So here are a few pictures I did take.
A Desserts and Fireworks staple....Chocolate Trifle!
We ended up bringing another table since our neighbors all brought a couple of desserts too!
Hope everyone had a safe and importantly a YUMMY holiday!
7/05/2012
July 4th 2012
I just realized that I didn't take a single picture from the Desserts and Fireworks that were of people! ACK! I guess my head is elsewhere right now.
So here are a few pictures I did take.
A Desserts and Fireworks staple....Chocolate Trifle!
Miss V's famous Blueberry Tartlets
We ended up bringing another table since our neighbors all brought a couple of desserts too!
Hope everyone had a safe and importantly a YUMMY holiday!
So here are a few pictures I did take.
A Desserts and Fireworks staple....Chocolate Trifle!
We ended up bringing another table since our neighbors all brought a couple of desserts too!
Hope everyone had a safe and importantly a YUMMY holiday!
Lowcountry Lemonade
For our "adult beverage" I found this pretty blue beverage on Pinterest. It comes from Wedding Color. I didn't measure just poured into my very nice beverage dispenser.
A couple of quarts of lemonade, good stuff please
Peach Schnapps
Blue Curacao
It was refreshing and not overly sweet or sour.
A couple of quarts of lemonade, good stuff please
Peach Schnapps
Blue Curacao
It was refreshing and not overly sweet or sour.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Can you guess where this recipe came from? If you guess Pinterest you would be right!! It is from Pixelated Crumb. I pinned it months ago and knew that I really had to try this!!
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter, not the natural stuff
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter not the natural stuff
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared bundt pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer, sharp knife, or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If it is, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.
For the glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.
I had really high expectations. First I don't know why but the outside of the cake was very hard to cut through. It is a really dense cake which is fine. I did slice it before our guests arrived and the sliced did dry out a bit. For the leftover pieces I microwaved for about 15 seconds to warm it a little and it tasted really yummy.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter, not the natural stuff
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter not the natural stuff
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared bundt pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer, sharp knife, or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If it is, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.
For the glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.
I had really high expectations. First I don't know why but the outside of the cake was very hard to cut through. It is a really dense cake which is fine. I did slice it before our guests arrived and the sliced did dry out a bit. For the leftover pieces I microwaved for about 15 seconds to warm it a little and it tasted really yummy.
Oreo Poke Cake
Yes...here is another Pinterest Recipe. The recipe comes from The Country Cook.
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
Ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water)
2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding
4 cups milk
Crushed Oreo Cookies
Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a greased 9x13 pan.
About 2 minutes before cake is done, make the pudding. Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes. You want it to thicken a little so it isn't to runny but not fully thickened yet.
When cake is finished, while still warm, poke holes all over cake using a wooden spoon handle.
Pour and spread the pudding over the cake and tap it on the counter so that the pudding fills in the holes.
Let it rest for a few minutes on the counter and the put in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
Right before serving sprinkle on the crushed Oreo cookies.
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
Ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water)
2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding
4 cups milk
Crushed Oreo Cookies
Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a greased 9x13 pan.
About 2 minutes before cake is done, make the pudding. Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes. You want it to thicken a little so it isn't to runny but not fully thickened yet.
When cake is finished, while still warm, poke holes all over cake using a wooden spoon handle.
Pour and spread the pudding over the cake and tap it on the counter so that the pudding fills in the holes.
Let it rest for a few minutes on the counter and the put in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
Right before serving sprinkle on the crushed Oreo cookies.
7/03/2012
Chicken Tortilla Bake
I love love love Pinterest! I found the recipe for Chicken Tortilla Bake on there and had high expectations.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the 3 cans and mix them up, then set aside. When I did, I gave it a quick taste and it was bland! So I tossed in some taco seasoning. I am thinking salsa would have been a better match than the diced tomatoes.
Chop up the tortillas into bite sized pieces.
Layer 1/3 of the tortillas onto the bottom of a 13x9 pan.
Place half of the chicken on top of the tortillas
Then spoon 1/2 the soup mixture on top of the chicken
Repeat layers and top with the rest of the tortilla strips.
Cover and bake for 40 minutes
Top with cheese and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and the top layer of corn tortillas get a bit crispy.
It was ok...it certainly didn't wow me. It really needs some sort of texture...
2 10 3/4oz cans of cream of chicken
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
12 6 inch corn tortillas
3 cups of cooked chicken (I like to roast mine in the oven then chop up)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the 3 cans and mix them up, then set aside. When I did, I gave it a quick taste and it was bland! So I tossed in some taco seasoning. I am thinking salsa would have been a better match than the diced tomatoes.
Chop up the tortillas into bite sized pieces.
Layer 1/3 of the tortillas onto the bottom of a 13x9 pan.
Place half of the chicken on top of the tortillas
Then spoon 1/2 the soup mixture on top of the chicken
Repeat layers and top with the rest of the tortilla strips.
Cover and bake for 40 minutes
Top with cheese and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and the top layer of corn tortillas get a bit crispy.
It was ok...it certainly didn't wow me. It really needs some sort of texture...
7/02/2012
Strawberry Lemon White Sangria
Sorry my blog has been so neglegted this summer. Between VBS pre, set up and running it, it has taken 3 weeks and I didn't do much in the kitchen.
I originally spotted this sangria weeks ago on Pinterest. It came from the blog Kitchen Tready. We finally made it on Saturday and it was great!!
I originally spotted this sangria weeks ago on Pinterest. It came from the blog Kitchen Tready. We finally made it on Saturday and it was great!!
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise
1 750 ml bottle white wine (we used Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 cup white rum
4 cups 7 up or Sprite (not diet)
Add the fruit to a large pitcher.
Pour the wine and rum. Stir well.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and add the lemon lime soda. Add a few fresh pieces of the fruit and ice to your glass. Strain and pour sangria into your glass.
Enjoy!
Pour the wine and rum. Stir well.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and add the lemon lime soda. Add a few fresh pieces of the fruit and ice to your glass. Strain and pour sangria into your glass.
Enjoy!
6/11/2012
Chromatography, what is it?
Chroma is the Greek word for color. Chromatography is a method used to separate compounds in a mixture.
What you need:
White Coffee Filter cut into strips
Tall clear glasses
water
Tape
Water Soluble markers and one permanent marker
Pencils or skewers
Place a dot about one inch from the end of a coffee filter strip. Tape the other end around a pencil or skewer. Place the skewer on the lip of the glass. Carefully add water to the glass until it barely touches the bottom of the filter strip. Then wait to see what happens.
When I asked her why the permanent marker didn't do anything, she so smartly told me because the ink doesn't dissolve in water.
Then for fun I tried to peel an onion skin. That is cool, but I wish I had iodine to stain it.
Miss V has been checking all the samples out for the past 40 minutes and hearing "Oh this is so cool!"
What you need:
White Coffee Filter cut into strips
Tall clear glasses
water
Tape
Water Soluble markers and one permanent marker
Pencils or skewers
Place a dot about one inch from the end of a coffee filter strip. Tape the other end around a pencil or skewer. Place the skewer on the lip of the glass. Carefully add water to the glass until it barely touches the bottom of the filter strip. Then wait to see what happens.
Then for fun I tried to peel an onion skin. That is cool, but I wish I had iodine to stain it.
Miss V has been checking all the samples out for the past 40 minutes and hearing "Oh this is so cool!"
6/10/2012
Rock Candy Experiment - One Week
The evaporation has slowed down since there is a layer of crystals. We poked holes through the layer to see if the evaporation will continue.
6/09/2012
Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Turkey Breast
On Saturday I cooked for a 50th anniversary party and this was the main dish. I did have some issues that were out of my control (butcher/meat market issues). Some of the ingredients are not widely available down here and made a couple substitutions. The couple wanted turkey, but not like a Thanksgiving type of turkey. I found this on Food Network.
I did double the recipe, but the one below is the original recipe.
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and julienned (couldn't find so I used a mix of cremini and white button)
1/2 bunch sage, leaves finely chopped
1 pound bulk Italian sausage, crumbled
1 turkey breast, removed from the bone, about 4 pounds
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 pounds caul fat (cannot find down here, so had to use a little extra bacon)
1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
Thyme bundle
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coat a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, with olive oil, add in half of the diced onion, season with salt, to taste. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and sage, season with salt, to taste. Cook until they are soft and wilted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the sausage and use a large kitchen spoon to chop up the sausage. Cook until the sausage is brown and a little crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large mixing bowl and let cool.
While the sausage mixture is cooling, cut the turkey breast into 2 separate halves and remove skin. Butterfly each half to make a wide, flat surface. Cover each half with plastic wrap and with a meat mallet, gently pound each breast half, to flatten. (Butcher/meat market did not do any of that like was requested. Now I know not to go there.... I did leave the skin on to help keep it moist)
To the mixing bowl with sausage mixture, add the bread crumbs, grated cheese, the eggs and 1/2 a cup of water. Mix together until it becomes a homogeneous mixture. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Lay a large piece of caul fat out on a large, flat work surface. Lay about 10 bacon slices in the middle, slightly overlapping. Arrange a turkey breast on top. Lay half the stuffing mix on the turkey and roll it up, creating a neat even log. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each end, then fold the bacon that's underneath around the turkey. Wrap the caul fat in an even layer to create a smooth even log. Tie with twine to secure. Repeat with second turkey breast.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put a large roasting pan on a burner, coat it with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the turkey rolls and brown on all sides. Remove the rolls from the pan and add in the remaining diced onion, carrots, celery. Season with salt, to taste, and cook the veggies until they start to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine to the roasting pan with a thyme bundle. Return the turkey rolls to the pan, cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes, remove the foil and roast for 10 more minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the turkey to a tray or platter and cover with foil to rest and keep warm.
Put the roasting pan over 2 burners to make the gravy. Remove the thyme and skim the fat. Mix the flour with 6 tablespoons chicken stock and slowly whisk it into the roasting pan. Whisk in the remaining chicken stock and bring it the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened to a gravy consistency. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
Remove the string from the roulades and slice into medallions. Arrange the roulades on a serving platter and serve with the gravy.
This was also served with mashed potatoes, Hasselback potatoes, and roasted Asparagus with bacon.
Sorry to say I don't have pictures....
I did taste as I went along and it tasted pretty good.
I did double the recipe, but the one below is the original recipe.
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and julienned (couldn't find so I used a mix of cremini and white button)
1/2 bunch sage, leaves finely chopped
1 pound bulk Italian sausage, crumbled
1 turkey breast, removed from the bone, about 4 pounds
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 pounds caul fat (cannot find down here, so had to use a little extra bacon)
1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
Thyme bundle
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coat a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, with olive oil, add in half of the diced onion, season with salt, to taste. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and sage, season with salt, to taste. Cook until they are soft and wilted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the sausage and use a large kitchen spoon to chop up the sausage. Cook until the sausage is brown and a little crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large mixing bowl and let cool.
While the sausage mixture is cooling, cut the turkey breast into 2 separate halves and remove skin. Butterfly each half to make a wide, flat surface. Cover each half with plastic wrap and with a meat mallet, gently pound each breast half, to flatten. (Butcher/meat market did not do any of that like was requested. Now I know not to go there.... I did leave the skin on to help keep it moist)
To the mixing bowl with sausage mixture, add the bread crumbs, grated cheese, the eggs and 1/2 a cup of water. Mix together until it becomes a homogeneous mixture. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Lay a large piece of caul fat out on a large, flat work surface. Lay about 10 bacon slices in the middle, slightly overlapping. Arrange a turkey breast on top. Lay half the stuffing mix on the turkey and roll it up, creating a neat even log. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each end, then fold the bacon that's underneath around the turkey. Wrap the caul fat in an even layer to create a smooth even log. Tie with twine to secure. Repeat with second turkey breast.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put a large roasting pan on a burner, coat it with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the turkey rolls and brown on all sides. Remove the rolls from the pan and add in the remaining diced onion, carrots, celery. Season with salt, to taste, and cook the veggies until they start to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine to the roasting pan with a thyme bundle. Return the turkey rolls to the pan, cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes, remove the foil and roast for 10 more minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the turkey to a tray or platter and cover with foil to rest and keep warm.
Put the roasting pan over 2 burners to make the gravy. Remove the thyme and skim the fat. Mix the flour with 6 tablespoons chicken stock and slowly whisk it into the roasting pan. Whisk in the remaining chicken stock and bring it the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened to a gravy consistency. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
Remove the string from the roulades and slice into medallions. Arrange the roulades on a serving platter and serve with the gravy.
This was also served with mashed potatoes, Hasselback potatoes, and roasted Asparagus with bacon.
Sorry to say I don't have pictures....
I did taste as I went along and it tasted pretty good.
6/08/2012
Frozen Berry Cobbler - Thanks to Pinterest
I know I have mentioned a few times lately about my love of Pinterest. This recipe for what I call Frozen Berry Cobbler really caught my eye. I read through all the comments and kind of made some changes.
This morning Miss V and I were at Sweetbay and picked up the ingredients.
24 oz frozen fruit
1 box cake mix, the original recipe called for "non" pudding cake, but I didn't notice it until we got home that this one does have pudding in the mix.
1 can of diet soda (I just got an 8 pack of Sprite 16 oz bottles)
Preheat your oven to 350.
Place the frozen berries in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
Now here is where I changed from the original recipe. It said to just sprinkle on the cake mix and pour the soda over it and do not mix. From the comments some commenter's said that there were spots of dry mix after cooking.
So Miss V mixed the cake mix and soda in a bowl and then spread it over the fruit.
I did sprinkle on some sanding sugar for texture.
Bake for 55-60 minutes depending on your fruit. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.
It actually came out better than my expectations! I am not sure if it was Miss V's choice of fruit or what. But you can certainly change it up with different fruit.
This morning Miss V and I were at Sweetbay and picked up the ingredients.
1 box cake mix, the original recipe called for "non" pudding cake, but I didn't notice it until we got home that this one does have pudding in the mix.
1 can of diet soda (I just got an 8 pack of Sprite 16 oz bottles)
Preheat your oven to 350.
Place the frozen berries in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
So Miss V mixed the cake mix and soda in a bowl and then spread it over the fruit.
I did sprinkle on some sanding sugar for texture.
Bake for 55-60 minutes depending on your fruit. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.
It actually came out better than my expectations! I am not sure if it was Miss V's choice of fruit or what. But you can certainly change it up with different fruit.
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