You may remember the gastronomy merit badge we earned last year thanks to the ever-clever Angie Dudley (aka Bakerella). Well, I’m excited to share that the Queen of the Cake Pop has just published her first book revealing “Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats.”
To celebrate and promote the release, Angie created a mini video detailing the basics of creating her cute cake pops and I have to confess, it looks easier than I imagined. So with the school year about to begin and the inevitable call to bring class treats looming large you may want to consider concocting something deliciously cute! [Scroll down for a back to school with Bakerella promo!]
Save 30% when you purchase Cake Pops directly from Chronicle Books. Click on the graphic below and enter COOKS30 during checkout and the discount will automatically be applied.
Lest you become alarmed at seeing the word ‘gastronomy’ above a picture of a groundhog - rest assured, we will not be discussing the finer points of woodchuck barbecue. This coming Tuesday (February 2nd) throngs of people in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania will be waiting with baited breath to see what our friend Phil will do.
It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow.
If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.
If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground
You can read more about this amusing annual tradition on the website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. And learn more about the groundhog (aka woodchuck, marmot, whistle-pig or land beaver) on National Geographic’s groundhog page.
So in honor of Groundhog Day, I’ve put together a little food craft tutorial and it couldn’t be easier. A handful of ingredients are assembled quick enough for even the shortest attention span and what you end up with is a reasonable (and edible) likeness of Punxsutawney Phil poking his head up out of his hole.
Supplies:
bowl, whisk, measuring cup
foil baking cups
cupcake pan
small microwave safe bowl for choco chips
toothpick
Directions:
1. First up, let’s create our groundhogs! Melt a few chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for about 45 seconds. Allow to cool for about a minute - you don’t want the chocolate to be runny, but more the consistency of glue. Dip the narrow ends of two sliced almonds into the chocolate and adhere to the back of a wafer cookie - this forms the ground hog’s ears.
Below is an image of a completed groundhog as seen from behind.
Next, dip the tip of a toothpick into the chocolate and dot onto the front of the wafer cookie to create eyes. Similarly draw a heart or Y shape with the toothpick and chocolate to form the groundhog’s nose. Set your groundhogs on a plate (face up) and refrigerate while you make the pudding.
2. Place empty baking cups into a cupcake pan. I found that foil baking cups were easier to release from the frozen pudding versus paper cups. (To make it even easier to remove the cups from the frozen pops, consider placing an extra wafer cookie flat in the bottom of each cup before pouring in the pudding.) Prepare pudding according to package directions - usually it’s just beating 2 cups of milk and the mix for 2 minutes.
3. Insert each groundhog about one third to one half of the way into a filled pudding cup. Place the tray in your freezer for about two hours until the pudding is solid. And then you’re ready to enjoy - viva Punxsutawney!
Alternate ideas:
*If you want to enhance the look of the “dirt” surrounding your wafer cookie Phil, consider crumbling a chocolate sandwich cookie (like an Oreo, but scraping off the white filling first) over the pudding before freezing.
*Don’t like pudding pops? Insert a groundhog into a chocolate cupcake - works just as well.
*Not into groundhogs? You can just as easily transform your wafer cookie into any number of characters - play around and have fun!
Fun fact! Did you know that the groundhog is the largest member of the squirrel family?
Many of our friends rang in the New Year with the heater turned up high, braving the snow only for brief play dates with Frosty. However, when they came in for hot cocoa he (understandably) was left in the cold with his carrot nose pressed against the window panes.
In a salute to our frozen friend, I scoured the web and share with you a three day buffet of snowman snacks.
I was first introduced to the lovely Clare Crespo through her cook books The Secret Life of Food and Hey there, Cupcake! filled with recipes for food in disguise - cookies dressed up like tarantulas, meatloaf masquerading as a football, and cupcakes pretending to be igloos, peppermint candies and erupting volcanoes.
Well, not one to be confined between the pages of a cookbook ‘Yummy Clare’ has been busy filming YummyFun Kooking. If Pee Wee Herman had a show on the Food Network it might come close to Clare’s crazy culinary adventures. Utterly charming and funny, I’m completely hooked on this kid cooking show filled with songs, puppets and good humor. Three episodes are now available on DVD and would make great gifts. Here’s a sneak preview:
Purchase your copies by poking around the YummyFun online pantry and keep up with Clare on her blog. Even better, consider becoming a member of the YummyFun Kooking Club - subscriptions include a great kitchen starter kit and recipes in the mail every month!
No self-respecting salute to the pumpkin would be complete without a pumpkin pie post.
In our house, this Thanksgiving staple has been concocted according to a recipe in Cotton Country Cooking published by the Junior League of Morgan County, Decatur, Alabama in 1972. I love this quirky cookbook with its (now faded) yellow cover & orange gingham endpapers, endearing side notes and charming back stories provided by the women who created/submitted the recipes.
Pumpkin Pie
3 large 9″ pie shells pr 4 small pie shells
6 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups pumpkin (canned)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 1/2 cups milk
Mix all ingredients in blender or mixer, adding milk last. Pour into unbaked pie shells. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.
Grandmother had to wait until the “frost was on the pumpkin,” so this was saved for Thanksgiving or Christmas fare. Grandmother also had to go to a great deal of trouble to make pumpkin pie. With readily available canned pumpkin, and this simple blender method, however, you can serve it anytime you please, and with a minimum of effort. Still, pumpkin pie does seem most appropriate for the winter months. -Mrs. Fred Sittason, Jr.
The simple blender method is genius and produces a delicious custard-like pie, but Mrs. Sittason might roll her eyes if she knew we sided with Grandmother on the pumpkin issue. True, it’s not as convenient as opening a can but there’s nothing like pie made with fresh pumpkin.
Honestly, cooking your own pumpkin isn’t that hard - just a little time consuming. Chop one medium pumpkin into large (approximately 3″ - 4″) chunks, scraping off the stringy innards and seeds but leaving the rind intact. Boil the pieces in a large stock pot of water until they are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Drain and allow the pumpkin to rest until cool to the touch. The rind will easily pull off at this point, allowing you to puree the pumpkin in a blender, in small batches. You’ll likely end up with more than you need but any excess can be frozen and used later.
I’m crazy for these new Get-Set Placemats by Hello Hanna, with their cute pop-up characters that Junior can customize with the accompanying sticker sheets. Choose from Hello Robot, Hello Me and Hello Jungle. I think these would be brilliant for a birthday party - interactive decorations, what could be better?!
· Each set contains 8 placemats and 8 sticker sheets (4 designs, 2 of each)
· Placemats are printed on heavyweight uncoated paper stock
· Stickers are printed on uncoated resealable sticker stock
· Activity area on placemat backs
· Appropriate for children ages 5+
A collaboration between childhood friends and now long distance business partners (Europe and the Middle East), Ce Que Je Vous is a new line of children’s sleepwear. The name translates from French as “All wish for…” These pieces are so thoughtfully developed - a pirate, a princess, a fairy and a superhero. Each sleep costume comes with character accessories and a bedtime story printed on a hankie. Even the hang tag is considered as it rolls to form a magic wand.
Nothing spells lunch like alphabet soup. Loving this tasty twist on the traditional recipe with the addition of turkey meatballs! While yours simmers play around with the Alphabet Soup Word Generator and write your little love a savory letter.
DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1/2-in. balls. In a nonstick skillet, brown meatballs in small batches over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove from the heat; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in oil for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; saute for 1 minute longer. Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil and thyme; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook for 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat; add meatballs. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tende
Punxsutawney Phil
