BEST KEPT SECRET IN TOWN. BUT NOT FOR LONG!
SERIOUSLY!
Straight from my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana
Better Get Your Orders in.
A friend of mine, Lauren Cotter Wilson, has just recently launched her new home-cooked meals to go business. Does "Wilson" ring a bell? As in Justin Wilson! Take a look at her bio and you will see that she came by the passion for cooking honestly. Just seems to be in her blood.
I am guessing this venture is going to be a complete success as Lauren is one of those individuals who is going to put a 110% percent into anything she does. I can honestly say there was not one thing on her menu that didn't sound delicious. Now, if I could just figure out how to get her in my neck of the woods. Something tells me it won't take long. Knowing Lauren she will be franchising by this time next year. Take a look! Her success is going to be fun to watch. I just love go-getters.
Go ahead and put this in you favorites and add it to your address book, Your going to need it!
"Get home cooked meals prepared and delivered to you. Order gourmet gift baskets for special occassions and holiday party fare when you want to entertain but don't have time to cook! Need to take a casserole to a friend who just had a baby or for someone recovering from an illess? Let Gourmet To Geaux help you out!"
EVERYTHING IS COMING UP SWEET POTATOES:
Bourbon Sweet Potato Cupcakes
"I call it BLURBON".
Take a look at the Bakerella site- More detailed instructions and step by step pictures for this recipe can be found at the above link
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes
1/3 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake trays with 24 baking cups.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl.
In another large mixing bowl, mix brown sugar, butter and eggs until fluffy.
Add sweet potatoes and vanilla. Mix well.
Add 1/3 of flour mixture to sugar mixture until combined. Add bourbon. Add second 1/3 of flour mixture. Add milk. Add final 1/3 flour mixture.
Mix well with each addition.
Fill baking cups.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Cool completely.
Candied Pecans
sugar
water
pecan halves
Add equal parts sugar and water to a pot. (I used 1 cup each.) Add pecans. Simmer for about six minutes. Drain syrup off.
In a deep fryer at about 375 degrees add pecans to oil. Heat for about 30 seconds to a minute or until frying noise stops. Be careful. The first attempt I made with these, I burned my pecans to a crisp. I guess my oil was too hot.
Lay on parchment paper lined tray and cool slightly.
Sprinkle some extra sugar on top to make them prettier.
Allow to dry completely.
***I really think just baking the pecans would be fine. One step I would eliminate!
Vanilla Glaze
2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 Tbsps milk
In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add vanilla.
Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you get the desired consistency. (Adding more milk will make it thinner.) Mix until smooth.
Transfer glaze to a small, deep bowl and you can just dip the tops of your cupcakes in it.
Bourbon Syrup/Glaze/Frosting Concoction
1 1/2 cup sugar (book says 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp butter
2 tsp vanilla (book says 1/2 tsp)
2 Tbsp bourbon
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil.
Boil for five minutes and add remaining ingredients. Cook until a syrupy consistency.
Then, I removed it from the stove and let it cool for a minute. I added 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar and 2 Tbsp milk to get it more like the consistency of the vanilla glaze. Either dip the tops again or spoon it on top so you can see the vanilla glaze underneath.
Add one candied pecan to each cupcake if you don’t eat them all first.
Cider-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
THIS RECIPE CAUGHT MY EYE FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
1. It's cooked on the grill. So Just hand this recipe over to the men. They need to feel important. Yea Sure!
2. Because its cooked on the grill you will free up your oven space for the other important dishes.
3. It's just a flat out simple recipe, unlike the incredible cupcake recipe listed above.
Ingredients
6 medium sweet potatoes, about 5 pounds
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Sea salt
Procedure
1. While the fire is lighting, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2-inch wedges or chunks. Whisk together the cider, oil, vinegar, and sugar and toss the mixture with the potatoes. Place the potatoes and liquid in a large shallow roasting pan.
2. When you pit is hot. place the roasting pan with the potatoes in the center of the grill and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are browned on the edges and soft on the inside, about 45 to 60 minutes.
3. While still hot, season to taste with sea salt. Serve warm.
These are so dang cute. You can order them, but only if your pockets are deep. So, I have decided to try to recreate them myself. How hard can this be? Take a look at a couple of the endorsements.
"There's something special about these cookies and I don't just mean their unusual shape and bright colors...They're the result of a partnership between Margie Greenberg and her Daughter Abbey, co-owners of The Flour Pot...These cookies taste as good as they look."
Al Roker, Roker on the Road
"
THANK YOU SO MUCH for making and delivering the special gift for my assistants! It made their day and everyone in my division VERY HAPPY!"
Account Executive, FOX Station Sales- HE'S FROM THE FOX STATION AND HE HAS ASSISTANTS. No wonder he can afford to order them!
BUT THEY SURE ARE CUTE!
Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur - $28.99
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THIS LITTLE BOTTLE OF JOY.
Godiva Chocolate Martini
1 oz Godiva Liqueur
1 oz vodka
Pour into shaker, mix and pour into cocktail glass. Indulge!
Hard for me to tell you where to find these Godiva products. I'm guessing they are sold in most Liquor stores. You see we don't have liquor stores here in our area. It's all sold in our groceries. It took me forever to get used to it when I moved here from Shreveport. I can remember my mom and dad and at some point, myself saying "I'm going to the Liqour Store" It was bad news the day I found out my parents had a charge account at Thrifty Liquor. Even worse news when I found out I could go to my dad's Country Club and charge a case of beer and they would carry out to my car. Oh Life was Good!
I SEEM TO HAVE FOOD ON THE BRAIN TODAY. EVERYTHING I HAVE BLOGGED ABOUT TODAY HAS TO DO WITH EDIBLES. MY HUSBAND IS ABOUT TO TAKE ME ON MY FIRST OUTING (TARGET) SINCE MY SURGERY. I AM SO EXCITED IT'S BEEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE I STEPPED FOOT IN ONE OF MY FAVS AND I AM TRULY HAVING WITHDRAWL SYMPTOMS. THEN, IT WILL BE TIME FOR THE TIGERS. FOR SOME REASON I AM NOT AN OLE MISS FAN. VERY UNCLEAR AS TO WHY I FEEL THAT WAY BUT NEVERTHELESS IT IS WHAT IT IS. HAPPY TAILGATING to all. DON'T SHOOT YOUR WAD CAUSE TOMMOROW WILL BE ANOTHER BIG DAY FOR THE SAINTS! SAINTS AT BUCCANEERS-NOON!
Well our trip to Target was successful! Sorta. My husband parked about as far away from the door as you could possible get. So the walk to and from the store took more time then our actual time spent inside. I knew by the time I had hit the dollar aisle I was in trouble. It was 12:30 and knowing that kick off was 2:30 I casually mentioned, "Fred, the way I see it I have a couple of hours to roam the store. His reposnse was "Are you kidding me, you can't even get from the parking lot to the front door. How are you gonna shop. Very seriously he says "I need to be home by 2:00 to give myself time to get my soft pants on and a cold beer". SERIOUSLY! I knew my destination (the Christmas section) was as far away from the entrance as the car situation. By the time I got back there I had broke out in a full fledged hot flash, dodged several buggies and run into one our closes friends. THE SAD NEWS IS I FORGOT TO GRAB ONE OF THOSE MOTOR-SCOOTERS. A DREAM OF MINE. So bottom line I spent the remainder of my outing talking to a favorite friend that I talk to almost everyday. But my mission was accomplished. I found my little pearl lights that I needed to replace. It about killed me to have to pay full price but you gotta do what you gotta do. Of course Fred had to hit the Target Deli. Popcorn that truly numbed my lips from all the salt. But it sure was good.
THE CUPCAKE VINEYARD
YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING!
and only $13.00 a Bottle. WOW
STAY TUNED FOR SOME ADD-ONS THIS EVENING AND TOMORROW.
.jpg)
