Pinocchio Dinner

We made a themed dinner for Pinocchio!  It was fun to introduce Olivia to such a classic movie.  She was a little nervous during the Monstro part but I think she liked it! 

For dinner we had Stromboli's Stromboli, Cleo Crackers, Marionette String Cheese, Jiminy Cricket's Milkshake, and Blue Fairy Wands. 

Stromboli's Stromboli

Ingredients:

Frozen Bread Dough (I used Rhodes)

Half a package (4oz) of Italian Sausage

Pepperoni

Mozzarella Cheese

1/8 cup of Parmesan Cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning 

3 Tablespoons of butter

Directions:

1. Take the bread dough out of the freezer and place on a cookie sheet for about four hours until dough starts to thaw and rise.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Brown the Italian sausage in a pan for 3-5 minutes on medium high heat.

4. Melt butter in the microwave.  

5. Once the butter is melted, add the egg, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning and mix together.  

6. Stretch bread dough out to cover the entire cookie sheet. 

7. Using a brush, brush the butter mixture on the stretched out bread dough.

8. Put desired amount of Italian sausage, mozzarella, and pepperoni on the bread dough.

9. Roll up the dough and brushing with butter as you go.

10. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and turn.

11. Cook for 3 more minutes or until golden brown on top.

12. Cut into slices and serve. 

Cleo Crackers

Marionette String Cheese

Jiminy Cricket's Milkshake

I got this recipe from this cookbook. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar

6 scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream

1/4 cup of milk

6 mint oreos

Directions:

1. Leave the ice cream out for 10 minutes to soften.

2. Add heavy cream to an electric mixer with whisk attachment and whip until it begins to thicken. 

3. Add vanilla extract and sugar to the bowl.  Whisk until you get stiff peaks.

4. Blend ice cream, milk, and four cookies in a blender until combined.

5. Pour ice cream mixture into two glasses and top with heavy cream mixture. 

6. Crumble the last two cookies on top of the glass and serve with straws.

Blue Fairy Wands

I found this recipe here.

Ingredients:

2 bags of popped popcorn

3 Tablespoons of butter

1 bag of mini marshmallows

1/4 cup of flour

Star-shaped cookie cutters

Parchment paper

Cake pop sticks

Blue Sprinkles

Directions: 

1. Prepare popcorn as directed on packaging. 

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour.  

3. Microwave butter on high until melted, 10 seconds at a time.

4. Add marshmallows

5. Microwave on high until the marshmallows are puffy, about 1 minute.

6. Stir marshmallows until butter and marshmallows are completely combined.

7. Pour melted marshmallows over popcorn and mix until popcorn is coated.

8. Put the popcorn mixture on the baking sheet and use your hands/spatula to press the popcorn mixture as flat as possible.

9. Put desired amount of sprinkles over the popcorn.

10. Use star-shaped cookie cutters to create stars.

11. Insert cake pop sticks

We had a pretty easy, fun dinner!  It was fun to watch Olivia try some new food.

Quantum of Solace Dinner

Tonight we did a dinner for Quantum of Solace!  

For dinner we had Mr. White's White Chicken Chili, Strawberry Fields' Salad, Russian Potatoes, Bollinger Champagne, and for dessert, we had Italian Hazelnut and Fruit Platter. 

Mr White's White Chicken Chili

I got this soup from the grocery store! Yum!

Strawberry Fields' Salad

I found the recipe here and tweaked it a bit! 

Ingredients:

6oz of arugula 

2 cups of sliced strawberries

1/2 of a red onion, sliced

1/2 cup of cranberry goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup of pecans

4 slices of bacon, cooked

1 chicken breast, cubed

1/4 cup of Apple Cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons of honey

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

3/4 cup of olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook chicken breast cubes on medium high heat with a little bit of olive oil.

2. Mix together Apple Cider vinegar, honey, sugar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil, set aside.

3. Toss arugula, strawberries, onion, pecans, bacon, chicken, and cranberry goat cheese well.

4. Add in desired dressing.

Russian Potatoes

I found this recipe and altered it a bit.

Ingredients:

8 yellow potatoes

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 a red onion, diced

8oz of mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon of thyme

1 Tablespoon of parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream for garnish 

Directions:

1. Peel and cube the potatoes

2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium heat.

3. Throw in potatoes until golden brown.

4. Cover and cook for five more minutes, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

5. In another skillet, cook up onion in last Tablespoon of vegetable oil until translucent.

6. Add in mushrooms and cook until they are browned.

7. Add garlic, thyme and parsley.

8. Add potatoes to the onion mixture and serve with sour cream as a garnish. 

Champagne

I couldn't find any Bollinger champagne like they drink in the movie but we were still in the spirit! 

Italian Hazelnut and Fruit Platter

I used the Italian Hazelnut spread I got from my Try The World box with strawberries and blackberries.  It was sure tasty!

If you liked this dinner, check out our other James Bond dinners: 

Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Dinner

We had our friends, Nate and Alyssa, over for dinner and watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.  We had such a fun time! 

For dinner we had Keno's Pizza, TMNT Hard Shelled Eggs, Raphael's Fruit Plate, The Ooze Cocktail, and Sewer Lids.

Keno's Pizza

We ordered PIZZA PATROL!!!!

I feel bad for those of you reading that have no idea what Pizza Patrol is.  To give you an idea, take every other take out pizza you've ever tried, throw it in the trash, and drive to Moorhead!  Ok, so it's not THAT good... but it's pretty great! 

"Please, a moment to reflect!"

TMNT Hard Shelled Eggs

Hard boil eggs.  If you don't know how or want specifics, you can look it up on this deviled egg recipe.

I took 1/2 cup of boiling water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 10 drops of green food coloring.  I put the eggs in until they reached the desired color.  

I pulled them out and once they dried, I used Sharpie markers to create the eye masks.  I thought the Sharpies might leak through the shell but it didn't!

Raphael's Fruit Plate

I used bananas, strawberries, and grapes to create Raphael's face!

The Ooze Cocktail

2oz of Midori

1oz of Malibu

Fill with Pineapple Juice

Sewer Lids

We used mint Oreos.

We had a great weekend and Olivia loved her time with the Larsens! 

(We did too!)

Olivia and her Godfather!

The Three Caballeros Dinner

I had some guava paste from a Try the World box that was about to expire, so we decided to do a dinner for The Three Caballeros.  Oddly enough, the food was way better than the movie!  

*Not that the movie is bad, the food was just really, really good!

For dinner we had Jose Carioca's Guava BBQ Chicken Wings, Ponchito's Sopa Azteca, Donald's Cheese and Quackers, Mock Margaritas, and for dessert, a Tres Leches Cake.

Jose Carioca's Guava BBQ Chicken Wings

I found this recipe for Guava BBQ sauce and changed it up for the crockpot. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 of onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
10oz guava paste
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 cups of water
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt
Black Pepper

Directions: 
1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Saute onions until translucent.
3. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
4. Add remaining ingredients and reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes.
5. Add chicken wings to the crockpot and cover with the guava sauce.
6. Cook on low for six hours.  

Ponchito's Sopa Azteca

I got this recipe from the Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook.  It's a recipe that's used in the Mexico Pavillon in EPCOT where The Three Caballeros ride is!  It was excellent!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided

1/2 of an onion, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped and seeded

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 quart of chicken broth

2 teaspoons of dried dill

2 whole red chili peppers

4 soft corn tortillas

1 avocado, peeled and cubed

4 Tablespoons of sour cream

1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large pot.

2. Saute onion, tomatoes, and garlic until tender (5ish minutes).

3. Add chicken broth and dill; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove seeds and stems from peppers and cut each lengthwise.

5. Cut the tortillas in strips and set aside.

6. Heat one tablespoon of oil and saute peppers for two minutes.

7. Remove the peppers and place tortilla strips in oil until golden brown.

8. Place peppers, tortilla strips, and avocado in bowls (see below)

9. Spoon hot broth into the bowls and garnish with sour cream and Monterey Jack cheese. 

Donald's Cheese and Quackers

Mock Margaritas

I made Mock Margaritas with Frozen Lemonade concentrate, Frozen Limeade concentrate, and Sprite. 

*It was a little tart for my liking. 

Tres Leches Cake 

I found the recipe here and boy, was that an excellent cake! 

Ingredients:

Yellow Butter Flavored Cake Mix

5 Eggs

1/2 cup of milk

4oz of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of sour cream

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 teaspoon of rum flavoring

3 teaspoons of vanilla

14oz of sweetened condensed milk

5oz of evaporated milk

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Pinch of salt

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of water

1 Tablespoon of corn syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Add the cake mix to the KitchenAid mixer, milk, and add 2 eggs plus three yolks. (Set the egg whites aside) Mix until well blended on low.

3. Add cream cheese, sour cream, melted butter, rum flavoring, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until well-blended. 

4. Spread the batter into a pre-greased 9x13 inch cake pan and bake for 23 minutes. 

5. While the cake is baking, in a bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, the heavy cream and a pinch of salt 

6. Once the cake is out of the oven, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake.

7. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the entire cake and tilt the pan around to distribute the liquid. 

8. Cover with saran wrap and chill for 3 hours. 

9. Place sugar, water, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for three minutes.

10. Once the sugar mixture gets to a boil,  place egg whites in a bowl of the electric mixer and attach the wire whisk and turn on high.

11. The egg whites should form stiff peaks.  

12. Slowly and carefully pour the syrup down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites. Continue to beat the meringue for 2 minutes longer.  Stir in remaining vanilla.

13. Cover cake with meringue topping. 

It was an awesome dinner!

It's a Wonderful Life Dinner

We watched one of my favorite Christmas movies, "It's a Wonderful Life" and got a little more choked up this year, now that Olivia is in our lives.  She's an amazing little miracle!

For dinner, we had HOT DOGs, Bread (that this house may never know hunger), Salt, (that life may always have flavor), and Wine (that joy and prosperity may reign forever), Mulled Wine, and Zuzu's Rose Petal Macarons.  A pretty weird combination, I know.  But it was pretty fun!

HOT DOGs

Tim boiled up some hot dogs and we served them in buns with your choice of topping.

Bread, that this house may never know hunger,

Salt, that life may always have flavor,

And Wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

Mulled Wine

I found this recipe and changed it a bit. 

Ingredients:
1 orange
15 whole cloves
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle of red wine

Directions:
1. Cut the orange into eight slices, leaving the peel on.
2. Push in 2-3 cloves into the orange peel on each slice.
3. In a large pot, combine the orange with cloves, orange juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks on medium high heat.
4. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it reduces by half.  *about 10 minutes*
5. Reduce the heat and pour in the whole bottle of red wine.
6. Simmer and serve once the wine is warm.

Zuzu's Rose Petal Macarons
I found this recipe here.  I had to tweak it to make the dough firmer. I also didn't want to use FOUR STICKS of butter.    

*THIS TOOK ME OVER TWO HOURS TO COMPLETE!  PROCEED WITH CAUTION!*

Macaron Ingredients:
1.5 cups of Almond Flour
1.5 cups of powdered sugar
3 large egg whites  *I bought egg whites from the grocery store and figured out the equivalent. 
5 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of rose water
2 drops of pink gel food coloring

Directions:
1. Buy a macaron kit.  Seriously.  It helps create the circles that you bake right on and it has a batter dispenser.  This is the one I have.  
2. Mix together the almond flour and powdered sugar.  Set aside.
3. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and add in the sugar slowly until the mixture is frothy. 
4. Once the egg whites have stiff peaks, add in the rose water and food coloring.
5. Fold in the almond mixture gently. 
6. Scoop the mixture into your batter dispenser and squeeze into the circle forms on your macaron baking sheet.
7. Let the batter dry out for 30 minutes before putting in the oven.  They should get firm edges around the side.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook for 15 minutes.  These get overcooked really quickly!
9. Let these cookies completely cool off before assembling the sandwich. 

Filling Ingredients:
2.5 large egg whites *I was able to do this with the egg white container I bought.
3/4 cup of sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of raspberry jam

Directions: 
1. Mix egg whites and sugar together for five minutes until it's fluffy.
2. Cut the butter in cubes and add to the mix. 
3. The butter looked like it was going to break so I just kept beating it. 
4. Add the salt and jam. 
5. Place in the batter dispenser after you have cleaned it, and gently squeeze the filling on to the bottom side of a cookie.  Place another cookie directly on top.  Repeat until you run out of cookies! 

It really is a wonderful life!