Roasted Chicken (or leftover turkey) Salad

I love this salad, because, as far as salads go, it's kind of cozy for the winter months. And this will be a very good final destination for any leftover turkey. But, honestly, leftovers last maybe 24 hours after the big meal at our house, so we just go to Costco and get our $5 rotisserie chicken. This makes quite a bit, so I often cut the recipe in half.

1 cup pecan halves (about 3 ounces), broken in half lengthwise

1 whole roasted chicken (about three pounds), skin removed

8 scallions, white and light-green parts only, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, strings removed and thinly sliced

2 Fuji apples, cored and sliced into bite-size pieces

5 tablespoons golden or dark raisins

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Sour Cream Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely. [this step may seem unnecessary, but it really does make the pecans taste fancy. It's worth it!]

2. Pull chicken from the bone; discard bones, and cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a medium bolw; add scallions, celery, apples, raisins, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Add dressing; toss to combine. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Sour Cream Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 4 days.

Grandma Stahle's Turkey Dressing

With Thanksgiving this week, I thought I'd share my family's beloved recipe for dressing/stuffing. Growing up, this dish was present at every single Thanksgiving dinner that I can remember. And horribly, I have to admit that I "didn't like" stuffing when I was young! Can you believe that? I flat out didn't eat it until I was in Jr. High and finally decided to actually try it - mmm. There's been no turning back since. And it wasn't until I was away from my family for a couple of Thanksgiving holidays, where this stuffing wasn't present, that I realized that not all stuffings taste the same. There are so many different kinds out there, but this one is the one that makes my heart sing. It brings back so many memories of home, my grandma, my family, and years of wonderful holidays.

GRANDMA STAHLE'S TURKEY DRESSING:
3 cubes butter
5 to 6 cups liquid (chicken broth & milk)
Lipton chicken soup flavoring (not noodles) or 3 to 4 Tbsp. chicken base
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
salt & pepper, to taste
LOTS of sage (most of a 0.5-oz. bottle)
2 loaves white and 1 loaf whole wheat bread, crumbed (or 2 (10-oz.) boxes bread crumbs + 1 loaf wheat bread)

Melt butter with water and Lipton soup stock or chicken base; add celery and onion. Pour seasonings over bread crumbs, then pour liquid over top and mix in (can add milk if not moist enough--crumbs should be soft, not too crunchy). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

{stuffed chops}

i am in charge of gathering people when someone in the neighborhood needs something. or to mormon folk, i am the compassionate service lady. which is pretty much a dream come true for me, silly? anyway, tonight i got 3 families to feed and i was super excited. yes, i really was. this recipe jumped out in my head as one i made 2 years ago but didn't love and i knew i could make it better. so, here we go - chops ala heidi!

5 pork chops (i used those pretty costco ones and cut them in half as they are usually bigger than my head)
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
1 pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms
2 TB butter
1/4 c minced fresh parsley ( i used about 2TB. dried)
dried sage (1-2 TB)
1 egg
1/2 c buttermilk
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (i seasoned mine with sage, sea salt, pepper)
2 TB olive oil
1 c water
2 TB flour

Saute mushrooms in butter. (you could also mince a clove of garlic in there too) let them cool a minute and then add the swiss cheese and the parsley. (i chopped my mushrooms very fine.)
make a really nice pocket in the center of your pork chop with a knife and stuff the cheese mixture in the pocket. secure the pocket with a toothpick.

mix the egg with the buttermilk. this makes the most awesome adhesive for your bread crumbs. dip the pork chop in the buttermilk mixture and then the bread crumbs.
over medium high heat, heat olive oil, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium sized skillet. drop the pork chop in there and let it get a nice brown, crusty edge. even if it goes a little black, it can be redeemed by the sauce.

brown the pork chop on one side, and then turn to the other side and add 3/4 c water. cover and turn heat to medium and cover for 20-30 minutes.

remove pork chops ( i transferred them to the oven on a platter to keep warm while i was making the sauce). now you have this pan with beautiful bits of cheese, mushrooms, drippings - try not to lick it. (you can add another TB of sage, salt and pepper, taste it and see) add your flour and 1/4 c. cold water. whisk and wait until it gets bubbly and thickens. slather that sauce over your chops.

this dish is amazing, sage and i are becoming quite comfortable together, i have used almost a half a bottle since last week with all this thanksgiving love around here.

i served this with mashed potatoes and plated them with the potatoes on the bottom, pork chop on top and sauce drizzled over top. i also served them with fresh cranberry sauce. they were FAB!

D's Favorite Whole Wheat Bread

We make a lot of bread in our house, especially since my husband, Todd decided to become a master at artisan bread baking. So I tend to leave most of the white flour-based breads to him, but whole wheat is my domain. I grew up in a house where we ate whole wheat everything - bread, pancakes, waffles . . . you name it. So when it comes to sandwich bread (artisan breads are a whole separate matter), quite honestly, I have a hard time even looking at white wonder bread-types, let alone the thought of eating them. (The only white sandwich bread I will eat is Grandma Sycamore's, which can be found out in Utah - that's my one exception).

So, this is my family's favorite whole wheat bread recipe, which my mom passed on to me from Walton Feed. It is incredibly moist and oh-so-yummy!!!

Since I'm a huge fan of whole wheat, let me just share a few tips with you. Nowadays, I use almost exclusively hard white wheat. There are a lot of people out there who aren't crazy about whole wheat because of the texture or density of it. The hard white wheat, as opposed to hard red wheat, is not as dense or quite as nutty flavored, but still contains all the same nutritional value as the red wheat. For this reason, I can often substitute up to half of the wheat in things like cookies, etc. and people don't even know the difference.

I've had people ask me where to buy the hard white wheat, and it's super easy if you live out west, especially Utah, where you can get it at grocery stores like Macy's or emergency preparedness places. Out here in Iowa, I have to drive to an Amish store and buy it there, but I can buy it in bulk and it's great.

My next tip is that if at all possible, it is ideal to use freshly ground wheat because after it is ground, it starts losing some of its nutritional value as it sits on your shelf. That doesn't mean that the ground whole wheat you've had for several months isn't still healthy - it is - but it is at it's absolute nutritional best if you use it straight from the grinder.

Ok, you're probably sick of my ranting, so I'll get on with the recipe! This recipe makes 4 loaves and fills my Bosch mixer completely. So if you have a smaller kitchen aid or other smaller mixer, you should probably cut the recipe in half or it won't fit.

D's FAVORITE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD:

3 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup oil

2 Tbsp. salt

3 3/4 cups hot water

5 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar

12 cups whole wheat flour, divided

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. In a large bowl (or mixer), mix the honey, oil, salt, 3 3/4 cups water, lemon juice and 6 cups of the whole wheat flour. Add the dissolved yeast mixture to the bread mixture and mix for 7-10 minutes to get the gluten working.

Gradually add in another 6 cups whole wheat flour; knead for 5 minutes in mixer (if kneading by hand, mix all ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If dough seems too sticky, add enough flour to get past sticky point, but remember that too much flour causes bread failure).
Let stand for 10 minutes. Divide and shape into 3 to 4 loaves (I always get 4 big loaves out of this). Place in greased bread pans and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. This is so good while it's still warm with homemade jam!

how lucky am i?

my husbands parents will be tour guides for an asian trip over thanksgiving so we got to celebrate a little early, we had a thanksgiving last night. i feel a little like i have cheated on something, oddly. it got me to work early on the things we will be contributing to this thursday. i have been scouring, finding and cooking- here is what i have come up with!

lindsay never disappoints.ever. i tried a bunch of her recipes and was so happy. also, some inclusions of our family recipes. click on each title for the recipe!

day before prep:

butternut, apple sage soup.
{i think this would be awesome with a thinly sliced and toasted baguette with some melted brie right on top of a cute drinking cup with this soup (like french onion soup concept)}

fresh cranberry sauce

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12 oz fresh cranberries (in the produce section this time of year)
1 orange {zest and juice}

combine all ingredients together in sauce pan and bring to a gentle rolling boil for 10 minutes. store in fridge until ready to serve.
{please take the pledge to never, ever buy canned cranberry! please, this is so easy, there's no excuse!}

holiday salad.

raspberry honey butter

{lindsey and cafe johnsonia turned me onto this one - fabulous!}

The Inn at Temple Square’s Raspberry Honey Butter

½ lb. butter, room temperature (2 sticks or 1 cup)
4 ounces honey
4 ounces good-quality raspberry preserves
½ tsp. vanilla
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the honey while mixing. Add the raspberry preserves and vanilla. Continue to whip until completely mixed. (You may have to beat it for a little while if it has separated.)


english toffee

rice pudding almondine

4 eggs
5 c. milk
1 c. cooked rice (up to 2 or 3)
1/2 c sugar
1 t. vanilla
dash salt
Combine all ingredients above and warm in a saucepan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325. stir three times during cooking process. cool completely and add 2 cups (to your liking) of slightly sweetened whipped cream with 1 t. almond extract. serve COLD.
{this is a great recipe to have on hand thanksgiving day, there are some who don't love pumpkin pie, this goes along with the seasonal spirit and offers a different twist that makes a great dessert!}

cranberry slush
{thanks jane}

{i did all of the above the day before}

Holiday Turkey

sweet potatoe souffle
{try it, you will never ever look back!}

butterhorn rolls

now, there are some recipes here that called for canned cranberry, you can use the canned stuff, you can also use the fresh stuff and be just fine!

this is how an ideal thanksgiving would go for me:

1:00
soup and salad

2:00
the big meal....

3:30
a thanksgiving walk (it's tradition at our house)

4:30
pie

5:30
watch "it's a wonderful life" (another must tradition at our house)

during this movie watching time, you are allowed to reheat turkey and rolls for sandwiches, eat the toffee and the pudding.

yes, this is my idea of a perfect thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is coming...

I have Thanksgiving on my brain. My in-laws will be traveling to spend Thanksgiving with us this year and we are really looking forward to having them. I have been working to finalize our menu and my grocery shopping list. So, I have to ask...what is your favorite Thanksgiving dish and will you share your recipe with us?

Please leave us a comment, or if you post on this blog, let's see your recipes!

(ps. Heidi- I'm pretty sure you need to post sweet potato souffle. Sweet potatoes will never be the same again.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This really is the best pumpkin chocolate chip bread. It is so moist and has great flavor. It can also be made into muffins. The cinnamon sugar sprinkled in the pan and on top of the batter prior to baking makes a delicious crust.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten

1 (16oz) can pumpkin puree

3 ½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

2/3 cup of water

1 cup chocolate chips, optional (toss with 1 Tbsp. flour to prevent chips from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking.)

Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin; mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Mix well. If adding chocolate chips, gently fold them into the batter at this point. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cinnamon sugar. Pour batter into the two pans and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once bread has cooled (at least 30-40 minutes), remove from the pans. Waiting for the bread to cool prior to removing it from the pans will ensure that your bread won't split with half of it coming out onto the cooling rack and half staying in the pan.

Tamales!

We have quite a few hispanic families in our ward, and at a recent Cooking Club activity, they were kind enough to teach us all how to make tamales! This was a totally new experience for me and a lot of fun. I especially liked the chicken ones. Here's how to make them:

Basic Tamale Ingredients:

Corn husks (Hojas – found in Latino Food section of Walmart)
Manteca (lard) or shortening
Tamale flour (Arina para tamales – found in Latino Food section of Walmart)


Corn Husk (Hojas) Preparation:

Soak in saltwater (with roughly ½ cup salt in 8 cups of water) for ½ hour, then wash husks until soft enough that the strands start to pull off. While soaking, begin preparing filling of your choice: verde, raja, or sweet.

Green Sauce (Salsa Verde):

10 tomatillos
1 jalapeno
1 garlic clove
5 chicken breasts
½ T. black pepper
salt to taste

Take off stems of tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic. Boil these in water together until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain; puree in blender. Return to saucepan. Add in 5 cooked and shredded chicken breasts and ½ T. black pepper. Boil these together for 5 minutes.

Mix flour (arina para tamales) with water as directed on package to prepare for tamale filling. Cover lower half of soft corn husk with a thick layer of flour mixture, then add a spoonful of green chicken sauce. Roll the tamale and then fold the top down.

Raja Filling:

4 bell peppers
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
4 large tomatoes
1 container of queso fresco (Mexican cheese – found to the left above the cream cheese in Walmart)

Sauté bell peppers (your choice of color), onion, garlic, and tomatoes in light oil until soft. Cut the queso fresco into small rectangles, big enough to fit into half of a corn husk. As with green sauce, spread flour mixture on lower half of tamale. Place rectangle of queso fresco in the middle and spoon sautéed vegetable mixture on top. Roll tamale and fold top down.

Sweet Filling:

If you would like to make some dessert tamales, reserve some corn husks to soak in sugar water instead of saltwater. If desired, add red food coloring with flour mixture. After filling tamale with red flour mixture, add in crushed pineapple, raisins, craisins, cinnamon/apple, or whatever sounds good to you!

Steam tamales for 30-45 minutes, or until none of the filling sticks to the outer corn husk when gently pulled away. Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

This tasty dish is from the Food Network. I love it because it has loads of flavor, its healthy and its super easy!

1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved (I used about 6 tenders)
8 oz. baby spinach (I use a whole bag because I love it)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/3 C. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 box of couscous, cooked (I have made it with plain before but this time I used the couscous with garlic and it was great!)

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes/side. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted (1-2 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes.

Place couscous in a serving bowl. Top with spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Hearty Fall Soups

While I live in a warm climate where it is still in the 80's and 90's out side, I still feel the need for some hearty fall flavors. Here are two soup recipes I recently fell in love with.

Potato Cheese Soup
3 tbsp butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp flour
1 (14.5 oz can) chicken broth - (I always add a little more than this, also depends on how thick you want it!)
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I've never used this because I don't have any...)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
dash of Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup half/half
1 1/2 cups shreaded Sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 lb. of bacon cut in squares and cooked in sauce pan


Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon or chopped green onions


Melt butter in a 2-quart sauce pan on medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Gradually add chicken broth. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, basil, tabasco and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in half and half, cheese and bacon; heat through. Serves a generous portion for four people and can easily be doubled or tripled!


Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
2 chicken bouillion cubes
1 cup hot water
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups half and half
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies undrained
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1 medium tomato, chopped (or you can used a can of diced tomatoes, drained)
fresh cilantro


In a saucepan, brown chicken, onion and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve the bouillion cubes in hot water. Add to pan along with cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes. Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilies and tabasco sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomatoes and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Whats a Frittata?

I would say a Frittata is like a quiche with out a crust. My mother and sisters prefer them because they are low carb freaks. I just think, either way, they are delicious. I just made this one for a baby shower and I thought it was beautiful and very good.

Artichoke Frittata:6 servings

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 10 oz package frozen spinach
5 large eggs
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz)
Slice mushrooms and saute with onions in oil. Thaw spinach and drain well. (Allow 3-4 hours for spinach to thaw and drain). Beat eggs lightly and combine with mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese. Bake covered in buttered 1 1/2 qt. casserole at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

P.S. I am not a huge mushroom fan so I leave these out.

Cinnamon Syrup

maybe i posted this one already? please forgive the repition if i have, but it is worthy of 2 posts.

cinnamon cream syrup

5 T melted butter
1 cup heavy cream
3 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t maple extract (i have done without before)

combine all ingredients in a saucepan. cook, whisking constantly until sugar has dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.

serve warm over your favorite breakfast food, we served this recently with the baked french toast i did a couple days back, it was the favorite!

my lunching ways

sometimes i wonder what all of the stay at home moms in the world eat.

i am a grazer, usually eating this that baby didn't finish or that bread slice that didn't get nabbed at breakfast. this has been what's on me plate as of late...

and that yellow stuff in the bottle?

the dressing from dad's favorite salad i posted a while back.

here it is again:

1 c oil

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c white vinegar

1/2 c onion, chopped

1 T mustard

1 t celery seed (i have used celery salt also)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

blend together in blender.

as you can see here, it went wonderfully with avocados, tomatoes and pickled beets.

Vermont Maple Walnut Bars

These bars are so easy and so yummy. They really make your home smell like the holidays. It calls for a cup of pure maple syrup, which seems like a lot but it makes them so moist and tasty. I buy my maple syrup at Costco. I think this is one of those staple items you need to have on hand.

Bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup salted butter, softened (or use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt)
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Maple Frosting:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tlbs light brn sugar, packed
3 Tlbs pure maple syrup
1/4 cup + 2 Tlbs confectioners' sugar
Walnut halves

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
To make bars: In a med bowl combine flour and soda. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugar and butter to form a grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add syrup, egg and vanilla. Beat at med speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and walnuts, and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. bake 40-45 min. Cool in pan 15 min, then invern onto cooling rack. cool completely before icing.
To make frosting:
In a med bowl cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed. Add brown sugar and maple syrup, and beat until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to medium and slowly add confectioners' sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, increase speed to high, and mix until smooth. If frosting appears thin, add sugar until thickened.
Frost the bars and top with a walnut.

that reminds me....

about my soup, well not mine, but- you know. when you serve it enough and it gets coined yours?



Creamy Mexican Bliss Soup (i made that name up)



1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken cut up in little cubes (you could also use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 minced garlic clove about 1 TB, or 1 t of garlic powder
1 T olive oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) great northern beans {drained and rinsed}
1 can {14 1/2 oz} chicken broth
2 cans {4 oz. each} chopped green chilies ( i use 1 can if the kidlets are eating it)
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t pepper {white pepper is best in this one but black will work too}
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c whipping cream

in a large sauce pan, saute chicken, onion, oil and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. {you could also use a rotisserie chicken and warm the meat in a saucepan with the onion and garlic}

Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream and cream, serve immediately.

{commentary}
i would say this would satisfy 4 adults. double it for a crowd. also, one day, a very good thing happened. that is when i had a beautiful tomato from the garden at the height of ripeness. i sliced it up and tossed it in at the very end after i had done everything else. i served it to a crowd of women and it had them all a buzz as to what the red things were. it added the right amount of saltiness.

ENJOY!

baked french toast

now, there is a thing i have about soggy french toast. i cringe as i type it. just "say no to the sog" in your early morning. i think this recipes concept is a bread pudding, but that is what rescues it from the sogginess.

baked french toast

10 slices bread (i use a french loaf, it think it avoids sogginess and soaks in liquid with style)
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1 orange
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 dozen eggs
2 c milk (of course i use cream)
1/3 c maple syrup (i used mrs butterworths regular, my maple was gone)

cube bread. place half of the bread in a 11X14. (this recipe calls for a 9X13 but i find with a bread pudding if you use a larger pan you get the most wonderful crispiness to your dish)

mix cream cheese, juice and zest from your orange along with your powdered sugar until smooth. taste your concoction. i like it on the sweet side because that sweetness will diffuse as all the ingredients sit overnight.

pour evenly over first layer of cubed bread.

then, add the rest of the bread atop that.

in a bowl, mix eggs, milk (opt. cream) and syrup.
pour over the top of french toast.

put it in the fridge overnight or about 10 hours.

cook at 375 for 45 minutes uncovered.
serve with buttermilk syrup over the top, ENJOY!

i've been feeling morning love lately...

we have been indulging in some lovely breakfasts as of late. i love cold weather, it makes us focus on indoor things and at this house that means good food. the next few days will be posts of some things we have been eating to enjoy the time together in the house~

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter
3/4 c sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

over medium heat melt butter, sugar and buttermilk in a saucepan. i like to let it all dissolve and get a little bubbly.
remove from heat and add vanilla and soda. keep stirring until incorporated. it will foam and froth up when you do this, so be sure to call all the kids around for the "magic" show.

serve hot.

or you can store for 2 weeks in the fridge

{commentary}
this is so savory. it doesn't rock your world with sweetness, rather accents a fruit or a dollop of cream. i will also post more on how we have eaten this lately.