Tapioca…not what you think

I had no idea was tapioca expect for pudding (and I’ve never tried that), so it was a big surprise to me when my friend stumbledupon this drink idea. For those of you who want to know what tapioca is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapioca

It was pretty interesting to read about before we made the tapioca…is it strange that I have to immediately look up things I don’t know? What did I do before the internet? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=book+google. Haha that’s just something funny I stumbled….I thought it fit in quite well. Anyway, she is trying to plan something fun for her wedding, so we had a night of alcoholic experimentation! Here’s the link:

http://twitter.com/#!/colleenpence/status/34297077622116352

So, that’s just a picture…but here’s what we did

Ingredients:

1/4 C of tapioca pearls (not the tiny tiny pearls)

1 1/2 C of water

1 C Blue Curacao (at least enough to cover the top of the pearls)

1 Bottle of Champagne/Sparkling wine (I like things away from brut…we used Andre Spumante)

Method:

1. Boil water

2. Add pearls and boil for 15 mins covered

3. Take off heat and allow to soak for 15 mins.

4. Drain and rinse (the slime was WEIRD).

5. Put the pearls in another bowl and add the Curacao. Marinade for at least 1 hour+

6. Pour sparkling wine and enjoy

Notes:

We did a LOT of drink experiments….LOTS. We tried apple juice with sweet and sour mix and blue curacao. We tried just champagne. We tried Sprite with apple juice. And more things. The pearls float, but not all of them… We are trying to figure out what makes them float and how to make them keep floating. If anyone knows please let me know :D. Happy…cooking?

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*Please be safe and responsible*

Tasty Cardiac Arrest

My deep fryer has gotten more use now than it has ever. I thank my blog for that :D. I stumbled this recipe a while back, but made them recently when my friend said that she had never had them before. I told her that Hooter’s has the best fried pickles, but she refuses to believe that they have good food. I’ve only been once and it was because a friend of mine said that they had the best fried pickles. It had to be proven! 😀 Plus, I use to be picky, but now that I think about it I only get to live once, so I should try my hardest to eat as many types of food as possible. Expand my palette to the fullest. Even if it makes me fat. 😛 I’ll just need to start exercising more. Anyway, I am gonna hafta say that these are so much better. Here’s the recipe:

http://misadventuresofmrsb.com/?p=1186

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 jar dill pickles (I used 24 oz, you could use more)

1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying (Or more – I made sure I had 2 -3 inches of oil in the pan)

Method:

Pour oil in pan or fryer.  Heat to 365 degrees F.  (I used my meat thermometer up to 300 degrees, then dropped bits of batter into oil to check how it fried.  Maybe not the most scientific way to go about it, but it worked)

While oil is heating, pour pickles into a strainer and drain liquid.  Lay pickle spears on paper towels and dry as thoroughly as possible.

In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients with flour and spices.  Drop a bit of batter into oil once heated and taste to test spices, adjusting batter as needed.

Dip spears into batter, making sure to coat thoroughly.  Carefully drop into hot oil and fry until golden, making sure to turn over to ensure even frying.  This will only take a few minutes at a time.

Carefully remove fried pickles from oil and drain on paper towels.  Immediately sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes:

I loved this batter. Seriously. I even did the fried mash potatoes again and used this batter. It is just sooo good! I do have some problems making the skin crisp, but either way it was YUM. Okay, I am going to get away from fried stuff after this post I swear! Hopefully I will stumble some healthy stuff. Happy cooking!

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PS: I am thinking of adding a page for other stumbles that I come upon that I think are interesting….thoughts?

Dump, dump, CAKE!

THE EASIEST THING YOU WILL EVER MAKE EVAAAR! Also, to my surprise it has impressed a great number of people. It looks professional and tastes like MmmMmm, so I can see why; however, the name dump cake makes people a bit weary when they first hear it. I mean who hears “Dump cake” for the first time and doesn’t assume the worst. Anyway, if you think people will be like “ew, gross” introduce it as easy as cake and tell them the real name later ;). Here’s the recipe:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/04/dump-cake-a-potluckers-paradise/

Ingredients:

1 can of crushed pineapples

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 box of yellow/white cake mix

1 1/2 – 2 sticks of butter/margarine

9×13 cake pan

Method:

1. Dump pineapple into pan with the juice 😀

2. Dump cherry pie filling into pan

3. Swirl the two into awesome goodness

4. Dump the cake mix on top of the mixture (fork the clumps if you want)

5. cut slivers of butter and place them evenly over the top of the cake mix

6. Bake at 350F for an hour (I usually check on it at the 30min mark and add butter to the places the butter didn’t melt too)

Notes:

I really like this because it tastes amazing and costs about $5 to make. I’ve served it with vanilla ice cream and that was really nice because the cake is warm and the ice cream is cold. Whip cream is also a nice little addition. When I made it this last time, I forgot whether to bake it at 350F or 400F, so I went with 400F. We also took it out at 30min (but still impressed like 5 of 8 people :P). I think next time I am going to try to switch out the pie filling or maybe the pineapples. Blueberry and cherry? Blackberry and pineapple? WHO KNOWS?! The possibilities are ENDLESS! As I contemplate the how to make the next dump cake I wish you well and happy cooking!

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P.S: I forgot to take a picture when I finished making the cake…so I took pictures of the leftovers. They still take great though 😀

Lazy Southwestern Eggrolls

I’m sorry about not posting in forever, I have been uber busy with school and stuff. So, time to kill that productivity with some fun productivity :D. About two weeks ago I was at a friend’s classmate’s birthday, and we were sitting in this really expensive place eating food that was…alright at best. I mean the atmosphere was okay, but the food was lacking in some areas. They served jalapeno poppers, fried mash (Alyson bit into one and her face was SO funny), burgers, and other stuff that I don’t remember. Anyway, The burger wasn’t satisfying our desire for burgers, so my friend Alyson and I decided that we were going to have our own! The conversation went on and transformed into us having a BBQ cookout. Here is one of the appetizers we had. I actually got this recipe from my sister:

Southwestern Eggrolls
***To make some simple adjustments…instead of the chicken breast fillet I buy the tyson’s ready to eat grill chicken, they come in sm 8oz containers or bags. I use to but haven’t lately eliminated the frozen spinach, I also 4x the recipe and use the whole red bell pepper and green onion bunch, and black beans can.

Ingredients:
***1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
***2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
five 7-inch flour tortillas

Directions
1. Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.
2. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.
3. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks.
4. Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.
5. Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.
7. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan.
8. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.
9. Cook for another 4 minutes.
10. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.
11. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.
12. Stir until the cheese is melted.
13. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 30 seconds or until hot.
14. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla.
15. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture.
16. Roll the tortilla very tight, and then pierce with a toothpick to hold together.
17. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls.
18. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
20. While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
21. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.
22. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 5-6 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

 

Notes:

I posted the entire recipe, but as the title suggests…LAZY is a main ingredient, so stop at step 12 if you are going to be like me. I served this up like a dip, but if you don’t want to use chips you can do a lot of things, like just put some tortillas next to it and people can make burritos…stuff like that, be creative :D. If you look at the images below you will see that I posted a picture of this plastic baggie. Well, I thought that it was the mix of ingredients that my sister used when she made it. UNFORTUNATELY, it was chicken boullion powder. I couldn’t really tell the difference, but I had to recall the flavor from like 4 months ago. Instead of using frozen corn, I used canned corn (drained and rinsed), I cut the spinach out, and the red pepper I used mysteriously resembled two different peppers that looked yellow and orange. I love this stuff (as in I always order some when we go to Chili’s), so I am pretty happy to have a lazy version of it. Anyway, try it out and as always happy cooking.

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What the FRENCH, Toast?

So, I have never made french toast before. Is that weird? I hear that a lot of people eat it and I’ve always been so intrigued by it, but I always felt like it was a super complicated process. Myth BUSTED! Who knew that it was just mixing eggs and frying it on bread.. Although this recipe isn’t something new to most people, I feel like there will be a lot of people that will benefit from this! Also, this recipe had an extra ingredient that I would have never that of….let’s see what you think of it? Let’s take it to the site:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_toast/

Ingredients

4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
8 thick slices of 2-day-old bread, better if slightly stale
Butter
Maple syrupOptional

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup triple sec
Fresh berries

Method

Beat eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. If using, add orange zest and/or Triple Sec. Whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl.

Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter (or use vegetable oil) over a large skillet on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and if available, fresh berries.

Serves 4.

Notes:

Alright, so I didn’t have any cinnamon thus I disregarded that ingredient. Also, the idea of putting triple sec into the batter made me think of a few other ingredient I had lying around so I mixed the eggs together and did 3 different types: butterscotch, triple sec, and amaretto :D. In addition to these, I added about 2-3  tsp of vanilla extract, just because I like vanilla.  Maybe it was just because this was my first time making them, but mine were kind of burnty…But that is probably just user error (I realize that I could have probably sprinkled some powdered sugar on it for looks and a little more sweetness, but it’s in my belly now). I’ll make sure to pay more attention next time. Anyway, enjoy and happy cooking!

PS: WOW! I am so enthused about the number of view! I have eight posts up and there are over 450 views! Thanks guys for reading! Stick with me and I will try and make sure you have something to fill your belly.

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Queso!

A couple of weeks back my dad decided that he would buy 5 bags of guacamole chips… Now, I don’t know if you buy things in bulk, but I find this ridiculous. He gets mad at me when I don’t eat them either, but I mean getting through a bag takes weeks! Anyway, I have decided to humor his little shopping spree by making queso to entice the eating of chips. Apparently, this recipe is the FAMOUS ROTEL CHEESE DIP. Hrmm… We’ll see about that! Take it to the recipe:

http://www.texmex.net/Rotel/cheesdip.htm

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasteurized processed cheese spread, (Velveeta), cut into 1″ cubes
1 can (10 oz.) Diced or Whole RO*TEL Tomatoes & Green Chilies

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine ingredients; stir over low heat until cheese spread is melted.
Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables.

Microwave: Place ingredients in a covered casserole.  Microwave on HIGH  until
cheese spread is melted, about 5 minutes, stirring once.

Notes:

Well, as you have seen in the past I like my things spicy, HOWEVER, I realize that I do entertain friends sometimes that can’t take the heat. So, I bought some canned jalapenos and put them in a separate bowl for my eating delight. I also threw in a few pinches of garlic powder, julio’s seasoning, and a pack of bacon bits.  I had half an onion left over from an earlier recipe so I said “What the heck” and chopped about half of that up and threw that in too. These went great with the guac chips and I am pretty sure they’d go great with any tortilla/corn chip. It was pretty good, but I had a problem with it being kind of runny…anyone else or that just me? Anyway, to counter this I added some slices of cheese and a tbs of cornstarch. Also famous? I guess it may be for easy cooking, but it definitely could use some tweaks :D. Happy cooking!

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PS: If you have any recipes/websites for refried bean dip…that would be great! Thanks.

I’m on a casse-roll!

Get it? Cause this post is about a casserole also! 😀 Anyway, so the reason why I like to do casseroles is because they last. I don’t have to think about what I am going to cook for at least 3 to 4 dinners.

So, you may see a trend in things I cook. Sweets and big meals. Am I trying to lose weight? Maybe… But I love to eat, so it’s a bit of a love hate relationship. Alright so I was stumbling at 3AM and found another recipe from French’s. I love their fried onions and I feel like the internet knows that for some reason…:

http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/baked-penne-ham-RE0804.html

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL’S® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

1 1/4 cups milk

3 cups cooked penne pasta (2 cups uncooked)

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH’S® Original French Fried Onions

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/3 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375°F. Combine soup and milk in 2-qt. shallow casserole dish. Stir in pasta, 1 cup cheese, 1 cup French Fried Onions, ham, tomatoes and peas.

BAKE, uncovered, 30 min. or until hot. Stir.

TOP with remaining cheese and onions. Bake 3 min. until cheese melts and onions are golden.

Notes:

So, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade, but what happens when life doesn’t give you lemons and you’re suppose to make lemonade? Well I didn’t have tomatoes or peas, so I used a veggie medley that I had in the cabinet. Green beans, corn, carrots, and amazingness. Amazingness isn’t an ingredient? Oh, I would have to disagree with you there. I secretly add a pinch of amazingness in everything that I make (you should too). You can find it in aisle 7 usually next to the spices. Anyway, I put some crushed red pepper in it too (I really like to sweat when I eat…its like working out right?). It came out really well and I used skim milk (which I thought was gonna make it texture weird) which made it a bit healthier. Anyway, try it out and change it up! Lemme know how it works. Sorry for the late post…Happy cooking!

PS: I think this is gonna be the last day that I post everyday. My fridge is FULL at the moment, but when I get on a cooking high again I will definitely be posting a lot again. I will probably post like twice a week, don’t be mad at me. I promise that I will keep your stomach full still. 😀

The Breakfast of Champions

Alright, I realize that I am posting this at dinner time, but who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner sometimes. PLUS, it is a casserole…isn’t that a term connected with dinner? Maybe? Or maybe I just associate that together for some reason. Anyway, this recipe is a copycat recipe (aka the best recipe to build off of). If any of you have been to Cracker Barrel, then you have probably had their hash brown casserole. As I stayed up WAY to late stumbling online, I came across this:

http://www.food.com/recipe/cracker-barrels-hash-browns-casserole-copycat-15242

Ingredients:

2 lbs frozen hash browns

1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Notes:

As mentioned before, I love fried things. I really hope I start stumbling onto more healthy recipes otherwise I’m gonna end up like a balloon! I roughly chopped 2 potatoes and added them into the mix too. Also, I had some leftover green onions so I through that in too. The reason why I say copycat recipes are the best is because the recipe has been compared to the “real thing”, then you can try adding your own twist to improve it :D. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

PS: Over 200 views! I appreciate you all so much and I hope you keep on reading!

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A lesson from Popo

Today’s recipe doesn’t come from a website, it comes from my Popo (grandma). I was craving sushi one day and my Popo told me that if I wanted it she would teach me how to make it, just in case I ever wanted it again then I would have the ability to make it. She didn’t really have direct measurements, so I will try my best to estimate (I haven’t tried to make them myself just yet).

Ingredients for rice:

3 cups of short grain rice

3 cups of water

1/2 cup of rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

a few pinches of salt

Ingredients for sushi:

3 stalks of celery, sliced thinly length wise

3 carrots, sliced length thinly wise

a package of sushi seaweed (nori)

2-3 eggs, omelet style

any meat you want (we used dried pork)…since we used dry pork the amount of meat will differ…we used about 1 cup

sushi rolling mat

Method:

So you want to wash the rice and cook it as directed. While the rice is steaming you can get the vinegar solution ready. You want to mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small sauce pan. You just want to heat it so that the sugar and salt dissolve. After the rice is ready move it into a mixing bowl and stir in the solution gently (you don’t want smushed rice). Let the rice cool and you can start making the sushi. First lay the mat down put a sheet of nori down, then put rice on about 2/3 of it. You want to leave space at the top so that when you roll it doesn’t all come out. Place a few celery and carrot sticks at the base where you put your rice. Put your meat on top and begin rolling upward. You want to roll and then scrutch it so that the roll is tight. When you have a roll feel free to slice it (dipping a sharp knife in water can help the knife keep from sticking).

Notes:

I love cooking with my Popo. She is a link to my mom and reminds me a lot of her. The recipe was really good and I can’t wait to try other types of sushi. If any of my measurements are off or can be made better please let me know. Thanks and happy cooking.

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If you can fry it…you bet I’ll eat it

Today’s recipe is definitely an ADVENTURE! I have never been so frustrated…frustrated and satisfied. So what is this food that caused so much dismay and frustration? Fried mash potatoes. Yep… And I know what you are thinking, THAT SOUNDS DELICIOUS! I know, I know, and what can I say other than I know what the public wants :P. Haha, anyway, I know that this may not be for everyone, but it was just such an interesting concept that I had to try it. I think I made it a little more difficult than necessary, but I’ll leave that for the notes section of the review. The recipe actually comes from a real life stumble. I was in class and my professor was talking about living in New Zealand (I went there :D), and how they use the fast food industry as a test market for new foods. He talked about some of the weird stuff he saw like the development of McCafe and Hawaiian burgers, but the he started talking about KFC. The one thing he misses is the fried mass…ahem, cue double take. FRIED WHAT!? I immediately write a note in my spiral, “find fried mash recipe”. Okay, so here is the website I found:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fried-Mashed-Potato-Balls

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup real bacon bits
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

Directions

• Place the mashed potatoes in a bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the egg, cheese, onions and bacon bits. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in bread crumbs. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. of oil to 375°. Fry potato balls, a few at a time, for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Serve warm.

Notes:

So, I went a little overboard. How’s that? I made like 10 or 12 servings worth of mash potatoes. Yaaah, but for good reason! I wanted to try different combos. I bought bacon bits, green onions, garlic powder, and cheese. I wanted ones by themselves and I wanted to combine some other the other together. Definitely wanted some heat in some of them too (thanks domino’s for supply my crush red pepper :P). Anyway, so why was I frustrated? Partially because I wasn’t patient enough and didn’t let the oil heat up all the way. The first few of mine didn’t come out well, but with practice they started looking good. The second lame thing was the panko wasn’t sticking to the mash before getting fried, or I would fry it and it would fry off. However, the ones that I got good look so good and tasted AWESOME! I think next time I’ll make a batter because the more I use bread crumbs, the more I hate it. Well, what can I do huh? Happy cooking!

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P.S: OH! I didn’t tell you which combo was the best. For sure if you like onion, add it right away. All the ones with onion were awesome, but which was the BEST of the BEST? I would have to vote the green onion, cayenne, garlic, bacon, and cheese. So the MEGA MIX :D! Enjoy.