Ratatouille-Piccata

I adore Piccata. The white wine and lemon goodness makes me jump for joy. But, being broke makes chicken hard to come by, so I made a veggie version instead. I used a few different vegetables, so I'm calling it Ratatouille-Piccata. I've made this twice now, I the key ingredient is the white wine. Make sure it is a wine you want to drink and that it's not overly sweet.

Roughly chop 1 medium sized onion, put in pot over medium heat with 1 tbsp butter, 1 block chicken bouillon, splash of hot sauce, 1 tbsp (or more if you like) capers, and 1 tbsp minced garlic. Cook until onions start to become translucent.

Add three roughly chopped roma tomatoes and one and a half or so pounds of roughly chopped zucchini. Keep the juice that comes out of the tomatoes and add it in. Cook until zucchini is fork tender.

Add the zest and juice of half a lemon, 1 cup white wine, and 2 tbsp cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese. Stir until combined, then remove from heat. Toss with Angel hair pasta and serve immediately. 

Delicious. Enjoy!

Beer Bread

This is the simplest bread to make and it provides a WORLD of possibilities.

1 (12oz) can or bottle of beer
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Grease the vessel, and I recommend adding some Pam or butter to the tops to promote browning.
350 degrees for 15 or so minutes if in a muffin pan, 25 to 30 for a loaf pan or lump on a cookie sheet for a "rustic" loaf (an X cut on the top of the loaf is not necessary).

That's it. Seriously.

I tried Heinekin, Guinness, Strongbow and Blue Moon. All the beer taste basically disappears, which, I'll admit disappointed me. I was hoping for a more BEER bread than beer BREAD. However, I did notice a few things, the lighter, cheaper beers produce a more sugary bread and thus would make good sweets, like cinnamon oatmeal with raisins, etc. But I put chunks of golden delicious apples in the Strongbow batch and the apples held the moisture better and tasted a touch more like cider.

I recommend you play with the recipe to see what you like.

About my new job... Ironically, NSFW

I bet no one will be able to tell where I'm working now... Most days are pretty mundane and hardly interesting. I've made some cute designs but nothing yet that was worth a dedicated post. I've been told that we once decorated a cookie cake with a teddy bear holding a rose that read, "Sorry Mom, I like boys." Coming out to your family with a cookie cake is the funniest cookie cake story I'd heard... till today.

So this guy comes in and starts to order a cake, but is being confusing and coy about it. Wondering why we're asking so many questions about what he wants for the design and why do we need to know what the occasion is/ who it's for, NORMAL questions. Then he says he wants the Superman logo. I tell him it's copyrighted and I can't do it, but I can use a different initial.

Easter Candy: Tootsie Fruit Roll Midge Roses

Since some of my friends are Catholic, there's been Easter candy every where. I tried an old candy, but new to me, for the first time and couldn't help but play with them. You know how I am, gotta play with my foodstuffs. From what I've gathered, the Tootsie Fruit Roll Midges are available a few times a year.

Super easy, and a fun "trick" to show your friends. As you can see from the photo, it's super shiny. That's because the rolls try to dissolve in your hands if your hands are warm, or say, you live in Florida and it's been high 80's low 90's ALL DAY. So, for those of you in colder places, this won't be so bad.

Since I was the only one eating these, I didn't wear gloves. If you're gonna put them on cupcakes or something to that effect, wear gloves or wash your hands very well. Now check my MAD "MS Paint" skillz, yo.

Get one of the green midges and cut some flattened squares off. Apply to the finished rose. TA-DA! Bring on the left over candy, we can take it.

Peachy Chicken, adapted from Heinz Malt Vinegar

I was in an Irish Pub getting deli sandwiches for lunch with my friends eons ago, and found this recipe. I straight up LOVE malt vinegar. It's the best thing every. If I can, I add equal parts ketchup and malt vinegar with a splash of Texas Pete to smother fries. So while I was inhaling some serious eats, I see this:

Gotta make that! Then I did. The end.

Step 1: Cut up the 2 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Step 2: Brown in a medium size skillet.

Step 3: Add the reserved liquid of a 15oz or 16oz can of peaches, 1/2 cup (thawed) frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/4 cup malt vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp dried basil leaves, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cracked black pepper, 1 tsp powdered garlic, and a splash of Texas Pete. Drop to medium low temperature and clamp the lid on for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and falls apart.

Step 4: Add the peaches and heat through.

Step 5: Use 2 tbsp of the remaining orange juice concentrate and 2 tbsp of corn starch create a paste. Add to the low boiling liquid in the pot. Boil one minute until thickened, then remove from heat.

Step 6: Serve over rice with a side of broccoli. Enjoy the love.