Fruit Cup aka Sploosh

It's fun this time of year to look back and remember holidays past. I think that is part of the excitement of the season, remembering not only the new things planned but also the family and friends you have enjoyed previous holidays with.

In my case one particularly fond memory is of my grandmother. She always welcomed us in to her kitchen. She taught me how to microwave eggs with velveeta in her little pyrex dishes. I now see those same dishes in antique stores and they make me smile.  She also had us kids devein and peel the shrimp for the shrimp cocktail she served on holidays.  A few of the things I remember most though besides the shrimp cocktail were glazed carrots, key lime pie, and fruit cup.

Fruit cup sounds like it should be a simple thing and it some ways it is. And yet it's wonderful alongside all the rich treats we typically indulge in on Christmas. One thing that makes it special is the way it is prepared. The oranges and grapefruit are peels are sliced off around the fruit to separate the segments and then the fruit peeled out from between them.

Using a serrated knife, slice around the peel. Don't make the swatches too large. It's faster but you lose more of the fruit that way.

Slide the knife down the side of the segment all the way to the center trying not to cut through the center.

Once you have the knife in the center use it to pry the fruit out of the segment.

Like most of my recipes, specifics aren't important. Which is good, because I don't have them. The strawberries in this are the frozen kind that come in sugar syrup. You can buy two size, small or large. Whichever one you get depends on if you are making a lot or a little.

5 lb bag of oranges, more or less
1 - 2 grapefruit
1 small tub of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Segment the oranges and grapefruit according to the description above. Add the strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld a little bit and enjoy. Or let sit overnight, because advanced prep is something I love this time of year.

Lemon Cucumber Salad

I was at the end of the week, one where I kept neglecting to go grocery shopping so I had to some up with a vegetable to serve with dinner based on an almost empty fridge. Cucumbers and a few pantry staples and I present to you cucumbers with lemon and dill.

1 large English cucumber
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 Tbsp lemon juice
several large pinches of salt
Dash of white pepper
1 frozen cube of dill or 1 tsp fresh minced

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill. Drizzle over the cucumbers and toss to coat. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. 

Serve immediately.

Greek Pasta Salad

Dressing
As always, these proportions should be customized to taste

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar might be nice here too

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 sliced green onions
1 - 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped 

Dash black pepper
Salt to taste
1 scant tsp. sugar

Salad

1/2 lb penna pasta, cooked and chilled

3 chicken breasts, fillet, season cook, chill

1 bag mixed field greens

Whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes. I made mine the night before for an easy and quick dinner the next day. I also cooked the chicken and pasta then as well for the sake of ease. 

Toss it all together and eat.

Sour Cream and Chive Potato Salad

I had a baked potato bar one night and had quite a few leftover potatoes. So I chopped them up and tossed them together with a few of the leftover toppings and came up with this. We happened to like it quite a bit.

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8 c. cooked cold potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

3 - 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 green onions

1/4 c. sliced chives

Stir everything together except the potatoes until smooth. 
Then add in the potatoes, folding gently so as not to break them up. 

Chill for several hours.

Blueberry Hand Pies

A make a strawberry galette a few weeks ago and had some leftover crust, so I made a few mini blueberry tarts to enjoy. I loved them so much I made them again for company tonight. I started with the crust recipe I like so much with a few minor changes. 

So I add a little more sugar than it calls for and in place of the shortening I grate in a stick of frozen butter (half a cups of butter) and the rest of the fat I pour in some coconut oil.

For me this made 13 hand pies that were perfect for 1 person.

For the filling I used almost 3 packages of blueberries, I used three and had some filling left over. I think it was about 6 cups total. I mixed it with 3/4 a cup of sugar, but that also depends on your berries. Then add 1/4 cup tapioca flour and about 2 - 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mash about 1.2 of a cup of them lightly just to create a little liquid. Stir it all together and let it sit while you mix up the crust. 

It was really easy to assemble from there. I hate rolling and cutting stuff out and dealing with leftover scraps. So I spit the dough into pieces and rolled them individually. They should be about 5 inches across when it's all flat. I started to make ten pies but they were rolling a little too big so I pinched some of the dough off of them and it made enough for three more. Put the rolled out dough on the tray you will be baking them on. I recommend a no stick mat as well, tin foil works too. I have done both. Top with just under a half a cup of filling. I like to stir the filling before scooping each time since the liquid tends to settle. Top with the filling and fold the sides in around the berries. Brush the crust with cream and sprinkle with a coarse sugar. 

Bake at 425 until they are golden brown. I think it took about 25 minutes. You don't want the liquid that seeps out to burn on the pan or it will lend a charred taste to the pastries. Cool on the pan no more than5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. I'm not sure how long these stay good before they get soggy, I suspect they would get soggy if made the day before but I'm not sure since we haven't ever had them last that long.

Pumpkin Bombe

Just wanted to post this picture of something fun and tasty. The pumpkin recipe is my own, the cake recipe is not. And cake will work here, but the quinoa cake is perfect. It's rich, moist, and sturdy. 

Start with the bombe pan, I got mine on Amazon. Coat them with a layer of chocolate. Once it is set up, coat them with a second layer. Once they are totally first fill them with

Pumpkin chiffon

I made a little wellin the pumpkin and filled it with caramel. 

I baked a thin layer of the chocolate quinoa cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and used a cookie cutter to put it in to the right size to fit in the bottom. 

Then chill again to make sure the shell is firm to remove from the pan. 

I tried to remove them with the flat side up at first and stretch the pan away from it to loosen and I ended up cracking the chocolate. I found it was easier to have the flat side down and peel the pan away from the chocolate. Mine were stick from the caramel so I put them in muffin liners.

Bacon Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

These are by far the best deviled eggs I have ever eaten. I kind of love them. A lot. I like regular deviled eggs too, but they aren't something I think of making all that often. Mostly Easter or when I am making snacky foods. These though I have made two days in a row and can't wait for an excuse to make again and share them with other people. It also got me thinking of other flavor combinations that I might like. I think next I am going to try sauteed jalapenos, bacon, and manchego cheese. 

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, I need to tell what these are first. 

I'll start with the eggs themselves. So I boil them a little funny, i read somewhere a long time ago and I can't remember where to give credit a way to boil them so the yolk doesn't get that gray ring around it. Anyway, put the in a bot of barely simmering water and bring to a boil. Boil them for 5 minutes and remove them from the heat. Cover and let them stand like that for 10 minutes and chill until ready to use. 

Once you are ready to use them I smashed the blue cheese with the mayo. Not to a perfect blended consistency. You want some cheese chunks in there. Then season them with Nature Seasons. Mix in the cooled yolk, sliced green onion, and crisp bacon. Then just squeeze it back in to the egg like normal. The first day I didn't actually garnish them just to eat. When I decided I wanted to take a picture though and share them I made the eggs all pretty.

For the bacon I like the bacon that is pre-cooked and bagged for salad. I do crisp it slightly in a non stick pan. It has the same flavor and it stays crisper, it doesn't get soggy. Just make sure and use real bacon bits, not bacon flavored bits. That would be nasty.

I think for amounts I use about a heaping teaspoon amount of blue cheese for 3 eggs, One green onion, sliced for 3 eggs, and about a tablespoon of bacon for 3 eggs. For a dozen eggs that works out to 4 green onions, a quarter cup of bacon bits, and a golf ball sized chunk of cheese.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette II

I was excited when I made this, it was the delicious accompaniment that dinner needed that night. And I thought maybe I would come and post it over here. As I was looking around over here, it has really been a while since I used this regularly I noticed I had already posted a strawberry rhubarb galette before. The reason I had forgotten was that it was good, but nothing really special and not where near strawberry rhubarb pie. But this version was and I can't wait to make it again. 

For starters I made my own crust. It's a totally different type than store bought crust is and it made a works of difference here. Also the filling was a lot fuller and chunkier. 

Crust Recipe

I really liked that crust recipe. I made a second one a few days later with apple pie filling and caramel mixed together and baked and it was just as good. Before baking though I brush the crust with cream and sprinkle with large sugar. It helps the crust turn golden and it looks pretty. 

It was a last minute idea to make, and I didn't have all the ingredients I would have normally used so I had to improvise some but it worked out perfectly.

2 c. frozen rhubarb

1 c. frozen berries, thawed slightly and chopped

1/2 a small box of strawberry jello

sugar taste

2 Tbsp tapioca starch

I tossed everything in a bowl and stirred it up before making the crust. You want it to be sticky and no powdery bits left before you add it to the crust. 

Two things I learned, the hard way.

1) Put the crust on the pan you are baking it on, not the one you rolled it out on, before adding the filling. Once you add it, you can't move it. 

2) You don't want the filling to be frozen solid when you add it. It will stiffen up the crust and cause it to break when you fold it over. If that happens the filling can leak out making a sticky mess, but also burning on the bottom of the pan. 

Play around with it, have fun, it accommodates whatever filling you want to make.

Chinese New year

So here is my list of ideas and things we are going to do to celebrate

A brief video on the topic from the History Channel

We are starting with making a paper dragon, just his head. Every time we learn something new they write it on a piece of paper and fold that into another section. The more they learn, the bigger their dragon. Whoever has the longest dragon at the end wins a special prize

 

Red envelopes found at World Market filled with Chinese chocolate coins, also found at World Market. Or you could make your own with this pattern from Activity Village.

Food Ideas

 The local Asian market sells some really good frozen dumplings

Scallion pancakes

BBQ Pork

And a case of mandarin oranges

More info on 10 foods that are supposed to bring good luck

 

Books and Education

The book World Holidays: A Watts guide for Children has a great section on the holiday

 The story of why the rat is first in the Chinese Zodiac

Look through 100 Cities of the World at Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Then they are going to fill out a page on each city. The page has a map to pinpoint the location, three interesting facts, and a place to draw an interesting feature. 

Digital Chinese Fairy Tale book

Word Search and Questions to answer (found on page 5)

Topmarks is another site with a lot of info

Fun and Games

 Making Paper Lanterns

Chop Stick Game

Brush Painting

Learn to draw their year symbol

Paper doll girls and boy

Origami Dragon (and lots of other great direction)

Chinese Knot, very pretty, very complicated

Other Stuff 

Vacation Photos someone sent me

Gung hay fat choy!!

Caramel Cream

 I want to say, I'm not usually a fan of cool whip. I actually hate the stuff on it's own. But in this recipe I wanted the stability it has, it doesn't run or wilt like real whipped cream does but it still provides the fluffyness and the caramel covers the funny taste. If you are going to use it right away real whipped cream will probably work. If you are making it the day before, I recommend the cool whip.

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c.corn syrup

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. butter

12 oz. cool whip

Combine the brown sugar, white, sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, and butter in a  pan. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until soft ball stage (235*F)

Remove from heat and let cool until cool enough to touch. Add to a mixer and beat until cool. Add the cool whip, about a cup at a time, until all mixed in. Keep beating until the cream loses some of it's gloss. 

Use the cream as frosting to fill cupcakes, crepes, or cream canoes. Or I used it in little desserts cups, I was trying to mimic Olive gardens dolcinis. 

For my dolcinis I put some crushed chocolate cookies on the bottom, a layer of chocolate silk in the middle, and then I piped the caramel cream on top and garnished with chocolate curls.

Harry Potter Party Preview

Ok, so I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan. And I'm hosting a Harry Potter themes baby shower for a friend who is also a huge Harry Potter fan. 

I'll post more of the details later, but to start with we have the invitations and then 

the candy for the Honeydukes station.

 The letter in color and wording was styled to look like Harrys acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

And for the candy I got mini favor bags from the wedding section at Wal-mart and printed out my own labels. I filled the bags, folded the label over the top and stapled it shut. 

The candy is

Acid Drops - Warhead sours

Basilisk Babies - Green Apple Twizlers

Golden Snitch - Caramel Lindt Balls

 Cockroach Clusters - Crushed Pretzel Crisps and chocolate

Potion Powder - Colored sugar in apothecary bottles. They came like the in the Halloween section of Wal-mart. They were too cute to pass up

Dragons Eggs - Chocolate covered cashews set in a round candy mold