Homemade Irish Cream

November 13, 2011November 27, 2011 / pumpkinhoney / Leave a comment

Ever since I saw recipes for homemade Irish Cream on Foodgawker last year I’ve been dying to make it. I don’t know why it took me so long. It may have been the fact that I don’t really like whiskey and therefore don’t own any… or drink any for that matter. Haha.

Stephen tends to be more interested in recipes that involve alcohol (gingerbread with stout, pot pie with a hefeweizen gravy and so on) and finally convinced me we should try making one of the recipes we’ve seen. We decided homemade Irish Cream would make an amazing Christmas gift for a handful of our friends. We wanted to test out a recipe first though.

It’s so incredibly easy. It reminds me of a chocolatey, coffeey version of Egg Nog. Very Holiday friendly.

Homemade Irish Cream

1.5 Cups Light Cream
1 14oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/4 Cups Irish Whiskey (we used Jameson)
1 Tsp Instant Coffee Granules
2 Tsp Black Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (Homemade! It’s just vodka & vanilla beans, so easy.)
1/8 Tsp Almond Extract

Dissolve the coffee granules in a couple of tablespoons of cream. Add the cocoa powder and combine until a smooth paste forms. I used a fork, like scrambling eggs. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. I used a food processor because I was lazy and my blender was dirty. Bad idea. Everything leaked. Don’t. Do. It. Not that anyone else would be as dumb as me. Anywayy, when you’re done blending, pour into your bottle (or jar!) of choice. We used a mason jar as you can see, which was really handy when the chocolate sank to the bottom and wanted me to shake it up.

It turned out really well! I’m not sure what Bailey’s tastes like but I imagine it’s just as good or even better! The idea that you could make it yourself, and control what goes into it, is just so appealing.

Keep refrigerated. Drink responsibly ; )

Echo Hill Goodies

November 9, 2011November 9, 2011 / pumpkinhoney / Leave a comment

Over the weekend I was in Bethlehem, PA for my grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration. Her official celebration was a bash Saturday night, cocktails starting at 6, at the Bethlehem Hotel. We had drinks, dinner, and cake (of course!).

3 of us took the morning on Saturday to sneak away & venture to Echo Hill before the party!!! So exciting!!! We each managed to buy a cardboard box (unfortunately, we forgot our reusable bags) FULL of goodies. Now, I did have a list going into this wonderful experience of happiness & joy, but I abandoned it slightly upon arrival. Some things I wanted that I did not purchase include: amaranth, dark chocolate chips (I couldn’t find any!), barley, assorted flours, cardamom, chili powder, cajun seasoning (I still have a ton), and everything else in the store : )

The List:

Raw Cashews
Raw Almonds
Split Peas
Millet
Quinoa
Rice
Steel Cut Oats
Bread Flour
Dried Dates
Vanilla Beans
Black Cocoa Powder
Butterscotch Bits (for cookies)
Dark Brown Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Spice Drops (for Stephen)
Mexican Hats (for Stephen)

I think the only reason the list stops there is because I know I’ll be back very soon to purchase all the other things my heart desires! I’m almost certain I’ll be picking up most of the items I had listed but overlooked.

I cannot stress enough what an amazing variety of products Echo Hill carries or the affordable prices. On top of those attributes, the people are wonderful, absolutely wonderful. They know exactly where an item is located if they have it, they’ll tell you about a product if you’ve never heard of it & one gentleman offered to open a package of goji berries once for Stephen & I to try. And the parking lot speaks for it. For a pretty small “country store,” the parking lot (and the inside!) was full. I should become the Echo Hill spokesperson, although I’m sure they don’t need one.

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

November 3, 2011November 27, 2011 / pumpkinhoney / 1 Comment

It’s the beginning of November and the weather in Maryland is still very nice! For the last 4 years I’ve been in Central PA during November… where it’s COLD COLD COLD and often snowy or wintry mix-y. I’m not used to this warm weather anymore but I love it. It gets cold enough to wear thick sweaters and warm boots but not so cold its unbearable! Today, its in the high 50s, low 60s. It’s gorgeous outside. There are still green leaves on the trees. Some red and yellow too.

I will be heading up to PA this weekend (brrrrr) for my grandmother’s 90th birthday!!! Go Grandma! We’re throwing her a 90th birthday bash and a bunch of my family will be there. We’re going to party like it’s the 1920s! Technically, Grandma probably partied most in the 30s since she was born in the 20s but whatever. We’ll party like it’s the early 20th century.

She also lives very close to Stephen’s hometown sooo I get to go to Echo Hill. I’m beyond excited! I plan to buy millet, steel cut oats, bread flour, vanilla beans, a variety of nuts, spices, and so much more! I love Echo Hill ❤

I was craving something hearty & warm (even though it’s nice, it’s still fall!) and soup wasn’t going to cut it. This recipe could easily be made with black beans too. Mmmm. The chipotle adds an amazing smoky flavor to the beans and the quinoa rounds out the protein. You could add other veg for a little more variety. If I had bell peppers I probably would have added them! Anyway, enjoy! : )

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

Pinto Beans & Goat Cheese

Olive Oil
1/2 Medium Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Can Pinto Beans, unsalted
1 Can Water
1/4 Cup Quinoa
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Chipotle Pepper, ground
Splash of Hot Sauce (I used Crystal)
Salt & Pepper
Soft Goat Cheese

Sautee onion in olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minute before adding the garlic. Add the spices to bring out the flavors. Rinse beans before adding to pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Add quinoa and let simmer until quinoa if fully cooked and mixture has thickened considerably. About 15 to 20 minutes. Just can add more water if you’re looking for a soupier consistency. Add hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste. The vinegar in the hot sauce will enhance the other flavors. I think lemon juice would be a nice addition of acidity as well. Once plated, sprinkle goat cheese crumbles over beans or leave off for vegan option.

Bon Apetite!!

I was playing with my camera last night and took a few pictures of my favorite ring. It was my mom’s.

I don’t know where the dried flower came from, I’ve had it on my vanity for quite some time but the handwritten card was from Stephen : D

Also, took some pictures of the trees & leaves outside a couple of days ago.Last picture! Tuesday mom & I drove to the Eastern Shore to visit my maternal grandmother & grandfather. They live on the water and I snapped a couple of picture of the sunset.