OKK MEMES & PRIOR CONTRIBUTORS – Page 42 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

Fire Day Friday: Torta de Espinacas

Don’t you hate it when you are doing a main dish from a certain country and then you are stuck trying to come up with complimentary side dishes?

Tonight I was trying out Lomo Al Trapo, a popular Colombian beef dish. When I needed to find side dishes, I knew right where I was going….to Erica’s blog My Colombian Recipes. Erica lives in the states now but is from Medellin, Colombia and posts recipes inspired by her homeland. Tonight Alexis made Erica’s Torta de Espinacas (Spinach Cake) on the Big Green Egg.

Torta de Espinacas (Spinach Cake)
Source: My Colombian Recipes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
11/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch nutmeg
1 garlic clove
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespons parmesan cheese
Directions
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk often until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the milk gradually and continue whisking often until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Place the spinach and garlic in a blender and add the white sauce(bechamel sauce). Blend until smooth.
Place the spinach mixture in a plastic container and add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a small bowl, mix the parmesan and bread crumbs.
Pour the spinach mixture in a baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan mixture.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake is done.

We only did a few things differently. First, we used about twice as much bread crumb/cheese mixture on top. Second, we did ours on a 375f grill set up for indirect heat for the 35 minutes.

This recipe fits perfectly inside a Weber Small Drip Pan (6″ x 9″, come ten to a pack). Don’t be alarmed if it poofs up a bit like a souffle, it will fall back down.

We found that this recipe converted to the grill very well and will definitely make it again. It would also be good in the oven but I think the fire roasting adds a little something. Besides, you know we like playing with fire!

So Labor Day is coming up. Is that the end of the grilling season for you or are you just getting started?

It’s a Red Velvet Birthday Cake!

Greetings all!

What a great time we had while celebrating my friend and neighbor’s birthday. Actually, it was the somewhere between 15th and 20th anniversary of the first time she turned 29, so this is really her anniversary of her birthday cake… but I digress.

Here it is in progress, all 4 tiers of it (special day, special cake).

I have a set of oval cake pans. So a smaller base, but taller cake makes for a special presentation.

Just a couple of hints, the butter cream frosting I used needs to be just slightly chilled, while the cake must be completely cooled before you start frosting it. Think about it, a warm cake will melt the frosting. And a harder cold frosting will tear holes in the cake while you frost it.

Also, I used a full bottle of the red food coloring to get the red cake look. The more, the merrier!

The pink frosting has a bit of peppermint flavoring added.

The clowns are made with a large tip at the end of a pastry bag.

Make the body from a big glob of starred frosting, then add the arms and legs. the clown heads are from broken toys.

Red Velvet Cake is legendary for it’s chocolate richness, buttercream icing decadence and the beauty of the red cake contrasted with the white icing. Bobby Flay did one of his Throwdown shows about Red Velvet cake a few years ago. A simple Google search came up with that recipe on the Food Network Website and I stuck to it…

Ingredients For the Cake

3 3/4 cups AP Flour

3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure Vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

The Frosting Recipe Follows

For the cake:

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl

Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost.

Frosting:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Just as good as it looks!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!

… I CAN COOK THAT!

And so can you!

Summer Squash, Zucchini & Pea Risotto

I love risotto but I’ve never made it. I’ve seen a ton of recipes for it and have been tempted. But never made it.

Until now.

Peas are not a vegetable that you’ll see a lot of from me. My husband hates peas. Like, “file-for-divorce-if-you-make-peas” kind of hate. So needless to say, we don’t eat a lot of peas. I happen to LOVE peas but clearly don’t get enough of them.

So I saved this recipe for when he was at work! I hid the leftovers in the back of the frig and ate them for lunch the next day before he ever knew they were made.

Whew! Marriage saved!

Luckily it was also a fairly cool day as it does take plenty of time of stirring in front of the stove. (Ha! That’s what 13 year old daughters are for!)

It turned out perfect and was delicious!

We ate this with a Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust which paired nicely with the risotto. I will for sure make this again. – When the husband is gone again, of course!

This is linked with Works For Me Wednesdays over at We Are THAT Family.
Also linked with Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Summer Squash, Zucchini and Pea Risotto

Adapted from 990 Square

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and then in 1/4 thick slices

1 medium yellow squash , cut lengthwise and then 1/2 in. thick

1 quart of chicken stock

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup peas

juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan. heat the olive oil on high. Add the squashes, saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over moderate heat and add the onions, sauteing them for about 3 – 4 minutes, then add the rice, stirring until it is well coated. Add 1/2 cup stock and cook, stirring constantly until the stock is absorbed.

Continue adding stock, about 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently. By the time most, or all of the stock is added, the rice should be tender but still firm, the mixture creamy. Add the reserved zucchini, squash and peas and cook until they are heated through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Total calories = 1395 calories

6 big servings = 232 calories per serving

Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust + Summer Squash, Zucchini & Pea Risotto = 532 calorie dinner

Check out my Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust on Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

Today’s recipe is my first post as a new host of Save Room for Dessert from OuR kRAzy kitChEn. I am beyond excited! Baking is a passion of mine, so when I emailed Tamy about the possibility of being a part of OuR kRAzy kitChEn, and she responded with an offer to be a host, I jumped at the chance. Just a little bit about me – I’ve been blogging over at my site, Louanne’s Kitchen, since February, and it’s been more fun and rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I’m married to Brett and I’m a mom to Andrew, and by day, I’m a librarian; we live in south Louisiana, just across Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. My cooking style is varied – I love to try new ethnic dishes – my current favorite is curry – but I also make many dishes passed down from my Sicilian & French grandparents. I’m looking forward to meeting you all and can’t wait to try out the delicious recipes I’ve found here!

Now, on to the reason we’re all here…

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons agave syrup

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup cold brewed coffee

2 cups mini marshmallows

Chocolate Glaze

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9″ springform pan and set aside.
Cream butter, vanilla, sugar, egg, and agave syrup until light and fluffy.
Stir in half of the flour and half of the milk, then stir in remaining flour and milk.
Place half of the batter in a separate bowl, and stir in the cocoa and 1/4 cup cold, brewed coffee.
Dollop alternate spoonfuls of each batter into prepared pan.
Using a butter knife, swirl through the batter to make a marbled effect.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, and spread on marshmallows.
Return cake to oven, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes, and drizzle on chocolate glaze.
Allow to cool for an additional 15 minutes before removing side of pan.
While cake is cooling, make glaze by melting chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat.
Drizzle with chocolate glaze and allow to set before serving.
Enjoy!

PEACH BBQ RIBS

3 pounds cut spareribs
1 can Peach Comstock*
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s hickory smoke BBQ sauce**
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper; rub well.
Place in baking dish and top tightly with foil, shiny side in.
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, reduce heat to 375 degrees for an additional 30 minutes.
Pour off any excess liquid.
In the meantime pour peach Comstock into a food processor and puree.
Add BBQ sauce, hot sauce and lemon juice. Pulse until well blended.
Remove from oven, brush meat with sauce, turn, brush sauce on other side.
Bake at 375 degrees with foil loose and open 30 minutes.

*Cherry works great too!

**or any other favorite brown sugar based sauce – I’m allergic to mustard so Sweet Baby Ray’s is about the only prepared sauce on the market I can use. I really prepare to make sauce fresh.

Fire Day Friday – Chorizo Joes

Football season has started up. That means a lot of tailgating parties with typical hot dogs and hamburgers. But you can shake things up, because you know that the grill is capable of much more than burgers and dogs.

Once the leaves start to turn, the winds begin to actually feel chilly, and weekends are about game day entertainment, try sloppy joes on the grill for something different. And these are much better than opening a can of that….that….Stuffwich stuff.

Sloppy Chorizo Joes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Mexican Chorizo sausage

2 Anaheim peppers

1 sweet red bell pepper

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz can tomato paste

2 cups water

1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper, ground (I used my home made chili pepper blend)

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp turbinado sugar

salt and pepper to taste

8 hamburger buns

Instructions

Char the peppers over a hot grill, burner, or broiler a few minutes a side. Remove when charred and blistered, resting in a zip lock bag for 5 minutes.

Peel the charred skin, slice open and de-seed the peppers (see video). Dice.

Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat on the grill. Brown the ground beef and chorizo, then remove and drain.

Add the onions to the dutch oven with 1 Tbsp of the reserved meat drippings and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Return the meat mixture to the dutch oven. Add the roasted chili peppers. Mix the water, tomato paste, pepper, cumin, and sugar together and then add to the dutch oven. Once this comes to a simmer, cover and kill the grill heat (shut the vents or gas).

After 5 minutes, stir, season with salt and pepper to taste and remove to rest (covered) for another 5 minutes.

Serve with plain white hamburger buns.

“Colors of the Caribbean” Lemonade

We made it… safe and sound and home. While I did indeed cook a great many dishes on the island, when we returned, we wanted to have a theme drink to serve our friends while we bored them with our stories and photographs.

Like this one…

See that beautiful color of the ocean. This photo was taken in “the Baths” in Virgin Gorda, of the British Virgin Isles. I just fell in love with the colors of the Caribbean waters, and wanted to recreate this color in a drink.

So, I give you the “Colors of the Caribbean” Lemonade

Start with 1/2 a pitcher (about 5 cups) of your favorite Lemonade
Add 1 cup Blue Alize Liqueur (blue Alize is a French Cognac mixture with Passion Fruit, Cherries, Ginger and other exotic fruit juices.
Fill with ice
Garnish with Lemon Slices

Serve in tall Collins size glass, and garnish with Lemon Slices

And it is just that simple. So far, as long as we keep the drinks flowing, no one minds listening to our stories too much.

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!

… I CAN COOK THAT!

And so can you!

BBQ Cola Meatballs

Welcome to Healthy Meals on Our Krazy Kitchen. I like to focus on real, everyday, satisfying meals that you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying!

I find meatballs adorable. They are like little mini meat loaves with a scrumptious sauce all around them. What’s not to love? I’ve made meatballs different ways. I’ve baked them, I’ve pan fried them. These, I did in the crockpot. (and the oven). They were baked first, then I threw them in the crock pot.

Then I made a delicious BBQ sauce with a unique sweetener. COKE! I thought that was awesome when I first saw it!! I got this recipe from Kel from Between the Lines. I’m always looking for new ways to prepare everyday food so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it!

Doesn’t that look awesome!!! They held together great so gently stirring wasn’t a problem. We ended up eating every last bit of the sauce!! They were made with ground turkey so they weren’t greasy at all. I ate 7 of them and was quite full!!

We ate this with a delicious Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese. This was a fantastic meal! Healthy and filling!

Barbecue Cola Meatballs

Adapted from Between the Lines

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 1/4 cups bread crumbs (I used panko)

1 egg

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 (1 oz) package dry ranch style dressing mix

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup barbeque sauce

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup cola

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup green or red pepper, chopped

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients until well blended. Shape into meatball and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 turning them over half way.

Mix up the sauce ingredients in slow cooker. Remove meatballs from baking sheet and place in sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then remove lid and cook for an additional 15 – 30 minutes before serving. Mine made 40 meatballs.

Total calories = 1922 calories

40 meatballs = 48 calories per meatball with sauce

7 BBQ Cola Meatballs + Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese = 582 calorie dinner

Check out the spaghetti squash mac and cheese and more healthy recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

HOMEMADE DING DONGS, HO~HO’S or what we like to call CHOCOLATE HEAVENS

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Jumbo eggs
1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons orange juice
2 cups flour

1 jar marshmallow cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Generously grease a 9×13 pan.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Then add 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the apple juice, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.
Mix the baking soda into 2 teaspoons of orange juice.
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Alternate the milk and flour, sifting the flour into the cream mixture and blend until smooth.
Add the baking soda mixture and blend well.
Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Level pan by dropping on counter top to remove air bubbles.
Bake until springy 55-60 minutes.
Cool thoroughly and then invert onto platter.
Cut into desired shapes and sizes.
Slice each in half.
Spread marshmallow cream over bottom half and replace tops.
In a small sauce pan melt chocolate.
Whisk in heavy cream and heat until thickened.
Pour over tops of cakes.
Cool.

BACON BALSAMIC GREEN BEANS & CARROTS

BACON BALSAMIC GREEN BEANS & CARROTS

3 large carrots, cleaned and sliced (about 2 cups)

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut bite sized (about 2 cups)

1 bunch green onions, sliced

3 tablespoons almond slivers

4 slices thick bacon, chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Cook the carrots and green beans in boiling water for 3-5 minutes until crisp tender.
Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Drain and set aside.
In a hot skillet brown bacon until crisp.
Remove with slotted spoon to drain on a papertowel.
Add green onions and saute’ until tender.
Add almonds and saute a minute more.
Remove almonds and onions with slotted spoon to drain on papertowel also.
Add brown sugar and vinegar to skillet and blend well until sugar is well dissolved.
Add green beans, carrots, onions, almonds and bacon.
Toss until well coated.

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Legs

Hi, Linda Here from Finding Footprints in the Sand, Not Just Roses and on Thursdays, you can find me at The Motivation Station…

This week I tried a Lawry’s Marinade… Caribbean Jerk with Papaya Juice, Lime Juice and Molasses…

I put one package of defrosted chicken legs into the Crockpot
Poured bottle of marinade sauce over chicken legs…
Set Crockpot on low for six hours…
Since I was home I rotated chicken legs about half way through cook time, moving the ones on the top to the bottom…
They are so tender the meat just falls off the bone…
Serve with pasta or rice and a veggie…

They were very yummy with a fruity taste and a wee bit of hot spicy on the tongue…

Happy Eating…

Deep Fried Asparagus Throwdown

I’ll be honest. I have no clue how this post ties in with my theme of Fire Day Friday. But it is too *$&# good to pass up.

The best restaurant appetizer and best restaurant main course I have ever eaten are from the same place, Puleo’s Grille in Knoxville. Their shrimp and grits are comfort food times infinity. But their deep fried asparagus should be illegal. No vegetable should be this delectable. These asparagus spears are crispy on the outside, tender when you bite into them, and have just a little kick.

We bought a deep fryer and the first thing we wanted to make in it is deep fried asparagus.

Stockton Fried Asparagus
Source: Stockton Asparagus Festival Cookbook

1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites
2/3 cup cold flat beer
3 pounds (2 cups) raw, whole asparagus, cleaned and cut above white end

Mix all ingredients except asparagus in a bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Dip asparagus spears individually in the batter and deep fry them in at least 2 inches of peanut oil for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Dust generously with grated Parmesan cheese.

I mixed it up as directed but it was too thick, almost a dough instead of a batter. I added more beer to thin it out, maybe too thin. They were still very good they just looked a little funny.

Puleo’s serves theirs with two dips, a honey mustard and a spicy avocado ranch. Here is a quick and easy knock off of the avocado ranch. We have used this as a dip several times.

Spicy Avocado Ranch Dip
source: NibbleMeThis.com

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Cruise Farms Buttermilk
3 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 avocado, seeded and peeled
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Use 1/2 tsp of cayenne if you prefer mild over spicy. Use 1 tsp if you lean more toward the spicy side.

Stop by my blog to enter my August giveaway, it’s my best one yet. I’m giving away a brand new Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse smoker!!!!

Category: OKK MEMES & PRIOR CONTRIBUTORS

Ingredients For the Cake

For the cake:

Directions

Frosting: