I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I couldn’t let the end of the year go by without one more recipe. This time of year we often have tons of cooking going on – cookies, roasts, lots of big family meals. But sometimes, I’m lazy. Sometimes, I’m cold and I’m tired and I want something easy to snack on while watching TV in my jammies. So this is it, a quick and easy recipe for Old Bay Goldfish crackers. Make a batch and you’ll have a lovely snack for you and any guests you have around this holiday season. 

This is a three ingredient recipe and slightly elevates already delicious goldfish crackers. As you might know, I love Old Bay on everything and thinks it makes foods a lot better. Here, the Old Bay makes the crackers a little saltier and more flavorful. Sure, you could just sprinkle the Old Bay onto the goldfish, baking adds something. Baking the seasoning on to the crackers makes it adhere better and gives them a toasty flavor which is nice too.

Beyond flavor, the last plug for this is that it’s quick and easy to make. It’s barely even cooking, but it’s the kind of simple extra step that might impress your guests. You know in the, “You’re so clever! I never thought of that, I’d have just ripped open the bag” kind of way. And then you can be slightly smug like, “yeah I’m the kind of person who can casually gild the lily.” That’s totally a thing that happens right?

Either way, enjoy a yummy snack this holiday season. Let me know in the comments what other holidays snacks you swear by. Have a happy holidays and New Year! Adapted from the Wicked Noodle.

Totally one spoon as it’s so easy. Just mix everything together and bake until yummy.

Old Bay Goldfish Crackers

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2-3 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 1 6.6oz bag of goldfish crackers

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the Old Bay and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
3. Pour in the goldfish crackers and mix until everything is well coated. If the crackers don't look fully coated, add a little bit more vegetable oil.
4. Place goldfish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Serve.

3.5.3226

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Yesterday, I had just gotten home from the H street farmer’s market when I got a text from my friend Anna. She was with her parents at the farmer’s market in Adams Morgan, and she wanted to know if I was interested in the 20 pound box of peaches that her dad was selling for $20. I said yes. Now, dear reader, I need your help. 

Here’s the story. I said yes. Then, she checked in to make sure I was sure. Yeah, I’m sure… I think.

“Mom’s convinced you don’t realize how much it is!” Anna texted.

I knew depending on size 2-3 peaches equals a pound. So it would be 40-60 peaches… I talked to Ryan about it – and excuse our language – but we agreed it would be a f*ck ton of peaches. Still, I was interested. I mean $20 for 20 pounds of peaches, what a deal!

And then I asked, “what happens if I don’t buy them?”

That’s when I learned something about myself. Some people worry about the environment, so they pick up trash, recycle, and try to live an eco-friendly life. Some people worry about animals, so they donate money, foster pets, and adopt from a shelter. Apparently, my great worry (and it’s silly), is about produce. I don’t want fresh produce to go unloved so I buy large amounts of peaches.

So I hopped on the bus to go collect the box. I would love the peaches. I would make sure they got eaten, baked, blended, and roasted. They were not going to go to waste. And honestly, maybe they  could’ve sold them to someone else or Anna’s parents could have done something with them. But I wanted them.

Obviously once I collected my massive box of peaches, I had to take an Uber home. I’m not riding a bus with 20 pounds of beaches! I counted the peaches as soon as I got home. I had 43. There were also 2 already in the house. That’s a total of 45 peaches. Here’s where you come in, what should I do with all these peaches?!

So far I’ve done the following:

1. I gave one to the Uber driver who brought me home
2. Baked 9 in a massive peach pie.
3. Blended 3 to make a banana peach smoothie for breakfast.

That means 13 down, 32 to go. What do you recommend I make? I want your ideas!

I’m also thinking of peach popsicles, peach freezer jam, peach salsa, and this savory recipe for rosemary peach chicken. I’m certain though, I’ll still have peaches to spare. Help me out, don’t be shy – leave a comment to help me decide what to make! And thanks in advance.

The post 20 Pounds of Peaches appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Yesterday, I taught my colleagues to make these oat and peanut butter energy bites. They are so crazy good – oh yeah and super easy too – that I had to share the recipe with you too.

The school year is over, so there’s a lot of office time nowadays. I’m happy for the time to relax, but I’m going to miss teaching and traveling all over the city. I think to prevent us from getting stir crazy, I was asked to do a food demo for everyone. So yesterday, I organized a mini demo where my colleagues and I made these no-bake, wildly simple, yet kind of addicting, snack. 

I got to do this demo in part because of all the office time, but in part because it’s employee wellness month. The mandate: teach everyone to make a healthy snack. Obviously I thought about making vegetables, or fruit salad, or anything obviously nutritious and low in calories. Honestly though, I didn’t want to make any of that.

The perfect snack is one that I’m excited to eat. Sometimes that’s vegetables, but sometimes it’s not. The best work snack is one that satisfies when I’m hungry, or grumpy, or lazy, or bored, or just craving something delicious. These oat and peanut butter energy bites totally fit the bill for all of that. They’re somewhat healthy, but simultaneously, somewhat indulgent. 

Made with oats and peanut butter, there’s some fiber, protein and healthy fat to keep you full without eating a ton. Add in some dried fruit, some nuts, or some sweets and you’ve got sweet and salty flavor without being too decadent. 

It’s definitely an energy booster too. These are filling enough on the go, but not too caloric.  They are also representative of different food groups. And you can easily create some interesting flavor and texture combinations. It’s doing the most, but in the best way possible.

For the blog, I made energy bites using dried cranberries and cocoa nibs. I loved this combo because it’s a bit like peanut butter and jelly. However, the nibs give a really satisfying, unstoppable, crunch while also adding a slightly bitter flavor to cut the sweetness of the cranberries. So crazy good. Also feels adult and not too much like a treat. They ended up like trail mix or one of those expensive but delicious granola bars found at health food stores.

At work, we also mixed in peanuts, almonds, coconut flakes, and m&ms. I loved giving everyone the opportunity to do a little DIY and make their own snack. These were definitely a crowd-pleaser and some of us got to snacking before even forming these into balls. 

Above are some photos I took of our team-bonding food demo. I made them little recipe cards, set up stations, and gave measurement conversion information. It was such a blast teaching and cooking with my colleagues. Hopefully, they will ask me to do it again!

These peanut butter energy bites are easy snacks to make at work, or quickly at home, because there’s no baking required. Just get a big bowl, mix it all together, chill, shape, chill. Easy, nutritious, great for a crowd. Most importantly, if you can resist eating it all in one sitting, they get better the next day. Day 1, the oats are still pretty stiff. Day 2, the oats have softened slightly and the texture and flavor of these energy bites is just perfect.

Got ideas for other add-ins and combinations? Share it in the comments!

Adapted from Bless this Mess.

Messy level: You’re hands are going to get messy when you form the bites into balls. But it’s fun so don’t worry about that at all because you can lick your palms when you’re done.

Oat and Peanut Butter Energy Bites

 

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Prep time

35 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 12-14

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup cocoa nibs
• [Note: Alternatively, instead of the cranberries and cocoa nibs you could use up to ½ cup total of other add-ins like peanuts, almonds, candy, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, etc. Use what you like but don't go over ½ cup otherwise you'll need more peanut butter or honey]

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together the oats, peanut butter, honey, cranberries, and cocoa nibs (or different add-ins if using). Mix until everything looks coated in sticky peanut butter or honey.
2. Put the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from the fridge, form into balls about the size of golf balls. If everything is too sticky and won't hold its shape, put it in the fridge for a little longer. If everything is too dry add a little more peanut butter until the bites can hold their shape.
4. Eat immediately or store, covered, in the fridge. Should last about a week before the oats get too soggy.

3.5.3226

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Recently my friend Charlotte came over for a cooking date. The challenge: cook something that seems a bit scary or unfamiliar. We made a recipe I ripped out of Saveur magazine. The recipe was packed with slightly intimidating, umami laden ingredients. It was good, but not good enough. We tweaked it and that change led to today’s recipe, roasted leek and blue cheese on toast. 

First, let’s talk umami. Sometimes it feels like one of those foodie words that people have heard of but don’t know what it means. It’s the fifth flavor after salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. Umami is a rich savory flavor that’s sometimes called meatiness. I recently read in the The Food Lab that umami is activated by glutamates.

I’ll be honest the word glutamates doesn’t bring up any image, but it did help organize my mind. Salt flavor is triggered by salt, sweet trigged by sugar, sour triggered by acid, and bitter triggered by chemical compounds that make us think something is possibly poisonous. With that knowledge, umami isn’t a random thing some scientist made up, but it’s a compound in foods. Foods like Parmesan, anchovies, and tomato paste.

And also blue cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine. That’s why the recipe I found in Saveur was a little scary. It was for whole leeks stuffed with those umami laden ingredients (and more).   Could those flavors effectively blend together and make something delicious?

Let me tell you, they did. They blended together real nice. With the addition of dried cranberries and almonds, there was powerful flavor, interesting texture, and a hint of sweetness. So good. Charlotte and I actually scraped the filling out of the leeks so we could eat it directly. We then made culinary magic happen when we put the filling on bread.

The olive oil soaks into the bread and softens it slightly. Salty flavors from the cheese enhance the flavor of the olive oil. Overall this roasted mixture shines. And let’s be honest, everything is better on bread. I’ve been eating this for lunch or when I’m solo for dinner. However, I think it would also be great as an hors d’oeuvres at a party. It’s great party food not just because it’s small and portable, but also because totally cooking time is low and the only skill you need is chopping.

Adapted from Saveur magazine.

Messy level:  It’s wonderfully neat! Simply chop, stir, and bake. Be careful transferring your roasted mixture back into the bowl at the end. Nobody wants to spill hot oil all over themselves or the kitchen.

Roasted Leek and Blue Cheese on Toast

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

23 mins

Total time

33 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 15-20 toasts

Ingredients

• ½ baguette cut into ½" rounds (about 20 pieces)
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• 25 almonds
• 1 small leek
• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons hot sauce
• 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 anchovy fillets, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 420°F/215°C.
2. Place the baguette rounds on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the bread starts to turn golden brown on the edges. When the bread is done put it on a plate and keep the baking sheet handy.
3. While the bread is toasting, roughly chop the cranberries, almonds, and the anchovies too, if using. Put them in a large bowl.
4. Also, while the bread is toasting, cut the root end of the leek off then cut it in half lengthwise. Run it under the sink, ensuring you're washing the dirt out from between the layers. Then, chop the leek into thin half moons. Add the bowl with cranberries and almonds.
5. Add the blue cheese, butter, olive oil, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl with the cranberries.
6. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed and the solid food is coated with the dressing.
7. Pour the mixture on to the baking sheet you used for the bread. Spread it so it's in an even layer. [Note: you can line your baking sheet, I didn't and it went fine and nothing stuck]
8. Bake the mixture for 13 minutes, or until the leek has softened and it no longer crunchy.
9. Turn the broiler on and broil for 2-3 minutes. It's done when small bits and edges are starting to blacken.
10. Remove from the oven. Scoop and pour everything from the pan back into that big bowl. Give is a stir, then dollop the leek and blue cheese mixture onto the bread.
11. Serve on a plate. Drizzle with extra olive oil if you like.

3.5.3226

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I’ve spent most of this weekend camped out in my apartment because it is wildly too hot outside. Far too hot to do anything. Even walking outside is too much. Last weekend though, the weather was actually pretty nice. I ventured not only outside of my apartment, but I went to visit Star Hollow Farm in Pennsylvania. That farm is where I got the tomatillos for this tomatillo salsa. 

My friend Anna’s family owns Star Hollow and I’ve been wanting to visit for awhile now. It’s something I kept saying to her, and she kept saying “let’s do it,” and then we never planned it. Last weekend, it all aligned. I rented a car and drove us out to beautiful rural Pennsylvania. Over the years Anna has told me so much about the farm, her family, and their dog Lucy that I felt like I knew them and the place already. It was a friendly, warm and inviting weekend. I had such a great time.

It was wonderful to get out of the city and be surrounded by beautiful green space. And at night, there were so many stars and we could see the Milky Way! During the day I got to eat raspberries straight off the bush (is it called a raspberry bush?!), I watched chickens pecking at the grass, grilled vegetable kabobs, and saw the most massive tomato plants. I didn’t know tomatoes could grow so tall! Also did you know they could be so colorful? I saw red, yellow, green and even purple tomatoes. Purple!! I didn’t know those existed. Additionally, I saw where my tomatillos came from.

I really like the way tomatillos look. I like the dry, almost papery husk. And I enjoy the way the round fruit bursts out of that skin. I don’t know what to do with tomatillos besides make salsa – but the salsa they make is excellent. Chips and salsa are the perfect food in this hot weather. That’s mainly because I can’t be bothered to eat anything too warm during this insane weather.

This recipe is adapted just slighly from a Rick Bayless recipe for roasted tomatillo salsa. Yes, you will have to turn on the oven. Ick, I know, it’s too hot for that. But it’s not for very long and it’s worth it. The tomatillos get blackened which gives them a sweetness and a lovely slightly bitter char. And in the oven they’ll burst and become super juicy which is also really delicious. After a quick stint in the oven, everything gets blitzed in the food processor and you’re done. Quick, easy, yummy. Perfect for this hot summer weather.

Adapted from Rick Bayless.

Messy level: Low mess. When you roast the tomatillos they will burst, ooze, and slightly stick to your baking sheet. The juices and tomatillos will scrape off easily into the food processor. From there the processor does the work for you. However, I hate cleaning the food processor so for that reason I have to give this two spoons instead of one.

Tomatillo Salsa

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy, Adapted from Rick Bayless

Serves: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion (or half a large one)
• 8 ounces/ 226 grams tomatillos, husked and washed
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 10 sprigs of fresh cilantro
• Salt
• juice from half a lime

Instructions

1. Turn on the broiler to high. Let it heat up for 5-10 minutes.
2. Blitz the onion in the food processor. The onion is ready when it is in small bite-sized pieces.
3. Put the tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes.
4. Using tongs, flip everything over and roast it on the other side for another 5 minutes. They are ready when things are soft and blotchy and blackened.
5. Let everything cool slightly then transfer to the food processor with the onion.
6. Add the cilantro, lime juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Blitz until everything is well mixed.
7. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, and cilantro levels if desired.
8. Serve with chips.

3.5.3208

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Did you know that you can buy chicken in a can? I just learned this! In the packaging, it looks just the same as tuna in a can. I grew up with tuna in a can so it doesn’t seem weird to me. And, I’m not sure why it’s different, but canned chicken somehow feels… unsettling. However, home cooks I trust have told me it’s perfectly good.

But the reason I even learned about canned chicken though, is because I became obsessed with making buffalo chicken dip. 

I got tunnel vision on buffalo chicken dip a few weeks ago when Ryan and I were on our family vacation to the beach. In fact, I think we all got kind of addicted to it.

Ryan’s sister Tia brought her boyfriend John. And John brought buffalo chicken dip. He brought it in a giant tray with instructions for reheating. At first we thought it was too much dip. That we’d need to have people over and share it with our friends.  Then as the week went on we ate it. We ate it all. We brought it the beach, served it as a pre-dinner snack, and when it was gone we talked about making more.

Needless to say, there was a lot of us shoving our mouths full of dip and exclaiming, “this is so good!” I asked John to text his mom for the recipe, which he did, and she quickly got back to him. I kept calling this “John’s mom’s recipe,” which for some reason gave us the giggles. But I promised when I finally made it I’d give her full credit and not call her “John’s mom.” So here it is: Thank you Melissa! This recipe is delicious.

I did adapt the recipe somewhat. I made it a bit spicier with lots of Buffalo wing sauce and I added way more chicken. And that brings me back to canned chicken. It’s a fast and convenient way to get shredded chicken for the dip. However, I enjoyed making my own shredded chicken because you have more control. You can make thing shreds, fat chunky shreds, whatever you like to suit your taste. I also recommend making your own because I think it has a richer, bolder chicken-y flavor.

So, for the recipe itself I’ll give instructions for how to prepare shredded chicken. If you’re going to use canned then you’ll be able to skip a few steps. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe for your next party, vacation, or whatever. Personally, I loved bringing it to work for lunch. It made me excited to run to go to the refrigerator every day I had it. Ryan and I have already eaten the first batch I made. Now I think I’l need to make more.

Adapted from a recipe shared by Melissa.

Messy level: Shredding your own chicken is messy good fun. You’re going to get your hands dirty pulling apart chicken. When I think about it, it makes me feel like a horrible animal tearing a chicken apart. But it also was a stress relief and so satisfying to see a few chicken breasts turn into a heaping mountain of shredded chicken. However, my friend Kim did say instead of using your hands and a fork you can use a food processor.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Serves: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1½-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (results in 5-6 cups shredded chicken)
• water or chicken broth, enough to cover the chicken in a large pot.
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 8 oz/ 226 grams cream cheese, softened

Instructions

1. Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover with water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Use tongs to remove chicken from the pot. You can save the water/broth for making a stock if you'd like.
3. Put the chicken on a cutting board and let it sit until cool enough to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
5. Using two forks, or a fork and your hands, pull the chicken apart into shreds. You can make the shreds as thick or thin as you like, but think about what would work best for scooping onto a chip. [Alternatively I'm told you can put the hot chicken into a food processor and pulse it to get a good result]
6. In a large bowl mix together the cheddar, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese. Try to mix it as well as you can so you don't have giant lumps of cream cheese.
7. Add the shredded chicken to the bowl and stir until well coated.
8. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13" pan.
9. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until bubbling.
10. Let cool just slightly, then serve warm with chips.

3.5.3218

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It has been unbelievably hot in DC. So hot, that I shouldn’t walk to work anymore. Even though I’m going to since I just took up Pokemon Go (embarrassing I know). So hot, that a friend of mine remarked it’s hotter outside than inside our bodies. And so hot, that I barely want to cook. However, I can’t stay out of the kitchen. I still want to make food so I need oven-free recipes. Like this one, for pickled radishes. I’ve somewhat got tunnel vision on radishes right now. They are so pretty! The rich jewel toned purples and magentas have been calling to me at the farmer’s market. Besides eating them in salads I don’t really know what to do with them. I’ve seen gorgeous photos of roasted radishes, but it’s summer and I’m not doing that. And then I remembered pickled radishes.

I love pickled radishes. There’s a restaurant in the area (and other locations too) called Bonchon that does Korean fried chicken. It’s so good. It was one of the places I badly missed when I was in London. The chicken is so flavorful and the skin is impossibly crispy – and every portion is served with a small side of pickled radishes. It’s such a tiny thing, but I love the cool, sharp flavor of the radishes. Every time I get take out I make sure I get some radishes too.

Now, I can make them at home. At the restaurant I think they use daikon radishes (larger than regular radishes). If you have access to them go ahead, but I found success with plain old radishes. Simply peel the radishes, cut them in cubes as best as you can, and submerge them in the pickling liquid. In a restaurant the cubes are perfect, for yourself at home, it’s not so serious.

Overall, it’s so easy and in less than a day you have a tasty (albeit bad breath inducing), cooling snack to help beat the heat.

Adapted from It’s My Dish.

Messy level: Not messy, but peeling radishes is a pain. I just took my knife and cut the sides off so each radish sphere became a radish cube. Yeah, you lose some radish with this method but it’s way less tedious. Everything else is really easy.

Pickled Radishes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 10 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy adapted from It's My Dish

Serves: 1-2 servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups radishes (about 1-2 bunches of radishes)
• 2 tablespoons/ 30 ml white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons/ 28 grams sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Peel the radishes and cut into bite-sized cubes
2. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
3. Put the radishes in a flat bottomed dish (like a food storage container) or in a plastic bag. Pour the vinegar mixture over the radishes. Make sure all the radishes are touching the liquid. Cover the container, or close the bag.
4. Put the radishes in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. If using a plastic bag, put it flat in the fridge.
5. Serve chilled.
6. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

3.5.3208

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I have not been great at blogging this month. The reason being that two weeks ago I went back to London to visit my girlfriends (photo below!). I spent a glorious week eating, drinking, and playing with my friends. We went to Brighton, we had tea, we had game night, we lunched, we dressed up and went to a wine bar, and we stayed in and spent time together. It was a delicious, perfect week.

Then this last week was my birthday. I got presents, cards and ate lots of cake. I’ve also officially been of legal drinking age for ten years. Yikes, right? Anyway, all that fun and activity has meant I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen. In honor of all my partying and celebrating, I’ve got the easiest (and booziest) recipe: drunky bears plus other boozy gummies. 

Warning: this is seriously a boozy recipe. It looks cutesy and fun, but it’s a recipe for old people who can be responsible. Ok? You’ve been warned.

Basically all you do with this recipe is take your favorite kind of gummy candy and soak it in your favorite kind of liquor. It’s seriously potent, about half dozen gummies and you’ll start to feel a bit tipsy. Bring them to a party and make sure there are lots of other nibbles too. What’s fun those is you can do all kinds of combinations. I made gummy bears with rum (rummy bears!), coke bottles with Jack Daniels (Jack & Cokes!) and butterflies with strawberry mead (no cute name, but very outdoorsy).

There are two ways to go about doing this. First, put the gummies in a bowl and cover them with your preferred liquor. Then, either put them in the fridge and let them sit there for 4-5 days. Stir them 1-2 times per day so they don’t get to soggy and sad. Or, for speedier results, leave the gummies at room temperature for 2-5 hours. The longer you leave it the boozier they will be. Then drain off the excess booze (I guess save it if you want?) and serve your gummies to your party guests.

What I enjoy about the gummies is they get plump, soft, and shiny as they absorb the alcohol. I especially liked the Coke bottle gummies as they turned into shiny jewels. The gummy bears turned a little wrinkly and funny looking. The butterflies got fatter and lost a bit of detail. I will say, while all of the combinations I made have merit my favorite was the mead gummies. It was sweet, fruity, and a really lovely treat. I will say, I recently discovered Charm City Meadworks and I’m obsessed. Check them out if you can. It’s tasty with gummies or for regular sipping.

After a very fun June, this is a simple recipe to keep the party going. But, I promise I’ll be back later this month with more traditional recipes for the kitchen. Until then, hope you’re enjoying your summer too.

Messy level: I don’t think there’s a recipe that could be less messy. You are literally pouring something onto something else and then walking away. What’s cleaner than that?!

Drunky Bears and Other Boozy Gummies

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 2 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• Variety of gummy candies (let's say 1 bag of gummy bears)
• Preferred liquor, enough to cover the gummies (vodka, rum, whisky, whatever)

Instructions

1. Pour the gummy candy in a clean bowl. Make sure you have enough space to pour liquid into the bowl.
2. Pour the liquor over the gummy candy. Make sure the gummies are submerged.
3. Let the gummies sit at room temperature for 2-4 hours.
4. Drain off the excess liquor.
5. Serve the gummies at a party. Or store covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.

3.5.3208

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Happy Friday! The weekend is here and I’ve been having dreams of grilling and going to the pool. And yet… it’s supposed to rain. In fact, it poured down on me during my walk home. Sigh. Perhaps instead I’ll have to remember back to last weekend when it was hot and beautiful. Last weekend Ryan and I made burgers and hot dogs and a delicious fruit salad in a watermelon pig. Yeah, that’s right. I made a watermelon into a pig. Why have regular fruit salad slopped on your plate when you could lovingly scoop it out of a pretty pig container?!

Ok, but for real, why did I make a watermelon pig? Because I love pigs. They have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl. And ever since I have collected all things pigs – toys, figurines, slippers, socks, kitchen utensils. It’s the kind of thing that when my friends and family see something with a pig on it, they buy it for me. And when I was a kid, I told my parents I wasn’t going to eat pork anymore and I largely kept to that for nearly two decades. I even once made up a joke about pigs. Let me preface and set the scene by saying I was about four and I only half remember this joke. The rest is reconstructed from my mom’s memory. Anyway, I told the joke to my mom, who called me while I was home with the babysitter.

Mom: Hi ladybug [yes she calls me ladybug]

Me: Hi Mom. Wanna hear a dirty joke?

Mom: Terrified pause… Ok.

Me: Once upon a time, a pig fell in the mud!

What follows is awkward and relieved laughter from my mom. Hysterical laughter from me because apparently the idea of a big fat pig falling in mud and it splashing everywhere is super funny to four-year-old me. And get it, it’s a dirty joke because the pig is in the mud?! So clever, I know. I’m still this funny today.

All of that to say if it’s pig related I’m into it.

But also, it’s summer and all the delicious fruit is available. I literally impulse bought fruit at Harris Teeter. I bought strawberries because they are my favorite (and I’ve been into making homemade whipped cream recently). I had a grapefruit in the fridge, plus of course the watermelon insides. The impulse buying part came from the kiwis and golden raspberries. I just love the green color of kiwis and the starburst of black seeds in the middle. And the golden raspberries are so pretty! They were too interesting not to buy. I didn’t notice a huge difference in taste, but I liked how their color appears simultaneously showing and understated.

The best part though is that this is super easy to make and looks really cute. All you really have to do is hollow out the watermelon, use the top to make the ears, nose, and legs, and then fill with fruit. It’s an adorable centerpiece for your summer barbecue, pool party, or weekend fun. Plus you know, it’s healthy and refreshing and that’s good too.

Inspired by a photo I saw on Instagram, but I don’t remember whose. So sorry I can’t give credit!

Messy level: For someone like me who is a super mess in the kitchen, and not good at detail work, this is really pretty easy and neat. When I was scooping out the watermelon I did get juice all over the counter and that made it sticky. Still, that’s easy to clean and not a bother.

Watermelon Pig Fruit Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Fruit salad in a watermelon pig. To fill a small watermelon I used 3 kiwis, half a carton of strawberries, one carton of raspberries, one grapefruit, and ¾ of the watermelon.

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 2 chocolate chips (or 2 blueberries)
• toothpicks
• variety of fruit cut in bite sized pieces, enough to fill a watermelon

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife, and holding it so the blade pierces the watermelon at about a 45° angle, cut out a lid from the top of the watermelon. You want the lid to be about 1-2 inches down the watermelon. If you've ever carved a pumpkin, think about what it's like to cut a lid there, and do the same thing here.
2. Save the lid to make the pig's features. First cut out a large oval for the pig's nose. Then cut two triangles for ears and four rough rectangle-like shapes for legs. You can also cut a piece for the tail if you'd like.
3. Take a spoon and scoop out the insides of the watermelon. Put the watermelon flesh in a large bowl and pour out any watermelon juice that is accumulating in the bottom of your watermelon shell. [Note, you can scrape the watermelon pretty clean or you can leave some on the edges if you want to]
4. Using a toothpicks, connect the nose on one end of the watermelon. Then use more toothpicks to connect the ears at the top near the edge of the opening and the four legs around the bottom. The watermelon is not being held up by the legs so the legs don't have to be perfect. Just place the legs so it looks like the pig is standing.
5. Use your knife to carve out two small eye holes above the nose. Wedge in the pointy end of chocolate chips into these holes - now you have eyes. [Alternatively you can use toothpicks and blueberries to make eyes.]
6. Take the reserved watermelon flesh and cut it into bite sized pieces. Cut any other large fruits you're using into bite sized pieces (bananas, strawberries, apples, melon, kiwi, etc.).
7. Throw in any other fruit you have that doesn't need to be cut (grapes, raspberries, blueberries, etc).
8. Mix all the fruit together and then pour it into your watermelon pig.
9. Place on your table and serve.

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Ok here it is, the last recipe I made in my London kitchen. And it’s a very British dish: beans on toast. Here’s my sweeping generalization: British people love beans and they love toast. (I mean who doesn’t, but still it’s a stronger love in the UK).

Anyway, before moving to London I didn’t know about beans on toast. But now that I know about it, I can’t forget because it’s delicious ya’ll. Beans on toast might be to British people what peanut butter and jelly can be to Americans. It’s easy, inexpensive, quick food that hits the spot when you’re feeling lazy, tired, and can’t be bothered to cook. 

I decided before leaving London I had to make beans on toast for myself. To ensure I was doing it right I asked my friends for advice. For a seemingly simple recipe, my friends had a lot of expert tips and suggestions. Everyone agreed that you have to use cheap white bread. One friend told me that after toasting you have to let the bread sit a bit so it can cool and crisp up (and therefore be a better holder for the beans).

Most people said to spread lots of butter on top of the toast before adding the beans. I decided butter was a must. It was a must, in part because when I arrived in the UK I was surprised by how many sandwiches did have butter on them (like a bacon sandwich), so butter on anything bread related felt especially fitting to me. Again, top tip from a friend – make sure your butter is room temperature so it doesn’t rip up your toast!

After butter comes the beans. I went with Heinz, although my friend Charlotte swears by Branston beans. I chose Heinz though because they have the biggest displays in every grocery store I ever went to. As well, more than one person had told me that Heinz was a very popular British brand (but side note, it’s not a British brand) and it was a go-to for beans and soup – therefore beloved Heinz it would be. So, the beans get heated in a saucepan and then poured on top of the buttered toast. This is the most intense “cooking” part of the whole dish.

Final step is cheese! I know, surprise twist right? There’s no cheese in the name of this dish but everyone told me that you have to top the beans with mature cheddar cheese. After a generous handful of cheese, the whole thing goes in the oven and under the broiler/grill until the cheese gets melted. Take it out of the oven and then if you like season it with a few sprinkles of ground pepper. Now dig in with a fork and knife!

So, beans on toast is a little more work than pb&j – I mean you actually have to heat things! But it’s so easy to make and frankly really delicious. I mean it’s really freaking good. It hits the spot because it’s warm, cheesy, a little fatty, and filling. It ticks all the boxes for a dish when you want to eat RIGHT NOW but can’t be bothered to do a lot. I know that I’m back in the US now, but I think I’ll be making this for myself again. It’s tasty and it’s nice to have a bit something to connect me to the people I love back in London.

Messy level: It’s one spoon of messiness because you need to use a saucepan to heat the beans. Actually, I have one friend who likes the beans cold so if you choose that way you’ll have even fewer dishes in the end. But basically this dish is all about heating individual pieces and then layering them on top of each other. Really straight forward and clean!

Beans on Toast

 

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Ingredients

• bread, number of slices depends on your desired ratio of beans. I'd say 2-4 slices of bread to one can of beans.
• butter, softened so easily spreadable
• 1 14oz/415 gram can of baked beans
• grated mature cheddar, amount used depends on your preferences
• ground pepper, optional

Instructions

1. Turn on the broiler/grill in your oven.
2. Using a toaster, toast the bread to your desired level of brownness.
3. Remove bread from the toaster and let sit for 30-60 seconds to let the toast cool and crisp.
4. Generously slather the toast with butter. Put the toast on an oven safe plate or baking sheet.
5. Empty the can of beans into a small saucepan. Heat the beans on medium until warmed through. This can take about 5-10 minutes.
6. Spoon the beans evenly over your pieces of toast.
7. Generously sprinkle grated cheese over your beans. I like a lot of cheese, but do what feels right to you.
8. Put your beans on toast in the oven. Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melted. This is quick stay near the oven and watch it.
9. Remove from the oven, garnish with pepper if you so desire.
10. Eat with fork and knife. Enjoy!

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