 It was a regular feast of man meat for Father's Day in this house. A carnivores dream --- bacon, sausage, steak - saturated fats galore. Yup, that's right, no healthy eating for this family on Father's Day. We started our "man meal" with bacon wrapped shrimp, stuffed mushroom caps (See how I was able to sneak in a vegetable?) and sausage won ton cups. (I think the appetizers could have been a meal in and of themselves.) They were really good - and filling. I found the recipe for sausage cups in a Bob Evans ad in a magazine a few years ago and I hung onto it until just the right time. Father's Day seemed like the perfect time to pull out a sausage filled appetizer recipe.  Sausage Cups 1 pound sausage 1 package of won ton wrappers 2 cups shredded cheese 1/2 cup ranch dressing
Mix sausage, cheese and ranch in a bowl.
 I think the guys liked them, don't you?
Ciao!
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 My family has a favorite ice cream spot near my parent's house that is a required stop during our annual summer visit to Ohio. The portions are huge and the the custard is delicious but more importantly, I can get my ice cream covered in sprinkles! The cone on the left is a picture of my niece's SMALL cone and the one on the left is my kiddy twist cone with crunch coat and eyes!
What is it about sprinkles and candy eyes that I just can't seem to resist? I don't care how old you are - there is still a kid in all of us. Confident that I'm not the only 40 something adult that gets excited about sprinkles, I decided to make a confetti cake - for kids AND adults. My confetti cake recipe came from my Cooks magazine.  Confetti Cake 1 1/2 cups rainbow sprinkles 12 large eggs 1 1/3 cups whole milk 4 teaspoons vanilla 6 cups cake flour 3 cups sugar 8 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 32 Tablespoons butter
Top with a final cake layer and frost entire cake with a thin coat of buttercream. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. 
 It doesn't take much adornment to make a great piece of fish - really delicious. This recipe for Herb Crusted Salmon came from my Cook's Illustrated magazine. It's simple and it really highlights the flavor of the salmon beautifully. This recipe would work well with any type of hearty fish - steelhead trout, halibut, mahi, etc.  Herb Crusted Salmon 4 skin on salmon filets 2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 2 Tablespoons beaten egg 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon 1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
Bake 18-25 minutes at 325. (Internal temperature should be 125 degrees.)  I think this recipe for herb crusted trout could convert even the most diehard carnivore into a fish eater. I served this fish to family and friends alongside a platter of rib eye steaks. At the end of the meal, the fish was GONE and there were steaks leftover! No kidding - people actually chose this fish over red meat! That should be a good indication of just how delicious this fish really was.
Ciao!  Anybody else counting down the days until Girl Scout Cookie season? I do not know what they put in those little things but they are SERIOUSLY addicting. My crack cookies of choice? - thin mints and samoas.  I created a cupcake version of the samoa cookie - just to hold me over until the Girl Scouts start peddling their little drugs cookies. These are ALMOST as good as their cookie counterparts.
I don't want my baking to ever be compared to a Girl Scout cookie because lets face it - I'd lose every time. I don't even consider my baking to be in the same category as the Girl Scouts. I concede that battle before it even starts. The Girl Scouts are my inspiration - not my competition. I hope that you enjoy this little cupcake creation based on the Girl Scout Samoa.  Samoa Cupcakes 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup unsalted butter 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup buttermilk Caramel Sauce Chocolate Ganache Toasted Coconut
Bake in preheated oven 16 - 19 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Top with a mound of toasted coconut.
Drizzle caramel sauce over coconut.
Finish with a drizzle of chocolate ganache over the top. Does anybody else picture actual Girl Scouts in uniforms and sashes working in a bright green kitchen, dipping thin mints into a giant vat of chocolate when they think of Girl Scout cookies? (I blame Keebler for putting the image of baking elves in my brain.)   Ciao!
There's not much about this "salad" that is healthy - let's just get that out of the way now. Packed with iceberg lettuce, eggs, bacon, blue cheese and mayonnaise dressing, I hesitate to even call it a salad. It's really more of a side dish. Don't let that discourage you from trying it though - it is delicious and it's a crown favorite no matter where I serve it. The best part about this salad is that you make it the day before you want to serve it. I can put this all together 24 hours before I want to host a barbecue and then I don't have to worry about it until I'm ready to serve. Let's face it, there are enough last minute things that have to be taken care of when you host a party - salad is the last thing that you need to worry about.
eggs,
 Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours. (no more than 24) Toss gently before serving.
Customize your salad any way that you like. Add your own favorite veggies. I made a 1/2 of a recipe because we were having a small get together.  I wouldn't call it a salad but I would call it good. Give it a try.
Ciao! |
