Get You Some Wings and Fly Away - True Blood Style

Howdy!
Guess who got a mini deep-fryer for Christmas! This lady!! Now I can properly make ANYTHING fried! Muahahaha! Which is kind of funny because we rarely eat fried food but it was one of those...I need this is my tiny kitchen items he he! Ok let's be honest...I knew it might elevate my beignet game and I was all for THAT! 

The True Blood Cookbook has a great recipe for wings and for a long time I had wanted to make fried chicken for Craig. The man deserves some meat!  
First thing was marinating the chicken in some Tabasco for about an hour, refrigerated of course. Then pouring in more veg oil than we would have thought into the fryer and letting it heat up to 350. While we waited for the oil to heat up, it was time to get the chicken ready. Mixed up the flour with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then in a separate bowl whipped eggs and milk together.

Craig was helping me prepare the chicken legs and it wasn't until I took one of the little cold thighs into my hands that the realization hit me...I am not okay with this. Not to bring down the True Blood magic but my vegetarian nature was coming out and handling the chicken bits was so unappetizing. I've never been super picky about touching meat if it meant helping someone else. Other people eat meat and I have accepted that...so like a champ I battered those thighs....flour to egg to flour but after three I was done. It hurt my heart. Okay...back to the yummy.

Craig finished battering the rest of the legs/wings while I worked on the sauce! And nothing says southern comfort food like fried chicken with blue cheese sauce! This particular wing sauce included: crumbled blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, minced shallot and fresh lemon juice. 

It was fun plopping the chicken into the basket and letting it work it's magic. I could only dream of the beignets...fries...funnel-cakes....who knows! We let the chicken fry until golden brown, about 5 mins really. This little cooker is freakin amazing!

 Once cooled and drained of excess oil these babies were ready to serve. Obviously I have no idea what they tasted like but Craig likened them to a picnic in the park. They satisfied that need for fried meat and took him back to younger days, siting on a checkered blanket and scarfing on homemade chicken. The blue cheese sauce was a nice touch and definitely elevated their flavor.

Even though it was touch and go for me, I was really happy to try out my new fryer! It works wonderfully! I can't wait to try other recipes now that I have this new weapon in my kitchen arsenal he he!

Thanks for readin!

Love, Bunny

Bunny Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Happy Friday!! 

To celebrate a bit of spring showing through all of the rain, I made bunny shaped vanilla sugar cookies. My sister-in-law gave me this little kit for Christmas! It came with mix, marshmallows and a cookie cutter. 

I simply added an egg and some butter, mixed until the it turned to dough. I covered it in saran-wrap and put the dough in the fridge for about an hour.

I preheated the oven to 350 and began rolling out my dough on a cookie sheet using plenty of flour. I cut out little bunnies and arranged them on the tray to bake for about 10 mins. *check on them to make sure they are a little brown on the edges but be careful not to leave them in for too long. A couple of my bunnies didn't make it...they were cut a bit too thin LOL!  For added awesomeness I sprinkled a few of the bunnies! I do love my sprinkles! 

After baked and still warm, add the marshmallows for little cute bunny tails. Voila! Vanilla Sugar Cookies ready to serve. Super adorable and tasty! 

 I thought that Craig might like them with some chocolate so I melted a half cup of dark chocolate chips and drizzled them on top. He was thrilled he he! Thank you Amy for this wonderful gift, perfect for a Cake Bunny!

Thanks for readin!! xoxo

Love, Bunny

Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge

Good Morning!! 

Last night I made some yummy Mint Fudge! 

They turned out great so I decided to bring them into work. Mint has always been a favorite of mine so when I saw this simple recipe for fudge I had to try it out. Plus who doesn't love mint chocolate chip....a crazy person that's who!

What you will need: 

3 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of butter

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 to 3 teaspoons of mint extract, NOT peppermint

Green food coloring

and 3/4 cups of mini chocolate chips

First you need to line an 8x8 square plan with tinfoil and some cooking spray, next microwave the white chocolate chips and butter for 1 minute. Stir together and make sure that all chips are melted.

Mix in the condensed milk and mint. Add the green food coloring, about three drops. Once mixed completely let the mixture sit and cool off a bit, then fold in half of your mini chips!

Add the fudge to your pan and press evenly. Add the remaining mini chips to the top of the fudge. Refrigerate for about 2 hours then VOILA! 

Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge! Make sure to share he he!

Thanks! Bunny

Suicide Squad Cocktail

Happy Almost Halloween!! 

Cheers to drinks, candy and costumes!!
Playing off of a SSquad shot from http://allmommywants.com/cocktail-the-suicide-squad/ called the Purple Joker I decided to make my own with a blue twist. 

You will need: 
2 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Cherry Vodka
1 tsp Grenadine
3 oz Ginger Ale
2 tbs sugar 
3 drops green food coloring
1 tbs Simple Syrup
Mix three drops of green food coloring with your sugar, make sure to crush it together evenly and set aside in a shallow plate. Add the simple syrup to another shallow plate.

Take each ingredient and pour into your bar shaker, ginger ale last. This will add a nice fizz to your cocktail. I always use a bar mixer with the measurements on the side (shhhh don't tell anyone)...might be cheating but I don't want to mess it up! Next, dip the rim of your glass/tumbler in the simple syrup then into the sugar. You can add as much sugar as you'd like he he!! Drop 3 to 4 cubes of ice into your glass and pour your mixture in and voila! A beautiful blue bubbly mix topped with a green rim of sugar! 

This fizzy mix has a kick but the sugar rim definitely softens the blow! Plus some cherry vodka doesn't hurt he he! The ratios were perfect and nothing was too overpowering! I will totally be adding this to my list of cocktails to make again. I think we need to start a bar list!
Cheers, Bunny

Madeleines

Good Morning, 

So I lied! I ended up not making pie (yet) and went for some spongy-goodness in the form of madeleine! Besides their obvious yum factor I had been given a madeleine pan as a wedding gift (about time right!?) and every single morning my new boss comes into the office, sits down, and eats a madeleine. These were too perfect!

I found a simple recipe online and started putting my ingredients together. 

2/3 cup of flower

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel (salt)

1/3 cup sugar

Finely grated lemon zest (1 lemon)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (leave a little unmelted for the pan)

2 tablespoons whole milk

____________________________________________

Alright! Onward to deliciousness!

In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Place the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, mix and rub together with your fingertips until sugar becomes moist. This created such a fresh lemon scent!  

For convenience, I went ahead and placed the sugar zest into my big mixing bowl and then added the eggs, giving me a lot more room! Whisk the mixture until it thickens a bit. Next add the honey and vanilla. Gently add the flour in (in three parts) and then the butter. Lastly, carefully stir in the milk. The batter will begin to look smooth and shiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for about an hour. 

While you wait, butter and flower the madeleine pan. After the batter has properly chilled out, he he! spoon it into the pan and then set in the fridge for another hour. The batter will set into the molds and give it the classic madeleine shell shape! Set the oven to 400 degrees and place a large baking sheet inside for the madeleine pan to sit on. This helps to preheat the pan/process. 

Next, remove from fridge and place the madeleine pan into the oven and set your timer for 13 mins. I found that it really did not take long for them to bake, so be sure to check on them and to not leave them in too long!

After they have turned a lovely golden color (note: wait until the bumps spring back when touched), quickly remove the madeleines from the oven and release them from the pan. After a short cool-off dive in!

The madeleines were fluffy with a slight crispness on the edges. The lemon flavor was there, but not overpowering and on top of being simple to create they had the perfect amount of sweetness. Craig was pleased as well he he! So...here is another dessert that is dangerous to make, just like those pesky French macaroons! So so so yummy!!! I think I had 4 of them he he! 

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for my next creation. 

-Bunny

Ps. I brought some in for my boss, cheers Mark!

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

Lou Pines Special

Hey there!

We found some ginger beer so we thought it would be fun to make the Lou Pine's Special!

 

 This drink was pretty simple...no smooshed cherries he he! Just pour in 2 ounces of Black Seal Rum, 1 ounce blood-orange juice, 1/2 ounce moonshine and 6 ounces of ginger beer. Add a lime wedge for decoration and you're done! Perfect for anyone lupine! I apologize for not having a lime wedge handy but this was a spontaneous drink he he! Kinda funny because I really liked it better than the Stake House Special.

 The ginger really made it more flavorful and fizzy! Such a great mix with the moonshine and blood-orange! I will have to add this to my favorite drink list, right next to the Necromancer. Here is a link to a better quality video. I should up my video blogging skills ha ha! So sad!

https://youtu.be/WbDZUUKtboY 

Here's my moody wolf pic he he. Should have added some more leather! Here's lookin at you Alcide *wink*!

Thanks! -Bunny

Meaty Brunch

Morning!!

Made a yummy meat-tastic breakfast for Craig!

Starting with 3 eggs, ham, shredded cheese, a sprinkle of hot sauce, dash of milk and some pepper. I added a piece of toasted bread with butter for the base.

Then finished with some crispy bacon! Yum! Craig was a fan but might need to save some for later, it's quite filling.

Happy Saturday!! 

-Bun

Lou Pine's Special

Howdy Everyone! 

It was about time to make another cocktail! YAY!! he he

I guess all the wedding planning has been on my mind these days but what could go better with planning than a good drink!?

For the Lou Pine's Special I mixed Rum, Moonshine, ginger beer and blood orange juice together with a splash of lime.

I was surprised at the taste. I expected the Moonshine and ginger beer to make it bitter and hard to drink, at least for me, but I was wrong. In fact this in one of my new favorites, it's up there with the Necromancer! 

The ginger beer and blood orange mix add a mildly sweet and refreshing flavor! Perfect for a hot afternoon. YUMMY!

Pretty sure I will be making these in the future he he!

Thanks for watching! Until next time, Bunny

Screaming Ginger

Morning! 

I have been really missing our dearly departed True Blood lately. So I decided that I should make a few more items from their drinks/cookbooks. 

This weekend, it's the Screaming Ginger...how perfect! 

The Screaming Ginger was really refreshing and delicious. I ended up using a pineapple-orange mix due to time restraints but it worked, I think. The dark rum and Triple Sec mix well too and are not overpowering. 

The recipe tends to make A LOT and I had to put some into another pitcher, in order to add the ice and club soda, but it is great if you are having guests.

  I did make a bit of a mess (check out the video) LOL!

The orange juice makes it taste like a screwdriver with pizzazz! Crazy Ginger pizzazz! Definitely give it a try.

 Looks like this is what i will be having today!

-Bunny

The North: Medieval Armored Turnips

Are we Cooking?

Yes Jacky! We are making our first-ever dish from: 

THE GAME OF THRONES Cookbook! 

For our very first dish, I wanted to choose something relatively easy but interesting and since I can't recall ever having turnips...this seemed like a good choice. I decided to make the Medieval version as well, Turnips in Butter or Medieval Armored Turnips. 

One cool thing about A Feast of Ice and Fire is that you can choose between making the Medieval version or the Modern version, of a dish. 

Okay, for our Turnips in Butter we start by peeling 5 to 6 turnips then boiling them until tender.

Remove turnips from water and let cool. 

While waiting, butter the bottom and sides of your baking dish and grate the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. This was Jacks favorite part. 

You can use either mozzarella or provolone...but I decided mozzarella is the yummiest he he. 

Next you slice the turnips thinly and get ready for the layering process. 

This dish also call for a little bit more melted butter and 2 teaspoons of spices. The spices are referring to a Poudre Douce found on page 5. I could only find a few of the spices: nutmeg, ginger, sugar and cinnamon. 

Layer in this order: cheese, turnips, butter then spice.

Put in the oven and bake for about 15 mins, until cheese is thoroughly melted. 

Let cool and then serve. 

To be honest, turnips are not that bad, actually a little bit sweeter than potatoes. The cheese also adds more flavor as well...as this dish is very simple...so it is a little bland. :(

I would definitely suggest adding some salt and pepper. 

I can see making this recipe again but maybe the modern take which includes garlic and a few richer seasonings. 

I can't wait to dive deeper into the Game of Thrones Cookbook! I'm thinking something sweet for our next treat! 

~Bunny