In the Kitchen with Jacob: S'More, Please!

Sady here.  Jacob is literally in the kitchen now cooking a delicious dinner for us (recipe for which he will post next week.)  So, I have decided to share a yummy treat with you guys instead.  Neopolitan. Smores.  Yep, one's good enough on its own, but the combination of the two is just divine!  Here goes...

Ingredients:
- Rose Vanilla Marshmallows (or simply substitute plain pink and white ones from your local grocer)
- Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar from here, but these are great too! 
- Graham Crackers, see below

Directions:
Place marshmallow and chocolate square on one graham cracker.  Toast them in the oven until golden and gooey.  Top with another cracker, and you've got a pink, white, and chocolate extravaganza for your taste buds! 

   Homemade Graham Crackers Recipe

 Of course, store-bought graham crackers taste just as good.  This is simply a fancy option : ) 

 

* Photos and recipe adapted from Oh Joy! 

How Do You Fiesta?

Who needs a piñata when you can have these yummy treats?

Sip on one of these beautiful refreshments while enjoying some homemade guacamole.

Having guests over this Saturday?  Send them home with a party favor that's easy to make and sure to impress.

Are you wanting to fiesta, Derby style?  Or perhaps its a Mexican soiree at Churchill Downs. Lindsay's got the tips to make your party weekend a success.

Not sure what to cook?  Check out Lisa's menu.  The choices are endless!

And if you still can't decide what food to serve at your fiesta, perhaps this will help.


* All collage images via Pinterest

Homemade Peeps

With Easter around the corner, I thought I would do something a little festive today.   As Jacob mentioned here, I have been on a low-glycemic diet lately, which essentially means my sweet-tooth has been getting the shaft.  Fortunately, I have found some online sources that feature scrumptious desserts for dieters, diabetics, and celiacs alike.   Here's one I thought would be appropriate to make this weekend for kids and even adults:

Image via

Homemade Marshmallow Chicks 

(Note - you can always make these in the shape of bunnies or nest eggs.)  

Ingredients

1 cup of water, split into 2 half cups

3 tablespoons of gelatin

1 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1) Cover with parchment paper a 9 by 13 inch pan, or jelly roll pan (if not using a stand mixer, you will probably only need a 9 by 9 inch pan). Then grease the parchment paper.

2) Put 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with attached whisk), and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Set aside to soften.

3) In a small pot, place the honey, salt and the other 1/2 cup of water. Heat on medium heat. Using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture to 240 degrees. (You can also test it by carefully dribbling a little of the liquid into a bowl of ice cold water. It should be in the soft candy stage — which will form little soft balls when cooled in the water and taken out. It takes about 7-8 minutes to reach this temperature.) Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches the right temperature.

4) With the mixer on low, very carefully mix in the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture by pouring the hot syrup in a drizzle down the side of the bowl. Once it’s all combined, add the vanilla and increase speed slowly to high. Beat for 7-15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fluffy and holds its shape when you lift the beaters out of the mixture. (It will look like marshmallow fluff.) Scrape into the prepared pan. I think it works best if the mixture is about 1/2 inch thick. How much the mixture fluffs up will make a difference in how thick the mixture is and how big of a pan you need to use. Adjust pan size at will.

5) Leave uncovered for 4-12 hours to dry.  Use greased cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. Roll in sugar immediately. If desired, make a mixture of cocoa powder and water to make eyes. Dab on with toothpick or chopstick. Keep covered in an airtight container for up to one week.

* Recipe adapted from the Nourishing Gourmet here

In the Kitchen with Jacob

In consideration of Valentine's Day and keeping with the "romantic" theme of my Shrimp Fettuccini post, we've decided to share the recipe I prepared the night I proposed to Sady.  It's another shrimp recipe and, to be perfectly honest, there's nothing romantic about it (at least not in my mind).  But, somehow, the night unfolded the way it did and now we associate this recipe with that very significant event in our lives.

I'll set the scene very quickly.  It was early January and we were at my parents house.  My little sister had flown in from Dallas.  She and my mother were planning her wedding.  My best friend from high school was also in town.  We all decided it would be fun to invite him to the house and I would cook for everyone.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify something because this is taking shape as a strange engagement story and it's only going to get stranger when I reveal the recipe.  At this point, I still had not considered this to be the night that I propose marriage to Sady.  Having cleared that up, without further ado...

Image courtesy of Seoul Eats

Hot & Sour Shrimp

This recipe is involved, messy, and time consuming.  I would recommend peeling the shrimp and preparing the batter ahead of time.  That day, I multiplied this recipe several times (for reasons I'm not going to explain) and it took most of the day.  Just like with the Shrimp Fettuccini, I began with fresh shrimp from the Gulf (pre-BP oil spill).  And, just like with the Shrimp Fettuccini, it took a very, very long time to peel the shrimp.  The directions do all of the cooking in a wok. I recommend, however, frying the shrimp in a pan (or a deep frier if you've got one). Otherwise, because of the wok's concave shape, you'll be frying shrimp all day.  I'm also aware that most people in this country don't own woks.  Don't worry, a pan will work just fine.

Let's begin.  This is a two-step process.  We start with the batter.

Ingredients and Preparation of Shrimp Batter

1/3 lb. shrimp
1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp. cooking wine or sherry
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Place the peeled shrimp in a large bowl.  Put 1 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. water on the shrimp and gently work the salt-water solution into the shrimp.  Rinse the shrimp.  Continue rinsing until the water is clear; drain.  Add the wine and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt; mix.  Add the remaining 2 tbsp. water and mix.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Add the egg white and mix.  Add the cornstarch; mix.  Add the oil; mix.

This is a good stopping point if you're preparing this ahead of time.  Seal the bowl and place it in the refrigerator until you're ready to begin cooking.

Ingredients and Preparation of Hot & Sour Shrimp

1 c. cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
2 tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 tbsp. ginger root, chopped
1/2 tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 tsp. hot chili paste (adjust or delete as you desire)
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

In a separate bowl, combine and mix the sugar, soy sauce, and white vinegar.  Set aside.

Add the cornstarch to the shrimp and batter mixture in very small increments mixing continuously to avoid clumping.  Heat the vegetable oil in the wok to medium heat.  Deep fry the shrimp for 1 1/2 minutes, or until the outside is crispy; drain and remove.  Remove the oil from the wok.

Reheat the wok then add 2 tbsp. vegetable oil.  Add green onions, ginger, and garlic.  Stir fry until ingredients are fragrant.  Add the sugar, soy sauce, and white vinegar mixture.  Bring to a boil then add the shrimp and sesame oil; mix.  When the sauce thickens slightly and begins to coat the shrimp, remove and serve.

If you still have the energy for it, have a seat and eat.

Back to the engagement story...

My friend left after dinner.  Soon after, my sister and parents went to see a band they were considering for my sister's wedding reception.  That left Sady and I alone at my parents' house.  I took a quick shower to remove the shrimp stench from my body and cornstarch from my hair.  When I finished, I found Sady watching television while sitting on the hearth of the brick fireplace where a fire had been burning all night.  I took a seat on the loveseat across from her.  She looked over at me and asked me to come sit by her.  On a whim, I dropped to one knee, apologized for not having a ring and for not first receiving her father's permission, and asked her to marry me.

And thus, ladies and gentlemen, we have the story of how hot & sour shrimp became the emblem of our marriage......

She said yes, by the way!

In the Kitchen with Jacob: A New Culinary Series

I was looking over my past posts and realized that I haven't done a cooking feature in a very long time.  I love trying out new dishes and sharing my culinary success stories with others, so I decided I would start a new series:  In the Kitchen with Jacob.  You are probably thinking, "Great!  But, who is Jacob?" Well my friends, Jacob is the proper name for my Hubs.  Given that he is a far more superior cook than me, I decided to let him author this series.  So, here goes...

For the inaugural post, I thought I would share with you the recipe that won me a wife.  We had not been dating long when I asked her if I could cook for her.  When she said yes, I decided to pull out what was possibly the best, and most involved recipes in my repertoire.  I’ll share with you not only how I make it, but also a few subtle date night tricks that, until now, my wife never knew I considered so carefully that night.

Image courtesy of Closet Cooking

Fettuccine with Shrimp & Garlic

Ingredients

4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for finishing

3 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, or large shrimp halved

½ tsp. grated orange zest

Salt

Pepper

½ cup dry white wine

14½ oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

8 oz. dried fettuccine or spaghetti

3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

How to Make

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta.  In a large skillet over low heat, combine the olive oil and garlic.  Cook gently, stirring, until the garlic is just fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 4 minutes; don’t let it brown or crisp.  Add the shrimp and zest; season with salt and pepper.  Raise the heat to medium high and sear the shrimp quickly just until they turn bright pink, about 1 minute on each side – they don’t need to be cooked through at this point.  Add the wine and let it simmer for 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes and cook until heated through.  Set aside over very low heat if the pasta is not yet ready.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta until just tender.  Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta.  Add the pasta and half of the reserved cooking liquid to the skillet.  Gently simmer for a few minutes so the flavors meld and the pasta can drink up the sauce.  Stir in the parsley, taste for salt and pepper, and serve warm with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

I usually serve this with orange slices and garlic bread.

A Few Comments and Tips

You don’t have to be a classically trained chef (as I certainly am not) to know that the fresher the ingredients, the better the dish.  I had a jar of chopped tomatoes that my father grew and jarred himself.  I also had access to fresh, whole shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico (this was before the BP oil spill).  Everything else was gathered from the supermarket that afternoon.  However, I’ve made this dish before with packaged shrimp and canned tomatoes from the supermarket and the results didn’t meet standards.

They say don’t cook with wine that you won’t drink.  Because I was cooking on a budget in those days, I went with a pinot grigio from Yellow Tail.  This is an Australian brand that typically only costs about $12 per bottle.  For us, it worked.  You’ll only need half a cup for cooking.  The rest you can serve chilled with your dinner…which brings me to my first date night tip.  After half a cup of the wine is used for cooking, there’s not a lot left to share between you and your date.  Once it’s gone, don’t open another bottle.  You don’t want your date to wonder if you have a drinking problem.  At the same time, it’s good to show that you can stop after a glass or two.  It may seem silly that I feel the need to even comment on this, but for any guys that might be reading this, never forget that a woman will watch you and analyze everything little thing you do.  Then they’ll discuss it with their friends.  Don’t think for a second that her friends won’t accuse you of trying to take advantage of her!

I chose not to peel the shrimp before the date started.  It takes a long time to peel and devein such an amount.  This gave me an excuse to extend the date a little longer.  If it’s fresh, there will be no unpleasant odor.  But even if it’s a problem, it will soon be replaced by the sweet fragrances of the wine and orange zest cooking in the pan.

ENJOY!