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AnnaShortcakes

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AnnaShortcakes

Category Archives: Kentucky Proud

Am I Really Back This Time?

21 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud

≈ 1 Comment

Here one day, gone the next…. That describes my blogging for sure! It has been a rough 2 years. But one step at a time things are looking up and getting better. Now that life seem to be hitting a stride, I am trying to get back to the things that I love. That includes this blog. I am going to aim low so as not to disappoint you or me. Posting once a week is the goal. Please be understanding if this doesn’t work out. Redefining the “new normal” is hard work, y’all!!

So here we go… Onward and upward in this sometimes struggle known as life!

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New Year, New Me…

11 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

changes, New Year, resolutions

2014 has been a rough year for me and for the blog. So many tears, so many changes. It hasn’t all been bad, though. My ex and I went to Alaska, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I have a new job that I like. My co-workers are really good to me and I am learning so much. I have been blessed with some amazing friends, who have been incredibly supportive. My brother moved across the state to live with me; that is love! Random acts of kindness from unexpected people have also blessed my life. The little things have kept me afloat when I thought I might drown. It has renewed my faith in humanity and encouraged me to increase my own personal compassion.

I hope 2015 is a year of rebuilding and improvement. Instead of making a resolution, I am going to make a list. A whole year is a long time and I have faith I can get a lot done. Cheer and Happy New Year!

A bad habit I am going to break: Negative, pervasive worry

A new skill I’d like to learn: How to be more handy around the house.

A person I hope to be more like: My boss, DJ. She is supportive and encouraging to everyone. Her kindness to me through these hard months has been amazing.

A good deed I am going to do: Buy the meal of someone behind me in the drive through.

A place I’d like to visit: Niagara Falls

A book I’d like to read: Too hard! I have 378 books on my Goodreads “To Read” shelf. I want to read them all!

A letter I am going to write: To my great aunt, Anna. To my OH friend Tom.

A new food I’d like to try: Marmite.

I’m going to be better at: Being more emotionally intelligent. Thinking before I speak.

Apple Cider Caramels…. and Change….

09 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by annashortcakes in Dessert, Gluten-Free, Kentucky Proud

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

apple, candy, caramels, cider, dessert, fresh, gluten free

Nothing ever stays the same. Even if you insist on standing still, the rest of the world continues to evolve and revolve around the sun. Some changes are good, some are bad, some are mix of both.

I am sure you have noticed I have been MIA from blogging for a good while. In short, my husband and I are in the process of divorcing. It has been difficult. I am trying to sort through my life, piece by piece.

One of the most consistent things in my life has been my continued passion for food. I haven’t been blogging but I have still been creating and cooking my own food. I have still been connecting with fellow foodies. My passion for food remains unchanged.

I have missed connecting with the blogging community. I have missed showing my readers my culinary discoveries. I have missed being pushed to continue creating and exploring the wide world of food. But I am back now!!!

This month I want to embrace the best of the fall season. The amazing fresh produce – apples, pumpkins, greens, and root vegetables. Today’s recipe is one I have been eyeing for a long time.

These caramels are a flavor explosion in your mouth, buttery smooth with a bright apple taste and little hints of salt at the finish.

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Apple Cider Caramels (from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

  • 4 cups fresh apple cider
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp heavy cream
  • Neutral oil for the knife

Boil the apple cider in a 3 to 4 quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark thick syrup between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, line the bottom and sides of a square metal baking pan with parchment. Set aside. Stir the cinnamon and salt together in a small dish.

Remove the reduced cider from the head and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon-salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evely. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cooled, about 2 hours. When the caramel is set, remove the caramels from the pan and use the well oiled knife to cut the caramel into 1 by 1 inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4 inch square of waxed paper, twisting the sides to close. Caramels with be soft at room temperature and firm in the fridge. Makes 64 caramels.

Thanks to Boyd’s Orchard for the fresh apple cider.

A Derby Cocktail – Raspberry and Thyme Gin and Tonics

02 Friday May 2014

Posted by annashortcakes in Cocktails/Beverages, Kentucky Proud

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beverage, cocktail, gin, Hopportunity, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Proud, raspberry, thyme, tonic

My favorite summer cocktail is the Blackberry and Basil Gin and Tonic. Right now my basil plants are tiny but my thyme is really growing like gangbusters. It inspired me to make these new gin and tonics. I really enjoyed them! Either of these cocktails are delicious and would be great served at your Derby party. Have you picked a horse yet? You can check them out here. My pick is Hoppertunity. How did I pick him? I looked for the prettiest horse but all are brown/black. Then I read the names. Hoppertunity is the mosty food/drink oriented horse of the group. Who doesn’t love hops? What horse will you be betting on?

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Raspberry and Thyme Gin and Tonics

  • 12 raspberries
  • 4 large sprigs of thyme, bruised to release flavor
  • 2 lemons
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup
  • 12 ounces gin
  • Tonic water
  • Ice

Set out four high ball glasses. Place 3 raspberries, a thyme sprig, juice of ½ lemon, and 1 tablespoon simple syrup in each glass; muddle together. Fill each glass with ice, followed by 3 ounces of gin. Top off each drink with tonic water, stir and serve. Makes 4 drinks.

Blue Stallion Brewing Co.

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud, Travel, Vegetarian

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

beer, Blue Stallion Brewing Co., breweries, Jim Clemons, Kentucky Proud, local, on tap, vegan

The Bluegrass region has a lot to offer. The Bourbon Trail. Horse racing. Excellent outdoor activities. And several new breweries in downtown Lexington. My first visit into this district was with friends at Blue Stallion Brewing Co., located off West 3rd Street. During this visit, I drank some tasty beer and ate some amazing things from the Gastro Gnomes food truck. I had a blast and can’t wait to go back again.

BSBC 2

JimClemons4_275pxAs I was sipping my Wee Heavy, I was lucky enough to get a brief interview with one of the owners, Jim Clemons. Jim used to be a Chemical Engineer for LexMark but has become one of the lucky few who makes money as he lives his passion. After making beer at home for several years, Jim joined with four other beer enthusiasts to found Blue Stallion, one of the smallest commerical breweries in Kentucky. Jim says his favorite beer is the Pilsner because it reminds him of the time he has spent in Germany. He describes the beer as bitter enough to have character but not overwhelmingly so. It is quite tasty! The full flavor is very enjoyable without being too pushy; sturdy enough to drink alone but also would pair well with most any food. Of the three I tried, it was also my favorite.

BSBC 1According to Jim, the beer at Blue Stallion is “more old world European” than the beer offered at the other Lexington breweries. He describes the beer at Country Boy as “pleasantly cutting edge,” while the beer at West 6th is “more in the modern American style.” Jim speaks very highly of the other breweries and reports that they all share a strong relationship; he says a strong brewery district is good for everyone. Having such a large variety of beer available in Lexington means that there is something for every palate.

The production beer at Blue Stallion Brewing Co. is, at least so far, all vegan, all natural, with no spices, fruit, or herbs. Their beer is made with only grain, hops, and yeast, from the beer’s country of origin.  According to Jim, many breweries use a clean yeast strain from California ; “there isnt’ anything wrong with that, it’s just a little different flavor than what we are going for,” Jim says. Most all Blue Stallion beer is filtered with coarse filter pads, resulting in crystal clear beverages; he says this is just a preference but does not affect the flavor of the beer.

BSBC 3Blue Stallion averages one batch of beer per week ­- that’s 28 kegs of beer. He says they serve half of that beer at their own bar, while bottling and selling the other half to resturants and private citizens by the growler. When I asked what he saw for the brewery in the future, he said he would like to see them increase their production three fold, build a bigger brewery (they have a 15 year lease at their current location, so don’t fear, they won’t be moving any time soon), and to become more production oriented, rather than bar oriented.

BSBC 4But clearly serving their own beer is working well for them now. When I arrived at 530pm, there were about 10 people there already, enjoying a cold one. Several people (including me) were also waiting on the Gastro Gnomes Food Truck to begin serving dinner. Blue Stallion, like the other breweries, allows food trucks to park on their property and conduct business. (Side note: Lexington is working on legislation to allow food trucks in more areas around town. Despite some pushback from traditional resturants, food trucks have become very popular, even though they have to park with permission on private property at this time.) Jim says allowing food trucks is a great way to increase beer sales. He says the more you eat, the more you can drink, the longer you stay. It also is a great draw for the sober driver in the group. Plus, most everyone would agree good food and good beer make for a great night out. There is a rotating collection of food trucks that serve at the brewery. You can find out when each one will be there on the Blue Stallion event calendar or the food trucks websites.

BSBC Collage

In addition to partnering with food trucks, Blue Stallion has other events nearly every night. Sunday and Monday features reduced pricing on growler fills (that’s a half gallon of deliciousness!). Tuesday night has been dubbed “Test Batch Tuesday.” Jim says beer from tap #4 is usually real good, but occassionally some is not (Hey, it’s experimental !!). Either way, I bet it’s a lot of fun! Wednesday night features live music from local bands. Live Team Trivia is popular on Thursday. If none of these things are appealing, there is a comfortable lounge area with dart boards and a pool table. I can’t imagine how anyone couldn’t have fun at Blue Stallion Brewing Company. I had a blast and can’t wait to go back!

Thanks to Jim for the interview, the delicious Gastro Gnome for the tasty eats, and my fellow foodie friends for inviting me to such a wonderful place! (Please note all photos, except the photo of Jim, were taken by me. The photo of Jim can be found here.)

A Sad Occurance

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

death, family, grandmother, grief

My apologizes, dear blog readers. The tapas week will have to take a pause. My husband’s grandmother passed away so we will be away from home for a while. When I return, our tapas posts will resume. Thank you for being understanding.

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Top 10 Recipes of 2013

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by annashortcakes in Food Details, Kentucky Proud

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

2013, blogging, collection, milestones, recipe, resolutions

I love the New Year because it gives us all an opportunity to reflect on the past year. This past year has been a rough one for me personally. It forced me to stretch my personal boundaries and dig deep into my well of inner strength just to make it through. But, like all things, even bad times come to and end, leaving you will lessons learned and even more courage/faith in yourself.

This year has also been one of growth for the blog as well. AnnaShortcakes had 41,965 views this year, with an average of 115 views per day. That’s over 200% more views than last year! I can’t wait to see how the blog changes and grows in 2014.

Thank you so much for reading AnnaShortcakes!

Top 10 Recipes of 2013

Rustic Manicotti

manicotti

Lavender Liqueur

lavender-liqueur

Rosemary Garlic Grilled Chicken

rosemary chicken

One Jar Refrigerator Dill Pickles

pickles

Thai Crab Soup

thai crab soup

Vietnamese Shrimp Quinoa Salad

shrimp salad

Mustard Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts

brussels-sprouts

Spicy Crispy Chickpeas

chickpeas

Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Granola Bars

granola

Limoncello-Gin Cocktail with Thyme

gin cocktail

 

2013: A Year in Books

28 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

2013, best reads, books, goal, goodreads, reading

This year, my goal was to read 50 books. I didn’t make it. But in my defense I read three books that had nearly 900 pages each. They should count for 2 books right?!!

The best books I read this year were:

collage 3

A couple of other honorable mentions are:

book collage 2

What is the best book you read this year?

Making Sausage

08 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by annashortcakes in Italian, Kentucky Proud, Meat

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

bratwurst, DIY, homemade, hot, Italian, mild, pork, sausage

Last year for Christmas, my loving hubby gave me several attachments for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Specifically the grinder and sausage stuffer. I have been wanting to use it but just haven’t had the extra hands to help with such a momentous project (oh the joy of shift work). Black Friday was the perfect opportunity. My parents and I cut and ground 20 lbs of meat then spiced, mixed, and stuffed it into natural hog casings. It took a full 8 hours start to finish and was great fun, though next time I think I will grind the meat and stuff the sausages on separate days. (On a side note, I used my mixer nearly the whole time. It didn’t overheat or have any troubles at all. I was pretty impressed!)

Below are the recipes we used and how the look prior to being stuffed. The Hot Italian smelled the best.

DSC_1088

Hot Italian Sausage

5 lbs pork
1 cup cold red wine
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder or-4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
3 tsp cayenne
5 tbsp fennel seed
2 tsp crushed chili peppers
5 tbsp paprika

Combine all, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

DSC_1091

Bratwurst

5 lbs ground pork, fine grind
4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

DSC_1090

Sweet Italian Sausage

10 lbs ground pork
4 tbsp salt
1 cups ice water (the original recipe called for 2)
1 tbsp cracked fennel seed
2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp coriander
3 tsp crushed hot peppers

Combine all ingredients, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

The picture below is me rinsing the casings and looking for holes. About 7 had small holes and I set them aside, though we did use nearly all of them. We just cut the pieces smaller to avoid them and continued on with the idea that smaller sausages could be bun length.

DSC_1084

After the casings were selected, you grease the stuffer attachment with crisco and gently (but with purpose) thread the casing on. Then run your meat mixture through the attachment and into the casing. At first we were rather slow but with practice we were able to speed up fairly significantly.

DSC_1095

As you can see, the sausage was a great success! Can’t wait to taste it!

DSC_1097
DSC_1093

 

My Virtual Thanksgiving

24 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by annashortcakes in Kentucky Proud

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

collection, holiday, recipe, Thanksgiving, virtual

As you read this, I have already eaten THREE Thanksgiving dinners! And there is another pending. I have already gotten out my fat pants and am attempting to accept that I will have to work out extra in between now and Christmas. But I cannot turn down this delicious food. I just don’t have the mental strength.

I am not cooking this year. Instead, I will show you the dinner I would prepare. It’s glorious.

A Brined Turkey from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide (isn’t it stunning?!)

Cornbread Dressing from Southern Living (this is the only dressing worth my time!)

Wild Rice Gratin with Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Baby Swiss from AnnShortcakes

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Brussels Sprouts Gratin from Simply Recipes (can’t wait to make these!)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes by Williams and Sonoma

Sweet Potatoes from The Girl Who Ate Everything

The Cocktail from OKRA

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing from Taste of Home

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

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