Episode 36: Cheesy Potato Bake

Ingredients:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 or 4 medium potatoes, sliced and placed in a bowl of water
1 large onion, sliced and cooked in butter
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350

Butter a baking dish.
Spread on a layer of potatoes.
Then spread on some onion.
Add salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese.
Continue layering, finishing with potatoes.
Beat the egg into the cream and pour it over the top.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake for about 90 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Cool slightly and devour.

This is a great after-school snack. Or a yummy dinner with a big salad on the side. Enjoy!!

My Rainbow Cake

My mom made this cake for me to decorate for the spring festival at my school this year. The cake is made with yummy organic ingredients and fresh eggs ... the decorations, not so much. But it was so fun to decorate ... blue icing and candy! Oh how I wish I was getting to eat it instead of some cakewalk winner!

Episode 35: Marzipan from scratch, almost

The marzipan recipe I followed is very simple. All you need are almonds, powdered sugar, vanilla and two egg whites. A good chopper is also helpful. We started out by grinding the almonds in a coffee grinder, but for some reason that stopped grinding and we had to resort to the little chopper. This did not make the almonds as finely ground as they should have been, but it still made a yummy candy. Almost like marzipan.

Episode 34: Chocolate Hearts

Buy high-quality dark chocolate. We used Green & Black's organic chocolate. White and chocolate-mint flavors. It's worth every penny ... it's rich and creamy and melts in your mouth!

Fill plastic molds, available and Michael's or your favorite baking supply store.

Refrigerate or freeze till hardened.

Pop out of molds and serve for lunch, or dessert, or snacks or dessert ... (or dinner) ... or maybe give them as a gift ...

Yummy!

Episode 33: Sweet & Savory Nut Mix

The recipe:
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1/8 maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
dash of cayenne
salt and pepper to tase

Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl, spread them on a baking sheet, and bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool. Enjoy

Episode 32: Pecan Pie

The Recipe:

3 eggs (We threw one on the ground and used 2)
1 cup corn syrup (You can also use honey or maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
1/3 cup melted butter (Sorry, we forgot to show this part when making the show. It got added a little late.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 pie crust

Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl. Pour it into a crust lined pie pan. Cover the edges with foil and bake it in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25 more minutes or till knife inserted in the pie comes out clean.

We really changed that part up ...
If you're cooking outside just place your pie on the bottom of the oven and pour the filling over the crust. Be careful not to put too many coals on the bottom of your oven so the crust doesn't burn. Watch it carefully ... ours cooked in about 25 minutes!

Episode 31: Cranberry Scones

We had no school today and finally a chance to film a new show. These scones are delicious and pretty with all the cranberry halves in them. A great breakfast or after-school snack!

This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
5 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) half-and-half
1/2 cup halved cranberries, drained on paper towels

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half until just moistened. Gently fold in cranberries.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges; place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon half-and-half; sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.