How to Eat a Grapefruit

I have enjoyed a good grapefruit for as long as I can remember. The way my Dad taught me to eat it was to slice it in half, run a knife around each section, sprinkle it with sugar and scoop out the juicy innards with a spoon. It's a great, clean way to eat a grapefruit, but it's torture to work for each bite.

When I was eating lunch at my sister's, I noticed that she cut up her grapefruit like we do an orange. It inspired me to give it a try. It's so wonderful to be able to gobble down a bowl full of grapefruit without waiting between every bite.

I'm sure there are countless ways to eat a grapefruit, but this is the one that works best for me. And since I know it's sometimes easier to learn a new skill by watching than by reading, I made a video for you.

And for those that learn better by reading, here are the instructions:

1) Peel the grapefruit like you would an orange.
2) Tear off a section (again, like an orange). Slide a knife under the tough outer skin, then use your finger to pull out the soft, juicy insides.
3) Put the flesh into a bowl and discard the tough skins. Repeat with the remaining sections. Enjoy!


How do YOU like to eat a grapefruit?

Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate

This was originally posted on Cooking for Seven on December 12, 2012. Enjoy!

For some reason, I have been averse to pairing mint with chocolate my whole life. Whenever someone would order a mint mocha or mint chocolate chip ice cream I would inwardly shake my head in wonderment. Why ruin perfectly good chocolate with mint?

But I heard people raving about the peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks. Could I be wrong in my presumption? I decided to give this mint-and-chocolate thing a try.

Am I ever glad I did. The fresh, strong flavor of peppermint lightens the rich, heavy hot chocolate perfectly. Which means you can drink more of this scrumptious beverage without feeling overwhelmed by the creaminess.

Recipe Notes

• The original recipe suggests chopping your chocolate, but I just used chocolate chips and they melted perfectly.
• The OR also directs you to bring the milk/cream to a boil and add it to the chocolate. I just put it all in a pot and let it melt together. Worked wonderfully!
• The peppermint flavor that I used left little grease puddles at the top of my hot chocolate. If you’re a purist, go for a non oil-based flavoring.
• I added a few drops of the peppermint flavoring to the whipped cream just for kicks. I highly recommend it.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate | adapted from Bon Appetit | makes 4 servings | PRINTABLE PAGE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons sugar or sweetener of choice
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or chocolate bar, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavor
• candy canes, for garnish

Directions:

1) Place 1/2 cup cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, the milk and chocolate in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint flavor.

2) In a small bowl, beat the remaining 1/2 cup chilled cream with a few drops of peppermint flavor (optional) until soft peaks form.

3) Serve the hot chocolate with whipped cream and a sprinkling of crushed candy canes. Enjoy!

Cooking Inspiration

It feels like a looong time since I last posted, even though it was just last week. I have been caught up in present mania (trying to figure out what to buy for my family). I'm planning to make some food for y'all soon. Please bear with me during the holidays.

Here are some things I've been cooking lately. Hopefully it provides you with some inspiration!

Biscuits and Gravy. One of my all-time favorite meals. I need to share the recipe here on Buttered Side Up.

Beef Stew. So hearty and satisfying. Another one I need to share here.

Breakfast for supper! It's one of my favorite things to cook when I don't know what else to make.

We LOVE us some hashbrowns around here. Nice and crispy with a bit of ketchup. Mmhmm. And you can't go wrong with bacon.

I also tried my hand at almond flour pancakes. The flavor is amazing.

Red curry noodles with soft-boiled eggs. I finally figured out how to make perfect soft boiled eggs! I'll have to share my method with you guys sometime...

I made shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms for the Good Life Eats blog. Get the recipe HERE.

With the leftover ingredients from the stuffed mushrooms I made some shrimp soup. It was delicious!

What sorts of delicious things have you been cooking/eating lately?

Homemade Eggnog

I originally posted about this awesome eggnog three years ago on Cooking for Seven. It's still a favorite at Christmastime, so I felt I should share it here on Buttered Side Up.

Our family has always enjoyed a good cup of eggnog at Christmastime. Mom would carefully pour out a small portion and add a bit of milk to make it less rich. We kids would savor the little we got and agree that any more would be too much.

These days I prefer to make my own eggnog. I know exactly which ingredients go into it. And it is such fun to make.

If you're still not feeling confident about making your own eggnog, head over to the Tasty Kitchen Blog where I share my step-by-step instructions HERE.

By the way, it is VERY important, if you have an instant read thermometer, that you make sure it is set to Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. I once bumped the button by accident and made "scrambled eggnog." Gross.

Homemade Eggnog

Adapted from a recipe from a friend.

Printable Page

Ingredients:

• 12 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup (or granulated sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 quarts (8 cups) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg + more for garnish
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1) In heavy 4 quart saucepan, off heat, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, and salt until well blended. Gradually stir in half of the milk.

2) Cook over low hear, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 25 minutes

(mixture should be about 170 – 175 degrees F). Do not boil.

3) Pour custard in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract, 1 Tsp. ground nutmeg and remaining milk. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

4) Just before serving, in a medium bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. With wire whisk, gently fold whipped cream into custard mixture. Serve with extra whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.

Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Makes about 16 cups or 32 – 1/2 cup servings