Cake Boss - Little Einsteins Rocket

When I asked Caden what kind of cake he wanted for his 3rd birthday, I was pretty sure I knew the answer. And it was in fact "a rocket." But not just any rocket that I could buy a cake mold for. It had to be the Little Einsteins rocket. So I did some research, and there were some ridiculously elaborate cakes complete with fondant sculptures of the kids. I knew that was a bit beyond my talents. But I did find a few more reasonable ideas.

I used this blog as my primary guide: http://andreasrecipes.com/little-einsteins-rocket-birthday-cake/. The hardest part of this project was definitely the engines constructed of ice cream cones cut with an X-acto knife (which I had to prop up with toothpicks. If I had to do it over, I'd have turned rocket 90 degrees). I didn't buy the oval cake pans because they were a tad expensive (not to mention that I would have to have had them shipped, and I just didn't get around to ordering them in time). Instead I used my pyrex oblong chafing dishes and trimmed the cakes into more oval-ish shapes. I also added a sheet cake base, so I had more cake and a nice grassy area for rocket and the LEs to rest upon.

I combed eBay for weeks trying to find figurines to use as cake toppers. But the last episode of the LEs was made in 2009, so the toys are now collectors items and selling for ridiculous amounts of money, so I settled upon some card stock cut-outs that I found here: http://a.dolimg.com/en-US/disneyjunior/media/pdf/coloring_and_create/djr_col_lte_characters.pdf.

Here is my final result:


And then we ate it.

Novice Intro to Square Foot Gardening

I do realize this is a recipe blog, and this post is not a recipe per se, but I do hope that my gardening efforts will yield some produce that I can subsequently turn into recipes. So it's not an entirely irrelevant post.

After many years of shunning gardening, due to unpleasant childhood memories of weeding in the sweltering heat whilst being eaten alive by mosquitoes (it may well have only happened once or twice, but I recall it with horror), I decided to give it another go. After all, it wasn't all bad. I had taken for granted that we had garden fresh salads nearly every night during the summer, which I quite enjoyed. I probably didn't realize at the time how much better it tasted than had we bought it at the store. And at the time, I probably didn't care that it was much more nutrient rich.

Thus far, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. Since planting on Mother's day, my bedding plants have grown significantly larger, my corn and carrot seeds have begun to sprout, and I found a tiny tasty poblano pepper yesterday! I don't know why this amazes me. I grew a human being in my body, yet I'm more in awe of the fact that a seed would actually germinate in my garden. Perhaps this stems (pun intended) from the fact that I've never been successful at keeping a houseplant alive, and I've killed at least two basil plants in recent history.

May 12, 2013

May 30, 2013

Tiny Tasty Poblano Pepper

1st Herb Harvest

Today I did my first harvest of the season, which included leaf lettuce and herbs. Now in fairness, the herbs were more or less ready when I transplanted them, but there was a point when I thought the lettuce would not make it. It was looking quite sad after being trounced by a beagle, and who knows what else. But in the last couple weeks we got some nice warm weather and a significant amount of rain, and the lettuce rallied! We enjoyed it in a salad tonight! (Well at least Caden and I did. Larry merely ate his salad).


I would like to insert a disclaimer that I in no way claim to be an expert on square foot gardening, or any variety of garden, for that matter. Most of what I gleaned about this craft was done via Google a couple of nights before venturing to the nursery. But I must say, that so far I'm very impressed with this method. It's highly space-efficient, so you don't need much room. And it's contained, which makes that whole maintenance (i.e. weeding) thing much easier--haven't had to pluck one yet! So here are those sites that have inspired and guided me thus far:

• My Square Foot Garden - Square Foot Gardening Basics
• Plant Spacing
• The Vegetable Garden - Companion Plants: What Grows Well Together

Ask me again in a month if I feel the same way.You know, after the bugs and the hail, and the potential fruitless efforts. But for now, I'm sold on SFG!

Scallop & Garlic Linguine

This recipe is so delicious I just had to revive the blog with it! Healthy, quick, and scrumptious!

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ pound bay scallops (can substitute 1 pound of chicken tenders or shrimp)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 8 oz whole wheat linguini
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil – to cook scallops
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine (you can also substitute low sodium chicken or vegetable broth)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced to yield 2 Tablespoons of juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups of kale, about 4 handfuls roughly chopped (you can also substitute spinach)
• 3 tomatoes, cut into small dice

DIRECTIONS

1. Lay scallops out on a flat surface and dry completely with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper and paprika – set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water with two heavy pinches of kosher salt to a boil. Add linguini and cook for about 8 minutes or until aldente. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot add in scallops and cook for 2 minutes; remove from pan with tongs and set aside.
4. Add ¼ cup of olive oil to the pan; once warm, add in white wine, garlic, cayenne, lemon zest & juice, and salt & pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 1 minute. Turn up the heat slightly and add in kale, cooked pasta, tomatoes, and scallops – toss to combine (tongs work best).
5. Cook for 2 minutes or until kale is wilted and the pasta is hot.

Green Chile Casserole (Marian Moats)

2-7 oz. cans whole green chilies                               

1/3 C. flour

3 eggs, well-beaten

1/2 lb. shredded cheddar cheese & 1/2 lb. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or you can get the Mexican cheese combination which has both already mixed together)

1 C. half and half or evaporated milk                       

1-8 oz. can tomato sauce

Mix flour, eggs and half and half. In another bowl, mix cheeses together. Drain peppers. In a 1.5 qt. casserole or 9 x 9 pan, layer in 3 layers: peppers, cheese, then flour mixture. After last layer, pour tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with 1/2 C. cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 mins. or until firm and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy!

"Dump" Chicken

Haven't posted for awhile but thought this link sounded interesting:  http://whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com/2011/06/super-easy-way-to-getting-meals-ready.html
Looks like a good way to have some different chicken meals ready to go--kind of like your "make ahead" meals, Michelle.
Bon appetit!  Think I'll try some of these the next time I buy a big tray of chicken from Sam's; I have to bag and freeze it anyway.

Quick Veggie Side Dishes a la Martha

Always looking for ways to get more creative with my veggies!

http://www.marthastewart.com/274928/quick-vegetable-side-dish-recipes/@center/276948/dinner-tonight#/263199

Corn Pudding

Dynasty Corn Pudding

ingredients:

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
3 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 to 5 ears), divided (or frozen, if fresh is not available)
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
9 oz Monterey Jack (or pepper Jack cheese), cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup cornmeal
1 (4-oz) can whole green chiles, drained, patted dry, and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ tsp salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer Parmigiano-Reggiano)

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At a glance:

Servings: 12

Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min

K

butter corn eggs sour cream monterey jack cornmeal green chiles salt parme

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 2-quart rectangular casserole dish.

2. In a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup corn kernels with melted butter and eggs.

3. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except Parmesan. Add pureed corn and mix well. Pour into casserole dish, sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Cook’s note: If the top isn’t browned but the pudding looks set, place it under a preheated broiler for a couple of minutes, until golden spots appear. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Mether's Note:  To save time and energy, I combined the cheese and sour cream with the pureed corn, melted butter and eggs in the food processor.  Judging by the way everyone ate it up, didn't make a significant difference!

Linda's Tips:

·  To add more bite, sprinkle in some hot sauce, like Frank’s RedHot.

·  For an even cheesier taste, mix in some cheddar.

·  Pair the pudding with a spinach salad and roasted chicken for dinner.

KITCHEN COUNTER:

Serves: 12 | Per Serving: 270 calories, 13g carbs, 9g protein, 20g fat, 85mg cholesterol, 510mg sodium, 1g fiber