The Most Dangerous Video on the Web

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

WARNING! I am about to share with you a video of something very, very dangerous:

A Magic Chocolate Lava Cake.

I actually found this video by way of some gifs that reached into my chest and stole my breath straight from my lungs. Some people would call this a gasp, but it’s really more of a gasm.

An ooey, gooey, luscious, shivering foodgasm, that is.

You can watch the the chocolate miracle being made right before your eyes:

And you can find the recipe at How To Cook That.

I now have the desire to throw a party for the sole purpose of serving this dessert.

10Nov2013

Kawaii Doughnuts!

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, wanderings in the world & web by Rosemary Lynn

kawaii animal doughnuts

Wha???

Doughnuts shaped like a kitten? A panda!

*Gasp*

Must. Fly. To. Tokyo. Right. NOW!

I can taste their sugary goodness just from looking at this picture. The thrifty side of my brain tells me that I could make these if I just put a little effort and creativity into baking some doughnuts myself… and the I-need-sugar-cuteness-now side of my brain says, “quick – go bake some box brownies and cover them in a sugar icing and sprinkles before your brain’s taste buds explode!”

Well – that’s it. I’m off to raid the kitchen…

(source)

8Nov2013

Gooey Grilled Cheese Rolls

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

gooey grilled cheese rolls

These are a fun way to change up your traditional lunch menus.

I originally found the idea on Pinterest, but now the pin doesn’t lead anywhere, and there are examples of this recipe all over the internet, so I’m not really sure who created it.

Anyway, it’s a simple concept: put a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, roll it up, fry with butter.

Of course, if you roll the bread a little flatter and larger with a rolling pin, it makes it a little easier, but I didn’t feel like it. Works without it, too. Besides, finger food in general is pretty popular with my girls, whether or not it’s as picture perfect as my inspiration. :)

So, here is a collage of the making-the-gooey-grilled-cheese-rolls process:

making grilled cheese rolls

Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any fun variations!

29Oct2013

Garlic-Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

I’ve always loved cheese on my popcorn. And I love garlic.

So, one day, I’m browsing recipes and I start looking over ways to infuse olive oil. Then I thought – hey, I use olive oil to cook my popcorn… I wonder what it would taste like if I used an infused oil instead?

I was not disappointed.

What I love about this recipe is the subtle but certainly noticeable garlic flavor, and, since I’m also a big fan of garlic flavor in my pizzas, I was delighted with the garlic and cheese combination.

I think Parmesan is a perfect match for popcorn. But, you’ll notice I also added pepper to mine. That’s because it balances out the saltiness of the cheese while complementing the spice of the garlic.

Overall, I’ve found the final result to be quite enjoyable. And addictive.

Seriously, I’ve eaten a whole batch of this stuff myself.

Anyway, first things first: infusing the olive oil.

You’ll peel and smash the garlic and bring it to a gentle simmer in the olive oil over medium heat, then turn it to low heat.

You need to be careful here – burnt garlic has an awful and bitter flavor, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it. It should only bubble a little while it cooks.

Since it simmers for 10 minutes but then has to steep for an hour, I will usually stick this pot on the stove while cooking dinner, and let it sit while we eat dinner and clean up. Then later, when I’m ready to make the popcorn, the oil is ready, too.

You could always make a larger batch of the olive oil, I suppose, but I’ve always done it this way.

Here is the garlic steeping. You can see that it is a little browned, but not too much.

I usually turn the cloves only once while they’re cooking, and swirl the pot just a couple times.

I’ve thought about keeping the boiled garlic and using it for something else, but I haven’t found anything to suit that purpose yet. I’m open to ideas, but mostly, it seems best fit for compost after this. The flavor has really left the cloves at this point.

And here is the popcorn, freshly popped. It’s important to note that, while I infused the olive oil in a small saucepan, I popped the popcorn in a much larger skillet.

Most people use a deep pot for this purpose, but, luckily, I’ve got a large, high-sided skillet that’s perfect for this amount of popcorn. And easy to clean.

And the finished product. Mmmmmmmm… every time I look at this photo I get hungry!

On to the details:

Garlic-Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper

Peel the garlic cloves and gently smash them to release their flavors while still holding their shape.

Place the olive oil and garlic cloves in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the oil begins to bubble around the garlic. Turn the heat to low and continue to very gently simmer the garlic for 10 minutes. The garlic should be only slightly browned. Do not let it burn!

Take the pan off the heat and let it sit and steep for one hour.

Discard the used garlic.

In a large saucepan or pot, add the flavored olive oil and 2 or 3 kernels. Warm over medium heat until the kernels pop, then add in the rest of the popcorn. Cover.

Leave over medium heat until the popping stops, gently shaking the pan now and then. This should take only a couple of minutes.

Once the popcorn is done, transfer it to a large bowl. Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and mix well to coat all the pieces.

Mix the parmesan and pepper in a small dish, then sprinkle over the popcorn. Mix well. Store loosely covered.

*****

To PRINT the PDF copy of the recipe, click here:

Garlic Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Enjoy! :)

28Oct2013

Pumpkin Streusel French Toast Recipe

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

After carving up my pie pumpkin for the pumpkin seeds, I baked it, covered in foil, at 350 degrees F for an hour. Then I scraped out the roasted pulp.

But what do I make with my fresh pumpkin?

French toast, of course!

I found a few nice recipes online, including this recipe from Cooking Classy. But, in the end, I changed around a few things, so I’ve posted my own printable PDF for the recipe I used (below).

It was a big hit. The mild pumpkin flavor paired well with the maple syrup. The interior was soft and moist, but with a crunchy, sugary streusel highlighting every bite.

I usually make my French toast with slices of bread on a griddle, but I needed something easy for guests, so something that could be made ahead was a huge plus.

I made both the french toast and the streusel topping the night before, storing them separately in the refrigerator until the next morning.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

The pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk were whisked together with the sugar and spices.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

I made my casserole with Challah bread. It’s an egg bread, but you could use any bread you wanted, really. I often make french toast from wheat bread or homemade bread. You could even try cinnamon raisin bread.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Cut the bread into one-inch chunks.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Layer half the bread in a greased pan. Slowly spoon or ladle the milk mixture over the bread, covering every piece. Add the rest of the bread, and the rest of the milk mixture.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Then, refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

I couldn’t find my pastry cutter, so I used two knives to make the streusel topping. That was also stored – separately – in the refrigerator until the next day.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Before baking, it sat out for a half hour, to bring it to room temperature. You know it’s done when it’s bubbling around the edges and the topping looks deliciously crunchy.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Doesn’t that look amazing?? Tell me that doesn’t look mouth-watering … I dare you!

Seriously, though. You should check out the photo with the maple syrup again. Yum.

Whipped cream is another great option, but I forgot to buy heavy cream, so I couldn’t make it. Didn’t miss it, though. You could eat this without any toppings and still love it.

Anyway, here is the printable PDF recipe:

Pumpkin and Streusel French Toast Recipe

Enjoy! :)

26Oct2013

Chocolate-Covered Football Pretzels

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

For Grandpa’s birthday, the girls and I wanted to make him something special. He loves pretzels, so my first thought was fancy, chocolate-dipped pretzels.

Then, I came across Utz’s football shaped pretzels.

Ooohhh … birthday WIN!

chocolate football pretzels

So, I grabbed a bag of the pretzels, some Wilton chocolate melts in brown (like actual footballs) and blue (just for fun), plus some mini M&Ms and some fun sprinkles.

chocolate football pretzels

After melting the candy in the microwave according to the package directions (always at 50% power!), I dipped the pretzels into the chocolate with a fork, tapped the fork on the side of the bowl to shake off the excess chocolate, and placed them on a sheet of parchment paper I’d laid across the counter.

My girls then scattered M&Ms and sprinkles over the pretzels before the chocolate set.

The 19-month-old made sure there was plenty of candy on the pretzels. :)

chocolate football pretzels

We let the pretzels cool and set completely on the counter for a couple hours, then sealed them inside an airtight container.

You could use some type of fancy treat bag, but Grandpa was just as happy with a Tupperware wrapped in tissue paper. :)

26Oct2013

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It’s been years since I’ve made roasted pumpkin seeds, but I thought my girls would enjoy it. So I bought a “pie” pumpkin and cut it open.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Turns out, both my girls thought the innards were pretty “icky.” I thought they’d have a blast getting their hands into the pumpkin and helping me separate the seeds from the pulp.

I was wrong.

Many “oh gross!” facial expressions and “ickyness” comments later, I wound up doing it myself.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It was just one small pumpkin, so there weren’t a lot of seeds.

Enough for us, tho.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Once you get the seeds separated from the pulp, rinse them off, and let them dry. You can stick them in a salad spinner or something, but I just patted them dry.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Then, toss them in a bowl with some olive oil and spices. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and ancho chile pepper. But we like spicy food in our home. If you don’t, just use salt.

And I didn’t measure. I’m not the measuring type when it comes to spices. Just make sure all the seeds have something stuck to them.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spread them out on a baking sheet that’s covered with parchment paper and bake them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes, stirring them about halfway through.

I did mine 45 minutes, but I like them crunchy. You could test them after 30 minutes if you’re not sure.

Store them in an airtight container.

My girls only ate a few, but I mostly blame that on the fact that we also made chocolate-covered football pretzels that day. And they devoured the chocolate pretzels. :)

3Oct2013

2013 Halloween Cupcake Contest Winners

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays, wanderings in the world & web by Rosemary Lynn

Squidoo just wrapped up their 2013 Halloween Cupcake Baking Contest – and the votes are in!

The one I voted for came in at #1, and I’m not really surprised: they’re awesome! Because, I mean – really – who wouldn’t want a spooky cupcake topped with cotton candy clouds?

The 1st place winner was Under The Light of The Moon Halloween Cupcakes:

Death by Chocolate Under the Light of the Moon Halloween Cupcakes

In 2nd place was Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

Caramel Apple Halloween Cupcakes

And in 3rd place was How to Make Your Very Own Happy, Smiling, Pumpkin Cupcakes With Fondant:

Happy Fondant Pumpkin Cupcakes for Halloween

To see the rest of the winners, check out the 2013 Squidoo Halloween Cupcake Baking Contest page!

I hope you are now inspired to create your own eerily delicious, creepy, crawly goodness! :)

7Sep2013

Octopus Hot Dogs and Seaweed Zucchini

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

Everyone should want to have fun with food.

Personally, I think everyone should make an octopus-shaped hot dot at least once in their life. And if you have kids, they – more than likely – love hot dogs. So: problem solved. Go and make yourself some octopuses for dinner. Or octopi. Either way.

And to get extra creative, dab on some mustard eyes and throw them in a bed of zucchini seaweed:

octopus hot dogs with seaweed zucchini

Okay, I know: my “seaweed” looks a little mushy. That’s because I shredded the zucchini kinda small. Looked a little more like angel hair than linguine. Still, it gets the point across.

To make the hot dogs, I sliced through them before cooking them. You could them boil or microwave them.

To make the zucchini, I shredded it, and then threw it in a frying pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder for a few minutes.

Granted, my kids were far too excited about the hot dogs to pay much attention to the zucchini, but they did eat a little. If you’d prefer, you could always serve the dogs over some spaghetti that you cooked with a little green food coloring instead.

5Sep2013

Purple Pancakes

Posted in activities for kids, food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

The weekend is almost here! How are you going to celebrate it?

How about purple pancakes???

Now, I do try to avoid adding a lot of food coloring into my kid’s diet, but every now and then, color just makes things fun. Of course, these pancakes would also work without the color, if you prefer.

purple pancakes

purple pancake patterns

So, what you see in the photos is that I used Bisquick to make these pancakes. I stirred in a little purple gel food coloring, and then poured the mix into a squeeze bottle. To make this successful, you have to make the batter a little thin. Otherwise, it will get stuck in the nozzle. So use a small whisk or a fork to make sure there are no big clumps.

Then, heat up your pan or griddle and grease it like you normally would for pancakes. And then: the fun begins.

The squeeze bottles allow you to draw pretty much any shape you’d like. As you can see above, I drew some hearts, but also some “swirls” in crazy patterns. The swirls were especially fun to eat. Especially with your hands. :)

But, I also like to say that all food is finger food to toddlers. Honestly, as long as my kids eat, I don’t care if they use their hands. As long as they’re eating, they could use their toes.

Anyway, to achieve the best results for solid shapes (hearts, stars, etc), draw the outline first and then quickly fill it in.

And remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Your kids will love you anyway. Plus, older kids will probably want to get in on it.

To spruce up the pancakes, add a little cinnamon to the batter. Or sprinkle some chocolate chips or small blueberries over them after you’ve drawn your shape on the griddle, but before you flip them.

Have fun! And if you tackle this food art, please let me know what you make!