I love mustard—zesty Dijon, zingy classic yellow, bitey coarse country-style. It is a universal condiment. From the seeds cooked in Indian fruit chutneys, to the sinus-clearing fiery paste served with Chinese barbecued pork.

Take Dijon for example. It’s a staple in the American kitchen and a must ingredient in many of my recipes from classic vinaigrettes to deviled eggs. I often use it to build an extra “layer” of flavor like in my Whipped Cauliflower with Dijon Mustard. It really rounds out the flavors in the dish.

Rub whole-grain mustard on steaks and roasts or stir it into a garlic alfredo pasta sauce. It’s good on or in just about anything! I like to roast shallots and then blend with whole- grain mustard for a d’lish accompaniment to charcuterie.

And last but not least, we can’t forget the American yellow mustard… Shh! It really is my fave! Zig-zagged across a hot dog of course and the classic ingredient in a home-style eggy potato salad! If you’ve never tried a Southern-style, yellow barbecue sauce (alias “Mop”), you should!

If you’re ever interested in making your own mustard, it’s pretty easy. My No. 1 tip would be to remember that the longer your fresh mustard sits, the mellower it gets. It can be pretty spicy when first made!

Yellow Mustard Flower
Photo from Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission

And if you want to learn more about mustard check out the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission’s site – this is a cool commission that represents mustard growers and helps raise awareness about all things mustard! How cool is that! –Kathy

Whipped Cauliflower with Dijon Mustard
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 large head cauliflower, about 6 cups florets
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3/4 cup grated gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 1 1/2-quart gratin baking dish with cooking spray, and reserve.

Break cauliflower into florets, and boil until totally tender, about 5 minutes. Florets should be “mashable” but not mushy. Drain well, transfer to a food processor with the cream, sour cream, butter, Dijon, salt and pepper.

Process until mixture is a smooth, thick puree. Pulse in 1/2 cup of the grated gruyere.

Transfer mixture into gratin baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 – 35 minutes, or until heated through, and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Sprinkle with chives to garnish.

Recipe © by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com

March is National Peanut Month! In addition to being put in a classic PB & J sandwich, they pack a serious nutritional punch.

Peanuts are a good source of vitamin E, protein and antioxidants. Did you know that they are not actually in the nut family? They’re grain-type legumes, related to beans, lentils, and peas, and grow underground!

Speaking of growing, did you know that peanuts grow in the northwest? Take a peek of this list on Agrilicious for locally grown peanuts, then look for them this summer at farmers markets. They are so tasty when they’re fresh toasted.

Peanuts are great in sweet and savory dishes from classic peanut butter cookies to scattering on phad thai noodles. And of course there’s that delicious peanut sauce, so great for appetizer dipping.

Butterscotch Peanut Bars on Taste of Home

One of my favorite snacks to make is Five-Spiced Sesame Peanuts: perfect to munch on while sipping a cocktail. Here’s to the mighty peanut! –Kathy

Five-Spiced Sesame Peanuts
If the nuts lose their crispness after cooking, re-toast them in a 350-degree oven for a couple of minutes before serving.

Makes about 4 cups

1 egg white
1 Tbsp. water
1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) salted, dry-roasted, skinless peanuts
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. white sesame seeds
2 tsp. five-spice powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with water until foamy. Add the peanuts and toss to coat. Transfer the nuts to a strainer, shake, and let drain for at least 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, sesame seeds, five-spice, cayenne and salt. Add the drained peanuts and toss to coat thoroughly.

On a large baking sheet with sides, spread the nuts out in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes. Stir the nuts with a spatula and spread them out again. REDUCE THE TEMPERATURE to 200 degrees and bake for 45 to 55 minutes longer, or until dry.

Loosen the nuts from the baking sheet but do not remove them from the sheet. Cool to room temperature. Be sure to let the nuts cool completely and become crisp. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com

Almonds whether raw, toasted, or made into a smooth butter — these little nuts are so great for you. They’re rich in dietary fiber, vitamin E, and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Most importantly, they’re a great source of protein and perfect for a mid-day snack — just 10 almonds can get your energy going!

I love them toasted and tossed into basmati rice, sprinkled over yogurt or morning oatmeal, and subbed into a batch of chocolate chip cookies instead of walnuts. And of course they add a great crunch factor to salads – like in my Cranberry Almond Crunch Slaw recipe.

Have you ever had fresh ground almond butter? Lots of our local stores offer “grind your own” – so yummy spread on whole grain toast and topped with a few fresh berries for a quick and healthy start to your day.

Add a healthy crunch to your next dish with d’lish almonds! –Kathy

Photo by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Cranberry Almond Crunch Slaw
Makes about 8 servings

1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Sriracha
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (about 1 large head)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup toasted sliced almonds

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, sour cream, salt and Sriracha. Add green onions, cabbage, cranberries and cilantro and toss until well coated.

The salad should sit for 30 minutes before serving. If making way ahead, refrigerate dressing and salad ingredients separately, then toss together 30 minutes before ready to serve. Toss the almonds into the salad right before serving.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com

The year is coming to a close and the biggest party of the year is still to come! New Year’s Eve – celebrating the old and ringing in the new. And… let’s just say this usually involves at least a cocktail or two.

I have some great ways to give you a good start for the New Year, even if you do over-indulge a bit the night before.

My go-to cure is my Hangover Helper. Just empty a packet of Emergen C – (I like orange or raspberry) – into a juice glass and add a little vodka (or gin if you’re so inclined), a dash of bitters, and soda water. Top with a few drops of olive oil – yep, that’s right… Drink up!

My Hangover Helper works…I swear!
(Photo from Kathy Casey’s Sips & Apps, Chronicle Books – Angie Norwood Browne)

New Year’s Day entertaining? A Bloody Mary Bar for brunch will definitely help with that headache – with a little hair of the dog! Set up a DIY station and let your guests mix up their own concoctions. Put out different spirits (vodka, whiskey, tequila, gin, etc.), my go-to housemade Balsamic Bloody Mary mix, hot sauce, and lots of garnish goodies from pickled veggies to shrimp to beef jerky.

And don’t forget to eat! Boosting your metabolism will make you feel better faster than anything. And for some reason, a bacon sandwich sometimes can be the magic cure. You’ll feel better in no time!
Happy New Year’s! –Kathy

Hangover Helper
Emergen-C gives you a C- and B-vitamin boost and replaces some lost electrolytes, vodka is a little “hair of the dog,” bitters is a digestif, soda supplies bubbles, and the olive oil . . . well, an old bootlegger once told me that a small spoonful was good for coating a morning-after stomach.

Makes 1 drink

1 packet raspberry- or orange-flavored Emergen-C
1 oz vodka or gin
2 dashes Angostura bitters
4 oz chilled soda water
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Empty the packet of Emergen-C into an old-fashioned or juice glass. Measure in the vodka. Add the bitters and soda water and stir. Top with olive oil if desired. Drink and feel better!

Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Sips & Apps, Chronicle Books.

Holiday party planning in the works? Need some cocktails for a crowd? I’m here to help with some great drink ideas, so you won’t have to be tied to the bar and have lots of time to be merry with your guests.

It’s all about “pre-batching” and planning. First, write up your cocktail/beverage menu. Pick 1-2 signature cocktail recipes and supplement with red wine and champagne. Be sure to have something festive for the designated drivers as well.

Who’s ready for my Festive Sparkling Rum Punch?

How about a Festive Sparkling Rum Punch – made with rum, brandy, fresh juices, and homemade spiced syrup. You can make this up to a week in advance and refrigerate. Then, whip out that punch bowl from the closet and serve over a fun ice ring and finish it with champagne. Yum!

For the non-imbiber, my Rosemary POM Holiday Sparkle is a cheery combination of fresh rosemary, tangerines, pomegranate juice and sparkling apple cider.

For a demo on how to make the Hot Buttered Egg Nog Mix,
check out www.LiquidKitchen.com

Finish off the evening with a batch of my Hot Buttered Eggnog Mix. The secret ingredient… is vanilla ice cream! Just add rum and hot water. Great to sip on while sharing stories around the fireplace.

So don’t fret this holiday season – just make sure to plan ahead! –Kathy

Festive Sparkling Rum Punch
This punch is great to make ahead and then just add bubbles right before serving. Make a festive ice-ring to chill the punch, or serve over large ice balls – there are lots of molds available on line.

Makes about 16 – 20 servings

Spiced Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
12 each whole cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up

Punch
3 cups gold rum
1 cup brandy or cognac
1 cup guava or passion fruit nectar
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon Peychaud’s or Angostura bitters

——————————————————–

1 bottle brut sparkling wine or champagne, chilled

To make the syrup: combine syrup ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer slowly for about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature before proceeding with recipe. Or you can prepare the syrup up to a week in advance and store refrigerated.

To make the punch: in a large punch bowl (or large container such as a stock pot or pitcher) combine the Spiced Syrup, rum, brandy, juices and bitters. Stir to combine. (At this point you can refrigerate the punch for up to 3 days in advance)

Present in a large punch bowl. Add sparkling wine/champagne right before serving. Serve punch in an old fashioned glass over ice or large ice balls.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen® – www.LiquidKitchen.com

Rosemary Pom Holiday Sparkle
Fresh rosemary’s herbal essence complements the tangy flavor of the clementine and the sweetness of the sparkling cider. When making this in the Middle East, I substituted sparkling date cider instead of the apple cider! It was fantastic!

Makes 1 drink

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 or 1/2 of a clementine or mandarin, depending on size
1 1/2 oz pomegranate juice
3 oz sparkling apple cider
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprig

Bend 1 rosemary sprig and drop into a cocktail shaker. Squeeze in the clementine then drop in. Measure in the pomegranate juice. Fill the shaker with ice. Cap and shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass. Top with the cider and stir. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. (Or, you can shake the drink in the cocktail shaker, then add the sparkling cider and strain the drink into a tall champagne flute for a more elegant look.)

Recipe by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen® – www.LiquidKitchen.com

Hot Buttered Egg Nog with Rum
Combining two holiday favorites! Add more or less to taste; rum and Spiced Eggnog Mix.
Makes 1 drink

3-4 Tbsp. Buttered Eggnog Mix (recipe follows)
1-1 1/2 oz spiced rum
4-5 oz boiling water
Garnish: fresh grated nutmeg, long piece of orange or Clementine

Place Eggnog Buttered Brandy Mix and rum in coffee glass or mug. Stir in boiling water until batter is dissolved. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Garnish with orange zest.

Buttered Eggnog Mix
Makes about 7 cups (about 30 – 36 servings)

1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 Tbsp. finely minced orange zest
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 pint very high-quality vanilla ice cream
1 cup high-quality eggnog
1 Tbsp. real vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. rum extract

Be sure butter is softened. With an electric mixer; cream butter, orange zest and sugars together in a mixing bowl until totally smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen® – www.LiquidKitchen.com

Turkey day is here ….and gone and you just MAY have a few leftovers in your fridge. Need some tasty ideas? Don’t worry, I’m here to help!

A d’lish Thanksgiving Day feast!

Thanksgiving for breakfast – why not! Thanksgiving Benedict is a delicious idea a chef friend shared with me. Form leftover stuffing into patties, pan sear, then top with some sliced turkey, a poached egg and a dollop of gravy. YUM!

And you know there is never enough gravy left over- right? Why not make some more? Pick that turkey clean (save the meat for soup and sandwiches.) Now it’s time to make a Simple Turkey Gravy.

Take that extra turkey meat and stock then make a soup. Or make gravy and add some veggies and leftover turkey meat and serve over biscuits for a d’lish open face hot turkey sandwich.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! –Kathy

Simple Turkey Gravy
Makes about 5 cups

6 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. minced onion AND/OR 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup flour
5 cups homemade turkey stock (see above for method using your leftover turkey carcass)
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onions (and mushrooms if using) and sauté over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir vigorously until combined and smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock all at once and whisk vigorously so as to eliminate any lumps. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the gravy is nicely thickened. Season with salt and white pepper.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com

Pie. It’s the beloved bring-along holiday dessert! Pie is now more popular than ever with savory and sweet shops popping up all over the city like A La Mode Pies,  Pie Bar and High 5 Pie.

Don’t forget about the ever popular Art of the Pie workshops from pie aficionado Kate McDermott. She even holds Pie Camp® Retreats – now that sounds like a camp I’d like to go to!

But back to the pie – The holidays are coming up and that means lots of pie! Apple, pumpkin, pecan — everyone has a favorite.

Why not get a little creative with the classics? Toss some cranberries into your apple filling, or add a little chopped rosemary. You can have some fun with the crust too: I like to add goodies such as fine chopped walnuts or almonds, citrus zest, or even poppy seeds.

Maybe everyone wants something different – pecan or pumpkin? Just a little bite of this or a tiny slice of that. Well, I have the perfect fix: my “Gimme Both” Pumpkin-Pecan Pie has a luscious layer of pumpkin filling and another of sweet pecan! Top it with a poof of bourbon whipped cream and everyone wins!

Oh, and one more thing – pie for breakfast? Yes please! It’s the holidays – go ahead and splurge a little!
–Kathy

“Gimme Both” Pumpkin Pecan Pie With Bourbon Whipped Cream
Makes 1 9-inch pie.

1 9-inch uncooked pie shell (recipe follows)

Pumpkin Layer
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 Tbsp. sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Pecan Layer
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecans, halves or pieces

Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp. sour cream
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. bourbon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium bowl whisk together the Pumpkin Layer ingredients. Set aside.

In another bowl combine all the Pecan Layer ingredients except the pecans and mix until smooth, then stir in pecans.

Place the pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pie shell, then very carefully spoon the Pecan Layer over the top, being careful to keep the layers separate. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake pie for another 25 – 30 minutes or until the filling is slightly puffy and pecan layer is just set.

Cool on a wire rack.

To make Bourbon Whipped Cream: In a large bowl whip cream, sour cream and sugar until lightly whipped. Stir in bourbon.

Serve pie with dollops of Bourbon Whipped Cream. Store pie covered and refrigerated.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com

It’s been over 10 years now that we have been baking up our signature “Over 21” Real Fruit Cake made with Maker’s Mark! Garnering cult like status these delicious beauties are chock full of Maker’s Mark-soaked dried fruits, including apricots, cranberries, tart cherries and golden raisins as well as lots of tasty toasted nuts from hazelnuts to rich pecans – all bound with our signature spiced batter. Baked until golden then brushed hot out of the oven with a Maker’s Mark brown sugar glaze.

“This is not your grandmother’s fruitcake, and is sure to convert any fruitcake naysayers. With all that delicious bourbon, fruit and nuts in it, this fruit cake certainly won’t end up re-gifted! Some loyal fans have said they ate the whole thing themselves,” commented Kathy Casey, “I personally love to toast a slice for Christmas morning breakfast.”

Quantities are limited and sell out fast. So here’s how to order or pick-up:

• -Starting November 28^th Real Fruit Cakes can be picked up at Kathy Casey Food Studios, located in Ballard – Monday thru Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm (call 206-784-7840 to check on availability).

  -Order from our website starting November 28^th while supplies last.

  -Priced at $11.95 this holiday season.

Kathy Casey Food Studios is located at 5130 Ballard Ave. NW and is open Monday through Friday
from 9 AM to 5 PM. (We suggest calling ahead to be sure that cakes are available).

For more information, contact: call (206) 784-7840, email dishing@kathycasey.com or check out our website www.kathycasey.com.