While the temperatures remains high, and the cactus stay green, we envy those around the country who are experiencing this phenomenon called "Fall".  Ann & Jason will do their best to bring Fall to culinary couples this October by Bobbing for Apples!

Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango & Fortune Cookies:  Ann & Jason

When I heard we were on dessert for Chinatown, I was immediately committed to making homemade fortune cookies.  I would worry about what to pair with them at a later time.  After looking through several recipes, I was happy to see that it wouldn't be as hard as I had originally thought to make them :)



The fun part was coming up with the fortunes.  Unfortunately, I lost the original fortunes Jason and I wrote together between our original January scheduled Chinatown and our rescheduled March date and as such had to come up with some on my own without my sarcastic husband's input... fortunately, they still turned out pretty good :)

The fortune cookies weren't quite as easy as the recipe lead on.... apparently you should be able to start out making 2 or 3 at a time and increase from there.  I started with 2 and had to revert back to making 1 at a time and never got to increase it....fortunately they cook fast so it didn't take too long to make them.

We decided to pair the fortune cookies with coconut sticky rice.















The difference between sticky rice, or sweet rice, is that you steam it vs. the traditional boiling method.  There are rice steamers that you can buy, or if you are feeling inventive, you can create one out of a large pot, an oil splash guard, and a bowl.  It worked great!!

Dessert is served!!!

Recipes:

Fortune Cookies:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9684/fortune-cookies-i/

Sticky Rice with Mango:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sticky-rice-with-mango-12066

Wooden Stakes through the Heart Kebabs, Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes, Blood Orange Salad with Sunflower Seeds, & Hot Cross Buns:  Ann & Jason

After enjoying our Eternal Kisses and Love at First Bite Appetizers, we gathered in the dining room, where the table was set with vampire fang napkin rings and silver platters.

We sat down to our suck-u-lent feast served by candle light where we found wooden stakes pierced through top sirloin and artichoke hearts, hot cross buns served in mini cast iron skillets, and bowls of blood orange salad and garlic red mashed potatoes.  The blood orange sauce was delicious poured not only over the steak kebabs but also a great addition to the garlic mashed potatoes!

Recipes:

Steak Kebabs:
http://www.chefjanetk.com/grilled-beef-kebabs-with-blood-orange-and-vanilla-sauce/

We made the marinade/sauce without the vanilla

Artichoke Kebabs:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/artichoke-eggplant-skewers/print

To stick with the "heart" theme, we skipped the eggplant and tomatoes listed in the recipe

Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes:
http://www.food.com/recipe/mashed-red-potatoes-with-garlic-and-parmesan-34382

Hot Cross Buns:
http://noshon.it/recipes/hot-cross-buns/

We cooked these in small cast iron skillets, 4 buns per skillet

Blood Orange Salad:

Blood Orange Vinaigrette
1/2 cup blood orange juice
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Olive oil, salt & pepper to taste

Mix the vinaigrette at least a few hours before making the salad to let the flavors marry.

Salad
Arugula
Spinach
Red onion, thinly sliced
Blood orange segments, cut into thirds, if available.  If not, substitute Grapefruit and regular Oranges
Pomegranate seeds
Sunflower seeds
Goat cheese

Magic Martinis:  Ann & Jason







On our first day of classes, we were introduced to our Potions teacher - Professor Elixir and her assistant.

 

We were tasked with making a potion called the Magic Martini which is known to alter the drinker's senses, drink carefully and in moderation as it has an additive effect!

The ingredients were laid out on a silver tray and included basilisk venom, powdered mandrake root, unicorn milk, gillyweed solution, elderflower essence, dragon eggs, and armadillo bile.

Following our instructions, we added the basilisk venom and powdered mandrake root first, followed by the unicorn milk and gillyweed solution.  We then added the remaining ingredients and watched our blue solution turn and bubble to a hot pink martini!

All students got an A in their first experiment except for Jesse who left in the middle of the class without asking for a bathroom pass.....

In addition to our Magic Martinis, we also had Magic Hat's #9 (9 3/4 - thanks Ryan for noticing!!!), Snake Bite, and Lion's Share Variety Pack from Firestone.

Recipe:

1 ounce basilisk venom (cabbage juice - seep 1 leaf red cabbage, chopped, in hot water until water has turned purple, then discard cabbage.  Add cabbage water and another leaf of cabbage to a blender and blend to mix).
1 smidgen powdered mandrake root (baking soda)
2 ounces unicorn milk (gin)
1 ounce gillyweed solution (cucumber water - shave the skin of a cucumber into long pieces and add to a mason jar of water, let set in fridge for 24 hours)
3/4 ounce elderflower essence (St. Germain's)
1 dragon egg (dry ice)
3/4 ounce armadillo bile (equal parts fresh lemon juice, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup)

Smoked Salmon and Smoked Gouda Cheesecake & Little Smokies:  Ann & Jason

I got a few odd looks when I said I was making a cheesecake with salmon in it, but I assured my fellow Culinary Couples that it would be delicious, and it was!

A savory version, it is baked in a water bath just like a standard cheesecake.  Due to my "fundamental lack of geometric understanding" per my husband, when I decided to take a recipe that was made in two 4.5" spring-form pans and apply it to fit in my single 9" spring-form pan, I did not realize that the volume was substantially larger, resulting in a flat "tortilla-like" cheesecake.  Nonetheless it did not affect the taste, and some even thought it may be preferable to a thicker cheesecake!

And since you can't have a Smokin' themed dinner without Little Smokies, we also brought a crockpot of those bad boys with homemade barbecue sauce.

Recipes:

Smoked Salmon and Smoked Gouda Cheesecake:
http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/savory-smoked-salmon-cheesecake/
To make this healthier, we substituted low-fat cream cheese and greek yogurt for the sour cream

Little Smokies:
http://www.food.com/recipe/barbecued-lil-smokies-32362

Beef Brisket with Bourbon-Peach Glaze, Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole, and Roasted Asparagus:  Ann & Jason

After several games of horse shoes, and several Mint Juleps, it was time to get dinner going.

Ann & Jason had prepared the brisket ahead of time, making dinner as simple as pulling it out of the fridge and heating it in the oven.


















Unfortunately, the number of Mint Juleps consumed may have caused Ann to spill the delicious brisket juice all over herself!  (I also have to say that the lid may not have been tightly secured on the container.....).









Nonetheless, the dinner turned out exactly as planned!

The brisket was served alongside a Kentucky Hot Brown casserole and asparagus from the Tucson Heirloom Farmer's Market.  The Kentucky Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY.  In this casserole version, the same ingredients are taken, layered, and baked, to create a sizzling combination of pure comfort.

And because I worked on my table setting for at least two weeks before our event, here are some pictures of that as well :)

Recipes:

Beef Brisket with Bourbon-Peach Glaze:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/braised-brisket-with-bourbon-peach-glaze

Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole:
https://fridaysfromhome.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/kentucky-hot-brown-casserole/
Ann & Jason picked up roasted turkey from Honey Baked Ham for this recipe

Roasted Asparagus:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_asparagus

Frittata, "Hashblacks", Zucchini Bread & Fruit Salad:  Ann & Jason

After a bit of chaos, involving impromptu beer making by the co-host, we finally had our Breakfast ready for Dinner!

Breakfast included an egg-white Frittata with kale, chicken sausage, cherry tomatoes, mushroom, onion, and feta cheese, "hashblacks" which are another less desirable form of hashbrowns, zucchini bread and fruit salad.  I have to say, the best part of this meal was the fruit salad made by our lovely Culinary Couples guest Molly Erwin! 

Recipes:

Frittata
Egg whites
Chopped kale
Sliced mushrooms
Chopped onion
Halved cherry tomatoes
Sliced chicken sausage
Feta

Preheat oven to 325.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Sautee onion and sausage.  Pour in eggs.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook until edges are set then transfer to oven and cook 10-15 minutes. 

Hashblacks:
Lots of potatoes, shredded (don't peel for true black color)

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Lay in shredded potatoes.  Make sure they soak up lots of oil and cook them till black.  Turn them over and repeat.  Soak excess oil on paper towels before serving :)

Zucchini Bread:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Zucchini-Bread/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=zucchini%20bread&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Hub&soid=sr_results_p1i11

Fruit Salad:
Mix chopped fresh fruit in large bowl.  We used apples, strawberries, watermelon, banana, grapes, raspberries, blueberries.

Feuerzangenbowle:  Ann & Jason

Feuerzangenbowle, also known as Fire-Tongs Punch, is a Christmas tradition in Germany.  If you're in Tubingen in December, you'd likely get to see the public display of lit up feuerzangenbowles all across the town square.  If you can't make it to Germany, Ann & Jason will happily bring the feuerzangenbowle to your own home, but you must sign a waiver first - fire, burning microwaves, and smoke alarms are highly likely!

The recipe calls for a nice pot of wine, simmering with cinnamon, cloves, lemons, and oranges.  But beware of the sugar cubes soaked in Bacardi 151!

 

Although we very nearly burnt the Mini's house down, the end result was well worth the risk!

Recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/feuerzangenbowle-burnt-punch-traditional-german-beverage-142856

We added more cinnamon sticks and cloves than the recipe called for, basically till we thought it looked pretty and smelled yummy :) 

Bat Bites & Graveyard Dip: Ann & Jason

Think that bats and graveyards aren't yummy?  Think again!  These bat bites were a creamy mixture of cream cheese, goat cheese, and pesto rolled in poppy seeds and black pepper.  Adorable yet spooky!  And the graveyard dip was nothing short of your favorite bean dip once you got past the freshly dug graves!  "Dig in!!!"

Most Creative Appetizer: Culinary Couples Year Two

Recipes:

Bat Bites:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bat-bites

Graveyard Dip:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/tombstone-taco-dip/

Frozen Footballs:  Ann & Jason

For dessert, Ann & Jason brought a cooler full of dry ice and frozen football bars.  These treats were well "received" by the football fans.  Although a bit on the messy side both to make and to eat, well worth the effort!

Although the Seahawks defeated the Broncos yet again, the overall evening was a great success - Touchdown!!!

Following the game, we continued our tailgating games on the field:






Ryan's epic beer pong throw....

And the soon to be famous tactical pick up!

Recipe:
http://www.rustandsunshine.com/2012/02/frozen-footballs.html