Tuesday's Table - Superbowl Edition!

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Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Can you believe that it's the end of January already?  And that the Superbowl is next weekend?  And that the Vikings aren't playing in it?  (OK, maybe some of you can believe that last one...)

Even though neither of my teams are playing in this weekend's big game, we'll still be watching and enjoying our own Superbowl festivities.  I haven't finished my menu yet - hopefully we'll have some wonderful links that will help me.  Bring your best party recipes and ideas to share here!


We've had a lot of fun and creative links shared.  This week I chose Linsey from Lille Punkin's Orange Basil Chicken.  This looks so delicious - like a little taste of summer!

Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!

I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
• Sign up for my email reminder here.

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!

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Almond Crescent Cookies

Just after Christmas, I found a great deal on boxes of Classic Sugar Cookie mix.  25 cents each!  I used one of those, with some almonds and powdered sugar to make some delicious treats today.



Almond Crescent Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• Confectioners sugar to decorate

Directions:

In a stand mixer, blend the cookie mix, butter, eggs, almond extract and almonds until thoroughly mixed.

Carefully shape spoonfuls of dough into a crescent shape and coat with confectioners sugar.  Place on a silpat-covered baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and dust with additional confectioners sugar.

Yum!

They are quite sweet, but deliciously addictive.  They don't take long to make, so it won't be too difficult to make a second batch when these go quickly!

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Cake Mix Crinkle Cookies

I love cookies.  Growing up, we didn't always have dessert, but when we did, it was often cookies.  Always three.  I think three must be some sort of magic number, at least when it comes to cookies.

I had to make a baked good for The Girl's water polo sleepover, and I immediately thought of cookies.  I had plans to make some sugar cookies, decorated in a water polo theme, but found myself with only about 90 minutes to make them and get her to the the sleepover.

Something fast?  Cake mix cookies?  Something that doesn't look fast?  Hmm...  I thought if I rolled them in powdered sugar, they would look a bit fancier.  What do you think?



Cake Mix Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box any flavor Duncan Hines cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• Confectioners sugar for rolling

Directions:

Using a stand mixer, mix the butter and cake mix together.  Add the eggs and mix until blended.   {once it was mixed I added some sprinkles for a little color}


Spread confectioners sugar onto a piece of parchment paper.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the parchment paper and roll into balls.  The dough will be soft, so work gently.

Place the balls onto a silpat-lined cookie sheet and press down slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

They are done when the cookies are just set and the edges are golden brown.  You will need to be careful as you remove the cookies from the cookie sheet - they will be quite soft.

Don't worry - when they cool, they are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

And look - beautiful, uniform cookies.  Like you baked all day.

No one needs to know your secret!

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Orange Molten Lava Cake

Who says lava cake has to be chocolate?  In fact, isn't molten lava generally orange or red?



Orange Lava Cake


Ingredients:

• 1 cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon  salt
• 1 cup  low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons   butter, melted
• 2   large egg yolks
• 3   large egg whites, at room temperature
• Coconut for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat eight 4- to 6-ounce (1/2- to 3/4-cup) ovenproof ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray; place in a large deep roasting pan or baking dish. Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.

Whisk 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add milk, orange zest, orange juice, butter and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.


Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (see Tip). Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Fold the egg whites into the batter (it will be thinner than other cake batter and it’s OK if it’s a little lumpy).

Evenly divide among the prepared ramekins placed in the roasting pan.  Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour in enough boiling water to come almost halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake the lava cakes until golden brown and the cakes have pulled away slightly from the sides of the ramekins, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

 Garnish with coconut and serve warm or at room temperature.

This was an amazing dessert.  Bright orange flavor, warm cake with a molten orange center.  Delicious!

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Italian Rice Balls with Gravy

Rice Balls, or arancini if you'd like to be authentic, are a traditional Italian treat.  Arancini or arancine are fried rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Arancini are usually filled with ragù (meat sauce), tomato sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas.

There are a number of local variants that differ in fillings and shape. The name comes from the food's shape and color, which is reminiscent of an orange (the Italian word for orange is arancia, and arancina means "little orange").

I love them!  But they're fried.  And I don't make much fried food since my New Year's Resolution of 2008 (how's that for sticking to a resolution?!)  So I decided to use my meatball maker for a slightly different purpose.  And here's how it turned out:



Italian Rice Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 large egg yolks, beaten
• 2 cups cooked short grain rice
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1.2 cups dried breadcrumbs
• 8 (1/2 inch) cubes mozzarella

Directions:

Finely chop the mushrooms and saute in butter until brown.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Add egg yolks, rice, peas, Parmesan cheese, mushrooms and 1/2 cups breadcrumbs to a large bowl and stir until combined.

Place the remaining breadcrumbs on a flat pan lined with parchment paper.  For the rice mixture into 2 inch balls.

Poke a hole in the center of the rice ball,

Insert 1 cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball.

Reform the ball.

Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs to coat.

Place 8 balls into preheated meatball maker.  Allow to cook for 8 to 13 minutes or until the rice balls are golden brown.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce, and enjoy the delicious, melty insides and the crispy outside!

I think these are every bit as good as the fried rice balls, without all that oil.  The Children liked them too - I didn't tell them about the mushroom part, and they didn't notice.  All they noticed is that they were tasty!

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Hot Chocolate - Best Ever Recipe

When The Mr and I went to London in March of 2011, we had cold weather.  Cold and windy and damp.

One haven of warmth was Harrod's.

If you haven't heard of it, Harrod's is a famous upscale department store which is known the world over as the purveyor of “all things for all people” and that includes animals. Apart from conventional pets such as cats, dogs, fish and birds, Harrods offers hamsters and mice for the less traditional.

But when the staff at London’s biggest department store was faced with a question from a man who was to later become President of the United States, they weren't the least shocked. They could have balked, of course, when Ronald Reagan asked a salesman at Harrods if they sell elephants, but more surprised was Mr. Reagan himself at the salesman’s immediate response  – “Would that be Indian or African, sir?”

When we went to Harrod's, we didn't try to buy an elephant.  I'm not certain how we would have gotten it through customs.  And it probably would have put our suitcases over the weight limit.

We did go to the Chocolate Bar and taste their famous hot chocolate.  And wow, it was worth it.

Fortunately for both my pocketbook and my waistline, we don't live near Harrod's.  We tried to visit again when we were last in London, but they were too busy and we couldn't get in before it closed.  My Mom was quite disappointed.  I decided to try to reproduce it so that she could taste it when she came to visit at Christmas.  And here's what I made:


Best Ever Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces good quality milk chocolate (Harrod's uses Jivara chocolate, but I used a mixture of Godiva and Galaxy)
• 9 ounces full fat milk
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Directions:

The basis of Harrods hot chocolate is a ganache mix, which can be made and then stored in the fridge for up to three days. Roughly chop the milk chocolate. Bring 9 ounces full-fat milk to boil, add corn syrup (this makes the ganache silky smooth) and stir. Pour the milk over the chopped chocolate and stir until it’s all melted. Store in the fridge until needed.

To make a thick chocolate drink, heat one espresso cup of the ganache per person in the microwave. Alternatively, for a lighter hot chocolate, dissolve 1-2 tsp ganache in a small cup of hot milk.

This is the most amazing drink.  And my Mom loved it, which was icing on the cake!  This would be wonderful on a cold winter evening - definitely worth the extra effort!

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Time to Fill Tuesday's Table - January 22, 2013!

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Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Here in San Diego, unlike the rest of the country, we're having unseasonably warm weather.  Just for the week, but I'm loving it.  It's making me dream of summer and gardening.  I've got some winter veggies growing - here's a snapshot of my peas.  Can anyone spot a problem with them?

Sigh.

What are you dreaming about as you weather the cold winter days?  Is your mind on hearty winter fare?  Or dreaming up some new summer delights?  Share those or any others here at Tuesday's Table!

We've had a lot of fun and creative links shared.  This week I chose Stephanie from Sweet Boutique's Chocolate Cupcakes.  Sometimes a girl just needs chocolate - and these do look divine!

Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!


I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
• Sign up for my email reminder here.

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!

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Time to Fill Tuesday's Table - January 13, 2013!

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Welcome to Tuesday's Table!

We've had some unseasonably cold weather this week here in San Diego.  Temperatures below freezing, trying to stifle my winter garden - grr!  And though our temperatures can't compare to some of yours, it's been quite severe for us.

And it has made me think back to my Minnesota days, when January and February meant long, cold, dark days, waiting for March to start the thaw.  I'm pretty lucky to have just a few days of cold!

How do you get through those long winter days?  Do you have a favorite soup or stew recipe?  Something for the crock pot?  Or maybe something fresh from the oven?  Share those or any others here at Tuesday's Table!

We've had a lot of fun and creative links shared.  This week I chose two that made me feel warm from the inside!

Storybook Reality's Jalapeno Pasta - Doesn't this look hot and tasty?

Half-Baked Harvest's Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Chicken - Looks wonderful - and easy!

Thanks for sharing - grab a button here!


I'll feature my favorite entry from this week on next week's post.  I hope you bring your favorites!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
• Sign up for my email reminder here.

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!

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Blueberry Pannekoeken

I got a Dutch Baby Pan (pannekoeken pan) for Christmas this year.  Pannekoeken is a Dutch pancake - thinner than an American pancake and thicker than a crepe.  They can be made either sweet or savory, though as I wanted a vessel for my blueberry pie filling that I made last week I decided on dessert.




Blueberry Pannekoeken

This pannekoeken is designed for an 11 to 12-inch Dutch baby pan or a skillet with rounded sides. This is a five ingredient--five step recipe that really goes together quickly.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can of blueberry pie filling

Directions:

1. Place the butter in a Dutch Baby pan or an ovenproof skillet with rounded sides.
2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put the rack in the center, not the top, shelf. When you turn the oven on, place the pan with the butter in the oven. When the oven reaches 250 degrees the butter should be melted. Remove the pan from the oven.
3. Whisk the eggs and the salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk. Whisk in the flour until nearly smooth. Your batter is now ready.
4. Pour the batter into the pan.
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden brown.

6.  While the pannekoeken is baking, heat the blueberry pie filling until it is warm.   When you remove the pannekoeken from the oven, pour the pie filling into the center and spread evenly.

7.  Serve hot!

I loved this dessert.  Like a cross between a blueberry pancake and blueberry pie.  And so easy to make!  This is a great recipe to have on hand for when you need a quick dessert that will wow your guests.

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