Diane has been hesitant to jump into the chopped challenges, but that all changed this weekend. I challenged her to use a can of leftover sweetened condensed milk and a jar of strawberry rhubarb jam and she accepted.
She made two types of ice cream, chocolate and strawberry rhubarb and key lime swirl. Amazingly rich and delicious.
She used this recipe – http://www.cookrepublic.com/recipe-archive/no-churn-condensed-milk-and-jam-ice-cream/
This winter while trapped under mounds of snow we got a little obsessed with Chopped. First it started as a show we all loved, then we started “playing” it. My wife picks the ingredients, sometimes with the help of the kids, and I make a dinner out of it. We have been doing it for a few months now and I realized I should probably write down what I’m cooking, thus we brought back this old blog from a few years ago.
The challenge: Espresso, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Sparkling Apple Cider and Oatmeal.
These ingredients screamed dessert to me, but since we needed to eat dinner as well, I ended up making both an entree and a dessert from the items.
For dinner: Steak with a coffee cumin dry rub,a sweet blue cheese sauce, roasted vegetables with a sparkling cider glaze, and a sweet oatmeal wheat roll.
The roll: 1 cup of wheat flour, 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbs mayo, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, dash of salt, dash of milk. Cooked for 15 minutes at 350.
The veggies: sweet potatoes, green beans and red peppers baked at 400 brushed with a glaze of sparkling cider and butter reduced.
The steak: cover in the rub: 2 tbs of espresso, 2 tbs of cumin, garlic pepper, red pepper flakes. grill.
Sweet blue cheese sauce: 1 tbs of sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbs of blue cheese crumbles, light cream over heat until until melted.
Then for dessert: Espresso apple crisp
Diced apples with a bit of lemon juice and sparkling cider covered with the crumble (oatmeal, sweetened condensed milk, espresso, butter, and flour) and baked until apples are tender.
Thoughts and feedback on the meal:
Diane – “Felt like there was little cohesion between the dinner elements, really liked the vegetables.”
Teyah – On dinner – “I like your creativity”, and on dessert, “The problem with this, which is the problem with all apple crisps, is I don’t like warm apples, but the flavors are good”
Manny – He didn’t say much, just ate (which is typical) 🙂
Self Feedback – I liked the entree. The vegetables, steak and sauce seemed to work. The roll was good but came out more like a muffin. The dessert was less successful in my mind, the condensed milk added to much moisture to the oatmeal, which took away the crunch factor.
We went apple picking last weekend, so this week has included various apple favorites / experiments.
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Last week was Diane’s Birthday, so I let her pick a week of dinners. Continue reading
This ones for you, Julie. Happy Birthday!
This savory and rich gnocchi dish goes great with steak (a semi sweet and spicey rub accents the flavors well).
I had a super random idea while working last week: Buffalo chicken Sheppards Pie. I spent the rest of the day working out the details in my head and then had to give it a try this week. It came out better than expected! Continue reading
This weeks challenge: Ancho Chilis and Honey
Our Plan:
Turkey burgers stuffed with a hot and sweet cheese mixture
Continue reading
This weeks Foodie Fight Battle was Avocado and Tequila. We were heading down to RI to visit my mom for the weekend, so we decided to cook for her and the rest of the family. The below made plenty of food for 6.
The Plan: Tequila marinated steak over a corn, tomato, avocado salad, topped with an avocado sauce
Inspired from this weeks foodie fight we made something new with two required ingredients: ginger and peas.
The plan: wasabi pea coated chicken over sweet potatoes.
Cooking with the Donovans 