Facebook + Hungry Teen = Tasty Treat

Lately, my teenage son has taken to watching a lot of food videos on Facebook. Why he chooses to do this at school, essentially torturing himself, is beyond me. All I know is that he comes home ravenous, saying things like, "We should have XYZ for dinner." 

This is one he's been begging me for, and while he might classify it as a meal, it's really more of an appetizer. Better yet, gameday food. So since Sunday was gameday...

Now, other people might not have this problem, but being the technologically-challenged blonde that I am, I could not find the recipe that went with the video. Until I went to imbed it above, then guess what showed up? That said, I do have a mind of my own, so I just decided to wing it.

Here's what you'll need:

Two cans of of large biscuits, flaky style

Pepperoni

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Butter

Italian seasoning

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

You'll also want to spray your bundt/tube pan really well with cooking spray.

Getting in all the little nooks and crannies insures your finished product will come right out of the pan.

Melt your butter. Since I didn't have a recipe, I started with a whole stick of butter, however, I might cut back to 4-6 tablespoons next time. Once your butter is melted, stir in 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning of your choice, perhaps a little garlic salt/powder, maybe even some red pepper flakes for a kick. Whatever sounds good and pizza-ish to  you.

Time to unroll your biscuits.

Tear them in half.

Then flatten each half into a thinner version of its former self.

Place a slice of pepperoni in the center.

And top with mozzarella.

Now bring your sides together.

And pinch to make sure the dough is completely sealed.

Then just give it a quick roll between your palms to make it nice and round and toss it into your prepared pan.

This is what it looks like after one can of biscuits.

Now spoon or drizzle on half of your butter mixture over the tops and sprinkle on some Parmesan.

Continue with the second can of biscuits and top that layer off with the remaining butter and more Parmesan.

The video says to bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes, but after 15 minutes, they didn't look anywhere near done. I ended up baking them for about 20-22 minutes.

I allowed it to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.

Then I sprinkled on a little Parmesan and added the sauce.

 The result.

Cheesy deliciousness. 

However, there was also a little bit of this.

Some of the dough didn't cook completely, meaning I took it out of the oven too soon.

***Question for all you bakers*** 

Next time, should I increase the heat to 400 and keep the baking time about the same, or should I decrease it to 350 and bake it longer, say maybe 30 minutes? Which would be the best way to ensure that all of the dough is cooked?

Here's my critique: While this recipe was easy to make, it does take a little bit of time. Of course, if you have more than one person making the pizza balls, the faster it will go. 

The flavor was good. I think the seasoned butter was a nice touch. There was just a little too much dough for my taste, though, so I'm wondering about cutting each biscuit into thirds next time. It would only take me one to know if it still gave me enough dough to work with. 

Also, the biscuit dough, while very forgiving and moldable, it had a bit of sweetness to it. I might consider a different type of biscuit next time OR even a tube of the ready-made pizza dough, though I wonder if that would be as pliable. 

I would also add a little more cheese, perhaps a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan, and one more slice of pepperoni. Of course, I might not be able to do this if I cut down on the amount of dough I use for each ball. Will have to experiment next time.

And yes, there will be a next time. My grandsons will be all over this one. It's the perfect thing to tide them over while waiting for the big meal at the holidays. Or any other time you have a houseful of hungry kiddos. 

Now it's your turn. Do you like to watch those food prep videos? Have you ever tried one of those recipes?

Party time! Mexican Jello recipe

Hi everyone! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have a fun recipe for you. ( I'm uploading this post in IE, so wish me luck... I've had to use Chrome for a few months. No idea why.)

Anyway, it's getting close to party time at my house. It's not a day, or a week, but more like a season. Most of the little people in this house were born during the summer months. (Cue the jokes on trying to stay warm all winter! It's true!!) So, from now until September, we're going to be PARTY CENTRAL.

But first, I have to say, this is my month for movies. I already went to see Divergent for my birthday, and that was fun! And now the same friend asked to meet for Maleficent. I'd rather see The Fault in Our Stars, but since I still have a head cold and sobbing might kill me, I agreed. I'll let you know how it is! I love a villain remade into a hero (or heroine). I have high hopes.
                                            

Remember the picture I posted on Tuesday? I decided to try it out! It was actually MUCH easier than I thought it would be. So, here is a quick tutorial. I won't bother with the steps on how to make the Jello. We all probably know how to do that. I used the Jiggler recipe on the side of the box.

 I didn't need to clear out a whole shelf in the fridge because I have stacking Tupperware. How great is this?? So, I mixed up the Jigglers, put on the tops, and stacked them in the fridge. I left them overnight but I'm sure it would be fine after a few hours.

 When I brought them out of the fridge, the little guys had to smell each one to see which was the yummiest. Verdict? Black Cherry!

 Carefully cut into cubes and put in a small pan. I wanted to share this with friends so we doubled the recipe. I used the top and bottom plastic pieces of a cookie container from the store. (Yes, I bought cookies. And no, they weren't really good. Live and learn. That's what I get for shopping hungry!)

 Kav, this picture is for you. :)

 Now, after you've placed lots of little squares of different flavors in the containers, get out your plain Knox gelatin. You'll need two small packets for every can of sweetened condensed milk. Since I doubled the batch, I added four packets to one cup of cold water.

                               
Stir until the gelatin starts to come together in little grainy bits. (Like my nails? My daughters' pen pal, Tessa, from Germany, sent them a packet of nail doodads. We're not nail people. But suddenly, it looked like a good time! We had a lot of fun decorating ourselves. And see, they match my kitchen!)

 No, add two cans sweetened condensed milk to 3 cups boiling water (or one can condensed milk to 1 1/2 cups boiling water). Stir until throughly mixed.
   (Now, I've had this before when it was made by friends of ours and I could swear the white jello had a flavor. But the recipe I got from the internet didn't add anything to it, so I didn't. Asking my friend later, she said you can add vanilla or any other flavor or color. I thought so! I'll do that next time.)

 Pour the milk and gelatin mix over the Jello pieces. Make sure they're all submerged.

 Like so. I can see bits and pieces where I wasn't very careful cutting or dropping them in. Uh oh. I hope it works!

 After a night in the fridge, they looked like this!

A small person (who has a birthday coming!) loved this dish! He's a picky eater and although he did pick out all the lime bits, he loved the dessert. Score!

 Close up for effect. It really smelled delicious. Sort of a fruity, milky summer smell.

So, I think this was a winning recipe but something else I saw on the site really caught my attention. Has anyone else wanted to recreate Turkish delight, like in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?? The same site had a link to Sparkly Fruit Gummies!

Do these look fun or what?? They just scream "summer treat" to me! And our region is famous for our Aplets and Cotlets so I want to try those, too. I've had a recipe for a long time, but I haven't been brave enough to try. But somehow, these look easier!

Ok, we're off to watch the movie. I'll let you know how it is. Anybody else watch a movie lately? Maybe I'll become a movie person and watch a movie every week. Then my posts would be a recipe and movie review, hahaha!

Until next next time!

Different is good! And birthdays are the BEST.

***update for anyone reading this post 10/13 We've ahd to remove any pictures that are not our own, so.... try to imagine the post with the pics, okay? Thanks!*****

Hello, everybody!!  But first, let's talk about being different.

 

 A zebra is a bit different... in a good way. Sometimes stepping out of the ordinary and letting your creativity grow can be life-changing!

 

It can also leave you looking less than brilliant. So, plan ahead! But not so much that it takes the fun out of it all.

Here's my new pretty cover for my 'different' book. The one nobody loved, everybody hated, guess-I'll-go-eat-worms-on-Amazon book! It's been a total blast and I'm just tidying up 'Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs' which will come out in May.

 

IN ORDER TO BE INDEPENSABLE ONCE MUST ALWAYS BE DIFFERENT!! 

Even Coco Chanel knew this. (And she knew it in French, which is way cooler, you have to admit.)

 

But it can also get you a lot of weird looks. You have to be ready to face the world, secure in your commitment to being just a bit... different.

 

You don't always get the people who like different, who embrace the new and interesting and WEIRD. Something I really love, is finding those people and having small, whispered conversations that confess our absolute WEIRDNESS.

 

And guess what? Those people are usually kids. Maybe because they haven't had all the joy sucked out of them yet. Maybe because they still think people will appreciate their oddities and dreams and quirks of character.
  As homeschoolers, we meet a lot of weirdos.

JUST KIDDING!

What I was going to say was actually, as homeschooler we meet a lot of different types. Introverts, extroverts, dreamers, planners, organizers, writers, artists, future CEO's of facebook, etc. There's one little girl I've met a few times and I think, "If I owned an enormous company, I'd hire YOU to run it." She's the BOSS OF THE WORLD. Don't cross her. She's only seven but you'll be sorry.
 

Another friend of ours is Mindy. She's just adorable! Oh, what's that you say? Something about her HAIR? Right...

Here's a better look. For her 13th birthday, her mom let her get her hair done. It used to be blond. Now she looks like she should be riding a dragon and wielding a two-handed broadsword. Obviously, we're not talking wedding styles. We're talking WEIRD HAIR. I sort of want blue hair now, too.

Anyway, Edna reminded me it was Mindy's birthday and we'd better make her a cake. But what could we make that could honor that incredibly awesome WEIRDNESS of being 13th and having blue hair? Hmmmm...

 

How about a croquembouche? I know, it's a French wedding cake but isn't that the point? Being out of the ordinary and taking life for all the joy we can handle and having ourselves a French wedding cake if we want it?? Smaller, of course. That one might be taller than my ceiling.

So, first of all, preheat over to 425F
... Boil all of this together in a saucepan. And yes, it's not very sugary. The filling will take care of that.

2 cups water

16 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons granulated sugar

 

As soon as it's boiling, take it off the stove and add

2 cups flour  first and stir until some of the moisture has evaporated and it becomes stiff. The add.

8 to 10 eggs

I really thought I'd ruined it because the eggs weren't incorporating but Edna took over and got 'er done. *whew*

 It should fall easily from the beaters in strings when you lift it. If it's still too stiff, add another egg or two.

I took out my ancient little cookie press and filled it up. Squirt out the dough in small heaps, turning it in circles so it makes a nice little hill of dough on the baking sheet.

Ok, someone photobombed the croquembouche making!
Now, a lot of people bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then 20 minutes at 325. But I found 15 at 425 and then 10 at 325 worked best. Maybe it's the American ovens. Not sure. But it makes a lot so, be feel free to experiment.

When the come out of the oven, let them cool a bit before filling. And yes, traditionally they're full of marscapone cheese, but we're talking 13 year olds. I thought they might appreciate some plain ol' whipped topping from a can.

 

When it starts to ooze back out of the puff, stop and lay it on a plate. Procede with all the others. We actually had CHOCOLATE filling, too. YUM.

Here's a taste tester sacrificing for the good of the cause. What a terrible life!

Melt two cups of super fine sugar on the stove. Don't add anything, just stir constantly over medium high heat. This is half-melted. WATCH OUT. Super, super hot and will eat through your skin, so beware.

After the cakes have been arranged on a platter in a pyramid shape, start to drizzle the sugar over them, letting the drips stretch as thin as possible. The spun sugar is supposedly like a 'birdcage'. The ones I remember eating in France also had caramel, but the one recipe I found, didn't turn out. So, here we are being weird about our croquembouche. Naturally!!

Here it is, almost ready to serve. See the crazy top? I've seen some really beautiful spun sugar art, but this was as good as it was going to get... Harder than it looks!

 

The best part, is the birthday girl(or bride and groom) gets to crack open the cake! They have to really give it a nice whack so the spun sugar (and all that hard work) breaks into tiny pieces. It's very satisfying. It's supposed to represent breaking into the new year and the take-charge attitude is a nice fit for a blue-haired 13 year old! GO, MINDY!

So, until next time, my friends. I hope Spring has finally sprung where you are.

 

And don't forget to be weird -like Dalton M Ghetti who sculpts crayons and pencils. Really. Here's another photo of his art.

 

 I bet a lot of people look at this stuff and think, "WEIRD". But he doesn't seem to care.

 

Here's another. And I'm glad he didn't quit because I really enjoy the beauty of what he's decided is his personal creative outlet.  He doesn't sell them, it's just for... fun.

So, go be weird.  In fact, I was reading this book and it had some very good tips... in case you need some help breaking out of your shell!