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!

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!

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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!

Strawberry Icebox Cheesecake - A Healthier Take

The last several months, I have been trying to find more super-easy, total fake out kind of recipes for meals or desserts.

Pinterest is the PERFECT place to go, of course. And I also wanted some simpler-times type of old school inspired stuff to try. The very June-Cleaver-type of appearance...but with the "I Love Lucy" kind of outcome/spin. That's kind of how I work!

I discovered these old icebox cake recipes. I hadn't had a chance to make any yet, but was so wanting to try at least one! So, I started searching out several.

You know what? So many I found used cookies, pudding/custard, candy...all the makings for guilt-induced feelings from gorging on something SO decadent! And...I've got a weakness for decadent.

What could I do to make this decadent dessert not make me feel so bad for all the hard work I've been doing with getting in shape & running. I don't want to feel like I need to run 10 miles to work off a scoop of dessert, especially when I've barely run 5 miles at once.

We are trying to eat better at our house, anyway. So, I begin to plan what this super easy & relatively good-for-you dessert might actually look like.

Well, here's what I did:

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STRAWBERRY ICEBOX CHEESECAKE

A Healthier Take

Ingredients:

* 1 32 oz. tub of Fat Free Greek Yogurt - Vanilla

* 2 boxes sugar free/fat free cheesecake Jell-O instant pudding mix

* 9 low fat honey graham crackers - halved (to make 18 squares)

* 1 32 oz. tub of frozen sliced strawberries in sugar, thawed (the only bad part of the whole thing)

* 1 8 oz. tub fat free Cool Whip topping, thawed

* several strawberries, rinsed & halved (optional for topping)

Directions:

1.In a large mixing bowl, combine the entire tub of Greek yogurt & both boxes of pudding mix; stir well (it will be VERY thick)

2. Lightly spray a baking or trifle dish, about 8x8, with cooking spray (either butter or vegetable)

3. Line the bottom of the dish with 9 graham squares

4. CAREFULLY use a spoon or spoonula to spread about half of the cheesecake mixture over the top of the graham layer; don't forget this mixture is THICK, so spread carefully

5. Spoon about half of the sliced strawberries in their syrup over the cheesecake layer; try to make it as even as possible

6. Repeat steps 3-5

7. Once all the layers are in the dish, spoon & carefully spread the whipped topping over the top strawberry layer

8. If using fresh strawberries for the top, rinse & cut in half or into quarters & arrange on the whipped topping layer as desired

9. Cover & place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, and probably up to 12 hours; usually it would be in the fridge overnight - just let it all soak & allow the graham crackers to make a soft crust

10. Serve

Yield: about 9-20 (depending on how small you make the pieces)

** NOTE: If you feel the cheesecake mixture is TOO thick to work with, add about half a cup skim milk to help thin it out & still not take away from how good it is for

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See? Pretty, delicious, and you won't feel guilty about having a big piece of this!

And it went over SO well!! A total win!

It's also given me inspiration to try another like this. When I make it, I promise to share!

ENJOY!

Fish Schlop (Ship-Schlop)

One of these days, I want to make a simple Irish stew, Fish Coddle. If you've ever seen pictures of it, it's beautiful! But it's supposed to be super messy to eat as you use whatever seafood you have around...and it tends to include oysters, mussels, lobster claws, crab legs, etc. Yes, a lot of shell fish. And it's served up WITH the shells!

I don't have shell fish just laying around like that. And I'm not going to pay that much more to stock up on crab, lobster & oysters to make it. Not right now, anyway.

I still love Dublin Coddle (click for my recipes I've done HERE), but we had some frozen fish that I wanted to use. We are trying to pick up eating seafood a bit more habitually, so I wondered how this would turn out.

This would also be awesome for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), too (like what I've done before HERE)! So would the Fish Coddle, but if "...nobody ain't got money for that," maybe give this a try! I used the Fish Coddle as a base (HERE), and here's what I did:

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FISH SCHLOP

(SHIP-SCHLOP)

Ingredients:

1 carton vegetable or seafood stock/broth
1 big splash lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
2 medium carrots, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 small potato (russet, sweet, etc.)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper (black or white)
Seasonings of choice (parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, chives, etc.)
1/4 pound-ish of shell-less seafood: fillets, shelled shrimp, shelled crab meat, etc.


Directions:

* pour contents of the broth/stock carton into a large saucepan

* add in the lemon juice, salt, pepper & seasonings, bring mixture to a boil

* add in carrots, celery & onion to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender

* During the last 5 minutes, add in the seafood & allow to cook thru...but do NOT over cook! 5 minutes is about as long as you need.

* Top with a sprinkling of parsley flakes/leaves & serve with bread of choice

Yield: 4-6

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Super easy to make, especially if you want to use up that little bit of frozen seafood you have in your freezer. It's really light, and good for you! Did I mention the nourishment? Well, you get that, too!

Great for a lunch on a cool day, for sure. I sure liked it!

ENJOY!

Easy-Parm Cheesy 15-Minute (or less) Meal

We had just come back home from a long weekend out of town the afternoon beforehand. We hadn't been to the store yet. There was nothing for dinner. Oh yeah...we were short on time as it was getting fairly late. Plus, my hubby had a meeting to be at that evening. Time was short & of the essence!

I decided I would head to the store & figure out something I might be able to do quickly. Pasta is a pretty good dinner to fit that, and the kiddos are all OK with that meal, too. So, I went shopping.

Since we try to save money, too...I headed to our local Walmart. *sigh* You know what? They were out of several things we would usually have with our bi-weekly pasta dinner. Figures. I'd already picked up many of the items, so I didn't want to put everything else back. We would use it eventually. So, even in my exhausted, welcome-back-to-reality state of mind, I had to think quickly of what I could get that I could throw together & make sure the whole family had SOMETHING! And the brain wheels began to turn...

Knorr's has started touting using their side products as main dishes. Just a few additions, badda-bing, badda-boom, badda-dinner! We have Knorr's Sides often enough & really like them! Plus...they are only $1.00 per package at Walmart. So, I stuck with the pasta idea & got the Parmesan version of the side. And then I built up a speedy quick meal that was pretty, delicious, pretty delicious, and FAST!

Here's what I did:

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EASY-PARM CHEESY 15-MINUTE (or less) MEAL

(from start to finish)

Ingredients:

~ 2 pkg Knorr's Pasta Sides: Parmesan
~ 1 pkg smoked sausage, sliced (we used turkey with a non-pork eater)
~ 1-2 red bell pepper, rinsed, deseeded & thinly sliced *
~ 1 bag green beans (to be steamed, so we got pre-packaged for time)
~ 1 loaf Italian bread from the bakery


Directions:

Read directions on the package of Knorr's; since using more than one package, use slightly less of water & milk asked for (I used 3 packages, so I tried to adjust as such)

Slice the sausage, into about 1/2 inch slices, and slice the bell pepper into strips

When placing the liquid in the large pot to begin boiling, keep an eye on it while preparing other to fix the other ingredients

Start heating a large skillet on the stove & place a table spoon of olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray to coat

Turn your oven on the high setting of broil, and * place your bell pepper strips in one layer on a lightly sprayed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with sea salt (or table salt if you don't have sea salt)

Prepare to get your green bean bag into the microwave

By now, your liquid should be boiling, your skillet should be good & hot, and your oven should be ready...

Open your Knorr's envelops & empty them into the boiling liquid, stir and let sit, but make sure to stir once in a while so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot

Place the sausage slices into the skillet for a couple of minutes. Turn them once in a while being careful not to burn them.

Put the baking sheet of bell peppers into the oven to roast for just a few minutes; turn on the oven light to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get too dark...but you want them deliciously tender

Start your microwave & steam those green beans for about 7 minutes


OK...everything is good & going now! The pasta, sausage, peppers & green beans have all been started about the same time!

Take these 7-ish minutes to slice your bread to the thickness you desire. Unless you bought pre-sliced. If that's the case, it's one less step!

After about 5 minutes, your pasta may be good & tender (check to make sure); remove from the heat, give a quick stir & allow to set for a couple of minutes.

When the green beans are done (you'll know with the microwave probably telling you), you can turn off the heat to the skillet & pull out the bell pepper strips from the oven.

Guess what? BOOM! Dinner is DONE! The meal is ready to serve: Plate it up with a few sausage on the pasta (or you can mix them together), get some peppers & green beans on that plate, and then add a slice of bread. Bing-Bang-Beautiful!

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It seems like a lot going on up there, but prep time probably only takes 5 minutes & you can have everything else done & served up in the next 10 minutes! You may not even need the whole 15 minutes! I even made a gallon of stove-brewed tea in that time, too!

And, it's not horrible for you, either.

It smelled great, it tasted great & there were hardly any leftovers! I think it was a winner-winner-pasta dinner!!

I'm now excited to play with some more of Knorr's sides to see what I can make for another speedy-quick dinner!

Game On!

ENJOY!

Hot Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies

There's not a lot of back story to these cookies...

I was browsing Pintrest & found a lot of recipes for Cool Whip Cookies. Most of them were strawberry or lemon, but several said you could use any flavor.

As I got looking at what I had in the pantry to use...this is what I did:

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HOT CHOCOLATE COOL WHIP COOKIES

Ingredients:

~ 1 box hot chocolate cake mix (or a light chocolate flavor)
~ 1 8 oz. container Cool Whip (or whipped topping)
~ 1 egg
~ powdered sugar

~ optional 1/2 cup dehydrated mini marshmallows if using light chocolate cake mix



Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

* in a mixing bowl, pour in the cake mix, , the marshmallows (if using), the whipped topping & the egg; mix all together very well

* in a separate bowl (I suggest one with a lid), pour in some powdered sugar

* with a spoon, scoop out about a 1 to 1 & half inch blob of batter & place it in the powdered sugar bowl; cover the batter blob with the powdered sugar

* on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, place each powdered blob on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart

* place in the oven for about 10-12 minutes (original recipe I used called for 8-10...but 12 worked great for these)

* when time is up, pull the cookies out & allow to rest for about 5 minutes then may CAREFULLY move to cooling rack for a few more minutes; COOKIES WILL BE VERY SOFT



Yield: about 2 dozen

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If you eat them while they are warm...they are SO good!! If you eat them later...they are SO good!

These will probably be the easiest cookies you will ever make! They are soft, light & delicious!

The cake mix I used was a hot chocolate cake mix that already had the marshmallows in it. If you use a light chocolate flavored mix & don't want the marshmallows, then that is fine.

I tested these with strawberry & white chocolate chips. Since it was my first time to mess with the recipe, I made the blobs too big, I was apparently out of powdered sugar & used granulated sugar to coat the cookies with, and I used the 8-10 minute time frame. The cookies came out falling apart, big & piecey...but they tasted like a strawberry milkshake! My hubby couldn't get enough of them! But he said the white chocolate chips weren't needed...I liked 'em, but whatever...

Now the hot chocolate ones have a bit of chocolate milkshake kind of taste when cooled down, too.

Oh! And now that the powdered sugar is in the storable container...you can use it for the other flavors you might want to make...

Now, I may be addicted to making these in all kinds of flavors...I want to try lemon lavender soon...

...did I mention they are very soft?

ENJOY!