FOOD FUN!!!

For my 40th birthday my sister, who shares the birthday with me, arranged to have my family meet me at Jungle Jim's for the day because she knows what a Foodie I am. My whole family has an appreciation for good and wholesome food thanks to my mother, so they, like me, were more than happy to explore the world of new and fabulous foods.

And since I'm a sharer, I'm sharing the fun with you!

So, we start with the Dragon Fruit. Looks like a kiwi, doesn't it? It cost $6.00 for this one big guy but I didn't care...I needed to experience the flavor. It claims the flavor of a kiwi/pear combo with a sweet and crunchy texture, but the one I tasted was very mild. Very pleasant, but very mild. It has a very high water content and is high in Vitamin C.

They recommend removing it easily from the skin, cutting it up and placing it back in the skin for serving purposes, which is adorable. If served at a party, it would definitely be the most unique and talked about entree'!

Passion fruit is one of my favorite flavors! The sweet tartness of the seeded syrup makes my toes curl in a happy way. It's a delight that should only be enjoyed when you have the time and presence of mind to indulge and appreciate. Jeni's introduced me once to a passion fruit ice cream that I fell head over heels in love with and then she stopped making it. Beans! :(

Check out the Rambutan....the hairy, hairy Rambutan. Looks like a sea urchin, doesn't it? What's so fascinating about this hairy little ball is the pearl it protects inside.

Just take a knife and gently cut around the middle of the belly and pop off the top to reveal the pearly goodness. It's like a grape without the skin.

As beautiful and elegant as it appears, the taste is not as sweet as the average grape. It's taste is pleasant and mild and absolutely worth the tasting....for the novelty of it, if for nothing else.

When we had our Funky Fruit Tasting Party we could not locate these, so we ate them out of the can.....NOT the same. I was super excited to find these and cut them open. As you can see, they have one almond-sized seed in the center. Don't eat it!

Longans are another fruit at the Funky Fruit Party we couldn't track down at the time, so I was eager to slice these acorn look-a-likes open and reveal the "grape" impostor inside. Again, the everyday grape probably wins for best flavor, but if you happen upon these little nuggets, you must try them!

They have an intriguing looking seed inside them as well. You've got to work for this food, people.

I couldn't resist the Meyer Lemons because I'm a lemon lover! They're just sooooo beautiful!

I bought three chocolate bars and the one below was my FAVORITE!

Vosges is a little pricey, but zoom in on that caramel oozing out and tell me you wouldn't give up six dollars out of your wallet to taste it!

This is what you're looking for.... ♥

These were just a few of the marvelous wonders that we found. Check out a Jungle Jim's near you and enjoy some foodie fun!

Buttery Orange Curd

 You've all read about our tasting parties, right?  Sheri always does such a fantastic job of documenting and photographing them, don't you think?  Oh what fun we have, and what wonderful foods we get to taste!  This past month, I was the host and the theme was CITRUS!  Sheri's love for all things lemon is very well documented, and I love all things citrus too...so I knew this was going to be fun and easy!  Now that I've piqued your interest, let me just assure you that Sheri's write-up of the citrus party will be posted quite soon, I'm sure...and then you too can enjoy!

Soon after we decided that the theme for the next party would be citrus, I was sitting at taekwondo practice watching the kids, when I saw the January issue of Southern Living sitting on the counter in a pile of magazines.  I grabbed it immediately, because it was featuring "the season's brightest citrus recipes".  The angels were smiling upon me at that moment, let me tell ya!  I pulled not one, but two recipes from that issue to throw into the menu for the party, and let me just tell you that both recipes were unbelievable, and yes, we are going to share the both with YOU!!!

When I first saw the recipe for this Buttery Orange Curd, I knew I was going to make it without a doubt!  See, it has become kind of 'thing' at our parties that someone always brings something to share...a favor of sorts.  I was instantly inspired to make it and put it in cute little jars for my guests to take home...a bit of sunshine in a jar!  And it was an added bonus that it was also an ingredient in the other recipe that I tried for the party...which I will share very soon!


Truly, folks...this recipe goes together so quickly and is just so.....buttery.  And orangey.  And yummy.


Try it!  Make some for your friends, or better yet, make some for someone you want to be your friend!!  They'll never be able to resist!  And if you DO make some for your friends, put it in little canning jars and print off these totally cute, totally free printable jar toppers from Wendolonia.  She's super creative, and has lots of cool crafty things on her blog!  Your friends will be so impressed! 


Buttery Orange Curd
by Southern Living

2/3 c. sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/3 c. orange juice

1 large egg, slightly beaten

3 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. orange zest

pinch of salt

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3 qt saucepan. Gradually whisk in orange juice and egg. Bring to a boil and keep it boiling, whisking constantly, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat; whisk in butter, zest and salt. Place heavy-duty plastic wrap directly on curd to prevent a film from forming and chill 8 hours.  Spread on scones, english muffins, or toast...serve on top of sliced strawberries...use it to make some panna cotta or to make the next (secret) recipe we're going to share, or just eat it with a spoon.  Yes, it's that good!

Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Minty Mushroom Ice Cream

The more you expose yourself to new and exciting foods, the more you realize how many seemingly incompatible foods actually compliment one another beautifully. A few examples of this might be cayenne pepper in chocolate, pumpkin puree in lasagna, fresh basil in a lemon cake or mayonnaise in a chocolate cake. At first, you might be hesitant to give these odd couplings a taste, but if you open your mind and give them a chance, you just might discover a brand new flavor sensation.

With that said, we need you to check any reservations you have about mixing mushrooms and ice cream together at the door and open your mind to the possibility. Ironically enough, we did make a joke while making the Italian Stuffed Portabellas about how ice cream and Portabellas should never share space in the same sentence, but we were just setting the stage for this unique and Oh-So fascinating recipe.

We will be using mushrooms, however, we will not be using Portabellas – their flavor is too distinct and we are looking for the more subdued fungi flavor. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how the mushrooms play off the bitter chocolate and how well they infuse with the peppermint and vodka. The best way to describe the unique flavor of this gourmet ice cream is Indescribable!


Minty Mushroom Ice Cream

2 Cups Whipping Cream
1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
3 Cups Sugar
1/2 Pound of White Button Mushrooms – no exceptions
4 Ounces Bittersweet Dark Chocolate, shaved or finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Vodka (Optional, but recommended)
One Teaspoon Peppermint Extract

*****
1/2 Cup White Button Mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Vodka

We know the list of ingredients seem a bit disjointed, but trust us, each one plays an important role in creating the flavor of this gourmet delight. Hang in there with us!

Pour the whipping cream into a chilled bowl and whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add ricotta cheese and continue to mix. Add sugar and do the same. Set aside.

Run mushrooms through a food processor until "shredded." In another bowl, mix those mushrooms, chocolate, peppermint extract, and vodka together –tossing to coat.

Slowly fold mushroom mixture into creamed mixture. Pour into ice cream maker and follow instructions – usually twenty minutes. We highly recommend not eating the ice cream straight from the maker, but rather, pouring into a freezer container and freezing overnight.

While ice cream is setting in the freezer, place 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup vodka over them. Let soak overnight.

When you remove the ice cream from the freezer, scoop into dessert bowls and garnish with shaved chocolate and vodka soaked mushrooms. Enjoy!





April Fooooooools!



NEVER EVER let anyone convince you to put mushrooms of ANY kind and ice cream together in the same bowl– it’s a sin! And as we’ve said before, they shouldn’t even share space in the same sentence! And vodka soaked mushrooms?!?! Really???


We Hope You Get To Make A Fool Out Of Someone Today!
But Beeeeeee NICE!

Magic Mango Cutting Trick

Looks like a beautiful flower, doesn't it? A flowering mango, maybe.

If you remember, our gregarious newcomer to the Tasting Parties, Teri brought us a box full of magnificent mangoes. When she offered them up to us, I was completely excited. When Patty asked if we wanted to see a demonstration on how to cut the mango, I said, "sure!", but was secretly thinking, "How tricky is this process that we need a demonstration?"

Patty even commented that I may want to take pictures to document the "procedure" to share with all of you. At first I agreed, but after the first two steps, it all seemed a little too mundane to be photographing, so I stopped and just observed.

She took us through each step as I politely followed along and I found it to be very helpful because I can tell you that I would have butchered the poor thing had she not demonstrated the proper way to do it, but still I would not had labeled the experience as "WOW!". That is until she revealed the magic trick at the end.

"WOW!"

I was like a little kid at a clown show - grinning from ear to ear - thrilled and amazed at what I had just seen.

She took a plain looking fruit - no offense Mr.Mango - made a few slices with the knife and then Wa-La....Magic!


Now, I want to share that magic with you!



So.... Here is our plain looking Mr. Mango sitting tall side up. We don't want him lying on his side, we want him tall.

Using a large and killer sharp knife (maybe not killer sharp) cut the mango's sides off, getting as close to the seed as you can. If you're really doing it right, you might feel the side of the stone ( the mango has a large seed/stone). If you feel the knife graze the stone, just glide around it and follow through on your cut through the fruit.

Setting the two sides aside, pick up the middle piece and using the knife, peel away the skin - trying your best not the take much of the fruit with you. Then just chip away the fleshy mango from the stone until only the stone is left. In the photo below, you notice the large seed/stone in front, followed by the bites of mango, and then the peel that you'll discard to the compost.

THEN, take one of the sides in your hand, just like below, and score the fruit with your knife, making a crisscross pattern.

Then, use your fingers to push up from the bottom slowly.....

Keep pushing up.....

Wa-La!


The Magic Mango Trick!

Was it as good for you as it was for me?

Let's Make Some Greek Yogurt

Okay.

You could buy greek yogurt, but you can just as easily make it. Why would you want to do that, you ask? Why not? It's easy and it makes itself overnight - like magic!

So, buy yourself a large carton of plain whole milk yogurt or lowfat yogurt. Pour a good two cups into a strainer as it sits atop a bowl. Place in the refrigerator overnight, dream sweet and goofy dreams, and then wake up to magically made Greek Yogurt. You'll be amazed by the thickness and fantastic creaminess of the yogurt and you'll notice all the healthy whey liquid that has collected down below. Do NOT discard that whey - it's seriously healthy stuff and we're going to put it to good and yummy use very soon. That whey contains many of the most important vitamins and nutrients found in yogurt, so pour it into a nice glass container with a lid and respectfully put it back in the fridge for when we make Whey Peachy Pancakes for breakfast- coming soon!

But first, we're going use the Greek Yogurt in a delicious pasta recipe. A variation of this recipe uses sour cream and it is divine, BUT it calls for a whole cup of sour cream, so it better taste good, right? Just for a moment though, reflect on the facts provided by Stoneyfield Farms down below and then we'll continue....

Calories In one cup

Sour Cream 492
Mayonnaise 1540
Whole Milk Yogurt 180
LowFat Yogurt 120

Total Fat in One Cup
Sour Cream 48 grams
Mayonnaise 176 grams
Whole Milk Yogurt 9 grams
LowFat Yogurt 2 Grams

We are NOT opposed to using sour cream, but it's always exciting to consider tasty and healthy alternatives and that's what we're talking about today. Using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a great way to still enjoy fabulous flavor and save some serious calories! Besides the calorie factor, sometimes we like to strain our yogurt before we make our Frozen Lemon Yogurt simply because it makes it a tad richer and creamier.

So, tune in tomorrow for Yogurt and Chive Pasta. It is a simple, easy, quick, and oh-so flavorful pasta that you'll love to make! And then in a couple days, we'll use that priceless whey with it's special tangy flavor to make the best peach pancakes you've ever had!

Prepare to be surprised!

Make Your Own Vanilla

If you're like us, you LOOOOOVE vanilla and appreciate the real thing over the imitation stuff. If you're like us, you're going to be downright giddy to learn that you can make your own real vanilla at home.

First things first, you're going to need to take a quick trip to the store and buy yourself some liquor - vodka that is. We personally chose to use Skyy Vodka for three simple reasons, listed in the order of their importance....

1. We think the blue bottle is really pretty.

2. It's recommended to use a dark bottle when making your own vanilla, so the beautiful blue 'sky' fits that bill perfectly.

3. It's not the cheapest vodka, but it's not super expensive either, so it's a nice middle of the road choice. We don't want to skimp on taste or quality when it comes to making our own vanilla.

Luckily, we've got family that orders from Frontier, so we can get natural and organic vanilla beans for only 85 cents a bean...

Then using a knife, we cut each bean lengthwise - just enough to open it and expose the magic "beans" inside. This releases the vanilla flavor........

Then we drop around eight beans into the bottle...

Can you see them in there?




More importantly, can you smell them?

Ummmm.......


Every week or so, pick up the bottle and give it a shake, shake, shake and in six months you'll be ready to use this vodka as real vanilla. The longer the beans steep, the stronger the vanilla will be. We try to hold out for a whole year because we want monstrous vanilla flavor. Rumor has it that once the year is up, you can take the beans from the bottle and recycle those beans, using them for your next bottle - supposedly the flavor is still there. THAT is some seriously powerful beans! Magic beans!


So, go get yourself some vanilla beans and vodka and make some magic today!

Happy Birthday Jen!

The first time Jen invited me to her house 13 years ago, it was for a Pampered Chef / volleyball party. I went with the intention of playing volleyball, which I did, but when it came time to talk kitchen tools I found myself ‘all ears‘. Of course, if you’ve ever been to one of these parties, you know that they make the food right in front of you and then you get to eat it! What a great party! A friendship was born that day and our shared appreciation of food has grown right along with our friendship.

We took a Tae Kwon Do class together once. Just fifty dollars a month and you could attend as many as four classes a week – what a deal, right? Yeah, we were the only adults in the class and the “Master” let her 13 year-old black belt student with a goofball attitude run the class. He was a clown on a power trip as he barked orders at us like we were his own personal concubines. When it was time to “spar” with us, he used to run around in circles like a girl because he was too afraid to “fight” us head on – black belt, eh?

One day as I drove up for class, everything inside of me was screaming, “I don’t want to go today!” It seemed that once we had received our yellow belts, the learning suddenly stopped, but the wackiness of the class raged on. Before I knew it, I had driven my car across the street and had parked it in an empty lot, waiting for Jen to show up. When she did, I honked my horn to get her attention and waved her over. We both agreed that going to Happy Hour for wings sounded like more fun, so off we went. After a few “classes” like that, Barry spoke up as the voice of reason and said, “If you don’t want to go anymore, then stop paying and stop going.” So we did.

Then it was Broadway shows, concerts, yoga, fake knitting, beading, biking, ocean vacations, you name it. Whenever I had something I wanted to do, she was always on board. And if I didn’t think of it first – and I usually didn’t – Jen was always planning something fun and exciting and new to do.

Jen is a YES girl. She says Yes! to life every day. She lives life with enthusiasm and zest. She loves to have fun, she wants others to have fun, and when she’s around, others DO have fun!

She is a super freak when it comes to comedy. She can watch The Office, The Jerk, and anything Will Ferrell stars in, 97 times and laugh just as hard every time. She can repeat lines from a comedy she has seen just once and I think that’s because comedy just sticks to her bones naturally.

She regularly invites me to dinner at their house by gushing over the fabulous dessert she is making because she thinks that will get me there. That may say more about me than it does about her, but you get the idea...

She would do anything for anybody. Between her and Barry, they are extremely generous with their time and talents when someone is in need.

She is my sanity checker. When I vent to her about my trials of the day, she is always on my side, rooting me on and taking my side no matter what. Having a friend like Jen support you when life is getting you down is what I’m sure God had in mind when he created friendship.

As a mother, she is loving and creative and childlike. Her children always want to be with her because she makes life fun. She IS a fabulous mother!

I am very blessed to have Jen as my friend and I thank God on a regular basis for sending her into my life. Good, strong, and true friendships are rare and priceless and some people never experience them. I consider myself to be a lucky girl!

Did I mention she can cook?


Happy BirthMonth Jen!

Love,
Sheri



Coming Tomorrow... Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Just For Jen!!! (Award-winning) and then NO more sweets for awhile...

Happy Birthday, Sheri!

Hey everybody...it's Sheri's birthday today!!!

You know, Sheri and I have been friends for years...so many years, in fact, that I'm not sure how many! I'm thinking it's somewhere around 12 or so. I've been lucky enough to have some very good friends in my life, but none quite like her. Sheri sometimes feels like an extension of me...do you know what I mean by that? We finish each other's thoughts, come up with the same ideas at the same time, have a lot of the same opinions...and though we always have each other's back, we will still be there to provide a reality check, if needed.

Sheri is probably the most generous, fun, and creative person I know. She paints, cooks, draws, writes, makes her own cards, takes amazing photos, beads, knits...well, you get the idea. There's not much she can't do! She is my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without her. And I'll tell you what...some lucky guy out there better get his butt in gear and find her, because he doesn't know what he's missing!

Happy Birthday Sheri! Wishing you another wonderful year!


COMING SOON...
Sheri's Birthday Dessert from ME!!!!

Loving Leftovers

Remember These?

Roasted Veggie Quesadillas

If you're like us, who just cut up vegetables and more vegetables with no regard for the exact amount the recipe calls for, you too, might end up with lots of leftover roasted vegetables when all the quesadillas have been made and eaten. This is not a bad thing!

Think of all the things you could do with those savory vegetables, besides the obvious choice - Roasted Veggie Quesadillas tomorrow night! But, if you're looking for something different.....

Roasted Veggies in your morning omelet!

You wake up in the morning and you want a quick and healthy breakfast - what DO You DO? You break a few eggs into a bowl, pour a little milk in for fun, sprinkle in a touch of salt, maybe some pepper - don't go spastic - remember, the veggies are already all spiced up. Pour the eggs in the heated skillet and spoon in some roasted vegetables. When it's almost done, choose a cheese, like Parm or Romano and dust the omelet with it. Voila! Loving leftovers at breakfast!

But what if you only eat oatmeal for breakfast? Well, then save the veggers for dinner. Remember the Portabellas you picked up the other day because you were planning on making the Italian Stuffed Portabellas from the March 19th post? Well, instead of using only the red peppers like the recipe "suggests", go crazy and kick up your veggie intake for the day by dropping a spoonful or two in with those peppers - they won't mind. They probably hate being the only vegetable swimming in the cheese anyway.

See! Loving leftovers for dinner too!


Tomorrow.... Gourmet Minty Mushroom Ice Cream!!!!

A Party Moment!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled recipe for Popeye’s favorite meal to bring you this important Party Moment. We realize from the recipes and pictures we have received from you that we may have failed to make ourselves clear about the type of Party in the Pantry pictures we are looking for. We want to see you having FUN in YOUR kitchen.

Yes, we are looking for your favorite “Toot Toot!“ recipes that you wish to share with the us and the world, but just as important as the food we make is the fun we have creating it! We shouldn’t be having one without the other, so send us your best impression of funky fun in your own kitchen today!

As you can see from the lovely photo above, Jen is sharing with us the super special talent she has of balancing a spoon from her nose. She has been known to casually walk about her kitchen amusing Kendall and Noah with this special trick.

Jen teaching Sheri this trick took some practice and the photos of her intense meditation-like concentration and goofy expressions were conveniently deleted. All that remained was this photo capturing her three seconds of success.


We hope these pictures bring about some inspiration in all of you and we promise to share more of our fun in the future. If you have a recipe you would like us to try – whether it’s one of your favorites or just one you are curious about, send it our way using the Contact Info to the left and we’ll see what we can do. Don’t forget the picture!!!