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Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce

November 22, 2016 by rachelle 16 Comments

Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce is a great twist to a classic recipe with the surprise of some mandarin orange craft beer for a fun and delicious flavor.

It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving around here without cranberry sauce and beer.

I just wanted to share one last Thanksgiving recipe with you in case you have a desire to make something different or need a last minute side to take somewhere. This Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce is totally easy and uses only a few ingredients, yet it’s homemade, pretty, and tasty!

I’m going to keep this short because we all have about a million things to do to get ready for the big day. I know I do. Help me, Rhonda. Thank goodness I had the foresight to brew up 10 gallons of beer a few weeks ago to get me through.

I’ll leave you with good wishes for a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving, and some links below in case you need any last minute help with your menu planning. Cheers, Friends!

Beer Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Beer-Brined Stuffed Turkey Loin

Vanilla Stout Pecan Pie

And a couple of roundups from my friends on the interwebs:

No Spoon Necessary and Friends Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup – something for every course

Easy Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes from Ciao Chow Bambina

25 of the Tastiest Thanksgiving Sides from Everyday Made Fresh

Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup mandarin or tangerine beer
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey
pinch or 2 of salt
zest of one mandarin or small orange

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thick and syrupy, stirring regularly
Cool and serve
Garnish with orange or mandarin zest

NOTES:

I used fresh cranberries for this recipe, but feel free to use frozen. You’ll want to thaw them first.
This Mandarin IPA is from Highland Brewing Company in Ashville, NC. It has vibrant orange and citrus flavors that are the perfect complement to the cranberries. It’s not a super hoppy beer and it doesn’t reduce for a significant amount of time, so there is very little bitterness in the final result, which is a nice balance to the tartness of the cranberries.

Cara Cara Orange Layer Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

June 15, 2016 by rachelle 18 Comments

Cara Cara Orange Layer Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

This may not be the most beautiful cake in the world, but your dad or father’s day person in your life will totally love it. It’s actually the ugly duckling of cakes and I’m ok with that. I was an ugly duckling for a long time (maybe I still am?) with awkward skinny long legs and shyness that would beat the band. I never fit in anywhere and probably still don’t. But you know what? It doesn’t matter when you have fantastic father figures in your life. We’ll talk about high school heart breaks some other time. I’ll bring the wine.

So, we can make fancy pants cakes like this if it blows your dress up and if your dad loves pastels, but does your dad really want that? I say, let’s go rustic. And usually when I’m talking rustic I’m talking messy, sloppy, or down right ugly. I’m pretty sure all those descriptions apply here.

Way to sell it, Rach!

The point is – and yes, eventually I usually have one – it’s Father’s Day this weekend. Your dad or other significant dad/grandpa/uncle/step/or other dad figure in your life loves you. He/She loves all your broken bones, skinned knees, lopsided smiles, and rustic, janky cakes with cracks and frosting squishing out the sides. And that’s what love is.

Happy Father’s Day!

Cara Cara Orange Layer Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 cup butter room temperature, plus more to prepare the pans (1 - 2 tablespoons)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs room temperature
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 cara cara orange juice and zest

For the Frosting

16 ounces 2 8 ounce blocks cream cheese
2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2 cara cara oranges juice and zest

For the Garnish

1 - 2 cara cara oranges thinly sliced
Mint leaves

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Measure and cut 2 pieces of parchment paper to fit 2 (9) inch cake pans
Butter cake pans, fit parchment circles into bottom of pans, and butter the parchment paper
Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes
Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk - start and end with flour, beat just until combined
Stir in vanilla bean paste, zest, and juice
Divide evenly between the two prepared cake pans
Bake 28 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, turn out onto wire racks to cool completely

For the Frosting

Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until combined
Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and combined
Add vanilla bean paste, zest, and juice and beat until combined

For the Assembly

Using a serrated knife, slice each cake in half horizontally through the middle making 4 cakes approximately the same thickness
Arrange the first layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 1/4 of the frosting on top
Add the second layer and spread 1/4 frosting on top
Repeat with the last two layers
Garnish with orange slices and mint

Adapted from Bake from Scratch Cake Special Issue June 2016, page 26 and 27

Note: If you wrap the cakes tightly in plastic then aluminum foil while it’s still warm and freeze them it will seal in some of the moisture and make them easier to cut and frost while thawing.

Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

April 18, 2016 by rachelle 31 Comments

Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

Tomato Tom-ah-to. Potato Pot-ah-to. Doughnut v. Donut? Which camp are you in?

I did a little Googling on this topic and it turns out that Doughnut is the dictionary-approved spelling for this sweet indulgence. It was shortened to donut in the late 1800’s, but was popularized in the 1920’s by a campaign for the popular American Dunkin’ Donuts chain.

The doughnut spelling is more popular and widely used, but the donut version is used in about 1/3 of American publications.

I tend to be old school when it comes to grammar and writing. I know! I know! I don’t keep things perfect on this here website and I’m quite proud of my ability to create long run on sentences. The reality is that I am a bit more casual here and like to keep my voice conversational. Like how I actually talk with my friends, ya know?

As an attorney, I’ve spent years with the more conservative style of writing for motions, orders, etc.

Latin anyone?

Didn’t think so.

So deep in my heart I identify with traditional and I go with doughnuts. If you like donuts, then be all you can be! There are no judgments here!

Now that we’ve got the academics out of the way, let’s talk about these Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts/Donuts. If you can find Cara Cara Oranges, buy every single one of them and hoard them all for yourself. I don’t like to advocate violence, but I’ll not judge you if you must mow down your granny in order to scoop them all into your cart and run for the door.

I also don’t encourage shoplifting, but no judgements you if you lose your head.

I got sidetracked and lost my own head over these oranges, so let’s get this train back on the rails and talk about doughnuts. I don’t know why, but a few weeks ago I had an unreasonable compulsion to make doughnuts. Problem. No doughnut pan. We went on a mission to find the doughnut pan, found one, and here we are with some delicious Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts.

Oh! And did I mention that they’re baked, not fried? Points for less calories!

Less calories justifies more glaze. I’m just sayin’…..

One more thing. We are celebrating all things spring and eating fancy pants doughnuts, so why not have a giveaway too? BAM! A few of my blogger friends and I have collaborated to bring you an awesome giveaway for a chance to win a $300 Amazon gift card! Scroll down below the recipe for a list of my awesome friends and the Rafflecopter options to enter. Good luck!

Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Donuts

Cooking spray
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 Cara Cara Orange juice and zest

For the Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glaze

3 Cara Cara Oranges juiced and zested
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, Cara Cara juice and zest
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined
Generously coat doughnut pan with cooking spray
Transfer batter to doughnut pan filling about 3/4 full
Bake 15-18 minutes
Cook on wire rack for 5-7 minutes then turn out onto the rack, repeat until all batter is gone - should make about 12 - I only have one pan so if you have two just use both
While the doughnuts are baking make the glaze
Combine the juice from the 3 Cara Cara Oranges and powdered sugar in a bowl, add 1/4 cup of the milk and then continue adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you have the consistency you like
Put white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each heating until melted and smooth
Pour Cara Cara glaze over doughnuts
Do it again - because why wouldn't you?
Use a spoon, pastry bag, or zip top bag with a small corner cut off to drizzle white chocolate over the top in whatever pattern blows your dress up
Garnish with zest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

orange

Mandarin IPA Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

Cara Cara Orange Layer Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake

For the Frosting

For the Garnish

Instructions

For the Cake

For the Frosting

For the Assembly

Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Donuts

For the Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glaze

Instructions

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