Peepshi

Peep sushi (aka Peepshi), a modern delicacy, is fun and easy to make. After seeing the recipe a couple years back on Serious Eats, and being motivated to try a hand at it this year, my friend and I tested our "sushi" making skills as we prepared for Easter last weekend. 

There are few ingredients needed - only Rice Krispie treats, Fruit by the Foot and of course, the star of the show...Peeps (in all shapes and hues).

To get cracking on these morsels, first, one has to make the Rice Krispie treats, which are always a snap. I did mine in a jelly roll pan, but they were still a bit thick, so they needed to be pushed down/rolled out a bit to make good "sushi rice."

I had read on another blog that one women rolled our her Rice Krispie treats in between sheets of Pam-sprayed wax paper and that sounds like the route I'd take, should I make them again. They're supposed to be 3/16 of an inch thick and while we didn't break out the ruler, that's pretty thin however you make them.

Once the "rice" is ready, all you have to do is make the "sushi." There are a plethora of ways you can construct the delight and we created both "maki rolls" and "sashimi" with little beds of Rice Krispie treats. I even tried my hand at a rainbow roll or two.

We loved incorporating other bits of candy into this (such as jelly eggs, candy squid and Swedish fish) and the options are unlimited. There's so much to do with this and in addition to decapitating little Peeps, it's a great opportunity to get creative and inventive.

We were very pleased with how enjoyable a craft/recipe this was and equally impressed with how well the Peepshi looked.

I warn that it doesn't taste as good as it looks and between the three ingredients, it could put most anyone into a diabetic coma! The sweetness of everything is just too much and it's definitely recommended to eat only one or two.

  

Essentials of Thai

Always looking to expand my skill set - especially in the kitchen - I embarked on a lesson in Thai cooking with some friends last week.

With a dry (yet funny) and intense instructor, we were given a brief history of Thai cuisine and culture, the run-down on what we'll be making (and some tips for the recipes) and were sent to work.

Broken into groups of six, each tackled about four different dishes with occasional demonstrations from the instructor (such as how to de-gill a fish, how to cut a mango, how to work with Lemongrass, etc). I picked up a few good pointers and the class was especially helpful with de-mystifying this exotic style of food. While there are a bunch of special ingredients needed, like Palm Sugar, etc. etc., the preperation is quite simple and user friendly. There is a lot of prep work (which is my favorite) and we spent a good amount of time preparing our mise en place.

We made a plethora of  dishes including:

Steamed Fish with a Tamarind Sauce

 

Summer Rolls

Green Thai Curry with Chicken

Chicken Satay (with peanut sauce)

Green Papaya Salad

Pad Thai

Hot-and-Sour Prawn Soup

We also made Sticky Rice with Mango and Tapioca Pudding with Coconut (but I didn't snap pics of those).

By 10 p.m. we were ready to eat, and boy were we hungry after handling the food and smelling the amazing aromas. We all sat down for a "family meal" and enjoyed all of our creations!

Weekend Fun

The weekend came and went in a flash and was filled with a host of good things including a nice dinner at Barbarini with friends, a show by the great and only TRAGEDY (“the #1 all metal tribute to the Bee Gees”), a carnival party in New Jersey and a restful Sunday watching bad movies. 

After a short, but terribly long week at the office, I raced home to get my weekend started. We were quickly out and about, starting our evening with a nice dinner at Barabarini on Front Street. I enjoyed the vegetable lasagna, which was nice, but certainly not as good as my husband’s. What was absolutely delicious was the vitello tonnato. An Italian dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce flavored with tuna, I don’t see this on menus often and always order it when available. We proceeded to a wine bar across the street (Bin 220) and then made our way to the wonderful Brooklyn Bowl for a little Bee Gees action!

The show went on at midnight at planned and they certainly didn’t disappoint. 

We had a good crowd who enjoyed the performance - and antics from the band - and it was a great night all around. 

The next day, we embarked on a trip to Freehold, NJ for a Carnival party that my husband’s Aunt was throwing. Being a big holiday and decoration fan, I was immediately impressed as I walked into the house and was greeted with adornments galore – a gorgeous “tablescape” (thank you Sandra Lee), beads everywhere, Venetian masks scattered about (and even on the walls) and decorations hanging from the ceiling, to boot. Oh, and they even had an accordion player come in to entertain us! We mingled with Aunt and Uncle’s friends and they really were a fun (and loud) crowd. The food – in traditional carnival style – was heavy on the meat and I even tasted tripe for the first time (not something I'm dying to have again, I'll note). 

By Sunday morning, I was ready for some down time and spent a lazy day on the sofa half- watching Your Highness, re-runs of The Wonder Years and America’s Test Kitchen. I retired to bed super early and rested up for what I knew would be a busy week ahead.

Cooking with Apples

When a few dozen ripe apples on hand, we were challenged with what to make utilizing the ingredient.  While I began baking two batches of my grandmother’s apple cake, Rob quickly took to the kitchen and whipped up a lovely apple themed meal.

Clockwise from top: apple gratin, apple sauce, cider and bourbon marinated pork chop, fresh-mixed veggies

First he made an apple and onion gratin, comprised of julienned ingredients. It had a nice creamy texture and was baked to perfection. 

He also made some homemade applesauce to compliment the pork chops that was sweet, yet tart, chunky and the perfect texture (not too smooth, not too creamy). For the pork, he marinated the chops in an apple bourbon glaze, which came out deliciously. And finally, (because we had a lot of veggies on hand) he made a bright and sunny mixed veggie side (the only thing not apple related in this meal). 

All was delicious and while we’ve been eating and using the apples, we still have a lot left! 

Any good apple recipe suggestions?