March 18, 2017

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

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Mini Corn Dog Muffins

minicorndogmuffins

Mid-March: National Corn Dog Day

March Madness is upon us! Spring into action and make mini corn dog muffins for watching all those basketball games on TV. They are just as easy to pop into the oven as well as pop into your mouth for a “slam dunk” snack.

According to Wikipedia, “National Corn Dog Day is a celebration concerning basketball, the corn dog (usually a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter), Tater Tots and American beer that occurs in March of every year on the first Saturday of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship” (usually in mid-March).

Make some mini corn dog muffins for March Madness basketball game days and on National Corn Dog Day.

Recipe

  • 1 box Jiffy brand corn muffin mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • hot dogs

Directions

Generously spray or grease a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, egg and milk. Beat until the batter is smooth. Scoop into the wells of the pan no more than halfway or the batter will engulf the hot dog pieces.

minicorndogmuffinssteps1

Slice the hot dogs into ¾ – 1 inch pieces. Place in the middle of the corn muffin batter in the pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven. Let cool in the pan for another 10 minutes before removing them (run a toothpick around the edges to loosen, if necessary). Yield: Approximately 2 ½ dozen.

minicorndogmuffinssteps2

Notes

 

March 17, 2017

Shamrock Shake

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Homemade Shamrock Shake

March 17: Feast Day of St. Patrick

McDonald’s offers the Shamrock Shake at select restaurants for a limited time only during a few weeks in February and March to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. But if we want to slurp up a smooth, mint flavored, light green colored ice cream dessert, we make our own Shamrock Shake at home to enjoy any time of the year. Get in a green mood and make a festive food like this easy homemade Shamrock Shake for St. Patrick’s Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream
  • ¾ – 1 cup milk
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon mint extract
  • green food coloring
  • whipped cream
  • green sugar or shamrock-shaped sprinkles
  • maraschino cherry (red or green)

Directions

In a blender, combine the ice cream, milk and mint extract. Put a few drops of green food coloring to get the desired shade of green for the shake.

Blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Generously swirl whipped cream on top. Optional: Garnish with green sugar or shamrock-shaped sprinkles and a maraschino cherry. Insert a straw and serve immediately.

Notes

  • McDonald’s debuted the Shamrock Shake in 1970. It was a lemon/lime sherbet instead of today’s mint flavored ice cream shake.
  • That Irish elf sitting by our homemade Shamrock Shake above is Lucky the Leprechaun, mascot of General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal.
  • Search our blog for more Irish-inspired or green-colored recipes to make in observation of the Feast Day of St. Patrick.

 

 

March 15, 2017

Pears Helene

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Pears Helene

(Poire belle Hélène)

March 15: National Pears Helene Day

We have posted recipes for Peach Melba and Melba Toast on our blog before. Now we are trying Pears Helene. All of these dishes were invented by a French chef during the 19th century.

Auguste Escoffier created Peach Melba at the Savoy Hotel in London, England, in 1892 or 1893, in honor of Australian opera singer Nellie Melba (he revised the recipe in 1900 when he became head chef at the Carlton Hotel). In 1897, Escoffier also made Melba Toast for her when she was ill.

Apparently, even great chefs need inspiration and motivation. Before Escoffier named his culinary creations after Nellie Melba, he was moved to make a fruity dessert from the operetta “La belle Hélène” by Jacques Offenbach (the operetta parodies the story of Helen’s elopement with Paris, which set off the Trojan War). And voilà—he invented Poire belle Hélène in 1864.

When we get stuck in a rut and routine in our kitchen, what inspires and motivates us is the theme for a food holiday. It gives us an idea of what to make for our meal as well as for our blog, and we also get to try out new and different recipes so cooking does not get to be the same old boring chore.

For National Pears Helene Day, we were inspired to make Poire belle Hélène. Simple poached pears are upgraded to a fancy dessert status when chocolate sauce is drizzled on them, sprinkled with toasted almond slices and served à la mode! Channel Chef Escoffier and be motivated to make Pears Helene for National Pears Helene Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 firm pears, Bosc or Bartlett, with stems
  • water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • almonds, sliced and toasted
  • 4 ounces (1 package) semi-sweet chocolate
  • ¼ cup milk
  • vanilla ice cream

Directions

Wash and peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Place them in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover the pears. Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pears are softened. Drain and set aside to cool until ready to use.

Toast the almonds in a skillet to bring out the nutty flavor. Set aside to cool until ready to use. In a bowl, combine the chocolate with milk. Melt and stir until smooth.

Assemble a poached pear in a dessert dish. Pour chocolate sauce over the fruit. Scoop vanilla ice cream into the dish next to the pear. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately.

Notes

 

 

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