Cooking and The Party

Wow.... what a quick week end.  Friday, we did our glass blowing, and we all enjoyed it immensley.  I am not going to blog about the glass blowing until sometime tomorrow or Tuesday.  We didn't get to take our projects with us, as they have to "cool" gradually to keep from cracking.  The last time we saw them, they were warm and cozy in a kiln.  Imagine... in a heated kiln to cool.  Anyway.

I got home from glass blowing in the afternoon, and I started on my dessert for the party.  Oh, the excitement.  I ended up using a box cake mix, but I did get a good one.... triple chocolate.  Then I made my little piggy parts from tinted pink fondant.  So far, so good.  I baked the cake and it came out okay.  I double checked that I had all supplies for the shrimp for tomorrow morning, and I was good to go.

Chloe and Morgan came over for steak dinner.  I made Black Angus Rib Eye steaks for all of us, and Morgan informed me she preferred NY Strip steaks.  Hmmm.... a very opininated 10 year.  Soon to be 11.  It was an evening of marathon NCIS shows.  Gary even made us all pop corn.  Got up Saturday morning, and I started on my cake.  All I had to do now was make ganache frosting.  Here is the recipe I use for ganache frosting.... you will find some that change the ratio, but it depends on the type and butter fat of the chocolate.   (This info was requested by Mariann)

Basic Ganache

Basic ganache consists of just two ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream.  Use 1 oz of chocolate for 1 oz of heavy cream.

• Bring the cream to a boil, then remove from the heat at once and pour over a bowl of chopped chocolate.
• Let it stand, covered, for a moment to soften the chocolate, then whisk until smootoh. Let it cool to room temperature. 

I microwaved 16 oz of heavy cream in a large glass bowl.... and set the timer for 4 mins, and watch it to make sure I pull it out as soon as it starts to boil.  My microwave doesn't take 4 mins. to reach this point.  I then add the chocolate chips and let it set untouched for about 2 minutes.  Then, I whisk it until it is well blended.  It should look shiney.

Because I had purchased a ton of cream cheese, and was a litttle short of the heavy cream, I substituted 4 oz of cream cheese for 4 oz of the heavy cream.  Honestly, I think it works out if you just beat in cream cheese at the end.  I brought the cream cheese to room temperature, and added it when it was time to beat the mixture.  I also wanted it on the soft side, so I whipped it with a mixer just before I added it to the cake.  I added it between the two layers and to the sides, then stuck TWIX candy bars around the edge and tied it with a bow.  Finally... I added the ganache to the top of the cake and then put on the pigs.  I was sooooo happy with it.

I then attempted to make pig snouts and pig turds.  I had purchased 2 bite brownies from the store.  I melted some candy coating and attempted to dip the brownies in it, then added the nostrils.  They didn't turn out so good.  I tried making a glaze out of powdered sugar and milk.... again, no success.  What the hell.... the ones that were not covered with anything were the turds.  Here is what I took to the party..

Well, that was being nice.  They all looked like shit, so I ended up taking only turds.

I also took a shrimp cocktail.... Mexican style.  The recipe was requested, so here it is. 

MEXICAN SHRIMP COCTAIL 

48 oz Clamato Picante

1 ½ lbs. small COOKED shrimp (or if shrimp are large chop them)

3 Avocados diced

2 cucumbers, seeded and diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 2 lemons

Tabasco Sauce, to taste (I used 8 generous splashes

2 stalks of Celery, finely chopped

3-4 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced (optional but I used)

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 diced jalapenos, no pithy vein and no seeds for color

I read several recipes, and most had the same ingredients and directions.  I combined them all and came up with this particular mix.

Mix all items together in a glass bowl or other non-reactive container.   I only used enough juice to cover the ingredients.

Chill for 2 hours, and then serve in a glass with a lime wedge.  I wanted less liquid in the serving, so I used a slotted spoon to remove ingredients, and then I took the remainder of the Clamato juice and topped of the glasses.   I also thought it was a lot prettier than the “juicy” version.

My cooking was done.  Off we go to the party.  Got there, and believe it or not... it was HOT.  Carlos and Sue, and then Margie and Ralph joined us.  We all have so much fun.  We started out with the shrimp cocktails, and Margie had brought a fantastic dip.  I got the recipe for it also, so here it is.

FRANK'S® REDHOT® BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP 

8 oz. pkg.cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of blue cheese or ranch salad dressing

1/2 cupFRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK'S® REDHOT® Buffalo Wing Sauce

 

1/2 cupcrumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese 

 

2 cans (12.5 oz. each)SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

 

DIRECTIONS:

HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.
MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

TIPS:
Reduced Calorie Recipe: Substitute neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese, and low fat options for the salad dressing and blue cheese.
Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.
Slow Cooker Method: Combine ingredients as directed above. Place mixture into small slow cooker. Cover pot. Heat on HIGH setting for 1 1/2 hours until hot and bubbly or on LOW setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir.
Tailgating Tip: Prepare dip ahead and place in heavy disposable foil pan. Place pan on grill and heat dip until hot and bubbly.
Tip: You may substitute 2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Carlos and Sue brought home made hot sauce and queso.  Both are always a hit.  We munched, drank, and swam for several hours, then Mark grilled chicken, and Sheila served a ceasar salad.  Carlos and Sue also brought a brocolli/rice casserole.  You'd have thought none of us had eaten in ages, cause we scarffed everything down like we'd been without food for weeks.  Then, we had dessert.  Margie had brought a lemon/blueberry pie, we ate my pig cake, and Sheila also had ice cream.  Talk about making pigs of ourselves.

So, you ask....... where are all the picutres?  Well, my camera quit working.  That's all I'm gonna say.  I took a zillion pictures with Joyce's camera, but they have since taken her camera and they're off for a tour of San Antonio.  So, pictures will have to wait.  Damn.... I didn't like my camera that much to start with, but it is brand new!  I am going to see if it's covered by warranty, but I doubt it is.

We had a great time.  Gary and I were the last to leave, but it finally cooled off before we left.  There was actually a few minutes of coolness and a breeze.  It was amazing.  We loaded up and came home, and Morgan and Chloe were watching NCIS here.  They had a great time here while we were gone.  Non-stop NCIS.  They spent another night with us.

Got up this morning, and both girls eventually left.  I washed Morgan's softball clothes and picked up hte house a little, and that was the big event of my Sunday.  Gary and I did go on a bike ride this afternoon.  It was my idea, and I appreciate that he went with me. I cooked salmon, salad, sweet potato tots, and fresh asparagus for dinner. 

Shortly after dinner, my primary care physician called me.  Yup... on a Sunday evening.  She said she was going over my blood work, found a concern, and decided to call me to see what I was up to, and to discuss it.  She is such a hoot.  She said my LDL had gone way up all of a sudden, and she wanted to discuss it with my heart doctor tomorrow morning.  I guess she was just giving me a heads up.  I told her I had a dentist appointment in the morning, then I'd drop by her office and pick up a new presecription.  She's changing one of the meds the heart doctor has prescribed.  Here is my new motto

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be older......

 

This shit is not what I expected!

 





It is now the end of Sunday, and I've gotten nothing done.  I have to go get a crown replaced in the morning, then to the doctor, then I'm going to try and pick up the glass projects we made.  Once I get the finished projects, I'll put photos on the blog.  Till then..... good night...... Oh yeah, one more thing.  I have NOT checked this blog post for spelling errors.