NRW 24: Tropical Carnitas (& a use for Pineapple-Mango Jam)

New Recipe Week 24: Slow Cooker Tropical Carnitas (& a use for my Pineapple-Mango Jam)

One of the recipients of my Pineapple-Mango Jam, Dr. Goldi, gave me this recipe using said jam. She said it was amazing and I couldn't wait to try it.

I did make a couple of changes, her's called for Root Beer, and I substituted with Beer & Brown Sugar and also semi-followed this recipe, but either way this was an amazingly yummy carnitas (or pulled pork) and super easy since you just toss everything in a slow cooker!

Tropical Carnitas
Serves 6

1.5 lbs Pork Shoulder or Tenderloin
1/4 C Onion (Diced)
1/2 Jalapeno (Diced)
1/4 C Beer (I used a Pale Lager)
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Dried Oregano (Crushed between fingers)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 C Water
1/2 Pineapple-Mango Jam

-Heat slow cooker on high and place Pork on bottom of crock pot dish.
-Top with Onion, Jalapeno, Beer and sprinkle with Sugar, Oregano and S&P.
-Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs (or low for 7-8 hrs)
-After 4 hours, using tongs, pull meat apart, then add remaining Water & Jam, cover and cook another 1/2 hr on high.
-Serve as is or in burrito!

Pirate Birthday Party Theme

I was 'hired' (I use the term loosely cuz I didn't charge my friend) to put together a birthday party for a friend's 3 year old. He had decided on Pirate theme and I went to town. Here is the result:

I made:
-A Pirate Ship Centerpiece that held all the pirate cake pops
-24 Pirate Head Cake Pops + 1 Captain
-12 Skull & Bones + 12 Treasure Chest Cookies (as favors)

-24 Pirate Hat Cookies for everyone
-1 Gallon Lemonade labeled 'Liquid Gold'
-1 Gallon Ice Tea labeled 'Pirate Rum'
-PB&J Sandwiches cut in Pirate Boat & Skull/Bones shapes (I made the strawberry jam)
-Directional Road Signs with Skull & Bones Flags

What else was served/pirate theme:
-Fruit Plate labeled 'Parrot Food'
-Pirate Booty
-Water dispenser labeled 'Sea Sludge'
-Pirate B-day Banner
-Treasure Chest Pinata filled with candy and plastic gold coins
-Cheese & Sliced Meats plates
-Multigrain crackers
-Table cloths, plates, napkins, straws, cups & utensils all matching and/or pirate themed
-Coloring book station
-Bubbles station

The party was a huge success and all under a $250 budget! (not including my fee) And my friends throwing it didn't have to do a thing, I did all the work/prep/set-up. If you'd like me to plan your next event, send me an email:

unicorniscreations@yahoo.com

Lemon Marscapone Pound Cake

After juicing a bunch of lemons for lemonade I made and dubbed 'Liquid Gold' for a pirate themed party last week, I had about 1/2 a cup lemon juice left over and decided to make pound cake with it instead of freezing it (as I already have a cup of juice in the freezer.) I also had some marscapone that was about to expire so I thought it'd lend a lovely taste, which it did!

I make the cake really light on the sweet (though you wouldn't think it with 2 cups of sugar!) I like to use it as a base for other desserts, my favorite being strawberry short cake! But I also made a simple icing and poured it over top of half my loaves so we could enjoy them on their own.

I froze some for later use as pound cake always freezes nicely and so this is a great recipe to make and then store for later. It should keep in the freezer for about 2 months and you can thaw in the frig or at room temp, but then be sure to eat it right away!

Lemon Marscapone Pound Cake
Makes 15 mini loaves or 2 regular loaves

3 C Cake Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C Butter (Room temp)
2 C Sugar
6 Eggs (Room temp)
8 oz. Marscapone (Room temp)
1/2 C Vanilla Yogurt
1/3 C Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Lemon Zest


-Whisk together first 3 ingredients, set aside.
-With an electric mixer, beat Butter on medium speed till fluffy, about 3 mins, then add Sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beat for another 5 mins.
-Add Marscapone, then Yogurt, until well mixed.
-Add Eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape down sides after every other egg.
-Then add in Lemon Zest & Juice.
-Lower speed and add Flour Mix until combined.
-Bake in lined mini loaf pan at 325 for 35-40 mins turning once during bake. Or in 2 Big Loaf pans for ~60 mins or until toothpick test comes clean.

Lemon Curd

I love making Lemon Curd, and I especially love making it for friends and family. My favorite combination for the curd is with strawberries, think sweet & tarty heaven!

So I made these Lemon Curd & Strawberry Cookie Cups with Chocolate Cream a while back and thought I'd post my curd recipe since I'm always asked for it.

This curd goes with anything desserty: scones, ice cream, cookies, waffles, the list goes on. It is a process to make because you have to stand there and stir constantly for 15 mins, but it's totally worth it. Best made with Meyer lemons, any lemon will do! (or limes, oranges, etc.)

Lemon Curd
Makes 2 Cups

6 Tbsp. Butter (Room temp)

1 C Sugar

2 Eggs & 2 Egg Yolks (Room temp)

2/3 C Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tsp. Grated Lemon Zest

-Beat Butter & Sugar w/electric mixer for about 2 mins. 

-Add Eggs & Yolks 1 at a time then add in Lemon Juice and combine. 

-Pour into a heavy saucepan & cook over low heat until creamy. 

-Increase heat to medium and cook while stirring constantly until mixture thickens or 170 degrees (about 15 mins). Do Not Boil!

-Remove curd from heat & stir in Lemon Zest then transfer to bowl. 

-Press plastic wrap on surface of curd (keeps skin from forming) and refrigerate at least 2 hours. 

-Store in an airtight container in the frig for a week or freezer for 2 months.

-Recipe can be doubled.

Jams for Sale

I now have my Jams available for purchase. I can offer free delivery if you're in Santa Cruz County or if I'm heading your way (Monterey/Bay Area) anytime soon. I can also ship them for a small fee.

Currently Available:

4 oz Jars for $3.50
Coming Soon


1/2 Pint Jars for $6
Organic Strawberry
Pineapple-Mango
Strawberry-Olallieberry (Mostly Seedless)


SOLD OUT:

Blackberry-Seedless (available July 2012)
Jalapeno Jelly (available July 2012)
Mango-Saffron
Organic Plum (available July 2012)

All made with low-sugar pectin, they are not super sweet so you can really taste the fruit!

Contact:
unicorniscreations@yahoo.com
or via Facebook

NRW 23: Spicy Italian Stuffed Eggplant

New Recipe Week 23: Spicy Italian Stuffed Eggplant

Well, technically this isn't a new technique for me but since lately there have been quite a few posts from friends and on Pinterest on some kind of stuffed veggie, I decided to follow suite and stuff an eggplant I had lying around. I usually stuff Italian peppers but this change was very welcome indeed and is new to me so I thought it worked for my resolution challenge. Since I didn't actually follow a specific recipe, I'll give credit to Jennifer who gave me the craving after she posted a stuffed bell pepper on facebook.

I made this version with brown rice (cooked ahead of time) and just threw in what I had in the crisper; broccoli which I chopped into flowerets, skinny carrots I diced up and some yummy shallot. You could easily substitute any of the ingredients and just have fun with it. Sometimes I use diced red bell pepper or potatoes, the combos are endless and the results are always so yum! 

This one was exceptionally yum as the spice from the spicy Italian sausage really livened up the dish. Other than it being made with pork, though in my defense I did only use 4 oz which made 4 servings, this was a super healthy and very moist & filling meal. I was so happy to have leftovers, and I never eat leftovers:-), I'm definitely gonna keep this one in the books!

Spicy Italian Stuffed Eggplant
Serves 4

1 Lg Eggplant
4 oz. Spicy Italian Sausage
Olive Oil
1 Carrot (Diced)
1/2 C Broccoli Florets (Diced)
1/2 Shallot (Diced)
1/2 C Brown Rice (Cooked)
1/4 C Grated Cheese (I used Mozzarella)
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Salad Mix
Balsamic Vinegar

-Slice Eggplant in half lengthwise then cut or scoop out meat leaving about 1/2 inch  thickness, then coat with Olive Oil.
-Dice half of the eggplant meat and set aside.
-Heat about 1 tablespoon Olive Oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat, then add Spicy Italian Sausage and cook for about 8 mins.
-Add in Shallots & Carrots and cook for about 5 mins, then add in Eggplant & Broccoli Florets and cook another 5 mins.
-Meanwhile combine Rice & Cheese in a large bowl, then Salt & Pepper to taste.
-Drain the meat-veggie mix then combine with rice until well mixed
-Stuff eggplant with mixture, place on baking sheet and tent with foil.
-Bake at 425 for 45 mins or until eggplant is tender.
-Sever over Salad Mix and sprinkle with Balsamic Vinegar.

Sugar Cookie Cup

I made these yummy cookie cups for a party a while back. They came out so beautiful and were a great little hand held dessert idea, that is until it got warm...

I put these yummy Lemon Curd, Strawberry & Chocolate Cream cups together then placed them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. When I took them out they were still solid and so pretty looking. But then I took them to the party for their debut and as they sat for an hour or so and warmed up a bit, well a lot actually, the juices from the curd & strawberries soaked into the cookies and they fell apart. They still tasted AMAZING, but you had to scoop them with a spoon.

So if you want to use these cookie cups, I'd suggest serving them right away and not letting them sit out of the refrigerator or use a different filling, like custard or lining the bottoms with melted chocolate...oooohhh, gonna have to try that next!

Sugar Cookie Cup

Makes 24 Mini Cups

Sugar Cookie Dough

Mini-Muffin Pan

2 & 2.5 inch Circle Cookie Cutters

Baking Spray

-Prepare cookie dough then roll and cut 2.5 inch circles.
-Flip the muffin pan over and spray generously. Place a cookie dough circle on each muffin bottom and form around edges.
-Bake at 375 for 8-10 mins or until golden brown.
-Let cool for about 3 mins then take the 2 inch cookie cutter and cut through the cookie to make uniform cups.
-Remove cookie cups and cool completely.

Lemon Curd, Strawberries & Chocolate Whip in a Cookie Cup

Oh My!

I went to a good friend of mine's a house warming last weekend. She moved from the mountains to the beach, about 7 long miles away (easy to do here in Santa Cruz County:-) She's a very awesome person and hired a taco truck for the party to make things easier for everyone. Carnitas, carne asada, birria and homemade tortillas, we couldn't ask for more! The party was also a kind of reunion of a bunch of my good friends, so I was really excited to see everyone and wanted to make something special...

Since it was gonna be a very full house, I wanted something people could pick up one handed, and since I've been making tons of sugar cookies for a party I'm planning I thought the left over dough would be awesome for cookie cups.

I'm also known for my lemon curd and I have a very full lemon tree so there's my filling. And it's pick your own strawberry season so I added some diced strawberries on top. Then for the grand finale, I experimented with making chocolate whipped cream (I came up with this in my sleep!) Doesn't it sound so yummy?!

Strawberry Filling

Makes ~2 Cups

1 lb Strawberries

1/4 C Sugar

-Wash & hull Strawberries, then chop into 1/4 inch chunks.

-Place strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar, stirring to mix in.

-Cover & refrigerate for about 30 mins, stirring once at 15 mins.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

Makes 1 Cup

1 C Whipping Cream
4 Tbsp Nestle Quick Chocolate Mix

-Whip cream & chocolate until peaks form.

NRW 22: Mini-Eggplant & Turkey Frittatas

New Recipe Week 22: Mini-Eggplant & Turkey Frittatas (Poppers)

Actually, this is more like a new idea rather than an actual recipe I'm trying out. I got the idea of the mini-poppers from Pinterest. I've seen zucchini poppers, mini-vegetable & bacon frittatas, and of course, the mini-chocolate chip pancakes I tried out a few months ago.

I actually woke up and threw this together without a recipe, then when I did some searching through my pinterest boards I came across the mini-vegetable & bacon frittatas recipe that is almost exactly how I made mine. I must have read it recently and it stuck in my subconscious cuz I was dreaming about these this morning. Even more funny to me was that I thought I was making something up, even going into my garden and picking the basil last minute as an afterthought. Ha! Georgia's (The Comfort of Cooking) photos are way better than mine though (like a 1000 times better) so I suggest you head over to her site and check it out!

Now the real reason I turned this omelet into mini-frittats is because I can't flip an omelet if my life depended on it. Definitely not for the lack of trying, more for the lack of courage to make a mess all over my kitchen floor. Here's a pic of my attempt with half of today's batter:

Ana got this omelet and I got the frittatas. I tried his omelet (all same ingredients just a little difference in the last step of cooking) and it was delicsh! But my frittatas were even better. The yummy fluffiness of the eggs and the lack of butter for frying made them feel lighter than the omlete, I mean I ate 8 of these poppers without a second thought! Definitely gonna keep experimenting with this idea, hope you do too!

Mini-Eggplant & Turkey Frittatas
Makes 16 Mini or 6 Regular Muffin Size

1/2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Shallots (Sliced)
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 Tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 C Turkey (Diced)
1/2 C Eggplant (Cubed)
4 Eggs (next time I will make with 2 Eggs & 3 Egg Whites!)
1/4 C Heavy Cream
1/4 C Cheese (Finely grated)
4 Leaves Fresh Basil (Chopped)


-In a small bowl, beat together Eggs & Cream, set aside.
-Coat 16 cups of a mini-muffin pan (or 6 cups of regular muffin pan) with cooking spray and set aside.
-Heat Butter & Shallots in a frying pan over medium high heat, add S&P.
-Add Turkey & combine, then Eggplant, and cook for about 10 mins or until eggplant is tender.
-Remove from heat and mix in the Basil.
-Divide the turkey/eggplant mix into the prepared muffin tins.
-Scoop about 1-2 Tbsp of egg batter into each cup until full.
-Top with grated Cheese and Bake at 350 for 10 mins.
-Let cool for about 5 minutes before running a small knife alongside each frittata to release it from the pan. (I just used a spoon to scoop them out and I didn't wait the 5 mins, next time I'll wait & use a knife!)

Peach-Mango Sangria

Memorial day weekend means lots of BBQ's and fun times with friends. Big get together happenings always means a batch of my fruity but strong Sangria. This weekend I made my Peach-Mango version. It's definitely a great warm weather cocktail but be careful, it goes down very smooth yet packs a great big punch!

Peach-Mango Sangria
Makes about 72 oz or 14 Servings

1 Bottle Sauvignon Blanc
1 Can Frozen Orange/Mango Juice
3 C. Water
1/2 C. Vodka
1/4 C. Limonchello
1/2 C. Sliced Peaches & Heavy Syrup
1/2 C. Sliced Mango
1/2 C. Sliced Strawberries

-Mix all & Chill for 6-8 hrs. Serve Chilled.

NRW 20&21: Two Mango Jams

Things have been really busy around here. Between event planning, home life, visits catching up with friends, and my son's bad teething episodes, I haven't been able to post as often as I'd like. As a matter of fact I missed my new recipe last week (didn't actually try a new recipe since most nights where short on time.)

So I was out shopping this week and found some absolutely beautiful mangoes (I bought 12), I also grabbed a pineapple and went home to figure out what to make with them.

Since I had so much fruit I decided to make some jams and made two different recipes this week, as well as making up some others I'll post about later. I made these jams in large batches and canned them using a water bathh, but you can easily make these in small batches and put in your fridge in air tight containers.

I'm very excited about these jams and the taste tests were so yummy, my friends are going to be very happy when I hand these out!

I have both of these Jams for sale here

New Recipe Week 20: Pineapple-Mango Jam
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 3 Pints

4 C Ripe Mangoes (about 4 large mangoes) (Peeled & diced small)

2 C Fresh Pineapple (Skinned, cored & diced small)
2 Lemons (Juiced)
2 1/4 C Sugar (Divided)
3 Tbsp (or 1 Box) Low or No Sugar Pectin

-Prep the Mangoes & Pineapple and place in large stock pot. Add Lemon Juice and mix in.
-Add 1 3/4 cups of Sugar to fruit and bring to a slow boil over medium heat.
-In a separate bowl mix remaining 1/2 cup Sugar & Pectin and set aside.
-Cook fruit for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, then let cool slightly.
-Either take an emulsion blender to the pan or place the fruit in a food processor/blender and puree fruit as fine or chunky as you desire.
-Return to heat, a rolling boil for 10 mins, then stir in Sugar-Pectin and return to a boil for 1 min.
-Pour into small sterilized jars and either seal and place in refrigerator or process in a water bath.
-Water bath processed jams will stay good stored in a dark & cool place for one year, refrigerated jams will stay good for about 3 weeks.

NOTE: I doubled this recipe and it came out great but you can also half the recipe for a smaller batch.

New Recipe Week 21: Mango-Saffron Jam
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 2.5 Pints

4 C Ripe Mangoes (about 4 large mangoes) (Peeled & diced small)

1 Lemon (Juiced)
4 Saffron Threads
1 1/3 C Sugar (Divided)

2 Tbsp (or 2/3 Box) Low or No Sugar Pectin

-Prep the Mangoes and place in large stock pot. Add Lemon Juice and mix in.
-Add 1 cup of Sugar and Saffron Threads to fruit and bring to a slow boil over medium heat.
-In a separate bowl mix remaining 1/3 cup Sugar & Pectin and set aside.

-Cook fruit for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, then let cool slightly.
-Either take an emulsion blender to the pan or place the fruit in a food processor/blender and puree fruit as fine or chunky as you desire.
-Return to heat, a rolling boil for 10 mins, then stir in Sugar-Pectin and return to a boil for 1 min.
-Pour into small sterilized jars and either seal and place in refrigerator or process in a water bath.
-Water bath processed jams will stay good stored in a dark & cool place for one year, refrigerated jams will stay good for about 3 weeks.

Build a Fort-Hand Made

We recently went to a birthday party for our friend's 4 year old son. I had no idea what to get him so I found this cute idea on Pinterest, a build your own fort kit! You buy all of the supplies and then combine them in a bag. I made both the supplies bag & fort kit bag as well as the sheet ties and kit card.

The task was pretty simple, attach 6 ties to each sheet (I only included 2 sheets) and stuff together in bags. The fun part was making the bags but you could buy some if you want and just put all the supplies in it. I made the kit card in a simple photo editing software by using a camo-fabric photo from the internet and adding text boxes and boards.

Here's what's in the kit:
2 Sheets with ties attached to each corner and then mid-way on each long side (6 ties total)
4 Suction Cups
4 Heavy Duty Clips
12 Laundry Clips
1 Flashlight (with batteries)
50' Nylon Rope
1 Bag for the Supplies
1 Big Bag for the Sheets & Supplies Bag

I bought the supplies at a dollar store & wal-mart and the sheets at good will. The bags & sheet ties I made with scrap fabric. In all I spent about $15. Such a wonderful gift!

btw, these work great for young girls too, everyone loves playing in a fort!!!

Cream Pesto Lasagna

My mom isn't a cook, as a matter of fact I learned how to cook when I was 10 and have been the family chef ever since then, but she does have a few recipes that she's known for, and one of them is lasagna. Unfortunately, as some of you might know and some not, but I'm allergic to tomatoes. Well, not technically allergic, it's an intolerance, but I can't digest them and it's pretty painful when I do eat one, so in my boat it's the same as an allergic reaction.


So as you can imagine, I can't have red sauce lasagna, even though I absolutely loves my mom's lasagna, it's just not worth it...


Several years ago, I was telling my best friend Goldi about my mom's lasagna and she asked if I had ever tried making it with a cream pesto sauce...hello! I can't believe I hadn't thought of it. So here we are many years later and I've finally typed up my recipes for you to enjoy.

Below is the lasagna recipe and here you can find the Cream Pesto Sauce recipe.

Cream Pesto Lasagna
Serves 4-6

8x8 square baking pan (opt. prep with butter/olive oil)
Enough Lasagna Pasta for 2 layers plus Top (ie. if using Barilla Pasta, 6 should do) & soaked in milk till pliable.
2 C Cream Pesto Sauce
1/2 lb. Meat (either sliced Sausages or some type of Ground Meat cooked with seasoning & olive oil)
1 C Chopped/Sliced Raw Veggies (I use Broccoli/Cauliflower)
1/2 C Sliced Raw Mushrooms
2 Eggs (boiled & chopped up)
2 C Grated White Cheese

-Spoon a little sauce into pan then add 1st layer of Lasagna and coat with sauce.
-Add meat, egg, & veggies, then lightly coat with sauce & top with cheese.
-Repeat sequence.
-Once 2nd layer is done, top with remaining lasagna, sauce & cheese.
-Bake covered with foil @ 350 for 30 mins. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 min.

Cream Pesto Sauce

For those of you who love cream sauces here's my cream pesto. I use it in lasagna, with pasta and in casseroles. This version is really rich so if you'd like to cut the richness use a combo of water/milk or just nonfat milk (which is actually what I usually use).

Cream Pesto Sauce
Makes 2 Cups

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
~2 C Milk (or 1 C. Cream & 1 C. Milk)
1/4 C Pesto Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

-Melt butter & flour in sauce pan on low to form paste (this is called a roux).
-Gradually add in milk 1/2 cup @ a time, mixing in while doing so. Keep stirring entire time so that clumps don't form.
-Once desired consistency is meet, add in pesto sauce, S&P, and cook for a couple of minutes.

So many projects, so little time

Hey Everyone, Sorry for missing a recipe post this last Sunday. I actually have a lot of food pics & recipes to share, I just haven't had the chance to do my write up. I'm working on some now so soon you'll be able to see.

For now, here's a teaser pic of something I'll be concocting tomorrow!