Category: recipes

Recipe: Jell-O Pudding Pops

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

This one is just for Bryan ;). I found this recipe for Jell-O Pudding Pops from the WhatsInTheFridge mailing list:

Jell-O Pudding Pops

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 1 package (4-serving size) Jell-O Instant Pudding and Pie Mix
  • 6 (5-oz) paper cups
  • 6 popsicle sticks

Preparation:

Beat pudding mix and milk together, at least two minutes. Spoon into cups. Insert popsicle stick in center of each cup.

Freeze 5 hours (or overnight). To remove pop from cup, place bottom of cup in warm water for 15 seconds. Press firmly on bottom of cup and push pop out. Don't pull on the popsicle stick.

I haven’t had Jell-O pudding pops in years, though I suppose few have since they’re no longer on the market (petition to bring them back). All the same, I'd be interested in how these turn out if anyone makes some.

Recipe: Mexican Muffins

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

I saw this recipe on the WhatsInTheFridge mailing list (and I would have linked to the specific post, but it seems that archives are only viewable by subscribers).

Mexican Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 pkg. (1 1/4 oz.) Taco seasoning mix
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 5 English muffins, split
  • 1 c. grated Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)

Preparation

Brown beef; drain well. Add seasoning mix and water; simmer 15 minutes or until lliquid is absorbed. Place muffins on baking sheet; top with meat mixture. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tops. Bake at 350° F., 10 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 5.

Note: For a Mexican hamburger, substitute hamburger buns for the muffins. Do not bake.

At first, the idea of a Mexicanized English-muffin seemed a bit odd to me, but I think I’ve warmed up to the idea. Of course, I’m now also contemplating whether guacamole & sour cream would improve the dish or if that would overdo it ;).

AllRecipes.com – Recipes with Reviews

Ashley Bischoff8 Comments

It’s not hard to find recipes on the Internet — in fact, just the opposite. Some times, sites will have so many recipes that I just don’t know where to begin. And, I hesitate to try them randomly, as I wouldn’t want to spend the time making the recipe only for it to turn out badly.

One approach that has worked well for me is websites such as Back of the Box and Favorite Brand Name Recipes. There, the sites feature recipes found on the back of boxes, from the manufacturer. Obviously, the manufacturers don’t want their products seen in a bad light, so they include recipes that easily work well.

Still, I often thought about whether there might be some kind of community recipe site where users could write comments and reviews of other recipes. That way, I could discover the better recipes through the experiences of others.

All Recipes is just such a site. They have a wide range of categories, such as appetizers, chicken, and desserts. Users can add new recipes and post comments on other recipes. The only oddity is that, because users can name their own recipes, some of the “good names” end up with numbered titles such as “Best Chocolate Chip Cookies” (reviews) and “Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies III” (reviews).

Nonetheless, I look forward to trying many of these recipes. At first, I wasn’t sure how I could accurately compare similar recipes, but I then realized that I could halve the ingredients of two recipes and make both of them (which would then make for easy back-and-forth comparisons).

Recipe: Triple Chocolate S’more Pie

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

I was watching the awards show for Emeril’s Chocolate Contest which featured four finalists: Chocolate Turtle Martini, Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Mousse Cake, and Triple Chocolate S’more Pie. Of those, Sarah Benner’s Triple Chocolate S’more Pie was voted best and I tend to agree — it not only seems choco-licious, but easy to make as well:

Triple Chocolate S’more Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk [Really, 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, three times —Alex]
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract [Like the condensed milk, this is really 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, three times. — Alex]
  • 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preparation:

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray the inside of a 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into sprayed pie pan, covering bottom and sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For filling: In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk chocolate chips, 1/2 cup condensed milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Microwave for 2 minutes on medium (50 percent) power. Alternately, combine all ingredients and melt in a double boiler. Stir until all chips are melted and pour into bottom of cooled crust. Set in refrigerator while preparing second layer.

For second layer, repeat above process using the vanilla chips. Pour over milk chocolate layer. Set in refrigerator while preparing third layer. For third layer repeat above process using the dark chocolate chips. Pour over white chocolate layer.

Preheat the broiler. Evenly cover top with miniature marshmallows. Place under broiler for a few minutes just until marshmallows are lightly browned. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

  • Yield: 16 slices as small pieces are sufficient for even the most devoted chocoholics
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Difficulty: Easy

I might be inclined to substitute a premade graham cracker crust but, other than that, I’d be tempted to try this sometime.

PS: I generally enjoy most of the shows on Food Networks, but I have a small gripe about Emeril’s show in particular. The recipes often look tasty and, Emeril’s over-caffeinated personality aside, it’s also inconvenient that Emeril never mentions the ingredient-amounts (neither out loud nor on-screen).

So, you’ll have Emeril saying something like “And now, I’m going to add some butter to the mixer … and then some sugar…”. So, an archive of the show is no longer suitable as a “visual recipe” — I would have to refer to both the recording and the website every time I wanted to make one of the recipes from his show :-/.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Balls

Ashley Bischoff1 Comment

I was watching Sweet Dreams on Food Network this afternoon, and they featured a recipe for Peanut Butter Balls (printer-friendly version). I’ll get to the Peanut Butter Balls in a sec, but first a bit on Sweet Dreams.

As it’s described on the site, “hosted by Gale Gand, Sweet Dreams brings you delectable desserts on a daily basis”. Though they’re not particularly good for me, I do enjoy desserts from time to time (and, if I’m going to do something, such as bake, I may as well do it well).

Sweet Dreams is well-intentioned and the recipes produce fabulous desserts (they look delicious on tv, at any rate). And, that’s the rub — the show is geared towards people who already have a knack for baking but just aren’t up to speed on desserts in particular. So, for newbie cooks such as myself, some of the recipes are just useless in their complexity.

But, that's not always the case — and that's where these Peanut Butter Balls come in. They look hella-easy to make (I was about to use the phrase “easy to bake”, but there's not even baking involved) and I think that even I could make these. Anyhow, the recipe:

  • 18 ounces peanut butter
  • 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 12 ounces milk chocolate, melted

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and butter. Mash together until combined. Form the mixture into balls. Transfer to the refrigerator until hardened, about 30 minutes. Dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate and set inside mini paper cupcake forms. Let the chocolate set before serving.

  • Yield: 32 balls
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes

The recipe also includes a sub-recipe for homemade peanut butter, but that seems like it might be more trouble than it’s worth :-/. I think I'll just stick with natural peanut butter for that role.