I am hosting BUNKO @ my place next month for the 12 of us crazy gals. I'm wanting to do a yummy chocolate fondue for after dinner, served with marshmallows, bananas, graham crackers, strawberries...maybe even pretzels! But....I'm kind of running out of ideas for dinner....Was thinking maybe Mardi Gras type food & drinks......I'd love some original ideas. I've hosted sooo many times I have used up all my special recipes and want to do something new!
A few years ago at the Blue Bayou Restaraunt in Disneyland I had a dessert that was an apple with some kind of caramel in it, but it was wrapped up in a pastry. It was soooooo yummy, but I can't seem to find any kind of recipe on line that is similar. The apple was whole and I think (not sure) that the core was filled with a caramel sauce. I don't know what kind of dough it was wrapped in, but it was all baked together, it was so good. Any ideas?????
I've made home-made ice cream cakes before, and they are so much better than the store bought! They are pretty simple too. I always bake cakes for my friends and family for the parties that I throw. Not necessarily from scratch, (sometimes) but I always use mayo instead of eggs in the cakes! Happened by accident one year (about 3 hours before the party, I realized no eggs in sight!) my good friend just said to add a tablespoon of mayo for each egg that was called for, and it would be fine. I tell ya - best most moist cake ever!
I think my favorite scratch cake was the Milky Way Cake from my Disney cookbook.....so fantastic, but not good for hot weather - the melted chocolate "frosting" is real messy when it's hot out!
I only know that there no way I am paying what they charge for that stuff!
They wanted $75.00 for a small pan, and $110.00 for a large air-insulated bowl! Holy cow!
It's fairly nice, I suppose, but my set from Macys (for about $300.00) does just fine and still looks beautiful,and I haven't ruined a meal yet!
I have friends who sold it, they came and did one of the demo's at my house, and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference when they did the steel wool/water test on the pans....they both tasted like water, not metal! They insisted that my Macy's dishes were crap - but I disagree!
How about sausage Wontons? They are yummy! Do you have a mini-muffin pan? (The pampered chef kind)
Pre-heat oven to 350
1 package Jimmy Dean Sausage cooked, then mix in
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and
1/2 cup prepared Ranch Dressing and
1/4 cup chopped green onions.
Put the wrapper in each mini-muffin cup and press it in to make a cup, and then fill with a scoop of the sausage mixture. Pop 'em in the oven and bake till the edges of the wonton's are brown, and then pop them out onto a plate covered with a napkin (to soak up any grease), and enjoy!
They are so good, and really tasty! This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law: we don't measure the ingredients, we just eyeball it, and adjust for taste and texture....the measurements are really just a guide!
Okay jcrisco - I am so jealous you live so close! I've been to DisneyWorld three times (once on a business trip, but still park-hopped). Never on a cruise, though hope to some day! I'll look for the Delicious Disney book..actually I have friends going in November and they are cruising, so I'll put my order in with them if I don't get it sooner!
Gotta say that my fav appetizer from my 1st Disney cookbook is the Jamacian Hot Wings! Have you tried them? Oh, and the fantasia cheesecake, and the milky-way cake... oh, and the decadence cake, not a stitch of flour init...cocoa powder, butter, eggs, sugar and bourbon...probably one more thing, but it was to die for!
Maureen - yeah, I meant the posts! I thought of pretzels, but not real sure how to get them to stick together in the right way. I might use jicama and hold it together w/toothpics....if it turns out I'll post a picture of it!
My first pregnancy I had to have spicy! I made spicy bbq sauce and put it on everything! I ate jars of pepproncini! Also, I had mad cravings for plums - well you can imagine that that didn't end up well, but I couldn't get enough!
Second one - bologna on white bread with the crappy fake sliced cheese and mayo. That was all I could stomach for 5 months! After the sickness ended, I just ate everything in sight, because of the months of bologna and fake cheese!
Everything sounds great - what's the address? HaHa!
Actually, the party we are going to is all hors'deurves. I'm bringing a layered dip with chips! I'm making it in a 9x13 pan, and the top layer will be guac - of course - and I'll pipe sour cream on to make a football field. Just haven't quite figured out what to make the field goals out of yet....any ideas?
Well, I'm not a utensil person, but I am a bowl person. Everytime I shop in Ross, or a department store or cooking store, I gravitate to the bowls. I just love the sets, or the older porcelain ones that are like giant measuring cups. It's weird, and my family and friends laugh, but I always end up with a cool bowl set for my birthday or Xmas. I use each and every one that I have too! My funnest ones are out on the counter - on display. I don't know why I'm drawn to them so much, but I am!
Well, I use my food processor as much as I can when cooking for large crowds, but just everyday meals....I just do it manually. Garlic? take the clove unpeeled, and bash it with the flat side of my big chopping knife - pick out the peel easily, then a few chops and it's done! Onions I peel, then slice, stack and just chop. One thing I am guilty of is not really measuring when following recipes. I tend to use my hand to measure the spices - my gramma did it that way, and it works well. When it's a brand new dish and I'm making it for company, then I will follow the recipe, but adjust after tasting. Usually, more of something is always needed!
Another thing I like is the Pampered Chef chopper! Especially when I am mad or just had a long day....I beat on the top of the chopper to get those onions or cilantro chopped nicely, and work out my aggressions!
I love the Disney Resort Cookbooks....okay, I am a Disney Freak (can't tell by my username.......right?) Anyway, they have fab recipes that I've made over and over again, and they are always great for parties, etc.
We run a Girls Softball League Concession Stand and sell the clausen pickles, but also we freeze the juice in sauce cups and the kids go NUTS over Picklecicles!!! In 3 weeks time we have gone thru over 150 picklecicles. Now if we can just get them to buy the pickles, so we can buy more juice!!! We need to figure out how to make homemade pickle juice??
I went to Conti's pastry shoppe in the Bronx to try their Boston Cream pie and it was absolutely delicious. It was light and so fresh! Everyone was fighting over the last few pieces! I recommend you try it for your next gathering!
Salad master should be called Food and Energy Saver! This cookware SAVES your nutrients by cooking at approx 180 degees with the "clinking lid", making food taste like it should and keeping nutrients from getting distroyed with excess heat. As far as energy - I can barely get my propane low enough !
I have been cooking in my restaurnt for 20 years - never have I found cookware like this. From the comments above you don't quite know all that this can do for you and your family. If you can only buy ONE pot let it be one of these. Do the baking soda test and see how much metal your pot is leaching into your food!!!!!!!!! Surgical stainless steel - costly. Yes - worth it because of design and quality - Yes.
It is also invaluable for cooking grass fed meats - tender, healthy, yummy!
sustarz - here you go - there are no actual directions so I would recommend the traditional creaming, then adding dry and wet ingred alternately then folding in the whites at the end. It should make a 9x13 sheet cake or two 9" layers. 350 degrees for 30 min. (less if layers)
Graham Cracker Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped nuts (usually walnut, but you could use pecans)
3 stiffly beaten egg whites
You can make life simple by dusting with powder sugar, ice with chocolate ganache or my all-time favorite for this cake is the fluffy 7 minute icing.
If you do the cooked icing, hook yourself up with some chocolate covererd caramels and melt them to drizzle over the top in beautiful big globs then throw some more chopped nuts on top and enjoy compliments of me and my mommie.
P.S. This is also easily doubled for large events. I can remember mom doing that and baking in a large broiler pan for parties.
i made two cakes for my birthday last year {it was a milestone birthday and i deserved it.} pumpkin spice and a new york style cheesecake. this year i think i'll make banana.
LoCo - I cannot stop giggling - cause I know exactly where all the beans are going to end up. But I'm going to practice that tomorrow until I get tired of bending over to pick beans up off the floor. I'm thinking it's a good time to not have a dog in the house!
I do have the All-Clad large saute pan but also have the sloped sided 10" pan, so I will try to employ all the techniques you guys have suggested and see where I can take my frustration level. Thank you so much for your valuable insights.
you've got it sustarz - I promise I will look for it tomorrow. Mom and Gram's cookbooks are packed up in the basement. I've never had anything like it. The cake could be a derivative of the Hungarian Dobos Torte but without the extra effort of all the layers. This is really bad, I'm talking myself into making it now.
The other family favorite that was made for my Dad and I made for my kids' birthdays was the Hershey's Chocolatetown Special cake with buttermilk. Very moist and flavorful.
I must admit that I and my group of girlfriends cannot pass on wedding cake. That white cake with the almondy, slightly coconuty flavor and scent is absolutely cakegasmic. I sometimes make candles and I found "wedding cake" scent on a candlemaking website. I could not resist. When we met before Christmas for dinner I took the candles in gift bags and made them sniff before they looked or opened. Their eyes all rolled back in their heads and sigh.... Anyone else have that wedding cake weakness?
the complete meat cookbook (kelly/aidells) the timing/temperatures for various cuts are so accurate. i love it.
Its so funny, I was scanning all these comments and thinking of all my 1000 plus cookbooks what is the one that I use most, learned from and The John Ash cookbook came to mind. The recipes are fresh, healthy, delisious (beef salad with fried capers is delish) and he teaches you, empowers you. King Arthur does the same thing for baking, I love all of their books and they just came out with a baking with whole grains that is fantastic!
Strawberry shortcake, made with angel food cake, in real layers like real cake with fresh whipped cream and sliced lightly sweetened strawberries. Light as a feather and delicious.
I like regular cake, but I hate, hate, hate frosting and methodically remove every spec of it when I find myself in situations when I have to at least take a bite of it. The only exception to this is the frosting on the lemon cupcakes at Buttercup Bakery in Manhattan.
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About: Married 21 years, 2 children (girls) 19 and 16, 3 dogs & 1 pot belly pig! Live in No. California just north of Napa Valley.
Favorite foods: Mexican food that our friend Victor makes. He makes melanessa (spelling?) breaded & fried carne asada...yummy! Also LOVE italian food....favorite restaraunt is Mario's Ristorante Italiano in Redwood Valley...all made from scratch, it is fantastic!
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