Fake-Out Kraut

You have have that moment when you are closing in on dinnertime, then realize you forgot to go pick up that one thing the store was out of when you initially went? Ever had that moment when you're trying to compensate for it, or at least work on something comparable?

Yeah. That happened to me. Probably more often that it should happen, but this was one of those times...

We were planning on having bratwurst for dinner. One of the the things we fix up with with our brats is kraut. Most have sauerkraut, but we enjoy a nice sweet kraut. However, when we did our weekly run to the store, the store was out of our sweet kraut! The horror!! So I'd planned on heading back to the store to pick some up...but just never got back out. Oops!

As I began to prep for dinner & making sure we had everything, it hit me we had no kraut. D'oh!
What was one to do? My hubby seriously wants his kraut with his brats!

Well, it hit me: I had some ingredients I needed to use that could work for some kraut! YAY!

I didn't use very much of the coleslaw mix I had gotten for the IRISH BACON & BEANS STEW the other night, and wasn't sure what I was going to make with the rest of the slaw mix. Could I make coleslaw. Sure. Could I save it for more toppings of something like tacos? Of course. But they are so predictable. But I might have to go ahead & resort to it.

But...
Kraut is tangy, fermented cabbage! Shredded cabbage!! I have shredded cabbage right now!!!

I did some research to see if I could make some quick kraut without having to take weeks & months to ferment it. I did find a couple of recipes to help me out. Whew! And I just happen to have some of the extra ingredients, too! YAY!

So I faked some kraut for our brats.

Here's what I did:

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FAKE-OUT KRAUT

Ingredients:

* 4 C coleslaw mix
* 1/4 C water
* 1/2 C apple cider
* 2 T white wine vinegar
* 3 T balsamic vinegar
* 1 T white vinegar
* 1 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
* 1 small sweet onion, diced OR 1/2 C dried minced onion
* 1 1/2 T brown sugar (if you want sweeter kraut)
* 1/2 T granulated sugar (if you want sweeter kraut)
* 1/2 T salt (kosher or sea - I used sea salt since it's my fave to use)
* 1 T caraway seed (optional)


Directions:

~ In a medium saucepan, add the oil & allow to heat on medium high heat for a moment, then add the onion

~ If using onion, allow to cook thru until beginning to be translucent; if using dried minced onion, allow cook for just a moment as it reconstitutes a bit

~ Add in the water, cider, vinegars, salt and sugars (if using); bring to a boil

~ Lower the heat on the burner, then add in the coleslaw mix, about a handful at a time, with the caraway seed (if using) & stir to coat the cabbage

~ Allow to simmer on the lowered heat for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally & then flattening the mixture down, with the back of your cooking utensil, to be more compact to resemble the pressing down during actual fermentation

~ The size of the cabbage will reduce by half, and if it appears to be drying out, keep adding a little more moisture to it: water or cider & a dash of vinegar (of choice)

~ Once it's reduced by half & looking like kraut, remove from the heat & get ready to serve


Yield: approximately 2 Cups - servings depend on how you use it

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It wasn't too bad & worked in a major pinch! Plus, the carrot & mixed cabbage made it a beautiful topping.

Grilled bratwurst on whole wheat bun, topped with
sweet pickle relish, fake-out kraut, honey mustard & shredded cheese

You can also use apple cider vinegar, too. If you want a richer color of this kraut, or if it's the only thing you have on hand, red wine vinegar could work, too.

So if you are needing kraut, but don't have weeks to ferment your own & want to make some on your own to hurry things along, here you go!

It would sure give a different option for your next Oktoberfest, or anytime, really! Amm-i-rite?

ENJOY!

Irish Bacon & Bean Stew (with Barley & Beer)

I'm really on my Irish kick lately. It's not often I'm not around this time. Why? Not only because I have a lot of Irish in my blood, but it's because I continue to research & get inspired by Irish fare to make traditional dishes (as authentically as I can) or to create an Irish spin on a meal that could be served in the Emerald Isle.

Pardon me, another moment, while my Irish continues to show thru... (my list of Irish & Irish-like fare, HERE)

I was thinking about some Irish dishes, like Colcannon (find my recipe in this post HERE), but with a healthier spin (hope to have a recipe for that when I've tried it), and then I got thinking about the greens used in it, and what could be substituted.
That led me to thinking about the greens I use in my NEW YEAR'S HAM & BEANS (a twist my usual LAZY COOKER HAM & BEANS).
What if I did an Irish spin on ham & beans??

Something to think about is the fact that Irish bacon is actually more of a cured piece of ham, much like Canadian bacon. So a great substitute is cured pork belly. I also found that Navy Beans are pretty typical in that part of the world. I could totally do a ham & beans stew, lazy cooker Irish style!
(I'm also including a stove top "hot pot" style, too.)

Here's what I did:

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IRISH BACON & BEAN STEW

with Barley & Beer

Ingredients:

* 2-3 lb cured pork belly, trimmed or pork shoulder
* 1 lb bag dried navy beans
* 1-2 can(s) navy beans, drained & rinsed
* 1 lb potatoes, lightly scrubbed & diced
* 32 oz chicken stock/broth (you can use pork, beef or vegetable stock/broth, too)
* 1- 2 12 oz bottles/cans Irish stout/ale,can or bottle (I used a bottle of Boulevard Irish Ale)
* 1 C apple cider
* 1 C pearl barley
* 2 T honey (local or Irish honey - I used Irish honey with Jameson whiskey)
* 1 handful coleslaw mix (with carrots)
* 1 sweet onion, diced
* 2 C turnip greens or curly kale, shredded or torn into small pieces
* 1 medium to large parsnip, scrubbed & diced
* 2 medium to large carrots, scrubbed & diced
* 1/2 C brown sugar
* 2-4 bouillon cubes (I used chicken, but you can use beef or pork)
* 1 T liquid smoke (optional)
* seasonings: ground pepper, thyme, caraway seeds, marjoram, parsley, dried chives
* 2 bay leaves


Directions - Lazy Cooker:

~ Soak dry beans in beer & water (or all beer), about 1 inch over the beans, for about 8 hours in a tightly covered container; or soak overnight in water 1 inch above the beans in refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid
     ** If using all beer from 2 containers of the beer, use the reserve of the 2nd container in the stew

~ Once beans are soaked, spray the insert of your lazy cooker with cooking spray

~ Drain & rinse the beans; sort thru them to make sure there are no pebbles; if you find any, discard the pebbles

~ Add the rinsed beans to the lazy cooker insert

~ Take your trimmed pork belly, then add to the lazy cooker (I had some leftover cedar plank smoked ham I augmented with the pork belly)

~ Add in the barley and all of the root vegetables

~ Add in all the seasonings, bouillon cubes, brown sugar, honey, and liquid smoke (if using)

~ Pour in all of the liquids over the beans, pork belly/ham, barley & veggies

~ Place the 2 bay leaves on top of the mixture

~ Close the lid of the lazy cooker

~ Depending on how long you have, either set the lazy cooker to low for 6-8 hours OR set on high for 4 hours

~ Open can(s) of navy beans; drain & rinse

~ After the first round of cooking times, open the lazy cooker lid, remove the bay leaves, add the rinsed canned navy beans, stir, breaking up the pork, then add the bay leaves back & cook on low for 4 more hours OR on high for 2 hours

~ In the last 45 minutes to 1 hour of cooking, open the lid of the lazy cooker, remove & discard the bay leaves, add in the leafy green pieces & coleslaw mix, stir, and close the lid until done

~ After the cooking is done, give one more great big stir & get ready to ladle into bowls

~ Garnish with a little bit o'parsley, and eat it up



Directions - Stovetop:

~ Soak dry beans in beer & water (or all beer), about 1 inch over the beans, for about 8 hours in a tightly covered container; or soak overnight in water 1 inch above the beans in refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid
     ** If using all beer from 2 containers of the beer, use the reserve of the 2nd container in the stew

~ Once beans are soaked, spray the inside of a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot with cooking spray

~ Drain & rinse the beans; sort thru them to make sure there are no pebbles; if you find any, discard the pebbles

~ Add the rinsed beans to the Dutch oven or stock pot

~ Take your trimmed pork belly & add to the pot (I had some leftover cedar plank smoked ham I augmented with the pork belly)

~ Add in the diced onion

~ Add in the barley

~ Add in all the seasonings, brown sugar, honey, and liquid smoke (if using)

~ Pour in all of the liquids over the beans, pork belly/ham, barley, onions & seasonings

~ Turn up the heat on the burner, and bring the stew to a boil

~ Once boiling, turn down to low to begin simmering, and place the 2 bay leaves on top of the mixture

~ Put the lid of the pot (hopefully it has one) onto the pot to cook, at a simmer, for about 2 hours

~ After 1 hour of cooking, remove the bay leaves & set aside, then add in the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips; place the bay leaves back on top, and put the lid back onto the pot, slightly askew, and continue simmering for another hour

~ Open can(s) of navy beans; drain & rinse

~ In the last 30 minutes of cooking, open the lid, remove & discard the bay leaves, add in the canned beans, coleslaw mix and leafy green pieces, stir, and close the lid until done

~ After the cooking is done, give one more great big stir, making sure the pork is broken into pieces & get ready to ladle into bowls

~ Garnish with a little bit o'parsley, and eat it up

Tip: You can use hulled barley, just soak it overnight, like the dried beans, and add it in

Yield: approximately 8

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This is a dish that would work so well for St. Patrick's Day! So much more Irish in this inspired dish than Corned Beef & Cabbage could ever dream of being.
(I saw it put that Corned Beef & Cabbage is as Irish as spaghetti meatballs, and as American as apple pie. Stew on that. <<< Yep. I just said that.) And no worries about the stew being served to the kiddos. The alcohol of the beer gets cooked off in the process.

I usually serve up my ham & beans with cornbread (as it should be), but with this dish being Irish-inspired, I highly recommend a beautifully traditional and super simple Irish Soda Bread (which only has 4 ingredients), like my lazy cooker version, HERE.

OK...I cheated a little. That's shredded carrot in there. Just because I had it.
And I forgot the canned beans because I was distracted. Still really good!

This is a perfect dish for a cold night or for when you need to feed a slightly larger crowd. And a fabulous comfort food!

Sláinte! 
(That's an Irish toast to "Good Health"!)

ENJOY!

Irish Creme Tea Latte'

As I continue to research recipes & cultures, I'm always excited to find something new to try...even a tweak to something...and something quick, too.

Stay with me, if you will...

This one is much like the TINGLING LEPRECHAUN I just recently shared, but this time, it's tea. It's Irish-inspired! It's delicious! And it's a shortcut...like I do.


So I found a flavor combo that is perfect for St. Patrick's Day, or anytime, really. Like most of my afternoons, lately.

Here's what I did:

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IRISH CREME TEA LATTE'

Ingredients:

* 1 T honey (preferably local) or agave
* 1 t ground cardamom
* Irish Creme creamer (I used Bailey's, of course, but International Delight is good, too)
* Milk
* 1-4 Irish Breakfast tea bags, depending how strong you want the tea (I used Barry's brand)
* 1 t vanilla extract (optional)


Directions:

~ in a large mug, add in the honey, cardamom, and the vanilla (if using)

~ fill the mug about 1/4 of the way up with the Irish Creme creamer

~ fill the rest of the mug up with the milk, *maybe leaving about a half inch at the top

~ heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes on high

~ once the milk/cream drink is super hot, add in the tea bag(s) in to the milk to steep for about 3-5 minutes

~ when time is up, remove the tea bag(s), carefully squeeze the access liquid back into the drink, and discard the tea bag(s)

~ stir the tea really well

~ relax & sip the deliciousness


Yield: 1

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*Note: If you have a milk-frother, take a few seconds to use it in the latte'. Seriously. That's why I left a little room at the top of the mug. If you don't want or need to froth your latte', just fill the mug to the top with the milk.

After being frothed; a delicious & fluffy tea latte'

If you want to froth your latte', but don't have a milk-frother, and want to have the frothy foam on the latte', here's a bit of a tweak you can try if you have a mason jar:
Proceed with the first 2 steps, but then only fill the mug with milk until the whole mug is only half full. Heat up the mug in the microwave for about 1 to 1 & a half minutes. Begin to steep the tea, and then try this SPEEDY FROTHING METHOD! Plus, it will probably give you enough to fix two of these delightful drinks to share with a friend.

The flavors mixed all together are delicious!! And will make you want to be in the Emerald Isle while enjoying your newfound tea! You should enjoy it with a delightful slice of APPLE IRISH CREAM CAKE! Trust me. You're welcome!

ENJOY!

Tingling Leprechaun

I love my coffee.

Yes, it's my vice. And it's ugly when/if I don't get it.

I do whatever I can to include my coffee in celebrations, too. Because I will have it! So I may as well include it into whatever holiday celebration. Amm-i-rite?

Around Cinco de Mayo & Dia de los Muertos, I will make my SPICY MEXI-MOCHA.
Much along the same lines, I have been making an Irish-inspired coffee for quite a while now. I thought I'd shared it here already, but then realized I had not! So I will do it now!

I've been enjoying this coffee drink both hot & cold. And I usually have it about once a week, and increases in consumption as St. Paddy's nears.

I, personally, am not a fan of the over-cheesy, "if it's green, it must be Irish," kind of thinking. Even though I love me a Shamrock Shake, I am not big on green mint stuff being used for St. Patrick's Day, either. Why? Because it's not authentic! However, I make a slight exception in this case. Why? Well...there's always cocktails & other drinks created with the most fun names...some even with a purpose! I created this drink (a coffee one) in 2008 while having a lot of time & resources on my hands at a stress-free job I had gotten. I went to the kitchen & grabbed my coffee, Irish Creme hot chocolate mix & found a chocolate-mint starburst hard candy in the candy dish, on my desk...so, I mixed them together. It seemed like it would taste pretty good...and it did! So much so, I played & tweaked to create this drink I still have about once a week, to this day!

Here's what I do:

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TINGLING LEPRECHAUN

Ingredients:

* 1 C freshly brewed coffee (non-flavored...just a delightful blend of your choice)
* 2 T chocolate syrup
* 4 T Irish Creme creamer
* 1 1/2 T chocolate/mint creamer
   (like International Delight York-flavor or Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha -
     I prefer I.D.'s Peppermint Chocolate Truffle,
     but theirs disappointingly seasonal at Christmas)
* milk or half & half creamer
* ice - if making the iced version
* whipped topping (optional)

Directions for Hot:

~ brew the coffee

~ in a large mug, add in the chocolate syrup and flavored creamers

~ when the coffee is brewed, pour in the hot coffee into the mug

~ fill the rest of the mug up with the milk (I will use chocolate milk sometimes) or half & half

~ stir it all up, adding the whipped topping (if using)

~ begin to sip the deliciousness

Directions for Iced:

~ brew the coffee

~ in a tall glass, add in the chocolate syrup and flavored creamers

~ add in ice to fill about 1/4 of the glass

~ once the coffee is brewed, pour coffee into the glass & stir (ice will melt)

~ fill the glass almost to the top with the milk (I will use chocolate milk sometimes) or half & half

~ stir the coffee drink well

~ carefully add in some more ice until coffee reaches top of the glass

~ add the whipped topping (if using) and a straw

~ begin to drink the deliciousness

Tip: Use chilled coffee so it won't melt the ice nearly as quickly!

Yield: 1

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As a note: you can adjust these amounts of ingredients depending on your own tastes. Cut down on creamers & add more coffee, if you'd like. Or just add a splash of coffee & enjoy the the other flavors. I'm not there to judge.

On Sunday mornings, we are rushing around getting ready for church. I will make the iced version in a BIG travel cup (using about 3 times the amounts here...cuz...coffee...and chocolate), and then I will use a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast, in the chocolate flavor, instead of the chocolate syrup. Then it's my breakfast mocha! YUM!!

My usual Sunday morning Tingling Leprechaun iced breakfast mocha

Also, feel free to try regular Bailey's Irish Creme instead of just the creamer (and maybe a bit of coffee liqueur) for an Irish coffee kick! It's the perfect name for a cocktail, anyway!

Then you can go on with your day, like on St. Paddy's, where you are set & ready to take in the events of St. Patrick's Day, or even your own Irish fare (several recipes HERE)!

*CHEERS*

ENJOY!

Mimosa Hurricane

It's Carnival time, folks!

I love when Mardi Gras comes, and we end up enjoying things like Dirty Rice, Red Beans & Rice, Shrimp Boils, Red Beans & Dirty Rice...
You get the idea.

To celebrate, I figured out how to fix up another Carnival/Mardi Gras staple: King Cake! (cheater recipe HERE)

I made it last year, too, along with a staple drink: Hurricanes!

Now then, since we were celebrating with the kiddos, and it was a Tuesday night, I decided to make them mocktails instead of cocktails. And they were delicious!

But it got me thinking about something...

Since my King Cake (or Carnival Cake if you don't have the baby...at least that's what I'm calling it) is a glorified cinnamon roll that I've enjoyed for breakfast the next day...and a Hurricane has orange juice in it...
Hmmm...
Mimosas are served at breakfast/brunch time, and they contain orange juice in them...

So...why not make the Hurricane into a Mimosa to enjoy with your King/Carnival Cake in the morning, with a small tweak?? Switch out the rum for Champagne!

Here's what I did:

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MIMOSA HURRICANE

Ingredients:

* 1/4 C orange juice
* 1/4 C pineapple juice
* 1 T lemon juice
* 1 T lime juice
* 1/2 - 1 T white sugar
* 1/2 C Champagne/white sparkling wine
* crushed ice
* splash grenedine
* garnish: orange slice/wedge, lime slice/wedge, maraschino cherry, pineapple chunks, etc.

Or look at it this way, in proportion to your glass:
* 1/4 of your glass crushed ice
* 1/2 of your glass, over ice, with Champagne/sparkling wine
* 1/2 of your glass, over ice, with juices & sugar
* splash of grenedine


Directions:

~ In a Hurricane glass, add in some crushed ice

~ Top the crushed iced by pouring the juices, sugar, and Champagne/sparkling wine over the ice; stir together to combine

~ When time to serve, add the splash of grenadine; add garnish of choice (super fun to add a little umbrella & a big bendy or crazy straw, too!)

~ Consume with a slice or two of King/Carnival Cake


Yield: 1 serving


Notes:
+ Make a mocktail version by using a sparkling white grape juice or sparkling cider in place of the Champagne/sparkling wine

+ If you want to make a bigger batch of this, multiply by the number you want to serve for, heat the lemon & lime juices with the sugar in a sauce pan to make into a syrup, then add it with the orange & pineapple juices to a large pitcher or bowl; stir. Add in the juice to the glass (pour or ladle), halfway up, then fill the rest of the glass with the Champagne/sparkling wine. Top it with the splash of grenadine & garnish.

Tip: Don't have grenadine on hand? If you're using maraschino cherries for garnish, splash a bit of the syrup from the jar into your mimosa instead!

**********

While you're at it, fry up some andouille sausage to go along with your NOLA-style breakfast! Yum!

And if you had a great time with your meal the night before, imagine how delicious your breakfast/brunch is going to be in the morning!

Perfect for guests staying the night or for a girls'-get-together for brunch!

I mean...coffee is always great with it in the morning, too...but maybe have coffee with one piece of leftover King/Carnival Cake, and a Hurricane Mimosa with the other! (if there's any cake left...)

Cheers & Laissez les bon temps rouler!

ENJOY!

Respectable King Cake

Happy Carnaval!

It's just a few days past 12th Night (aka - 3 Kings Day/Epiphany), and it is now carnaval time in the NOLA (New Orleans, LA) area, leading up to Mardi Gras!

Parades happen all throughout, and many, many festivities!

As the hoopla is getting going, so is the desire for Cajun dishes.

Our family celebrates Mardi Gras (now), even though we've never been to the NOLA area during this time. My hubby has been there for some mission work to help with some cleanup from Hurricane Katrina, but that's the extent of it.

One of these days, I would love to go! I have an online friend that lives there & keeps me up-to-date. I want to go meet her, too. In the meantime, I recreate what I can, here in the midwest.

We usually make Dirty Rice around this time. I've made my own, but we tend to be convenient & use either Zatarain's or Knorr's. I add our own ground beef, sausage, bell peppers & celery when I make it.
Last year, we switched it up! We did a divided shrimp boil with potatoes, corn & sausage. YUM!! I also used Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice to accompany it. Sometimes we use Knorr's version of it, too.

I've also made some versions of a Hurricane mocktail. I even bought short hurricane vases to use as glasses to serve it up in! I just need to track down what I actually did for it. That's for another time.

I also added another Carnaval/Mardi Gras staple to the celebration last year. I finally faked a King Cake!! I say "faked" since I needed a shortcut to get the same type of result. I was trying to find which recipe I basically used from last year, but couldn't find it, or even very few others, due to links being gone/broken or now having a virus or spam attached to the link. Bummer. So, I remember the basis & was ready to do a test run as I attempt to make it a few times during this year's Carnaval as it leads up to Mardi Gras! I also research & try to do my best to recreate something as authentic or authentic-like as possible...even in short-cut mode...yet still respectable.

(check out some of my past Mardi Gras celebrations HERE)

Here's what I did:

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RESPECTABLE KING CAKE

Ingredients:

* 3 Cinnamon roll cans, with cream cheese icing (set aside)
* 2-3 T butter, melted
* 1/4 C brown sugar (not packed)
* 2-3 T ground cinnamon
* 1 T lemon juice or 1/2 tsp lemon extract
* sanding or decorating sugars in purple, green & gold/yellow (the darker colored, the better)
* 1 tiny plastic baby (without the King baby, it's only "cake")


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or what your canned cinnamon roll packaging tells you

2. On a flat, clean, then floured surface, open the cans of cinnamon rolls, setting the icing packets aside for later, and use hands to squish it all together to create a lightly-kneaded cinnamon roll dough ball; I unrolled them all, first, then squished them together

3. With a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough ball so it makes one large rectangle-like shape, about 20-22" long; be careful not to make it too thin, maybe a quarter-inch to haf-inch thick

4. In a microwave-safe dish or bowl, melt the butter for just a few seconds; 20-30 seconds should probably do the trick

5. When the butter is melted, with a spoon or basting brush, "paint" the butter over the top side of the flattened cinnamon roll dough

6. Once the surface of the dough is covered in melted butter, sprinkle the surface with the brown sugar & ground cinnamon (you may not use all of it, but even sweeter if you do)

7. After the dough is covered with butter & brown sugar, begin tight-rolling the dough back up; start from one of the long sides & roll to the other - keep tucking & rolling (it may take some time depending on how long your dough is rolled out to be), until you have the dough rolled into a log

8. Take a bundt pan (or fluted pan) & spray it with cooking spray (I love using the one with flour already in it)

9. Carefully take your cinnamon roll dough log & snake it into the bundt pan, pinching the ends together, when it makes a full circle, to close it as best as you can; make sure the "seam" of the roll is facing upward in the pan

10. Place the pan with the cinnamon roll cake circle into the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until golden brown (check to make sure it's baked thru - not to "squishy")

11. While the cake bakes, take the packets of cream cheese icing & combine them together into a small bowl or directly into a small storage baggie

12. Add the lemon juice/extract (I used lemon juice) into the cream cheese icing, then mix it together (if it's in a small baggie, close the baggie & "mix" it by squeezing & "pinching" the mixture); set aside, best in the fridge until ready to use

13. Once the cake is done baking, remove from inside the oven & allow to cool IN THE PAN for about 10 minutes

14. After the cake is fairly cooled, take the tiny plastic baby & insert it SOMEWHERE in the cake

15. On a round plate or platter large enough for the cake, invert the cake pan onto the plate so the cake exits the pan & onto the plate/platter

16. When the cake is cool enough that icing won't melt when added to it, drizzle/spread the lemon-ized cream cheese icing over the top of the King cake (now there's the baby in it); if you are using a storage baggie with the mixture, cut a hole in one of the bottom corners of the baggie & squeeze the icing over the top of the King cake; let it "drip" down the sides, then use a little rubber spatula or small knife to even out the covering, if need be, depending on how thick the icing is

17. While the icing is still "wet", begin to sprinkle the sugars in alternating colors in a stripe pattern to adhere to the icing

18. Allow icing glaze to set & harden; about 30 minutes to an hour

19. Slice CAREFULLY (there's a baby in there!) & serve

No baby...just layers of sweet deliciousness...

See? There's a baby in there!

Yield: up to 18 (depending how small you cut the pieces)

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The pics, above, are from my early test-run. After I went thru all the steps I need to so I could remember what the heck I'd done before, I now know what I need to do differently the next time around. I will update this post when I have pics of the updated product. Use the ingredients I have listed!! It's what I will use next time around...
This time, I didn't use enough cinnamon rolls to make the cake a bit thicker & fuller, and maybe baking it a minute or so longer than I did this time.

My NOLA friend was kind enough to send me a couple of King babies to use in future cakes (yes, the one in the pic, above, is one of them). And, after I was worried how my King Cake looked last year, she saw the pics & said it looked like King Cake to her! WHEW! I do try really hard to get culture as authentic as I possibly can...within my skill set & resources.

(By the way, King Cake is also delicious the next morning for breakfast with your coffee. It's pretty much a beautifully decorated cinnamon roll. BOOM! You're welcome.)

Also, when you serve the cake in slices, whoever ends up with the baby usually gets a special prize or holds the next get-together...something. And they can keep the baby to use in their making of King Cake!

Someone is getting da baby...

Looks like it was my hubby who got da baby! Guess I need to figure something special. LOL!

Also, a little history in some of what's going on with the King Cake/Carnaval/King Cake colors...

Purple - Justice

Green - Faith

Gold - Power

On a semi-different, but totally the same, note, there were 3 gifts given by the magi to Baby Jesus, celebrated on Three Kings Day/12th Night (aka - the 12th day of Christmas), which is January 6th. Even though the Bible states 3 gifts given, it's often depicted as 3 wise men, one to bring each gift...even though it's never stated how many magi showed up. It's plural...so there were at least 2, but not sure how many for sure.

Some have pointed out that the colors of Mardi Gras/Carnaval also seem to represent the gifts:

Gold - gold

Green - frankincense

Purple - myrrh 

And they were on their journey to find Baby Jesus (aka - King Baby), which actually took them 1-2 years after Jesus was born. Interesting fact! Right?

Oh! You need to remember...the cake without the baby is just "cake"! Maybe a Carnaval Cake?? Can we make that a thing that sticks in case you don't have the baby but want to make the cake? You'd still respect the cake. Amm-i-rite?

See? An easy-peasy recipe AND we learned a little something! You're welcome.

Hope you enjoy it & make it a few times between now (or beginning January 6th) thru Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!
(That's French for "Let the good times roll!")

ENJOY!

**********

UPDATE:

I finally got around to doing a cake with the right amounts of stuff & a couple of tweaks.

Isn't it beautiful? Yeah it is!

I have figured out that I should bake this for about 25 minutes in MY oven. I still say start checking at 20, and keep it in, if needed, for around 30 minutes. Each oven is a bit different. You want golden brown & not super squishy. I slightly over baked this one by leaving it in for the full 30 minutes without checking. Hey...I was multitasking...and just forgot. Thank God for the timer!

Also, when I prepared the icing glaze, I also added some extra powdered sugar to insure it was less runny. I added about a quarter of a cup & squished it in with the cream cheese icing & lemon juice. It worked like a charm! A perfect dripping without running. And it gave a beautiful canvas for the colors.

I decided to make the colors pop a bit more with one of my favorite decorating tools: spray color.

Yes. When my kiddos want me to bake a cake that I have to cover in a color, I turn to this Wilton product to just spray...and it gives a fun, airbrushed, artistic look to it. Just watch where you use them, wear an apron for protection, and spray. They are aerosol cans, so it will have particles floating...so just make sure you watch where it goes. I love them. And I just happen to have colors I needed for the cake!

So, with the thicker white icing with the colors sprayed was already awesome looking...but you know I was adding the colored sugar, too! And I wound up with a bold color cake! So happy with it!!

But I'm going to make a confession about this update, I didn't put the baby in it. So it's what I consider "Carnaval Cake". It looks like King Cake...but it doesn't have the baby.

And even with it being slightly over-baked (it was NOT burned), this turned out fabulously! I cannot wait to do it again & I am now satisfied with my cake, whether it be Kinged or just Carnival.

Hope you enjoy trying this, too! BOOM!

New Year's Day Dishes

So it's a New Year. You've been told you need to eat things like:
          Black Eyed Peas/Beans
          Pork
          Greens
          Circles

Amm-i-rite?

Now you've got those kiddos (or adults) who scrunch up their nose at you at the very thought. Right? We've all got 'em.

I enjoy making a one-dish-covers-all kind meal. And you can put those extra things in there without being full on detected. Much like the NEW YEAR'S HAM & BEANS I make. Seriously, there are some who wouldn't eat black eyed peas or kale (like I used last year), but when I put them in the ham & beans, those same people went back for seconds!

Happened this year, too. So glad! A newbie to my ham & beans said they were pleasantly surprised by the vegetable addition. And I added in extra dark red kidney beans as well as using collard greens instead of kale. Still so good...

You know, if you don't want to do ham & beans, I know some who will put these things into a chili! You can add bacon bits to the chili to cover the pork, too!

OK, I'm going to admit something to you. Until the beginning part of last year, I'd never heard of a thing called Hoppin' John. Seriously. Have you? Since it apparently involves rice, I thought of it as another option for those who don't want full-on ham & beans!

So I began to research. You know what I found out? Americans can sure screw things up! I found a lot of "traditional" Hoppin' John recipes out there, but as I dug further, I discovered it's not actually spicy & doesn't have a bunch of extra ingredients! It's also not supposed to be mushy. It's just simply supposed to be bacon (or ham or sausage) in beans & rice, cooked together, adding each ingredient at a different time. The only seasoning is maybe a little salt & some pepper. It's should be served with a side of collard greens, but since I'm a one-dish-covers-it kind of gal (remember?), I thought I'd add in some of the collard greens with the Hoppin' John.

Also, you can have small red peas/cowpeas that are basically red black-eyed peas! BOOM! Now they are interesting to look at, too.

Dried small red peas/cowpeas...see the black eyes??

Since I have a non-pork eater, I thought I'd add in some liquid smoke, butter, and then some turkey bacon bits. No, it's not pork, but we still worked in the bean & greens thing. So, there's that. And? My daughter LOVED it!! I asked her if I should add in some of the extra veggies & spices others have done, and she said no! She loved the comforting taste & feel of the dish. YAY! This is coming from a girl who doesn't even like beans...but she had several bowls of it! YAY!

Simple, non-pork Hoppin' John

I also had an idea! I had a wonderful, "awful" idea! Stay with me...

Since we have already been trying to eat better around here, and with the running my hubby & I have been doing, I really wanted a dessert that we could really enjoy, yet not feel horrible about! Many of the after-workout protein bars are already like a candy bar, so how could I give an awesome protein follow-up punch to a good run? BROWNIES! Right?

If you know me, you know I will celebrate about ANY holiday to the hilt! It's food, attire, activities, color schemes...everything. With the new year ringing in within hours, I was planning how this year could be different than last year.

Last year I became fully aware of the "Color of the Year," put out by Pantone (go figure), for the defining color of the new year...even with the definition!
Our family began a new tradition, last year, of starting the new year with a casual get-together with great, positive people while enjoying edible new year's traditions together. It was delightfully uplifting! I also decided to use the 2014 color of the year, Radiant Orchid, to decorate a tree with for display. We took down our other trees, but I left up a little tinsel tree adorned with purples, pinks, fuchsias...all in the Radiant Orchid color palette. It was a lot of fun to have up. So, we decided to renew the tradition for 2015!

The Color of the Year, from Pantone, is Marsala! Yes, like the wine. A deep, robust & earthy red-brown. It's very lovely. So I decided to focus on the color for this year's gathering. I left up a small tree to decorate in a lovely deep red with golds & greens, feathers & sparkle. It's rather elegant.

Along the same color lines, I decided to find more for the edible portion of the holiday. Much like those red black-eyed peas being a perfect fit! I'm also added those dark red kidney beans to the ham & beans, along with the Hoppin' John, of course, for the same reason. So why stop there? Why not with the brownies, too??

For the first time, this past year, I heard about bean brownies. Yes...the brownies where you add a can of black beans (or cannellini beans, etc.) to a brownie mix, or homemade brownie batter, for a fiber-filled, protein-filled yummalicious treat! Or so I've heard...
Well, I decided I would make a protein-packed, fiber-filled red velvet cake brownies!!

How can you go wrong with ingredients like these?



Here's what I did...

**********

RED VELVET PROTEIN BROWNIES

Ingredients:

* 1/2 lb. dried small red peas/cowpeas, soaked, drained & rinsed
* 1 can dark red kidney beans, NOT drained
* 1 C red quinoa
* 5 C water
* 1/2 C plain non-fat Greek yogurt (vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt for sweeter taste)
* 1 box red velvet cake mix
* 1 pkg fudge brownie mix
* 1 bag chocolate chips (dark best, but any will work) OR 1 bag peanut butter chips; divided
* 1/4 C natural creamy peanut butter (if not using peanut butter chips)

** Used a food processor and standing mixer for this recipe


Directions:

~ Soak dry beans in water, placed in the fridge, for about 8 hours

~ Remove beans from fridge, drain & rinse (check for pebbles)

~ Place drained & rinsed beans in a medium saucepan, then cover with 5 C water


~ Bring water in saucepan to a boil, then lower burner to low & cover with lid (kept tilted) and allow to simmer until beans are tender (abut 1 1/2-2 hours)

~ In the las 30 minutes of the beans cooking, add in the quinoa (you can rinse if you'd like, first - I didn't)

~ Once beans are cooked thru & the quinoa has expanded, take off the burner to cool for several minutes (may have standing water...which is OK)

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

~ When the bean & quinoa mixture has cooled significantly, transfer to the bowl of your food processor

~ Open the can of dark red kidney beans, and add all contents into the food processor

~ Turn on the food processor (I used the chop setting) until mixture is a creamy consistency

~ Stop the process, open the food processor, then add the Greek yogurt

~ Close lid & start the food processor back up to incorporate the yogurt into the mixture

~ When all the beans, quinoa & yogurt are creamed together, stop the food processor

~ Put the contents of the cake mix & brownie mix into the bowl of the standing mixer

~ Transfer the bean mixture into the standing mixer bowl

~ Incorporate the mixes, chips & bean mixture on low in the standing mixer

~ Add in about 1/2-2/3 of the chocolate chip (or peanut butter chip) bag to the batter slowly

~ While it all mixes, spray a 9"x13" cake pan with cooking spray or lay down parchment paper

~ Once all the ingredients are good & mixed, pour it into the prepared cake pan - it will be thick! You will probably want to spread it with a rubber spatula.

~ Place the filled cake pan into the oven for about 25 minutes, until cake brownies are firm to the touch (may do the toothpick/knife test, but it may not come out completely clean)

~ While the brownies bake, melt the remaining chocolate chips with the peanut butter (or just the peanut butter chips); I put the remaining chips from the bag into a small bowl with the peanut butter, then put the bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled half-way with water, then placed in the microwave for 2 minutes - when done, I took out the bowl with the chocolate & peanut butter, then stirred them until completely incorporated & smooth (you may use a stovetop method if you so choose)

~ When the brownies are done, take out of the oven & allow to cool for about 10 minutes

~ Once the brownies are cooled enough to touch without burning yourself, carefully cut it up into smaller squares (I cut mine into 24 brownies)

~ Either with a spoon for drizzling, or placing the chocolate/peanut butter mixture into a small plastic storage bag with a tiny hole cut on the corner, begin to drizzle the mixture over the cut brownies

~ Allow to set for about 1 hour while the drizzle harden

~ Serve or keep covered with foil


** Perfect to grab with a glass of chocolate milk after your next workout

Yield: about 24 servings

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When I tried them, I had a partial bag of chocolate chips that I used for the topping. I didn't have any to put IN the brownies. Also, I used the plain non-fat Greek yogurt...I want to try the vanilla. Without the chocolate chips & extra vanilla flavoring, these are a rich consistency, but are not sweet at all! So if you are not big on sweets, and still want a treat for after your long run, well...here you go!

Either way...they are rich & have a great moist texture!

So, with a new year setting in, and if you have a resolution to begin getting in shape, or if you are looking forward to staying in shape, consider these to have as guilt-free muscle rebuilding! It's also a beautiful color that coincides with the 2015 color of the year!! YUM!! Plus, the beans, quinoa, Greek yogurt & peanut butter will give you a power-protein-punch!! BOOM!

Now have a happy & blessed new year!

Oh, and do me a favor and NOT tell my kiddos they were enjoying beans & quinoa for dessert! OK? Thanks...

ENJOY!