smothered tater tots w/ pulled pork

I recently got a Crock-Pot (to my mother’s chagrin) and have been cooking up some things in it to try and see what it can do.

I remember BEGGING my mom for a Crock-Pot when I was like 8 years old. I read about it in a Ramona Quimby book and thought it was like “the coolest thing ever!”

Long story short, I never did get one because my mother was absolutely APALLED at the fact that people cooked their family meals in a ceramic pot for 8 hours while they did other things.

“Where is the love”, she would say.

Sigh.

That’s me madre for ya.

Well, now that I have a Crock-Pot, throwing the ingredients in there while I tend to errands is one of my favorite parts about it!

Take today for example—While my pork cooked for 7 hours I managed to:


Do my laundry-

Paint my nails-

Celebrate National Ice-Cream Day-

And, before I knew it the pork was finished!


Exciting stuff, man. :)

These smothered tots are a dish that I first had a couple months ago during a happy hour after work.

Crispy tater tots layered with BBQ pulled pork and then smothered with cheese.

Man, it is so good!

The secret to having the perfect smothered tots is to make extra sure that the tater tots are really crispy. This dish needs to have texture and crunch, so make sure of that.

Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!  :)

BBQ Pulled Pork--Adapted from Taylors at Home

• Pork Tenderloin or shoulder “butt” roast
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup Dr. Pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• BBQ sauce (I used Honey BBQ)

1. Place sliced onion, garlic, Dr. Pepper and water in the crock pot.

2. Put the pork in next and pour the worcestershire sauce and about 1/2 cup bbq sauce on top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

3. Drain the extra liquid and discard the fat. Shred the pork with two forks and add more bbq sauce to your desired consistency.

Smothered Tots

• BBQ Pulled Pork
• Really crispy Tater Tots (homemade or store bought)
• Shredded Cheddar and Provolone cheeses
• Sour Cream
• Scallions

1. Cook tots and when ready place them on the bottom  of a plate.

2. Pile on the pulled pork and cheeses. Finish with a dollop of sour cream and  scallions.

3. Enjoy!

homemade funnel cake

Whenever I make something it’s always for other people.

The majority of things I make goes to work, a get-together , mailed out, etc.

Rarely do I make these sinful treats for myself.

Well, sometime today after my car got towed and before I slammed my front door on my left foot, I decided that I wanted funnel cake.

You know, those fried dough thingy’s that you get at your local fair?

Yea, those.

You actually use a funnel to make them. Funnel Cakes!

You can’t pack them up and send them  off—they’re only good right at that moment.

And, since I’ve been both a loser and unlucky all weekend, I decided why not continue in my loserdom and make something really fatty and delicious all for myself?

I did---the aforementioned funnel cake.

You guys.

They were so freaking good.

They tasted BETTER than the ones that I’ve ever had at a fair.

They were crispy and doughy and fresh and delightful.

So freaking good.

As I was eating them standing by my sink full of dirty dishes, I happened to see a forgotten jar of Nutella in one of my open cupboards and thought, “Hmmm.”

Yea, I did it—and it was oh so good. I added bananas too.  :)

So good.

I am physically trying to restrain myself from frying up some more of those bad boys.

But, I’m not going to.

No need to add anymore gluttony to my already sloth filled weekend.  =)

Homemade Funnel Cake--From Tasty Kitchen

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cups sugars
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups milk
• Powdered Sugar (for Dusting)
• Canola Oil, For Frying (I used Crisco)

1. In a large, deep pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients then whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Add a dash more milk if need to  achieve the proper consistency (the batter should resemble thin pancake batter).

3. Pour 1/2 cup batter through a funnel (while making circular, swirling motions) into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Drain on a paper towel, coat with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

4th of july flag cake

 

Hey friends! Happy Fourth of July!!!

I absolutely love the 4^th because it’s always a great time to see friends, eat good food and just have fun  going from cookout to cookout.

It’s awesome!

I have been DYING to make this cake ever since I saw it on Elissa’s blog about 2 years ago.

It was seriously one of the coolest cakes that I had seen in a long time and I wanted to give it a try.

I’m actually taking it to a BBQ this afternoon, so whoops---I already sliced into it to get a picture.

LOL! So ghetto. They’re my friends so they’ll understand…I hope. ;)

As you can see, my cake is kinda jacked, no?

I am the worst at torting cakes which causes my layers to always be uneven.

That makes me sad.  I want to take cake decorating classes.

My mom of course would frown upon that. I can already hear her now: "Why do you Americans need to take a class to learn how to do everything!"

Don't ask--she is who she is. I whole-heatedly embrace my Americanism.

The cake itself is delicious. I simply used a white cake mix and added lemon zest and lemon extract to the batter. I then iced it with a lemon cream cheese icing.

So good! (I planned to slide the cut slice back into the cake, but I ended up eating it. That’s how I know it’s good.)

Well that’s the story of this cake. It was pretty fun to make and I will definitely try it again next year!

I hope you all enjoy the holiday with your loved ones--if anybody has tips on helping me help myself torte a cake, please feel free to school me.  :)

Lemon Cake

• 1 box of white cake mix and all other necessary add ins
• 1 tablespoon lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  
  1. Bake the cakes as you normally would---you will need 3 layers of red, white, and blue.
  2. Now for the rest of the directions, I will direct you over to Elissa's blog. She explains it better.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 8 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  
  1. In a bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, and lemon juice until fluffy--about 3 minutes.
  
  2. Add  sugar one cup at a time and then lemon zest. Use it to ice whatever you'd like!
  
  
  

grilled mangoes w/ coconut ice-cream

 

I love mangoes.

They're a fruit that I associate with childhood and playing outside in the sunshine.

I grew up in Miami, FL and in our backyard we had grapefruit trees, orange trees, a huge supreme avocado tree that gave the best shade ever, and two glorious mango trees.

They were A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

I wish I had a photo to show you of my childhood stomping grounds, but I don't. :\

Anyways, mangoes.

My mom was really strict with my brothers and I growing up. No, like REALLY STRICT.

If we did something bad or didn't adhere to a rule, you knew you were going to get in big trouble--unless she had a mango. ;)

• Gotta give her a detention slip to sign? Give her a mango first.
  
  
• Didn't make your bed properly that morning and she saw? Give her a mango.
  
  
• You left the house without putting lotion on and spent the whole day looking all ashy and embarrassing in public? Give her a mango---she won't yell anymore after that.
  
  

"Giving her a mango" meant that right before you knew you were about to get in trouble you run real fast, go to the tree, pluck a mango, and at the moment you knew she was about to reprimand you, you say something along the lines of:
                       
                              "Mummy look! A mango fell and I found it! You want it?" 

You were good after that.

She would get excited and say something insignificant like "don't do that again" and off she went to go enjoy her mango.

Genius!

Of course we we were only able to do that for a couple months out of the year but hey, from May to August mangoes saved us!

I ran across this recipe in a dessert book that my friend Sam gave to me and I instantly wanted it.

Grilled mangoes? Ch'yea!

I really loved this dessert---it was so refreshing and I loved the grilled taste on the mangoes. The coconut ice-cream mixture is delicious too! So good.

Enjoy it! :)

 

Grilled Mangoes with Coconut Ice-Cream from Great Tastes

• 2 cups of vanilla ice-cream, softened
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, toasted
• 2 large ripe mangoes
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 1 lime halved

1. Mix the ice-cream and toasted coconut together in a bowl until combined and then put it back into the freezer until firm.

2. Preheat a barbecue flat-plate or grill to medium.

3. Cut two cheeks off of each mango and sprinkle them with the sugar. (The cheeks are the 2 fleshy parts of he mango at the sides).

4. Put the mango flesh side down on the grill  for 2-4 minutes until the sugar has caramelized. Take off the heat, drizzle with lime juice and serve with the coconut ice-cream.

**Note** The recipe calls for it to be served warm, but I liked it a million times more when the mangoes were cooled. I just stuck it back in the fridge for like 30 minutes before I ate it.

homemade oreo cookies

It’s almost summer and I should be making refreshing desserts like lemon bars and blackberry ice-cream.

That was the plan…technically.

See, I bought a ton of fresh berries this week and had all intents and purposes to make a refreshing treat, but then I looked in my cupboard and saw this:

Yes, shortening.

I forgot I had this stuff and upon seeing it all fruity desserts were scratched and all I could think about was frosting.

I didn’t want cake or anything heavy but I remembered that shortening was used in the icing for homemade Oreos! Yes!

So, that’s what I made.

I had never made or eaten homemade Oreos so I was kind of excited for this.

I am a HUGE lover of the store bought cookie and I wanted to see if they really did taste the same.

Also, my little brother has been bugging me about sending him something fun so I thought I’d give it a try.

After making them and tasting them over and over again, I can say that they taste SIMILAR, but not identical.

It’s probably because the homemade version uses fresh ingredients and no preservatives and stuff like that.

Like I said, they taste similar to store bought Oreos but not identical and TO ME, not better.

They’re good, yes! But, if I were to choose on the better flavor I would say the Oreos at my local supermarket wins.

I guess that I like and embrace preservatives in certain snack foods? Triglycerides and the like too.

Hey, I  am who I am.

So, that’s my story and conclusion on homemade Oreo cookies. They didn’t rock my world entirely, but I did enjoy them (really, i did!) and am pretty sure the little brother will as well.

______________________________________________________________________________

P.S.--Until yesterday morning I frequently used glass dishes in the oven. Never again. This can happen:

Oven explosion--no fun and even worse to clean up.

Homemade Oreos--adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the chocolate wafers:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
   
   
2. In a food processor mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and then the egg and continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass. Will be bulky.
   
   
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. Flatten the dough and bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
   
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
   
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.
   
   

nyc eats and treats

My addiction to this ice-cream truck knows no limits.  :)

I live in DC.

I do not love it.

Or particularly like it.

It has its fine points.

But still, eh.

I tend to get sick of it.

A lot.

I escape to NY whenever I can.

I went this past weekend.

My ladies and I hit up my favorite foodie places.

Food in NY makes me happy.

Here is why:

Delicious sushi that is $2.50-$3.25 a roll!

Cool dessert places like Spot Dessert Bar. Green Tea Macaron is on the left!

Pommes Frites where they have a MASSIVE array of dipping sauces. And...

They let you sample adequately before you decide what you want!

Taro Bubble Tea at Saint's Alp

CRUMBS cupcakes can be hit or miss, but usually---hit!

And of course...pizza!

Tempura Fried Ice Cream--Green Tea

Ice-cream is something that is always at my place. A-L-W-A-Y-S.

Besides there always being ice-cream, there is also ALWAYS different kinds in my freezer. 

My indecisiveness gets the best of me when I stare at all the different selections at the grocery store.

"Maybe I'll just get vanilla this week, " I tell myself. "No,  but there's chocolate gelato over there and snickers too. Ooo, just kidding,  I want dulce de  leche!"

Every couple of weeks that's the conversation that takes place between me and the ice-cream aisle and then pretty soon this happens:

I'm  not that bad--you do see the bag of broccoli right?--

Sigh.

I really do try to be a good and responsible grownup, but sometimes I just can't help  it.  :/

Since I had all of this ice cream and it was UBER hot this past week, I  figured I could make a fun ice-cream dessert. That's when  ice cream tempura popped into my mind.

I love tempura'd ice-cream. I mean,  it's fried ice-cream!

Fricking Yum!

I typically have it when I eat sushi  and they usually use green tea ice cream so that's what I did.

While you can definitely make your own green tea ice-cream and I plan on doing so in the very near future, Haagen Daz's Green Tea flavor is pure awesomeness so I used that.

I double promise that  this is one delicious dessert.

My mom and I devoured it within seconds. :) Try it!

Green Tea Fried Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of green tea ice-cream (or any other ice-cream flavor)
• 4 slices of thinly sliced pound cake
• 12 oz flour
• 6 oz water
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying
• Plastic wrap

1. Place a sheet of plastic on a flat surface and place the 4 slices of pound cake on top making 2 rows of 2 cakes.

2. Place the ice-cream scoops horizontally across the cake and then roll the entire thing tightly along with the plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.

3. While freezing and before frying, mix the flour, water and egg in a bowl.

4. When ready to fry, dredge the ice-cream/cake mixture in an  ounce of flour or until coated and then  dip in tempura batter.

5. Drop it in hot oil for about 20 seconds or until light brown and serve immediately with whipped cream or fruit or toppings of choice.

Linked To
A Well Seasoned Life
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Mangoes and Chutney
Something Swanky