Funformation |
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Funformation |
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It’s a staple during the holiday season—especially for those of us on the non-ambitious side of cooking--Stove Top stuffing. Seriously. Who wants to make some bread stale, then tear it up and do all that cooking voodoo for stuffing when all you need to do here is add boiling water? We have Purdue University alumna Ruth Siems to thank for this godsend. In 1953, the home ec grad was developing Stove Top while working at General Foods. There was a high demand in the U.S. for convenience foods, and this one most def is! So here’s a recipe we like to make with Stove Top when it’s a non-holiday: Swiss Cheese Chicken Stuffing Casserole *recipe courtesy of tastycasseroles.com Ingredients: 1 1/2 Pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 or 4 breasts) 2 (8 ounce) boxes Stove Top chicken stuffing 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (for stuffing) (see tip) 3 cups water (for stuffing) (see tip) 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup 8 slices (about 1/2 pound) Swiss cheese Instructions: Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions for two boxes (1/2 cup butter and 3 cups water). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x2 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cut chicken pieces into bite size pieces (about 1 inch). Spread chicken out in bottom of casserole dish. Spread cream of chicken soup over raw chicken and evenly spread the Swiss cheese over chicken and soup mixture. Spoon stuffing over mixture and spread over the top. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and chicken is cooked through. Wednesday is National Peppermint Bark Day. We know, right? That’s a holiday? Anywho… As a result, there’s “research” that claims that Peppermint Bark is the nation’s favorite holiday treat. We’re calling B.S. on that because, well, the “holiday” designation. While Peppermint Bark is tasty, there are far superior treats too numerous to name. Williams Sonoma (the place we visit for the best housewares porn) is to thank for this supposed Peppermint Bark obsession. In fact, the brand has developed 18 different products for your pleasure. So, gift yourself or others this holiday season. But if you’re super frugal, make your own. Homemade Peppermint Bark*recipe courtesy of spendwithpennies.com Ingredients: 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped into small pieces 8 ounces premium white chocolate chopped into small pieces ½ teaspoon peppermint extract not “mint” extract ⅓ cup crushed candy cane pieces divided Instructions: Line an 8×8 baking pan with wax paper. Set aside. Place chopped dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir well. Return to microwave and heat on 15-second increments (stirring well between each) until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract. Spread melted dark chocolate evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Set aside (do not refrigerate) and prepare your white chocolate layer. Place your chopped white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir well. Return to microwave and heat on 15-second increments (stirring well between each) until white chocolate is completely melted. Stir in remaining peppermint extract. Add ¼ cup of crushed candy canes to the white chocolate and gently fold in until evenly distributed. Those days from childhood pleading for your parents to take you to McDonald's because that was like nirvana: a non-creepy clown, delicious eats, a playground. Anything was better than that homemade hamburger on bread. All mushy and not fun. Some people grow out of the fast food love; others are still livin' that grab-and-go lifestyle. Lawnstarter crunched some numbers with their Frostys and determined that Orlando is the Best City for Fast Food Lovers. In fact, Orlando has more fast food joints per 100,000 residents than any other city. #nugdrop. Not only do the traditional fast food joints give O the crown, they've got a lot of fast international options, like Canadian cheese curds, authentic Mexican burritos, and traditional Caribbean nibbles. If the mere mention of fast food is making your ass wider, let's put a twist on a fast food fav-- that is calorie-kinder. From our buds at iowagirleats.com: Big Mac SaladIngredients: (makes 5-6 salads) 1lb ground beef Worcestershire sauce Seasoned salt and pepper 3 heads romaine lettuce, chopped 1 red onion, thinly sliced Freshly shredded cheddar cheese Cherry, grape, or vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped Dill pickles, chopped For the Special Sauce Salad Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup French dressing (could use ketchup) 2 Tablespoons minced pickles 2 Tablespoons minced onion (red or white) 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar Directions: For the Special Sauce Salad Dressing: Add ingredients to a bowl then whisk to combine. Can be made several days ahead of time. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add the ground beef. Let the beef cook undisturbed until the bottom is golden brown then add a few shakes Worcestershire sauce, season with seasoned salt and pepper, and continue to saute until cooked through. Scoop onto a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool slightly. Once slightly cooled, divie lettuce between plates or bowls then top with the cooked ground beef, red onion, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and dill pickles. Drizzle with Special Sauce Salad Dressing then serve.
Burgers are a big deal. Seriously. A joint is only as good as its burger. So, where in all of the U.S, is the best place to get a burger? According toLawn Love, that would be Washington D.C. We would've pictured D.C. as the #1 place for beef jerky (you know what we mean). But we digress. Let's get beefy with the best burgers in your kitchen (we'll send your certificate of achievement telepathically). Try this one from Creole Contessa.
Baked Butter BurgerIngredients: 2 1/2 lbs ground beef 8 tablespoons butter 1 red onion, diced 1 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon paprika Sliced cheese Slider buns or regular hamburger buns Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix seasoning blend together and set aside. Butter a 9X13 casserole dish. Add two tablespoons of butter to a pan over medium heat. Add onion, season with 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend and cook for about 5 minutes. Allow onions to cool. Add meat, onions and spices to a large bowl and mix well. Place meat into buttered casserole dish and flatten well. Top meat with remaining butter and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, top with cheese and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Burgers can be cut into 6 regular size burgers or 12 slider size. Assemble burger on your favorite buns and top with condiments.
Pineapple is delish, and good for you. And if you're really skilled, you can balance one on your head. We cannot... But we bring to you this balanced gem, courtesy of The Olive Scene:
Pineapple Balsamic Salad
Dressing Ingredients: ¼ cup Olive Scene mild Olive Oil 3 tablespoons Olive Scene Golden Pineapple White Balsamic Vinegar 2 tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper pinch of salt Instructions: Add the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to a bowl or a blender. Whisk or blend, and then slowly drizzle the oil while whisking or pulsing, until smooth. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, and use. Or pour into a glass jar and refrigerate. If it solidifies, allow to come to room temperature and whisk or shake well before using. Salad Ingredients: 2 cups baby spinach, mescaline greens, or a combination of your choice 1 ounce slice of black forest ham chopped into bite size pieces 1 ounce fresh mozzarella thinly sliced or diced ¼ cup semi dried tomatoes Instructions: Add the salad ingredients to a bowl, in the order listed. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Toss before serving. Enjoy! Order some tasty olive oils HERE. P.S. Did you see this hack on how to handle a whole pineapple? With Fall here-ish (still sweating from places we shouldn't), it's time to prepare for hibernation. Yes, we are in favor of hibernation for humans. Anywho, a nice, cozy breakfast sounds perfect on a Fall weekend. You know how it goes: big breakfast, then a nap. Why not get cozy with some sheet pan pancakes? Grab the butter and maple syrup, the bacon, the sausage, the eggs... and enjoy! Fluffy & Soft Sheet Pancakes *sounds like pillows *pancakes can be hard? *recipe courtesy of The Flavor Bender Ingredients: 3 tbsp butter melted Dry Ingredients: 2 cups AP flour 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar 2/3 cup cornstarch 4 tsp baking powder ½ tsp kosher salt (heaped tsp) Use less if you're using regular salt Wet Ingredients: 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs 2 cups buttermilk 1.5 tsp vanilla 5 tbsp butter melted Instructions: Line a sheet pan (about 18" x 13") with parchment paper and brush the bottom with 1 tbsp of butter (or more). Preheat oven to 425°F. Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Combine and eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and 5 tbsp melted butter in a jug and whisk to mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. Scrape the batter into the prepared sheet pan, and then using an offset spatula, evenly spread the batter. Gently shake the sheet pan to make sure that the batter is evenly spread, but do not shake or knock the pan too hard (as this may deflate the batter). Place the sheet pan in the center of your oven and bake for 5 - 7 minutes. Check at 5 minutes - the pancakes are done, if the center of the pancake is springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Brush the surface of the pancake liberally with the remaining melted butter and place it back under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes, rotating the sheet pan half way through, until the surface starts to turn a golden brown in color. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE PANCAKES while they are under the broiler, as they can burn quickly! Remove the sheet pan pancakes from the oven as soon as they turn golden brown. Cut the pancakes (while they are hot) into 8 (large), or 12 (medium), or 16 (small) portions. Serve while warm with maple syrup, or pancake syrup and other toppings. Let's talk serious stuff here. We need to eat all the ice cream we can before summer departs and the cold sets in. And we've found the perfect, easy, delicious recipe for homemade ice cream that will help you burn calories in the making-process. Legit! From our friends at Delish: Mason Jar Ice CreamSERVES 2 All you need is a Mason jar (and some major muscle) to whip up this legit vanilla ice cream. Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream 1½ tbsp. granulated sugar ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract pinch of kosher salt Directions: Pour cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt into a large Mason jar and secure tightly with a lid. Shake the jar until cream thickens and almost doubles in size, 4 to 5 minutes. It should be opaque and easily coat the back of a wooden spoon. Freeze for 3 hours, or until hardened. Use an ice-cream scoop to serve with your favorite toppings. P.S. The 4-5 minutes of shaking will be quite the workout-- and more productive than holding that shake weight. Right? Eat a waffle, save a penguin? Yeah. Envirokidz is all about kids eating healthy. They’ve just introduced two new waffle flavors: Penguin Party and Polar Berry. Both are gluten-free, and contain five grams of plant-based protein per serving from navy beans, peas, and other beans. Oh—and proceeds from every box sold of Penguin Party help save endangered penguins. And, for the records, proceeds from Polar Berry save endangered polar bears! Anywho, try this recipe for a snack or fun breakfast. P.S. With the beans, will there be more… tooting?
We need to be in charge of stuff. Because if we were, cheese-- just cheese-- would have its own spot on the food pyramid. And it would be the bottom, widest foundation for our foodie lives. So, we're happy to learn of cheesemakers we've never heard of before. (Since we're poor-ish, we only shop the import section of the cheese vault occasionally.) Anywho, Old Amsterdam Cheese is da bomb, apparently, Even though the thought of old cheese creeps us out a little.
Old Amsterdam leads the market in Holland when it comes to Branded Aged Gouda. And now they've created two new goudas to delight us: Extra Aged and Mild. We'll take both. In fact, slap a couple slices on this burger recipe from O.A., the OGs of Gouda. We're gonna name it: Amsterdamn! Burgers
Ingredients:
2 red onions 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons spicy pimentón (Spanish paprika) powder 1.6 lbs. minced beef (ask the butcher to coarsely mince beef shoulder, or use a mix of pork and beef meat) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 tablespoons olive oil 8 slices pancetta 4 slices Old Amsterdam Gouda 1 big tomato 8 slices of rustic, heavy bread 4 lettuce leaves, rinsed Instructions: Slice the onion into rings. Melt the butter and use this to fry the onion rings with the sugar. Caramelize the rings, then add balsamic vinegar and fry for another five minutes on low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Next, mix the mayonnaise and the Spanish paprika. Take the meat from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Mix the meat with the soy sauce and the Worcestershire sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Roll balls of approximately 6 oz. each and flatten these to form burgers. Coat the burgers with olive oil and fry in a frying pan for four to five minutes on each side, until browned. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in another pan, until they are slightly crispy. Lay pancetta and a slice of Old Amsterdam on top of each burger. Cover with the lid and let the cheese melt for about 30 seconds. Cut the tomato into four thick slices. Spread a thick layer of the spicy mayonnaise on four slices of bread. Add a slice of tomato, a burger, and finally a good helping of the caramelized onion rings and top it with another slice of bread each. The Office is one of those quotable, memorable, pop-culturable shows that we can't get enough of. So layered in the writing and character development. Nothing can "beet" it. Fans of the show need to get their hands on Beet This: An Unofficial Schrute Farms Cookbook by Sam Kaplan, Tyanni Niles, and Keith Riegert-- self-proclaimed superfans of all things The Office. “After years of thinking about it, we finally summoned the courage to write this book—a parody and homage to Dwight Schrute and his family’s rich history as the purveyors of Schrute Farms, the most respected and storied beet farm in Honesdale, Pennsylvania,” the authors wrote in the foreword. “To get started, we asked ourselves one main question: What would a family cookbook look like if the Schrute family passed recipes down from one generation to the next, and then the next? Heavy on the beets, Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, and classic German recipes, Beet This is what we imagine our favorite quirky, stoic, and self-sufficient family would have compiled over the decades.” It’s not Schrute Farms, but here's a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe from Bell & Evans that should put a begrudging smirk on Dwight's face... Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients: Noodles 1 Cup & 1 T All-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1 Egg ¼ Cup Whole Milk 1 T Unsalted butter, melted Pinch of salt Pot Pie 2 Bone-in Split Chicken Breasts 8 Cups Chicken broth 4 Medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & large diced 3 Medium Carrots, peeled & large diced 2 Large Stalks Celery, diced 1 Medium Sweet Onion, peeled & cut into quarters Salt & pepper, to taste Pinch, ground turmeric Instructions: Noodles Blend egg with milk and melted butter. Add liquids to flour and salt. Mix until combined being careful not to overmix. Using extra flour, generously sprinkle dough on both sides to avoid sticking. Roll noodle dough to about 1/8” thickness. Cut into pieces/squares approximately sized 2” by 2”. No need to be perfect. Lay pieces onto flour dusted wax or parchment paper. Cover and set aside until needed. NOTE: Feel free to double the noodle recipe if you prefer extra. In the event you do, increase quantity of broth to 10 cups. Pot Pie In a large stock pot add chicken broth, chicken and a pinch of turmeric. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked to an internal of 170°F as measured by a meat thermometer. Remove chicken from broth and allow to cool. Once cooled, remove skin and pull meat from the bone into large pieces. To the stock pot add potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered at a low simmer. Bring to a boil and slowly add noodles piece by piece. NOTE: A rapid boil is key when adding noodles, otherwise they tend to stick to one another. Once all noodles have been added, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes until vegetables & noodles are tender. Uncover, add chicken and continue to cook on a low simmer for another 20 minutes. NOTE: This recipe gets better with time Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Add parsley as garnish. |
AuthorThe cracked Crack Wise Staff-- warriors of the Funformation Movement. Archives
May 2024
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