Weekend Random Food Snogs

I ate a TREMENDOUS amount of random food this weekend! But only documented a few...

Look at this AWESOME find from Trader Joe's!

yummy gummies... reminiscent of Fruit Gushers with the liquid juicy center.


Potato Gnocchi in Marinara Sauce with Fresh Basil (from my very own plant!), Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Kisses Peanut Butter Blossoms

From an ad spot in Everyday Food magazine, but can also be found on the back of a Hershey's Kisses bag:

Hershey's Kisses Chocolates, unwrapped
1/2 C Shortening
3/4 C Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 Granulated Sugar
1/3 C Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 C AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
Granulated Sugar for rolling dough in

375 Degree Oven 8-10min. Yields 36 Cookies

Beat shortening and PB until well blended. Add sugars and beat until fluffy.
Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into PB mixture.

Shape dough into 1 in. balls (1 Tbsp. of dough). Roll in granulated sugar and place on ungreased/parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes (I went 10) or until lightly browned. Immediately press an UNWRAPPED kiss into the center of each cookie. Cookie will crack around the edges (but also does in the oven). Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and allow to cool completely.



Since I only baked 9 cookies at a time... this took a while, so I was hungry by the time I was done. So I made: Soy Sauce Eggs!

Simply fry up eggs in any style, and splash on a bit of soy sauce towards the end of cooking; allow the soy sauce to "burn" a little in the pan as you finish cooking your eggs.

Hooray for Holidays... almost

OMG YAY

Got the Fancy Flours holiday catalog today!
(Yes, its online too... but I like the paper and the flippy and the earmarking!)

pig out

Park's Barbeque • Tel: 213-380-1717 • 955 S. Vermont Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90006

Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken Teriyaki w/ White Rice

This isn't really a "true" teriyaki sauce (you know, with the glaze and kinda stickiness), but it has the salty and sweet qualities of it.

1/2C Soy Sauce
1/2 C Water
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 Cloves Minced Garlic (or more if you like)
3 Tbsp. Sugar (2 if you like less sweet)

Heat in pot. Add chicken. (I use drumsticks.) Cook until chicken falls off the bone.

Notes: More water can be added since soy sauce may be too salty to taste sometimes. Cook time is usually an hour or so. I leave on the stove (even when its done) on low simmer.

gotta love Martha!

from Everyday Foods magazine - Chocolate-Pumpkin Tart

Crust:
20 Chocolate Wafer Cookies
2 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 oz semisweet chocolate, melted

Crush/Grind cookies into fine crumbs, mix in sugar. Add butter and mix until moistened. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 9in-removable bottom tart pan*. Bake at 350 for 12 min until set.

Pour melted chocolate onto crust and spread evenly. Put in freezer to let set.

Filling:
1.5 C canned pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 C heavy cream
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C pure maple syrup*
1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk together all ingredients. Pour into prepared crust and bake at 350, 45-50 min until set. Cool 1 hour at room temp; refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 1 day).




*Notes: I didn't have a 9in tart pan, so I split everything into what I had - individual tart cups and a loaf pan. Also, pure maple syrup is way more costly than "regular" syrup. So, of course, I went for the cheap-o stuff since I know I'll never us maple syrup in anything and $10.00 for a bottle would hurt my heart. So, if that makes a difference in the recipe, oh well. The outcome was still pretty good for me.

A tart pan (or these individual tart cups) really make it nicer. I think its the ribbed edge.

Next time, I would make sure the crust isn't too thick.

This tart isn't very sweet at all. I think a dollop of whipped cream would do the trick!

feels like forever

Its been a while since I last posted. Feels like a lifetime! I have not been up to much kitchen time lately, so that's probably why.

But, I did brainstorm this!


...'course it took me 3 fallen straws before thinking of it.