Trying to involve your kids in your Labor Day cookout plans? Red Robin just released a .pdf of “Gourmet Burger Creations – From Kids Across The Country.”
Supposedly these are recipes that kids across the country submitted. I’ve never met a kid who would think to include bleu cheese crumbles, vine ripened tomatoes or Jalapeño-ciabatta buns… but I guess they’re out there!
The first few pages also give some safety tips about how to cook with your kids. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!
I received a few questions regarding yesterday’s post about what happened with the texture after I put the banana ice cream back in the freezer, both in the comments and via e-mail. Rather than bury the answer in the comments I just wanted to post it more clearly for you here –
When I first took it out of the freezer again it had basically frozen solid and was too firm to scoop with a spoon. The color also browned a bit. I left it sitting out for a little while to dethaw, and after about 10 minutes the texture was definitely much better and not like Dippin Dots anymore. So if you refreeze it, remember that it will brown a little because it’s banana, and be sure to then let it sit out before serving.
Here are some photos of an ocean-inspired triple layer mocha fudge birthday cake made for me this past summer.
The cake was heavenly, but what gets me is how real that crab on top looks!
No slices were wasted.
Time to check in on yesterday’s experiment – easy, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, sugar free banana ice cream!
I took two bananas, broke them in half, and froze the four pieces in a ziploc bag overnight.
Today I took the bananas out of the freezer and popped them in the food processor. The first few seconds of this experience was a little terrifying – the food processor was not excited about mashing up only four pieces of banana, and I had to hold it tightly so that it didn’t fly off the counter.
After pulsing for a few minutes, the consistency sort of resembled Dippin’ Dots.
At this point I tasted it, and it was just as creamy and rich tasting as the article I found claimed it to be. Success!
I didn’t love the Dippin’ Dots look, so I spooned it into a bowl, covered it with Saran Wrap and popped it back in the freezer. I’ll check back in a few hours to see if it’s a little more “formed.” Stay tuned!
Hey friends!
Just a reminder that Edwin is going on vacation! He’ll be back towards the end of next week.
Until then, it’s just you and me! The posting schedule may look a little different than usual, but Edwin will be posting photos and updates from his journey as possible.
With Edwin mostly out of the picture (mwhahaha!), let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to explore or cover this week. Maybe we could do something that Edwin would freak out about if he was here… like talk about Paula Deen’s recipe for Fried Cheesecake (can you feel your heart clogging yet?).
Actually, on a much healthier note, I recently found a link for easy, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, sugar free ice cream. Seriously – and the secret ingredient isn’t tofu!
The link pulled me in with the title, “How To Make Creamy Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient.” Apparently the secret ingredient is banana – peeling and freezing a banana and then whirring it in the food processor can give you a rich and creamy ice cream-like texture. The article also suggests experimenting with an extra ingredient or two… like peanut butter.
Have you guys heard of this before? It sounds pretty awesome. Why don’t we give it a try? Meet you back here tomorrow!
We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an important announcement!
The photo above is of me (Heather) and my husband (Morgan). Morgan doesn’t blog here on DinnerCakes, though I do frequently mention him. My co-blogger Edwin (whose birthday it was last week!) and I are just chums.
Click here to read more about Edwin and myself and how we know each other.
Pictured: Blueberry pie that I made for my husband’s birthday last month. Blueberry filling from Simply Recipes and lattice crust from The Art and Soul of Baking.
The first thing I tried baking in my new place was, one of my favorites, pound cake.
I’ve tried a number of different pound cake recipes in search of a favorite – CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch, Martha Stewart, William Sonoma and Food Network. But I think the best recipe I’ve tried so far is from Sur La Table’s The Art and Soul of Baking (the last time I made it was for my Red, White and Blueberry Trifle on July fourth).
So when testing the oven I wanted to make something that I’ve made before and that I know is great, but I wanted to experiment with the flavor a little. I’m not a lemon person (I can’t stand strong lemon tasting desserts), but I’ve had some excellent lemon pound cakes before – just a little hint of it can be extraordinary. After some tinkering, this method gave me just the right amount of lemon.
I poured my batter into a mini bundt pan (it was actually a mini pumpkin pan from Williams-Sonoma, but it’s basically the same as a mini bundt pan), and I baked it for about 18 minutes at 350 F. Be careful and watch the timing – the cakes will dry out more quickly when cooked in minis instead of in a loaf pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should be firm to the touch, but the cakes will still be very blonde instead of golden.
If you don’t have the Art and Soul of Baking (please buy it!), you can find the complete recipe on TheCityCook.com. Instead of 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract, use 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla and 1/2 tablespoon of pure lemon extract (still use the vanilla bean pod, though). Leave the other ingredients unchanged. When the pound cakes are baked, poke multiple holes in the cakes and, using a cooking brush, brush cakes lightly with additional drops of lemon extract. Check it out!
Woop woop! Today is Edwin’s Birthday!
Please join me in wishing our favorite flexitarian a great day?
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Chef Edwiiiiiiiin,
Happy Birthday to you!
The nursing program I’m starting next week assigned My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult as a summer reading book for all the incoming students (on that note – I was pleasantly surprised in the beginning; it wasn’t the book I thought it would be. But a twist ending left me aggravated). While about to purchase it at the bookstore I noticed the usual bargain book display in the checkout line, and a few interesting looking cookbooks caught my eye.
For only about $8 I picked up Anheuser-Busch’s Great Food Great Beer cookbook. The book emphasizes beer pairings with food, but really it provides an assortment of simple and tasty looking meals that my husband or I could put together quickly on a weeknight – and as you know, that’s what DinnerCakes is all about!
This recipe is adapted from a recipe for chicken thighs, because we never really buy or eat thighs. It doesn’t require much prep or cook time, but it does require a little time to marinate the chicken. I didn’t marinate mine quite long enough, so my chicken could have been a little more soy/satay glazed and less pineapple. I probably like the Pineapple Mango Chicken Curry I made last month more, but this was definitely good too. This recipe would also work well with shrimp instead of chicken (or, hey, in addition to it).
Marinade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweetened lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Relish
1 can pineapple chunks (20 oz.)
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of red pepper flakes
In a shallow dish combine marinade ingredients and stir. Cut chicken breast into one inch pieces and add to dish to coat with marinade. Cover and leave in fridge for at least 15 minutes, but up to four hours.
While chicken marinates, set a medium size pot to medium high heat and combine all relish ingredients (add pineapple juice as well, do not drain). Stir occasionally.
Stir fry chicken pieces or cook on grill pan until white throughout (be careful not to overcook your chicken). Serve with relish over couscous or rice.
