Easiest Homemade Spinach and Artichoke Dip, A Chip's Delight

 Nothing beats a creamy, cheesy and delicious dip to go with your favorite chips, crudites and crusty breads. This recipe's main ingredient is courtesy of my little brother Allyn, who brought by some amazingly fresh and super huge artichokes.  I had some chopped spinach on hand for a quiche, but I had yet to deliver it, no stress, and the other ingredients were a perfect match, minus the eggs.  I prepared the artichoke dish in two vessels, each about 1 1/2 inches deep, to aid in cooking time and have one for now and one for later.  We really enjoyed the recipe and it also pairs nicely as a side dish to any protein, ours was the pork loin we had for dinner that night.
  Prep was done in two parts.  I cooked the artichokes the evening before, enjoying the outer leaves with a soy butter and lemon fusion. This is a messy yet delicious way to savor the little tidbits of edible artichoke flesh at the bottoms of each leaf.  Bronwyn and I were the only two up for this high energy partaking. I refrigerated the main portions, removing the choke and fibrous parts and chopped the rest. 
The spinach gives a super boost of substantial vegginess to the dish and compliments the artichoke well.  I used a combination of aged cheeses including Altu and Copper Kettle along with some cream cheese to add depth and flavor.  I made a bechamel to hold the fantastic cheeses and bind the dish together.  I also used a combination of minimal heavy cream and fat free evaporated milk for balance.  After baking for about 25 minutes at 375*F and allowing to stand for about 5 minutes, this versatile dip/side dish was ready to enjoy.


**Walmart has these Great Value brand Spicy Guacamole Tortilla Chips that are simply amazing and under a buck! They provide the perfect spice level and texture for serving as an appetizer!

Scooby Doo and the Gogosi #ScoobyDooChallenge

This post is dedicated to my love of Scooby Doo and the Gang.  Pictured above is a plate of Gogosi or Gogoshi, a Romainian sweet dough recipe.  From some of my readings, Romainians get offended when we refer to them as donuts, but I would have to say, they are definitely donuts, delicious ones, might I add, especially with a filling! 

The original recipe calls for a dusting of confectioner's sugar. Under the nation's current circumstances, I've been keeping travel to essential, so I didn't run out to get a bag.  Instead, I used my trusty mortar and pestle and hand grinded some pure cane sugar into powdered sugar.  This quickly became taxing effort for my sensitive thumbs, so I opted for a drizzling of Alfalfa Honey, further making this version my own and more nutritious, plus antioxidant rich.  Aestetically, they could stand some improvements on my behalf, especially where the temperature of the oil is concerned, but the taste was enough to win me and the kiddoes over.  When I make them again, this picture will be replaced!

The inspiration came from the Scooby Doo: Frankencreepy. Watching Scooby Doo episodes is one thing we always enjoy.  I have on deck hundreds of episodes and it never gets old, though some fell victim to adolescent scratch bandits!  While visiting the ancestral home of Velma, who is a descendant of  Dr.Von Dinklestein of Transylvania, they end up involved in a mystery, of course. Velma sought to settle her inheritance of a spooky castle, in the small, sleepy, moutainous town, whose residents have a lot of disdain for the Von Dinklesteins. In part, because of Dr. Von Dinklestein's abominable creations.  They happen upon a festival, at the advice of  one of the castle's keepers, Ms.Vanders, where a Gosgoshi eating contest ensues. Ms. Vanders had offered some traditional Nordic fare called Racituri or jellied pigs' feet, on which the crew passed.  One of the gang does actually try this dish before they knew what it was, but you'll have to see the movie to find out who :)  Shaggy and Scooby, ever the hungriest, make way to participate in the eating contest and proceed to decimate the competition.  

I thought it would be cool to cook my way through Scooby Doo and actually try some of their most bizarre creations.  I am calling it the Scooby Doo Challenge and would love for you to play along.  It is as easy as picking ANY episode and preparing one of the recipes Shag and Scoob make or consume, the crazier the better. You must also taste or bite it and swallow. You can share your experience and/or results on social media with the hashtag Scoobydoochallenge. This Gogoshi recipe is a winner and so is the movie.  Stay tuned for more installments of my #scoobydoochallenge scattered about in posts to come. 

Truffled Chicken Liver Pate, The Beefeater and The Cable Guy

Picture taken among Rosemary and Sage, in my Herb Garden.

This is a photograph of my first Aspic.  An aspic is in essence a meat flavored jelly.

The artwork is achieved by using foraged violets, wild strawberry flowers and fresh chives and sage from my herb garden.  The Pate is sealed below the aspic and the artwork. 

My recipe is simply chicken livers that have been simmered in stock, aromatics like garlic, onion, bay leaves, fresh black pepper and cardamom.  The poached livers are then blended with real butter and some truffle oil to achieve an unctuous and delicious spread, blooming with flavor and perfect for easy entertaining.  Aspics hit their peak in the 50's and 60's, but still appear on dinner tables around the world.  They have roots as far back as the Medieval Ages.  

I remember when a group from our high school went to England during the summer of 1992.  I was 15 at the time and escstatic that my parents were able to let me participate.  Traipsing about England with my class mates and Advanced Science teacher Ms. Cothran and her daughter Dawn was an amazing experience.  Ironically enough, the Queen was visiting the Americas at the time of our trip. We spent about 2 1/2 weeks abroad, touring notable places like Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, Big Ben and Shakespeare's home with Anne Hathaway where we sat in a beautiful garden full of flowers and swung in a wooden swing, priceless! 

  We had dinner one evening on the Thames at The Beefeater, 'Drink Ale and Wassailing', singing, laughing and eating with our hands, alongside Henry VIII.  As part of the dinner theatre, we dined and fellowshipped in the tavern, lasting around 2 hours.  We had this potted meat appetizer, mild and spice forward, to spread on the crusty bread at our tables.  As a Culinarian, this ranks among my greatest food experiences ever!  I still have the menu as part of my memorabilia from the trip.  I'd love to go back, but will settle for taking the kiddoes to Medieval Times, here in the Americas. 

 There is a scene in The Cable Guy starring Jim Carrey as Ernie 'Chip' Douglas and Matthew Broderick as Stephen Kovacs, written and directed by Ben Stiller, where Chip takes Stephen to Medieval Times for dinner and I was immeditately catapulted back to our night on the Thames, though there was no jousting, nor was there the loquacious and animated tirades, by the dark comedy character.  This location is also where Chip does his rendition of Silence of the Lambs with his chicken skin! Hilarious.

An evening like this would be hard to recreate at home, without enlisting the help of actors, stuntmen, trained animals and animal trainers, arena rentals and lots of sand, so I sure hope we will at least be able to attend within the next several years, before the kiddoes turn 18 and think their mom drags them to lame events, or not. We will just have to see.  In the meantime, I think I'll track down another copy of The Cable Guy and get my laugh on. The one I have is a hot mess of strategic scratches that prevents us from enjoying it.   Interestingly enough, the 1996 character Chip speaks of the coming of an advanced "Information Super Highway" that has replaced most interpersonal contact and a society that does most of its interactions via  televisions and telephones.  Hmm.....curiouser and curiouser!  

Hip Hip HooRAMEN!

"These are a few of my favorite things..." I probably have about 19 different kinds of Ramen. Aside from being attracted to the colorful marketing, they come in handy if I feel under the weather. My favorite is Kimchi. The kids are completely consumed right now by Anime, especially Boku No Hero Academia and Naruto.  Consumed may be an understatement, they are obsessed! I am the same way about X-Men.  Marvel Comics and everything about it, is my muse.

 The Kids are partial to what the characters eat as well, constantly commenting on what the food illustrations look like,  Onigiri, Sashimi and Ramen bowls being examples. The kids fantasize about how good the dishes must taste.
I made a Ramen Bowl for Bronwyn this weekend past, with the eggs and runny yolks, fresh chives from the Herb Garden, a slice of Prime Rib and lots of broth! She loved it and went right back into her zone, tummy full of edible love and Ramen, looking to the next time I'd present for her again.  The kids love having a chef/mom.  I love that I can accommodate the ideas that pop into their heads.   We even have our sets of chopsticks, not the throw away kind, but custom, personally picked sets from a selection of many.  We get them from the Asian market, where we travel a half hour to go, it's our favorite!

There are so many types of Ramen, it has become somewhat of a hobby.   I am always on the lookout for new and exciting ones, anxious to try and compare to others I've had, but I end up not wanting to eat them.  I like knowing they are in my possession, ready to enjoy and pretty inexpensive.  I've only tried one in particular that I put on the do not ever buy again list.  It came in a small foil container, complete with either an egg or piece of tofu.  I read the ingredient call for sodium, calories and fats and thought there was  no way it was accurate.  I prepared and ate some of it and the nightmare began.  I had a serious anxiety attack from the shock to my system, I thought I was going to die.  There was just too much sodium, fat and calories.  I felt sick to the stomach and out of my mind.  Seriously.  I won't even tell others about them because I care what happens to them. This occurred about 2 years ago, but I will never forget the day I was almost 'Super Saiyoned'

 by a noodle bowl.  

Luckily, there are virtually hundreds more to try and the list keeps growing.  The latest ones I found to be pretty awesome are of the Japanese variety called Sapporo Ichiban.  The ones pictured directly above are Korean, they really delivered on the heat and had a good mouthfeel as noodles go.  I was schooled in Noodle by Maruchan in college and they have a special place in my heart.  The beef version is the only kind my daughter Genesis will eat, sans an occasional Chili flavor.  My daughter Bronwyn is just getting over her head over heels, whirlwind  romance with Yakisoba, she is recovering nicely.  Nowadays, she will just take them plain, no bells, no whistles, just Chicken flavored broth and noodles, don't forget the custom chopsticks, gotta have the chopsticks...and a fork.

Raspberry Filled Donuts, Just Add Sharing!

I was excited about the first time I tackled raised donuts and was pleased even though my version appears a bit different from the blog post that helped influence it.  Jenni Fields' Copycat Raspberry Filled Donut recipe and several others was a reference.  Her site is Pastrychefonline.com and she has many wonderful recipes for baking as well as dinners and great photography.
The kiddoes and my other tasters were satisfied with these delicious and pillowy pastries.  The tangy raspberry filling was courtesy of the Walmart Bakery, giving shortcut to the overall time for my recipe.
 The ingredients are on hand and only require your commitment to the time it takes for the dough to rise.  Homemade donuts are well worth the wait.  Next on my list, Lemon filled donuts!! Happy Baking and remember, Sharing is Caring, especially when it comes to indulgent sweets! 

Sloppy Joe-Jacks and other Places to Hide Veggies

Sloppy Joe has been around for a long time, saving dinners across the country, by providing a quick and wholesome meal, meaty and saucy, tangy and filling.  Now, more than ever, we need to make every meal count and also make sure we are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals our bodies need, especially our kiddoes. I found that I can fortify certain meals with non traditional, nutritious ingredients that can pack a mean punch of antioxidants and fiber, plus slews of good for us nutrition.  One such ingredient is pumpkin. 
Pumpkins, which are a member of the Squash family, is full of substantial, nutritious benefits like vitamins A, C and E, B2, protein, beta carotene, manganese, fiber, folate, antioxidants that help thwart free radicals, plus it's inexpensive! Most households probably have a can or two left over from the holidays past and if it is just PLAIN pumpkin, it can be added to many of our everyday or tried and true recipes we already serve our families.  I found that I could add it to sloppy joes and not rob the dish of its integrity and go virtually undetected by the picky eaters, adults included.  I call them 'Sloppy Joe-Jacks', as in jack o lantern, as I came up with this fusion around Halloween of last year.  You can add anywhere from 1/4 to 2/3 cup to 2 lbs. of prepared sloppy joes, making a exponential increase in its nutritional density.
Other places pumpkin goes well and may be added is chili, taco meat blends, beef stew and even mac and cheese.  Butternut squash puree goes well blended in with Broccoli w/Cheese Sauce and chunks of butternut squash also blend well in casseroles containing cheddar cheese.  Various types of beans are also awesome mashed and blended with many other proteins to stretch and keep you fuller, longer.  White beans will blend well with ground poultry and pork, while brown to black beans will be suitable for beef and other red meats. 
Be creative, if the color can blend, blend it in, TASTE it of course and adjust seasonings as needed.  Fresh herbs really bring brightness and freshness and added health benefits to any dish, so definitely consider some when planting for your family this spring! 

Spinach Tagliatelle and Fettuccine w/ Country Style Sausage

This is an easy and most flavorful pasta dish that I created 'on the fly' one day, for a late evening dinner.  I used on hand ingredients with the least effort, as it was approaching the wind down time for the kiddies and we were finishing up a hectic day.
 I used a country style sausage originally bought for breakfast and decided to use two different pastas because the spinach tagliatelle wasn't enough for a meal on its own.  I had some heavy cream on hand, but I like to mix 2% milk or evaporated milk with it, to shave off some of the fat.  I find that this works well for my family.
This sauce may be prepared in the same way as a bechamel , stirring in a cup of the cooking liquid. The al dente cooked pasta is tossed with it at the end and sprinkled with a little cheese, toasted bread crumbs or both. 
Recipe:
1 lb. country style breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
1 lb. total, spinach taggliatelle and fettuccine, cooked al dente in salted water
1/4 c. heavy cream
2/3 c. 2 % milk or evaporated milk
1 c. pasta water
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
2 tbsp. AP flour
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
Olive oil for drizzling
SPST (Salt and Pepper to Suit Taste)

To make the bechamel, use the same pan you cooked the sausage in, leaving about 1 tsp. of the rendered fat.
Add butter.
 Add about 1 turn of the pan of olive oil to make sufficient amount to 'cook out' flour over medium high heat.
Add onions, and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Sprinkle flour into pan and cook for about 1 minute, scraping up browned bits as you go.
Add milk and pasta water, then cream and garlic.
Bring up to rolling simmer, then reduce to medium.
The sauce will thicken as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
SPST.
Once the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, stir in the cheese and sausage.
Fold pasta into sauce and simmer for an additional 2 minutes to finish the pasta.
Remove from heat.
Garnish with toasted bread crumbs, parmesan, olive oil or fresh herbs  as desired.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.