Cake Pop

Ahhh...Cake Pops... My new favorite form of, well, cake!

I first learned of these little mysterious treats from the Pioneer Woman. She made some cutesy little cake pops for Halloween. But come to find out, Ree wasn't the "creator" of cake pops. She got the recipe from Bakerella. Visit her site. It's amazing! She can pretty much create anything out of a little ball of cake.

Here's the clincher... Bakerella visited Pioneer Woman at her ranch and had a fun filled day of making cake pops. Man I wish I could have been there!

So you know what I had to do. Yep, try to make them myself!

The ingredients: One box of cake mix (bake according to directions) and one tub of frosting.
"They" all recommend red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I was daring (and feeling a bit springy) and used lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.

Make the cake. Let it completely cool (I left it out overnight). Crumble the cake into a large bowl. And when I say crumble, I mean crumble. Watch the edges and corners, they take a little more work.
Add 3/4 of the tub of frosting, mixing it completely with the cake crumbs. Add more frosting if you need to. I'll be honest, I used the whole frickin' tub. I would recommend chilling the "dough" at this point. I did not. Wish I did though cause it would have made forming the balls a little easier.

Roll your balls about the size of a quarter (your should get around 50 pops). Place them on parchment paper (or in my case since I didn't have parchment paper I used nonstick foil).

You're going to want to melt a little bit of melting chocolate (found at a store like Michael's). Dip the end of the lollipop stick (also found at Michael's) into the chocolate then into the ball. This will help it stay in later.

Now you have 2 options here:
1. Stick the stick in before you place the ball on the parchment. or
2. Stick the stick in after you've placed the ball on the parchment. Be warned though, adding that little pressure with slightly flatten the ball. I know this because that's how I did it.
Put your cookie tray or whatever is hold the cake pops on into the freezer. You want them nice and chilled before the next step.

Find yourself a nice little bowl that is narrow and deep. Melt the chocolate in 15-30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between. Oh! And you'll need a hunk of styroform or something to stand the cake pops in to dry.

Once you're ready start dippin'. I had some sprinkles that I used too.
And this is what you get! A cake pop! (insert ohhhs and awwwws here)
So the real question is...
How many bites does it take to get to the center of a cake pop?
one...two...
three. Crunch!
I can't wait to make them again and experiment with other flavors!

Stinky Rose Relish

Chris, my bro, often goes to San Francisco. And generally he eats at "The Skinking Rose" in Little Italy. This is a recipe that they have pretyped and ready to give to a customer upon request. It's also available on their website.

Guaranteed to keep vampires away...

The Stinking Rose ® Garlic Rose Relish

1 bunch chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped garlic (about 2 bulbs)
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Olive Oil to cover

1. Mix parsley, garlic, vinegar and salt.
2. Add oil to cover ingredients, stir.
3. Cover and store in refrigerator (good for 3-4 days).

Notes from the Peanut Gallery:
-I recommend using a cuisinart to chop everything up.
-Even tasty spread on a piece of tri-tip.
-Have minty gum readily available.

Footers

A couple of weeks ago a group of about 10 or so from work went to Main Street Footers for lunch. I've been a fan of this place since I worked for my aunt years ago just down the road. But I don't go there often. But they're hot dogs. And they ain't your 98% fat free turkey dog either. But man are they good!

I got their #8...The Bacon Western Cheese Footer (sans tomatoes). It's my favorite.

I heart Footers...

Tamale Casserole

Last Friday's dinner...

Tamale Casserole
(please note, I doubled the recipe in the pictures but am providing the regular recipe)

The Cast of Ingredients:
Oh the smell of the sauteing veggies...And then the simmering stuff with the veggies...
Then the dish of goodness...
Ingredients:
4 tsp canola oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 red onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound ground skinless turkey breast
1 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp hot Mexican chili powder
2/3 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, onions, jalapeno and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, corn, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring once or twice, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Transfer to an 8" square baking dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal into 1 cup water. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the boiling water in a thin steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes back to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to form large bubbles, about 5 minutes. Spread over the turkey so that it is completely covered. Bake 25 minutes, then sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4
Nutritional Info: 293 calories, 8g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 43g cholesterol, 531mg sodium, 35g total carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber, 22g protein, 122mg calcium. Points per serving: 6

Notes from the Peanut Gallery:
-I would recommend draining the skillet of some of the excess liquid after browning the turkey. The casserole was a little runny.
-I think I made the cornmeal part wrong. I ended up with blobs of cornmeal, which was fine, just not how it should have turned out. But rereading the recipe I realized that I used only about 1 cup of water total when there should have been 2. Oops.
-For more spice, leave some of the seeds from the jalapeno and use the full 1 tsp of hot Mexican chili powder.

Observations during dinner:
-Dad cleaned his plate. Good job Dad!
-Chris added salsa and sour cream to his. I waited until he added the sour cream and ate some to tell him it was fat free sour cream.
-Coleman and Paige said it needed more seasoning, aka spice.
-Kaitlin. Can't remember what she thought. I think she complained of the extra liquid.
-Mom... can't remember what she thought either.

Recipe from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, 1998. Page 137.

Angel Food with Lemon Glaze

Make an angel food cake according to the box. I know, I cheat! I'm sorry, but I'm only human.

Glaze:
1/3 c. lemon juice, FRESH
2 c. powdered sugar
2 tbs. butter, melted
1 tbs water

Pop the cake out of the pan. Pour, spoon, brush (whatever method you prefer) the glaze onto the cake.

Notice the pooling of glaze around the cake on the plate... Yum!

-I will admit, the fresh lemon juice was very lemony. But it was good.

Egg Salad Sandwich

I look forward for Easter just for the egg salad sandwiches. They are one of my favorite things, and they are so easy to make. But yet I tend to only have them at Easter time every year.

Ingredients:
Hard boiled eggs - Dye job not required. But look how pretty they are! And the ones that were slightly cracked while soaking in the dye end up giving the mixture some color.
Mayo - I'm a fan of the Low Fat Best Foods (formly known as "reduced fat", look for the green lid). Low fat = fooling myself into thinking it's slightly healthier for me.
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Optional: diced red onion, green onion, celery, relish, or anything else you may think would taste good and bulk it up.

Instructions:
Use your handy dandy egg slicer (slice, 1/4 turn and slice again). It's all too taste. I honestly never measure. If somethings not right I add more of what I think it needs. If I added to much I'll just add another egg.
I'm a fan of my bread being toasted. So I toast it. This sandwich was also used with Sara Lee Delightful bread (2 slices for 1 point). Again, it's a healthy trick.
And voila! You have a delicious, easy to make sandwich!

Something to Make you Drool...

Although I won't be sharing the recipe for this Bailey's Chocolate Cheesecake that my mom is famous for.

Why?

Cause I don't have the recipe.

Sorry.

Many recipes to come in the upcoming days.

Meaty Man Pasta

or Pasta alla Marlboro Man (compliments of the Pioneer Woman).

I saw this recipe on Pdub's website and thought, that sounds good and looks easy. And I'll even do her TWO better; I'll use whole wheat pasta and ground turkey. My advice, stick to the normal recipe or really know how to doctor it up.
Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 generous tsp ground thyme
2 14-oz cans whole tomatoes
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 to 2 lbs rigatoni

Instructions:

1. First, heat olive oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
2. Next, add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the excess fat. Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine.
3. Now dumb in the canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
4. Cook rigatoni according to package directions - don't overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
5. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more parmesan, and serve.

I'm pretty sure it was the ground turkey that threw things off and not the whole wheat pasta...

Again, I suck at getting a picture of the completed product. Sorry. You'll just have to go visit the Pioneer Woman's page to see her delicious dish.

Penne and Chicken Tenderloins with Spiced Tomato Sauce

One Friday afternoon, (cause that's the new thing, I make dinner for the family Friday nights) I was looking for a recipe to make for dinner. I needed something quick and easy but yummy. So I stumbled upon this recipe. Total time 36 minutes, perfect! First time making it there were a couple boo boos, but it was still good. Second time around it was perfect and delicious! Ask anyone that was at TND this week...

(And of course I don't have a picture of the final product. Why? Cause I'm a slacker liker that.)

Serves 4 (about 1 1/2 cup serving size)

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into (1") pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup white wine
8 ounces uncooked penne
1/4 cup (1 oz.) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; rub over chicken.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes, turning once. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds or until garlic is soft. Add tomatoes and wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Toss pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Calories 446; Fat 7.2g; Iron 4.2mg; Cholesterol 70mg; Calcium 153mg; Carbohydrates 57.1g; Sodium 774mg; Protein 38.5g; Fiber 6.5g

Cooking Light, April 2006