Last summer we had a new Kroger open nearby. Since it was summer break I had all three boys with me when I went to the grand opening. They quite enjoyed themselves, between all the samples and seeing many of their friends it was a fun day.
One of the samples they had was a cheese spread. It’s actually a local product that comes in many flavors. Ever since then Jack has been a little hooked! Continue reading
For some reason this seems to be the first year I’ve completely embraced citrus fruits. I think the biggest factor is that I can finally find the “good stuff”. For me that means blood oranges, cara cara oranges and meyer lemons.
In the past they’ve all be hard to come by. So now the boys and I might be a little addicted, especially to blood oranges.
With all the rush to get things done during the holidays it’s always nice to slow down and enjoy life a little. And simple really is better, especially in the case of these compound butters.
A post about compound butters isn’t exactly exciting or riveting, but perhaps this time of year we all need to be reminded to slow down and enjoy ourselves a little. Sit down and enjoy your homemade meal.
Our boys have started asking for stories near the end of a meal (this all started after having dinner with my parents a while back). They like to hear stories about when Mom and Dad were growing up or stories about when they were babies. Anything goes.
If there isn’t time to sit at the table for a longer time to include stories there is always time to go over their rose and thorn for the day. Their rose is what they liked about the day and the thorn is what they didn’t like. We’re lucky, they frequently say they don’t have a thorn for the day.
Sometimes the rose is the meal they are eating. Whenever I make cinnamon honey butter I can count on the boys being very excited about their meal.
Back in September I made a carrot cake with mango curd filling and whipped cream cheese frosting for Sean’s birthday. Little did I know what a monster I’d created by choosing this cake.
You see, after Jack tasted the mango curd he became hooked on it. Not that I can blame him, it was incredibly delicious.
Josh and I were meant to find each other, we’re both condiment people. Especially mustard. When our fridge was on the fritz a couple years ago I had to move everything to the fridge in the garage. In the process I found a lot of condiment jars. Call us the King and Queen of Condiments!
If you have a good selection of condiments you can cook anything, right?! After finding lots of half empty jars I managed to narrow down the collection to what we use most. With three growing boys in the house I can only sacrifice so much fridge space to condiments.
One of the mustards we use often is a Bavarian sweet and spicy mustard. It’s great on sausages like bratwurst or weisswurst. It takes a homemade soft pretzel to a new level. Since we’ve been eating more German food lately I figured it was time to make our own mustard.
Then Josh found this Shock Top twisted pretzel wheat beer. Combine a beer mustard with a sweet and spicy Bavarian mustard and this is what you’ll get. Plus I only need room for one jar in the fridge, not two. Score for me!
As with everything else you make from scratch, you can customize this mustard. If you aren’t into a big kick cut down the horseradish or even omit it. Want it sweeter, add more honey. Try using different beers for a different flavor. Dark beer, IPA, wheat…whatever you have in the house and want to drink the last couple ounces of. As for me, it’s time to go to the German meat market for more sausages. No need to buy the expensive mustard though, I’ve got my own.
1 c. beer
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. yellow mustard seeds
1/4 c. black mustard seeds (brown would work too)
1/4 c. ground mustard powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
Pour the beer and cider vinegar in a small bowl, add both mustard seeds. Cover and soak overnight.
After 8+ hours of soaking add the rest in the ingredients and whisk to combine. Blend the mustard to desired consistency using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. I like mine with some whole mustard seeds left. Pour in a jar and store in the fridge.
Yields: A little less than a pint
Feeding My 3 Sons 