How you doin’? There is this middle generation in the United States that never learned to cook by being tied to their mother’s, grandmother’s or even their father’s apron strings to learn how to cook. A lot of our country’s traditions are tied to the foods we eat. Now, while so many of us are locked down is the perfect time to teach our children a little bit about cooking.
 
It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it isn’t just limited to the “girls.” It’s an opportunity to teach everybody in the family (dads included) to try their hand at cooking. I am not suggesting that everything should be made from scratch or that the ingredients must be expensive… just a little something to get everyone’s feet just a little wet and begin to learn how to cook.
 
This recipe starts with refrigerated biscuit dough—the kind that Poppin’ Fresh jumps out of in all the Pillsbury commercials. Poppin' Fresh, more widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, is an advertising mascot for the Pillsbury Company, appearing in many of their commercials. I worked at the production house where the Doughboy was born. Many commercials from 1965 until 2005 concluded with a human finger poking the Doughboy's stomach. The Doughboy responds when his stomach is poked by giggling. I still have the original Doughboy Model in “my collection of stuff.”
 
Okay, get off your cell phone and Facebook and supervise your kids to bake homemade Monkey Bread with the help of Poppin’ Fresh. This recipe is for Mable and Monty and their moms or dads. They’ll love this recipe because it is so much fun to eat and it is so simple to make—and they can do a lot of them themselves which they’ll love.
 
Prep time for kids:  5 minutes
Prep time for adults:  15 minutes
Bake time:  35 minutes
Yield:  8 to 12 servings
 
Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough (Pillsbury or private label house brand)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Grease a tube pan with food release spray.
3. Mix 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon in a large plastic bag. Set aside.
4. Quarter the biscuits with kitchen shears. Dip shears in water after each cut to keep the biscuits from getting too sticky.
5. Place about 8 pieces of biscuit dough at a time in the plastic bag; shake in the sugar mixture and place the pieces in a sprayed tube pan. Do this until all biscuit dough pieces are used.
6. Melt the butter and mix in 3/4 cup sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved.
7. Pour mixture over biscuits.
8. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

ChefSecret:  If desired, a thin mixture of confectioners’ sugar and milk frosting can be poured over warm pull-a-part Monkey Bread pieces.  You can also add fruit, like raisins or bananas, and also nuts and chocolate chips.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “When all is said and done and the government does a postmortem on the Covid-19 pandemic they will find out it was a conspiracy between the makers of Charmin and Scott toilet tissue.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #MonkeyBread #Bread #Pillsbury #PoppinFresh #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Homemade butterscotch custard or pudding is one of the most underrated desserts. It doesn’t have the telltale flavor of chocolate or the fun little beads in tapioca, yet it does have that comeback flavor of rich creamery butter and brown sugar that makes it so very desirable.
 
In my recipe, we’re combining the outstanding flavors of caramelized brown sugar and butter with vanilla and a little American bourbon. This butterscotch pudding recipe is luxuriously creamy, velvety-rich, and totally unforgettable topped with a spoonful of toffee and fresh whipped cream.
 
Butterscotch was originally a confection whose primary ingredients were brown sugar and butter, but other ingredients such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt were also included. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshire, used molasses in place of or in addition to sugar.
 
Butterscotch was made famous in 1851 when Queen Victoria was presented ice cream covered with a butterscotch sauce, made of melted butterscotch candies and cream. However, the term “butterscotch” is also often used more specifically to refer to the flavor of brown sugar and butter together even if the actual confection “butterscotch” is not involved, such as in butterscotch custard pudding.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  7 to 10 minutes
Chill time:  1 to 2 hours
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Dash salt
1 cup 2% milk (see ChefSecret below)
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon American bourbon
2 tablespoons homemade whipped cream
2 teaspoon toffee or brittle bits (optional but recommended)
 
Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.
2. Add the milk and egg yolk and stir until smooth.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to stir for another 1 to 2 minutes until the pudding has thickened.
4. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter, vanilla and bourbon if using.
5. Cool to room temperature, stirring several times.
6. Pour into 2 individual ramekins. Cover with the food film touching the surface and refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours.
7. Top with whipped cream and toffee bits.

ChefSecret:  To make a richer pudding substitute a portion (or all) of the milk with a little half and half or whipping cream.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “With the threat of another outbreak of Covid-19 I went to the store the other day and noticed the shelves were a bit empty, but I wasn’t frightened enough to eat tofu yet.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Dessert #Snack #Pudding #Butterscotch #ButterscotchPudding #Bourbon #QueenVictoria #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? I must admit I love fried foods—all fried foods—do you? Since we are not going out to lunch these days, I haven’t had French fries in over nine months (full disclosure… I did stop at KFC for some extra crispy chicken twice). I am far beyond withdrawal, but I must confess I really miss my French fries. However, I’ve lost about 30-pounds without my daily potatoes so there’s a silver lining.
 
I want to share with you the best procedure for making French fries that we developed for TGI Friday’s back when everything in their kitchens was made from scratch. You might find this procedure a bit Baroque (long and complex), but the end results are definitely worth it.
 
Prep time:  1-1/2 hours active
Soak time:  24 to 48 hours soaking overnight
Final fry time:  4-1/2 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-by-1/4-inch fries kept refrigerated in cold, clean water overnight (about 5-6 potatoes, depending on size)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
3 quarts peanut oil for frying
1 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt
 
Directions

1. To make perfect homemade, fast-food-style French fries start by peeling cutting and soaking the raw fries in cold water to remove much of the surface of the starch. Continue to soak the potatoes in several turns of fresh cold water for at least 24-hours. From here, the perfect French fry procedure is straightforward, if not laborious.
2. After you have soaked the potatoes, you are going to par-fry the potatoes in peanut oil as follows:
3. Fill a large container with a gallon of cold water with the vinegar and granulated sugar.
4. Preheat a frying kettle or Dutch oven filled with peanut oil to 250⁰F.
5. Working quickly, remove the cut fries from the cold water, drain off as much water as you can without breaking the fries.
6. Par-fry the potatoes in batches the peanut oil for 2-1/2 minutes.
7. Remove the par-fried potatoes and immediately plunge them into the cold sugar water.
8. Drain the potatoes for 10 minutes and then refry them again and plunge them in sugar water as before.
9. Drain the twice par-fried potatoes and hold at room temperature until ready to fry them for the last time. (See ChefSecret for more options.)
10. For the final fry, preheat a kettle or Dutch oven of peanut oil to 390⁰ F. Working in three batches, add the fries to the peanut oil and cook until the fries are light golden in color, about 4 minutes. When you add the fries the temperature of the oil will get lower. Carefully, adjust the temperature as needed in order to maintain oil temperature between 350⁰ F and 375⁰ F. It’s better to keep the oil temperature be below 375⁰ F rather than higher.
11. Agitate the fries with a slotted spoon or spider during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.
12. Remove the fries from the oil into a metal bowl or sheet pan lined with paper towels.
13. Season with kosher salt and serve hot immediately.

ChefSecret:  Peanut oil is the perfect shortening for frying Perfect French Fries. After par frying, you can freeze the par-fried potatoes on a tray. After they are completely frozen, bag them up in a zip lock bag. You can then fry them from frozen whenever you’re ready from Step #10 forward.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “The best way to avoid touching your face is to have a glass of wine in each hand.”

Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Snack #Side #Treat #FrenchFries #PerfectFries #Russet #TGIF #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? If you’ve never heard of Pudding Cakes (or Magic Cakes), you’re likely not alone. Simply put, they’re part cake and part pudding. As if by magic, a pudding cake is made from one batter. The magic happens while it’s baking.
 
A cake pan is filled with the cake batter and then placed in a larger baking pan. The larger baking dish is then partially filled with hot water. The lower portion of the baking pan that is submerged in water becomes the pudding layer and the portion above the water line turns into cake. When you take a spoonful, it’s a wonderful combination of a light and airy cake with a creamy pudding slurry on the bottom. Pretty much the best of both worlds in one bite!
 
Pudding Cakes come in all flavors… lemon, orange, chocolate, etc. Even though they’re not the most beautiful or highly decorated cakes, they are always guaranteed to be showstoppers packed with flavor thrills. It's a no-risk big hit in every family. You can also add chocolate to either the slurry or the cake batter.  Always serve pudding cakes warm with whipped cream.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  35 to 40 minutes
Yield:  8 to 12 servings
 
Ingredients
For the cake batter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup roasted and chopped pecans or walnuts
 
For the pudding slurry
1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup roasted and chopped pecans or walnuts
 
Directions
To make the cake batter

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Butter the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk and melted butter. Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

To make the pudding slurry

1. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, water and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and, using the back of a big spoon, carefully pour mixture over the batter in the pan.
2. Sprinkle the top of the slurry with pecans.
3. Put the pan of cake batter and slurry into a larger pan halfway filled with hot water.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Serve warm with whipped cream.

ChefSecret:  For our supermarket clients, this is a great product to add to a fresh-bakery program; it’s a great product to improve menu and ingredient optimization.
 
Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “I’ve had a lot of things to think about over the last 9- or 10- months.  One is,” what was the best thing before sliced bread?
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Dessert #CinnamonPuddingCake #Pudding Cake #Pecans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? I love tamales! There are tamale-like dishes in countries all around the world, not just Mexico and Central and South America. What is always interesting are the different wrappers and fillings that are used from country to country—corn, potato, rice for filling and corn husks, banana and tea leaves for wrappers.
 
I attempted to make tamales on several occasions. It can be an all-day affair—one that I don’t engage in anymore. Once you get started you have to make at least a hundred of them to make it worthwhile.  But everyone in our test kitchen knows to bring in some of “mama’s” homemade tamales at Christmas time—that’s the price for a year-end bonus.

Last year, I discovered a novel way to make a limited number of not-so-traditional tamales at home anytime you want them—they are Mini-Tamale Pie Muffins. Inside each crispy cornmeal muffin is a chili of seasoned ground beef and corn and bean salsa.
 
My mini-tamale muffins are made with lean ground beef, corn and bean salsa and plenty of seasoning—you’ll think you’re on a Mexican beach vacation. These mini-muffins have all the tasty goodness of “real” Mexican food, but because the recipe is made from scratch, you won't have all of the added lard you might find in many traditional tamales, yet there is a flavor-thrill in every bite and they’re so much fun to eat.
 
Planning a party? If you have a large group of people to feed, you can't go wrong with this easy tamale muffin recipe. Plan on about two tamale muffins per person with side of roasted corn and salsa. Your guests are sure to love the loaded mini muffins and they might just come back for seconds.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  20 minutes
Cool time:  5 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
For the filling
8 foil muffin cup liners
Food release spray (Pam works well)
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces ground beef (80/20)
2 to 3 teaspoons Ed’s Taco Seasoning (see recipe below)
3/4 cup tomato-chili salsa
1/4 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons water
 
For the topping
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all purpose-flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
3. Line 8 standard muffin cups with muffin cup liners.
4. Spray the liners with food release.

To make the filling

1. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook ground beef in the hot oil, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.
2. Stir in the taco seasoning, salsa, corn, and water.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened. Evenly divide between prepared muffin cups.

To make the topping

1. In a medium bowl whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, mustard powder, baking powder and kosher salt.
2. Whisk in the egg, milk and butter.
3. Top the filling in the muffin cups with the batter and cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until set.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

 
                                                        Ed’s Taco Seasoning
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cup
 
Ingredients
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. Measure out and whisk all the ingredients into a medium bowl making sure to break up any clumps.
2. If not using the spice mix immediately, transfer to an airtight container for long term storage at cool room temperature.

ChefSecret:  In a pinch, use Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, add 2 tablespoons of extra butter and 3/4 cup of grated Pepper Jack Cheese.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “It may take a village to raise a child, but I swear it’s going to take a whole vineyard to home school one.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #Side #Snack #CornMuffin #TamalePie #MiniMuffin #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica  #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021