Mmm Mmm Mojos

Mojo potatoes. A great appetizer before pizza.  Remember Shakey's...well here's a recipe to recreate mojo potatoes.  Recipe as I found it and then, per usual, I'll let you know the modifications as we go along! :)

6 russet potatoes  (I used large red potatoes)
canola oil
2 eggs (I used one egg)
4 cups flour (umm, really? 1 cup for me)
seasoning salt
1/2 tsp cayenne (eeeks no way! how about chili powder - it's red)
2 tsp thyme (don't have any so let's use garlic herb mix)
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp melted butter

Just looking at those ingredients I say Whoooa Doggie to the 4 cups of flour.  Four?  That seems just a wee bit excessive.  I used 2 large red potatoes and used only one egg and 1 cup of flour and ended up with beyond plenty left over of both the egg and breading mixes.  Even if you are double battering 4 cups seems excessive.  As for the seasonings I used what I have and what I thought would be good.  Chili powder actually brings a nice flavor to potatoes so opted for that, besides the fact that I don't have cayenne in this house - eeks!) But, you do as you will do.

If you are ready to proceed:
1. Place egg in bowl and beat adding milk and melted butter. (don't melt your butter and then add your cold ingredients or your butter will set - your objective is a mix not butter lumps otherwise you might not take the time to melt the butter, silly)

2. New bowl - mix flour and spices (I don't have cayenne or thyme so I dumped in some garlic herb seasoning and chili powder - guessing with my one cup of flour I probably used 1 tsp chili and 1/2 tsp garlic herb - basically I mixed until I was happy that it seemed there were actual spices in the flour so I'm not real clear on the amount actually used). 

3. Heat your oil

4. Cut each potato into rounds (cut lengthwise so you have tall pieces) - 1/4 inch thickness works.

5. Potatoes into egg and then into flour

6. Drop into hot oil (personally I like to gently place into hot oil - but if you feel like risking hot oil splattering your face - go for the drop - totally your call... I'll stand back).

7. Let them brown and cook.  (When you think they are probably brown enough - leave them for a little bit longer - the goal is to have the potatoes totally soft and feel like mashed potatoes inside your mouth. Leave it.  Leave it.  Leeeeaaave it....)

8. Drain and season with salt (I used a mix of salt and garlic salt)

9. Serve quick while they are steaming hot.  Go ahead and pile some Parmesan on that plate too.

Oh my goodness!  Give yourself some room because you'll be doing a happy dance!

Peeps Sunflower Cake

Mom will be so disappointed but this is using prepackaged everything.  But, it's just too cool to complain about.  Too bad you're on a diet and avoiding sugar...cuz this is gonna be tasty!  Almost too cute to eat....almost. =)

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18 1/4 oz) yellow cake mix
• 1 16 oz can of dark chocolate frosting (you may want more depending on how much you love frosting - original recipe called for 2 cans but 1 can worked perfectly for me)
• 19 yellow chick Peeps
• semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Prepare and bake cake according to package.  Using the two 9inch round baking pans.  Cool for about 10 minutes and remove from pans to wire rack to completely cool.
• Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
• Without separating Peeps and curving them slightly to fit, arrange chicks around the edge of the cake for sunflower petals.  For sunflower seeds, arrange chocolate chips in concentric circles in center of cake.

Note: once you place the Peeps you've placed the Peeps!  Same goes for the chocolate chips - if you pull them up because you decided it would look better if you did that - forgetaboutit! - you'll rip up the frosting and you're Peeps won't stick now.  Decide. Place. Live with it!!! =)

Final note: if you don't like Peeps - I do. I do! Give them to me!

Have fun & ENJOY!!!

Chicken Chinese Salad

Cold salad - but super yummy.  Has been modified from the original to my liking as follows:

Your shopping list will include:
cider vinegar (white works too)
sugar
canola oil
low sodium soy sauce
ramen noodle package (minus the flavor pack)
broccoli slaw
green onions

If you are adding chicken (can be made without and is still super good) and you are going to fry some chicken - do so while you are making the sauce as both need to cool before adding to the veggies.  Other options are to make breaded chicken pieces, or prepackaged chicken. I am partial to the Tyson Honey BBQ or frying some boneless skinless chicken breasts and adding some honey and BBQ sauce to it while frying.

1/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c canola oil
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

I usually add just under these amounts as the original recipe calls for two ramen packages and I only use one - and the ramen soaks up these ingredients.  Your choice.  Play with it and you'll understand what I mean.

Combine all of these ingredients in small sauce pan and bring to boil until sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool.

Thinly slice your 2-3-4 green onions.

Take out your aggressions and frustrations on the ramen noodle package - jeez not that much! - crunch it all up into crumbled and small pieces.  Open the package and dump into a large bowl - removing the flavor pack.  Add your green onions to the bowl.  Dump in a package of broccoli slaw (you may want to cut these up a bit to make it not so long and therefore more eatable pieces).  Add your cooled chicken and the cooled sauce.  Combine thoroughly. 

I usually can't wait so I eat some now but ideally I put the remainder in the fridge and let it marinate overnight. 

It won't last long!  Only share with those you really love!

Veggie Pizza

VEGGIE PIZZA

This is one of those foods I love but always thought must be super hard to make because noone ever makes it except for special occasions.   It's so NOT that difficult.  I don't think it's all that expensive.  I mean it's loaded with fresh veggies and that's somewhat expensive but it's fresh veggies...can you really put a price on your health?  And I HATE HATE HATE crunchy carrots - I only like carrots if they are mushy.  Fresh carrots get the big ole Eeeewwww factor...yet somehow on this I like um.  I'm very complex dont'cha know!  I've modified already so I'll give you my recipe.

Two 8oz crescent rolls
One 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup dill dip
1/3 cup mayo
3 cups toppings of your choice
1 cup (4oz) cheese of your choice

Bake unrolled crescent rolls.  Cool on rack.

Blend cream cheese, dill dip, and mayo.  Spread over cooled crust.  Sprinkle toppings then cheese.  Cut into squares and try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting!

My toppings of choice are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (which I bought in a prepackaged bag all mixed up), and radish.  Cheese for me was swiss and chedder.

It's GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cocoa powder

2 oz red food coloring

2 1/2 cup cake flour 

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In mixing bowl, cream together butter, eggs, and sugar.  Mix together cocoa powder and food coloring.  Add this to butter mix.  Alternately add cake flour and buttermilk.  (If you don't have cake flour put 2 Tbsp corn starch in 1 cup measuring cup and fill remainder of cup with all purpose flour; if you don't have buttermilk add a tsp or so of lemon juice to 1 cup liquid measuring cup and add milk to make 1 cup - let sit briefly).  Add vanilla.  Fold in baking soda and vinegar.  Pour into two well greased cake pans (or cupcake tins of your choosing).  Bake around 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.  Invert cakes from pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Two 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cup powdered sugar

1tsp vanilla

Saving a small amount for artistic flair.  Frost top of one cake.  Plop other cake on top and frost top and sides.  Take a small amount out and add 3-4 drops of red food coloring to make a nice pink shade.  Put this colored frosting in cake decorating tube and make cute little hearts or just let your artistic talent take you away and put blobs on.

Last time I didn't think I had quite enough frosting so I doubled the recipe and now I have too much.  Perhaps somewhere in between next time. But, alas I love red velvet cake and wonder about adding beets next time instead of food coloring.  Hmmmm, intrigued I guess I'll just have to make more red velvet cake...I mean I have frosting.  What's a girl to do?  If only there were someone to share it with....

Wine-Up

Time for a super simple yummy drink recipe

I go to a restaurant in Milwaukee with family members and love one of their drinks.  It's simply red sangria.  Well it's wine so I went to the store over the holidays and found fruity red sangria wine.  Awesome, right?  Yeah, not so much.  It was cheap wine and it was ok but it certainly wasn't the red sangria at the restaurant.  Come to find out their red sangria has all sorts of other ingredients that makes it so yummy good.  Hmmm, who knew?  So, now I still have this leftover bottle of red wine and I hate to throw money away but I really don't like it and I don't want to just hang onto it until it turns to vinegar (although I'm intrigued by that process....)  Went to a bar in town called Fat Jacks, was it called Fat Jacks???  Fat something or Jack something or something Fat or something Jack.  Anyhow the atmosphere was really nice but the drinks SUCKED!  I wanted a bloody mary.  It was the worst bloody mary in the history of bloody marys!  My aunt doesn't drink but decided she'd like a wine cooler.  Well they didn't have wine coolers so they made this drink for her and she hated it!  I took a sip and I really liked it and traded her the icky bloody mary for the icky wine cooler.  Now I can make my own!

Fruity red sangria cheap wine (chilled)
7up (chilled)

Chill both your wine and can of 7up.  Fill super big wine glass with can of 7up.  Fill remaining space in super big wine glass with fruity red sangria cheap wine.  Viola!  Drink up.  Jeepers this is good!

Banana Nut Cake

Banana Nut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The easiest way to have this and have it be super yummy is to ask my mom to make it for you!  Yum!

Assuming you don't have that option:

2 1/3 cup flour

1 2/3 cup sugar

3-4 large very ripe bananas, mashed

2/3 cup butter (in sticks this equals about 11 Tbsp = 1 full stick plus 3 lines from the next stick)

2/3 cup walnuts or pecans

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round pans.  In large bowl beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.  Once well combined, beat on high for 3 minutes.  Pour into pans.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool about 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cooling rack.  Cool completely (about an hour).

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

In medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.  Mix in vanilla.  Gradually stir in powdered sugar.  Add more sugar if you want it to be thicker...mine came out a little runny but set up nicely in the fridge.

Frost top of one cake.  Plop other cake on top of frosting and frost top and sides of whole contraption.  You may need to make another batch of frosting depending on how well you like your cream cheese frosting!  I recommend chilling for a beat to set frosting.  I found it was better on day two after an overnight in the fridge. 
But, Mom's was way better!