Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fun Sushi~ for Kids

Last Saturday my middle daughter had a performance with her drama class. The theme was the ocean- it was about a Tiger Shark and her different friends. So to keep with the ocean theme, I made "sushi". I posted pictures of the finished product on my Facebook page, but I was told I had to put it on my blog too. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures when we were making them. But the instructions are pretty simple. And the kids LOVED them!




Ingredients:
Rice Krispies
bag of marshmallows
Dairy free margarine ( I use Earth Balance Organic)
Swedish Fish
fruit roll ups: I recommend using the natural ones, rather than the "fruit by the foot" ones.  The natural ones are not as sweet.
You'll also need parchment paper and cooking spray.

Method:
1. Make the Rice Krispie Treats according to the directions on the box. When mixing them, spray your spatula with cooking spray to keep the mixture from getting stuck to it.
2. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper- it works better than wax paper in my opinion. Press the mixture into the baking pan.
3. Let it cool for few minutes. Meanwhile, cut the fruit roll up into thin strips.
4. Cut the treats into small rectangles, and shape them in your hand so the top is a bit rounded- it will look similar to Nigiri sushi. Spray your hands cooking spray to prevent sticking.
5. Lay a Swedish Fish on top, and wrap a thin slice of the fruit roll up around it.
It's easier if you have a helper. One person to shape the Rice Krispies, and one to wrap the fish on top.



If you make these the night before you need them, keep them tightly covered with plastic wrap so they don't get hard.

*Adapted from Family Fun Magazine.

Sunrise Frittata

I love eggs. Scrambled, fried, hard boiled... I love veggies- all veggies. And bacon. Who doesn't love bacon? (In small quantities, of course!) Put them all together and you have a tasty, filling breakfast. But trying to find a frittata recipe without cheese is difficult. So I decided today to make up my own recipe with what I had in the fridge, and minus the cheese of course! I used up all of my green pepper and onion this week (we eat A LOT of peppers!) so I kind of scrounged through my veggie drawers and made my frittata out of the following:

5 mushrooms, diced: I used basic white this time.
1 tomato, diced with the excess juice gently squeezed out.
3 shallots sliced
Handful of shredded carrots: I added them for some crunch, since I was out of peppers.
4 slices of bacon, drained well, and chopped,
olive oil spray
5 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
dried Thyme- to taste
dried minced garlic-to taste
dried basil- to taste




Method:
(Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.)
1. Saute bacon in a separate pan.



2. Spray cast iron skillet with olive oil spray and heat on medium. Add shallots, mushrooms, and carrots and let cook until they start to soften.
3. Add tomato, minced garlic, and other spices and let cook on low heat until all veggies are soft.


4. Once bacon is done to desired crispness, remove from heat and drain on paper towels. I also wipe the excess grease off. Coarsely chop and add to veggies.
5. Beat 5 eggs in a separate bowl, add salt and pepper if desired.


6. Add eggs to the pan, being sure to spread them evenly. Leave them on med heat for a couple minutes to help them set up.


7. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through.


Insert a knife into the eggs, if it comes out clean, they are done.


Enjoy!

There are so many other veggies or variations you could do with this. These are the veggies I had on hand today. And I called it the Sunrise Frittata as a joke with my husband, because the colors in it are yellow and orange. Next time I might use spicy sausage instead of bacon, with green peppers and shallots. I do like the shallots more than onion in this- they have a lighter flavor. When I get some fresh basil I will do a tomato and basil one. Can't wait to experiment some more!

*This recipe is mine. The only thing I used from the "Food Matters" cookbook was the temperature to cook it at.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Adventures in Cake Decorating

I've always wanted to be able to decorate my own cakes, especially since I can't eat bakery cakes anymore. I have a friend that makes and decorates cakes for special occasions, and she has taught me a few of her tricks. I have also taken 1 Wilton class to learn how to make flowers out of icing. I need A LOT more practice with those!:-)
So far I can make my own fondant, dye it, and make it into simple shapes, and I know how to use it to completely cover a cake. It's a long learning process, but it's a fun hobby.
Recently my best friend's daughter turned 13 and she asked me to make the cake for her Surprise Party. Here's how it turned out:













(I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, my camera battery was very low)

Now that I've made this cake, I have a list of more decorating items that I need/want. I am most definitely a novice at this whole cake decorating thing, but it is a lot of fun, and my girls love watching the process and then eating the end result. I am mostly doing this so I can make cute cakes for them for their birthdays or school functions.
The best part- I can eat the cakes too! These are 100% dairy free- even the decorations!