Category: Treats

Steve is sad, and a treat.

“Steve is sad, he needs a hug.”

From 2010 Buildup

Steve 2 is coming along, albeit slowly. I tried to sculpt the head somewhat differently. Not entirely sure I’m sold on it yet. We’ll see after the skin gets on.

From 2010 Buildup
From 2010 Buildup

But, I’ve been leaping for joy on another little item lately.

From 2010 Buildup

Back when I was just a wee one, there was one particular house to always hit up on Halloween. The father in the house worked at Clover Club, and would hand out chip bags. FULL SIZE CHIP BAGS. Now, they were rejects from Clover Club. So, your sour cream and onion might house BBQ, or the plain ones might be considered too dark (“burnt”) for sale. But, that always just added to the fun of going to the house.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Clover Club in the stores. Thrilled to find them again. Now, if I could only lay my hands on some “burnt” ones….

Halloween in March.

I was in the mood for a little taste of Halloween.

And, there were several notable treats to seek out back when I was a child. The house that gave out chips. The king size candy bars. The candied apples…

But, for me, the tops was the popcorn balls.

Well, I may not have THAT recipe, but I DO have one heck of a Caramel Corn recipe.

What’s more, it’s the only recipe I have that comes from my dad. He only made it once in my memory, but I was there to record it at the time.

1 can Eagle Brand Milk.
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 Cube butter
2 Cup Brown Sugar

Bring Sugar and Syrup to a boil. Add mild and butter, Cook to soft ball. (8-10 minutes)

From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween

Now, the thing is, this makes a lot of caramel corn…what, exactly was I going to do with it all?

That’s where the popcorn balls came in.

From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween

I sent the boys out to leave them on neighbor’s doorsteps as a surprise. I imagine they’re all curious where it come from, and that makes me smile. A little trick, and a treat. Halloween in March.

Korean Style BBQ Beef

I had planned on getting a heck of a lot more painting done to Steve this weekend, but between the Science Fair project being glued together and worked on at the kitchen table and prepping for the Super Bowl, it just didn’t happen.

So, I thought I’ld share yet another recipe that is always a big hit at our parties. I’ve yet to find anyone that doesn’t enjoy these things.

Korean Syle BBQ Beef:
1LB beef sirloin, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
2 TBL Lemon Juice
2 TBL Sugar
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
2 TBL Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Sesame seads
2 Green Onions finely chopped
Bamboo skewers.

You want the beed in thin long strips. And, just skewer those strips onto the bamboo.

Then, mix everything else together and poor over the beef skewers. Marinade for at least 4 hours, turning about halfway through to coat both sides of the beef. I personally like to marinade overnight.

If you are fortunate, you can find thin sliced beef at the store. If not, your best bet is to leave the steak partially frozen to be able to slice it thinly.

Broil or grill the skewers, cook time varies on the thickness of your beef.

In some other news, since I didn’t have a heck of a lot of work on Steve (who needs to be painted in the dark), I’ve put a bit of work into the site. Couple more pages, updates to some older ones…still working on it, it’s a process, but enjoy.

Kristmas Kitchen Kalamity 2009.

It has begun…

We have an absolutely psychotic schedule from here to Christmas. And, this weekend begins the Kitchen Kalamity of 2009. So, tonight, I’m getting a jump on things with the Sugar Cookies.

It struck me tonight just how many of these things I’ve made over the years. 14 Christmasses worth of at least 2 batches, sometimes even reaching as high as 6!?!?! And to think I used to make them at Halloween as well…hundreds of batches worth of experience. Bad batches…mistakes…

One thing I’ve taken to lately when making multiple batches of aything, and it becomes an immense help, is to pre-measure all your dry goods ala the cooking shows.

From Christmas

The Christmassy view from our front door.

From Christmas

Yet, even in winter, Halloween stretches her touch across the sky.

From Christmas

Day 2: Cookies and Pickles

Ah, cookies.

I started the sugar cookies some 12+ years ago on Halloween. It morphed into a Christmas Tradition somewhere along the way.

This is my Mother-in-law’s recipe, and I’ve never seen a better sugar cookie anywhere.

Sugar Cookies:
4 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Butter or Shortening
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp soda
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk

Sift dry ingredients together, cut in shortening. Add other ingredients and mix well. Chill before rolling and cutting. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Simple and up front. I do have a few suggestions and a minor alteration or two.

First note is that you REALLY MUST use bread mixers with this.

From Christmas

Second. DO NOT under any circumstances fill an entire bowl while you are letting this chill. Leave yourself space to get a grip on the dough, for once chilled, it’s brick-like. I’ve taken to molding myself little handles.

From Christmas

Now then, once it’s chilled (and you want to give it a good 8 hours), I’ve found rolling and cutting to be MUCH easier if you knead it for a minute or two, using plenty of flour to keep it from sticking to your counter or hands.

Then, it’s just cutting your cookies…

From Christmas

Ah, trees, ginger bread men, and bells….

Of course, it wouldn’t be CHRISTMAS without the three wise T-Rex’s.

From Christmas

I’m sure you know ALL ABOUT the story of the three wise T-Rex’s, but I’ll go into that a little more when I have more time to do it justice.

Now, the final note I have is on baking time. The recipe says 10-12 minutes at 375.

I’ve consistently found that too long, and my times have been closer to 7-9 minutes. So, I’ld check em at 7, if I were you…

Now for the Pickles…

I have NO IDEA where this recipe originates from, in the beginning. My Grandmother would make these pickles, and we’ld get to have some for lunch whenever we were over at her house. As she no longer makes them, I’ve taken it upon myself to carry them forward. And, since Christmas is a time of cooking special things anyway, they have become a Christmas staple.

Now…thing is, there’s really not a set “recipe”…

So, ignore the insanity, forget your mind screaming it sounds odd, and give it a try.

First, go buy some dills.

From Christmas

Ok, now dump em out. Save the brine, if you have a use for it. We’re not using it here…

Now, chop them up and put about 1/2 back in.

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Now, cover them in sugar. (about roughly a cup, but I no longer measure these days)

From Christmas

Now, you guessed it. Chop up the rest and put them back in as well.

From Christmas

And repeat the sugar treatment. Next, get some pickling spice. I like the pickling spice straight in the jar, but my brothers are spoiled, and don’t like the ‘dirty pickles’ as much, so we put the spice some cheese cloth.

From Christmas

There are 2 optional steps here in the recipe: Garlic and onions. Cloves of garlic for the sock, or chopped onions. Not having garlic, I used a little garlic powder.

Just put all that in the jar, then pour a bit of vinegar on top. About 2 Tablespoons worth.

From Christmas

Let these sit in the fridge for at least 3 days. I prefer about a week, myself. And you get a unique pickle unlike anything you’re likely to have tasted anywhere else. Trust me, they’re good.