…Will Cook for Heels
Party Foods
Strawberries n Cream Tarts
Jul 28th
I recently purchased a “Cook’s Illustrated; America’s Test Kitchen” magazine. Let me tell you, for instructional material, they have it on lock. Not only do they provide step-by-step guides, they let you know exactly WHY grandma’s recipe was sometimes hit or miss and why the variation and alteration you have in mind could possibly render a superb (or disastrous) recipe. They test several recipes and publish (often with pics) the outcome of each. I get excited because it brings out a little bit of the scientific geek in me. If only 10th grade science were like this…
I have to admit that I am “dieting” so please recognize the sacrifice I am making to bring you this recipe and excuse any drool on this post as well.
The original recipe was for a large tart but after making the graham cracker crust in the blender, I could not place my pie shell for the life of me. (IF YOU HAVE IT…..BRING IT BACK!!!) So, I ran to Publix and chanced upon mini prepared tart shells. These were probably more appealing to my nephews anyway. (But I STILL want my pie shell!)
Making the filling was surprisingly easy. I have to admit that it almost didn’t happen. The mixture failed to thicken as fast as promised and it wasn’t until I was about to throw it out (I don’t have time to waste on failed dishes, lol) that I noticed it was ready. So the lesson here is to be patient and WAIT!
FOR THE FILLING
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out (or 2-3 tea. pure vanilla extract if you can’t find a fresh bean. I couldn’t )
1 1/4 cups cold cream
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
To Make Filling: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water in a bowl and let soften 5 minutes. Put the granulated sugar and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and rub the seeds into the sugar with your fingers. Add 1 cup cream and whisk over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture. Transfer to a bowl, then set in a larger bowl of ice water and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the remaining 1/4 cup cream and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Pour into the tart shells and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour….or for whatever reason in my case…2 hours.
Before serving, top the tart with the strawberries and dust lightly with powdered (confectioner’s) sugar.
This is a very LIGHT dessert. It’s perfectly refreshing for a nice summer night with friends.
Jazzy Jiffy & Scallion Butter
Jul 28th
Digging up Patti’s Cookbook (mentioned in the previous post) I also found The New Woman’s Day Cookbook. I think it belongs to my mom but after these great recipes, I think I’m going to have to keep it. The recipe called for a cake pan but I put it in a muffin pan. I made these muffins with Patti’s (almost inedible) Cabbage Shuffle and coupled with the scallion butter….they were the highlight of the dinner. In fact, I honestly cannot recall what I served as the entree. This is a MUST TRY. You will not regret it.
Recipe Ingredients
Cornbread
- 2 boxes (8 1⁄2 oz each) corn muffin mix
- 1 can (11 oz) vacuum-packed Mexican-style corn
- 2⁄3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp stick butter, melted
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Scallion Butter
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter
- 2 Tbsp minced scallions
Recipe Preparation
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9-in. round cake pan with nonstick spray.2. Stir first 5 ingredients in a bowl until blended; fold in cheese. Scrape into prepared pan.3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut in wedges.
4. Serve with Scallion Butter: Mix 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter with 2 Tbsp minced scallions.
Note: If you use a muffin pan, it takes a little less time (as you can see, it’s a lesson I LEARNED, lol)
Superbowl Sunday’s Coming
Feb 3rd
Although I HATE foosball, my husband (and seemingly a lot of other idiots, lol) loves the game. Incidentally, I have to cook for it and THAT, I don’t mind. Here are a few of his favorite Super Bowl Snacks:
Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Drumettes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 cup bourbon, divided
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Crystal)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
- 30 chicken drumettes* or drummette / wing combo (about 4 pounds)
- Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce (see recipe)
*A chicken drumette is the thick, meaty section of the chicken wing that resembles a drumstick.
Preparation
- Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup bourbon; boil until most of liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup bourbon, ketchup, hot pepper sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season marinade with salt and pepper. Remove marinade from heat; cool to room temperature.
- Place chicken drumettes in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over and turn drumettes to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place cooling rack atop prepared baking sheet. Arrange drumettes on rack, spacing slightly apart. Spread any remaining marinade from dish over drumettes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake drumettes (still on cooling rack) until cooked through and brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Transfer drumettes to serving platter. Serve Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce (recipe below) alongside.
Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 8 ounces blue cheese (such as Maytag), finely crumbled (about 2 cups)
- 1 16-ounce container sour cream
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Preparation
-
Whisk blue cheese crumbles, sour cream, and parsley in medium bowl until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. DO AHEAD Dipping sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
Devil Eggs
12 Large eggs (Peeled and cut lengthwise)
Mayonnaise
Sweet Relish (Completely drained)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Red Pepper flakes
Please follow the steps to preparing hard-boiled eggs in the post How to Boil an egg. I cannot tell you exact measurements for the filling because it is a matter of preference. However, I can tell you exactly WHERE I’VE SEEN THIS DISH GO TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY WRONG…
1) Too wet!!
Possible Cause: Too much mayo. It is okay to start with a little and build. You cannot GO BACK but you can always add.
Possible Cause: Pickles not drained. The pickle juice can be overpowering for the sweet pickle. When I say drain, I mean to press the pickles as hard as you can against the wall of the colander to get all of the excess juice out.
2) Not enough pickle. You should have a good balance of sweet and savory with the egg filing. You should be able to SEE IT.
3) Too much salt. Again, balance. If I find that mine are a little too salty, I add more pickle. Start out with a 1/4 tea of salt and a 1/2 tea. of pepper to begin.
4) HOT. THEY SHOULD NEVER BE HOT. Please be careful when serving folks, keep them cool and everyone will be safe and they taste better that way.
5) Overcooked eggs. The egg whites become rubbery and the yolks are no longer yellow.
6) Visually unappealing. I think we solved some of the trouble in the cooking process in “Tips for Perfect Devil Eggs” article. However, as far as presentation, there are a few simple tricks for “pretty eggs”:
- Instead of spooning them, pipe them into the egg whites with a simple Ziploc bag. All you do is cut a hole large egg for the filing to pass and presto. Equally filled and decorated eggs. If you wanted, you could go as far as using a pastry bag and decorative tip. If I’m doing a party, I like to pipe them onsite. I carry the whites in a Tupperware and my Ziploc bag with the filing separately.
- make sure they don’t slide and can turn over. If you don’t have a dish with devil egg cavities, use leafy stuff like Romaine lettuce, cabbage (green and purple varieties), I’ve even seen dry beans used before.
- Go easy on the paprika and try to sprinkle it on evenly among the eggs. Too much and your vibrant red accent color becomes a brown downer. I also LOVE parsley for garnish (curly or flat leaf). It adds a special touch and you’ll see that I use it a lot (but mainly because they make you buy a huge bunch and I never have any other uses for it). I also like green onions or chives.
Everyone makes devil eggs but everyone doesn’t take the care to make them GREAT! Follow these tips and you’ll be adding eggs to the list of things they ask you to bring to every function. (Hey! I don’t mind…this is CHEAP!! It’s the Jumbo Lumpmeat Crab salad I hate being asked to make, lol)
T.G.I.F. Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
- 1/2 tea. garlic
- 1/8 tea. onion powder
- 10 oz. frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
- 8 oz. artichoke hearts broken apart
- chopped tomatoes (to garnish)
Preparation:
- Lightly cover the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking spray
- Combine all ingredients in bowl and pour into dish with the exception of the tomatoes.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. (Usually, I multiply this recipe by 4 and bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 65 minutes. Just make sure the cheese is melted)
- Garnish with tomatoes
- Serve immediately in a bread bowl or in a pretty dish with tortilla chips, toast points or bread of choice. Or, if it’s for a party, I like to put it in the crock pot to keep it hot.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Dec 22nd
(Recipe adapted from Lakesha Cotton – THANKS BABE!)
1-12 OZ bottle Hot Wing Sauce
1-16 OZ bottle Blue Cheese
2-8 oz Cream Cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or use 4 large cans of turkey breast meat as I did today)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain canned chicken, break up with fork. In a separate bowl, mix Hot Wing sauce, softened cream cheese and the dressing until creamy. (You’re supposed to use a “mixer” it but I didnt have one at work.) Add Chicken to it. Stir together and then spread into ungreased baking pan. Cover with cheddar cheese. Bake 30 – 40 minutes. Serve with Tortilla chips. I guess you could do veggies too but looking at the recipe…really? What’s the point? lol
The next time I make it will probably be for the fam and I will use real chicken breast but for my co-workers, they can get the canned meat. Not that I don’t love them, it’s just unneccessary. lol Normally I would post a pic but I made it at work and when I finally thought about it, it was too late. I’ll be certain to insert one the next time, though. (If you make anything with cheddar cheese then you know what I’m referring to when I say it was no longer camera ready) BUT IT WAS GOOD!! Three people emailed me requests for the recipe and that is always a good sign. Enjoy! Thanks Again, Kesha.
