Fried (actually baked) Pickels

Here's something I haven't tried before...fried pickels. I know some people will fry anything. Well, I'm not one for frying, you know, healthy living and all that...so, I was out with some friends and along came the order of fried pickels. Here's the trick, use very fresh pickels and a breading that protects the food inside. The goal is to have the pickel crunch when you take a bite. I'm working on my own breading and dipping sauce. I couldn't get the exact recipe for the dip, so it's still a work in progress. It goes something like this: pesto mixed with honey mustard dressing and some cilantro. I know...but, WOW! terrific flavor! The breading is also a trial and error to find the right, light, fully covering batter. It'll happen...thankfully, pickels don't go out of season.

Fall into Soup!

As fall descends upon us, I begin to work on new tasty recipes for my menus. I came upon a wonderful potato/leek soup that stunned me with it's brillance! Not too salty, simply creamy and delicious. Ahhh, a warm bowl of soup with some oyster crackers was just the perfect, light dinner I needed. Note to self: file this in winter soups as "a must-have for cold, snowy nights".

Re-creating a Zinger Cake

I'd do just about anything for my sister...until now. My sister finds this recipe that is a re-creation of the chocolate Zinger from the 70's. Even though she has great baking skills, she realizes the time this is going to take, sooooo, a little begging later and no deadline; I decide (of course) to take on this challenge. I spent 4 1/2 hours today making what is basically a cake with filling. Granted, the cake is absolutely one of the best I've ever tasted. But the filling and frosting are crazy time-consuming. The end product is very yummy- filled with calories and not something you want to eat every day (it has shortening in the filling). But...I think I like having my sister indebted to me for at least a month!!! As for a new catering product- not so much. I'll keep this as a special family/friend recipe.

Dessert Truffle Research

So, the cake balls I've been mentioning, are now called dessert truffles for my catering business. For some reason, the word "balls" didn't go over real well for some people when it came to eating...
My plan for the holidays is to research and develop various flavors for the Thanksgiving and Christmas party plans. I've come up with Thanksgiving flavors of carrot/spice, butter pecan, pumpkin, orange. For Christmas, mint chocolate, peppermint, red velvet, and chocolate covered cherry. I've made the mint chocolate and, ooooohh baby!!! Fabulous! I used a triple chocolate cake with mint flavoring and mint chocolate chip frosting. The pumpkin is still a work in progress and the cherry may have brandy included for better flavor enhancement. So far, these babies are a huge hit...I just hope I don't get carpel tunnel from all the wrist action!