A review of Kitchen Confidential: The Series
They only aired about 1/3 of the episodes they produced, so I have about 8 episodes that not even I have seen yet. But rest assured loyal fans, they will be viewed and commented on in full.
Also on the way from Ms Jones, full reporting live from the Eastlake Heights Rib Burn Off 2007. This time 'round, Missers B and Ms Jones are gunning for Sally, Ron, and all the other past first-place winners. Last year, we were 3rd in our first go-round...things will change this year for sure.
xx--
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Pampering for the Face
AND for the stomach!
Ms Jones recently attended a 'Body Shop at Home' party thrown by a lovely friend named Dawn. While I was making my final purchases, I chose a random prize box which held a small piece of paper saying I had won my own 'BSAH' party! So the date was set and that meant one thing in my mind...what the heck am I going to serve to my guests?! Menu planning started right away.
On the invitiations, I said that 'refreshments' would be served. Now in my mind, that means stuff to snack on. BUT, as its been show throughout the years, and most recently show on Memorial Day, I'm always overprepared. So I wanted to make sure that I stuck to my guns this time and only soent the time and money that was NECESSARY to provide 'refreshments.'
If you couldn't tell from earlier posts, I live for Mediterranean cuisine. Its light, heart healthy, and full of fresh ingredients and flavor! Therefore, it was only natural to choose to stick with that theme. My homemade hummus is in high demand at social gatherings (or at least in my mind it is) so that needed to be on the menu. Since we were going to be testing face cleansing and moisturizing products, I wanted the guests to be able to have things that easy to pick up and eat. One of the first things that came to mind was mini spanakopitas. But phyllo dough is very crisp and crumbly when baked and I wanted to avoid as much of a mess as I possibly could. It would save my guests AND myself from alot of heavy clean up. In searching for alternatives using the spanakopita filling, a light bulb went off in my brain. Wonton wrappers. I would be able to bundle the filling up neatly and keep it sealed, while providing a crisp wonton corner for the attendees to hang onto as they eat.
I used a filling recipe from a June 2001 issue of Cooking Light Magazine:
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
To prepare filling, place spinach in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Place over medium heat; cook until spinach wilts. Place the spinach mixture in a colander, pressing until barely moist. Combine the spinach and cheeses in a bowl; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions; sauté for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir the green onions and the next 5 ingredients (green onions through 2 egg whites) into spinach mixture.
It made a substantial amount of filling and the original recipe used phyllo to make 20 teeny bundles. Using the wontons and half of the regular filling amount, I was able to use all of the wrappers and ended up with 48 bundles.
Now, to save myself time, I bundled and stored them in an airtight container the night before. Next time, I will fill them and promptly bake them. The filling was very moist despite the fact that I squeezed the life out of the spinach. I think they would have crisped more while baking if I would have tossed them in the oven right away. They had more of a wet ravioli look to them after sitting, filled, in the fridge over night. They were also a bit stuck together, making placement on the baking sheet rather time consuming.
Every techinique I came across for baking filled wontons (instead of frying them) called for a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When I was perusing my latest issue of Cooking Light, they suggested spraying the wontons with nonstick cooking spray and baking for 4-5 minutes. But that was unfilled and straight from package to oven. So the former suggestion was going to be my best bet.
I probably could have left them in the oven for the full 20, but they browned and crisped on the edges after 15 minutes. The moisuture in the filling caused a bit of puffing in the middle of the wonton from steam release as well.
As an accompaniment to the hummus, I made a small veggie tray of celery, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sweet onions, and sliced cucumbers. One of the guests was also nice enought to swing by South Side 6 in BG before coming over to pick up a couple bags of the best pita chips in Wood and Lucas county.
For dessert, I wanted to keep it light and simple. I didn't really stick with the Mediterranean theme here, because, quite frankly, bakalava, burma, birds nests, and rice pudding are really hard to make. I was going to throw together some sugar free Angelfood Cake with a topping of crushed pineapple, Cool Whip Free, and SF vanilla pudding mix, but all the stores around me were out of the sugar free cake! So when I was pillaging my way through the shelves at my local Giant Eagle, I came across a tart shell shaped pre-made Bavarian Sponge Cake. 1/4 of the cake was only 164 calories, so do the math to serve 10 slices of the cake, and that comes to only 65.6 calories for the cake par per serving. Still a calorie conscious alternative! So I put together the topping I was going to use on the Angelfood cake and just flopped it in the middle of the sponge cake. It was garnished with a fanned whole strawberry.
I'm sorry I don't have any photographs of the 'refreshements' posted this time...I was a bit preoccupied with entertaining the 9 other people in my apartment, haha. But duty calls. Everyone raved about the taste and presentation. That made me feel like there's a ton of great supper clubs in my future.
Coming soon, cookies for a golf tournament!
Ms Jones recently attended a 'Body Shop at Home' party thrown by a lovely friend named Dawn. While I was making my final purchases, I chose a random prize box which held a small piece of paper saying I had won my own 'BSAH' party! So the date was set and that meant one thing in my mind...what the heck am I going to serve to my guests?! Menu planning started right away.
On the invitiations, I said that 'refreshments' would be served. Now in my mind, that means stuff to snack on. BUT, as its been show throughout the years, and most recently show on Memorial Day, I'm always overprepared. So I wanted to make sure that I stuck to my guns this time and only soent the time and money that was NECESSARY to provide 'refreshments.'
If you couldn't tell from earlier posts, I live for Mediterranean cuisine. Its light, heart healthy, and full of fresh ingredients and flavor! Therefore, it was only natural to choose to stick with that theme. My homemade hummus is in high demand at social gatherings (or at least in my mind it is) so that needed to be on the menu. Since we were going to be testing face cleansing and moisturizing products, I wanted the guests to be able to have things that easy to pick up and eat. One of the first things that came to mind was mini spanakopitas. But phyllo dough is very crisp and crumbly when baked and I wanted to avoid as much of a mess as I possibly could. It would save my guests AND myself from alot of heavy clean up. In searching for alternatives using the spanakopita filling, a light bulb went off in my brain. Wonton wrappers. I would be able to bundle the filling up neatly and keep it sealed, while providing a crisp wonton corner for the attendees to hang onto as they eat.
I used a filling recipe from a June 2001 issue of Cooking Light Magazine:
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
To prepare filling, place spinach in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Place over medium heat; cook until spinach wilts. Place the spinach mixture in a colander, pressing until barely moist. Combine the spinach and cheeses in a bowl; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions; sauté for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir the green onions and the next 5 ingredients (green onions through 2 egg whites) into spinach mixture.
It made a substantial amount of filling and the original recipe used phyllo to make 20 teeny bundles. Using the wontons and half of the regular filling amount, I was able to use all of the wrappers and ended up with 48 bundles.
Now, to save myself time, I bundled and stored them in an airtight container the night before. Next time, I will fill them and promptly bake them. The filling was very moist despite the fact that I squeezed the life out of the spinach. I think they would have crisped more while baking if I would have tossed them in the oven right away. They had more of a wet ravioli look to them after sitting, filled, in the fridge over night. They were also a bit stuck together, making placement on the baking sheet rather time consuming.
Every techinique I came across for baking filled wontons (instead of frying them) called for a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When I was perusing my latest issue of Cooking Light, they suggested spraying the wontons with nonstick cooking spray and baking for 4-5 minutes. But that was unfilled and straight from package to oven. So the former suggestion was going to be my best bet.
I probably could have left them in the oven for the full 20, but they browned and crisped on the edges after 15 minutes. The moisuture in the filling caused a bit of puffing in the middle of the wonton from steam release as well.
As an accompaniment to the hummus, I made a small veggie tray of celery, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sweet onions, and sliced cucumbers. One of the guests was also nice enought to swing by South Side 6 in BG before coming over to pick up a couple bags of the best pita chips in Wood and Lucas county.
For dessert, I wanted to keep it light and simple. I didn't really stick with the Mediterranean theme here, because, quite frankly, bakalava, burma, birds nests, and rice pudding are really hard to make. I was going to throw together some sugar free Angelfood Cake with a topping of crushed pineapple, Cool Whip Free, and SF vanilla pudding mix, but all the stores around me were out of the sugar free cake! So when I was pillaging my way through the shelves at my local Giant Eagle, I came across a tart shell shaped pre-made Bavarian Sponge Cake. 1/4 of the cake was only 164 calories, so do the math to serve 10 slices of the cake, and that comes to only 65.6 calories for the cake par per serving. Still a calorie conscious alternative! So I put together the topping I was going to use on the Angelfood cake and just flopped it in the middle of the sponge cake. It was garnished with a fanned whole strawberry.
I'm sorry I don't have any photographs of the 'refreshements' posted this time...I was a bit preoccupied with entertaining the 9 other people in my apartment, haha. But duty calls. Everyone raved about the taste and presentation. That made me feel like there's a ton of great supper clubs in my future.
Coming soon, cookies for a golf tournament!
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Memorial Day Feast!!
Lots of people choose to relax for their Memorial Day weekend. People like Anna & myself choose a different kind of relaxation. Like getting together a bunch of good friends and cooking for ALL OF THEM! You saw the menu in my last post, but here's the thoughts, reviews, and even recipes for our picnic.
Prep began the night before in the Goodwin's kitchen. I arrived @ 6:30 and I think we made it to the store a bit after 7:30. Because it was more cost effective, we decided to get just about all of the produce at Monnette's Market. This way, we could ensure freshness and save ourselves a few dollars in the process. For those of you who don't know about the more recently remodeled Bowling Green, OH Kroger store...its incredible. I lived in BG for 4 years and shopped at said Kroger for the same amount of time. When I walked in, it was a completetly different layout. I felt lost, but was really impressed with it overall. A good fresh salad bar, sushi, and 'Natural' food section. THe two complaints I have overall:
1) Starbucks. come on now. There's one in the student union on campus and directly off exit 64 on Wooster. We don't need one in the grocery store. I love my Italian Roast as much as the next extra bold fanatic, but seriously.
2)The aisles. They run in a way that hinders traffic slow in the store. Just positioned awkwardly.
I'm sure being the self professed foodies Anna and I are, we could have easily spent about 2-3 hours just poking around in the new layout. However, we were on a time schedule and thankfully, with a list. Therefore, we only spent about an hour gathering our menu ingredients. From there, it was decided to make a jaunt down Main Street to South Side Six; quite possibly the BG 'Diamond in the Rough.' Its a teeny party store that sells offbeat beer as well as the normal libation selection. However, the most fantastic thing about it lies behind the cash register. A small food prep area where they make (right when you order) Mediterranean food! Fresh made pita chips, using Soybean oil, oregano, garlic salt, and black pepper...Hummus that's to DIE for...and we think, one of the best falafels we've ever eaten. It was later in the evening though, so it was light salad time. They were gracious enough to make us Fatoush without dressing and lemony smelling Taboulleh. We also picked up three freezer bags full of pita chips and hummus for the picnic while we were at it. Reasonably priced too. I think we may have spent about $80-$90 on food total in BG.
Back to the kitchen in Perrsyburg to eat then get to really cooking for the party.
Pie crusts came first. Using the HG Recipe for Topless Cherry Pie, we processed the Fiber One in a minichopper. Next time, just to save minutes and to get a finer crumb, I think we'll use a larger processor. Mixed the crumbs with lite butter and egg substitute and made two crusts that went into the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. While those were baking and cooling, we decided to get the Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes out of the way. They involved the most amount of prep time and bake time. Being the health conscious folks we are, we decided to use tofu for this recipe instead of oil, water, and eggs. We also made two batches of cupcakes to accomodate the amount of people we were expecting.
I pressed the blocks of Silken Lite Tofu for about 10 minutes, then crumbled them into a large bowl. I then blended in two packages of white cake mix with a hand blender. The only other item added to the batter was about 1/2 cup of water (necessary for a smoother texture for mixing. By pressing, I drained some of the natural moisture out of the tofu). After I reached the consistency I wanted, Anna had finished dicing up 16 oz. of fresh strawberries. We had mulled over the ideas for these Short-Cup-Cakes considering baking full strawberries inside or even a puree center, but we really like the idea of looking at the cupcake itself and seeing little bits of berries all over. They went in at 350 in the oven for about 30 minutes and we had golden topped Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes! That was the perfect time for them to go in at because it baked the cake all the way through and left warm strawberry pockets throughout. A slight browning on top also gave the cupcake the appearance of angelfood cake that had just come out of the oven.
My lovely sous, Anna, was hard at work making the filling for the two pies we were preparing. One Cherry and one Blueberry. Once the filling had set up properly, we left it to cool for @10 min before putting it in the cooled pie crusts that smelled amazing!
That night, all we wanted to get done was complete by about 12:30am.
The next morning, I went straight to the market about 9:30am to buy the rest of the produce we needed for salads, etc. Overall, I spent around $30 on a laundry basket full of fruit and vegetables that probably would have cost us twice as much if we would have purchased it at the regular grocery store. I'm sure the gang at Monnettes is going to miss me when I'm in NYC and not shopping there every Sunday morning. With my basketfull of produce, we got the big cooler packed with the other items we purchased, then headed to BG for the rest of the day.
After some necessary catching up with guests, it was time to get down to business.
We started in on chopping the ingredients for the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.
Just to make things easier on ourselves, we modified the recipes for the salads, etc. slightly. As far as this recipe is concerned, we didn't use the peanuts or cilantro AND in the glaze, no cayenne or cumin, butthanks to a delightful measuring booboo, maximized the cinnamon to 2 tbsp. Overall though, it made for a GREAT smell and taste! We planned for more people than we had as well. We bought for a double recipe of everything, but only ended up using half that. We did notice that cooking this in the oven takes WAY longer than right on the heat of the grill. Roasting in the foil packet has a effect of the texture of the end result. Everything is tender, but still really moist and flavorful. No dry potatoes here! The sweetness of the onion, mango, potato, and red pepper meshed together so well!
Once that was all prepped and in the oven, it was time to dive headfirst into the Texas Cole Slaw.
Again, we bought enough for a double recipe, but this time, used 3/4 of what we had. So a 1.5 recipe yield. The salad part couldn't be easier to prep. Napa cabbage, Granny Smith apples (which is the reason we chose this recipe in the first place. Anna and I LOVE the tartness of the apple and thought it was a brilliant addition to the slaw) shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and red onion. We decided to leave out the mint...probably because we couldn't find any in the store, haha. The true modifications were made in the slaw dressing. No cumin or cayenne and Fat Free Sour Cream. It made a wonderfully light and creamy (didn't think that was possible...but probably because of the citrus) dressing which we were able to use sparingly to just lightly coat everything. A little went a long way, which was a good thing because normally, I avoid cole slaws because of the way the dressings weight down in your stomach. The slaw is bright in color and in flavors and its something I WILL be making again.
Rounding out the sides portion of the feast was the gloriously crispy and tangy South Side 6 pita chips and their house hummus. We also prepped a salad bar with mixed greens, stuffed olives, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and red onion. All these items could also multitask as burger toppings. We always think ahead like that. A giant seedless watermelon was sliced and plated alongside everything. Check the slideshow for photos and let me know if you want individual photos of things for a closer look.
You can also see photos of the dessert table in the above show. Aren't the Short-Cup-Cakes adorable? The frosting was made using a Dannon Light N Fit vanilla yogurt cup, 1 package of sugar-free Strawberry Jell-o mix, and 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip Free. I found that this provides a super light texture and flavor to the 'frosting' while still having a more substantial consistency. We didn't want to do a buttercream or anything like that because Strawberry Shortcake generally uses a whipped cream frosting. Not to say that you can't go all out and use whipping cream and confectioners sugar, haha, this is just our calorie counter friendly recipe. This version held up marvelously in a little bit of heat and piped really well through the pastry tip.
The pies were a hit as well. The Fiber One crust was slighty sweet and chewy. Really like a granola bar-esque feel in your mouth. We only ended up cutting the blueberry pie, which left everyone with purple toothed smiles afterwards. The cherry pie was saved and brought back specifically for Anna's dad to eat.
The standard BBQ meats, i.e. hamburgers (or Anna's dad's special Donnie Burgers) and hotdogs, were unphotographed. For the ovo-lacto-pesca veg crowd, we tossed some portabello mushrooms on there as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boca soy burgers...but there's nothing like the taste of a fire-grilled mushroom cap. With a little of the sweet potato salad on there...C'est Magnifique!
At the end of the night, everyone left with their bellies and hearts full. It never going to cease to amaze me how good food can bring friends together. Toss a bit of alcohol, dice, and a basketball game in there, and it makes for the perfect Memorial Day picnic.
I'd like to thank Anna for brainstorming this WHOLE thing, supplying the ingredients, and being in town for a lil bit. For that weekend, I was HER sous :)
If you want/need any of the recipes or further photographs, just ask. Ms Jones always aims to please.
Next up, the SPA munchies...
Prep began the night before in the Goodwin's kitchen. I arrived @ 6:30 and I think we made it to the store a bit after 7:30. Because it was more cost effective, we decided to get just about all of the produce at Monnette's Market. This way, we could ensure freshness and save ourselves a few dollars in the process. For those of you who don't know about the more recently remodeled Bowling Green, OH Kroger store...its incredible. I lived in BG for 4 years and shopped at said Kroger for the same amount of time. When I walked in, it was a completetly different layout. I felt lost, but was really impressed with it overall. A good fresh salad bar, sushi, and 'Natural' food section. THe two complaints I have overall:
1) Starbucks. come on now. There's one in the student union on campus and directly off exit 64 on Wooster. We don't need one in the grocery store. I love my Italian Roast as much as the next extra bold fanatic, but seriously.
2)The aisles. They run in a way that hinders traffic slow in the store. Just positioned awkwardly.
I'm sure being the self professed foodies Anna and I are, we could have easily spent about 2-3 hours just poking around in the new layout. However, we were on a time schedule and thankfully, with a list. Therefore, we only spent about an hour gathering our menu ingredients. From there, it was decided to make a jaunt down Main Street to South Side Six; quite possibly the BG 'Diamond in the Rough.' Its a teeny party store that sells offbeat beer as well as the normal libation selection. However, the most fantastic thing about it lies behind the cash register. A small food prep area where they make (right when you order) Mediterranean food! Fresh made pita chips, using Soybean oil, oregano, garlic salt, and black pepper...Hummus that's to DIE for...and we think, one of the best falafels we've ever eaten. It was later in the evening though, so it was light salad time. They were gracious enough to make us Fatoush without dressing and lemony smelling Taboulleh. We also picked up three freezer bags full of pita chips and hummus for the picnic while we were at it. Reasonably priced too. I think we may have spent about $80-$90 on food total in BG.
Back to the kitchen in Perrsyburg to eat then get to really cooking for the party.
Pie crusts came first. Using the HG Recipe for Topless Cherry Pie, we processed the Fiber One in a minichopper. Next time, just to save minutes and to get a finer crumb, I think we'll use a larger processor. Mixed the crumbs with lite butter and egg substitute and made two crusts that went into the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. While those were baking and cooling, we decided to get the Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes out of the way. They involved the most amount of prep time and bake time. Being the health conscious folks we are, we decided to use tofu for this recipe instead of oil, water, and eggs. We also made two batches of cupcakes to accomodate the amount of people we were expecting.
I pressed the blocks of Silken Lite Tofu for about 10 minutes, then crumbled them into a large bowl. I then blended in two packages of white cake mix with a hand blender. The only other item added to the batter was about 1/2 cup of water (necessary for a smoother texture for mixing. By pressing, I drained some of the natural moisture out of the tofu). After I reached the consistency I wanted, Anna had finished dicing up 16 oz. of fresh strawberries. We had mulled over the ideas for these Short-Cup-Cakes considering baking full strawberries inside or even a puree center, but we really like the idea of looking at the cupcake itself and seeing little bits of berries all over. They went in at 350 in the oven for about 30 minutes and we had golden topped Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes! That was the perfect time for them to go in at because it baked the cake all the way through and left warm strawberry pockets throughout. A slight browning on top also gave the cupcake the appearance of angelfood cake that had just come out of the oven.
My lovely sous, Anna, was hard at work making the filling for the two pies we were preparing. One Cherry and one Blueberry. Once the filling had set up properly, we left it to cool for @10 min before putting it in the cooled pie crusts that smelled amazing!
That night, all we wanted to get done was complete by about 12:30am.
The next morning, I went straight to the market about 9:30am to buy the rest of the produce we needed for salads, etc. Overall, I spent around $30 on a laundry basket full of fruit and vegetables that probably would have cost us twice as much if we would have purchased it at the regular grocery store. I'm sure the gang at Monnettes is going to miss me when I'm in NYC and not shopping there every Sunday morning. With my basketfull of produce, we got the big cooler packed with the other items we purchased, then headed to BG for the rest of the day.
After some necessary catching up with guests, it was time to get down to business.
We started in on chopping the ingredients for the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.
Just to make things easier on ourselves, we modified the recipes for the salads, etc. slightly. As far as this recipe is concerned, we didn't use the peanuts or cilantro AND in the glaze, no cayenne or cumin, butthanks to a delightful measuring booboo, maximized the cinnamon to 2 tbsp. Overall though, it made for a GREAT smell and taste! We planned for more people than we had as well. We bought for a double recipe of everything, but only ended up using half that. We did notice that cooking this in the oven takes WAY longer than right on the heat of the grill. Roasting in the foil packet has a effect of the texture of the end result. Everything is tender, but still really moist and flavorful. No dry potatoes here! The sweetness of the onion, mango, potato, and red pepper meshed together so well!
Once that was all prepped and in the oven, it was time to dive headfirst into the Texas Cole Slaw.
Again, we bought enough for a double recipe, but this time, used 3/4 of what we had. So a 1.5 recipe yield. The salad part couldn't be easier to prep. Napa cabbage, Granny Smith apples (which is the reason we chose this recipe in the first place. Anna and I LOVE the tartness of the apple and thought it was a brilliant addition to the slaw) shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and red onion. We decided to leave out the mint...probably because we couldn't find any in the store, haha. The true modifications were made in the slaw dressing. No cumin or cayenne and Fat Free Sour Cream. It made a wonderfully light and creamy (didn't think that was possible...but probably because of the citrus) dressing which we were able to use sparingly to just lightly coat everything. A little went a long way, which was a good thing because normally, I avoid cole slaws because of the way the dressings weight down in your stomach. The slaw is bright in color and in flavors and its something I WILL be making again.
Rounding out the sides portion of the feast was the gloriously crispy and tangy South Side 6 pita chips and their house hummus. We also prepped a salad bar with mixed greens, stuffed olives, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and red onion. All these items could also multitask as burger toppings. We always think ahead like that. A giant seedless watermelon was sliced and plated alongside everything. Check the slideshow for photos and let me know if you want individual photos of things for a closer look.
You can also see photos of the dessert table in the above show. Aren't the Short-Cup-Cakes adorable? The frosting was made using a Dannon Light N Fit vanilla yogurt cup, 1 package of sugar-free Strawberry Jell-o mix, and 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip Free. I found that this provides a super light texture and flavor to the 'frosting' while still having a more substantial consistency. We didn't want to do a buttercream or anything like that because Strawberry Shortcake generally uses a whipped cream frosting. Not to say that you can't go all out and use whipping cream and confectioners sugar, haha, this is just our calorie counter friendly recipe. This version held up marvelously in a little bit of heat and piped really well through the pastry tip.
The pies were a hit as well. The Fiber One crust was slighty sweet and chewy. Really like a granola bar-esque feel in your mouth. We only ended up cutting the blueberry pie, which left everyone with purple toothed smiles afterwards. The cherry pie was saved and brought back specifically for Anna's dad to eat.
The standard BBQ meats, i.e. hamburgers (or Anna's dad's special Donnie Burgers) and hotdogs, were unphotographed. For the ovo-lacto-pesca veg crowd, we tossed some portabello mushrooms on there as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boca soy burgers...but there's nothing like the taste of a fire-grilled mushroom cap. With a little of the sweet potato salad on there...C'est Magnifique!
At the end of the night, everyone left with their bellies and hearts full. It never going to cease to amaze me how good food can bring friends together. Toss a bit of alcohol, dice, and a basketball game in there, and it makes for the perfect Memorial Day picnic.
I'd like to thank Anna for brainstorming this WHOLE thing, supplying the ingredients, and being in town for a lil bit. For that weekend, I was HER sous :)
If you want/need any of the recipes or further photographs, just ask. Ms Jones always aims to please.
Next up, the SPA munchies...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
