School’s out for Summer (In Alice Cooper’s voice)! So I am pulling out a fun recipe using seasonal fruit and the Hogson’s mills gluten free muffin mix. This month’s Degustabox has been very fun for me. The products we have tried so far are; Sir Kensington’s Ketchup, i made a batch of my Jojo recipe and served this ketchup as their dipping partner. I would describe this ketchup as classy…..it’s a less sweet, more tomato richness, more refined. I used some of the Brianna’s cilantro dressing to garnish fish tacos, the lime added a nice element of acid. The Julian’s recipe waffle thins were good,I received the Meyer lemon quinoa, I liked them plain, but they would be really good with vanilla and lavender ice cream. The Entenmanns’s mini apple snack pies were a hit with the kids, a little sweet for me but the apple filling was really good and full of real apples so they are a step up from the hostess variety I grew up eating. I’m really into the Brooklyn Organics Ginger cola its a great mixer with whiskey and it has no calories or artificial stuff, it is sweetened with Stevia! I think I have a plan for the Korean bbq sauce I received and plan on blogging that idea as well..so stay tuned!
Things have been a bit busy with the end of school, work stuff, personal things, and just being me with my odd “Larry David” interactions. I have had a full load of things lately. As I get older and time goes faster my ability to tolerate anyone who isn’t willing to be real is zero, I appreciate internet love, we all do, but if I know you in real life, and we got history….but when it comes to actually showing up and you can’t fit it in…then I don’t need your “thumbs up” on facebook….that would be my advice for everyone out there…don’t forget that your time is the biggest gift you can give, and if others won’t give you theirs, put you off, make excuses, break off plans with short notice,they aren’t really your friend regardless of what they broadcast on the internet…as tough as it is…you gotta move ahead, and for those who think your instagram/facebook following is more important than those folks that have been there for you in the flesh…I feel sad for you. At some point you realize that aside from some “likes” the real folks are the ones you should’ve appreciated….cuz when shit gets real (and it always does at some point)it ain’t gonna be your “followers” who will be there. Being real means being honest (FYI: honest is not a full make up photo shoot with all your best angles, looking as casual as you can trying to portray your #reallife with a humble brag explanation) we are all human, we are flawed, but I will no longer let anyone make me feel like their time is more important than mine because it isn’t…and if they feel that way…then you have to realize maybe they weren’t ever really a friend, they just needed you for something. Quality, not quantity. Adulting can really suck sometimes, but the clarity from it helps you utilize your precious time a bit more wisely.
Recipe time:
You will need:
1 box of Hodgson Mill Gluten free muffin mix
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 Cup milk
1 1/2 Cup fruit filling, I made strawberry filling (1 pint hulled strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar,1/4 cup water, cook together till thickens and berries break down) but you can use any pie filling you like, jam, even canned peaches are good in a pinch, just add a little almond extract.
4 4-6 oz ramikens or an 8×8 pan.
Preheat your oven 375.
In each ramiken add 1 Tablespoon of butter, or add all of it to 8×8 vessel, place in oven.
Mix up the rest of your ingredients except fruit filling.
Pull pan or ramikens out of oven, butter should be melted, spoon your batter into each equitably, then spoon on fruit, making sure not to mix them together as your batter will “puff up” and make that classic cobbler effect.
Cook 15 minutes, if golden brown and the fruit is bubbly they are good to go, serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or naked….its all good. And never forget the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have other do unto you, treat others how you like to be treated…or don’t be a self centered jerk…there are many ways to say it but its so important for humans to remember and live by. Happy cooking!
Nando’s Peri-Peri Shrimp in lettuce cups, cricket protein in ranch flavor and why I am ready for self driving cars.
Okay I am going to get right down to it….first Degusta review and recipe, I was recently told by another blogger, that he hates having to read the backstory on food blogs to get to the recipe, so for those folks I am putting that info first, it is your choice if you want to take it deeper at that point.
April’s degusta had some really interesting products, my recipe will feature the Nando’s Garlic peri-peri sauce. This recipe is so fast that you could have it on the table before you can even order pizza. It’s healthy, and I do really love it when I make something that isn’t just delicious but also low in carb, fat, gluten and calories. It will counter act the bagel sandwich I ate for breakfast! LOL.
Peri-peri Shrimp:
1 pound of shrimp, deveined, tails removed. So you can eat the whole damn thing with reckless abandon!
¼ Nando’s, I used garlic but they have several other varieties
1 tsp old bay seasoning
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp mirin, or white wine
1 Tbsp peanut oil
4 lettuce leaves that can be good for cupping the shrimp.
Garnishes that you like: I used tiny diced red and green bell peppers.
Marinate the shrimp in the peri-peri, old bay, mirin/wine, pepper, for up to 20 minutes.
Heat a skillet on high, add peanut oil, when the oil shimmers at you like a glitter covered stripper, add your marinated shrimp, making sure they don’t crowd each other, you want them to brown up. After about 3 minutes flip em, and cook another minute or two, turn of the heat. Place your lettuce cups on two plates, fill them with the shrimp and top with garnishes. Ya done, son, eat.
The next product I wanted to review was the Wilton’s Candy Melts drizzle pouch, I had, shall we say less success with this. (pic)
I followed the directions and reheated twice on top of that but mine never really got “drizzle” like, mine was more of a “plop pouch” with the consistency of peanut butter. That being said, it was rather tasty, and my kids really enjoyed it…plop and all. I think it needs a little less stabilizer (palm oil).
The lovely Candy chewy caramels were a hit, they are even wrapped with wax paper like the homemade ones the neighbors would give out at christmas when I was a kid …10 outta 10. I love Mutti tomato products anyway, so I was stoked to get tomato concentrate in a tube, best way to buy and use tomato paste, you utilize more product with the tube as the can, can be precarious to get all the paste out…WINNER! I liked the Bush’s hummus made easy, but the only thing that bothered me is the added sugar, hummus doesn’t need added sugar in my opinion so I probably will stick to buying tahini and making my own. I like the Better oats, and I would buy this again, it’s a lot heartier and tasty than conventional instant oats, great if you add some fresh fruit and toasted walnuts. The PR bar had a chalky aftertaste to me, but my 10 year old daughter loved it, so if i needed a quick meal replacement or snack if I was in a rush, I would feed these to my kids. The “chorido’s” are a snack food made with cricket protein, they have mole, ranch, and salsa flavor, they kind of look like a frito, and my kids loved them. I find it rather inspiring that a company is making a snack food that contains a sustainable protein, yeah I felt a bit weird at first, but other cultures have been utilizing insects as snacks for centuries. I loved the cafe Bustelo instant espresso, it was super easy to make or carry with you to mix with hot water, haters gonna hate on instant coffee, but I think the Europeans do it quite well. I don’t have a K-cup machine for the skinny girl tea, so I will pass those along to a friend who has one!
After nearly getting hit by a speeding van that ran a red light today, I have decided that I am on board with self driving cars. I have been in more than my share of minor-mid range car wrecks in my life. Auto accidents are fucking horrible, and I think that driving is hands down the most dangerous thing we do in a day. Yet, with all the hazards, health consequence, and expense, humans are totally addicted to cars and they are still some archaic shrine to social status! You know those “life flashes before your eyes” moments? I have felt it only twice in my 36 years, the second time was this morning. I made it out unscathed except I spooked myself real good, my heart still pounds due to adrenaline release, some folks do “extreme” sports and things to feel this….I don’t like feeling this, some say it makes you “feel alive”, I totally agree but it’s that lingering sense of how fragile life is that remains. Fragile things are usually beautiful, but often aren’t intended to last forever, just like being a human. I think the lesson is to focus on being present. Anyway, get us some self driving vehicles Elon, I trust the robots more than the humans. And if that offends you…you probably haven’t been in any car accidents.
September Degustabox and working on my own custom web site!!
I feel like I haven’t posted in forever! Life has been busy to say the least, but for the most part I can’t complain. For the first time in 9 years I have alone time during the day, Ari is acclimating to kindergarten, and Ava is owning the fourth grade. I’ve gone back to working a few extra days during the week, which almost makes me feel like a functioning member of society….almost. Continue reading “September Degustabox and working on my own custom web site!!”