Peeps!: March Marshmallow Madness

It's our favorite time of year again, Peeps!

Though they now come in shapes and colors to compliment just about every holiday, most of us still associate Marshmallow Peeps with the pastel baskets, plastic grass and multi-colored eggs of Easter.  Each spring, as the weather turns warmer and tulips come in bloom, these fluffy treats bring a smile to so many faces...and a sadistic smirk to others.

Turning 56 this year, the Peep is more popular than ever, but perhaps in a different sense than Bob Born of the Just Born company envisioned when he brought this unique candy to the masses back in the 1950's.  Whereas chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, also traditional at this time of year, have only ever warranted a passing appreciation of their seasonal sweetness (and maybe an ear-biting joke or two), Peeps have inspired art, crafts, recipes and more than a few disturbing experiments*.  

What's the fascination?  If you have to ask, it's high time you sunk your teeth into one of these sweet, sticky, gratifyingly granular, adorably creepy little marshmallow birds.  And while you're savoring the sinful sponginess of it all, click through the list below for the good, the bad and the downright weird in the world of Peeps.

Marshmallow Peeps:  The Official Website

This site is chock full of Peep lore, fun facts and info on the full Peep product line.

Washington Post:  Peep Show II

37 creative contenders in the Washington Post's second annual Peeps Diorama Contest.  Hilarious!

PeepResearch.org

Lest you worry about the little guys, this disclaimer is offered to ease your mind:  "Before any testing begins, all Peep subjects are thoroughly examined and sign a disclosure form explaining the potential risks of their volunteer service."

PeepsShow

Original Peep art by David Ottogalli.  This site also has free Peep screen savers and wallpaper - sweet!

Video:  Three Peeps in a Basket...In a Microwave Oven

Oh, the carnage.

And if you're still curious:  Peep Image Google Search  (Don't miss the Peeps and Peppers Stir-Fry!)

*My Mother floats Peeps in the toilet every Easter.  Really.  It's a wonder I turned out as nearly normal as I did.

Shhhhhh...It's Robin's Double Secret Black-Eyed Pea Dip Recipe

Just because I love all of you, this year I am going to share my double-secret recipe for delicious (no, really) and easy black-eyed pea dip. As someone who has swallowed many black-eyed peas over the years while holding her nose and chasing it immediately with a glass of water, when I say this is good, I mean it.

• 8 strips of bacon, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp. salt + 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbs. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.5 oz. can of original Rotel tomatoes (do not drain)
• Approximately 10 jarred jalepenos, roughly chopped (more or less, depending on your spiciness preferences)
• 1/4 cup of the juice from the jarred jalepenos
• juice of two limes
• 3 tbs. sugar
• 3 cans of plain black-eyed peas (don't get pre-seasoned), rinsed and drained
• 1 bottle of Shiner Bock (plus more for drinking while you cook, as desired)

Heat a stock pot on medium high heat. Add the bacon, and cook off the fat until it just starts to crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions and 2 tsp. salt to the pan with the bacon grease. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onions until translucent, but not brown (5-10 minutes). Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, oregano and garlic to the onions and cook while stirring for two more minutes.

Add the bacon back to the onion mixture along with the Rotel, jalepenos and juice, lime juice and sugar and stir until well combined. Return to the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a bubble. Add the black-eyed peas, 2 tsp. salt and the bottle of Shiner, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for two hours or until the liquid is completely absorbed/reduced. You'll have to watch it fairly closely at the end to make sure it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Trust me on this one :)

Once it has cooled a bit, start smashing the peas with a fork or a potato masher. You want the texture to be chunky (where you can still tell it's black-eyed peas) but creamy, like good bean dip. This is a bit of a personal choice, though, so it's your preference. Serve with tortilla chips.

Eat this after midnight, and you'll guarantee yourself a very happy and prosperous 2009 (and possibly stave off your hangover at least a little). Happy New Year's from DallasEats!

Christmas Latkes!

I grew up in a family that combined two different cultures.  Each December, like many of you out there, we celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah - not on the same night, and not usually in the same house, but both holidays were always given their special time to shine.  Such is still the case today, and I look forward to this time of year twice as much for that very reason. 

 

Rachel's adorable Hanukkah Tree - her own tradition.

I remember many happy Hanukkahs as a child, lighting candles and squinting my eyes until each tiny flame doubled, then tripled in front of me.  We'd always say prayers, open gifts and peel foil wrappers off of chocolate coins - the whole shebang.  Except for dreidel, that is.  The famous game didn't get much play in our house, as we pretty much focused on food once the candle-lighting and present-opening were complete.  Come to think of it, games of chance still take a backseat to eating in my book.  A trip to Vegas is more about dinner reservations than ponying up at the tables, as far as I'm concerned...

Anyway, it's traditional on Hanukkah to eat foods fried in oil.  Rich and golden, they are a delicious tribute to the oil that burned long and bright, eight times longer than expected, inspiring this annual celebration.  Needless to say, when it comes to this custom, my family is happy to oblige.

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are perhaps the most famous fried Hanukkah delight.  Never missing an opportunity for culinary creativity, we put the family stamp on this dish in a most unexpected way.  Correction - my Dad, kitchen pioneer and trailblazing chef extraordinaire, put his stamp on the latkes some years back, and ever since, it just wouldn't be Chrismakkah without 'em.

Dad with his cast iron skillet, frying our latkes to golden perfection.

We call them Christmas Latkes, with a wink and a smile.  Much like enchiladas served Christmas-style in Santa Fe, wherein they're doused with red and green chile sauces, this name refers to the classic holiday color combination.  In our case, red and green are represented by sweet and spicy nibbles mixed into the batter before it's time to get a-fryin'.  Craisins and minced jalepeno are the additions, to be exact, and this tweak on tradition results in a treat you have to taste to believe.

The final product, ready for the feast.

It's a simple recipe, really - just take your favorite potato pancake formula and mix in the aforementioned additions in the proportions desired.  Then fry the little bejewelled beauties in a neutral-flavored oil and serve them with apple sauce and a dollop of sour cream.  Different and delicious.  When it comes to family traditions, we file this one under Holiday, Unique.

C&S

Sweet Speckled Squares: My Favorite Cookie

When I was little, the cookies would come to us.  

A week before Christmas, my grandparents' long, shiny Caddie would pull up in front of the house, and after spreading around the hugs, they'd pop the cavernous trunk and begin unloading more packages and parcels than could fit in Santa's pack.  Each of us kids were piled up with presents multiple times, boxes towering and teetering in our arms as we headed up the front walk into the house.  We'd rush inside, quickly assessing the weight and potential contents of each package before depositing it beneath the tree and heading back out for another load.  It would be an eternity before we could open them.  

Once the trunk was relieved of its contents, we'd move on to the Caddie's passenger cabin, still neat and tidy despite the thousand-mile trek from Indiana (much like Grandma's auburn beehive and Granpa's crisply creased slacks).  Therein were the treats that we wouldn't have to wait for.  In tins and Tupperware, packed tight with care, were dozens of Christmas cookies, all the family favorites.  The selection was non-negotiable, not that anyone wanted to change it, and as sure as our stuffed angel would grace the top of our tree, we'd find Oatmeal Crispies, French Pastry Bars, Buttercreams and Toffee Squares in the back seat of that Cadillac each year.

Now that I'm a grown-up, there are no magic gift and cookie mobiles pulling up in front of my condo at Christmastime.  I have to brave the malls just like all the other grown-ups I know, and bake my own cookies to boot.  The former can be a hassle, but the latter is always a treat.  My  mom and I schedule a day each holiday season to bake, setting out butter to soften at the crack of dawn and carefully lifting the family recipes from their filed-away place in the original Joy of Cooking on top of the fridge.  The cookies we make, the traditional selection, are simple and absolutely perfect.  Don't get me wrong - we decorate other things, and over-decorate many things, but the cookies are wonderful just the way they are.  

Baking Day is my favorite holiday event.  We use the same recipes, from the same recipe cards, that my Grandmother used, and by some miracle they emerge unscathed each year.  They are time-worn to a yellow tint, but have otherwise escaped harm (no dishwater dunking, no chocolate coating).  I've scanned them for the first time today, to capture their beautiful simplicity for the blog.  My very favorite are the Toffee Squares, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, so I've also shared that recipe below.  It's a real, old-fashioned gem.  Delicious and gorgeous, Toffee Squares make a wonderful gift.  And, yes, the recipe really is that easy.

The gift of cookies always gets a smile.  Right, Hott Rodd?

It seems as though Christmas used to take up at least a quarter of the year.  Maybe half.  As a kid, I remember waiting.  Now that the season is filled with hustle and bustle and plain ol' work, however, it pretty much plays out in four fast-paced weeks, just as the calendar would indicate.  Patience is no longer the key; these days, I struggle to keep up.  My coupon-receipt from the drugstore yesterday offered 10% off holiday gifts and $2 off pain reliever - that pretty much sums it up.  Toffee Squares are the perfect remedy.  They take me back to long, sweet Christmases past, and I love to share that feeling with my favorite people.

Toffee Squares

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk (beaten)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

Mix in order and pat out on a greased 11 x 17 cookie sheet.  (Cover the sheet completely, as though you were making a crust.  Be sure to use a sheet with edges, as opposed to one that is completely flat.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

topping:

2 large-size Hershey bars (available on the baking aisle)

chopped pecans

Remove pan from oven and, while warm, top with Hershey bars, broken into pieces.  Be sure to distribute the pieces evenly across the surface of the pan.  Wait 5 minutes for chocolate to melt, then spread out with a spatula and sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans.  Press pecans lightly to adhere to chocolate.  Allow to cool at room temperature, and place in refrigerator, if necessary, to set.  Cut into squares.

More Handmade Holiday Hooch - Hooray!

I must have been a very good girl this year...

Shortly after I made out like a little lemon-scented bandit last week (read all about that Luscious Limoncello here), a happy hour with my sweet friend Angela Chase from KEGL netted me even more liquid holiday cheer, this time in the form of Angela's Dad's near-famous homemade wine.

Miles, the winemaker in question, with help from his brothers Frankie and Mike, has been crushing and fermenting his own home-grown grapes in Poolville, Texas, for some years now.  The fruits of his labor are reserved for family and friends, and he approaches the task with focus and thoughtful attention to detail.  

A quick phone call as we enjoyed a glass of Miles' 3-Way Blend gave insight into this process.  Not only was he eager to discuss his grapes and overall philosophy, but the fiesty amateur vintner was ready (pad and paper in hand?) to take comments and critiques on the final product as well.  

"Now, I have to ask, girls," he interjected at one point, "was the wine too sweet this year?"

"Why no, it's not too sweet at all," we replied, leaning over the speakerphone with our goblets of ruby-colored wine.

"Oh." he sighed (and you could hear the mischief in his voice).  "Next time I'll be sure to stick my finger in it for ya!"

groan 

Miles, you'd best stick to winemaking, sweetheart, 'cause I don't think Comedy Central will be calling anytime soon!

C&S

Seasonal Spirits: Luscious Limoncello & The Wisconsin Lunchbox

Wrapping up a visit with friends last weekend, my hubby and I dunked the final bites of our biscotti in the last few sips of our coffee, feeling warm and ready to head back out into the cold afternoon.  What a lovely visit, I thought, resting my mug gently on my saucer and dabbing the corners of my mouth with my napkin. We must get together again soon.  Rising from our chairs, we gathered our winter wear and began to re-bundle for the ride south.  

As we headed for the door, however, one word stopped us dead in our tracks.

"We completely forgot," our hostess exclaimed, "to offer you some Limoncello!"  

As quickly as we'd wrapped our scarves around our necks, we whipped them back off again with a flourish and flung them atop our coats in a homely pile in the foyer.  (When it comes to this subject, we don't waste any time.)  

Our foursome then shuffled single-file into the kitchen, were cordial glasses were lined up like soldiers across the counter in front of a giant jar of pale yellow liquid studded with curled and dimpled rinds. Our mouths watered with anticipation; we may have even drooled.  Our host, you see, is Italian, and he makes this special brew from scratch.  Vodka, lemons, sugar and water are all there is too it, but somehow his result is much greater than the sum of its parts.   He measured out our crystal-clear servings, and my dear friend, his wife, headed out back for fresh basil to float in each glass. 

 

This isn't what it looks like.  I swear.

The first sip was liquid gold - the sweet, pure essence of lemons.  My tongue detected not the slightest hint of bitterness, nor alcoholic burn.  This was the Limoncello of dreams.  I marveled at those drunken lemon peels as I took tiny tastes from my cup.  There must have been hundreds of them, nestled one atop the other like scales or feathers, piled several inches high behind the glass.  Each time I raised my drink, staring transfixed at the jar, my nose caught a whiff of clean, licorice-laced basil on a background of velvety citrus.  I could have sniffed and sipped all day.

By the time I snapped out of my stupor, the conversation had jumped about ten steps ahead, moving on to another cocktail altogether.  The Wisconsin Lunchbox hails from Oshkosh where our hosts attended college, and is perhaps the polar opposite of a delicate glass of Limoncello.  I can't quite remember how we arrived on the subject, but soon I was watching as a frosted mug was pulled from the depths of the freezer and filled with three ingredients that I never would have imagined could get along inside a glass.  "It's really very good," I was assured several times. "It kind of tastes like a dreamsicle!"  I stared dubiously at the fizzing concoction, giggling inside at how much fun can be had just standing around in a kitchen with good friends.  

Finally I relented, and took a sip from the mug.  Sweet and tart and a little bit dangerous, this drink gave the impression of packing more of a kick than its flavor would indicate.  I could see this Lunchbox warming up a long Wisconsin winter, or a sunny December in Dallas, for that matter.

We eventually wrapped up a second time around, and I was treated to a little jar of Limoncello of my very own.  Happy Holidays to me!  Don't even ask - I won't share.  And the recipe will have to remain a secret for now.  I did, however, get the formula for the Wisconsin Lunchbox, and I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did.  In fact, a couple of these babies might help me get the Limoncello recipe next time around...

The Wisconsin Lunchbox*

(With special thanks to Jill and Brian)

Place a shot glass inside of a frozen beer mug.  Fill the shot glass with Amaretto Liqueur and pour orange juice into the mug to the level of the top of the glass.  Fill the mug the remainder of the way with your favorite beer (a lighter style, such as pilsner or pale ale, is preferred).  

*Try it in place of a Mimosa, the next time your brunch needs a kick.

Sweet and Sour Gifts

As promised, here's the second installment of our DallasEats Gift Guide for those culinarily-minded friends and family members on your list.  

This time around, it's all about edible goodies!

Chocolate Secrets

This gorgeous shop on Oak Lawn Avenue is our idea of Heaven on Earth.  In addition to mouthwatering offerings from various luxury chocolatiers, Chocolate Secrets features cases overflowing with fresh truffles and candies for mixing-and-matching your own custom boxes (to give or to keep).  Great wine, pre-made baskets and gift cards are also available.  Check the website for details, as well as info on classes, tastings, live music and more.  And when you go, tell Pam we said "Hi"!

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup

File these sweet flowers under "Awesome Hostess Gifts" - this unexpected treat trumps any ordinary jar of jam.  Dropped into a festive cocktail, each beautiful Hibiscus bloom comes to life, opening its petals and imparting a rosy glow.  Unique and absolutely classy, these little gems also happen to be all-natural and sustainably grown.

Mezzetta Gift Baskets

Someone we know is absolutely obsessed with a certain type of pickle from this Napa Valley purveyor of all things briny and delicious.  Mezzetta's website offers a wide selection of individual products, as well as gift baskets that combine their delicious peppers, olives, pickles and sauces with recipe books, coasters, olive bowls and other goodies - all wrapped up and tied with a bow!  Baskets are tailored to appeal to the olive lover, the mixologist or just about anyone on your list with a little salt tooth.

 

Tuesday Night is Foodie Night at Mockingbird Station

Just a little reminder that this holiday season is full of festivities at Mockingbird Station!  

Our favorite part of the celebration is, of course, Foodie Nights, featuring cooking and cocktail demos from a different restaurant each Tuesday.

Tomorrow, it's Tuna Salsa Rolls at Reikyu at 6 p.m., followed by Espresso Martinis and Saketinis at 8.  Yum!  Click here to read more about Get Gifted at the Station.

C&S

For the Foodie on Your List

Whatever will you give to Aunt Sarah this holiday season, she of the gift baskets brimming with homemade brittle and hot chocolate mix?

Or what about cousin Roy, who tries a different new restaurant each week?

And - what's that you say? - you haven't even begun to shop for your very own sister, with whom you share a glass of wine on the patio every Saturday afternoon?  

Sounds like you're headin' straight for the Naughty List, mister...

Oh, dear, now we've got you hyperventilating.  Calm down - and grab a brown paper bag.  That's it... just breathe.  There's plenty of time, and DallasEats is here to help!  Today we'll present the first in a short series of holiday posts, featuring gifts we think the foodies in your life will love.  Below, you'll find our first picks to get you started.  And, who knows?  Maybe there's an item or two with which to stuff your own stocking this year!

Rancho Gordo Samplers

Choose the Mexican/Latin Sampler or the Desert Island Sampler from this Napa Valley purveyor of native American foods for the adventurous home cook in your family.  And, here's a thought - for just a couple extra bucks, use one of their reusable logo shopping totes as a gift bag!  (click here to read our post on Rancho Gordo)

Handmade Recycled Wine Bottle Jewelry

These pretty shineys from Uncommon Goods are made of recycled Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and red wine bottles.  The earrings are simple and versatile, and the necklace is a real stunner.

Protect Our World Glasses

Another great find from Uncommon Goods!  These glasses come in four styles - Earth, Air, Water and Wildlife.  Each set is made of recycled materials and printed with a stylish motif of words and images.  We are especially fond of the beautiful, frosted Protect Our Air set which would compliment almost any table decor.

Foodie Nights at Mockingbird Station

I heard some exciting news from a friend last night:  During Mockingbird Station's holiday campaign, Get Gifted at the Station, going on now through the week before Christmas, they're hosting all kinds of events each week, including Foodie Night every Tuesday.  Fun!

Tonight's featured foodie fun is at Rockfish Grill, with demos of their Mexican Shrimp Martini and Spinach Dip starting at 6, followed by Rock-a-Ritas at 8.  This sounds like the perfect excuse to head out for some early holiday shopping - how better to reward our selfless generosity than with a frosty cocktail and a couple of tasty hors d'oeuvres?

Click the links above for more info and to keep track of who's on tap for upcoming Foodie Nights. You can visit the Station's main site at www.mockingbirdstation.com.