It’s a summer camp classic but this is also a fun dessert for Halloween.
Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake (Betty Crocker box Bundt works well)
4 boxes instant chocolate pudding (8 cups milk)
1 box Oreo or off brand chocolate sandwich cookies
1 box vanilla cream sandwich cookies
1 box Whoppers (malted milk balls)
2 bags gummy worms
1-2 bags of small chocolate marshmallows
Fudge sauce:
1 oz bar Bakers chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
Handful marshmallows
Container:
New 10 quart bucket
Directions:
Bake chocolate cake.
Prepare chocolate pudding. Let set and chill in the fridge. (This is mud)
Crush/ smash up Oreo & vanilla sandwich cookies by putting cookies in a large freezer bag and using a kitchen mallet. (This is like sand.)
After cake bakes and rests, cut into slices.
Melt fudge sauce ingredients in the microwave. (Also like mud)
Combine ingredients in the bucket by layering them. Drizzle fudge sauce in the middle. The worms are of course because it’s pretend dirt. The marshmallows and malted milk balls are the rocks.
Let the dirt cake chill in the fridge. Serve with a clean garden spade or plastic beach toy or large kitchen spoon that resembles a trowel.
Fake flowers optional
Enjoy.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Almost Too Spicy Gumbo
Serves about 5
Ingredients:
2 14oz cans of vegetable soup
3 cups crab stock
2 cups raw (shelled, deveined) shrimp
2 raw Swai (or other mild white fish) fillets cut into small chunks
2 cups okra (I used frozen pre-cut)
2 6.5oz cans of clams in clam juice
4 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used Zaatar)
3 sprigs of tarragon
1 jalapeño diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup rice
2 strips of bacon diced
Dash of chili powder
Dash or cayenne pepper
Dash pimentón
Directions:
Let ingredients simmer on low for 2-4 hours or use a Crockpot.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 14oz cans of vegetable soup
3 cups crab stock
2 cups raw (shelled, deveined) shrimp
2 raw Swai (or other mild white fish) fillets cut into small chunks
2 cups okra (I used frozen pre-cut)
2 6.5oz cans of clams in clam juice
4 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used Zaatar)
3 sprigs of tarragon
1 jalapeño diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup rice
2 strips of bacon diced
Dash of chili powder
Dash or cayenne pepper
Dash pimentón
Directions:
Let ingredients simmer on low for 2-4 hours or use a Crockpot.
Enjoy!
Broccoli Cheese + Cream of Mushroom: And/Both!
I like mushrooms and I like broccoli cheese soup, so why choose? It doesn’t always have to be Either/Or.
Ingredients:
½ cup chopped onions
1 lb bag of frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
Dash of ground mustard powder
½ cube of chicken bullion
Dash fresh ground pepper
2 cans Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup (gluten free)
Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Let broccoli thaw or add 1 cup boiling water.
Chop up broccoli, separating stalks from florets.
In a blender, blend broccoli stalks, onions, and water until puréed.
Pour mixture into pot over medium heat. Add butter, milk, bullion, mustard powder, pepper and florets.
Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the cream of mushroom soup and let simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Serve with cheddar cheese on top.
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
½ cup chopped onions
1 lb bag of frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
Dash of ground mustard powder
½ cube of chicken bullion
Dash fresh ground pepper
2 cans Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup (gluten free)
Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Let broccoli thaw or add 1 cup boiling water.
Chop up broccoli, separating stalks from florets.
In a blender, blend broccoli stalks, onions, and water until puréed.
Pour mixture into pot over medium heat. Add butter, milk, bullion, mustard powder, pepper and florets.
Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the cream of mushroom soup and let simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Serve with cheddar cheese on top.
Enjoy.
Easy Sunday Morning Quiche
This quiche is easy like Sunday morning and vegetarian!
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
½ onion
Salt & pepper
10 oz pack or 2 cups spinach
4 tablespoons cream cheese
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 pie crust
Dusting of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Dice up red bell pepper and onion. Sauté with salt and pepper and a bit of oil.
Thaw spinach or chop up if fresh.
In a bowl whip eggs with milk
Grease a pie pan and insert crust. Scallop the edges.
Put red bell pepper & onions in first, then spinach.
Dollop and spread around the cream cheese.
Pour in the egg mixture.
Finish the top off with some parmesan cheese.
Bake until the crust is brown and the egg is firm at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
½ onion
Salt & pepper
10 oz pack or 2 cups spinach
4 tablespoons cream cheese
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 pie crust
Dusting of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Dice up red bell pepper and onion. Sauté with salt and pepper and a bit of oil.
Thaw spinach or chop up if fresh.
In a bowl whip eggs with milk
Grease a pie pan and insert crust. Scallop the edges.
Put red bell pepper & onions in first, then spinach.
Dollop and spread around the cream cheese.
Pour in the egg mixture.
Finish the top off with some parmesan cheese.
Bake until the crust is brown and the egg is firm at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Cornish Hens- Moroccan style
My local grocery store was having a 50 % off sale on all poultry products. I initially picked up a whole roaster chicken thinking of frugality and efficiency but then decided I couldn’t possibly consume the whole thing, even with assistance of neighbors and house mates. Also, after the inevitable and numerous reinventions of the chicken, I’d just get sick of chicken altogether, further fueling my newly acquired pescatarianism. More is not always better. Then I saw a pair of Cornish Hens conveniently packaged together for $4. Perfect. Something new to try and the price is right.
As usual with new ingredients, I search for recipes on www.epicurious.com for ideas or to see how they are customarily prepared. To my delight on the top of the second page of recipe listings was Morrocan-Style Roast Cornish Hens with Vegetables
The recipe is more or less a tajine (dish) but without the tajine (conical ceramic pot). I used the recipe as a guide and made the following alterations:
1. Instead of cous-cous, I made lentils:
1 cups French lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few tablespoons tomato paste
½ chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon garlic powder
I cooked it on low until the lentils were thick and saucy.
2. I took the sweetbreads out of the Cornish Hens and put them in a small crock pot with:
1 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 ½ cup boiling water
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
I let this simmer while I prepared the vegetables and spices. I later used a strainer and used the liquid as the “chicken broth” from the recipe.
3. Additions, substitutions, deletions, notes:
- I did not use any honey
- I used fennel seeds instead of caraway
- I didn’t use as much paprika as they recommended and instead added a teaspoon of turmeric.
- I only used a dash of cayenne. Moroccan food isn’t supposed to spicy like Mexican or Thai.
-I used a long white radish instead of a turnip
- I didn’t use the can of tomatoes. I put some tomato paste into the spice mix with my broth. That was liquidy enough.
-As for the herbs at the end, my guest doesn’t like cilantro so I didn’t bother. Cilantro and parsley are staples in Morocco cooking, though. Had I decided to use cilantro and parsley, (but not mint- that’s for tea, not chicken) I would have diced it up finely and stuffed the birds with it or stuffed it underneath the skin. This herb combination is generally cooked, not used as a garish.
- I didn’t have squash or zucchini so I used carrots.
- I didn’t “halve the hens”. This is generally done for serving size and does not affect how it cooks. After an hour at 425 degrees in a foil tent, the meat falls off the bone- as it should, just like a tajine.
This was delicious.
As usual with new ingredients, I search for recipes on www.epicurious.com for ideas or to see how they are customarily prepared. To my delight on the top of the second page of recipe listings was Morrocan-Style Roast Cornish Hens with Vegetables
The recipe is more or less a tajine (dish) but without the tajine (conical ceramic pot). I used the recipe as a guide and made the following alterations:
1. Instead of cous-cous, I made lentils:
1 cups French lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few tablespoons tomato paste
½ chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon garlic powder
I cooked it on low until the lentils were thick and saucy.
2. I took the sweetbreads out of the Cornish Hens and put them in a small crock pot with:
1 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 ½ cup boiling water
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
I let this simmer while I prepared the vegetables and spices. I later used a strainer and used the liquid as the “chicken broth” from the recipe.
3. Additions, substitutions, deletions, notes:
- I did not use any honey
- I used fennel seeds instead of caraway
- I didn’t use as much paprika as they recommended and instead added a teaspoon of turmeric.
- I only used a dash of cayenne. Moroccan food isn’t supposed to spicy like Mexican or Thai.
-I used a long white radish instead of a turnip
- I didn’t use the can of tomatoes. I put some tomato paste into the spice mix with my broth. That was liquidy enough.
-As for the herbs at the end, my guest doesn’t like cilantro so I didn’t bother. Cilantro and parsley are staples in Morocco cooking, though. Had I decided to use cilantro and parsley, (but not mint- that’s for tea, not chicken) I would have diced it up finely and stuffed the birds with it or stuffed it underneath the skin. This herb combination is generally cooked, not used as a garish.
- I didn’t have squash or zucchini so I used carrots.
- I didn’t “halve the hens”. This is generally done for serving size and does not affect how it cooks. After an hour at 425 degrees in a foil tent, the meat falls off the bone- as it should, just like a tajine.
This was delicious.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Fish Stew with Sesame, Thyme, and Tomato
Ingredients:
2 Swai fillets
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can prepared chickpeas
2 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Za’atar ( I used Ziyad Brand, Product of Jordan, made of roasted wheat, roasted thyme, ground sumac, sesame seeds and salt)
1 tablespoon Tahini (approximately) Tahini is pure sesame paste.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Directions.
Put tomatoes, Za’atar, and Tahini in a crock pot on low. Add salt and pepper.
Remove skins from chickpeas by placing them in a deep bowl with water and gently rubbing handfuls of them between your palms. The skins should come off easily and float to the top.
Add chickpeas and a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Let mixture stew on low for a few hours.
Prepare the Swai fillets by cutting them up into rough chunks.
Add the fish to the mixture.
Let the fish be infused with the stew’s flavors for at least 20 minutes. Swai is not a very delicate fish so you can leave it in for as long as you like and even re-heat it without it coming completely apart.
Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle some salt and serve with fresh pita bread.
Enjoy!
2 Swai fillets
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can prepared chickpeas
2 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Za’atar ( I used Ziyad Brand, Product of Jordan, made of roasted wheat, roasted thyme, ground sumac, sesame seeds and salt)
1 tablespoon Tahini (approximately) Tahini is pure sesame paste.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Directions.
Put tomatoes, Za’atar, and Tahini in a crock pot on low. Add salt and pepper.
Remove skins from chickpeas by placing them in a deep bowl with water and gently rubbing handfuls of them between your palms. The skins should come off easily and float to the top.
Add chickpeas and a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Let mixture stew on low for a few hours.
Prepare the Swai fillets by cutting them up into rough chunks.
Add the fish to the mixture.
Let the fish be infused with the stew’s flavors for at least 20 minutes. Swai is not a very delicate fish so you can leave it in for as long as you like and even re-heat it without it coming completely apart.
Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle some salt and serve with fresh pita bread.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Post-Independence Day Dinner 2011
Salad:
Ingredients:
Base:
Organic Spring mix
Toppings:
Slivered almonds
1 dollop of fresh guacamole (avocado, fresh lime juice, fresh garlic diced, sour cream, cumin, salt & pepper)
Imitation lobster
Vinaigrette made with fresh lemon juice, Dijon or grainy mustard, and olive oil.
Directions:
Assemble toppings on the Spring mix. Enjoy.
Beverage:
Thai Tea with milk. I bought this at a store in Chinatown. It’s basically black tea, vanilla flavor and orange coloring. It is sometimes prepared with star anise or orange water blossom water. The vanilla kind tastes like white chocolate- it’s delicious.
Add 2 teaspoons of tea per 1 cup of boiling water. Let steep 3-5 minutes. Add milk and sugar (splenda) to taste.
Main Dish
Ingredients:
Swai fillet (fresh or thawed)
½ a medium purple shallot diced
handful of grape tomatoes sliced
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of spicy pimentón
Directions:
Sauté tomatoes, shallots, in the butter and spices
The shallots might absorb the butter; add a bit of water if the tomatoes aren’t saucy enough.
Add fish and cover on low heat. Turn fish over. Cook until the fish begins to flake.
Remove from the pan and cover.
Serve with…
Side
Ingredients:
2 small corn tortillas
shredded Vermont- Maple-Smoked Cheddar
Directions:
In the same pan as you used for the fish, heat one tortilla.
Place shredded cheese on top, and a second tortilla on top of the cheese.
Flip. Sizzle
Cut into quarters and arrange on plate beside fish.
Garnish with guacamole and green onion.
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