Christmas Charcuterie Board

As you may know, my other hobby besides cooking is sewing.  I make scarves from repurposed threads.  A lot of team shirts, but if I can put a needle through it I'll try to make just about anything.   As I've probably told you before Mr. Devilish Dish is quite the cook and he has even taught cooking classes at the international pantry many times.  I've even roped him into helping me with some pop-ups and demonstrations when I've held craft shows there.  He always features some kind of delicious food item or kitchen tool available at the international pantry.  This year we decided to do something different.  As our gift to our loyal shoppers who come to our holiday show every year, we decided to have him teach a little workshop and our theme was Charcuterie Boards & Cold Brew Coffee.  The cold brew coffee was amazing and I will feature it soon in another blog post, but I wanted to share the charcuterie boards just in time for Christmas.

Charcuterie is the craft of preparing smoked and cured meats for preservation and flavor. Typical charcuterie meats are salami, ham, bacon, sausages, and pates. A selection of meats and cheeses are often accompanied by other yummy bites such as crackers, olives, pickles, jams, spreads, fruits and vegetables.  Think of it as the modern relish tray!

Banana Colada Plus A Big THANK YOU to Yummly & KitchenAid

One of the awesome perks of being a food blogger (besides eating, playing in the kitchen and meeting so many nice people like all of you) is networking with folks to share recipes.  This includes sites that share recipe content and companies with awesome kitchen products both big and small.  Recently the Yummly platform partnered with KitchenAid to reward some of their content creators with the wonderful gift of a blender! I'm so delighted they chose little old me here at The Devilish Dish.  All of this just in time to share a new cocktail with you: The Banana Colada.  If you aren't familiar with Yummly, it is the smartest and most helpful food platform in existence, and I'm proud they share several of my recipes.  You can choose recipes based on your personal preferences, tastes, allergies and more.  As part of the Yummly Pro community you can learn to cook with some of the world's best chefs.  There is even assistance in scheduling meal calendars and creating grocery shopping lists, all from the ease of their website or app available for IOS, Ipad and Android.  It's a very helpful foodie community to be a part of, so you can see how overjoyed I was to receive a new blender.  I'm sure you are familiar with the quality of Kitchen Aid products (I have been in love with their stand mixer for years!) so I so excited about the new K4000 Blender.  Designed to deliver the perfect taste, this variable speed blender easily blends even the toughest ingredients from kale to almonds and more!  The Ice Crush, Icy Drinks and Smoothie setting are absolutely perfect for the Banana Colada!  Do you like Pina Coladas? (Yes now that will be stuck in your head too.  Sorry!) You'll love them even more with the creamy addition of a fresh banana.  This is of course a terrific Summer drink, but it's delicious anytime, especially since Fall and Winter weather are upon us and we're all dreaming of somewhere warm and tropical for the holidays. A great way to entertain AND knock out those holiday fruit baskets at the same time. so enjoy: 

An old favorite gets an update from
a fresh banana!

Thank you again to Yummly and KitchenAid
for this awesome blender.
I'm so grateful for their support.

Braised Beef Ragu with Parmesan Polenta

Braised beef is simply beef that has been browned, and then allowed to stew slowly in a closed container.  It is the ideal one pot meal, making serving and clean up a breeze.  This Braised Beef Ragu combines a few simple ingredients for a rich, hearty, elegant meal.  Served over a pile of cheesy, creamy polenta you'll have a simple but sophisticated meal that is worthy of any Sunday Supper or dinner party.  Last holiday season when I was busy sewing away on scarves and pillows, I tasked Mr. Devilish Dish with preparing this meal.  We had made it once before and I knew with some tweaks it was something I wanted to share with you.  The first time he made it, he left out the tomatoes.  Oops.  They are a pretty integral part of the dish.  We added them at the end, and although we didn't get to experience them completely cooked down with full flavor, it was still delicious.  The second time he made this (unsupervised again) he accidentally added the water that is used to cook the polenta.  We able to rescue it with extra wine, tomatoes and tomato paste.  It was still delicious.  See where I'm going with this?  It is foolproof.  Recently, I decided that I would make this without his assistance so it would be perfectly blog worthy for you, and here it is: 

This hearty flavorful meal cooks slowly
and comes together for a rich,
elegant meal worthy of any guests.

Allow the beef to braise at a low temperature
until it is falling apart tender.

Serve over creamy Parmesan Polenta.
Where I live they're normally called "GRITS"
but doesn't Polenta sound fancier?

{Copy Cat} Ghirardelli Sea Salt Hot Chocolate

Every time we visit San Francisco we hit the Ghirardelli shop and my favorite treat there is the Sea Salt Hot Chocolate.  I actually love the location in Monterrey because it's like a little second floor ice cream parlor.  You can take your treats outside and sit on the balcony overlooking the Pacific.  How delightful is that?  Last year we decided to have our Valentine's Day dinner at home.  Changing things up from the usual steak and salad we opted to make breakfast for dinner.  That's kind of romantic right?  We enjoyed Monte Cristo Crepes (since I have a great Gluten-Free Crepe recipe) and my Mom's Fruit Salad.  All the great flavors of my Monte Cristo Sandwich recipe, but gluten-free this time.  I was trying to come up with a clever dessert to go along with our "breakfast" theme.  Since I haven't mastered gluten-free donuts yet, and I didn't think something like Creme Brulee was an appropriate breakfast-type dessert (Is there such a thing as a breakfast dessert? There should be!) this hot chocolate came to mind.  It was thick, rich, and over the top.  Make sure you use lots of caramel and whipped cream.  Splurge like you're on vacation.  Or having breakfast.  Or celebrating Valentine's Day.  Yes to all!

Here's my Valentine's Day Version

Here is the one I ALWAYS enjoy when in the bay area!

Gran Gran's Red Jello Salad

In my last blog post, I shared our most treasured family recipe, Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti.  It was the only meal I ever had at her house.  (Except when the cousins and I were old enough to drive and took ourselves to Whataburger.  Another Texas staple like Gran Gran.) Along with her Chicken Spaghetti, my sweet Great Aunt Nona ALWAYS served freshly sliced cantaloupe, garlic bread, Apricot Nectar Cake, and Red Jello Salad.  Now I'm not a huge Jello fan, but this is such a lovely dish, and always well received.  The colors are vibrant, with chunks of flavorful fruit.  Nona always made sure to add a huge helping of Texas pecans.  I think that's what made it extra special.  When my Mom makes it, she serves it in a huge gorgeous glass bowl for a fancy presentation.  This Jello salad has been served at many a funeral, church supper and even bridal showers.  Recently I shared some as part of a Meal Train Dinner for a sick friend.  I didn't want her to hassle with returning dishes, so I used a disposable container.  If you're not transporting, go the extra step like my Mom and use a beautiful bowl to show off this lovely salad.  Everyone will enjoy it, kids and adults alike!

Another family favorite from Gran Gran.

This salad is so colorful and refreshing.  If you
don't need to transport it, serve in a pretty glass bowl for a beautiful presentation.

I tried my best to copy Gran Gran's famous menu.
Chicken Spaghetti, Red Jello Salad, Garlic Bread
My twist: Simple From Scratch Brownies instead of
Apricot Nectar Cake.

Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti

I've told you before about my dear Great Aunt Nona and her famous Apricot Nectar Cake.  Chicken Spaghetti was probably her second most famous recipe.  As kids, my cousins and I thought it was also her most over-made recipe and moaned every time it was on the table.  As an adult, I've made this recipe more times than I can count.  I now know why this was a go-to recipe for her.  It's quick, easily made ahead, and a true crowd pleaser.  I recently signed up for a Meal Train for a sweet friend and knew almost immediately I would make Gran Gran's Chicken Spaghetti.  I also wound up making Nona's third most famous recipe: Red Jello Salad.  In fact the only thing I didn't make was the cake.  I made a batch of Simple From Scratch Brownies instead.  I even texted my cousins and said, "It's official.  I've turned into Gran Gran.  I just made Chicken Spaghetti and Red Jello Salad." This can be made ahead and frozen and then baked, or baked and frozen.  Or made the night before and baked when you're ready to serve.  It reheats well and it's loved by everyone.  Perfect for potlucks, new babies, funerals or weeknight dinners, and especially meal trains...

A TRUE family favorite.  This dish is
made by everyone in my family for every occasion!

Easily prepared ahead, frozen, and as you can see:
transported in a foil pan for sharing.

I took this meal to a dear friend for a meal train.
I prepared exactly what Aunt Nona would have made.
Chicken Spaghetti, Red Jello Salad, and Garlic Toast.
The only thing missing: Apricot Nectar Cake!

Broccoli with Green Chile Butter

Little Devil and I love all of the cruciferous vegetables, especially: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage,  and broccoli.  Not only are they high in vitamin C and fiber, they have potential cancer fighting properties.  Not only are they good for us, we think they taste good!  Mr. Devilish Dish, not so much.  He's been known to ask if we can skip the brussel sprouts for a few weeks.  We've burned him out on those and cauliflower for a while.  His favorite green vegetable is Hatch Green Chiles.  Combining those with one of our favorite green vegetables made a very tasty compromise.  Freshly steamed broccoli tossed in a flavorful southwest-style butter is a great way to liven up a boring side dish, and a great way to get everyone to eat their vegetables!

A delicious southwest twist
on a traditional side dish.

Toss steamed broccoli in a flavorful butter.

A side dish everyone can agree on