand om katten och ungarna eller så gav han mig Sotis tills ungarna blivit så stora att jag kunde ge bort dem så fick han tillbaka henne sen.
Det blev ju naturligtvis det senare alternativet vilket jag redan hade räknat med. Vi bestämde torsdag så jag hade tid på mig att göra i ordning innan hon kom.
Jag har en ganska unghund som inte direkt är så förtjust i konkurrens så grindar var tvungen att sättas upp och rummet måste ställas i ordning med bädd, mat och kattlåda.
Så ringer han samma dag (onsdag) och säger att hon börjar bete sig väldigt konstigt och det går nog inte att lämna henne dagen efter för han har inte tid. Jag förstår på en gång vad han är ute efter och spelar med. Jag sa att han kunde lämna henne hos mig redan ikväll men att jag måste i så fall skynda mig så jag hann göra i ordning i alla fall lite så det inte blir så stressigt för henne. Nä det gick inte då måste han lämna henne nu innan han åkte till jobbet. Jag kommer om fem tio minuter, sa han. Jag fick is i magen. Det var ju bara att ställa upp, tänkte jag annars föder hon väl hemma hos honom så blir det ännu värre än förra gången hon fick ungar. Skyndar mig och letar efter provisoriska grindar och något hon kan ligga på. Det gick fem minuter sen ringde han och talade om att an stod utanför. Jag tog ett lakan med mig ned så jag skulle kunna lyfta henne. Man måste nämligen vara väldigt försiktig när man lyfter en gravidkatt speciellt i slutet.
Ett blodigt ex mötte mig vid bilen. Tydligen hade han itne direkt varit så försiktig när han lyft henne så hon hade klöst honom för sitt liv. Man såg på henne hur stressad hon var. Jag gick in i bilen och pratade lugnt med henne. Exet hade inte hittat kattburen så hon var lös i bilen. Jag la lakanet runt henne och lyfte henne försiktigt. Hon blev rädd och försökte klättra över min axel men jag tog henne lugnt i nackskinnet och höll mjukt fast henne. Då lugnade hon sig och tryckte sig mot min kropp istället. Jag började nästan gråta när jag kände hur rädd och förvirrad hon var. Hur kunde mitt ex göra så här mot vår katt. Jag bar upp henne i lägenheten och hon började genast stryka sig mot våra ben.
Jag ägnade resten av kvällen åt att göra det så mysigt som möjligt åt henne. På kvällen dagen efter (torsdag) började hon jama så konstigt. Jag sov med henne under natten så hon inte skulle känna sig ensam och om kattungarna var på väg. Jag vaknade flera gånger under natten av att hon jamade men inga kattungar. På morgonen så var hennes mage stenhård och jag bestämde mig för att avboka mitt besök på sjukhuset för nu var nog kattungarna på väg. Min granne kom in och tittade till henne för hon har haft hand om många katter som fött ungar. Men hon sa att det blev nog inga kattungar förrän efter helgen.
Jag kände ändå på mig att det nog snart var dags, kanske inte nu men någon gång under helgen. Var med min syster hela dagen och tittade till Sotis lite då och då. Hon hade blivit mycket lugnare även om hon letade efter en bäddplats frenetiskt. När jag kom upp på kvällen vid nio så hörde jag något konstigt pipande. Jag gick dit och kollade och då hade hon fött en söt liten kattunge. Två timmar tog det sen låg fyra små söta mirakel där i min garderob. Hon slickade och kurrade. Hon såg riktigt stolt ut där hon låg och jag vet inte om ag inbillar mig men det var precis som att hon väntat på att jag skulle komma för hon visade verkligen sin uppskattning genom att titta på mig och snabbt gosa med mig innan det var dags för nästa. Så den 27/11-09 mellan klockan 21:00 och 23:00 föddes de. jag har kollat könen och jag tror det är tre honor och en hane. Bilder kommer senare. Det fantastiska är att Sotis verkligen litar på mig. Trodde först det berodde på att jag kanske gjorde något fel eller så men jag märkte ett tydligt förändrat beteende när någon annan gick in i rummet.
Det jag märkt är att när jag kommer och tittar till dem så passar hon på och går och äter och går på lådan medan jag håller en koll på ungarna. Hon är dock inte så försiktig för hon spatserar rakt ut ur garderoben med ungarna hängande under sig som tappar taget en efter en och hamnar på golvet om de har otur.

Så jag antar att man visst kan ta hem en fullvuxen katt som väntar ungar till ett hem som redan har en unghund och en katt bara man kan anpassa sig och är lite uppfinningsrik.

After the four hour ride to NYC and a cheese shopping adventure, we were thirsty for some good cocktails. So, my very good friends and fellow cocktail enthusiasts Brian and Jeff took my sister Allie and I to the fabulous Pegu Club to begin our Thanksgiving festivities. I was impressed by more than just the amazing drinks.

Round 1 at Pegu Club

The dark, moody (but not creepy), Asian-influenced atmosphere is inspired by the 19^th century British Colonial Officers club in Burma of the same name.  And the bar snacks are really good.  The highlight was chicken lollipops, which totally deserve their name as they are covered in a sweet scotch-syrup that made me wish I had a spoon in my purse to get every last drop off the plate.

The Kill-Devil-- Look at the beautiful, rich carmel color

For my first drink, I ordered the Kill-Devil. How could I resist a cocktail with that name? I was also enticed by the combination of rum and Chartreuse. The waitress warned me that it was a “serious” drink—who do you think you’re talking to? She was right that it was a serious cocktail, but I am no amateur, I could handle it and really enjoyed the complex, potent flavor.

The Kill-Devil features Rum Agricole, green Chartreuse, demerara simple syrup and Angostura bitters. The drink gets its name from rum’s early nickname. In the 17th century, rum production was just beginning as sugar producers in Barbados realized they could make a very potent drink from the by-product of the sugar-making process. This new drink, what we now call rum, caused a nasty hangover and was affectionately called “kill-devil.” My Kill-Devil didn’t cause a hangover.  Instead it offered an interesting combination of sweet and herbal flavors. The dark rich color hinted at the carmel fragrance. The drink began with a sweet start—the rum is matched nicely with the demerara syrup—and is quickly followed by the herballyness of the Chartreuse and bitters.  Really good.

Brandy Crusta and the amazing lemon peel

For my second cocktail, I ordered a Brandy Crusta. I am working my way through a list of 100 Cocktails to Drink Before You Die (from a bar in Houston; more on the list later) and this is one on the list that I have yet to try. Invented in the early 19th century by a New Orleans bartender, the recipe was first published in 1862 in Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide. Featuring cognac, Cointreau, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and Peychaud’s bitters, this is a very drinkable cocktail. All of the flavors meld together and are complimented by the crust of sugar on the rim of the glass, which gives the drink its name. Nothing overly complex, but really tasty. The most impressive part of this drink was the full lemon peel garnish that filled the glass—imagine the Guggenheim as a lemon peel!

Another great night of cocktails in New York. Salute!

Having grown up in Napa Valley, I—like most residents from the area—have an aversion to all things grape-themed, with one exception: grapevine wreaths. I love the organic simplicity of these gorgeous wreaths from Napa Valley Grapevine Wreath Company, hand-crafted from clippings from Cabernet Sauvignon vines. My mother hangs two enormous 36-inch wreaths from the lofts overlooking the living room each Christmas. This year, we’ve ordered an 18-inch wreath for our front door, a bargain at $22 especially considering that it will look gorgeous for years to come. Compare that with wreaths overwrought with pomegranates and faux berry sprigs at Restoration Hardware, starting at $69 and up, or live magnolia and boxwood wreaths that’ll last a few weeks at best, from Pottery Barn for $100. I’m pocketing the extra cash and spending it on a splurgy bottle of aged Ron Zacapa rum for the eggnog. It’s super smooth, and tastes like brown sugar, vanilla and spice…ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!

I wanted a festive looking cocktail to serve to my fam-friends on Thursday. I wanted something red and tart, sweet and refreshing. This is what I came up with. I’m calling it a Cranberry Cooler. I served it as punch for Thanksgiving dinner, but I’m giving you measurements for a couple of tumblers.

First I made some cranberry infused simple syrup by combining 1 cp fresh cranberries, 2 cps sugar, 2 cps water and the peel of 1/2 orange (optional). Bring this to a boil until the berries get puffy, then strain mashing the berries.

Cranberry Cooler
3 tbsp Cranberry syrup
2 oz white rum
1 oz triple sec
1 oz orange juice
Juice of 1 lime

Mix all the ingredients and pour into 2 tumblers filled with ice. Top it off with diet ginger ale or sparkling water.

Oh yeah!

There’s an element of randomness, of luck of the draw, to our allocation of national food days on the blog. Which helps explain how I, a vegan+meat eater (i.e. no dairy or eggs… is there a proper word for this?? Anyone?) ended up assigned to November 30th’s foods: Chocolates, and Lemon Cream Pie.

Now, I love … no, make that looooove lemon cream pie. Lemon meringue pie. Lemon tarts. This lemon goat cheese cake at Stage Wine Bar. Really, any kind of lemony deserts. But I don’t have the willpower, nor the eggs in my fridge, to make a lemon cream pie.

So I started to investigate vegan chocolates.

I’ve never made homemade chocolates before. Tempering chocolates intimidates me – anything that takes 3 pages to explain in my beloved Joy of Cooking is likely something too fussy for me. So it was easy for me to try to replicate the simplest of chocolates (and in my opinion, one of the yummiest!): Chocolate Truffles.

The best reviewed recipe I could find online was this one. Very simple – melt together chocolate and nut milk, cool, roll into balls with cocoa.  I didn’t have any cashews, so decided to forge ahead, making instead with almonds. I also opted to split the resulting liquid truffle and stir in a little dark rum into one portion to see if that was tastier.

Three hours have now past since I slipped the bowls of chocolately goodness into the fridge, and I’m very sorry to report that they have not firmed up to a workable degree. The consistency is of mashed potatoes… a scoop will hold it’s shape, but there is no possible way to roll them in a ball. Flavor wise, the rum version is far superior to the regular. The texture is a little grainy – truffles in my mind should be extremely smooth- but are still quite edible.

I’m going to let them cool overnight, and maybe tomorrow morning will bring a change. If not, I might just smear it across some buckwheat waffles I’m planning to make tomorrow morning. It’s basically Nutella after all!!

~Deanna

UPDATE – SUNDAY MORNING

The truffles never got any harder. But it’s no loss. NO LOSS AT ALL, because the waffle idea was pure brilliance. I added a the last of the wild blackberries from B’s patch, and it was heaven

Jag håller på att återupptäcka U2. Har inte lyssnat på dem sedan How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Tyckte den var ojämn och stundtals ointressant. Inte heller den senaste, No Line on The Horizon, fick igång mig. Alldeles för pompös och bombastisk. Där det brukade finnas befriande rymd hittade jag en jämntjock massa av instängdhet. Jag fick inte plats längre.

Jag har alltid känt mig delaktig i deras musik. Känt en närhet. Jag har varit DÄR, mitt ibland dem med mina egna känslor och referenser. Jag har känt mig välkommen och accepterad.

Men på senare tid har jag känt mig utanför. De har ställt sig i ett rum som jag får betrakta genom ett fönster. Jag får höra, se, men inte vara med.

Det hela ledde till att jag inte lyssnade på dem alls. Jag gick vidare, försökte hitta ny musik där jag fick plats, där det fanns rum för mig.

När man varit så nära en musik är det vemodigt när man inte känner igen sig i den. Det är som att långsamt inse att man inte har så mycket gemensamt med sina vänner längre. Att man vuxit ifrån varandra. Man träffas mindre och mindre, för att till slut gå skilda vägar.

Men det kanske är meningen att det ska vara så. Relationer behöver vila ibland. Man behöver distans till dem. Man behöver glömma dem lite.

Men så en dag springer man på varandra igen. Och plötsligt är man i samma rum på nytt. Med ny luft. Och man hittar nya sätt att mötas.

Det hände igår. (Och jag tackar randomfunktionen på iTunes för det.) Plötslig sprang jag på One Tree Hill från The Joshua Tree. Den spröda gitarren, basens mantra, sången… Jag var inte beredd. Jag blev överrumplad. Jag såg mig omkring i rummet och kände igen väggarna, lungorna fylldes med frisk och syrerik luft – jag var där igen.

Kanske behövde jag vara i andra rum ett tag, skaffa nya erfarenheter, för att hitta tillbaka.

Jag har varit i samma rum som U2 hela dan. Känt igen mig, sett nya detaljer, men framför allt, varit DÄR. Jag har även lyssnat på de nya albumen, och klivit ett par steg innanför dörren. Jag är inte helt inne i det rummet än. Men det får ta sin tid. Det FÅR ta sin tid.

INTRODUCING HIGHLANDER GROGG IN 1LB RETAIL BAGS

Warm butterscotch notes along with heroic overtones of spiced rum characterize our classic Highlander Grogg coffee. You’ll want your sea legs before brewing!
Available at organic grocers and friendly neighbourhood cafes across Western Canada! Find a location near you.

Dedicated to my Mom and to Lucile F. Locher Mishler “Mum”, her maternal grandmother.

Traditional Fruitcake

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed Dried Fruits, minced
1 cup Rum
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Ginger
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
5 Eggs
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/4 cup Rum
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1 cup Pecans, whole
1 cup Candied Red Cherries
1 cup Candied Green Cherries
1 cup Candied Pineapple

Directions:

• Soak the minced Dried Fruits in 1 cup of Rum overnight.
• Preheat the Oven to 300°F.
• Sift together the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Spices into a large bowl.
• In a second bowl cream the Eggs with the Sugars.
• Whisk in the Olive Oil and 1/4 cup Dark Rum.
• Slowly incorporate into the Flour mixture.
• Fold in the Dried Fruits, Zest, and 1/2 cup of crushed Pecans.
• Grease a bunt pan well.
• Pour mixture into the bunt pan, and lightly tap it against the counter.
• Decorate with the Candied Fruits and whole Pecans.
• Bake on the middle rack for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.

NOTES: Fruitcake has always been one of my favorite deserts.  My mom tells me about how when she grew up her grandmother “Mum” used to make Fruitcake in early fall, and stick it in cheesecloth a tin.  Every couple weeks she’d pour Port on top of it.  By Christmas it was amazing.  I’m still nervous about keeping a cake in a tin and pouring alcohol on it for over a month…so here’s my version with a less pungent Rum.

Mixed Dried Fruit can include Cranberries, Raisins, Dates, Figs, Apricots, Apples, Pears, Pruns, etc.

The country of Venezuela produces some fantastic rum.  I have already reviewed the Santa Theresa 1796 from Venezuela, as well I have  featured the Venezuelan Diplomatico Rums in one of my first Howling Highlights.   There is a third famous rum family from Venezuela, The Pampero Rum  family.

A few weeks ago I gave you my first impressions of Pampero Seleccion 1938 when  I found what I believe was one of the last bottles for sale in Edmonton.  Now I cannot find the rum anywhere in the Province,  and sadly it seems the entire family of Pampero rums will be absent from Alberta shelves this winter.

Fortunately for my readers I did find one bottle, and now I have completed five separate tasting for this rum and also experimented with a few cocktails.  You can read the results of this hard labour here:   Review: Pampero Seleccion 1938 (Rum)

~ Patty ~

This is Patty’s response to the question “where did the Aunt Eva’s Mud Hen Bar’s recipe come from?”. 

The recipe is from my Mary Hart Favorite Recipes published in 1979. She was the Food Editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for many years.  It is one of my FAVORITE cookbooks. I have yet to find one of her recipes that hasn’t become one of our favorites as well!

Some of you may remember she came out to our house to interview me about getting you to eat your lunch.  I served her my Jamaican Fruit Cake. Our picture appeared in the paper with our cowboy hats and I was strumming my ukelali. We were singing “Polly Wolly Doodle All The Day” I was pregnant with Sean, so the picture was of Kevin, JP, Mary and Katy.

Food does bring back memories, doesn’t it?

You could let that fruit soak forever and it wouldn’t hurt it, so I  just started the process the day after Thanksgiving and soaked and stirred it until I was ready to bake fruitcake.

For the final wrapping I remember wrapping it in rum-soaked something….was it cheesecloth?….for many weeks. When I served it to Mary Hart, it was way too early for it to have blended flavors. But, what can you do, she came over on December 4th and I had just made the fruitcake before Thanksgiving.

I’ll bet it would be good with craisins substituted for the currants.  We didn’t have craisins in 1964.

Jamaica Light Fruitcake

From Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook

makes 10 pounds of cake 

     1 pound currants

     1 pound prunes

     1 pound dates

     1 pound seedless raisins

     2 cups dry white wine

     2 cups rum

     6 cups all-purpose flour

     4 teaspoons baking powder

     1 teaspoon cinnamon

     1 teaspoon nutmeg

     2 cups butter, at room temperature

     2 cups granulated sugar

     8 eggs, well beaten

     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Wash the currants and prunes and dry. Pit the prunes and dates and cut them into small pieces. Mix all the fruits with the wine and rum and let stand three days, stirring every day.  We put ours in a large, gallon size, Ziploc bag and just turned it over every day until we were ready to bake.

2. Preheat oven to slow (300 degrees F.)

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4. Cream the butter, add the sugar and cream well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until blended. Fold in the prepared fruit and liquor.

5. Grease four 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/4 inch loaf pans, line with waxed paper and grease the paper. Fill not more than three-quarters full with the batter.

6. Place a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom of the oven; place the cakes on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake about three hours. Remove the pan of water thirty minutes before the cakes are done.

7. Remove the cakes with the paper and place on a rack to cool. Wrap in fresh waxed paper or aluminum foil and store in an airtight container in a cool place. Allow at least two weeks, preferably longer, for aging.

Ah, finally a break from my studies. Well, a bit of a break. Technically I still have stories that I need to write, but…

Jamming out to Lady Gaga. Ah, a delicious guilty little pleasure hidden in my MP3 player. Yeah, you know what I am talking about. When I strut more than usual, when I walk with a distinct dance-like rhythm, chances are that one of my guilty pleasures is pulsing through my headphones. Chances are that I am exercising every ounce of control to stop myself from bursting into song and dance.

Now all I want to do is drink and dance. What can I say, I am a sucker for kick’n beats and synths…and rum =D

Boom, bump that track!

Ingredientes:

1 panetone de 500g

4 bolas de sorvete médias ou 1 pote de 250g do sabor de sorvete de sua preferência

Calda:

1/2 xícara (chá) de água

1/2 cálice de rum

1 colher (sopa) de açúcar

Cobertura:

Cobertura para sorvete do sabor de sua preferência

Confeitos de chocolate a gosto

Modo de preparo:

Corte com cuidado toda a parte de cima do panetone, formando uma tampa. Separe-a. Retire o miolo, como se estivesse cavando. Fique atento para não fazer buracos nas paredes nem no fundo do panetone. Reserve.
Em um recipiente, misture com uma colher esse miolo com o sorvete. Á parte, misture os ingredientes da calda e umedeça a parte  interna do panetone com um pincel. Em seguida recheie-o com a mistura do sorvete.

Cubra com a tampa já cortada  e que estava separada . Embrulhe o panetone já recheado e com tampa com um plástico
filme e leve freezer por aproximadamente 2 horas .Antes de servir, retire o plástico filme e enfeite-o com a cobertura para sorvete e alguns confeitos de chocolate.

You may remember several weeks ago, I did an interview that made me pine for beaches and sunshine. I very recently received the discussed rum I ordered through the PLCB to have a taste of the sunshiny thoughts.

Having spent several weeks talking about, then ordering and then waiting for this, I was really hoping for something lovely. Lovely it is! A strong vanilla smell, the flavor is smooth and, you guessed it, vanilla. Mostly it tastes like a really good quality vanilla coke. Like a really delicious one. In fact, you can’t even taste the alcohol, so a little ice is all you need to enjoy it. If you feel like getting 6 bottles of really good, vanilla, sweet rum, order some Brinley!

Brinley Gold Vanilla Rum

Price: $18

Alcohol: 35%

Rating: B+/A-

Doing a Google search for this band you will find out: how to sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship, what the drink “rum runner” is, and that a rum runner is someone who snuck alcohol into Canada during the 1900’s. Once you do find the band, you’ll find their poorly crafted, un-maintained website. This five-piece band, with a combined age of at least 150, seems less like a professional band and more like a group of guys with some talent, and a little extra cash to make a CD.

One nice feature of this CD is the drink suggestions. In the liner notes, each track has a different suggested drink. Including, champagne, a keg of Anchor Steam, and a lukewarm 40 oz of Olde English, Rum Runner definitely just wants to get you drunk (maybe they think it might make their record sound better).

Image aside, and focusing on the music, it’s a blend of punk and rock and roll, with a splash of folk and Celtic. Traditional tunes such as “The Leaving of Liverpool” and “You’re Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond,” are classics that you’ll probably hear down at Irish Times.

The rest of the songs have a little more weight and power in them. Rum Runner immediately reminds me a little bit of Rancid, except without the whole hardcore punk rock edge. The title track, which should be accompanied with Monthelie, is a fairly standard song from a fairly standard band.

Rum Runner can be summed up just as that: a fairly standard Celtic/rock/folk band. You would be better off passing them up for a Rancid CD and a 40 of Olde English.

The rums of Ron del Barrilito are distinctive in the world of Puerto Rican rums.  The small family owned business of Edmundo B. Fernandez has been producing these unique spirits for over 100 years. Their rum comes in two forms. The Two Star and the Three Star.  For a bit more background please see my account of a tour of the facility here on my blog under the category of Distillery Tours.

Two Star and Three Star

A color comparison of the Two Star and the Three Star

First up is the Two Star.

A beautiful medium yellow gold color leads into light but very distinctive aromas of nuts, molasses and wood with a light peppery alcohol bite.

The aromas carry well onto the tongue with a medium body and a nice warm, dryish finish.

When placed up against others in it’s class this gold rum stands out for it’s unique and relatively complex aromas and flavors. It stands up very well as a mixer and the great grandson of the founder likes it on the rocks with a twist of lemon zest for a long session of dominoes! Who am I to argue?

The back label states aged for a minimum of three years.

Bottled at 86 proof.

88 Points.

Below is pictured one very popular way to enjoy Ron del Barrilito Two Star in Puerto Rico. Fresh coconut water, a few ice cubes, a few ounces of rum and a twist of lemon zest make for a special Island drink.

Coco Barrilito

Let’s look at the Three Star now.

The deep old gold color looks wonderful in the glass.

This really is the bigger, older brother to the Ron del Barrilito Two Star. The aromas are much more pronounced and complex. Nuts and molasses are intertwined with fresh mushroom and black truffle notes. The charred barrels leave a nice mark with a smokey tinge. There is something almost organic to the aroma also. Like the smell of wet earth after a fresh rain. Wonderful!

As promised by the aromas the flavors really pop on the tongue. The medium full body has a touch of sweetness to it but the 86 proof balances it out and gives a really good grip on the palate. The finish is warm, long and sustained with a touch of rancio lingering.

Overall a splendid effort in the Anejo style of rum. Those who like Whiskey/Whisky or Armagnac may take a liking to this spirit, and those who appreciate unique high quality rum will want to have a bottle of this in their collection.

The back label states a blend of rums aged six to ten years.

Bottled at 86 Proof.

93 Points.

One can enjoy this rum neat or with an ice cube or a splash of water. It also does well in a cocktail such as a Rum Old fashioned. As a diversion I like to make a simple cocktail of it with fresh passion fruit juice, an  equal part of rum, a dash of orange bitters, a few ice cubes and a twist of lime zest.

A benefit to living in the Caribbean. Fresh Passion Fruit ready for juicing.

Barrilito's Passion

There are any number of good reasons to live in Puerto Rico. I count Ron del Barrilito’s rums as two good reasons!

apple

Tito Rodriguez release party with Bruce – Rums of Puerto Rico

RUB for desert

I came up with this idea after my vacation from the Caribbean and tasting the awesome Tortuga Rum cakes. This recipe is not entirely made from scratch. I used a cake mix and added my own touch from there. So for those of you that think you can’t bake… YOU CAN! =)

Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake

What you need:

- cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Moist Yellow Cake mix)

- vanilla pudding mix (powder form)

- rum (I used Tortuga Banana rum – try to use the smoother rums instead of the grainy cheaper brands. It’ll taste much better)

- eggs

- pineapple slices

- spray butter (I use this to line the bunt cake shape pan; Spray butter works better than regular butter because it’s easier to spread)

- milk

1. Mix in yellow cake mix with the pudding mix and eggs (the box will give you measurement instructions) but instead of using water, add rum (add more if you like). The pudding usually requires milk so but add about half the required milk needed. Or you can do 1/4 milk and more rum. Mix thoroughly.

2. It’s in this stage that you can add your own flare to the mix like add chocolate chips or nuts, etc. I kept it plain for this one.

3. Spray the butter into your bunt cake pan. Make sure to cover it with butter well and spread evenly using a cooking brush.

4. Line the bottom of the bunt pan with pineapple slices.

5. Pour in your mix evenly and bake according to the instructions of your mix.

Things have taken a bit of a wrong turn in the world outside of Rum and Whiskey in recent weeks. Stress levels are higher than normal, and my work load in my regular business has increased significantly. It’s easy to get down a little bit. But this is when it is good to give oneself a little treat, and take something special off the shelf. Today’s special treat is a premium rum from Flor de Cana. The 18 year old Centenario Gold.

Age statements on rums are, for the most part, quite unconvincing.  There seems to be very few standards in the global industry to guide the consumer in interpreting the stated age on a bottle of Rum.  All too often a bottle which touts itself as fifteen years old, has only a fraction, if any of, the stated age of rum in the bottle.  What I like about Flor de Cana is that when they claim a rum is 18 years old, they do not include weasel words like “up to”  or “a portion of” or my favourite weasel word phrase I have encountered “the heart of the blend”. Flor de Cana simply states that all of the rum in the bottle is at least as old as the age statement.  They put themselves at a marketing disadvantage with their honest age statement, but I have learned to trust the quality of a Flor de Cana bottling.

This is why I consider the Flor de Cana Centenario Gold to be such a treat.  I have waiting for just the right set of circumstances to present themselves, but I am ready to crack open my prized bottle of a true 18 year old rum.

Read my First Impressions of this rum here:

First Impression: Flor de Cana 18 Year Old Centenario Gold Rum

1 lb. fresh ginger (peeled and grated)

¼ lb. or one small potato

4 – 6 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cups granulated sugar

8 cups boiling water

1 lime

Optional: sparkling water; aromatic bitters; white wine; rum

1. Chop potatoes into medium-sized, 2-inch pieces.
2. Put ginger, potatoes, cloves, cinnamon, and sugar in a large glass container.
3. Pour boiling water and stir.
4. Cover and allow to brew for 1 – 2 days.
5. Strain; add the juice of the lime and a few dashes of bitters, if desired.
6. Serve over ice and dilute with sparkling water if too strong.
7. Add 2 oz. white wine or rum to each serving glass, if desired.

As today is Stir-up Sunday, I thought it appropriate to give you the recipe for what I believe is the world’s best Christmas pudding. This recipe comes from my great-great grandmother’s cookbook. This book is so old that it advises the lady of the house to keep the key to the stove about her person to prevent the scullery maid from using it in her absence. Therefore, if you do not want to be eating Christmas pudding until next year, I highly suggest that you, at the very least, quarter the recipe. Before you begin, soak your fruit in a mixture of equal parts rum, brandy and sherry for at least 24 hours.

1lb Bread crumbs, 1lb currants, 1/4lb each Orange, Lemon and Citron peels, 2lbs raisins, 1lb sultanas, 1lb sugar, 1lb suet, 1 nutmeg, grated rind and juice of one Lemon, 1/4lb of chopped almonds, 4 eggs, 1/2 pint of milk

Wash and dry the fruit and as mentioned above steep in alcohol for 24 hours. Peel should be finely chopped and all the ingredients mixed together well. If desired add some silver charms or coins but I suggest you wrap them in greaseproof paper. Put into basins and cover with greased paper. Steam for 10 to 12 hours.

It’s really that simple, it’s also exceptionally tasty.

I had to make waffles for this week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe, so I invited the family over for brunch. The waffles were pretty good (not anywhere near as good as the waffles I had from Bouchon) and the brown sugar bananas were delicious (although my brother said they were too banana-y; how can bananas be too banana-y?)

Waffles from Bouchon

Thank you to Lauren of Fried Pickles and Ice Cream for selecting Raised Waffles with Warm Brown Sugar Bananas for this week. If you would like the recipe, visit her blog or buy the book.

(For those who are interested: Today I am in Lautoka, Fiji.)

Here’s the thing about alcohol…it is both the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems. Let me paint a picture for you.

Gaynip and Dutchess decide they are going to do facials (hehehe) after several glasses of coconut rum and Dr.Pepper (diet, we’re watching our figures…and everyone knows alcoholic calories don’t count). So, the instructions say to wash your face before using the facial (seems kind of redundant…but what do we know?).

Gaynip: <Washing face with St.Ives while Dutchess fetches a towel> AAAAAHHHH

Dutchess: <Comes running>What? What??

Gaynip: AHHH I have a microbead in my eye!

Dutchess: <Laughing> We haven’t even started and you’re already hurt.

Gaynip: This scrub contains almonds. Surely nothing bad could happen.

…On a side note…my eyes look clean and fresh!

Please note Gaynip is deathly allergic to hazelnuts with some questionable side effects to almonds.