Cooking with Kels

Kelsey C.

Pumpkin Pie Twists

Hello Everybody! As you know last week I did a vlog post but this week I had some technical difficulties (not having enough storage on my phone to video tape…oops!) and was not able to film my video.  So this week I will be writing a blog post of what I have made.This week, since it is the beginning of fall and today is the first day of October, I decided to be festive and do a quick snack recipe with pumpkin! With the help of my friend Ashley, I got the recipe for Pumpkin Pie Twists. Now these looked so delicious and simple that it would have been a crime if I didn’t make them! I followed this recipe through Pinterest (http://deliciouslysprinkled.com/pumpkin-pie-twists/) and was able to make these twists in less than 20 minutes!
Like last week, I used crescent rolls AGAIN! I had 3 rolls so I had to use them for something! Plus, let’s be honest, crescent rolls are a gift from heaven; there is nothing you can make with a crescent roll that wouldn’t be good.
Okay so to begin, I gathered all my ingredients: crescent rolls, 100% pure pumpkin, pumpkin spice (which I homemade with ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (and ginger if you have it)), and butter. THAT’S IT! That’s all the ingredients you need! I know it is so simple.

Next I preheated my oven to 375 degrees and lined a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat (or you can use parchment paper), then I opened the crescent roll package and separated the dough into four squares (keeping two of the triangles attached.) Next I spread a thin layer of the pumpkin on two of the squares. I then sprinkled my pumpkin spice mixture over the pumpkin.

The next step is to take the two remaining plain dough squares and place them on top of the squares with the pumpkin, creating a sandwich. Then, using a pizza or pastry cutter, I cut each sandwich into four strips to make eight total. With these strips all you need to do is twist them around, then spread each twist with some butter and sprinkle with the pumpkin spice.

Pop these bad boys in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown and you got yourself a treat!

(An optional addition is to make a cream cheese icing to drizzle over which is made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Just mix these ingredients together starting with the butter and cream cheese then add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk as needed. You can drizzle this on the twists right when they come out of the oven.)

Let me tell you, these twists were so delicious and addicting I think I am going to have to make a batch every week so my family doesn’t eat them all!

I really hope you try this recipe, I promise you won’t be let down and it will get your right in the fall spirit!! 

In the News

Mike L.

October flavor of the month at Baskin Robins

     As the weather cools and all the plant life slowly dies around us, there is one thing to be genuinely grateful for on this most spooky month of the year. As of today Baskin Robins has officially released its flavor of the month. It’s a sacred tradition that the franchise has been practicing since nineteen fifty-three.  This month’s ice cream is sure to be a shock as millions of fans around the world flock to stores to consume this seasonal favorite. This year’s October flavor of the month is “Trick OREO Treat Dark Ice Cream”. It is loaded with orange crème filled OREO cookies, BABY RUTH, BUTTER FINGER candy pieces, and topped off with a dark fudge ribbon. The savory sweet candy concoction of pure passion will melt in your mouth and satisfy your darkest sugary cravings.  So instead of reminiscing about the dog days of summer, skip the gym and come on down to your local Baskin Robins. Their thirty wonderful flavors will help you get a head start on packing on those holiday love rolls.

A Taste of Desserts Around The World

Alyssa K.

Biscotti (AKA Cantucci)

This Italian cookie was first developed in Rome as a go-to snack food for soldiers that seemed to last forever. Because of their need for a preserved baked good, the original makers of biscotti specifically left out perishable ingredients such as eggs and milk to help it last longer. This variation of biscotti was dry and course, nothing like the sweet, moisture-filled biscotti we associate with Italy today. In fact, biscotti were only brought to the Tuscany region of Italy during the Renaissance, to be served with a sweet wine. After the cookie was paired with the local almond flavor from the groves of Prato, it became known as Cantucci di Prato. From there, it spread like wildfire throughout Italy, and is a staple baked good there today.  Now there are all sorts of flavorings, from amaretto to lemon, it’s all been tried! The word biscotti means “twice-baked” because they are quite literally baked twice, once for structure and once for browning and taste. (Credit: http://www.everything-biscotti.com/History-of-Biscotti.html)
Recipe (credit: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-sour-cream-biscotti-98039)

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Directions

Use the creaming method to combine the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream and then the vanilla. Combine all other dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix into the wet ingredients until a dough is formed. Mold dough into 3 loaves (about 8 by 3 by 1 inch)Bake loaves at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and leave the loaves to carry-over cook for 15 minutes. Slice loaves at a diagonal of ¾ in and place them cut side up on a sheet pan. Bake for 8 more minutes, flip them, then bake for 8 more minutes. Cool and store in an airtight, cool place. 

My result -

Thanks for reading,

Alyssa

      

      

A Taste of Cary

Amanda M.

Welcome to a Taste of Cary.  My name is Amanda, and my blog is dedicated to the delicious foods I have encountered in Cary. The restaurants that I “review” are mostly family oriented places. As a member of a big family myself, I love to be able to sit down and eat together. This blog will allow me to share some of my favorite places that I have been able to eat at with my family.

           

            This first week I want to talk about one of my favorite restaurants that I go to with my family. We started going to Sushi Thai about 12 years ago. I was very young and didn’t want to try the raw fish that I eat now. I would eat chicken tempura or grilled chicken teriyaki. Because we have been going to this restaurant for so many years we started to get to know the owners, some of the waiters, and even the head chef. Soon they got to know us by name and learned our usual orders. They knew us so well that we didn’t even need menus! Over the years I started becoming more adventurous and trying new foods. I progressed from cooked fish to raw sushi. 

The atmosphere of Sushi Thai is friendly and welcoming. Sometimes the restaurant is a bit busier on Friday or Saturday nights, but is still a fun place to eat. They offer a variety of foods from Thai, to Sushi, to Japanese. This is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Cary. Sushi Thai offers great food, a fun atmosphere, and friendly faces.

These are chef rolls made especially for us. The head Chef John knows what we do and don’t like in our rolls. He makes whatever he thinks we would like and almost all the time we love it.

The picture to the above is called a lobster bomb. The roll itself has lobster, avocado, crab, tempura flakes, and other vegetables on top of a sweet eel sauce. The martini glass has lobster tempura with the eel sauce.

Indian Kitchen

Varun K.

Hello, my name is Varun and I am not a personal chef. I am just an extreme food lover, who enjoys learning how to cook different, delicious types of food. My passion for cooking started since childhood. Being of Indian origin, I have learned several authentic Indian recipes from both, my mother and grandmother. The cuisine of India is known for its fabulous use of herbs and spices. We use flavors of spicy, sour, sweet, and hot in combination to produce mouth-watering dishes. In this blog, I am taking you on a culinary adventure with different cuisines from India. The first dish I would like to introduce you to is a well-known favorite, Chicken Tikka Masala. 

Ingredients:

·         1 cup plain yogurt

·         1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper

·         2 teaspoons cumin

·         1 teaspoon black pepper

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon garam masala

·         ½ teaspoon ground ginger

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         3 boneless, skin less chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

Masala sauce:

·         1 tablespoon butter

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 teaspoons ground coriander

·         2 teaspoons ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon paprika

·         1 teaspoon garam masala

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 ½ cups tomato sauce

·         1 ½ cups heavy cream

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Chicken tikka masala steps:

1.      Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Allow chicken to marinate for 1 hour.

2.        In a large pan medium heat, melt the butter, add garlic, and cook until fragment. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Stir to combine. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

3.      Meanwhile, grill the marinade chicken on a hot grill for 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is cooked.

4.      Transfer the chicken to the sauce and add the cream. Allow to simmer another 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Transfer to a serving dish garnish with cilantro.

5.      Serve with naan and rice

Cooking with Kids

Bethany O.

In this video we teach you how to make Spinach and Parmesan Gnocci - We hope you enjoy!

Pin or Pass

Ashley G.

Hey y'all, I'm Ashley a senior in high school here to share with you whether that recipe on Pinterest is worth pinning, or if you should just Pass. 

This weeks Pin-

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/452963675005425600/

Baked Chicken Parmesan-

Baked chicken parmesan coupled with Italian seasoned fresh green beans makes for a wonderful Saturday night family dinner. This recipe for a healthier version of chicken parm was fairly easy to follow, takes under an hour, and turned out looking delicious. The recipe's healthy modifications requires you to bake the chicken instead of frying it, use reduced fat cheese, and a light brushing of butter instead of an egg wash for the breadcrumb coating. The chicken turned out wonderfully moist on the inside however the breading was disappointingly soggy. Gina's (author of the recipe) pictures she took of her chicken looked crispy and delicious, which was a little misleading since I expected crispy chicken. A fellow reader of Gina's blog had a genius idea to bake the chicken on a rake to allow for it to crisp up beautifully. So if you decide to make this baked chicken parmesan, make sure you bake the chicken on a rack to ensure a crispy texture. With just this one modification to the recipe I would definitely PIN this pin, it is a wonderful, healthy, and easy to make alternative to fried chicken parmesan. 

Best of luck and enjoy!

-Ashley

Food Illness Outbreaks

Christine H.
New Mexico parasite infection outbreak linked to raw milk-



A news report last year documented two siblings cryptosporidiosis associated with raw milk consumption, a state is blaming an invasion of the microscopic parasites on raw milk. Since August 31, New Mexico has reported six new cases of “crypto”. All of the infected people all live in the same area and all they they have drank this raw milk before. All raw milk that has not been pasteurized and that has not gone through a heating process has the potential to become dangerous. The Crypto parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside a host body for some time. It is very tolerant of chlorine disinfection. New Mexico put out a state warning that said “Raw milk products may be contaminated with a variety of infectious pathogens.” They are more concerned with elderly people and young children whose immune systems are not yet strong enough to handle the pathogens. New Mexico is advising to everyone that has raw milk in their refrigerators to discard and not repurchase until further notice. Some symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and nausea.

A Taste of Desserts Around The World

Boba Tea (AKA Bubble tea, pearl tea, etc.)

This Taiwanese drink originated as a fad with the local school children. A small tea shop near the school was a hotspot for hot and thirsty children leaving school. Children would stop by the shop to get iced milk tea. Soon the students realized adding flavors to the tea would make it taste a good deal better. However, in the process of adding in flavors, the shaking needed to blend it created bubbles, thus originating the name “bubble tea”. This bubble tea gained popularity for years before tapioca pearls were introduced.  In 1983, a bored employee by the name Ms. Lin Hsiu Hui was sitting in a business meeting and got a silly idea. She took the tapioca dessert they had given her and pored it into her chilled bubble tea. It was a hit. This trend spread like wildfire into Taiwan, and is today as far as the United States. (credit: http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/drink/inventor-bubble-tea-885732/, http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/what.html)

Recipe: Caramel Chai Boba Milk Tea

For this recipe I used Caramel Chai tea, however, any strong tea can be used to make a variety of flavors.

Ingredients:

v  1 cup Tapioca Bubbles (available at your local Asian market, or in the link at the end)

v  2 Tea bags of your choice

v  Honey (to taste)

v  Stevia (to taste)

v  1-2 cups of ice

v  1 cup whole milk

Directions:

1.) Steep two tea bags in one cup of hot water and leave steeping and cooling until further use.

2.) Place 1 cup of Tapioca Bubbles in a 4-quart saucepan of boiling water and boil for 20 minutes or according to your tapioca’s instructions. Stir occasionally. 

3.) Use an ice shaver to turn the 1-2 cups of ice into ice powder, reserve in freezer.

4.) Place your tea in the fridge to further cool it once it has steeped.

5.) Once your bubbles have boiled according to directions, remove them from heat and let them sit in the hot water for another 20 minutes. They will swell up and become chewy at this point.

6.) Drain and rinse the Boba with cold water. Stir in honey and/or stevia to sweeten.

7.) Combine milk, cold tea, stevia, and shaved ice in a cocktail shaker if you have one, if not, a securely closed drink container.

8.) Place Boba in the bottom of your glass and pour your tea mixture over it.

9.) Add a Boba tea straw (just a wider straw so the bubbles can go through it, also linked below) and Enjoy!

Tapioca Bubbles-https://www.amazon.com/BOLLE-Boba-Bubble-Tapioca-Pearls/dp/B00JVAZ532/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1474669553&sr=8-5&keywords=tapioca%2Bbubbles&th=1

Boba Straws-https://www.amazon.com/Count-EXTRA-Drinking-Straw-Striped/dp/B008Y07XSU/ref=pd_bxgy_325_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SC5XE4D7MYYQHEVY17ND

My Boba Tea Outcome:

 Toodles,

 Alyssa

Cooking with Kels

Kelsey C.

Quick & Easy snacks for the high school stduent

In this video you can learn how to make Turkey & Cheese crescent roll wraps - These are perfect for an after school snack when you're on the go! Enjoy!