Try a New Recipe: FUNNEL CAKES!

I may be a little bit obsessed with food. I belong to a book club, and the first time I chose a book for the group to read, I chose Julie and Julia. No big deal, you might say, it's a good book. But. When the book club meeting came around to discuss Julie & Julia, what do you think I did?

I decided to host a Julia-would-be-proud brunch, featuring not one, but THREE of Julia's recipes. It was very successful, memorable, and delicious. I suppose I'm always thinking about food...

This recipe I prepared for two reasons, of which the book club is one. But more about that later.

The reason I wanted to present this recipe here is to give a shameless plug to my friend Nicole's (of For the Love of Food) Fabulous Monthly Food Blog Event: Taste & Create.

*If you STILL haven't heard of Taste & Create? It's the best monthly food blog event around, in which bloggers are paired up and must create a dish from their partner's blog. It is fun, can expand your cooking horizons, and can be as challenging as you make it. If you haven't yet participated, what are you waiting for??*

Many of us here at Our Krazy Kitchen have participated in Taste & Create and had loads of fun discovering new recipes, trying new foods, learning new techniques. If you'd like to learn how YOU can participate, please read How it works And join us!

And now back to my story. When it came time to choose my next book for book club, the choice wasn't because of any kind of food-related notion. I chose it because my dad told me Water for Elephants is one of the best books he's ever read. And that was enough for me. Naturally, then, the book club meeting needed to have a theme. And the theme for the book club meeting? Well, Water for Elephants is largely about a circus. It is indeed a great book, so engaging and interesting and well-researched, it really makes you feel like you're part of the circus. There you have it.

I loved this book, and when it occurred to me that I had an excuse to make carnival/circus food, I loved it even more. This is going to be fun!

For this month's Taste & Create, I was paired with Carol of No Reason Needed, who just so happened to have a recipe for, drum roll please: Funnel Cakes!

She got her recipe from Moms Who Think, but added the water to get the batter to the right consistency, and so did I.

I took one small leap: I made the batter ahead of time, refrigerated it overnight and then transported it an hour to make the cakes at my friend's house so they were nice and fresh and warm. (It works for crepes, why not funnel cakes?)

The good news is, the funnel cake batter worked fine being made ahead of time! The only issue I ran into was that I had chosen a funnel with a hole that was too small--next time I will use a bigger funnel. But the cakes turned out great, and ended up cooking about 2 minutes total. I made a double batch, so I did need to add more oil in the middle of cooking (and then wait for it to heat up), but no big deal.

Jenny helped me, and sprinkled half of the cakes with powdered sugar, half with cinnamon sugar. Lovely! Served with Caramel Corn and Lemonade (if you read the book, you'll know why it HAD to be lemonade!)

FUNNEL CAKES
Makes 6
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup water

powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar for topping

1. In a deep skillet, heat about two cups of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Test the temperature by dropping a pinch of flour into the hot oil. If it sizzles right away without smoking, it's perfect.
2. Beat egg and milk. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly add to the egg mixture, beating until smooth. (I tried to mix this by hand, but ended up pulling out my mixer to get the batter smooth).
   
3. Using a funnel, drop into hot oil working from center outwards in a web pattern. (You can use a gallon sized freezer bag instead of a funnel by pouring the batter into the bag, snipping off a small corner of it, and squeezing the batter into the oil.)
4. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, remove from the oil when golden brown and crispy.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and serve.

Don't forget to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Save Room for Dessert...Chocolate Pudding Pie

On our Thanksgiving dessert table there was a sweet potato pie, a chocolate cake, a platter of Italian cookies, a tray of pralines, and a chocolate pudding pie, as requested by my husband.  This is an easy pudding recipe, as there are no eggs to temper.  It's also super creamy, and oh so delicious.  I made my own pie crust, but a frozen crust will work perfectly fine.  My sister requested that I make the pie again for our Christmas dessert table, and as she says, "I don't even like pie, but this was out of sight!"

CHOCOLATE PUDDING PIE
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups half & half
2 cups milk
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pre-baked 9" pie crust
Whipped cream, for garnish

• Combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Over medium heat, whisk in the 2 cups of half & half until the mixture is smooth, then add the 2 cups of milk.
• Continue stirring mixture over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens; this will take about 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat, and add chopped semi-sweet chocolate and vanilla, stirring until chocolate melts.
• Pour the pudding into the prebaked crust and refrigerate until pudding sets, about 2 hours.
• Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

HOLIDAY WREATHS

Good Morning everyone, Tamy here again.  Today I'm filling in for Emily and I thought I'd offer you this easy and colorful recipe for the upcoming Christmas season.  Kids LOVE these! Well, to be honest so do the adults.

My great aunt who I only got to see a couple times a year used to make these every year special for me and I would wait out on the front steps for her arrive just to see them and know they were there. She always made them soooooooooo pretty and perfect!

HOLIDAY WREATHS
(these are better when they are made a few days ahead)

30 large marshmallows (or 1 jar marshmallow cream)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon green food color
3 1/2 cups cornflakes
Red Hots

• Combine marshmallows, butter, vanilla and food color in top of double boiler. Heat and stir frequently until well blended.
• Gradually stir in cornflakes until well blended.
• Drop onto wax paper and arrange into wreath shapes. I plop them onto the wax paper and then push out from the center to form the wreaths.
• Decorate with red hots.
• Let cool.
• If your house is warm - chill in refrigerator until set.

Veggie Tales by Kris!

Salsa is not just for dipping! It makes a great side salad for any dish (like chicken or fish). I also love Israeli Salad! How else do you eat your salsa?

For salad: 

(toss all ingredients into a bowl)
1/2 can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 cup corn niblets
1/2 avocado scooped out in chunks
1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped finely
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

STUFFED SHELLS

Hi everyone, Tamy here filling in for Kris this morning. I hope you had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  While I know you are probably all still gorging on turkey leftovers, I thought you might like an alternative for these cooler nights we're having.  While this isn't really PRETTY, it is a great rib sticking warm dish.

This started as a weight watchers recipe, but I modified it to have some flavor too that appealed to my family.

This is a hearty meal for a fall evening.

STUFFED SHELLS
15 large shells, cooked and drained**
1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoon Pampered Chef Italian seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
2 tablespoons Classico tomato pesto
1 cup shredded cheese

• Brown meat and onion, Drain.
• Whisk together tomato sauce, water, bouillon, garlic, pesto and seasoning.
• Stir 1/2 cup of tomato sauce mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese into beef mixture.
• Stuff shells with meat mixture.
• Pour 1/2 of remaining sauce on bottom of the baking dish.
• Put shells on top of sauce.
• Pour remaining sauce over shells.
• Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

**If you prefer the shells and beef mixture can be tossed and cooked as a casserole. When I do this I use the smaller shells, but same proportions.

Fire Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

It's Fire Day Friday and the day after Thanksgiving, so naturally you'd expect me to write about the turkey I smoked yesterday, right?


Brined in bourbon and maple syrup and then smoked with hickory/cherry wood, it was a spectacular bird. However, I want to tell you about the soup we made instead. I'm used to making a great turkey but this was my first time ever cooking acorn squash.


Fire Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
adapted from: Acorn Squash Soup

I set up Alexis' Big Green Egg for indirect heat and got it settled in at 350f. While it was preheating, I halved the acorn squash and removed the seeds. (Note: Keep the seeds, toss with some oil, salt and cinnamon then roast for a tasty treat or garnish.)

I roasted the halves cut side down for 35 minutes while I was also roasting some sweet potatoes.

Then when the turkey was getting close to being done later that day, I made the soup. I could have done this stove top, but it was a gorgeous day with a record high temp of 74f so I could not resist being out on the deck. (NOTE: I don't know what the heck happens at the 2:21 minute mark, skip to 3:15)

Saute the onions and celery over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the flour. Add the dill, curry powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and mediterranian seasoned sea salt.

Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Whisk in the evaporated milk and bring back to a simmer.

Stir the the acorn squash and heat through.

Let cool slightly and then process in small batches in a blender. I tried just using an immersion blender but found that I had to use a real blender to get the texture I wanted.

Season one last time with salt/pepper to taste.

Garnish with roasted seeds and parsley.

The soup was rich and had a velvety texture. The down side to it was that it was filling and put a dent in how much I could eat when the main course and sides hit the table.

THANKSGIVING ROUND-UP

Happy Thanksgiving & the tale of Pickle Eyeballs and the Church Basement Ladies

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Here is the tale of the pickled eyeball and the church basement ladies...

I promise there is food content coming, but first, I want to say a thank you to the ladies that started me on my foodie journey, the church basement ladies of Liberty Baptist Church in Pekin, Illinois. I have a long and sad story that I will not be telling today. But the short version of that story (the part you need to know to appreciate the happier parts) is that when I was a freshman in high school, my father got very sick. He spent several months at a hospital 150 miles from me. My mother stayed by his side most of that time. My older brother and I were asked to take care of ourselves while doctors do what they do.

A sad enough time, but in a way, very exciting. I was asked to grow before my time. But, 2 high school age kids could not have managed without a support system in place. We had friends and some family that looked in on us often. Not the least of which was my church family. Activities kept me busy, and church pot-luck dinners kept me fed beyond blue box max and cheese.

Church pot-luck dinners were amazing things. The ladies of the church would try to out do each other. Very competitive. Simple casseroles were followed by plates of imaginative meat dishes, followed by incredible desserts. Some of the best eating of my life happened in that basement. I still recall that miracle Sunday when the very first green bean casserole with French's fired onions appeared on the table (I am old).

Like I said, the ladies were very competitive. On pot-luck day, there were a handful of "church basement ladies" who warmed all the dishes during service so that when the singing, praying and eating the heads of live roosters was finished, the congregation was fed hot items. It was a difficult task, and there were a small select few members of the youth group that helped set up and do the beck and call of the ladies. I was one of those youth. I also got to be a part of the clean up. Which gave me a chance to be a bug on the wall, as these ladies would critigue the finished meal. I listened to the ladies discuss the best (and more often, they discussed the worst) of the meal. They knew which church members were taking home empty plates (a huge honor), and which dishes were barely touched. Not all comments were... Christian. Like I said, very competitive.

Which brings me to the ladies that started me on my journey to my first culinary success... 

One Sunday afternoon, the ladies challenged me to bring a covered dish for the next potluck. During the Witty banter that followed, I not only vowed to bring a covered dish, but by the end of the day, I would be taking that dish home empty. Remember, due to the volume of foods served, for one dish to be emptied, it would need to be an exceptional item.

This recipe came from a friend's mother who assured me that no one could resist these.
Three ingredients:
Cream Cheese
Buddig meat
Pickles
3 steps...

• wrap a pickle with a bit of cream cheese 
• wrap that with a few slices of buddig meat 
• cut into slices

And sure enough, when these were made, when they were presented at the pot-luck, the plate was empty at the end of the day. Whatever smallmeasure of success I may have had since then as a cook or host, I will never be as thrilled as when I was announced by the church basement ladies to have an empty dish to take home! These ladies gave me the first and best encouragement I ever received regarding foodie matters.

So, to those unsung heroines of the basement, those ladies that kept the social wheels of the church greased... To those wonderful ladies that went out of their way to befriend a sad child, worried about his family... And to the ladies that encouraged me after my first, albeit simple, culinary success... Today I am thankful...

Thanksgiving has a complicated origin in the United States. Only occasionally were there presidential proclamations of a national day of thanks prior to the American Civil War. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving day. Since that day, Thanksgiving has been observed annually. Likewise, only a month before the attack on Pearl Harbor, in 1941, Thanksgiving became a federal holiday. It is not a coincidence that this most "family" centric of all our holidays has it's origins when we were asking our best and bravest to sacrifice to the fullest measure of devotion. Enjoy your day with your family, make all your friends welcome in your home, and consider for a moment (dare I be politically incorect and ask you to pray for) the people in harm's way who earn our thanks every day.

Happy Holidays, enjoy your day and have a moist, tender, golden brown and delicious bird!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 ... I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!
...

THANKSGIVING ROUND-UP

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, November 24th ~ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8th, 2009
WHERE: OuR KrAzY kItChEn

We're having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you're invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let's have some fun together.

• Do you have a special pumpkin pie recipe recipe?
• What is your favorite side dish recipe?
• Do you have a favorite apple recipe?
• Do you have special way to carve a turkey?
• How about a party punch that's perfect for the Thanksgiving crowd?
• What is your idea of a best decorating idea?

Balsamic Sauteed Chicken Breasts

I needed something in a hurry. 

I had this awesome Butternut Squash Bake that I was making but needed something to go along with it. 

With nothing thawed.

My brother saved the day by bringing home a whole bunch of fresh boneless chicken breasts from Sam's Club.  So chicken it was!

These were very simple but incredibly delicious.  Great for dinner when you're in a hurry!  Very healthy and low calorie too! We ate these with a delicious Butternut Squash Bake!

Balsamic Sauteed Chicken Breast Recipe

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. sugar

5 (6 oz) boneless chicken breasts (not too thick)

Salt and pepper

2 green onions, chopped

• Combine broth, vinegar, honey and sugar. 
• Spray non stick pan with cooking spray.  
• Salt and pepper chicken breasts and brown in pan.
• Cook 4 - 5 minutes on each side until there is a nice brown.  
• Add balsamic mixture, scraping to loosen bits on the bottom.  
• Add green onion.  
• Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup.  About 4 - 5 minutes.  If chicken isn't quite done, cover and cook before sauce reduces. 
• Serve sauce over the chicken. 

Check out more great recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

Try a New Recipe: Mushroom & Chicken Pasta a la Crème

This recipe is a creation of mine, inspired by the Wild Mushrooms a la Crème that I made recently. If you really want to know, I made the mushrooms, then had to make dinner. I didn't want to use all the mushrooms I had just made (because I'm dying to know how it freezes), and I also remembered that I had a lone chicken breast in the freezer, which made for a more substantial weeknight dinner. And Mushroom & Chicken Pasta a la Crème was born!

The technique is reminiscent of the wild mushroom recipe, but you'll see my improvisations. If I do say so myself, this recipe is fabulous! Hearty, creamy, filling.

Mushroom & Chicken Pasta a la Crème
Serves 4

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 large chicken breast, diced
8-10 mushrooms (I used baby portobellos), sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
freshly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
1/2 pound linguine or pasta of your choice

Boil a pot of water for pasta, and cook pasta while making the sauce.

Melt butter over medium-low heat; add onions. Saute onions for several minutes. Add chicken, and saute until cooked on all sides and beginning to turn golden. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Stir in salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Add cream to the mixture, and heat until bubbly, and allow to bubble for a few minutes. Reduce heat if needed so mixture doesn't boil too aggressively.

*If pasta isn't done yet, you can hold the sauce here over low heat, barely simmering.

Taste and correct seasonings, then add chopped herbs and stir.

Place cooked pasta in a serving bowl, top with Mushrooms & Chicken a la Crème, and serve!

Don't forget to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Save Room for Dessert...Eggnog Coffee Cake

I was browsing through my recipe binder, you know, the kind filled with yellowed newspaper clippings, handwritten recipes jotted onto scraps of paper, and occasionally, a nicely done recipe card.  Today's post is a recipe written in my own handwriting on a piece of paper from a yellow legal pad.  No idea of its origins.  Maybe from my brief foray into law school?  Who knows, what I do know is that it's super yummy, moist, perfect for dessert with a cup of coffee, and luckily, everytime I come across the recipe, it's the holiday season, and eggnog is readily available.  It goes together super quickly, and needs no other adornment in addition to the yummy streusel.

Eggnog Coffee Cake
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, divided
1 cup eggnog
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter and line a 9" cake with parchment paper, or butter and flour the pan; set aside.
Using a pastry cutter, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter together until crumbly. 
Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; set streusel aside.
Add baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture; beat in the eggnog, egg, bourbon, and vanilla until well mixed.
Pour batter into prepared pan and top with streusel mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm.
Printable recipe

APPLE RICE STUFFING ~ SIMPLY DELICIOUS SUNDAY

Hi! I'm Wendy from The Local Cook, where I blog about eating simply and in season. I get to share a new recipe with you the 3rd Sunday of every month here at OUR KrAzY kitchen.

Believe it or not, some people (like my in-laws, cough cough) cannot stand the texture of soggy bread. So stuffing is a big "no!" Here is an alternative that I made last Thanksgiving and was a hit.

Apple Rice Stuffing             Source: Simply in Season

1 cup brown rice
2 1/3 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 large onion diced
1 stalk celery chopped
2 large apples, unpeeled, diced
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbs dried herbs (any combination of oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook rice and apple juice until tender and set aside (about 40 minutes).

2. Melt butter in frying pan and sauté the onion and celery until soft.

3. Add everything else together and either stuff in poultry or place in a covered casserole dish and bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes.

It's a really nice change of pace from the standard stuffing, even if you do like soggy bread! It's sweet from the apples and brown sugar, but savory as well.

Chayotes Rellenoes ~ Cultural Connections~

Pronounced [chah-YOH-teh], the chayote is another native Mexican plant and is a member of the squash family. It is also referred to as a "vegetable pear" or chcocho. In France the chayote is called a christophene. The flesh is quite crisp something like a water chestnut. Quoted from Gourmet sleuth.com

Chayotes squash is easily found in the supermarkets around here and very inexpensive. They are very mild in taste, and are also known as mirlitons. In New Orleans they use them in a stew like dish with shrimp.

I love this dish and have made it several times. It originates in Guatemala. I can't decide whether to eat it for breakfast, a side dish or what. However you decide to eat it, it is good. Originally they have you scoop out the squash and use the shells like a twice baked potato, but I find the skins are way to flimsy. So I use ramekins or an individual baking dish instead.

Chayotes Rellenos
4 chayotes
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot minced you can use onion, but the squash is so mild I use shallots
2 T salsa verde*
2 T Parmesan cheese
2 eggs well beaten with salt
4 ounces queso fresco crumbled
some shredded Monterey jack cheese to top with
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cover the chayotes with water, bring to a boil, and let them cook over a medium flame until they are tender (about 30 min). Drain and allow to cool.

Cut the chayotes in half, and scoop out the flesh carefully. Mash the flesh well and leave it to drain in a colander for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter and cook the onion, without browning, until they are soft. Add the mashed chayote and let the mixture dry out a little over a low flame. Add the eggs, and stir them as you would for scrambled eggs until they are just set. (about 1 minute). Stir the crumbled farmer cheese, parmesan cheese, and salsa verde into the mixture. Stuff the chayote shells. Place on an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese on each chayote half, and cook in a 400 degree oven until melted and golden about 15 minutes. I topped mine with some finishing salt.

*you can use store bought or make your own I posted a recipe on Aqua Sunday .