How to "Tie-Dye" Sugar Cookie Bars

More Short-Cut Sweeties...
Lazy Lady Petit Fours
Lazy Lamingtons
Lazy Buckeyes

Yet another short-cut recipe. This Sugar Cookie Bar recipe has been all over the world wide web and I clung to it because one; I love sugar cookies, two; I hate rolling, cutting, baking, and frosting them. Too much work. And then they break. Grrr. With this little recipe I am able to bang out about 5 dozen cookie bars all frosted beautifully in one fell swoop. I thought "tie-dying" them would look pretty cool for Easter and Spring-time.


To decorate cookies, reserve 2 cups frosting to remain white. Separate the other 3 cups into 1 cup individual portions and color each as desired. Spread the pan of cookies with 2 cups white frosting. Place the other 3 colors in their own pastry bag- no tip needed- or zip top bag with a small hole cut from a corner.


Pipe the 3 colors over the white frosting in an alternating pattern.


Cover with plastic wrap and smooth frosting using your hand.


Remove wrap and using a chopstick, score vertically through each color every 1/2 inch being sure to alternate directions. Wipe chopstick between each pass.


Cover with wrap again and smooth the new lines following the direction in which they were scored.


Store covered in the refrigerator until frosting is set. Cut into about 60 bars and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or feezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.


Sugar Cookie Bars- adapted from My Baking Addiciton
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
5 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Sift dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture in small amounts. Mix batter until all flour is incorporated. Press into a large greased jelly-roll pan, 11x17 inches. Bake in 375 degree oven for 12 minutes.

Buttercream Frosting
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
3 T. light karo syrup

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and salt then one cup powdered sugar at a time, scraping down sides until well blended. While mixer is running on medium-high speed add in karo and beat frosting until light and fluffy. Makes about 5 cups frosting.

Note- You will use all of this frosting. The cookies are very thick and need that thick layer of frosting. It is a great ratio, trust me.

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed,
Have a Blessed Easter.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

How to Eat a Topkuss or Dickmann's the Grown-Up Way

Warning: This is a clean post, so if the title has made you giggle then you think just like me.

Have you ever heard of people talking about various and quirky ways they like to eat something, for example, my Dad likes to eat his cornbread crumbled in a glass of milk, my friend likes beans on toast with a poached egg on top, some of our family eats rice crackers over their popcorn and popcorn on their clam chowder, and I like to eat my cupcakes with the bottom ripped off and placed over the frosting so it is like a cupcake sandwich. One time while eating a Dickmann's (yes the name always gives me a good chuckle), one of Himself's German co-workers introduced to me a way to eat them "grown-up" style. I don't know if all Germans eat them this way but this is how his family enjoyed them. Watch the video to see the grown-up version of eating a Dickmann's. Dickmann's or Topkuss can be found in some European grocers here in the States or you can get them here. Nabisco's Mallowmars would work too.



Do you have a quirky but yummy way to eat something? Share.

PS- I also like to eat PopTarts toasted and smathered in butter. I probably should go get help for that one.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

Ploughman's Lunch

Ploughman's Lunch- popular British pub fare, its name based on the simple offerings eaten by a ploughman or farmer while in the field, consisting of but not limited to crusty bread, butter, cheese, relish or what Brits call pickle- usually Branston Pickle or Piccalilli, cheese, cold meat, and fruit such as half an apple.

Big Red Kitchen's Ploughman's Lunch:
1. Cornichon Pickles
2. Branston Pickle 520g
3. Heinz Piccalilli (Chutney) 280g ( Pack of 2)
4. Sliced Apple
5. Butter
6. Grape Tomatoes
7. Horseradish Cheese from my trip to Lancaster County, PA
8. Sweet Bologna from my trip to Lancaster County, PA
9. Pickled Beets
10. Olives
11. Turkish Flat Bread, 15 inches wide- look how I used it as the platter! Clever girl that one.

Now that you get the idea, go make you own- be unique.
And don't forget the cold beer, it's pub food remember.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

This is a Buckeye...

More Peanut Butter Goodness...
Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce
Peanut Butter Sticks
Peanut Butter Bars
Chicken Satay

A lazy one. If you have been hanging out with me for a while, you will know that I like to take short cuts, I am a bit lazy, or maybe in too much of a hurry. Whichever. I was dying for a Buckeye one day, crispy not smooth, when I decided I would make them but then I really didn't want to roll them all out and dip them in chocolate. Maybe it is more of an instant gratification thing than laziness. So I pressed the peanut butter part in a 9x7 inch glass dish and poured the melted chocolate over top. Done and done. Terrifically fast and easy.

Lazy, Crispy Buckeyes
3 C. Rice Krispies
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 C. peanut butter
1 stick butter

Melt butter and peanut butter in the microwave until smooth, add powdered sugar and fold in cereal. Mix gently until well blended. Press into a 9x7 inch glass dish.

For topping:
In a medium glass bowl, melt 3 T. butter in the microwave. Stir in 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips until smooth. You may have to zap it for 10 more seconds to get it smooth. Pour over top of peanut butter filling and spread evenly. Let chocolate set and using metal dough scraper or spatula, score one inch pieces all the way through. Place in fridge until hardened. Now it will be easier to remove from pan, one piece at a time. The first piece will get demolished so eat it right away, the rest will be fine. About 63 pieces.


I have updated Blogs of the Month for March, click over and see who I've been reading lately.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

Bangers and Tatties, My Way

More St. Pat's Fare...
St. Patrick's Day Feast
Irish Soda Bread
Irish Eggs Benedict

We have already started celebrating St. Patrick's Day by whipping up some Double Chocolate Stout Milkshakes last Saturday night and boy were they ever good. Then Sunday night we went to my brother's and I brought Bangers and Tatties. I told Rob that I had bangers but not the right potatoes to make Mash and he said to use the pierogies I always keep on hand for the kids' lunches, so I did, why not?


I really cheated on this meal by using the pierogies in place of peeling, dicing, boiling, and making mashed potatoes. I also used one bag of shredded cabbage, you know, the stuff you get in the produce section to make coleslaw. Then by adding a bold sauce made with Murphy's Stout, this dish went from stort cut to gourmet. I could have drank that Stout Sauce, it was that good.



Bangers and Tatties Robin Sue's Way
Saute a 10 ounce bag of shredded cabbage with one thinly sliced sweet onion, fresh ground nutmeg and black pepper, and kosher slat to taste. All in a bit of butter of course- about 1 1/2 T. While that cooks, in a huge skillet with lid, steam 12 bangers (from Trader Joe's) and 3 boxes of Mrs. T's Pierogies in 1/4 cup Murphy's Stout, 1 1/2 cups water, and 2 T. butter. Once the pierogies are soft- takes about 10-12 minutes, pour the broth off into a pot and add to it- 1 T. Dijon mustard, 1 T. horseradish, kosher salt and pepper to taste, and 1 T. corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup stout. Also throw in a few pinches of sugar to soften the bite of the stout. Gently heat the sauce until thickened while the bangers and pierogies continue to fry in their original pan with 2 T. butter thrown in to prevent sticking. Place all components decoratively on a platter and serve immediately. Serve sour cream on the side. Serves 8.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

1607 Pie

For more Big Red Kitchen travel adventures- Click Here

They do not sell stocks in the gift shops at Williamsburg, I checked. Last weekend my two younger children and I escaped Washington to Williamsburg where the weather was ten degrees warmer and the beach at Yorktown was beckoning. I packed a picnic lunch and a cooler full of food along with my electric skillet so that I could cook dinner in our hotel room in order to save money so that we can escape more often. The weather was perfect and we saw many things while there.


For one, we visited Jamestown where I was more interested in how food was cooked way back then. This man dressed in 17th century garb, I call these people Pretenders, talked to me at length about the food of the early settlers and how things were preserved and cooked. His question to the children was, "What is easier to make, a meat sandwich or a meat pie?" They answered meat pie. Good job class. The reason was of course that bread is much more time consuming to make than a pie dough. Right.


After seeing all the work that goes into even making a simple pasty (pahsty), or hand pie, I was very thankful for my own servants- dishwasher, garbage disposal, washing machine, dryer, KA mixer, oven, and cooktop. Those people worked VERY hard back then. All the food made by the Pretenders is eaten by other Pretenders who are pretending to be various people at Jamestown. I like pretending.


The night after our trip, I decided to make pasties like the Pretender and right away I wanted to march back to him and ask, "What is even easier than making hand pies?" Making one giant meat pie.


I browned some ground beef with onions and tiny diced potatoes. Seasoned it all with thyme, salt and pepper figuring I will stick to what they had back then. I made my own crust by hand using flour, salt, and butter with a little cold water. My own 1607 Pie was very good served with ketchup or barbecue sauce, which they did not have back then but I figured none of them would ever find out.

1607 is the time Jamestown was settled. Plymouth schlymouth, Virginia is where is all began.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

Tutorial: How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mallow Candies

More Food Crafts:
Little Peach Cakes
Rainbow Cupcakes with Rainbow Frosting
Candy Cake

Have you ever had a Mallo Cup? It looks like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but instead is filled with marshmallow cream coated in chocolate and coconut. Everytime Himself and I eat a our favorite lunch counter we like to follow our meal with candy from the old-fashioned candy counter and my first pick is always the Mallo Cups.

Last week when I was at the grocery store, I spotted Kraft's Strawberry Flavored Marshmallows and thought it would be fun to chocolate dip them for the kids. But no, I couldn't leave that plan well enough alone, I had to make them actually look like chocolate covered strawberries, thus a huge kitchen experiment and mess ensued resulting in Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mallow Candies just in time for Spring-time Easter Baskets.

You will need:
Kraft's Strawberry Flavored Marshmallows
Melted Chocolate of choice, both milk or dark, and white
Hershey's Chocolate Kisses- Special Dark was used here
Dessicated Coconut
Sprinkles of Choice
Strawberry Leaves
Wooden Toothpicks
Parchment Paper-lined Cookie Sheet
Plastic Zip-Top Snack Bags- 2
Knife and Cutting Board
Scissors


Have everything you need "mise en place" so that once you start, the process will flow smoothly. On a platter place toothpicks, leaves, un-wrapped Kisses, marshmallows, sprinkles, and coconut. Have knife and cutting board close by, as well as a lined cookie sheet, and melted chocolate. You will work as if on an assembly line.


For this project I used Ghirardelli's Candy Making and Dipping Bar, White Chocolate Flavor and Double Chocolate Flavor. This chocolate melts well and has never bloomed on me, meaning it has never formed white streaks once set. The flavor is definitely a candy coating flavor and not a real chocolate flavor. If you want to use real chocolate, follow my tips on my real chocolate covered strawberry tutorial. I like to melt small amounts of chocolate in a mug at a time as it is easier to work with smaller batches to control mess and waste.


Start by cutting a marshmallow in half. Only cut a few at a time since marshmallows like to dry out quickly.


Press the flat side of a Hershey's Kiss to the cut side of a marshmallow then push a toothpick through the marshmallow and slightly into the Kiss to anchor it while dipping in chocolate.


Dip the candy into the melted chocolate just up to the egde of the top of the marshmallow. Gently tap the toothpick on the edge of the cup to remove excess chocolate.


Roll the chocolate coated candy in coconut being sure to cover all sides. If you do not care for coconut then this would be the time to sprinkle the candy with assorted Sprinkles. I chose Easter Sprinkles for Easter or Spring-time.


Place the dipped candy on the parchment-lined cookie sheet to set. Continue making more candies with the remaining ingredients.


Another decorating option is to drizzle the chocolate covered candies with white or dark chocolate. To do this, place a small amount of melted chocolate in a plastic zip-top bag and cut a very tiny hole in the corner. While applying gentle pressure on the bag, squeeze the chocolate out in a continuous drizzle over the candies. I drizzled the white berries in double chocolate and the double chocolate berries in white chocolate.


Let these set on the parchment-lined cookie sheet while you make more variations of this candy. Make as many as you desire.


To remove the toothpick, hold the candy in one hand, without crushing it of course, with your other hand grab the toothpick and give it a slight twist to break its grip on the Kiss, then give a gentle pull and it will come free. Replace the toothpick with a strawberry leaf. Store candies in an airtight container. If these candies are left out they will dry quickly and the marshmallow will pull away from the chocolate. These are very pretty in clear plastic containers or cellophane bags tied with pastel ribbons.

My favorite combination was definitely the chocolate covered marshmallows covered in coconut, just like my beloved Mallo Cups.



The Real Deal: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to Big Red Kitchen. Oh and I have a Newsletter too, go ahead and sign up.

Robin Sue

For More Big Red Kitchen...Subscribe/Newsletter/Fan Club

Chorizo Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

More Food-on-Sticks, Because Food-on-Sticks Rule:
Chicken Satay
Andouille and Sweet Potato Kebabs
Cream Cheese Sheet Cake
Leftover Ice Cream Cake

We attended a Martini Party the other night and needed to bring an appetizer. Knowing that about every flavor of martini would be served, I wanted a food that would compliment each drink- sweet or savory. So I went for the 3 S's- Sweet, Spicy, and Smokey. I also wanted something on a toothpick so that the consumers of the appetizer could easily eat while holding a drink all the while retaining clean fingers. After perusing Foodgawker I spotted Andrea's Chorizo Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon- 3 ingredients that matched my criteria and all on a toothpick.

This appetizer comes together very quickly once you prepare each ingredient. Slice the bacon in thirds, remove the casings from about 3 chorizo, and using a scissors, cut one side of each pitted date open so that you may stuff them. I am sure that any sausage will do, but be sure that it is spicy. Although my chorizo had an excellent flavor, it could have been a bit hotter. So know your brand of sausage first.


These were excellent little bites with big flavor. I was really surprised how sweet the dates came through once they were caramelized. I will be making this again and would love to try it with andouille sausage as well.


Chorizo Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
10 ounces pitted dates
1 pound bacon, sliced in thirds
about 6 ounces chorizo, raw, casings removed

Using a scissors, cut one side of each date open and stuff with a scant teaspoon of chorizo. Wrap the stuffed date with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes. Watch closely as the bottoms can burn easily due to the natural sugars in the dates. Makes about 45 pieces.

Robin Sue