Houseguests

Posted by TheRoomMom

Aunt B arrived yesterday with her two boys. Sewing Sister arrives tomorrow with her girls. I will have a full house for the next few weeks. Since I live near the beach, we have houseguests during the summer fairly regularly. I have systems and procedures for everything much to the frustration of TheRoomDad. In order to get ready for any friends and family who may be visiting, there are a few houseguest preparatory measures I follow.

I collect hotel shampoos and lotions throughout the year, travel toothpastes from dentist visits, and Christmas toothbrushes and keep them in a special “guest” drawer in our bathroom that people can use when they visit. Guests are welcome to use any of the toiletries. I also keep an extra hair dryer in the bathroom for guests.
I have a secret addiction to junky magazines like Us and In Touch. After reading an issue, I will keep a stack in our spare room. Guests are welcome to read them when they visit. I keep a stack of paperback beach reads in the room too.

I stock the refrigerator with “group food”, so people can serve themselves a little bite at any time. Some of my favorite items to have on hand are DILL DIP and BLACK BEAN SALSA DIP. I thrive on party food and love to make it. I am not sure why it is so different from the day to day monotony of preparing family meals (which I dread), but it is. I find that food preparation and kitchen maintenance are the hardest pieces to manage when guests are in town.

For this particular family visit, I baked a pound cake, which is one of Aunt B’s favorites. I think this is kind of a traditional version of pound cake because if you Google “cream cheese pound cake” you get many results with the exact recipe that I use. I have been having problems with my Bundt pan, but I finally just threw the thing away and bought a new cake pan. Success! The pound cake turned out perfectly.

Most recent baking attempt with the old Bundt pan. This should have been a glazed lemon cake.

Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 sticks butter, softened (1 1/2 cups)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
3 c. sugar
6 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 c. flour, sifted

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Blend butter and cream cheese.
Add sugar until well mixed.
Add eggs one at a time and then vanilla.
Add sifted flour slowly.
Put mixture in greased and floured Bundt or tube pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let sit for ~5 minutes.

After the cake rests for a few minutes, hold a cake plate on top of the Bundt pan and turn over, so the cake will drop into the middle of the cake plate. Let the Bundt pan stay on the top of the cake until you can see that the cake has dropped onto the cake plate.

Notes

To grease and flour a Bundt pan, cover the inside of the pan completely with Crisco. Scoop about 1/4 c. flour into the bottom of the pan. Holding the pan over a sink, roll (and tap) the pan around on its side letting the flour stick to all parts of the Crisco.

Make sure that you turn the cake out of the pan while it is warm. This will help make the layer that sits on the cake plate squish down a little and be crispy and moist at the same time. That bottom portion of each slice is TheRoomMom family’s favorite bite of cake.

What strategies do you have for overnight guests, or do you just book a hotel room?

The Chocolate Brownie Trifle

Posted by TheRoomMom

A friend once told me that all good southern desserts should have a crushed up candy bar added to them. Check and check. I brought this “Chocolate Bomb” (TheRoomDad’s official name for the dessert) with Heath bar sprinkles to the Memorial Day picnic we attended yesterday. I actually have a hard time eating very much of this brownie trifle because it is sooo chocolate-y, but no one else seemed to have a problem with it.

Trifles are a layered dessert with some type of cake pieces, pudding/cream filling, and another item like fruit (or candy) pieces in a footed glass dish. They are easy to assemble and must be made ahead of time, so the flavors and ingredients will meld. I think they make a great recipe choice for large groups.

Ingredients

2 boxes brownie mix (I use Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix)
16 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
3 (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mixes
4 c. milk
6 (1.4 oz.) Heath candy bars, frozen
trifle dish (or other glass serving dish with tall sides)

Directions

Bake brownies according to the directions on the box for a double recipe. The Betty Crocker double batch bakes in a 15″ x 10″ pan. After the brownies cool completely, cut or break apart into large pieces. You will crumble the large pieces into bite size pieces as you layer into the trifle dish.

Pour the dry pudding mixes in a large bowl and add 4 c. milk (this is less milk than what the recipe on the box will indicate). Using a whisk, mix the pudding until smooth.
While the Heath bars are still in their wrapper, hit them on the counter to break apart. If they are frozen, they break apart more easily. After the candy bars are crumbled, open the wrapper.
In the trifle dish, create a bottom layer of bite sized brownie pieces. You can break the brownie into small pieces using your hands or cut into little pieces with a knife.

Spread a layer of chocolate pudding on the brownie pieces.

Spread a layer of Cool Whip on the pudding layer.

Sprinkle Heath bar pieces on the Cool Whip.

Repeat the layers ending with Heath bar sprinkles.
Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours before serving.

Notes

One box of brownie mix is not quite enough, but you will have extra brownie pieces using a double batch. I usually have a little leftover pudding and Cool Whip too.

This recipe is not exactly swimsuit friendly, but I couldn’t resist. Do you eat delicious party food to kick off the summer, or do you lean towards “healthier” options?

Family Picnic

Posted by TheRoomMom

We attended the annual end of year family picnic for my son’s Cub Scout den. The other moms usually request my Pasta with Pesto and Peas side dish that both adults and children love, but I decided to go rogue this year and bring a sun-dried tomato pasta salad.

The recipe is a little risky because it uses black olives. Many people (meaning TheRoomMom) avoid olives. However, this recipe has just enough olives to give a salty/briny taste without actually having a super olive-y flavor. I originally got the recipe from an Ina Garten cookbook and have tweaked it a little over time. With Memorial Day picnics just around the corner, this recipe might be something to consider.

Salad Ingredients

1 lb. fusili pasta (corkscrew pasta)
kosher salt
good olive oil
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
1/4 c. black kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 lb. fresh mozarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. basil leaves cut in chiffonade (thin ribbons)

Dressing Ingredients

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 T. red wine vinegar
6 T. good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 t. capers, drained
2 t. kosher salt
3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for the time given in the directions on the box (about 12 minutes). Drain well. Add pasta to a large bowl, and toss with a little olive oil (~2 t.) to keep from sticking together. Let the pasta cool.

While pasta is cooling, seed the tomatoes and dice. I used Roma tomatoes because they looked like they would be the reddest and tastiest of my choices in the store. If you can get really good homegrown tomatoes in another variety, use them.
Pit (if needed) and chop the black olives into a very small dice. Chop 6 sun-dried tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella into medium dice.

Add diced tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella to the cooled pasta and toss gently.

For the dressing, combine the dressing ingredients (sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper) in a food processor and run the food processor until the dressing is almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss well.
Just before serving, add basil and Parmesan cheese and toss again.

Notes

Can be made ahead.
It is served at room temperature, so it works well for tailgates, picnics, or group meals.
Diced artichoke hearts are a good addition.
Pairs well with grilled chicken or grilled steaks.

Easter Brunch

Posted by TheRoomMom

Aunt B will be visiting with her two boys for Easter. I have my parents in town too. That means I need to prepare food for a group, which is actually something I like to do. I am not sure why cooking for a large group is so much more appealing to me than the daily cooking for my own small(er) family, but it is (see previous post). One idea I have for Easter brunch is Hash Brown Casserole. It is easy to assemble ahead, and it includes melted cheese, which automatically gives the recipe bonus points.

There are many variations of this casserole available, but I am sharing the recipe I use. I like to serve this casserole with ham or scrambled eggs. I also think it works well with steak or hamburgers later in the day.

Ingredients

1 2-lb package frozen, diced hash brown potatoes– thawed (the cubes)
1/2 c. melted butter
1 10-oz. can Campbell’s cream of celery soup (could replace with cream of chicken)
8-oz. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (+ a little extra to sprinkle on the top before baking)
1 t. salt (or to taste)
1/4 t. pepper (or to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined.

Spread in a 9×11 casserole dish.

Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Cover in foil and bake for ~35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or so until the top is slightly golden and edges are bubbly.

Will you be serving anything special for Easter?

Snacky Dinner

Posted by TheRoomMom

I so enjoy making party food, cooking a big dish for a group, or assembling appetizers and class snack foods, but I avoid the daily grind of cooking family dinner that will be eaten in 3.7 minutes followed by kitchen clean-up like the plague (and don’t even get me started on packing school lunches).

If TheRoomDad has taken care of the grocery shopping, I can be persuaded to make fast dinners during the week that have minimal clean up. I have a recipe for turkey apple quesadillas that is acceptable as a mid-week meal. It is an odd combination of ingredients, but the adults and children at my house love them. The other nice thing about the recipe is the fact that all of the key food groups are in one bite, so I don’t have the pressure of having to come up with a side dish TOO. Utensils are not required to eat this “meal”, and we really don’t have to have plates either, so clean-up is a breeze.

Have you developed a resistance to making weeknight dinners night after night after night, or is it just me?

Ingredients

Dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon)
honey
flour tortillas (any size– I like large then folded in half when heating)
Munster cheese slices (our grocery’s deli section has pre-sliced packs. Cut or break each slice into halves or thirds when assembling the quesadilla)
Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (or another tart, green apple)
deli turkey, thinly sliced

Directions

Mix equal parts honey and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. I start with 1 tablespoon each of mustard and honey. That is usually enough for 4 quesadillas (4 large tortillas folded in half).

If using the large tortillas, spread the honey mustard on half of the tortilla.

Layer 1 1/2 slices of Munster on the honey mustard spread. Since I cut the deli slices into smaller strips, I place ~3 1/2-slices across the half of the tortilla with the honey mustard.
Add 1-2 slices of turkey on top of the cheese.
Place several apple slices on the turkey.

Top the apple slices with 1/2 to 1 cheese slice.
Fold the tortilla in half to close.
Spray a skillet with Pam and using medium heat, cook the quesadilla on both sides until the cheese is melted, and the tortilla is browned.

Remove from heat, cut in thirds or quarters, and serve immediately.

Notes

You can purchase a “brick” of Munster cheese and grate the cheese instead of using slices.

TheRoomMom

The Parent with the Teacher's Perspective

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Houseguests

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The Chocolate Brownie Trifle

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Family Picnic

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Easter Brunch

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Snacky Dinner

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