Category: Make Ahead

“Dirt” Flower Pots

“Dirt” cake reminds me of hot summers, barbecues, and outdoor eating. When I was a kid, I used to get so excited for dessert once I spotted the flower pot set out on checkered tablecloth with the other desserts. This “Dirt” Flower Pots dessert is really easy to make, requires no cooking, and looks just adorable. You can really dress it up with flowers, worms, or even mini Scottie dogs.

"Dirt" Flower Pots

As a member of the Walkers Shortbread Ambassador program, I was sent packs of Walkers’ pure butter Scottie Dog Shortbread cookies, which help support the company’s sponsorship of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (ASPCA). Walkers has recently launched a Chocolate version of the cookie as well. In 2012 (the original Scottie Shortbread was launched in January 2012, Walkers raised over $25,000 for the ASPCA. For 2013, the company has doubled its minimum donation amount to $50,000. Ten cents from the sale of every Scottie Dog Shortbread 3.9-ounce carton and 20 cents for larger cartons will be donated to the ASPCA.

"Dirt" Flower Pots
To help spread the word about these cookies and their partnership, Walkers is giving away a Scottie Dog Tin! To enter, just use the widget below. Note: This Giveaway is now closed.

Source: walkersus.com

 

Now, back to the recipe.

 

Ingredients (serves 8, or makes 4 small flower pots):

  • 1 package of Oreos
  • 2 graham crackers (optional)
  • 2 packs of instant chocolate pudding
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3 cups milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 8 oz whipped topping
  • 1 box of Walkers Scottie Dog Shortbread Cookies (Chocolate or Original)
  • Gummy worms (optional)

For decoration (optional):

  • small flower pots (I used 6 inch pots)
  • organic flowers, or fake flowers
  • straws

Continue reading “Dirt” Flower Pots

Meatball Subs

When I know I have a busy week coming up, I try to think of quick dinners I can make during the week. If I can make a huge batch of something on Sunday and just reheat the meal on a weekday, even better. So this weekend, after a visit to the Italian Market, I decided to make a bunch of meatballs so that we could have meatball subs later in the week. The tomato sauce is basically a more chunky version of my normal tomato sauce. I also added sausages to the sauce so that we could also make Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches if we so choose. The best part is that you can make a huge portion of this, freeze it, and use when needed. The sauce, although heavy on the meat, would also work as a yummy pasta sauce.

 

Ingredients (serves 8; with added sausage, serves 12):

  • 2 lbs ground sirloin
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut from its casing
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley, divided
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 lbs sausage (optional)
  • 1 can (28 oz) strained tomatoes  (or 1 box of Pomi strained tomatoes)
  • 2 cans (28 oz) chopped tomatoes (or 2 boxes of Pomi chopped tomatoes)
  • 1/3 cup dry red wine
  • 8-12 Italian rolls/subs
  • Provolone cheese, optional

Continue reading Meatball Subs

Diner en Blanc Picnic Food Inspiration

Today is International Picnic Day, so what better time to do a roundup of some of my favorite foods that are picnic friendly? With Diner en Blanc fast approaching, it’s also time to start thinking about what to make for the big event!

 

Diner en Blanc is celebrating its 25th anniversary and has grown to include a dozen participating cities. The first Diner en Blanc was held in Paris and included just a few of its founder, François Pasquier’s, friends. Now, thousands worldwide congregate to be a part of this great event! Philadelphia’s Diner en Blanc will be held on Thursday, August 22 and the wait list is being formed now. You can sign up for the wait list here.

 

Philadelphia’s first Diner en Blanc was held last year and it was a huge success. This year, 2,300 participants will be notified of the secret location moments before. Guests arrive with their own tables, chairs, place settings, and meals and enjoy the outdoors and company together.  Each attendee is dressed head-to-toe in white, with a white table cloth, and white chairs. Photos from last year’s event are truly beautiful! With the beautiful white place settings, the food can really be the star. So bringing a colorful, delicious, and easy meal is key! Here are some of my suggestions for the big night:

Continue reading Diner en Blanc Picnic Food Inspiration

Lower Calorie Sangria

Last year, I gave my dad sangria for Father’s Day. He loves sangria, so I thought I’d make it a yearly thing.

This time around though, I was also trying to sneak something by him. Instead of using sugar in the sangria, I used Monk Fruit In The Raw, a natural substitute. My father is diabetic, and Monk Fruit In The Raw is diabetic friendly (according to their website, “Monk Fruit In The Raw contains less than one gram of carbohydrates (by food exchange measure) and may be used in conjunction with food programs for people with diabetes as well as with guidelines for people with diabetes who use carbohydrate counting.”)

Now, I understand sangria in itself is not exactly diabetic friendly. But he is able to enjoy a glass or two once a year. The real reason I am trying the Monk Fruit In The Raw within the sangria is to see if he can taste a difference. You see, not only is he diabetic, but he is what some refer to as a “super taster.” He can tell you the secret ingredient in a recipe, and knows whether a wine is worth drinking. But, boy can he be picky too.

Unlike stevia, which leaves behind an aftertaste, Monk Fruit should be undetectable. So this is the first test to see if I can sneak Monk Fruit In The Raw into future recipes for my dad. So what is a Monk Fruit? Monk Fruit is a vine-ripened fruit found in Asia that kind of resembles a tiny watermelon. Monk Fruit In The Raw is made from Monk Fruit extract, which is about 300 times (!) sweeter than sugar. To make it measurable for consumption, dextrose (a natural bulking agent) is blended with the extract. Monk Fruit In The Raw also comes in a Bakers Bag, which is measurable cup-for-cup like sugar (in volume, not weight). The Bakers Bag contains Maltodextrin, which is also a natural bulking agent, that does not change the flavor of the sweetener. I used the Bakers Bag for this recipe.

Lower Calorie Sangria Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (~3 oranges)
  • 1 bottle Rioja wine
  • 1/4 cup Monk Fruit In The Raw (Bakers Bag)
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced and quartered
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • 2 limes, thinly sliced
  • club soda, to taste

Continue reading Lower Calorie Sangria

Banana Bread Muffins

When I have time on Sundays (which isn’t terribly often), I like to make a batch of muffins so I have breakfast for the week. Because I had some overripe bananas, this week I decided to make Banana Bread Muffins. I was recently sent some coupons to try Kretschmer Wheat Germ products so I thought adding some of the Honey Crunch would add some nice texture and flavor to the muffins.

So what exactly is wheat germ? Wheat germ comes from the wheat kernel, which is the part removed when refining whole grains into white flour. Wheat Germ is a great source of Vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid. You can find it in the cereal aisle. Wheat germ can be used in recipes calling for flour or breadcrumbs so its quite versatile. I’ve also used it in smoothies.

So that you can try wheat germ for yourself, Kretschmer is giving away some coupons good for free wheat germ products to an I Can Cook That reader! More on that below.

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcake-sized muffins, of 6 large muffins):

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup Kretschmer Honey Crunch Wheat Germ
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cinnamon, to taste

Continue reading Banana Bread Muffins

Lemon Tart with Raspberry Shortbread Crust

Almost every citrusy post I have on my blog is dedicated to my mom. She is obsessed with orange, lemon, bergamot, etc. So in honor of Mother’s Day, here’s another one!

As a Walkers Official Blogger Ambassador, Walkers Shortbread sent me an awesome assortment of treats my way to make a spring/Mother’s Day themed post. Walkers Rapsberry Thins was in the mix, my mom also loves raspberries, so I decided to use the rapsberry thins to make a shortbread crust for a lemon tart. To make it even more citrusy, I topped the tart with candied orange peel.

 

Ingredients:

Candied Orange Peel:
  • 2 oranges
  • Water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
Crust:
  • 1/2 cup finely ground Walkers raspberry shortbread thins cookies (about 6 cookies)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salted butter (cold cut into small chunks)

Lemon filling:

  • 3 meyer lemons
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Homemade Body Scrubs

So this is kind of a random blog post for me, but I have been experimenting with homemade body scrubs as a Mother’s Day present for my mom and I thought I’d share them so that others can make them at home too! They are super simple, plus they are made mostly from ingredients you can find in your pantry!

To snazz them up for gift giving, use some ribbons or tissue paper. Be sure to add labels so that the recipient knows what’s inside!

I’d suggest using organic ingredients when you can, just to keep mind of potential adverse reactions. I found organic sugar, olive oil, and coconut oil at Essene in Queen Village (Philadelphia) but I’m sure Whole Foods has a selection as well.

These body scrubs are completely customizable. You just need an ingredient that works as an exfoliant (sugar, salt, coffee grounds, oatmeal, etc.) and then an oil to moisturize (olive, almond, coconut, walnut, etc. — these are sometimes referred to as “carrier oils”) To make them smell amazing, add a little bit of essential oils, which can be found at specialty shops or online. A favorite local store of mine is Herbiary. You can even add food coloring if you’d like the color to pop. Here are a few of the ones I made this week to give you some inspiration:

Continue reading Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Homemade Body Scrubs

Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade

This weekend, we had two beautiful spring days: a little bit of chill in the air but sunshine and clear skies. To celebrate the return of outdoor weather, I wanted to make a lemonade. I found this Martha Stewart recipe for Lavender Lemonade and kicked it up a notch by adding in some Rhubarb Tea, a spirit made here in Philadelphia by the people at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (the same makers of Sage, Root, and Snap).

Rhubarb Tea, or Rhuby, is made from rhubarb, beets, carrots, lemon, petitgrain (an essential oil extracted from the green twigs of a bitter orange plant), cardamom, pink peppercorns, coriander, vanilla, and pure cane sugar and delivers a tangy yet sweet flavor, perfect for this drink! Even better, the ingredients are all certified organic.

Ingredients (this recipe makes 4 drinks):

  • 4 lemons
  • 1/2 cup dried lavender
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 6 oz Rhubarb tea

Continue reading Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade

Vegetable Couscous Salad

The weather in Philadelphia decided to take a break from the cold and give us two days of summer! We hit temperatures above 80 degrees so I wanted to prepare a light meal that didn’t involve much time over a stove. This Vegetable Couscous Salad from Cooking Light is perfect for summer dinners. It also travels well, so it would be a great addition to a barbecue, just make it ahead of time and bring it with you!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (.6 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix) or Italian spice blend

Salad:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked couscous
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper (I used two peppers)
  • 2 cups chopped tomato (I used two beefsteak tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Continue reading Vegetable Couscous Salad

Matzo Ball Soup

One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes.

The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.)

 

The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are also present throughout the cookbook and include a few nods to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. (I particularly liked these recipes because, well, what is more comforting that food from the Pennsylvania Dutch?)

 

This cookbook almost reads like a memory book and is filled with wonderful stories, photographs, and obviously recipes. The New Jewish Table would be great for someone who is interested in learning about Jewish traditions through food and those who have grown up with these traditions and are looking for a fresh update to their family favorites.

 

I decided to make the recipe on the cover, called “Not Exactly Aunt Lil’s Matzo Ball Soup.” The recipe is a more polished version of Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Great Aunt’s soup. It has noodles in it, but to make it for Passover, this version below has omitted them. Todd Gray’s spin on this traditional recipe turns a comforting dish into a truly beautiful dish. I altered the dish very slightly, but my version is below. To see the original recipe, be sure to pick up a copy of this cookbook.

This recipe falls into the “meat” category. It is also appropriate for Passover.

 

Ingredients:

Caramelized Shallots:

  • 2 cups chopped shallots
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Matzo Balls:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 1/4 cup club soda
  • 1 cup matzo meal
  • 1/2 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (above)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

  • One 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 1 large yellow onion, quarterd
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 small carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium turnip, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 bunch parsley, washed and blotted dry
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Garnish:

  • 2 cups finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup finely diced turnips
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions, both green and white parts

Continue reading Matzo Ball Soup

Radish and Arugula Crostini with Brie

Supposedly Spring started this past Wednesday. And yet, meteorologists in the Philadelphia area do not expect the temperature to go above 50 degrees for the foreseeable future. AND it’s supposed to snow on Sunday/Monday. What the heck?! Well, I’m sick of waiting for spring to arrive so I’ve decided to make it spring in my kitchen. Cooking Light seems to agree with me, and the April issue has a ton of recipes using the best of spring’s produce. This Radish and Arugula Crostini recipe immediately caught my eye; not only is it beautiful, but the ingredients give me hope that warmer weather is on it’s way.

This recipe is also really simple. I made this as a quick appetizer to bring to a friends house and was able to make the entire recipe in 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

  • 16 (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (6 ounces)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced radishes
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces Brie cheese (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup baby arugula leaves

Continue reading Radish and Arugula Crostini with Brie

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! One of my favorite memories growing up was my mom making Irish Soda bread during March. It is a fairly straightforward bread and is really quite easy.

The bread uses  baking soda instead of yeast as its leavening agent. Irish Soda Bread is also made with buttermilk that reacts with the baking soda to make it rise. Soda bread is a mostly savory bread, but it usually has some kind of dried fruit in it (raisins, currants, etc) that add a bit of sweetness.

My mom’s version has caraway seeds in it that add a little bit of an anise flavor to it (caraway seeds are typically found in rye bread) and I just love it. I wanted to make this with currants but couldn’t find any, so I used raisins. Feel free to substitute golden raisins or currants.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups coarse wholemeal flour
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, chilled
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
  • 2 cups buttermilk, or more if needed

Continue reading Irish Soda Bread

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Happy Pi Day! As a Mathlete alum, Pi Day has always been a part of my nerdy math world.  And what better way to celebrate than to make a pie?

I have some other pie recipes on here, but I have had a hankering for peanut butter lately, so I am celebrating this year with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.  This is a FoodNetwork.com recipe but I decided to make my own crust (you are more than welcome to just buy one – use a 9-inch pie crust).

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

  • 1 package oreos
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Hot Fudge Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3.5 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

Peanut Butter Pie:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Chopped peanuts, optional
  • Whipped cream, optional
  • Crushed cookies, optional

Continue reading Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Wine and Tomato Braised Chicken Thighs

It’s no secret that I love tomatoes. So when I was contacted to participate in a celebration of Pomi’s 30 year anniversary, I was more than happy to oblige. To celebrate, each month Pomi sends me a Pomi product and an ingredient that should be paired with the product in a recipe.

March’s package came with Chopped Tomatoes and the ingredient of the month was wine, so I loosely used a recipe from Eating Well as a base for a Braised Chicken Thigh recipe with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Onions. (Note: I used my Ninja Cooking System for this recipe but you can use a normal slow cooker as well. I have directions for both below.)

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 container of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs (2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 container sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups uncooked orzo

Continue reading Wine and Tomato Braised Chicken Thighs

Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

I know, I know. You probably read the title and thought to yourself there is no way quinoa can be a tasty breakfast. But hear me out. Quinoa, although a great grain to use as a dinner side, can also hold its own as a sweeter breakfast meal. I actually originally made this recipe so that vegan friends who were visiting for the weekend had a breakfast option. (Vegans have a tough time when it comes to breakfast! Oatmeal, quinoa, fruit. I think that’s about it…) Anyways, I wasn’t expecting much. But it was so tasty I made a batch for my breakfasts all week. That’s right, it even reheats nicely!

I found this recipe on Budget Bytes and made some minor changes. Check out her original recipe here.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 medium apple (I used Fuji)
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit/nut mixture

 

Continue reading Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

Exit mobile version