Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures

When I was trying to come up with a fitting name for this post I had to think twice about including the words "hot pockets". After recent unflattering news about the frozen convenience food was everywhere I looked, I wasn't too sure if this was going to attract my readers attention or turn them away. Good news though, my hot pockets have nothing in common with their grocery store namesake and you can safely cook and enjoy them for your own family. ;-)

St. Patrick's Day has been one of those holiday's that my kids, no matter how old they get, always look forward to because of the delicious food. My youngest started asking a couple of weeks ago if I was going to fix my Glazed Corned Beef and Colcannon, while my sixteen year old is all about the Irish Soda Bread. While all of these favorites, along with my St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding will be making an appearance on St. Patrick's Day, I'm always thinking of some new and interesting recipes to add to my collection for the holiday.

The idea for these Hot Pockets came to me the other day while in the kitchen and I thought they would be a tasty addition to our St. Patrick's Day menu. The filling is a fairly simple combination of fried cabbage and corned beef. The meat can either be bought from the deli counter at your local supermarket or you can use leftover cooked corned beef. The cabbage mixture gets topped with a sprinkle of Dubliner Cheese and then everything gets encased in a flaky puff pastry crust. A quick bake in the oven and you are all set with the tastiest hot pockets you've ever had. 

 

Also, make sure to check out some of my posts from the previous year when my blog was still in its infancy if you are looking for more St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes:

Glazed Corned Beef
Irish Colcannon Potatoes
Fried Cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Shepherd's Pie
Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Truffle Centers and Bailey's Buttercream
 ~makes 24 cupcakes~ 
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness beer
16 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's Buttercream:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5-8 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

Directions:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the Guinness/butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, the pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling).

Meanwhile , cut out a portion from the center of each cooled cupcake with an apple corer or using the cone method (a small paring knife words best for this). Once the truffle mixture has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

For the Bailey's Buttercream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and Bailey's until smooth. Add more Bailey's if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Slightly adapted from: Annie's Eats

Yesterday's post kicked off my Halloween week with two fun drinks to get the party started, but no party would be complete without the food. Appetizers are a must and let your guests mingle easily while eating. There is no better way of saying "Welcome to our lovely home" then by offering Witch
Finger Poppers and Eye of Newt to your favorite ghouls when stopping by for a visit.

Witch Finger Poppers are, according to my husband, one of the best jalapeno poppers around and I've been fixing them for many years. What sets them apart from a regular deep fried version is that they are baked and with that, at least a little bit better for you. Seeded and halved jalapenos are stuffed with a filling of cream cheese, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, bacon and seasonings before being dipped in breadcrumbs. Ketchup and a sliced almond complete the grizzly witch fingernail effect. The poppers are then baked for about 30 minutes before serving. Just make sure to cool them a bit before biting into them, unless you are going for the "skin burned off the roof of your mouth feel" (been there, done that, got the t-shirt). 

Eye of Newt is a fun take on my Snappy Deviled Eggs which are a staple at our house as well. This time around the filling gets its "moldy" color from blue, green and yellow food coloring before being piped into the egg halves. A sliced olive along with a sliver of pimiento make up the pupil and finally gel food coloring applied with a toothpick to the white part of the egg add the finishing touch to the "Eye of Newt".

Both of these appetizers add hilarious touches that make your Halloween buffet just a little more ghoulish.  Depending on how many goblins you have coming by this year you might want to go ahead and double the recipes as they never last long!

Party Tips:

- You can make the Witch Finger Poppers the day before your party. Just seed and fill the peppers. Place in baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Set in refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Make the Eye of Newt the morning of your party but wait until a couple of hours before your guests arrive to apply the red food color, otherwise it will "bleed" into the white of the egg.


Witch Finger Poppers
(adapted from Taste of Home Magazine)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
12 medium jalapeno peppers, stems removed, halved lengthwise and seeded*
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheeses, bacon and seasonings. Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each pepper half. Dip tops of stuffed peppers into bread crumbs.

Place a small amount of ketchup at the end of each popper; top with a sliced almond to resemble a fingernail. Place in a greased 15 x 10 inch baking dish (make sure to pack them in tightly or the filling will run out). Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

* When cutting or deeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face (trust me on this!).


Eye of Newt Deviled Eggs
(makes 20 eyeballs)
(Printable Recipe)

10 large eggs, hard boiled
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (your favorite kind)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Blue, yellow and green food coloring

Sliced olives

Diced pimiento

Red food coloring

Preparation:

Peel and halve hard boiled eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Place yolks in a bowl along with mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and hot sauce. With the immersion blender mix everything to desired consistency (you can use a fork and mash if you don't have a blender). Season with salt and pepper. Color egg yolk mixture with blue, yellow and green food color until desired color is reached. Pipe egg mixture back into egg halves. Garnish each egg halve with 1 sliced olive, 1 diced pimiento placed inside the olive. Add red food coloring with a toothpick for the blood-shot eye effect.


Stay tuned for more ghoulish treats on Thursday!

Make the cordials: Combine the infused vodka, orange liquor and lemon juice in a large measuring cup, add a splash of lemon-lime soda and stir. Pour into chilled martini glasses and garnish with candy corn.

Adapted from: Foodnetwork.com

After talking to the birthday girl to find out her favorite colors I went with a yellow/red theme. The cake part of the cupcakes is my go-to recipe for Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes. The frosting is a simple, but tasty, Fluffy Vanilla Frosting that I tinted orange with food coloring. However, if you are looking for a shortcut, feel free to use a boxed cake mix and canned frosting.

Deviled Eggs and Easter go together hand in hand. My kids love them and so do I. My husband who is not the world's biggest egg fan will not touch most deviled eggs but he will eat mine. The secret to mine that makes them irresistible to him is plain old hot sauce, which will take any deviled egg to the next level.

Deviled eggs are an easy, portable (especially if you have a carrier) party or celebration food and I guarantee that your plate will always be empty when you return home. 

First the eggs are hard boiled. I find that if the eggs are a few days old rather than very fresh ones they peel much better. The eggs are then cut and the egg yolk is scooped out and mixed with mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and of course hot sauce. I really like the taste of Louisiana Hot Sauce but any kind you like will do.  In order to provide the smoothest, creamiest consistency I use my trusty immersion blender. After the mixture is blended well I fill it into a piping bag with a big star tip and pipe it back into the egg halves. You can also use a round tip or in a pinch, use a ziploc bag and just snip the corner off your bag to the desired size, then pipe away. After the eggs are filled, I sprinkle them with a little bit of sharp paprika for an additional little kick. 

I hope you'll give my snappy eggs a try, who knows, maybe you'll be able to convert an egg-hater as well.

Snappy Deviled Eggs

~makes 20 halves~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

Dips or Salsas are always easy to send along but then again a lot of people think along the same lines so there is never a shortage of these either. He asked if I could figure something out he could take in a crock-pot, and always being happy to oblige, I looked through my giant recipe files and decided on an old stand-by; Block Party Beans. 

I have made this countless times for potlucks, barbecues, and neighborhood get togethers since it easily feeds a crowd and people respond very well to this version. The ingredients are mixed up very quickly and then just "hang out" in the crock-pot. You can also bake them in the oven or cook them on top of the stove, whatever suits you best and makes you happy.

Block Party Beans

~serves 12~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients: