Author Archives for simplifiedbystacie

Simply Homemade: Brandy Smash

I know what you’re thinking..what is this recipe? For starters, it’s a holiday go-to for my family and has been for as long as I can remember. It’s also an incredibly (wait for it)…SIMPLE recipe. If you’re like me and dislike brandy, please don’t give up on this before trying it! Brandy smash is most likely a completely made up recipe from someone at some point in my fabulous family’s past. It’s a mildly alcoholic slushie concoction that you can pair with any number of mixers so it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. This is refreshing and light and a great new drink to whip up for the holidays to start a new family tradition of your own!

There are a couple of things you must know about this before you make it for a family or friend festive celebration. Brandy smash, in its original form of a recipe, contained roughly the same amount of alcohol you’d consume if accepting a sip of the wine at church. To add to that low ratio, my family would proceed to take a small scoop of the slush and mix with a pop such as Squirt or 7-Up. The younger in age you were, the smaller the scoop and the higher pop content you got in your glass. But..even the kids were allowed to taste it because it truly was that innocent of a drink. I’m honestly not sure I can recall a family holiday at my grandparent’s house where brandy smash wasn’t there thanks to my own mom or one of her siblings bringing it. We, as kids, used to think we were so grown-up getting to have some sips of the adults’ drink! Ahh youth, how I miss you and your naivety 😉

Now that us kids are older and wiser and my younger sister has taken on the regular task of bringing brandy smash to our own family holidays. To be honest, I think she may have started volunteering to bring this staple to our gatherings with a bit of selfishness involved. You see, the absolute best container to make a batch of this in to freeze and tote along to the party location is a plastic ice cream bucket. Therefore, if you are in charge of bringing the brandy smash you must, at some point, be obligated to purchase and consume one of the endless possibilities of ice cream flavors so you have the right size container. Why not just purchase a freezer container roughly the same size as an ice cream bucket you say? Answer: why would you even think of a reason to not buy and eat a container of ice cream? Also, while not scientifically proven, final brandy smash results could very well vary so I cannot legally attest to the fact that it would even work with some other storage container. And I don’t know about you all but I’m not about to take that chance personally…

Anyway, moving on past the container and onto the recipe itself. Thanks to my sister’s naturally creative nature, this recipe has changed a smidge. For example, there are a lot of brandy and juice flavors out there and a lot of them just so happen to combine into incredibly delicious versions of brandy smash. She no longer only brings the same original version of brandy smash but, instead, switches things up with trying different flavor profiles. Thanksgiving? Cranberry brandy smash. Christmas? Grapefruit brandy smash! She’s also increased the brandy measurement so the flavors come through more and it can be a truer adult drink contribution to any party. Side note on a relatively new revelation, if you’re planning on starting the festivities early in the day this pairs really well with champagne for an amazing mock-mimosa! The possibilities with this are seemingly endless!

Uh oh..this post is getting too long so better wrap it up! See what I did there..holiday drink post and I am wrapping it up? Ha! Anyway, whether you make this for your annual wrapping party, Christmas cookie exchange, or New Year’s Eve celebration, I do so hope that you give it a try! If your family is anywhere close to as awesome as mine is then they will be sure to love you for it 🙂

Brandy Smash

Servings: Approximately 10-15
Time: 20 minutes to cook then overnight to freeze
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This simple slush is versatile to mix with many different options for a great adult party drink!

Ingredients

-9 cups water

-2 cups white sugar

-2 (12 ounce cans) frozen juice concentrate (recommend lemonade and cranberry)

-2 1/2 cups fruit flavored brandy (recommend apricot or blackberry)

-Mixer(s) of choice (recommend squirt, 7-up, or champagne)

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Directions

1) Boil water and sugar in large pot until sugar is dissolved.

2) Add in remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.

3) Pour mixture into freezer friendly container and freeze overnight (or at least until slushie consistency is achieved).

4) Remove from freezer and be sure to stir well before serving.

5) Recommend to serve a scoop or two mixed with squirt, 7-Up, or champagne!

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Pardon the lack of a picture! We got to enjoying our smashes a little too much this Christmas and I neglected to remember a pretty picture for you all!

Simply Homemade: Hearty Potato Soup

I’m fairly sure all of you reading this have likely searched for a solid potato soup recipe at least a couple times in your lives. Most of you have also made a delicious version of this successfully. But, if you’re anything like me, you didn’t write down how you made it. Have no fear, my friends, I’m here to save the day with having a fried and true recipe in writing for all of us!

What is it about a hearty potato soup that is instantly comforting? Even the thought of making it gets me excited for a cozy evening at home in our nice warm house while it’s chilly outside. This recipe has been a staple in our family for as long as I can remember. In fact, back in my childhood days of growing up in our small town and close-knit community, this recipe was submitted under my name to our church’s cookbook. Who could’ve guessed that I would end up sharing this recipe outside our church and with anyone in the whole World Wide Web willing to read this post? All I knew at that time was that I was proud to see my name in the cookbook and eternally thankful it was connected to such a favorite recipe.

This recipe is based on a basic roux. I honestly didn’t know that many, many people have no clue what that is until I moved away from home to college. The concept of cooking for yourself in college generally equates to microwaving ramen noodles or turning on the oven to bake a frozen pizza. I had no idea how uncommon it was to whip up a quick roux for a cheese sauce or cream based soup until I interacted with college friends. Even now as an adult with equally adult friends, it’s honestly shocking to me how rarely people make home cooked meals let alone know the basics of cooking (like making a roux). For that reason, I intend to do an entire post soon devoted to concocting and perfecting roux based sauces and dishes. For the purpose of this recipe, suffice it to say that a roux is butter and flour and milk combined in strategic proportions and cooking method to make a deliciously simple thickener. In the case of this soup, it is used to give it a creamy and slightly thicker consistency. Hence the name….hearty potato soup (aka creamy and comforting and filling).

Please feel free to take this basic recipe and design it more to your tastes by cutting out and adding in different vegetables or a protein or some cheese. If you use the basis of this, you are sure to end up with a simply satisfying soup meal that will be a hit with even your pickiest eaters! Personally, I add a little garlic powder and Italian seasoning for an added oomph of flavor. I’ve also added broccoli and cauliflower for added health benefits. When I have some great cheese on hand I’ve also been known to toss some in at the end of the roux step and melt it in. No matter how you slice and dice it, this recipe is a simple and satisfying soup sure to warm and comfort you. Enjoy 🙂

Hearty Potato Soup

Servings: Approximately 6-8
Time: 40 minutes
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This extremely simple soup recipe is a blank slate to customize to your soup-loving-soul's desire!

Ingredients

-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed

-2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

-2 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced

-2 quarts water

-2 teaspoons chicken soup base

-1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

-3 tablespoons butter

-6 tablespoons flour

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon pepper

-1 1/2 cups milk

-1 cup cubed ham

Directions

1) In a large pot, bring water, chicken soup base, carrots, and celery to a boil then add potatoes and cook until vegetables are softened (approx 20 minutes).

2) Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add in onion sautéing until softened.

3) Add salt and pepper and flour to the saucepan and stir in until combined well.

4) Next, add milk (1/2 cup at a time) to the saucepan being sure to whisk in well until milk is combined and flour mixture is free of lumps. It should be thick and smooth when finished.

5) Use a strainer to remove approximately half the liquid from the large pot into a bowl on the side.

6) Next, add in the contents of the saucepan (roux sauce) into the large pot and carefully stir in.

7) Finally, add the cubed ham into the pot and add some reserved cooking liquid from the bowl until the soup is your desired consistency.

7) Stir well and allow a couple minutes for the ham to warm and final flavors to combine then serve!

Ahhh, the beginning trifecta of any comfort food dish!

Simply Homemade: Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Whew, that recipe title is quite a mouthful I know. But it’s worth saying in order to get a mouthful of this super simple dish. When I mean simple, I’m mean 3 ingredients and under an hour total time including bake time! I’m not sure how much easier a main dish can get. And it’s pork on pork..winning!

The first time I tried this, my expectations were pretty darn low. Not that things have to be difficult to be delectable (as my many previous blog posts have hopefully shown you), but I just wasn’t anticipating how amazing this would turn out. Any time I try out something new I make it a point to serve my family first and gauge reactions. When I asked my husband how it tasted (and threatened that he better be honest) his reply was, “you better try this.” So my gut-check reaction was that I had somehow done something terribly wrong and it was awful. I immediately asked him why and what was wrong to which he replied, “seriously, try it.” Anxiety level at a ten, I took a tentative bite and let the savory tenderness blow up my taste buds and blow away my expectations. I looked at my husband and he smirked back saying, “It’s seriously so good and I knew you wouldn’t believe me until you tried it.” Ah, true love, he knows me so well 😉 My borderline-vegetarian daughter then chimed in asking, “If we need to eat meat for dinner, can it always be this meat?” As a kid who we have had to bribe since she was a toddler to eat any form of meat, this was quite high praise!

Now, onto some tips with this recipe. Take the three extra minutes to sear the pork tenderloin to lock in it’s natural flavors. If you’re intimidated by the thought of wrapping it in bacon, don’t be! Simply lay the bacon slices on a sheet of wax paper so they slightly overlap into a sheet long enough to lay your tenderloin on top of. Put the tenderloin in the middle of the overlapping bacon slices and use the wax paper to fold the bacon slices over on one side first, then do the same for the other. Sound confusing? Don’t you worry, there are pictures below and it is honestly super easy – I promise! The last tip with this is to baste the meat with the juices while it’s baking so the sweetness from the homey glazes the bacon and all the flavor goes into the pork. If you want to crisp up the bacon more, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes and watch it carefully. This dish is so simple that’s all the tips you need; gotta love that, right?

I came across this recipe online quite randomly and couldn’t be happier about it. I’ve made it multiple times and each result has been the same…delish! I hope you like this as much as we do…enjoy, my friends!

Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Servings: Approximately 6
Time: 1 hour
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Three ingredients result in an amazingly tender main dish sure to please!

Ingredients

-1 marinated steakhouse pork temderloin (approx 1 1/2 pounds) *you can also use a plain pork tenderloin and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and steak seasoning)*

-Bacon slices (approximately 10, uncooked)

-Honey (approximately 1/3 cup, to taste)

Directions

1) Sear pork tenderloin on all sides in oven safe skillet over high heat (approximately 3 minutes total).

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3) Lay slices of bacon on wax paper (pictures below) slightly overlapping.

4) Use wax paper to wrap bacon slices around the pork tenderloin.

5) Place bacon wrapped pork tenderloin back in skillet and drizzle honey all over top and down the sides.

6) Place skillet in oven and bake for 45 minutes making sure to baste and use juices from pan to coat tenderloin a couple times throughout baking time.

7) Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes then slice and serve!