SUPER SIMPLE Eggnog Crème Brûlée

This is my last post of this year....😪...but it's been a fantastic year!!! Thanks to all who have asked for these recipes, left comments and just supported me!!! 

This dessert sounds daunting and even makes me a little nervous BUT it's simple. Don't pay a fortune at a resteraunt for this fancy French dessert do it yourself. Impress your friends and family with this at the end of a great meal(hopefully one you found on this blog). ENJOY.....eat on!!!

FAQs I learned in school:

What is creme brulee?

Creme brulee is creamy custard dessert with a caramelized sugar topping. 

How do I know when the custard is done?

The edges are set but the center is still jiggly. A knife inserted off center should come out clean.

How hot does the water in the water bath need to be? 

Boiling

How high should the water bath be?

Same height as custard

Is there way to brulee without a mini torch?

Yes, use your broiler!!!!! :)

2 cups of eggnog
2 eggs
1/4 cup of light brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 350.

Warm eggnog in a small pan until tiny bubbles form.  Remove from heat.

In a bowl, beat eggs until thick and creamy

Very slowly whisk the eggs into the eggnog mixture

Pour into ramekins.  Add boiling water to a baking pan large enough to hold ramekins. Water should be at least the height of the custard. BUT YOU DONT WANT IT TOO HIGH WHERE IT COULD BOIL OVER AND IMTO RAMEKINS!!!

Bake for 20 minutes and remove. If it's not done(FAQ #2) keep baking in 5 min intervals. If it never sets after a while(15 mins) toss!! :( 

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Turn broiler on, remove ramekins and sprinkle brown sugar over the top of each dessert.

Broil until brown sugar is melted.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes to harden.

You could serve with fresh berries.

BREAD MACHINE TX Roadhouse rolls

Texas Roadhouse Rolls for bread maker

make 18 large rolls

1/4 cup warm water

2 tsp dry yeast
1 cup milk
1-1/2 Tbs butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

CINNAMON BUTTER

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Beat butter with hand mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and beat with mixer until well blended. Serve on warm rolls.

Put all ingredients in bread maker according to YOUR bread maker.  Set for dough.  When done, take out and roll into a rectangle.  Fold the dough in half and let rest for 15 minutes.  Cut into squares.  I used a pizza cutter to do this.

Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes (adjust accordingly - depending on the size of the rolls) till golden brown.

The most important step is to generously butter the hot rolls before bringing them to the table. This makes themirresistible!  Serve with cinnamon buttter.

Braised short ribs and penne

• 4 pounds beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 cup red wine or red cooking wine(what I used)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone. Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Keep on low. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon take pasta from pot and add directly into sauce.Toss well. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.

Greek pasta with baked lemon chicken

Ingredients:

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano

12 oz of your fave pasta(I used twirls so it would into the nooks)

Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

pepper to taste

kosher salt to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°.
In a large bowl, combine feta, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil and oregano. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Boil pasta. Once done mix with feta mixture. 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper. Sear chicken, about 1-2 minutes each side; remove from heat.
Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken to coat. Place the squeezed lemon wedges around the chicken breasts. Roast for about 25-30 mins. 

Slice and put on top of pasta. Enjoy!!

Naan Bread(bread machine)

INGREDIENTS:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

DIERCTIONS:

1. Put the milk and egg in the bread machine.

2. Mix flour, sugar and salt together and then put them on top of the milk.

3. Add the yeast on top the flour.

4. Use the “dough” function of your bread machine to make the dough.

5. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured working surface and divide it into 5 equal portions. Form each one into balls.

6. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly.

7. Flatten the dough a little bit just so you can sprinkle some salt and mined garlic on it. Use a rolling pin to press the minced garlic into the surface of the dough.

Coconut Curry Chicken

I have always wanted to eat Indian food but my number one problem was that I didn't know where a good place to go was AND of I didn't like it it would be a waste of time and money. So I decided to try to make my own. I know the basic flavored of India and I know that have a fantastic. Read, naan. So here it is my experiment of Indian cuisine....and I must say so myself that I was FANTASTIC!!!! Enjoy......and Eat on!!!!

INGREDIENTS: 

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp  EVOO

1 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp curry powder

1 cup coconut milk

pinch cayenne

Fresh limes, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim fat from chicken breasts. And place in a ziplock bag. 
2. Mix all remaining ingredients except limes.
3. Add chicken and marinade to a large bowl or ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
4. Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
5. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil continuously for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
6. Grill chicken.
7. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice. Serve with sauce on the side and naan(Indian bread, recipe on blog)

Chocolate Pie

• My husband LOVES chocolate pies so he makes them like once a week....lol...that might be a stretch but it's a close guesstimate!!! He makes it the very quick way with a bought graham cracker crust and chocolate pudding, which is ok BUT I wanted to make him one the way I was taught to make them in school, with real chocolate custard and a yummy crust. So here it is, chocolate pie with a simple shortbread crust!! Enjoy.....and Eat on!!!

Shortbread pie crust

• 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Stir together butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in yolk. Add flour and salt, and stir until mixture is dry and crumbly. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Freeze until firm. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake just until crust turns golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool. 

This crust is so simple and delicious it could be the crust to any pie!!!

Chocolate pie filling

1 can Evaporated Milk

2 large egg yolks

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Whipped cream(from scratch by putting cold heavy whipping cream in a mixer and let it mix until it has stuff peaks...and confectioners sugar and fold in)

Whisk evaporated milk and egg yolks in medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and starts to thicken slightly; DO NOT boil. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted and mixture is smooth.

Pour into crust; refrigerate until firm. Top with whipped cream before serving.