Kitchen Ranch

Hibiscus Marshmallows

This is a page from the recipe book I recently purchased (on the left) HomeMade. While I adore the photos, font and layout...

The recipes overall have been underwhelming: Sad but true. I know the book was translated from French into English so I suppose there could have been a few issues there.... not sure. While I understand recipes being bland or boring... having something totally not work out and actually taste bad is very strange. There is actually a moment in the marshmallow recipe in which I think there is a comma missing and it confuses the recipe immensely. I have tried about 10 of the recipes and will continue before I just turn around and sell this book on Amazon..... I am anxious to be be won over.  

No rose petal tea so I settled on hibiscus.... Gelatin is gross and not vegetarian true.... but seeing that I am the only veg in the house and marshmallows are a hit with kids.... right?!

I am not printing this entire recipe because it sucked. The kids didn't even like the marshmallows.... But, here are photos of the marshmallow process. Don't be surprised if someday I try a different marshmallow recipe.... I have heard there are some good vegan recipes.

Puffed Brown Rice, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bar

About the time we stumbled upon the recipe for chocolate peanut butter cups we also stumbled upon this recipe. We are undergoing an effort around here to eliminate all processed and packaged foods... so I am in search of the perfect granola bar to pack for to go lunches. My search continues... while these are good-they are not it.

Nigella's Chocolate Mousse (Mess)

Last week while the husband was away cycling through Mexico, the daughter and I discovered Nigella Lawson. Most evenings, we snuggled up after the little boy went to sleep and watched wide eyed Nigella's videos which can be found on You Tube.

We were especially impressed with the Chocolate Mousse (see video below). We just knew we had to try it.

Ok, I know. I can almost hear you shaking your head-Nigella has been around for a long while but remember, we don't have a TV. We are a bit slow around here in some media respects.

All was going well and the recipe was looking just like the one on the video until we combined the whipped cream and melted goods.

It was at that point that the Chocolate Mousse presented itself more as chocolate soup (yuck) and not without a stomach ache. What a let down!

I did allow the chocolate mess to cool quite a bit but I think I may try this recipe again and the next time allow the melted goods to cool even more -even to a chilled cool before combining them with the whipped cream.

A recipe that sucked, the cat agreed

The Ultimate Recipe That Sucked.... I have actually blocked it out of my mind because it was quite devastating and luckily some time ago. I couldn't resist this picture (see below) which has been collecting digital dust in my Food Photo. The Main dish was maybe involving eggs and also I recall (like a bad dream) that it was bitter and green and the cheese was not melted properly.

I left the dish on the table as we stood chatting about  our local Mexican taco stand and the idea of take out food while the family cat Phidias jumped up on the table (he is Greek), ate a few bites and proceeded to sniff and turn up his nose.

Not all dinners are delicious and beautiful like this one: WOW Delicious YUM!

Spanish Omelet

Did you ever have one of those meals that you simply cannot forget? One of those dining experiences that leaves you drunk on its memory? Well, I have been daydreaming about a certain Spanish omelet for almost a year now. Unfortunately, I cannot have the experience again so easily because the backdrop  took place in a small Mexican town on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was a restaurant (a name in which I cannot recall) on the beach (yes, toes in sand while dining) and it was dusk when this delightful experience happened. 

Friday night I had the notion to make a delicious Spanish omelet of my own. A Spanish omelet is often called a Spanish tortilla. It is comprised of potato, onion and eggs. While it is a popular staple of Spain, the recipes and styles vary widely -just do a search online for 'Spanish Omelet' and it is evidence that there are so many recipes. I looked at quite a few recipes which I used as a springboard and then did my own thing. The following list of ingredients feeds two people perfectly.

It would be a lie to say that I never have mishaps in the kitchen. It seems only fair to share my errors because those very errors are indeed as inspiring and telling as kitchen successes. So although the omelet ultimately tasted delicious it looked horrid and nothing like my memory of the omelet by the sea.

• 4 eggs
• 3 potatoes (grated)
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• Olive Oil (a couple of glugs)
• Salt and pepper to taste

I started off with olive oil, garlic and onions. Once the onions and garlic were browned I removed them from the pan and set them aside. I added another gulg of olive oil to the pan and then added the grated potatoes. Once those were brown I added them to the bowl which contained the onions. Then I added the eggs and mixed well. I poured everything into the pan and the cooking began.

Now in hindsight, everything went wrong at the grated potato stage. I will do two things differently next time: cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks so they and brown better as well as make certain I use a larger frying pan.

When the omelet has reached a golden brown, use a plate to flip it over. Cook the other side. Like I mentioned, this omelet was tasty however not very sexy.

That being said, this recipe will have to be tried again. To be continued...

Dessert Disaster

The dessert I served Saturday night turned into a right mess. Conceptually, the recipe sounded lovely:

A scoop of coffee ice cream
A shot of Frangelico
A shot of strong coffee

Combine all these ingredients in a small bowl

Simple enough. So I did just that. The result was goop. The coffee melted the ice cream and the guests began drinking from their bowls. The taste was sort of good -sort of not good. I decided that the original recipe is just all wrong. 

This is my suggestion to improve on the recipe:

First, treat the recipe as the drink it really is. Also, rather than an after dinner affair, this recipe deserves a warm afternoon in the garden backdrop.

• Place Coffee ice cream and coffee in a blender-whip to a frothy thinnish shake
• Pour over ice
• Serve a shot of Frangelico on the side

Bottoms up!