Why did you put THAT on the table?

The other day Nate asked me to make a special treat for his office. Evidently he had been telling them about the kitty litter cake I made for his work way back in 1999, and everyone was clamoring for a repeat.

I'm sure you've seen kitty litter cakes before, but they're always a gross hit for Halloween or April Fool's Day. Here's how to make one of your own:


Start with your cast of characters. A box of chocolate cake mix, a box of white cake mix, a package of vanilla sandwich cookies, vanilla instant pudding, and green food coloring. Plus the eggs, water, and oil you'll need for the cakes, as well as the milk for the pudding.


Crumble up the vanilla sandwich cookies. I only used about one and a half rows from the package shown, but this was the only package with vanilla cookies left in it at my store.

Mix up the vanilla pudding according to the package directions and put in the fridge to set.


Bake the cakes according to the package directions... it doesn't matter what size pan you use because you're going to crumble them up.


Break the cakes up in a big bowl and mix with half of the plain cookie crumbs. Add in just enough pudding so that the cake is moist, but not soggy. I only used about half of the pudding, so one box should suffice. Dump it into your NEW and cleaned litter pan and pat it down gently into an even layer.


Mix the green cookie crumbs with the plain ones and sprinkle them evenly over the surface of the cake.


To mold the kitty poops out of your tootsie rolls, place the unwrapped candies into the microwave for a few seconds of time. About 8-10 seconds should be enough... too long and the candy melts into a crispy puddle. Have fun with shaping each candy into a unique and realistic shape, burying some halfway in the "litter" and even draping one over the side of the pan.

Serve with a NEW and washed litter scooper.

Bread, mmmm, glorious bread!

Here's my first loaf of ciabatta bread created using the directions in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I'm looking forward to trying out more of the yummy looking recipes in this book but will be tackling them slowly since hubby decided to go back on our low-carb diet. The above loaf of bread vanished in about 5 minutes with my carb-addicted family. I hear that the authors are working on a new book that will focus more on "healthy" breads, with lots of whole-wheat and such.

105/365 - Chicken A La King, Goulash Recipe, and laundry

In response to the comments that were left asking for the Lazy Mom Goulash recipe, I am sorry that I didn't link back to the recipe! I posted it back in February... It's in this Menu Plan Monday post: Lazy Mom Goulash recipe post.

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My comments on this recipe are in italics.

Chicken A La King (from The American Peoples Cookbook, 1956)

Set out a 2-qt. saucepan.

Cut into chunks and set aside enough cooked chicken to yield
3 cups cooked chicken. (this turned out to be 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves)

Prepare and set aside
1 1/2 cups quick chicken broth (2 chicken bouillon cubes + water)
Cook and set aside (drain if necessary)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas
Meanwhile, clean and slice
1/2 lb. mushrooms
Heat in the saucepan over low heat
1/3 cup butter, margarine, or chicken fat (ewwwwwww!)
Add the mushrooms. Cook slowly about 5 min., frequently moving and turning with a spoon. With slotted spoon remove mushroooms, allowing fat to drain back into saucepan; set mushrooms aside.

Blend into butter in saucepan a mixture of
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Accent (omit this, it's just MSG!)
Few grains pepper
Heat until mixture bubbles; cook 3 to 5 min. Remove from heat. Add gradually, stirring constantly, the chicken broth and
1 1/2 cups cream
Return mixture to heat; cook until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, mushrooms and
1/4 cup (2-oz. can, drained) pimiento strips
Cook mixture slowly until chicken is thoroughly heated. If desired, transfer mixture to a chafing dish.

Serve over waffles, rusks, Toast Points, or in Toast Cups. (I also enjoy having chicken a la king over rice! I served this over toast points for tonight though)
6 servings

This recipe made our "Make it again, Mom!" file. Actually, as soon as the kids took their first bite, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they gave it an instant thumbs up.

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I hate pairing up socks!!!!!!

100/365

From The American Peoples Cookbook, 1956:

Blender Chocolate Cake with Glossy Chocolate Frosting

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Blender Chocolate Cake

Prepare (page 34) two 8-in. round layer cake pans. (Before using the electric blender see page 13).

Melt (page 12) and set aside to cool
2 sq. (2 oz.) chocolate
Sift together into a bowl and set aside
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put into blender container
2 eggs, unbeaten
Cover and blend a few seconds. Turn off motor and add in order
1/2 cup hydrogenated vegetable shortening or all-purpose shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Add chocolate, cover and blend 2 min. Scrape sides of container and blend few seconds longer.

Add gradually, stirring after each addition, two-thirds of blended mixture to sifted dry ingredients. Stir until well blended (total strokes, about 100). Add remaining mixture all at one time; mix until smooth. Pour into cake pans.

Bake at 350*F about 25 min., or until cake tests done (page 34).

Cool; remove from pans as directed (page 340).
Two 8-in. round layers

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From page 340:

Prepare pan- For cakes with shortening and for cake rolls, grease bottom of pan only; line with waxed paper cut to fit bottom of pan only; grease waxed paper.

Test cake when minimum baking time is up. Touch lightly at center; if it springs back, cake is done. Or insert a cake tester or wooden pick in center; if it comes out clean, cake is done.

Cool butter-type cakes 10 min. in pan on cooling rack after removing from oven.

Remove butter-type cakes from pan after cooling. Run spatula gently around sides of pan. Cover with cooling rack. Invert and remove pan. Turn cake right side up immediately after peeling off waxed paper. Cool cake completely before frosting.

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Glossy Chocolate Frosting

A frosting with a beckoning gleam. It looks rich, tastes wonderful, keeps well, is easy to make and a pleasure to spread.

Mix thoroughly in a 2-qt. saucepan
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
Stir in
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 sq. (3 oz.) chocolate, cut in pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens (about 5 min.). Remove from heat. Beat in
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Spread on cake while frosting is hot.
Enough to frost sides and tops of two 8-in. or 9-in. round cake layers

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I used 9-inch cake pans as the store didn't have any 8-inch cake pans, and I was in desperate need of new ones. I bought two "professional grade" Wilton cake pans with a 20-year guarantee, and they feel so much more substantial then my old ones.

I followed all of the instructions explicitly because I have had such bad luck in the past with cakes. I've had them fall, crack, burn, etc. This was the first time I have lined the bottom of a cake pan with waxed paper. I tore off a rectangle slightly bigger than the pan, and folded it down into triangles, which I trimmed to match the radius of the pan. Upon opening the triangles, I had perfect circles that nestled beautifully in the bottom of the pans.

While I was working on the batter, I handed the bowl that I had melted the chocolate in to Sabrina to rinse out for me. She thought she was being crafty and sneaky and stuck her finger in to taste the yummy looking chocolate. Her body convulsed in revulsion. She didn't realize that it was unsweetened baking chocolate. Oh, what a bitter taste that is!

When making the frosting, DO make sure that the cornstarch is well blended with the sugar before pouring in the water. Otherwise, it's incredibly hard... nay, impossible, to get out all of the lumps. Then while you're frosting the cake, you'll be picking out little white lumps of cornstarch... which luckily didn't detract from the taste much, as my whole family declared it the best cake ever.

The cake was light, moist, and had a nice delicate chocolate taste. The frosting was gooey and luscious, and my hubby described it as tasting "like warm chocolate pudding". Yum.

Roast Rock Cornish Game Hen (recipe)

From The American Peoples Cookbook, 1956:

Roast Rock Cornish Game Hen

Set out a shallow roasting pan with a rack.

Prepare and set aside for stuffing Wild Rice with Mushrooms (one-half recipe, page 305; add all mushrooms to rice)

Clean 4 Rock Cornish game hens, about 1 lb. each
Rinse and pat dry with absorbent paper.

Rub cavities of the four hens with
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Accent
Lightly fill body cavities with the stuffing. To close body cavities, sew or skewer and lace with cord. Fasten neck skin to backs and wings to bodies with skewers. Put game hens breast-side up on rack in roasting pan.

Set out
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Brush each hen with the butter.

Roast uncovered at 350*F.

Frequently baste hens during roasting period with drippings from roasting pan.

Roast 1 to 1.5 hours, or until hens test done. To test doneness, move leg gently by grasping end bone; drumstick-thigh joint moves easily when hens are done. (Protect fingers from heat with paper napkin.)

Place game hen on a heated platter; keep warm while preparing gravy. Before serving, remove skewers and garnish hens with
Sprigs of water cress

For Gravy - Prepare
1/2 cup quick meat broth (page 13)
Set aside to cool.

Leaving brown residue in roasting pan, pour the drippings into a bowl. Allow fat to rise to surface; skim off fat and reserve. Remaining drippings are meat juices which should be used as part of the liquid in the gravy. Measure into roasting pan 1.5 tablespoons of the reserved fat. Blend in
1.5 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon Accent
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Stirring constantly, heat until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and add gradually, stirring constantly and vigorously, the broth and 1/2 cup of the drippings. Return to heat and bring mixture rapidly to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook 1 to 2 min. longer. While stirring, scrape bottom and sides of pan to blend in brown residue. Remove from heat and stir in
2 tablespoons Madeira wine
Pour into a gravy boat and serve hot.

4 servings
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Wild Rice with Mushrooms

Set out a medium-size skillet.

Bring to boiling in a deep saucepan
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Accent
Meanwhile, wash in a colander or sieve
1 cup wild rice
Add rice gradually to water so that boiling will not stop. Boil rapidly, covered, 30 to 40 min., or until a kernel of rice is entirely tender when pressed between the fingers. Drain rice in a colander or sieve.

If necessary to keep rice warm, place colander over hot water and cover with folded towel.

While rice is cooking, clean and slice
1/2 lb. mushrooms
Heat in the skillet
1/4 cup butter
Add mushrooms with
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Cook slowly, occasionally turning and moving gently with a spoon, until mushrooms are lightly browned. Remove from heat and reserve about 1/4 cup mushrooms for garnish. Combine remaining mushrooms, onion, wild rice, and
1/3 cup butter, melted
Toss gently until mushrooms and butter are evenly distributed throughout rice. Turn hot mixture into a warm serving dish and garnish with reserved mushrooms. 6 to 8 servings

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Prepare quick broth - dissolve in 1 cup hot water, 1 chicken bouillon cube for quick chicken broth or 1 beef bouillon cube or 1/2 teaspoon concentrated meat extract for quick meat broth.

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Okay, so here is my summary of changes. First off, Accent turns out to just be MSG (monosodium glutamate), so I completely skipped that throughout the recipe.

I had to use a lot more water than called for in the wild rice, because it kept boiling off. Just keep adding small amounts of water and continue boiling it until tender.

I skipped the water cress garnish.

I used salted butter because that is what I had on hand, and I figured if I was skipping all the MSG a little extra salt would help with flavors.

I used chicken bouillon instead of beef.

I used Sherry instead of madeira wine. If you wish to skip alcohol completely, you can substitute in a bit of reduced balsamic vinegar with beef broth... experiment with the amounts until you get the flavor to be pleasing to your palate.

My husband loved the wild rice stuffing and has requested that I make it on it's own as a side dish with chicken. I hope you try out this recipe too!

Menu Plan Monday 3/9/09

I am struggling to remember what I wrote down on my grocery list for this week's menu. The list is M.I.A.! I usually scribble down our menu on the right side of the paper, and then start listing everything that I need on the left.
I got lazy on Saturday, and the kids had leftover chicken and dumplings, while hubby and I grabbed some tacos from El Pollo Loco. So, I have everything for Broccoli and Beef to make this week instead.

Dinners:

Broccoli Beef over Jasmine Rice
Creamy mushroom beef in the crockpot, over rotini
Indonesian Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce and steamed broccoli
Niko's Birthday Dinner - Macaroni and cheese, green beans, and chicken
*Sadie's Chicken Fried Rice with edamame
Leftover Pinto Beans and Pork Roast stew (will add diced potatoes to make it stretch even more!)

Sadie's Chicken Fried Rice
I created this recipe based on the likes and dislikes of my family. It makes a huge portion, but we never have any leftovers!

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 bag frozen peas and diced carrots
1 bunch green onions, diced (optional)
Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Sesame Oil
3 Tbs Canola Oil
3-4 eggs, beaten
Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
6 cups cooked rice, cold

Make 6 cups of rice earlier in the day, or the night before. You want it to get cold and dry out a little bit so that it crisps up in the oil.
Thaw peas and carrots in cold water in a colander.
Heat canola oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok. Add in your cold rice and let it sit for a minute or so to start crisping up before you start stirring it around. Add in your chicken and vegetables and stir to combine. Start pouring in the soy sauce as you stir the rice around, until it gets to a nice golden color. Add or more less to your own taste, but I usually use around 1/4 cup. Create a well in the middle of the rice, and pour in the beaten eggs. Stir them around as you would scrambled eggs, and then stir them into the rice. Top with hot sauce and enjoy! For a fun international night, try serving gyoza, dumplings, egg rolls, spring rolls, or steamed buns along side! I can buy my sesame oil at the 99c store, so don't be afraid that it is an expensive ingredient!

Dandelion Flower Cookies

I first came across this recipe through Dell's blog, and it sounded like so much fun that I filed it away in that cluttered storage cabinet that is my mind. Since I picked up some vegetables from the nursery to plant in our garden, I decided to take stock of what I need to do before I can plant... Namely pulling up the weeds that have over grown the area, and mixing in some fresh soil. When I saw all of the dandelions that were growing so profusely, I decided that today would be a great day to try out this recipe!

Niko and I started by harvesting as many dandelion flowers as we could, and put them all in a colander to give them a good rinse.


We pulled off the hard green flower bases, and separated out all the pretty yellow and fluffy white flowers. Dandelions are actually related to sunflowers, as each of those dandelion heads are composed of many, many small individual flowers.


I omitted the oil from this recipe completely, substituting in a half cup of applesauce.


One half-cup of honey.


Two eggs.


One teaspoon vanilla.


One cup unbleached whole wheat flour.


One half cup oats.


Give it all a good mix...


Add in half of a cup of dandelion flowers.


Mix the flowers in.


And spoon on to a cookie sheet.


Bake at 375* for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.


Admire the pretty little flecks of yellow dandelion flowers in your cookies.


And enjoy!


These were pretty interesting. They were fun to make, and didn't taste bad either! They tasted very strongly of honey, and had a soft chewy texture like the top of a muffin. This was a fun ingredient to try out, and I can see adding dandelion flowers to things like muffins more in the future!
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Dandelion Flower Cookies

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup unbleached whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup dandelion flowers

Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend oil and honey and beat in the two eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, oatmeal and dandelion flowers. Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday 3/2/09

This week's menu will include:

Top sirloin with baked potatoes, brussel sprouts, peas, and sliced tomatoes.
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Beef Barley Mushroom Soup* with Buttery Bread Machine Rolls.
Pinto Beans and Pork.
Broccoli Beef over Rice with edamame.
Chicken and Dumplings.
Swedish Meatballs with gravy sauce over egg noodles with green beans.

*Beef Barley Mushroom Soup
I picked this recipe card up next to the bulk pearl barley at WinCo. It sounded good, so we'll be trying it out this week.

Ingredients:
1 pound cubed beef stew meat (I'm using london broil)
1 TBS vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 TBS margarine
2 large carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 cups water
3 cubes beef bouillon cube
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup sour cream


Brown small cubes of stew meat in vegetable oil over medium heat until juices become a rich brown color. Add 2 cups water, and simmer meat while preparing vegetables. In a large soup pot, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Saute carrots, onion, garlic, celery and mushrooms. Add meat, 6 cups water, bouillon cubes, and barley to vegetable mixture. Cook until barley is soft. Adjust liquid and seasoning as desired. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. Serve immediately.

Lunches this week will be bologna sandwiches with jonagold apples or tangelos, and a strawberry cereal bar or a granola bar with a juice.
Breakfast this week is their choice of: bulk granola over vanilla yogurt, bulk "Lucky Charms" or "Mini wheats" cereal, Maple and brown sugar oatmeal, or Scottish oatmeal. The Scottish Oatmeal is a new thing for us to try this week; I picked it up in the bulk section.

Another Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe another week has flown by so quickly!!

This week's dinners will include:

Kentucky Chili
Crockpot Potato Chowder with drop biscuits
Lentil Soup
Mexican Meat with refried beans, tortillas, and rice
Beef Stew with Cornbread

Lunches will be: bologna or tuna sandwiches, apple or tangelo, apple sauce, and a juice pouch.
Breakfasts will include: "Lucky Charms"-type bulk cereal, Pancakes, chocolate chip bagels, or Maple and Brown sugar oatmeal.
I also bought Oriental snack mix for the hubby, and stuff to make these homemade soft pretzels.

Kentucky Chili
We dubbed this Kentucky Chili because it is the way my mom has always made it for us, and she grew up in Louisville.

-1 pound hamburger
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1 large can Chili con carne with beans
-1 large can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 large can diced tomatoes
-Chili powder and pepper to taste
-1 pound spaghetti (cooked)

Brown the hamburger with the onion and add the seasonings. Dump in all of the canned goods and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked (plain!!) spaghetti. Enjoy!


Mexican Meat
This is another one of my Mom's recipes. We probably had this once a week when I was growing up.

-1 pound diced steak
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1 large can diced tomatoes
-2 cans diced green chiles (you can also add jalapenos if you would like it spicier)
oregano, pepper, and salt to taste

Brown the steak then add all of the veggies. Let simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes. Season to taste and serve over rice. This makes very yummy burritos! The kids will probably end up just having bean and cheese burritos with rice, but hubby and I will eat the leftovers for breakfasts (with scrambled eggs) and lunches (burritos)!

Don't forget to check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Here's this week's dinners, in no particular order:

Lazy Mom Goulash with Peasant Bread
Salmon Croquettes with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
Hot Dogs with buns and Corn on the Cob
Baked chicken with country-fried potatoes and boiled baby carrots
Broccoli Beef with Oyster Sauce over Rice (And fortune cookies for dessert!)

Please note, this is the amount that I make for 2 adults and 4-5 children, sometimes with leftovers. If you have a smaller family, feel free to cut down the amounts! When we were a family of 3-4, I usually made about half of these amounts (like 1 can of salmon compared to two, etc.)

Lazy Mom Goulash
1.5 lbs hamburger
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cans of corn
2 cups long grain rice

Boil 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water. Brown hamburger and drain fat. Pour in the jar of spaghetti sauce, and add in 2 drained cans of corn. Mix together and bring to a simmer. Serve hamburger sauce over rice.

Salmon Croquettes
2 cans of pink salmon, drained, skin and bones removed
2 eggs
1 sleeve of fat-free saltine crackers, crushed
Ketchup
1 TBS Colman's prepared mustard
Oil

Mix the salmon with the eggs and cracker crumbs. Form into small patties and fry until golden brown on either side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with ketchup and Colman's mustard for dipping (the Colman's mustard is a hot, spicy mustard, so the kids just use ketchup). When they were younger, I called these "Crabby Patties" like in Spongebob so that they would eat them. ;)

Mom's Country Fried Potatoes
Also known as "camp potatoes", this is my family's favorite way of eating potatoes! It's not the healthiest, but it's definitely hearty!

10 medium potatoes
Oil
1 tbs butter
Seasoned Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Scrub the potatoes, and then dice them into roughly evenly sized chunks. Rinse and drain well, patting to dry (so they don't make the oil splatter). Melt 1 tbs butter in a skillet with 2-3 tbs canola oil. Add the potatoes, and sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt and black pepper. Let cook over medium for 8 minutes, then give them a flip. Season again if desired. Let cook for another 8 minutes over medium low, stir. Cook another 5 minutes over low heat. Test the biggest chunk to make sure it's cooked through (I hate finding a hard potato piece!), and then serve.

Broccoli Beef with Oyster Sauce

1 lb of steak, cut into thin slices (I'm using top sirloin that I bought a couple of weeks ago, sliced and froze)
1 lb of fresh broccoli crowns
1 bunch green onions
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp canola oil
1/3 cup water
3 TBS Soy Sauce
3 TBS Oyster Sauce (find one without the HFCS! I like Lee Kum Kee. It has a panda on the label and is available at Walmart even.)
1 tsp corn starch
1-inch slice of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced fine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine

I have always made my Broccoli Beef with oyster sauce, and I was really grossed out by some of the recipes for Broccoli Beef that I came across online. I just can't imagine using cream of broccoli soup or something like that! I'm sorry if that is the way that your family enjoys it, but I simply can't wrap my head around it. And I have nothing against cream of broccoli either!

Heat canola and sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. Quickly brown your steak strips (let cook for a minute, then flip over - don't stir unless you like gray icky looking meat!). In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch, ginger, and garlic. Add 1/3 cup water, your soy sauce mix, green onions sliced into 1" pieces, and your broccoli crowns (cut down into large bite size pieces) to the steak. Cover and let it cook over medium for about 4 minutes, until the broccoli is tender. Serve over hot rice. I'll be serving mine with Sriracha and chili paste for the grownups. In the bulk section of WinCo, I also found fortune cookies for 6 cents each - how fun!

Don't forget to check out The Grocery Cart challenge for more great recipe ideas to add to your menus!