Funformation
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Brunching is a thing. We loves us a good brunch. Especially if a flight of mimosas and Bellini's are involved. But we digress. Where or where is the brunchiest brunchers of all? The Big Apple, of course. Since that's not practical for a road trip (or is it?), check out where LawnStarter has your town ranked on the list. Since we'd rather spend our gas money or airfare on previously mentioned mimosas, maybe invite the gang over for brunch at your place. Blue Cheese-Bacon Cloud Eggs *recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens Ingredients: 4 eggs ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for topping 2 tablespoon cooked, crumbled bacon, plus more for topping Freshly ground black pepper Instructions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Separate eggs, putting whites in 1 large bowl and yolks in 4 separate small bowls. Beat whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in cheese. Spoon into 4 mounds on parchment-lined baking sheet; make a deep well in center of each. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully spoon 1 yolk to each well; season with pepper. Bake until yolks are just set, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with additional bacon and chives. Serve immediately. Oof! That Easter feast was bomb. And now, you've got all that ham leftover. What to do? Whip up one of these delicious second meals, courtesy of Rovagnati. Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich Ingredients: 4 slices ham 6 slices fontina cheese 2 sesame rolls 4 eggs 2 tbsp butter Salt & pepper, to taste Ketchup, to serve Instructions: In a frying pan, melt butter over medium heat and toast the cut sides of both sesame rolls. Add more butter to pan and fry the ham on both sides. In a bowl, whisk 2 eggs. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Scramble eggs in pan, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once scrambled, fold in corners so the eggs fit the size of the roll and top with cheese. Return Prosciutto Cotto to pan with eggs to warm. Keep covered until cheese is melted. Build sandwich with finished ingredients and spread with ketchup as desired. Makes 2 sandwiches. Baked Eggs & Ham Ingredients: 6 three-inch ramekins 12 half-inch thick slices of country bread 4 tbsp unsalted butter 6 tbsp milk 6 tbsp heavy cream 6 large eggs ¼ cup grated cheese 18 slices hamo Salt & pepper, to taste Fresh oregano, for garnish Instructions: Assemble ramekins on a baking sheet, leaving equal space between each. Butter the inside of each ramekin and layer inside with 3 slices of ham in each. Add 1 tbsp each milk and heavy cream, plus ½ tbsp butter in each ramekin. Add 1 egg to each, leaving the yolks intact, and season with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese. Add a layer of hot water to sheet pan around ramekins. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes. Garnish with a sprig of oregano and serve with toast. Makes 6 servings Putting some nuts into your mouth is good for you. Peanuts can protect us from cancer, diabetes, and extend our life expectancy. That’s why many nations around the world incorporate peanuts and peanut butter into some of their signature dishes. With something so nutastic, why not eat some—if you’re not allergic. From The Peanut Institute, this gem. Southern Peanut Coleslaw Ingredients: 2 14 oz bags coleslaw mix 2 red onions, thinly sliced ½ cup peanut butter 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup cider vinegar 2 garlic cloves ½ teaspoon celery seed 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup peanut oil ¼ teaspoon cayenne 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon black pepper ½ cup peanuts, roasted, coarsely chopped ¼ cup parsley, coarsely chopped Instructions: Slice onions and combine with bagged coleslaw mix. Prepare dressing in a food processor by combining peanut butter, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar, cayenne, celery seed and garlic. With the machine running, pour in the oil in a thin stream to form a thick creamy dressing. Season with salt and pepper, pulsing to machine to combine. Toss coleslaw mix with the dressing, top with peanuts and parsley. Serve cold. Death by Chocolate. It seems like the perfect way to die if you’re into chocolate. Morbid, yet delicious, no? If you’re a little twisted like we are, and you’re a foodie—then this book is a must: 50 Things to Bake Before You Die: The World’s Best Cakes, Pies, Brownies, Cookies, and More from Your Favorite Bakers, Including Christina Tosi, Joanne Chang, and Dominique Ansel. Reading that title alone entitles you to a treat. Anywho, this book is for at-home bakers who want to make pro-grade desserts. As in taste, not presentation. That’s a relief to us, because we can’t frost or decorate any cake or cupcake that doesn’t look like a toddler did it. The pictures in this book are stunning, and the recipes are easy. How ‘bout Homemade Oreos? Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes? Chocolate Babka? This is the kind of bucket list we’re totally down for. Because skydiving isn’t for us. Pre-order now on Amazon. Some people cook. Some people bake. Some do both (we secretly hate them). If you’re not a baker, you can fake it ‘til you bake it with the easiest dessert recipe that even the bake-challenged can’t mess up. And there are only three ingredients. Nutella BrowniesIngredients: 1 13 oz. jar Nutella 2 large eggs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8-inch (or 9x9) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared dish and smooth top with spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake, otherwise brownies will dry out. Let cool before cutting and serving. It’s that time of year when we really treat ourselves. Yes, pie and cookies for breakfast is perfectly acceptable. How about a nice, seasonal adult beverage and seasonal treat? We thought so. Here’s a pairing we think is just as wonderful as Santa and Rudolph. Warm & Fuzzy Ingredients: 8 ounces freshly brewed hot coffee 1 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream 1 ounce nut-flavored liqueur, such as Frangelico Whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg for garnish Directions: Add the hot, freshly brewed coffee to a mug. Stir in the Baileys and Frangelico. Top with whipped topping and a dash of nutmeg. Yule Log Cake *recipe from Delish Ingredients: For the Cake: Cooking spray 6 large eggs, separated 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 c. granulated sugar, divided 1/4 tsp. kosher salt Powdered sugar, for sprinkling For the Filling: 1 1/4 c. heavy cream 1/4 c. powdered sugar 2 tsp. gelatin (optional) 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Pinch kosher salt For the Frosting and Decorating: 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus more for garnish 5 tbsp. cocoa powder 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 3 tbsp. heavy cream Pinch kosher salt Chocolate curls, for garnish Cranberries, for garnish Small rosemary sprigs, for garnish Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. In a large bowl beat egg yolks until thick. Slowly add ½ cup sugar and beat until pale then beat in flour mixture. In another large bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining ¼ cup sugar a little at a time and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter in two batches. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until top springs back when lightly pressed, 12 minutes. Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar and invert warm cake onto towel. Peel off parchment paper. Starting at the short end, use the towel to tightly roll cake into a log. Let cool completely. Make filling: if using gelatin, place 2 tablespoons cold water in a shallow microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle gelatin in an even layer on top. Let bloom for 5 to 10 minutes, then microwave for 10 seconds until gelatin is runny—do not overheat! In a large bowl, beat together heavy cream, powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, until medium peaks form. If using gelatin, strain and stream into whipped cream at this point while continuing to beat the cream. Refrigerate until ready to use. When cake is cool, unroll and spread filling evenly over cake. Roll cake back into a log, using the towel to help create a tight roll. Place seam side down on a baking sheet and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 hour. Make frosting: In a large bowl beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until no lumps remain then beat in vanilla, heavy cream, and salt. When ready to serve, trim ends and frost cake with chocolate buttercream. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and top with chocolate curls. Place cranberries and rosemary on log to create mistletoe. 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.
When it comes to big, spooky good times, apparently the big cities are where it’s at. WalletHub gathered some info and “carried the one,” and determined that NYC is the top place to be for Halloween, followed by L.A., and Vegas.
Why? Based on things like candy and chocolate stores per capita, to the average price per Halloween party ticket, and potential trick-or-treat stops.
Source: WalletHub
That’s great and all, but nothing brings the feels like a hometown Halloween. So we say you take your kids around the ‘hood for treats, then gather together at home for fun and feasting.
Try this spookylicious recipe from Kraft. Cheesy Mummy Wrapped Dogs
Ingredients: 1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 4 KRAFT Singles, cut diagonally in half 8 OSCAR MAYER Beef Franks Instructions: Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough into 8 triangles. Place Singles triangles and franks at short ends of triangles; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, on baking sheet. Bake 12 min. or until golden brown.
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. 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. |
AuthorThe cracked Crack Wise Staff-- warriors of the Funformation Movement. Archives
January 2024
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