Photography – Kerrys Food Thymes

Easy Hot Cocoa Bombs

The nice thing about these hot chocolate or hot cocoa bombs is that there is really no limit on what you can put inside these little treats along with the cocoa mix. They are all the rage this year and are getting hard to find, but are fairly easy to make at home, especially with the right mold. And what a great gift idea!

What makes this recipe easy is the large mold that enables you to not have to fuse together two different halves like this…

I tried that, but I just didn’t have the time or patience to try to get the two halves to get together. That is when I decided to try a different mold….

These molds are large enough to fit all the goodies in, and then you can just spread the chocolate over them, chill, and remove!

This is all you will need…

Hot cocoa mix
Miniature or dehydrated marshmallows
Candy melts
Any other candies or sprinkles you would like to add to the bombs
The candy mold above.

There are several brands, flavors and colors of candy melts available, depending on what kind of a flavor you want….

One bag of these are enough to make 6 of the bombs.

Melt the candy melts in a double boiler or microwave at 15 second intervals until they are melted. Use a paint brush or small spoon and paint about a tablespoon of the melted chocolate into each circle.

Make sure all sides are covered and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove and put 1 tablespoon of marshmallows in each circle.

There are only 5 here because one cracked and I had to eat it! Then add 1 tablespoon of cocoa mix to each circle.

Then add baking chips or m&m’s or sprinkles, or crushed candy canes, heath or caramel or peanut butter chips? Or – just use your imagination! Maybe a spoon of something like this? Get creative!

I used rainbow colored baking chips and some snowflake sprinkles.

Spoon the rest of the melted chocolate onto the top and spread over the top of the circles.

Place back in the freezer and let sit for another ten minutes until hardened, then turn over and pop them out of the molds and trim any loose strands of chocolate off the bottom. Here is what you now have.

For the top, I melted a few red and green candy melts and piped the squigglys on with a piping bag.

Then I added some sprinkles on top.

That’s it! Add one bomb to 8 ounces of steamed milk and enjoy! They da bomb!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Easy Cheesy Grilled Skirt Steak Pinwheels

If you like steak, cheese and spinach, (three of the main food groups) you will love these cheesy pinwheels! They are quick and easy to make and will impress your guests with their attractive display.

If you can’t find skirt steak, no worries! You can use flank steak. I prefer the skirt steak because it has a beefier taste to me.

Cook / Prep Time: about an hour

Servings : Two (about 4 pinwheels)

Special equipment needed: a meat mallet or tenderizer and some kitchen twine.

1 lb skirt steak
3 ounce baby spinach leaves, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 lg shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 oz shaved or shredded parmesan
4 slices provolone cheese
1 sprig fresh basil leaves
1 tsp ground thyme
Salt
Pepper

Pound the skirt steak into a rectangle about 1/4” thick.

Season both sides with salt and pepper. Turn the skirt steak vertically on a counter. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil together and brush onto the beef. Sprinkle the thyme leaves on it. Spread the chopped shallots and garlic evenly onto the meat. Pinch the basil leaves and dot them over the shallots and garlic. Evenly spread the Parmesan cheese over it. Spread the chopped spinach over the parmesan cheese. Add the provolone slices evenly on top.

Roll the meat up jelly roll style and it should look like this…

Cut 4 pieces of kitchen twine about 12” in length.

Tie them around the skirt roll and cut off the excess twine. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. At this point, you can pop it in a 350 degree oven if you want and cook for about 30 minutes until desired doneness, or you can slice them and fry them or grill them. In my case, I grilled them.

Place them on a hot grill and grill them for about 4 minutes on each side and them place them in a 350 degree oven for about another 6-7 minutes for medium rare. They will tend to be tough if well done or overcooked. Let them rest with tented aluminum foil over them for about 5 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Pan Fried Mozzarella Marinara

Just another meatless Monday… Who doesn’t love fried cheese? I sure do – especially with homemade marinara sauce – and it’s easy to prepare!

You can make it even easier if you use store bought marinara sauce! Just skip the steps to prepare the sauce.

Or if you want to use fresh tomatoes for the sauce, you can find my recipe for that here…

https://kerrysfoodthymes.blog/2019/09/05/homemade-marinara-sauce-using-fresh-tomatoes/

Cook/Prep Time – about an hour

Servings – 2

Ingredients:

For the Marinara sauce…

1 – 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 small carrot
1 small celery rib
1 shallot
1 small bell pepper
2 large cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh basil
1/4 cup dry red wine
Salt
Black pepper

For the Mozzarella….

3 – 1/4 inch slices of loaf mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh basil
1 egg
1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup panko
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup canola oil (for frying the cheese)

For the sauce, finely chop the carrot, shallot, celery, pepper and garlic. Place the olive oil in a saucepan or Dutch oven on medium heat and add the chopped vegetables. Sauté while stirring for about 10 minutes. Add the red wine and cook another 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and turn heat down to low. Chop the basil coarsely and stir it in. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently for 30 minutes.

While the marinara is simmering, prepare a cheese marinade by adding the olive oil, red wine, basil and crushed garlic and a dash of salt and pepper to a dish and add the sliced mozzarella and marinate for 15 minutes.

For the breading, whisk the egg and add the milk and stir together. Set up a breading station with a plate or dish of flour, and another with the panko mixed with the Italian seasoning.

Keeping one hand wet and one hand dry, grab a slice of cheese with your wet hand and place it in the flour and press the flour onto both sides with your dry hand. Place the floured slice into the egg wash and wet both sides with your wet hand. Remove the slice with your wet hand and place it in the panko mixture, pressing it onto both sides with your dry hand. Repeat the process with the rest of the slices.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet on medium heat. When the oil gets hot, fry the cheese slices until browned and flip and brown the other side. Remove from skillet and top with the hot marinara sauce. Serve with your choice of pasta. (I used pappardelle)

Enjoy!

Suggested songs to listen to while preparing the goodness…..

How about Luciano Pavarotti‘s “Pavarotti: The Duets” released in 2008 featuring duets with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Sting, Frank Sinatra and others?

“Manic Monday” – written by Prince and made famous by the Bangles from their 1986 album Different Light. Just substitute the word “meatless” in place of “manic” while preparing this dish!

Grilled Banana Leaf Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass & Asparagus

I consider Chilean Sea Bass the king of the sea with its thick white flaky texture and delicate flavor almost reminiscent of King Crab but not as rich. This easy recipe uses banana leaves that create steam and lock in the flavor of the fish, herbs and spices.

We have several banana trees in the yard. They are easy to grow but are hard to get to fruit before the first freeze comes along. They die back in the winter but come back up in the spring. I did get one to flower last summer but the blossoms eventually dropped off.

If you don’t have banana leaves available, you can usually get some from a Latin market.

Cook / Prep Time – about 30 minutes

Servings – 2

Ingredients:

2 – 6 oz. Chilean Sea Bass Filets, fresh or frozen
1 lb fresh asparagus
3 large banana leaves
1 small bunch baby leeks (or green onions)
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
3 tbsp herb butter
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp Cajun seasoning (or something similar)
1/2 lemon, quartered

For the herb butter:

3 tbsp butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt

I mixed fresh dill, chives, thyme, rosemary and tarragon from my herb garden, but feel free to use any of your favorite herbs.

Step # 1 – If using frozen fish filets, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or under cold running water. Prepare the herb butter by adding the chopped herbs and salt to the softened butter and mix well. Spoon the ball into wax paper and roll up into a tube shape. Place back in the refrigerator to harden.

Step # 2 – clean and trim the asparagus then parboil it in boiling water for just a few seconds until it turns bright green. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

Step # 3 – rinse the banana leaves and dry them with a paper towel. rinse the sea bass and pat dry with a paper towel. Set the three banana leaves on the counter and set the asparagus in the middle of one, and the fish filets in the middle of the other two.

Step # 4 – if you are using a charcoal grill, get the coals started. Season the fish and the asparagus with the lemon pepper and Cajun seasoning. Unroll the herb butter and add a tablespoon slice to each fish filet and the asparagus. Add the baby leeks, lemon wedge and rosemary sprigs to the fish and wrap each fish filet and the asparagus tightly with the banana leaves. Secure with toothpicks or use these ovenproof rubber bands like I used.

I used Lawry’s Lemon Pepper and Trader Joe’s Chile Lime seasoning.

Step # 5 – if using a gas grill, turn on medium heat and preheat you oven to 400 degrees. Place the fish and asparagus in the banana leaves on the grill. Grill the asparagus for two minutes on each side and remove from the grill. Grill the fish for about 8 minutes per side and put all three leaf packages on an ovenproof tray and place in the oven for about 6 more minutes until the flesh of the fish is tender, white and flaky.

Unwrap the fish and asparagus and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Suggested music to listen to while preparing the Sea Bass…..

This is a sort of a tropical dish, so how about some reggae? It doesn’t get much better than Bob Marley and the Wailer’s “Legend” featuring all of his best songs on one album, recorded from 1972 – 1983.

And “The Name Game“ by Shirley Ellis from 1964. “ Banana nana fo fana fee fi mo mana – banana” !!

Some Sights and Scenes from Savannah

We recently took a road trip to the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia. Here are a few pictures from our walking tour around their historic 22 squares and the riverfront.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sea Salt Coconut Haystacks (Quarantine Cookies)

I was looking through our pantry to see what we had that I could use to make something to satisfy my sweet tooth while sheltering in place. I found some coconut, oatmeal, and a few partial bags of baking chips. Hmmm… let’s see what we can make using those items!

Note: I had a variety of baking chips available, but you can use any flavor or combination of flavors in this recipe. Just make sure they equal 1 2/3 cup total.

Cook / Prep Time – 1 hour

Servings 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 can condensed milk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Toast 1 cup of the coconut in the oven until browned. Remove and set aside. In a double boiler, melt the butter, the condensed milk and all of the baking chips together, stirring frequently.

In another bowl, mix the oats, the toasted coconut, and the other coconut flakes.

When all the baking chips are melted, add the sea salt and vanilla and blend together.

Place some parchment paper on a sheet pan and spray with pan spray. Use a scoop or spoon and spray it with pan spray, too.

When the baking chips are melted and smooth, take off the heat and stir in the coconut and oatmeal mixture. When blended, scoop up the mixture by the spoonful and place on the parchment paper. Sprinkle sea salt on the top of each.

Place in the refrigerator and chill until cooled and firm. That’s it!

**Warning – you may consider adapting a self isolating exercise regimen after eating several of these!

Enjoy!

Suggested self quarantine playlist to listen to while preparing these….

“U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer from his 1990 album “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” that features the opening riff of the Rick James song, “Superfreak”

“Too Much Time on My Hands” by Styx from their 1981 album “Paradise Theatre”

“Alone” by Heart from their 1987 album “Bad Animals”

“Keep Your Hands to Yourself” by The Georgia Satellites from their 1986 album, Georgia Satellites”

Shelter in Place Bacon White Bread

Bored at home while “self isolating” ? Cook something!

Here is a delicious bacon flavored bread that you can make while sheltering in place, especially if you cannot find bread in the grocery store. (I couldn’t) But I did find bread flour, yeast and bacon! Everything I needed! (Except toilet paper) This bread makes an excellent B.L.T. !

Note: you can make regular white bread by eliminating the bacon and replacing the bacon fat with shortening, but why would you? You could also use a few extra bacon strips for a more intense bacon flavor.

Cook/Prep Time: 3-3 1/2 hours

Makes two large loaves

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
4 strips bacon
1/4 cup bacon fat
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp salt
2 pkg active dry yeast
6 cups bread flour
1/2 cup warm water

Fry the 4 strips of bacon. Reserve and cool the bacon fat. Set the bacon aside to cool.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it set until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

Warm the milk and add the salt, bacon fat and shortening . Place in a mixing bowl with a dough hook. Add 5 cups of the bread flour, the yeast mixture and the 2 eggs. Mix it on low speed for a few minutes until it all comes together. Place the bacon strips in a food processor to form a paste. Add the paste to the mixing bowl. Slowly add the rest of the flour as needed and mix on medium speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

If you still have some of the reserved bacon fat, grease a bowl for the dough. Place the dough on the counter and knead it for a few minutes, then place it in the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm draft free place and let it set for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Grease two 9×5 loaf pans. (I only had one pan, so I used a baking stone for the 2nd loaf)

Punch the dough down, removing the air bubbles, and place back in the covered bowl again and let it rest until doubled in size again, 30-45 minutes.

Place the dough on the counter and divide the dough into two dough balls. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into a 9×12 rectangle. Roll them up and pinch the ends to seal.

Place the loaves in the pans, sealed sides down. Cover and let rise until doubled again, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or 350 degrees in a convection oven.

Using a bread lame, razor, or sharp knife, make a small slice across the top of the loaves. When the bread is ready, place in the oven and bake 30-40 minutes until well browned and they sound hollow when tapping them. Remove them from the oven, brush with bacon fat and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Suggested songs to listen to while self isolating and baking the bread….

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police from their third album “Zeno-atta Mondatta” released in 1980.

“From a Distance” by Bette Midler from her 1990 album “Some People’s Lives”

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor from her album “Love Tracks” released in 1978.

Browse my blog for more recipes to fix at home while social distancing…..

Lobster Bisque

It has been a while since I made this, and I have been craving it lately, so let’s do this!

Cook / Prep Time – about an hour

Servings – 2 – 3

Ingredients:

2 – 6 oz lobster tails
1 qt vegetable stock
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 celery rib
1 medium carrot
1 medium potato
2 large shallots
2 green onions
1 lg clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp ap flour

Add the vegetable stock, water and wine to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Add the lobster tails and cook for five minutes. Remove them, let them cool and chop the lobster meat and place it in the refrigerator. Place the lobster shells back in the stock and simmer while cleaning the vegetables.

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven on low heat. Clean, wash and dice all of the vegetables, keeping the green onions separate (for garnish). Place the vegetable scraps into the stock pot with the lobster shells. Add the chopped vegetables to the Dutch oven with the butter and cook on low heat until the vegetables soften. Add the tomato paste to the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the flour to the vegetables, continuing to stir for another 5 minutes. using a sieve, pour the hot lobster stock into the vegetables and let it simmer for 5 more minutes while stirring.

Using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables and stock together. Add the heavy cream and chopped lobster meat and return to low heat and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with the chopped green onions. That’s it! I served it with some toasted sourdough bread I made yesterday.