New post on my new blog site – don’t miss out on the sweetness!

There’s a saucy little recipe for Buffalo Chicken Paninis on my new blog…check it out at Buffalo Chicken Paninis.

While you’re there, subscribe to my blog in the box in the top right corner and you’ll be eligible for a Cookbook Giveaway! First winner will be picked on Monday!

Because…

I moved my blog to www.akitchenmuse.com

I want you to follow me over to my new corner

I’m crazy over cookbooks and found some cute ones this week

You are my friend and I want more friends

You took the time to subscribe to this blog (thank you! thank you! thank you!) but I need you to re-subscribe to my new blog (thank you! thank you! thank you!)

I like giving things away!

Here’s how it works:

Every Monday in the month of May, I will randomly pick a name from my subscriber list on my new blog and that person will win a cookbook!  I’ve got some cute ones lined up – Brownies, Muffins, Wine and Cheese, Paninis…

Just because…

Check out my new post on my new blog for an easy crab leg recipe!

Become a subscriber on my new blog and you could win a new, cool cookbook!

Easter has always been a big deal in my family. My Mom followed the Slovak tradition of having an Easter table full of wonderful dishes like ham, kielbasa (both fresh and smoked), hard boiled eggs, fresh horseradish (which my Dad made), Easter Cheese or Hrudka – made from eggs and milk (recipe below) and Paska, a sweet bread made with cottage cheese and golden raisins.

To read more, go to my new blog platform here…sign up and subscribe to the new blog! Thanks for reading and Happy Easter!

I just posted a great recipe for Sizzling Fajitas on my new platform – www.akitchenmuse.com. You’ll find all my recipes and comments there as I have moved over to a new platform that better suits my needs. Please follow me and re-subscribe! I’ll be giving away a some really fun cookbooks to those that do! Details coming soon.

I appreciate your readership for it has validated the success of this blog!

I’m totally obsessed with Peeps. My friends and family think I’m crazy but this past week I saw a recipe in on Butrcreamblondi’s blog about making peeps from scratch. Her Peeps are beautiful and glamorous with pink disco dust!

I suddenly felt this deep need to make peeps. I had to do it! I carved out a Friday afternoon for Peeps 101. Friday morning was spent gathering the ingredients I didn’t have at home…gelatin and a piping bag. I never had a piping bag and tips so this was a good excuse to get one.

So if you would like to get involved in Peep-O-Mania….here we go!

Start by dissolving 2 tbsp. of unflavored gelatin in 4 tbsp. of cold water and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of light corn syrup, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan with a candy thermometer. You’re going to bring the syrup mixture up to a temperature of 235 degrees. Stir along the way and keep a eye on it for once it starts cooking, it goes fast!

In the meantime, start whipping 4 egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Looking back, I should have whipped them a little bit longer for in the end, I couldn’t achieve the stiff peaks that I needed to form the Peeps like I wanted. When the syrup temperature reaches 235 degrees, quickly add the gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve. Slowly add the hot syrup to the egg whites, beating constantly through the process. Emphasize: slowly add the hot mixture or you’ll cook the eggs!

After the mixture is fully integrated – add the vanilla and whip until stiff. At this point, you can add food coloring if you want a color base for your Peeps.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and generously sprinkle with powder sugar. I’m glad Butrcreamblondi pointed this out because the freshly born Peeps are quite sticky! (thank you! thank you!)

Naked Peeps

Now keep in mind, this is my first attempt at piping – let alone making marshmallows! It was quite an experience and I had to let go on trying to get the PERFECT Peep and go with the flow.

Butrcreamblondi gives great instructions on how to pipe the PERFECT Peep.

Peep Show!

Some of them looked like worms and Hubby said some looked like walruses. (Thanks a lot…see if you get one!)

While the peeps were drying…I turned around to clean up and – eek!

Marshmallow Everywhere!

I slowly cleaned up the kitchen and let the little guys rest…

I waited until the next morning to sugar them and give them little eyes.

I misted them with water and use decorator’s sugar on them. I used a toothpick and black food paste for the little eyes.

Along the way, I became very attached to these little guys and soon they all got names – like Petey, Harvey, Scotty and Jimmy. The pink Peeps are Millie, Sophie, Priscilla…

And now I can’t bring myself to eat them!

If you want to know where all those Peeps you see at the candy store are born, check out this article.

And if you want to read some fun and silly Peep stories (Peep underwear, Stripper Peeps), read this blog post I wrote on my other blog a few years ago…

I guess I am a bit obsessed with Peeps…

‘Tis the season!

Please note that I am in the process of  moving this blog to a new platform. Please go to http://www.amuseinmykitchen.com and sign up to be a subscriber! I’ll be hosting a little giveaway for those who do. Thanks for stopping by!

As promised, here’s the wonderful side salad/dish that I made to go with last night’s halibut. It’s an easy to make spring dish that would go so easily with any entree.  The original recipe came from Food and Wine but I switched it up a bit….of course.

Quinoa is my new favorite grain. It’s so full of good stuff – higher in protein than any other grain – you can eat it for breakfast or dinner. The hard part that I have with Quinoa is pronouncing it.

Let’s begin…

Get yourself 1/2 pound fresh sugar snap peas and simmer in a saucepan with salted boiling water for about a minute.

Remove and chill with cold water….

Slice those little pea-babies into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal. While the pea-babies are cooling…

Rinse out the quinoa – and trust me, whatever you do with quinoa – you need to rinse it first.

Now that the quinoa’s rinsed, combine with 2 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the water has evaporated and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa, then transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa’s cooking, measure out the other ingredients for the salad…

You got the peas covered, add to the mix with  1/2 cup of roasted, salted pistachios, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and 1/2 cup minced chives.

Prepare the dressing…

Combine  a ‘short’ 1/4 cup of olive oil (short meaning not quite full of the measurement) plus 2 tbsp. grape seed oil, the juice of one lime and white wine vinegar. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

By now, the quinoa’s cooled…

Isn’t it pretty? All you have to do now is throw in the peas, the pistachios, cranberries and dressing…

How easy is that? Enjoy my friends – it tastes better the next day!

Print the full recipe here!

I’m not a big fish eater. In fact, I’m a very picky fish eater…let alone cooking it.

I don’t like the skin. I don’t like bones. I don’t like the smell of fish….

So what’s one to do? Halibut. Just for the halibut. (okay, okay, I’ll stop with the corny jokes starting now)

I do like white fish…meaty, white fish…meaty, white fish with no skin or bones or visible signs of being a fish.  Today I was at the local organic market and decided it was time to do some fish. After all, it’s all good for you, right?

I went to the counter and saw the halibut and asked when did it come in? They told me “today” and “it’s really, really good fish”.

Okay but it has SKIN on it. Ick! Fish SKIN. I asked them to take the SKIN off and they accommodated my request.

So here we go….

Remember the wasabi and the panko bread crumbs from last week’s Asian Baked Pork Chops? Still had some lingering in the pantry so let’s re-spin it!

Simple, simple ingredients.

Panko bread crumbs, mayonnaise (I’m really digging the new Mayo with Olive Oil!) and WASABI!

Mix up your wasabi and mayo…it’s really up to you how hot you like it. Squirt and taste. Taste and squirt. You’ll figure it out.

And mix it up! Once you have the mayo base done according to your taste, line it up…

Spread a little mayo mix on each side of the halibut…and dip into the panko bread crumbs…

Gently pack the crumbs into the mayo and halibut. Heat up 1 tbsp. of grape seed oil in a skillet…and place the delicate pieces of halibut into the skillet.

Fry the halibut on both sides until crispy…be careful when flipping so you don’t lose the breading. Once browned, place in a oil sprayed baking pan and bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the halibut.

Totally yum!

I served it with a quinoa snap pea salad…but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that recipe.

This is a family recipe. Easy to make and makes a colorful dish to pork chops…in my favorite color – PURPLE!

Get yourself a nice little purple head of cabbage. You’ll need 4 cups of chopped cabbage.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil; 2 tbsp. vinegar (I use white, red or cider depending on what I have in pantry); 1/4 cup sugar (or you can substitute with splenda); 1/2 tsp. celery seed and 1/4 cup water.

Add the cabbage and stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Yum!

You can print the recipe here!