Malted Brownies with Malt Frosting, April 30-May 6, 2021

Posted on 04/30/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – For those who saw the creamy-topped caramelized pineapple recipe in our 04.16.21 Salon, you know that the cottage cheese was blended smooth for the topping. What to do with the leftovers. Well, whisked them into eggs, scrambled, cooked – enjoyed! Fluffy and juicy. Ree Drummond just gave me a way to like meatloaf {don’t particularly care for meatballs either}. Instead of a loaf she spread the mixture in a rather thin layer on a sheet pan. As I result I could make a bunch of square hamburgers, which I love {go figure}. Food & Wine offers up the “7 Best Sandwiches to Take on a Spring Picnic,” which they say will go the distance. Why for a picnic? Maybe because they’re all served cold, no cooking or reheating required. The Spring is a lot more evident – lots of fresh veggies, fresh herbs, and herby spreads.

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Shopping Finds – If you’ve seen the kids’ baking competitions you know these munchkins turn out some pretty awesome confections. Is there a budding baker in your world? Then you might like to know about The Big Fun Kids Baking Cookbook from Food Network. You’ll also see more such books on the Amazon page. As you know from my partnerships listed below I have no connection to Hamilton Beach, but just wanted to share how much I just love my HB single cup coffeemaker. Still have my Keurig that does full pots and K-cups, but this is just so handy for any time a cuppa is just what the doctor ordered. And what’s important to a couple of my friends and maybe yours too, comes out HOT HOT.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – Need a break from cooking? A night out? If the only thing holding you back is worrying about the effect on your diet plans of a meal prepared by someone else, get your hat. Go out and enjoy yourself, because you can do just that with the help of this derivative book from our Dieter’s Survival Guide – The Dining Out Chapters, covering fine dining, fast food and buffets, just 99 cents on Kindle.

On the Table

Feature – Malt on Malt Brownies, like the soda fountain merged with the oven

Wonder if the producer of this prep thought that the tasty powder, doubled down, isn’t already contributing enough richness to the confection. Because chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, marshmallow and lots of butter also join the party.

Not complaining! Because the fact is, though almost a sweetness overload, this is a keeper.

We already know about the candy-like flavors going in. But the brownies also have an incredibly dense, chewy texture.

The marshmallow creme in the frosting? A big luxurious finish.

The prep calls for a chopped malt ball topping, which I’m sure would be fine and a good match for the brownie flavors. But I opted instead for walnuts here, coconut there, chopped chocolate elsewhere.

This recipe comes to us from a trusted source that’s long been a friend of all of us. How long? Better Homes & Gardens has been by the sides of cooks everywhere since 1922.

Recipe Notes – From what I could tell from an online search, brownies with this kind of texture, usually the result of extra eggs, should be refrigerated. But note that you really, really, then want to set them out for a while before you plan to have them. One other thing – a glass of milk is pretty much a must.

Next week – Delectable encore, Beef a la Mode

Recipe ♦ Malt powder recipes on google ♦ Milkshake prep books

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Just pour a cup and let’s talk food with Alexa. We also show the actual requests for those who are Echo owners, who should also note that in many cases she guides you step by step through the recipes.

Alexa says request: How do I make bacon wrapped potato bouquets ? So, how cool is it when a high flavor dish is so cute it qualifies as a conversation piece??? Sweet and white potato slices becomes rosettes and by threesies go into bacon lined muffin cups, topped with cheddar, and baked. After slight cooling, a drizzle of hollandaise, and a sprinkling of chives, they’re ready for their closeup. Tap here to see recipe and demo from Tastemade.

Alexa says request: How do I make a lasagna cake? Even if you think you wouldn’t want to make this, please take a peek a the recipe to see what a great looking dish it is. The demo makes it look pretty easy. Included in the layering is meat sauce and basil pesto, and that’s exactly how it’s listed in the ingredients which is to say we’re free to make out own or let the store provide it. Also from Tastemade.

My request: Is there a recipe for a Mother’s Day Cake? With this special day just around the corner, thought I would see if she might have such a confection. And, yep. And a real charmer. Mothers Day Bonnet Cake from Sandra Lee on Food Network. The demo shows you how, and includes a couple of good tips about frosting. One thing, instead of ribbon and silk flowers {which she used in demo though recipe says fresh}, why not some of the beautiful edible decorations you can find in the baking aisle at the grocery store, the Wilton section at the craft store, or on Amazon.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

Boundless information, music, movies, tv shows, videos, health tips & news, entertainment news, national news, local news, sports news & recaps, weather, timer, alarm, reminders, shopping lists, Amazon delivery notifications, alerts, security camera connection . . . and food, food, food, all on an interactive screen. Some connect to Amazon Prime.

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Cheese and the snack table just seem to go together in perfect harmony. And the former checks in big time in this Grilled Cheese Pizza. Three kinds in generous amounts top store-bought dough along with some savory sauces, all transforming into tasty triangle bites. From Tastemade.

♦ Want to add a touch of class to your cocktail scene. How about a wine decanter??? Amazon has lots of the traditional squat-bottomed ones, but also some interesting different forms, most quite reasonable including this very pretty “Dublin” design.

♦ Here’s another example of a tasty dish, this one for the snack table, that also serves as a conversation piece. Square deviled eggs. Click here to see how to do it and how they look {it’s easier than you might think}. From Food Network Kitchen.

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Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

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And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

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Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

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Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

Melinda’s Tropical Shrimp Cocktail, April 23-29, 2021

Posted on 04/23/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – Leftover ham? Thankfully there are lots of ways to re-purpose it. But here’s another option, at least for some meals. Leave the ham as is in beautiful slices and let variation check in as tasty platemates. You can go big in your side dish choices with 101 from Epicurious or tame it down with 19 from AllRecipes, all ham-friendly. We’ve talked before about, what to me anyway is a relatively new term, Pantry Meals. To avoid a trip to the store or maybe even to avoid waste, dip into the goodies already on hand. Here’s yet another take, “14 Recipes You Can Make Using Pantry Staples,” from Food & Wine. So, Ree Drummond’s “perfect” spinach salad {04.09.21 Salon} sure looks like it can live up to its billing. But decided to make it and see for myself. Gotta say, pretty darn close. I did add a few halved cherry tomatoes for color.

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Shopping Finds – We hardly ever see butter knives on the dining table anymore, but a newer version just may become a staple in the kitchen drawer because it can rescue us from a culinary problem – hard butter. As you run it over the top of an uncooperative stick, a lineup of small holes in the blade pick up curls that can quickly soften to usability. For bread. For pancakes. For baking. And? They’re called butter spreaders, but you have to be a wee careful because some just regular butter knives on the Amazon page also use this description. No, we don’t have an affiliation with Oreos even though this is the second mention in a couple of weeks. But came across these Birthday Oreos on Amazon and they are just so festive, so cheery, so-gift-ready.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – With June weddings just around the corner, time to think about bride gifts. One with a whimsical touch is our pretty, flowery “Just Married” tee. For the honeymoon trip, to relax into the day after the ceremony, or just to say, “Yep, did it!” On our Eclectic Mall page.

On the Table

Feature – Shrimp cocktail goes Caribbean, in a fresh & spicy way

It’s first important to note that this recipe comes from Melinda, known for decades as a major force in the hot sauce realm. In fact, I blame, uhhh credit, them with my own introduction long ago to the wonders of habanero peppers.

Melinda doubles down in this prep with the distinct potential to move the cocktail into incendiary territory. But what makes it all quite manageable is that the pepper’s legendary heat comes up against a counterbalance of cucumber, tomato, pineapple, orange, avocado, and more.

A really nice mix. Small servings would make a good first course or addition to the buffet table. But it’s also substantial enough for more generous scoops atop lettuce, spinach, or other greens to serve as a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Btw, still not hot enough for you? Do as we did and drizzle on a bit more Melinda.

Recipe Notes – The recipe actually specifies grapefruit and suggests orange as a sub, which what I did choose.

Next week – Chocolate malt brownies with malt marshmallow frosting

Recipe ♦ Hot sauce cookbooks, 4 stars & up

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do you make a croque madame casserole? It’s probably not too far fetched to call a croque monsieur the national sandwich of France. Simple as it is, the secret is in the top notch ingredients – crusty bread lightly grilled, lean ham, good Gruyere, homemade béchamel. Add a fried egg and it becomes a madam. While most I’ve seen were open face, I’ve also come across ones that were regular sandwich style with double bread, enclosed like a croissant, or even stacked up. But until Alexa put this on the screen, I’d never encountered the croque madame casserole – and glad I did. From Epicurious.

Alexa says request: How do you make chocolate covered pretzel toffee? So, chocolate covered pretzels have been been satisfying our sugar cravings for quite some time. Serious Eats sweetens the deal with the addition of rich toffee. Here’s the recipe, credited to Lucy Baker. Thanks, Lucy!

My request: Do you have a recipe for baked hot dogs? The actual reason for this request was a guess that if such existed it would deliver an easy way to prepare several franks at once in the oven. Not only did a prep like that come up from AllRecipes, but even better for Baked Chili Hot Dogs. You can probably predict the ingredients. But what’s helpful here is quantities, pan size, time, and temp.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Wait, what, they’re keeping stuff from us??? Food & Wine tells all in 12 Wines That Serious Collectors Don’t Want You to Know About. There’s also a link in the story for best Prosecco rosés to buy now.

♦ The inspiration goes back to a coffee shop in suburban Chicago where our group convinced the owners to combine the olive burger and cheeseburger and make us olive cheeseburgers. Now, here it is in crispy snack form – brown 1/3 lb ground beef {fine crumble] with 2T minced onion and s&p, then add 2T minced pimento olives, 1T mayo and 1 t ea mustard & buffalo ranch. To assemble: Lay six 6″ eggroll wrappers on a work surface with the points toward you. Place a slice of American cheese on each, about a 1/2″ in from the point closest to you. Divide the meat mixture evenly, covering the cheese slices. Fold up the corner closest to you then roll it up, tucking in the sides as you go. Moisten and press to seal any open edges. Place seam side down in a baking pan treated with non-stick spray. Brush very lightly with peanut oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake at 400 for 10 min or until golden. Note that you can certainly substitute equal amounts of condiments of your choice. And then of course it’s easy enough to make multiples of this recipe. And called? Mini Olive Cheeseburger Eggrolls!

♦ Have you noticed – dips are almost always hits on the snack table. MyRecipes shows us how to mix it up with 18 Things to Stir into Mayo for Instant Sauces & Dips. The good news is that most of these tasty add-ins are likely ready and waiting in your kitchen.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

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CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to these affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

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And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

Creamy-Topped Caramelized Pineapple, April 16-April 22, 2021

Posted on 04/16/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – So, in a recent rerun of The Kitchen on Food Network, Katie Lee went full-on Thanksgiving with a Fall Meatloaf that mashed up ground turkey, stuffing mix, celery, onion, and a cranberry mix that goes both into and atop the loaf. Hmmm, I wondered, how might a version of this work for turkeyburgers. Answer: pretty good, if a wee crumbly, at least as I made it – 1 lb gr turkey, 1 c stuffing mix, 1 egg, s&p – but really good! One of our favorite words at CS joins with the season in 36 Comforting Spring Casseroles, from Southern Living. She says she’s been sautéing mushrooms wrong her whole life. You too? Me too? Anyway, the fix actually turns out to be as simple as can be. Here’s the mushroom solution from the Takeout site.

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Shopping Finds – Have you tried this? Petit Pot dark chocolate French pudding. They may call it pudding but it’s more like dense mousse meets the candy called French cremes. Their site shows we can also be tempted by vanilla bean, salted caramel, CA lemon, and rice pudding, and helpfully offers suggested pairings for each. There’s also a store locator on the page. You know what I think adds to the charm of this tasty confection – the adorable little 3″ jars. And guess what. You can find your very own to cradle any of your own desserts. Btw if you scroll down on the Amazon page you will see other sizes, shapes and quantities.

This week’s featured CS-written, Amazon-produced Kindle – Dieting? Think you have to give up snacking? Nope. Find all kinds of waistline-friendly goodies. And as well ways to replace “fat trap” ingredients with skinnier ones. All right here for just 99 cents, Big Snacks & Subs Lists.

On the Table

Feature – Caramelized Pineapple Slices, with 3 ways to do the creamy topping

How much good stuff applies here, let us count the ways. Five ingredients. Prep time 15 minutes. To table 25 minutes. Toasted coconut. Creamy. Caramelized. Pineapple. CS shortcuts & tips.

Pineapple topped with cottage cheese, or vice versa, is a diner staple. The simple act of caramelizing the pineapple slices and then topping the whole affair with golden coconut elevates it to company-worthy status.

Now I can almost hear some noses wrinkling at the mention of cottage cheese, and the fact is while I enjoy the taste I don’t consider the texture a bff. So I did just what I’ve done before – blend till it’s nice and smooth. Now you could substitute sour cream, but that little bit of cheese saltiness kicks up the other flavors.

The prep comes from Daisy and no, no affiliation with them, but I do like their sour cream, and for this dish did indeed use their cottage cheese. Their site features a number of fine recipes using the two products.

Recipe Notes – I used store-bought pineapple slices, not only for the convenience but as well because I prefer fresh pineapple in its pure state. I do wonder if store-bought caramel topping could work, especially the tub kind which is a little sturdier than the jarred ones. Here though I really liked the brown sugar component and actually made extra. I would not skip toasting the coconut, really adds a nice texture and takes only a few minutes {with careful watching though}.

Next week – This shrimp cocktail won’t know what hit it, but tropical flavors help cushion the blow

Recipe ♦ Daisy recipe page

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do I make Philly Cheesesteak Pull-Apart Bread? May I suggest that you use this link on Food Network to just look at this ever so appealing dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even snack table. All the right ingredients are right in there but in a whole new fun way. From Trisha Yearwood who we’ve seen is just the best at playing with food.

Alexa says request: How do I make coconut shrimp? The thing about any prep from Serious Eats is that you can be sure it’s been well researched to deliver the best possible version. And sure enough their recipe rated a solid five stars. While the shrimp part is nice enough, quite simple, I’m thinking maybe a contributor to those kudos was the sweet and sour and spicy and salty chili sauce accompaniment.

My request: Do you have a recipe for chicken curry served over French fries? Truth be told, I did not expect to find anything, even with Alexa’s vast resources. The request stemmed from a long ago but fondly recalled dinner at a British pub here in town that offered their chicken curry on rice or fries. Whaaaat? Ordered the fries of course and it was a revelation for the palate. Whatever brought it back to mind, wondered if this was an aberration or a real thing. Ha! The latter! See it here. Thank you Alexa.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ CS Tasting Panel member Layne Whiteman adds a savory dimension to cocktail hour phone or video chat visits. Snacks! So both people, or however many folks are on the call, each then have a nibble of choice along with the beverage of choice. Makes it even more like an in-person Happy Hour. Btw, if you’re now having more actual visits, this is still a great way to party on with out-of-town family and friends. Love it, Layne!

♦ I like to do a kind of snack storm. Shake up all kinds of goodies in my snack jar, always a little different with each handful and each refill. This particular one merges Chex Buffalo Ranch Mix, already a medley, plus Caesar flavor pea snacks, Cheez-it Double Cheese Snap’d, dilled almonds, Butter Toffee Coconut Peanuts, and for a touch of sweetness, Hazelnut Cocoa Pillows cereal. This a great way to use up partial bags, though of course you can also start with all fresh stuff . . . or, mix it up.

♦ Food & Wine brings us news from Haus, a company they report in 2019 started producing wine-based aperitifs. In the story they go on to talk about how these drinks have become popular among those who like low-alcohol cocktails. The news? The newest flavor – grapefruit jalapeno which sounds like a really nice spring sip.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦ ♦ ♦

CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to these affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

♦ ♦ ♦

And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

eb4823 c74abc

So fun, Hasselback Pizza Chicken, April 9-April 15, 2021

Posted on 04/09/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – Have you heard of this? Tea latte, officially dubbed London Fog. The basics are tea and steamed milk and then customization sets in. What’s your pleasure? Perhaps vanilla syrup or brown sugar, other sweeteners, maybe a touch of lavender. Thanks to Google see it all here, how to make or where to buy. Love Oreos but hate the gluten? Rejoice! Yep, there are now gluten-free Oreos. Regular and Double Stuf. See them on the Oreo site. Burger lovers love burgers anytime of the year, but as the weather turns balmy, there just seems to be something extra special about those tasty patties, in the pan or on the grill. For folks who might like to change up the current faves will want to take a look at the Best 33 Burger Recipes from Food & Wine.

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Shopping Finds – So, we’ve played a lot recently with sparkly and colored sugar. But here comes a whole different take – sparkly syrup! Found Strawberry Sparkle on Amazon – I couldn’t really see glittering in the pix but one of the reviewers who had poured it into sparkling waters said, loved watching the sparkles swirl around the bubbles. And a company called Runamok {not familiar with them but shows the lock icon} offers a Maple Sparkle Syrup. Btw, on the Amazon page you can also find jars of mica, the stuff that creates the blingy magic. For you, for someone just setting up housekeeping, for your cookster friend? Wowsie, 24-pc kitchen utensil set, #1 Amazon Best Seller, Prime eligible, $24.99.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – Who’s rescued a dog from a shelter and given it a loving forever home. You? Someone you know? This mug not only showcases that good deed in a kind of whimsical way, but also just may encourage others to go forth and do likewise. “I’m being trained by a sweetie I adopted from the shelter.” Find it right here on our CS mug page. Or choose a tee instead on our CS T-shirt page.

On the Table

Feature – Hasselback Pizza Chicken, easy fun

Once again Alexa popped up a recipe where resistance was fu-tile. And so here it is, “upstairs,” in the Featured Recipe spotlight.

This is so fun. Like chicken parm meets pizza meets a technique usually confined to the potato province.

I did take a couple of CS-liberties here. Marinara instead of puree. Pepperoni instead of salami. But you know what, it sure seems the original would be great too.

I also experimented with cooked chicken breasts from the deli counter, baked until heated through and the cheese was all melty. Worked just fine.

I opted for fries and slaw as platemates, but think pasta or even risotto could work well. Some kind of salad is almost always a good counterpoint.

Thanks, Tasty!

Next week – Creamy topped caramelized pineapple, quick and easy

Recipe ♦ Chicken Cookbooks, 4 stars & up

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do I make perfect spinach salad? So, when that popped up on the screen sort of had to see how it might live up the hype. Here’s what backs up the hype for a perfect spinach salad – peppered bacon, onions caramelized in the bacon fat, mushrooms also sautéed in the fat {with license to add more fat if needed}, baby spinach, and – look out – more bacon fat in the dressing {cardiologists, look away}. From Ree Drummond.

Alexa says request: How so I make potato cannolis? As the description says, Think of this as two potatoes for the price of one. That’s because the shell is rolled and crisped potato slices, and the filling is creamy mashed potatoes, mixed with Gruyere and little hits of nutmeg and salt. A sprinkle of chives adds a touch of color to the fun. This recipe comes from Tastemade.

My request: Show me some Nutella recipes Of the bunch that she pulled up, I think the one going on the to-make list is the Easy No Bake Nutella Pie from AllRecipes. Btw, the results also included a couple of ways to make your own version of Nutella.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Eately offers up some wine suggestions for the snack table and the sweet table. The page also includes a link for their wine & cheese guide.

♦ Our CS Tasting Panel judged this a hit. Chicken Parm Dip! Starts with a store-bought rotisserie chicken {yay!}, then gets saucy and also adds in seasonings and cheese. Serve piping hot from the oven with crostini & veggies as dippers. And be prepared – it makes a lot. The good news, so many tasty ways to use the leftovers.

♦ Who loves margaritas {hand raised}? If you can still find the April/May issue of Taste of Home you’ll find 10 ways to gussy up the classic. Can’t find. Well then, double down instead with this page on their site, “20 of Our Best Margarita Recipes.”

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦ ♦ ♦

CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to these affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

♦ ♦ ♦

And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

eb4823 c74abc

Oh my, Chocolate Fudge Party Pie, April 2-April 8, 2021

Posted on 04/02/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – Remember our fast, easy way to color eggs with food color pens. See our 07.26.19 Salon for tips & details. They’re not just for people anymore. What? The recipes on MyRecipes. Here are their 13 preps for pets. If you have any concerns about these preps, please check with your vet. Sometimes the headline just pulls you in and then the opening line seals the deal – like this one, “What if I told you that I could guarantee perfectly cooked, perfectly tender pork chops, every time?” It turns out How to Cook Tender Juicy Pork Chops Every Time from the kitchn is a matter of cut, brine and oven.

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Shopping Finds – You don’t have to be too many pages in to “Open Kitchen” to realize that all of the preps a re just so pretty, so party-ready. And that’s all the more notable because tons of work is definitely not part of the equation here. Both aspects are pretty well covered in the claim that this cookbook is “full of contemporary, stylish, and accessible dishes that will delight and impress with less effort.” By Susan Spungen, 4 1/2 stars on Amazon, hardcover and kindle, Prime eligible. What would we do without whisks??? But does your inventory include this French design? Here’s where it shines – anytime you’re prepping say a sauce right in the pan, this is the one that incorporates those ingredients that try to hide all around the bottom edges, often missed by the pointy guys. Set of two mini French whisks, $5.90 on Amazon, 4 1/2 stars, Prime Eligible.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – Stake you claim right on your mug. “In This House I’M the Celebrity Chef” On our Food-Themed Mugs page right here on CS. Also says it loud and clear on our Food-Themed T-Shirts page. This same saying is also available on an Apron on our Zazzle page.

On the Table

Feature – Chocolate Fudge Party Pie, a festive delight in every bite

Party? Well that can be, as our CS watchwords say, for a crew, or for two, or just for you. The festive spirit knows no limitations.

And with that in mind we put the spotlight on a big bunch of decadence. Borrowing a line from Reese’s, not sorry!

The original {shown in CHB, 11.06.20 Salon} on a somewhat ancient newspaper clipping, calls for a cooked filling. This re-do takes a clue from our Bailey’s chocolate pots {03.05.21 Salon} and replaces the egg with cream cheese for no-cook, no-bake {except for the crust} prep that’s still pretty faithful to the original.

Here’s what I used: 8 oz cream cheese, 1 c milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 T softened butter, 3.5 pkg chocolate fudge instant pudding mix, 2 T ea cocoa and brown sugar, all in the food processor. Into the baked crust, covered in the fridge for a few hours or till completely set. Easy!

Serve with whipped topping. Or our new friend, colored sugar. Or both!

Recipe Notes – You probably could use a ready-made graham cracker crust but I really think that could send the sweetness over the edge. Why a party pie? Thinking because with so many rich ingredients would probably be for a special occasion . . . and because it would likely be the star of any get-together.

Next week – Hasselback Pizza Chicken, as tasty as it is fun

Recipe ♦ Pie cookbooks on Amazon, 4 stars & up

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do you make donut bread pudding? So, what actually comes up is even better, Cider Donut Bread Pudding. And if the picture tells the true tale, it is beyond moist. I’m guessing the large apple and cup and a half of cream help in that regard. This is 5 stars, from AllRecipes.

Alexa says request: How do you make Shepherd’s Pie Potato Bowls? What an interesting dish. And quite rich, with the major culprit being butter – brushed onto the potato skins, mashed into the potatoes, mixed into the shepherd’s pie ingredients, and then crowning the finished “bowl.” The recipe comes from Food Network.

My request: Do you have recipes for leftover ham? And up came preps for soups, salads, sandwiches and casseroles. This one was kind of an unusual application, Ham, Bean and Kale Slaw by Serious Eats. But I was drawn most of all to the Sheet Pan Cubanos by the easy method, and the interesting option of using chicken or turkey instead of pork.

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Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Campari fan? You’ll probably want to take a look at these 18 Delicious Campari Cocktails to Make at Home from Food & Wine. If you’re new to this Italian aperitivo note that F&W calls it herby, citrusy and pleasantly bitter. It’s also an essential in the popular drink Negroni, starring in recipes all over google.

♦ Foodtalkdaily seems to favor the sweet side of the prep spectrum {not that’s there’s anything wrong with that!}, but here it gives us a delectable appetizer, baba ganoush. While you may already be familiar with this smoky eggplant dip, what you may like to know as well is that it satisfies a lot of diets – being keto, gluten-free and vegan. The site suggests serving with pita, crackers or sliced veggies, and the next day I’ve discovered it’s a quite nice spread on morning toast.

♦ There’ll be no just sitting around a table for these folks. Nope. Sipping meets adventure in these Most Extreme Wine Tastings Around the World. Think undersea to high in the sky to deep in a cave and more.

♦ “Unquiet meals make ill digestions” – Shakespeare {pic from Wikimedia}

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Monthly Archives: April 2021

Malted Brownies with Malt Frosting, April 30-May 6, 2021

On the Table

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Melinda’s Tropical Shrimp Cocktail, April 23-29, 2021

On the Table

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Creamy-Topped Caramelized Pineapple, April 16-April 22, 2021

On the Table

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So fun, Hasselback Pizza Chicken, April 9-April 15, 2021

On the Table

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Oh my, Chocolate Fudge Party Pie, April 2-April 8, 2021

On the Table

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