Homemade Kahlua

I have been absolutely dying to post this recipe since early November when I made my first batch of Homemade Kahlua.  But ... since I was giving away jars of my homemade concoction as Christmas gifts to family and friends, I didn't want to post it on the blog before Christmas and ruin the surprise.

Have no fear though - even though Christmas 2013 has past, you've still got plenty of opportunities to make a batch of your own homemade kahlua to pass out to your friends and family.  It would be a wonderful hostess gift for anyone hosting a New Years Eve Party.

I got the recipe for homemade kahlua from Cooks.com.  It was REALLY simple and it leaves a lot of room for creative interpretation.  You could easily change up the coffee flavor, add some almond in place of the vanilla, play with the amount of alcohol and the strength of the coffee.  The sky's the limit - use this recipe as a guide and run with it.   (Make sure you send me a comment with your results though so I can continue tweeking my concoction.)

The recipe makes a LOT so unless you REALLY love Kahlua - I would plan on sharing with friends.

BEST HOMEMADE KAHLUA

from COOKS.COM

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1 12-cup pot very strong coffee (chocolate flavored is best)
2 lbs. light brown sugar
4-6 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 liter 190 proof Clear Springs or Everclear

 

Brew a pot of strong coffee.  (I made mine about twice as strong as I would normally make my coffee.)

It looks like a Gevalia commercial but it is a total coincidence that I used Gevalia Chocolate Mocha coffee in my Gevalia coffee pot.

 

 

Bring coffee to a boil in dutch oven or large pot. Gradually add 2 lbs. light brown sugar and return to boil stirring constantly.













Let cool until room temperature.  Stir in vanilla and Everclear.










Pour into empty jars with tight fitting lids.  (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.)

Decorate with ribbon or raffia for Christmas gifts.

I think I'm going to go brew a cup of coffee now to pour my Kahlua into. 

Ciao!

Broccoli Tuna Casserole

Leftovers in our house are no accident.  I guess that I really shouldn't call them leftovers because it's not simply food that didn't get eaten for dinner - it's food that has been planned for and calculated into the grocery shopping.

Ben likes to take the leftovers to work for lunch and the kids even pack it in their lunch boxes occasionally.  If we've accumulated a lot of leftovers in the refrigerator, I pull them out for weekend lunches.  We make a huge buffet of leftovers on the kitchen island and let everyone fill their plates with whatever they choose.  (Almost like being at Golden Corral - sort of.)

A lot of the food that I prepare one day, gets turned into something else on another day so no one is even aware that they're eating leftovers.  (Remember the skirt steak that became fajitas and then steak salad and then fajita pizza?)

The point is that I normally prepare more food that my family will eat in one meal - on purpose.  It takes careful planning, precise calculations and more times than not - a whole lot of guess work to figure out exactly how much my family will eat on any given day.  Planning for leftovers is not a job for the faint of heart.  Even the most careful plans can all be thrown out the window if just one person gets particularly hungry and eats everything all at once.  (Teenagers - They have the weirdest eating habits.)

I considered doubling this recipe for Broccoli Tuna Casserole from the October issue of Taste Of Home but I was banking on the fact that my family would eat about half for dinner and I could save the other half for lunches.  It's especially hard to judge how much they will eat when I make a new recipe because I just never know what they're going to like.  It was a gamble but I decided to just make one recipe and hope for the best.

Broccoli Tuna Casserole
5 cups egg noodles
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup broth
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
4 cups frozen broccoli florets
2 pouches tuna
1/3 cup panko
1 Tablespoon butter, melted






Cook noodles according to package directions.  Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish.










Melt 1 teaspoon butter in skillet.  Add onion and cook until softened.

Stir together cornstarch, milk and seasonings.

 Gradually add to pan.

Stir in broth.













Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir 2 minutes until thickened.








Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, broccoli and tuna.

Pour over noodles and stir to combine.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.











Combine panko and 1 T. butter and sprinkle over cheese.

Bake 45 minutes at 350.

Serve.

Turns out - my family really enjoyed this tuna casserole.  They didn't eat the ENTIRE pan but they did eat most of it.  It was a super yummy meal for a cold winter's night.

Ciao!

Vanilla Sugar

For me, gift giving is all about the thought that goes into the gift.  Sometimes I have to resort to asking for a list but - when someone tells me what to get, it sort of takes all the fun out of the hunt.  I would like to THINK that I know the recipient well enough to choose a gift for them that they will appreciate even though I REALLY miss the mark sometimes.  It really is the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving - right?
 
I guess that's why I like to give homemade gifts.  I definitely appreciate gifts that I receive that someone has invested their time and talents into creating.  I hope that the recipients of my homemade gifts feel the same way.  (My homemade gifts are far from perfect so it really is about appreciating the effort not the result.) 

I tried some new edible gifts this year for Christmas.  One of the things that I made was vanilla sugar.  The concept is simple - combine vanilla bean and sugar to create a vanilla infused sweeter for tea or coffee.











Start with really great vanilla beans.  They are a little pricey but totally worth it.  (I found a jar with 2 beans on sale for 3.00.)










Slice each bean down the center with a sharp knife.  Use the tip of the knife to scrape the seeds from the inside of the bean.

Pour turbinado sugar into a bowl.

Add vanilla seeds and stir to combine.

 Spoon into jars.  (I added a half of a vanilla bean to each jar to give it a little extra boost of vanilla.)

Tie with a ribbon and label jars to give away.

I am going to tuck a little jar of homemade vanilla sugar into some special stockings this year.  I am ready to sit down and have a cup of tea with my vanilla sugar on Christmas morning.  (I guess this is a gift for me too.) 

Ciao!