The Fix For Eggnog

It's Christmas day, and for many that means the traditional eggnog is served.  But if the consistency of off the shelf eggnog makes you feel like you're drinking cough syrup, there's a way to make it much better. This could change your mindset of eggnog forever and it's a quick and easy fix. Simply combine eggnog 50/50 with milk and mix vigorously. You will be surprised the difference this makes.

For light and fluffy eggnog, put the same mix in the blender and turn the blender on high. To REALLY make it tasty, add a couple scoops of frozen vanilla custard from Culver's or your local frozen custard shop.

Shrimp On The Balcony

Spicy peel and eat shrimp is “GREAT” finger food for out on the balcony or patio, especially in the cool fall months of October and November. If you’ve got a mild day, try cooking up a batch of these tasty morsels. Fresh out of the pot, take them out onto your garden balcony and dig in. With a bit of chill in the air, the spice will warm you right up. This is definitely a recipe that will light up your taste buds, so adjust the spice to what works best for you.

Ingredients:

2 pounds raw shell on shrimp (31-40 count)
2 to 4 FL oz Zatarain's liquid concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 tsp Basil
2 tsp salt

1 tbsp fine chopped garlic
1 medium size onion diced
2 tsp Chesapeake Bay Style Seafood Seasoning (McCormick)
1/2 cup white vinegar
12 cups water



Instructions:

• Preheat water and vinegar to a boil. 
• Then add all seasoning except the liquid concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil.
• Let water and seasoning boil for 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Then add liquid concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil and stir.
• Cover and return to the boiling point for two minutes. 
• Add thawed shrimp, simmer for one minute then turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Remove shrimp, serve hot, grab a beer and head out to the balcony or patio.

http://youtu.be/3fsVJAmFkcI

Fantastic Fall Apple Pie

It's two days before Halloween and the house is filled with the sweet aroma of apple pie. You know... there's just nothing quite like hot apple pie, fresh out of the oven. With a light flaky crust and topped with creamy vanilla ice cream, it just melts in your mouth.

So after polishing off a nice big slice, and in an effort to resist the temptation of a second slice, which will result in the continued stretching of my belt buckle, I've decided to distract myself by sharing our delicious recipe. To date this is my favorite recipe for apple pie, and I think you'll like it too. With a little luck we have a few more nice days of weather left, so you can enjoy this fall treat outside on your garden balcony.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2 cups flour

1 cup of butter / 2 sticks

2/3 cup cold water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg white (brush on top prior to cooking, do not mix into dough)

Apple mix

6 medium to large Granny Smith apples

¾ cups of sugar

2 tbsp of "flower"... Ummm I mean flour

1 tsp of cinnamon

1/8 tsp of nutmeg

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp lemon extract or 1 tsp of lemon juice

Directions

Crust – Preparing the dough 

1. Cut butter stick into small cubes and put in refrigerator to keep very cold but not frozen.
2. Dissolve sugar and salt in water and put in refrigerator to keep very cold.
3. Put kitchen aid mixing bowl and kitchen aid paddle into refrigerator to chill.
4. Once everything is cold to the touch, attach the paddle to the mixer.
5. Drop in the 2 cups of flour and the cold butter pieces and coat each piece of butter with flour so the butter won’t stick to the paddle.
6. All at once add the water mixture turn on the mixer to medium/high for 5 seconds. Do not over mix because it will make your crust tough instead of flaky.
7. After the mixture has gotten together separate into two balls and flatten into about 4” round disks. Then wrap each disc separately in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour. Note, you’ll see little chunks of butter in the dough.

Prepare apple mix

1. Quarter, core, peel, and slice apples into thin slices. Measure to approximately 6 cups and put in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl add ingredients for the apple mix and whisk thoroughly. Then combine with apple slices in large bowl and set the side.

At this point, preheat oven to 425 degrees

Form base pie crust

1. Flour the work surface where you will roll out the pie dough.
2. Lightly flour the rolling pin.
3. Remove pie dough disks from the refrigerator and roll out each disk. Use alternating strokes so the dough remains round until disks are thin enough and 10” in diameter.
4. Lift the pie crust by rolling it onto the rolling pin, (to prevent tearing) place over and into pie pan (glass) being careful not to stretch the dough.

Fill pie

1. Pour apple mix into the pie pan.

Top the pie

1. Roll out top pie crust in same manner as the base pie crust and place over pie. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch down into place to rim the pie (you may have to trim excess dough).
2. Cut several small slits in top of pie to vent the pie and allow steam to escape.
3. Take egg white and lightly brush on top of pie. Be careful not to fill vents in pie.
4.  Sprinkle top of pie lightly with sugar.
5. Use pie ring to prevent edges from burning.
• Or make your own pie rim with 2 strips of aluminum foil covering just the outer rim of the pie to prevent scorching.

Cook the pie

1. Place the pie in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
2. Pie is finished when it is golden brown and bubbling out the steam vents.
3. Let stand for 15 to 25 min to cool and prevent from being too runny.

Serve

1. Serve pie with vanilla bean ice cream or to really make it creaming, vanilla frozen custard.

Discovering Balcony Food

What makes for a good balcony food experience? Usually there are constraints on space, so you have to factor in limited dishes, serving plates and presentation. Additionally, being on a balcony or patio you’re outside, so you’ll want foods that fit the seasons and resulting weather. Here we’ll take you beyond the grill to discover, tasty treats, snacks, delicious meals, wonderful deserts, and drinks that will light up your taste buds.

Centered around the outdoor eating experience, Balcony Food, will give you some mouth-watering ideas to enjoy in the garden on your balcony.