Who says you have to eat Cake on your Birthday??

M&M Blondie "cake"

I know this is hard for some to believe, but there ARE people out there who don’t really care for cake…or frosting.  My son happens to be one of those, and really, it’s no tragedy as he eats plenty of other desserts, LOL.  But I just thought it would be good to point out that just because it is someone’s birthday does NOT mean they have to have a cake!  We are so trained to link the 2 together, birthdays with cake, that sometimes we forget there are so many other substitutions out there!  And really, if it’s about celebrating the birthday boy or girl, shouldn’t we be serving them something they will enjoy eating??

So I for one break out of the “birthday cake for all birthday’s” mold at least once a year for my little boy.  In the past he has asked for a scone-cake and cookie-cake (make them really large and round so you can get candles on them), and this year I’m making him a huge M&M blondie cake   Whatever it is you are baking up, simply make it in a round cake pan so you can still get the general shape of a cake, maybe even make a couple layers and sandwich something in-between them!

A couple tips:

• since brownies, blondies, and cookies tend to be heavier/denser then cakes, they can have a little trouble getting out of the pan in one piece.  Make sure you grease the sides well and bake the batter on a circle of greased parchment paper.
• wait until it is completely COOL before trying to remove it.  In fact, I suggest letting it cool on the counter and then refrigerating it for 2-3 hours.  Run a sharp paring knife along the edges and gently tap the pan to loosen the sides.  Since it is on parchment paper, it should come out fairly easily.
• you could also make the scone-cake or cookie-cake right on a cookie sheet.  If it is a cookie, just make sure you choose a batter/recipe that doesn’t spread too thin and you may want to pre-shape it into a fat “patty” and freeze it before baking to help pre-vent it from getting too thin.
• also try whoopie pies, sweet breads (like banana, lemon or blueberry bread),  muffin mixes….the possibilities are endless!

Fresh Popped Parmesan Popcorn-so addictive!

I will be the first to admit, I am usually NOT a popcorn fan, bagged or movie theater. I just don’t get what all the fuss is about, honestly! But each night it seems I pop a bag for the others as we watch a movie or a tv show, and if I have anyI prefer mine with some grated Parmesan cheese So anyways, the other day my daughter was telling me how she had fresh popped popcorn at her friends house and that it was so much better then the microwave bagged kind, and insisted that I try it out. Well, being a little skeptical I sort of poo-poo’ed at it, but while we were at the store yesterday she reminded me of it as we passed the popcorn section. Frankly, a bag of corn kernals is so cheap it wasn’t worth bickering about, so I picked up a bag and I have to admit, at this point I was a *little* curious.

So later on in the evening I decided to give it a try, not the best night to try it as it was hot a humid, but hey, it was worth it! It’s hard to describe really, but fresh popped really IS better…my husband calls it “heart-ier” and I would have to agree. It is still light, but not light as a cloud like the bagged popcorn….there is actually some substance to it. The flavor is also deeper and nuttier, think fire-roasted or grilled corn, vs. plain ol’ boiled corn. It was actually VERY simple to do and the best part is, you can fix it just how you like it!

Just make sure you allow the popcorn to sit for 1-2 minutes before digging in. I think it is better once it’s had a short time to cool, as the texture and “chew” does change a little.

Fresh Popped Parmesan Popcorn-for 2 hungry people:

• 3/4 cup corn kernels
• 2-3 TBLS cooking oil
• 1-2 TBLS butter-melted
• salt to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese OR wedge of cut parmesan cheese (I prefer the wedge myself)

Directions:

• Pour in just enough oil to cover the bottom of a stock pot or soup pot, bring it up to med-high heat.
• Toss in 1-2 kernels to check the oil temp, it should start sizzling right away. When the oil is ready, pour in the kernels, making sure they evening cover the bottom of the pot. Put a lid on the pot and agitate it a little, moving it back and forth to get the kernels moving.
• Allow the popcorn to continue popping with the lid on; once the popping slows down considerably (where there is only about 2-3 pops every second), it is almost done. Turn the heat off and keep the lid on for another 30 second to allow the last of the kernels to finish popping.
• Take the lid off, drizzle a little butter all over and shake in some salt. Mix it around and give it a quick taste, when the salt is right go ahead and add in the desired amount of grated Parmesan cheese.  If you have a block of Parmesan cheese, go ahead and and just the on the wedge along with the popcorn, this is my favorite way!
• Allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes, then dig it!

“Cookie Jar Treats” September NIBBLER Sampler

Bliss Candies September NIBBLER Sampler

It’s that time again, when our monthly Bliss Candies NIBBLER sampler goes on sale! This months theme is “Cookie Jar Treats” and features some of our gourmet cookies as well as our ever-popular Lil’ Chubbies!  There is also our signature cookie (my husbands favorites!), plus some great chewy and soft cookies from our “Classic Favorites” line.

These are only on sale for 1 week and due to ship out on Setember 1st. This sampler would make a GREAT gift for anyone who is a cookie fan! Here is a list of what will be included:
4 Glazed Double Lemon Lil Chubbies
4 Glazed Double Chocolate Lil Chubbies
4 Snickerdoodle Lil Chubbies
4 Oreo Cookies and Cream Lil Chubbies
2 Soft & Chewy Gingersnaps
2 Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
2 Pina Colada & White Chocolate cookies
2 Signature Oatmeal Chocolate Chip with Toffee Cookies
PLUS a few individually wrapped caramels, whatever we are making at that time!

Fried Zucchini & Cheese Sticks Recipe

Fried cheese sticks on the left, fried zucchini stick on the right

We were blessed with some great zucchini’s from a friend of ours this past week, but since it’s not something I normally purchase, it sort of sat in the fridge for a few days. Then I remembered those yummy fried zucchini appetizers that you can get at some restaurants and I figured, how hard can it be?? So I looked up a recipe on recipezaar.com and came up with this one from Uncle Bill, which had lots of great reviews.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly as written, though I do think you need more saltine crumbs then called for. I also did the bowl method instead of the ziploc baggies, and used a pair of metal tongs to handle all of the zucchini pieces. I tried using my fingers, but after the first one I realized that was not going to work so well as the eggs and crumbs really stuck to my fingers a lot! Also, if you don’t want your zucchini to be too mushy, make sure the oil temperature is fairly hot, your strips should start frying/bubbling as soon as you put them in the oil. I find that cutting them about 3/4 of an inch wide and 3/8ths of an inch thick tastes best for us, as we like a lot of “crumb crust” along with our zucchini

I used both olive oil yesterday and canola oil today, both work great! I’m not really into “deep” frying anything, but rather I poured just under a 1/2 inch of oil into a small pot, frying in small batches. I just hate to waste the oil, especially if it’s olive oil as that can get expensive! I made a horseradish mayo to go with these, but my husband likes them with pizza sauce the best.

Oh, and the cheese sticks were totally my daughters idea, as she loves mozzarella sticks! I was a little wary at first, thinking I would have big oozing mess all over, but I gave it a try. Here’s what I’ve learned.

• make sure the cheese is straight from the fridge, nice and cold. It doesn’t have to be mozzarella, I think any firm cheese would well.
• the oil needs to be just a little hotter then what you used for the fried zucchini, as you want these to cook fast. It actually doesn’t take longer then 30 seconds of so for the cheese to get hot, so a quick 30 seconds on each side is what you want to shoot for…maybe even less then that. If you leave them in too long they WILL start to ooze and if the oil is not hot enough they will actually fall apart a bit and stay flimsy.
• since I put in a shallow amount of oil to save a little money, I found that the best measurement to cut my cheese to was 3/4 on an inch wide by 1/4 of an inch thick.
• these disappear FAST, so make quite a few!

So next time you are craving fried cheese or veggies, give this recipe a try instead of going out to eat and save yourself a few bucks! The breading in the recipe would work well for almost anything really, I may try cauliflower and mushrooms next!

Sweet Corn Cake or Spoon Bread recipe

Sweet Corn Cake or Spoon Bread with fresh corn

Tis the season….for fresh corn! Here in MN during the summer months you’ll find fresh corn everywhere, even at corner stands and some of the gas stations! It’s great having a fresh ear of sweet corn either boiled or grilled, with a little butter and salt, YUM! But today I wanted to try something new, like corn bread or corn cake. Then I remembered the great corn cake from Chi-Chi’s, which was usually the highlight of my Mexican meal! Some call this corn cake, other call it spoon bread, I just know that it’s tasty and goes well as a side dish with any Mexican meal or fried chicken!

It is super moist, creamy, sweet, and very dense….almost like a corn cake “pudding” so to speak. Don’t let the name fool you, this is not your traditional “slice and eat” type of cake, it is literally a “spoon” bread because that’s how you have to serve it up, by scooping it out of the pan.

My version is a bit “dummied down” and doesn’t call for too many ingredients (I didn’t have any masa harina or cream on hand), so it’s a great simple dish. Kick it up with some diced green peppers or jalapenos! It’s an adaptation of the Chi Chi Sweet Corn Cake Copycat recipe from recipezaar.com.

** You could also try this with a can of sweetened cream corn, but then I would omit the water and cut down to 2 TBLS of sugar.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter-softened (cutting down on this will give you a more crumbly consistency)
• 1 1/8 cup ground cornmeal (you could also sub in a little white flour or corn flour)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh corn kernels-you could also use canned or frozen (but thaw it first)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and set aside an un-greased 13 x 9 pan and the bottom of a broiler pan.
• Mix the first 3 ingredients really well in a large mixing bowl.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix really well, then pour into the 13 x 9 pan.
• Fill the bottom of the broiler pan about 1/3 of the way full with hot water, then set the 13 x 9 pan right into the water. Cover the 13 x 9 pan with foil and then slide the whole thing into the oven.
• Unfortunately I did not keep track of my baking time, but check it after 30 minutes or so. The original recipe says it may take 50 minutes to an hour but I don’t think mine was in for nearly that long. It is ready when the cake is cooked all the way trough and the top looks completely dry.
• LET STAND FOR 10 MINUTES before eating! This is a very important step, as the flavor needs time to “meld together” while it cools. If you eat it too soon it will taste overly sweet.

Stir-fry part 2, a Cabbage Side Dish

The soy and oyster sauce we use in our house.

While I’m on a stir-fry kick, I decided to post this quick recipe for my stir-fried cabbage, a GREAT side dish for any Asian meal.   I had actually forgotten about this side dish until I was forced to do something with the cabbage staring back at me, begging me to do something with it besides throwing it away.  You could do this for any vegetable honestly, but you will probably have to adjust the ingredient measurements a little, but that’s not a big deal seeing as how I cook….a shake of this, dash of that.  Don’t worry though, stir-fry is a pretty forgiving dish, as long as you start out with just a small amount of the spices/ingredients, adding more in a little at a time until it is just right.

So here it is, the humble cabbage made into a tasty side dish….you could even use cabbage instead of broccoli in my “beef and broccoli” stir-fry recipe that I posted a few days ago.

Stir-Fry Cabbage Side Dish recipe-feeds 4-6:

• 1 Tbls cooking oil
• 4 Cloves of garlic-thinly sliced
• 1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced (shredded)
• 1 Tbls white sugar
• 2 Tbls oyster sauce
• 2 Tbls soy sauce

Directions:

1. Place a wok (or stock pot) over med-high heat with the oil in it.  Once the oil is hot, toss in the garlic and stir it around for 20 seconds or so, don’t let it burn though.
2. Place all of the cabbage and the sugar into the wok and give it a good stir, evenly distributing the garlic and oil into it.  Place a lid over it, turn the heat down to medium, and allow it to cook for a few minutes.  I usually check on it every minute or so, stirring it around a bit each time so it gets evenly cooked.
3. When the cabbage is almost to the consistency you want it at (this is totally up to you, we like it al-dente at times, other times we like it soft), add in the soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix well.  Give it a taste to see if the flavor needs adjusting, serve while hot.

Quick & Easy Cheesy Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes

Where’s the picture you say?? Yeah, we scarfed it all down before I remembered, sorry! Next time, next time…

Mmmm…scalloped potatoes, one of my comfort foos for sure! Well really, almost any potato dish fits that bill, but cheesy potatoes are best! I know that you can make the ones out of the box, but there is just something so much better about homemade ones! Being realistic though, we are in the hottest part of summer and running the oven for an hour or more for the traditional scalloped potatoes dish just isn’t in my families best interest…the house gets hot, the AC has to work extra hard, and I get crabby because it’s getting uncomftable, you get the picture.

So just for kicks I decided to look for a recipe online and see if I could convert it to a stovetop method versus the oven. I did happen to find an easy looking recipe, but was a bit skeptical, as it called for cream of mushroom soup, which is a version I’ve never tried before. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is like my best friend when it comes to cooking, but I had just never tried it with my cheesy potatoes. Well what the heck, I give it a whirl.

These are just fantastic, at least we thought so! Creamy, cheesy, and best of all, super fat to put together with minimal ingredients. So if you are in a pinch for time, and even if you’re not, give these a try and see what you think! The recipe below is an adaption of Scalloped Potatoes, which I found on recipezaar.com.

And of course my usual disclaimer…I cook by sight, not really by measurement, so adjust the ingredients according to your taste buds!

Quick & Easy Creamy Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes-serves 4-6:

• 6 medium red potatoes, sliced about 1/8 of an inch thick
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, enough to cover all of the sliced potatoes. Allow them to cook for just 3-4 minutes, you just want them to be al-dente (still slightly under-cooked). Boil then longer then a few minutes if need, but be careful not to over cook them tooor they will get musy and fall apart once the dish is done.
2. Gently strain the water outr of the pot, put it back on the stove over medium heat and add the cream of mushroom soup and the diced onions. Gently stir this aroun until the soup is heated and evenly distributed over the potato sliced.
3. Add in the sour cream, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Stir gently and give it a taste. If it taste too strongly of mushroom soup add in a little more sour cream. If it needs more cheese, go for it!
4. Also, if it seems TOO thick to your liking, you can thin it down with a little water.
5. Serve while hot and enjoy!

Hello…can you hear me now?!?

Ugh…the only thing worse then someone not being able to hear me (I swear my family suffers from selective hearing) is me not being able to hear AT ALL!  Last week I was unfortunate enough to get some water lodge in my ear canal and all of of a sudden everything sounded muffled….uh-oh.  So in a slight panic I ran for the bag of q-tips to try and dislodge whatever was causing my lack of hearing, no luck.  I was like this for days…half hearing, talking softly (so my hubby says) which made it hard for others to hear ME, and desperately trying the ear drops to get things cleared up.  Still no luck and I sweatr, but day 3 I was one crabby woman.  You just don’t know how bad a slight impairment can really affect your life until you’re living through it!

Ok…so on day 4 my husband decides to look remedies up on the internet, as it was obvious the ear drops were not helping one bit.  What he learned was this:

• Q-tips are the enemy
• blocked ear passages can take days to clear
• warm water works best (or olive oil, but I didn’t try that)

It is so ironic to me that q-tips of all things make things worse, as most people purchase them specifically to make their hearing *better*.   But thinking about it, it does make sense.  I mean, if your ears are plugged, especially with water, shoving a q-tip in there would only make things worse and jam it in further!  so, what do you do??

Well, for some the over the counter ear drops, like Murine, will work decent, however many people feel it is a bit caustic to your ear canal and make it more sensitive.  I can attest to that, as it did make my inner ear more sensitive and tender, though I wouldn’t say to the point of *hurting* or anything.  Others online have said that using olive oil instead of Murine works well to soften up ear wax, though I haven’t tried that personally.  What i did try though was warm water, which actually worked!  Of course it took a few attempts over a period of a day or so, but the nice thing about water is that it won’t harm your ear and it’s FREE.  Simply use a rubber bulb (the ones for flushing out your ears) to suck up some warm water, then fill the plugged ear with it, making sure to lie still for a few minutes to allow it to work.  Drain the ear and repeat a few more times during the day.  After a few applications like this the wax inside should be fairly softened, so you can try flushing it out with the water bulb  at this point.

Now, to be fair I had already used Murine for 3 days, so i’m sure that contributed at least a little to the success of letting me hear again, but honestly I think it was the warm water application that really did the trick.  I had tried flushing my ear out daily while using the Murine and it never helped, or at least it didn’t seem to!

Not your average Smore!

Pecan Turtle Smores

Peanut Butter Fluff and Fudge Brownie Smore

I know I know, there is something to be said about the ooey, gooey goodness of a traditional smore made right over the campfire!  I personally like my marshmallow done all th way through, but not burnt…which means lots of rotating and lots of patience!  However, that campfire smore is sometimes not feasible and  there are times when you want something just a bit fancier, but with the same homespun goodness.  So….enter in the amped up gourmet smores that I created for the shop!   They all have the 3 standard ingredients (graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow) plus a couple extra added in to give each one a special twist.  These were so much fun to make and definitely hit the spot, my husband LOVES the Turtle Smore and the Toffee Almond Crunch, so much so that he actually asked for these in place of his traditional favorite candy (salted almond turtles).  Now that’s saying a lot, as he doesn’t sway easily!

No-fail Chinese Take-Out Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

no-fail Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

As far as Chinese take-out food goes, Beef and Broccoli is right up there with Sweet & Sour Chicken and eggrolls as far as popularity.  In fact, I’ve never been to an “Asian” restaurant (and I use that term loosely) that did not offer it on the menu, and it’s one of my kids favorites!  In actuality stir fry in general is really a simple dish to make and can be re-created at home for a fraction of the cost using whatever veggies and meat you have on hand.  This is the recipe I use at home,  and please…don’t ruin it by having it with “instant” rice!  Sorry, that’s just a no-no for this Asian girl and my husband would scream if he saw it enter the house.  Nowadays all major grocery stores offer jasmine or long grain white rice, so cook up a pot of that instead and really make this a great meal!

Again…my style of cooking is a “shake of this, dash of that” so my measurements may be a little off, just adjust according to your personal taste.  Oh, and the key to this dish is the marinating time, don’t skip it!

Beef & Broccoli recipe-feeds 4 (or 3 really hungry people!):

• 3/4 pound of thinly sliced beef-cheaper cuts (like flank steaks) are fine, as the marinating will soften it up
• 1 1/2 TBLS of good soy sauce (“soy bean sauce” should be the main ingredient, with salt being one of the last!)
• 1 1/2 TBLS of white sugar
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 TBLS cornstarch

• broccoli florets from 2 crowns-cut into large bite-size pieces (I actually use a lot more, we LOVE broccoli!)
• 3 cloves of garlic-thinly sliced
• 1 TBLS of cooking oil
• 3-4 TBLS of oyster sauce (depending on how “saucy” you like it)

Directions:

• Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl, making sure to massage all the spices into the meat really well.  You don’t want to see any of the cornstarch left and the sugar should be dissolved.  Cover and refrigerate for an hour, don’t skip this step!
• Place a wok over medium heat with the cooking oil in it.  Once the oil is hot, add in the sliced garlic and stir it around for 20-30 seconds, don’t let it burn.  Add in the broccoli, give it a good stir, then turn down the heat a little and cover it.  Check on the broccoli every couple of minutes, stirring it around each time to make sure all of the broccoli gets evenly cooked.  Once it is tender-crisp, place the broccoli in a large bowl and set it aside.
• Turn the heat up to med-high and put the beef into the wok.  add a little oil if necessary.  Stir it around continuously until it is cooked to just barely pink.  Add the broccoli back in along with the oyster sauce.  Stir everything around and allow it to cook for another minute or so.  Taste a broccoli floret to see if you need any more soy sauce, sugar, or oyster sauce.  Once it is done take it off the heat so it doesn’t get soggy, seve over hot rice.