New Baby-New Treats

 Hi there! 

Well, it's been a year or so and a lot has happened. The start of 2021 was bittersweet. We lost family members, including my cooking buddy Jack, but we gained a few new babies. So with deep sadness, there is also an overwhelming amount of new love. Say hello to Cass, or pandemic baby! 

I decided that I needed to start making treats again and found the perfect book! The Nightmare Before Christmas cookbook and entertaining guide.

So making treats is going to be a bit different this time around. With a new baby, my time is never my own, and doing anything takes a lot longer. With that being said these posts will be fun but a bit shorter haha! 

For my first treat, I chose these Mummy Tartlets. Aren't they cute! 

I started by baking the butternut squash with some olive oil, pepper and salt. Cass had fun watching this stage. I made sure to narrate the process and point out that the oven needed to be at 425 degrees. 

While the squash bakes, I cut out pastry rounds and strips for the mummy wraps. I decided to only make 7 tarts since the dough was pre-rolled. Which, thanks Craig, made things easier but I couldn't roll it out and get even more rounds. To prepare the dough, I used an egg wash.

This was about the time that we needed to take a Mr. Calimari break and then a nap LOL! I had to finish the tartlets alone...but he lasted longer than I thought. Hopefully, the next treat keeps his attention. 

After the squash was baked, smooshed and cooled, I added them to the pastry rounds. 

Next came the delicious goat cheese, two olives for the mummy eyes, and the remaining pastry strips for its wraps. Make sure to smoosh the edges down to attach the round and strips together. Place in the fridge for about 30 mins to chill the dough. 

After that, bake for 25 mins and voila! Mummy tartlets! A fun savory Halloween bite. They were scrumptious and went well with a spinach salad. The goat cheese adds a nice tartness with the earthy butternut squash. 

Looks like I should have made the strips a bit thinner though.

Thanks for reading,

Bunny and Cass

Drunk in Luv

Hi there! 

Santa Cruz is heating up so I grabbed some watermelon for the Sakara Drunk in Luv Cocktail. So refreshing and yummy!

For this drink you will need: 1 cup of watermelon juice, a few pieces of cubed watermelon, 1 shot of rum, ice and some fresh mint. Luckily I had everything except the watermelon. Tip for picking out a top-notch melon, give them a quick knuckle tap and listen. The more hollow they sound the better. 

Once you have everything, place your watermelon cubes, mint and ice into your glass. Then stir together the watermelon juice and shot of rum. Pour that mixture over the ice, mint and cubes. 

Voila! A refreshing lightly sweet cocktail for those hot summer days!

I went ahead and made some more to share, Jack supervised!

Cheers Luvs!

-Bunny

Bob's Burgers Magic

Hey Ya'll! 

Guess what? I found a Bob's Burgers Burger Cookbook!

 Lately Bob's has been everywhere, even Blue Apron is doing dishes with their "joke" burgers. I was stoked to find this cookbook and give their recipes a go. Plus food that involve grilling really peaked Craig's interest! Each page in this cookbook showcases simple to slightly less simple burgers. Plus each one is taken straight out of an episode, so turn up the fun and turn on the show while you eat he he!

The first burger we tried was the Bruschetta Bout It Burger. Super yummy and unique. I love bruschetta so it was right up my alley. Plus I have never had a burger using balsamic as the sauce which was interesting and new. Thanks Bob!

 The next burger we chose was the Bet It All on Black Garlic Burger.

This burger features a decadent black garlic mayo, fresh spinach and mozzarella. It was delicious! Super simple...except finding black garlic wasn't easy. I ended up using Amazon LOL! Oh man, here in Santa Cruz we have a lot of specialty shops but none had the garlic. Much like the episode...I needed the garlic, it's what makes it special!

Bob knows what he is talking about! We both really enjoyed the rich smokey black garlic. It really took the mayo to a whole new level. Something we would have never thought to use. YUM!

I can't wait to pick new burger recipes to try! Just paging through the book there are some really unique ideas!

 Now you can create burgers from this beloved TV show too. So I urge your inner Bob to pick up a copy and get to grillin. They even have a recipe for fries!

Thanks for tuning in!

-Bunny

Love of Pralines!

Howdy!

This weekend summer decided to have one more hot day before giving in to winter. The air was thick, sticky and just plain hot! Naturally this made me think of New Orleans. I couldn't help but remember wandering those packed streets, listening to jazz and stopping to take a peek in every unique shop. One in particular had pieces of pralines to try. So creamy and perfect bites filled with pecan flavor. I'm sure the cashier noticed as I would casually pass by the tray while I perused. Missing this delish staple of New Orleans, I went to my Damn Good Sweet cookbook for a simple praline recipe and it was simply delicious. 

To start I melted butter, cream, brown and white sugar together until they reached 220 degrees. Then I folded in the pecans and turned off the heat. Next I spooned out about 2 tablespoons per praline onto a baking sheet. 

I did not have any parchment paper, so tin foil had to do. *Just be sure to use something or your pralines will stick to the pans like glue! They did get a little messy, in the future I would want to use something to shape them into more perfect circles. I wondered how Aunt Sally's did it. They had achieved praline perfection! 

It did not take long for them to cool down and stiffen. Craig did try to pick at them before hand lol! I was surprised that they were ready to serve so quickly. I peeled one off the tray and took a bite...YUM! These pralines turned out pretty well, maybe a bit too sugary but each bite took me back to NOLA. Sweet with a bit of pecan crunch. They were not as creamy as I imagined but I think that might require more cook time or more cream. Either way I found another way to eat pecans and reminisce he he! Now this hot day didn't seem so bad.

I am definitely coming back to this sweets cookbook soon!

Thanks, Bunny

King's Landing Sweet Corn Fritters

Howdy, 

Tonight I made a pre-Game of Thrones treat straight from the Game of Thrones Cookbook and King's Landing. 

Sweet Corn Fritters! 

I always love when whole corn kernels are used in recipes, especially in cornbread, so I immediately knew these fritters would be no exception. To start first take kernels from about 2 ears of corn, saute with butter and set aside. 

In a bowl whisk the egg and milk together, then mix in the flour and cornmeal. Add a pinch of pepper and the corn. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan until hot and then it's ready for the sweet corn batter! 

Place about 2 tablespoons of the mix into pan and fry until golden brown. These heat up pretty quick so make sure to keep an eye on them and flip quickly. Remove each one and set on a towel to cool...also to soak up some of the oil. Then plate with your favorite dipping sauce. Some honey could do nicely as well he he!

These fritters were, as suspected flavorful and delicious!

Cheers!

Bunny

Sex on Safari

Tarzan is here! 

The movie surprised me...I liked it a lot more than I thought I would! Plus who doesn't love them some sexy Skarsgård! Margot Robbie was a great Jane and Christoph Waltz always plays the perfect villain! 

I was so excited to see the movie that it only seemed right to pair it with a new cocktail! So as Tarzan (John) belongs to the Jungle I also loved the way the movie chose to highlight the safari and the other creatures and tribes he loved and belonged to. 

Playing off of a recipe for Sex in the Jungle I used:

1 1/2 oz. Vodka

1 oz Rum

1 oz Midori

1 oz Lime Juice

3 oz Orange Juice

3 oz Pineapple Juice

This mix was sweet, thanks to the pineapple and a tad sour. I really liked how the different juices added some depth to this zesty cocktail. So refreshing!

For a Sex on Safari Sunrise add in 1 oz of grenadine and top with cherries! Such a perfect gradation of colors. Nice and sweet too. Yum!!

Ok...one more ab pic!! he he

Love, Bunny

Heaven Scent Pot Roast

Howdy!

I decided to make another dish from the True Blood Eats, Drinks and Bites. Check out my pot roast inspired by Luna and Sam!

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Next heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium to high heat. Take your 4lb chuck roast and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. 

Dust with some flower and place in pan. Make sure to brown all sides of roast.

Push the meat to one side of the pot and add the onions and garlic. Stir and cook until they are aromatic. Next add the beef broth.

Move the roast to the center of the pot and arrange the onions-garlic around it. 

Now add the dark beer (if using), carrots and bay leaves. The beer is optional but I thought it would add to the overall flavor. 

Cover the pot and place in oven for 30 mins. Check on the roast, lower heat to 300 and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using a meat temp thermometer, make sure the core temperature reaches at least 150...which is medium rare.

Remove roast from pot and let stand for about 10 mins. Discard bay leaves and skim off any fat from the pot gravy. 

Slice the roast and serve with the gravy and carrots/vegetables. 

Craig was super hungry so this roast was perfect...and wont last long LOL!You can definitely taste the cayenne pepper and the dark beer adds a richer flavor. 

In Craig's words, "delicious!" 

Plus it will be great for his lunch tomorrow. 

Here is a little video Google+ made me. Really cool...and scary...I mean who told it to do that. There is music and everything! 

Enjoy!

-Cake Bunny

Walking Dead

Howdy!

So excited for the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead! Aren't you?

We wanted to mark this momentous occasion with a stiff drink....he he. So here is our version of a Zombie! 

1/2 oz Bacardi® rum

2 oz pineapple-orange juice

1/2 oz peach schnapps 

1 tsp sugar

2 oz light rum

1 oz dark rum

1 oz lime juice

Yummy! Similar to a screwdriver, one of my all time favs. Pretty strong...so I added a bit more juice. You can also add some coconut syrup for a more tropical taste! Now we are ready for the Dead! he he

Then Craig got hungry and decided to BBQ...sorry Bob! he he 

Thanks for reading and happy Walking Dead Sunday!-Bunny

Apple Sausage Pie

Happy 1st day of February! 

I found this recipe for Apple Sausage Pie while surfing the net and it looked really yummy. Plus I wanted to make something special for Craig.

To start you need to make a pie crust, or cheat like I did and buy a frozen one he he! 

Just make sure you bake it a little bit, until it starts to brown. 

Next melt the butter in a pan and then add the sugar, onion and apples. Stir until tender...about 5 mins. 

In the last 30 seconds, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Let me tell ya...it is fragrant! Our place still smells like a damn Bucca di Beppo! he he

Next put the mix into a separate bowl and use the pan to cook up the sausage. Cook until browned on all sides, then remove from heat and blot to absorb the excess fat.

In a small bowl mix the beaten eggs and cheese. Ricotta, feta and an Italian blend of provalone, fontina and asiago.

Next spoon the sausage into the pie crust, then the apple mixture. Top it off with the cheese/eggs. 

Place into the oven at 350 degrees and bake for about 35 mins. Check with a knife...or a chopstick...like I do :)

Let stand for a bit then serve! 

This Apple Sausage Pie turned out better than I thought it would! Craig really likes it and already had two helpings lol! The cheese, apple and sausage pairs well together making it both savory and hearty.

-Bunny