Pics of Soup Bowl

So as promised, I took pictures of my clam chowder in bread bowls, that we had for dinner last night. It was incredibly easy to make, since the longest part of preparation was peeling and slicing the potatoes. I had so many cut that I had to make two batches of stew. The first was the clam chowder, the second a regular beef stew. Either work well for bread bowls because you thicken them over what a simple soup would be.

The bread bowls were even less work, since I routinely use the dough button on my bread machine. It's a simple matter of putting together the bread recipe you like, letting the machine do all the work and then prepping the shape of the bread you want. Using a recipe that calls for 5-6 cups of flour, nets me about 4-6 decent sized bread bowls. I cut that down last night, making 8, since two were for the little girls who most likely weren't going to eat clam chowder. The bread bowls take about 25-30 minutes of baking in a 350 degree oven.

I'm going to be making these again really soon, since I promised a friend that I would prepare bread bowls for dip for her candle party. They will be smaller, but the process remains the same. So perhaps I'll do a step by step tutorial just for the fun of it.

The recipe was a plain white bread. I've used paprika onion bread for dips and it would make a nice accompaniment to a French Onion soup. I'm also planning on working on a garlic based bread, or Italian flavored.

I know not everyone enjoys it, but my family loves a good sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese melted on their clam chowder. Since the bowls had just come out of the oven and were still nice and warm when I started prepping them for serving, I added a sprinkling of shredded cheese in the base before I ladled the soup in. And then another sprinkle on top.

Don't worry if the chowder runs over, it's all part of the fun of eating it. If you find that the bread bowls aren't large enough for a serving for an adult, they can always ladle in more when they've eaten the first portion. The top can be dipped in the soup, or as my husband preferred, buttered and eaten alongside. And the kids just loved being able to tear their bowls apart to eat, having soaked up the flavor and thick broth of the soup.In fact, one of my little ones was snatching up the bread as soon as I pulled it from the inside of the bowl to munch on. She even tried to feed it to the cat. He was more interested in the clams, but he made a valiant effort of ignoring her in his special way, even as he begged at my feet under the table.

Clam Chowder Bread Bowls

So excited. I made a lovely huge batch of clam chowder this evening. Nice and thick, smells delicious. We're just waiting on the bread dough to finish rising. And then I will divide the batch into 8 pieces and bake some bread bowls. I promised that I would send some over to my neighbor. But I promised myself that I would take pictures of the final result. So it won't be too much longer now!

Of course, I could always do that with the beef stew as well. I had so many potatoes in the batch, that I couldn't fit them all in the stew pot. So in a little bit, I'll thaw out some stew meat and whip up some of hubby's favorite beef stew. The starter mix is the same, spices and protein different. But it will all taste good in the end. I bet that he would love to have that for his lunch. Pour the stew into the bread bowl, cover, wrap and he's got a nice hearty meal for his lunch at work.

Champagne Jell-o Shots

Saw a picture for a recipe today. It was Champagne jell-o shots covered very prettily in pop rocks. I was thinking, that this would be a good recipe to try over the holidays. Mixing jell-o and alcohol is not difficult. Another site that I was reading made mention of the fact that since champagne has a lower alcohol content, you should use more of it. But for the purpose of the recipe, the way it looks, since the site it was taken from didn't sync up, they were more like jell-o jigglers, in which you use less liquid to get the more solid jell-o state. So I think some trial and error there might go on. Mix it with orange jell-o for a mimosa type jiggler/ shooter.

But what about the kids? I know some parents, like my own, are not adverse to letting their children have a sip during the holidays, or for special occasions. For myself, I won't tolerate it. My children can drink when they are a legal age in their designated country to do so. Meaning, if they go to Canada when they are 18, then okay. As long as they behave responsibly with the freedom they are granted, I have no problems. One of the ways, I figure, to set an example about responsibility is by being that way myself.

Anyhow, back to the kids mix. My mother showed us a great recipe many years ago that made jell-o with lemon lime soda. It was actually soda water that the recipe called for, but she found it too flat. So she experimented and came up with the Blue Sprites, as my kids called them. So many flavors can be mixed with the different flavors of clear sodas out there. I know some of my kids would love Sierra Mists new cranberry blend. It's a very pretty color too. Mix that with some plain gelatin with a little flavor boost and really, the sky is the limit. And dipping the jigglers in pop rocks will pretty them up, just as much for adults as the kids.

So I am going to get some supplies this weekend and get busy. That, plus planning out our Sunday night movie menu will keep me busy! Picture WILL follow.

Quick Dinners

You know, it's occurred to me for the gazillionth time that I need to start taking pictures of the things I make, bake or create, especially when it's not a birthday cake. After all, people like to see what they're are getting themselves into. We had a quick meal tonight. Just cheesy beef & chips. But it's a family favorite and so simple that I'd love to share it. So one of these days, I will start remembering this. I swear!

Kid Agreed!

Well I feel accomplished. I got the kid to agree that I can post her pictures and whatnot when she starts baking and stuff. I actually suggested that she create her own blog but she told me that she'd no good with blogs. So I told her that she could send me the pictures of what she wants to make and what she actually does make. I tried to find a picture of the cake she wants to make for her father's next birthday, but I can't. She was talking about an episode of Cake Boss where they did a fire truck with lights that actually worked and how she wants to do that as an ambulance, since my husband is an EMT. 

But a little bit closer to the natural time line here, will be the six year old's next birthday. K3 has given us many ideas about what the birthday cake should be. I however, am not all that enamored with making a cake and then layering it with donuts and cans of side. I am thinking more along the lines of this:

Candy-Land-Cake

I actually have the recipe for this in one of the ToH magazines that my mother saved for us. It was a kid's edition that had tons of snack ideas as well as cake and dessert recipes. Since the diabetic cake was a hit with everyone, I figured this one can't really go wrong either.

Proud Mama

Wow, it's been a while. I have been baking. I am happy to say that I got my bread machine out of storage and up and running again. We recently had a Tupperware party and I made this wonderful bread bowl from the favored paprika onion bread. I paired it with a vegetable dip and didn't get a chance to take pictures because it got devoured the moment I stepped out of the kitchen with it. A friend liked it so much that she wants to feature it at her wedding reception next June. And yours truly has been asked to cater the event. So yay! Go me. She also wanted the Taco Sunrise Dip that I made for the eldest's sweet 16 birthday party that she attended. I actually had several people interested in my catering parties and events for them. I figure that as long as they provide the food, I'll provide my time, ideas and kitchen.

But the eldest. Oh, she's on the fast track now. She has been making noises for the last few weeks about graduating early. She wants to spend the summer with her grandparents next year for many reasons. One of which is to get her senior portraits done there. Also, when she was talking to her grandmother, she found out that an old friend's daughter opened up a bakery. She is looking for an apprentice next summer and my mother in law nominated my eldest, since she knows that K1 wants to open her own bakery some day. Amazing opportunity for the kid.

We've also been looking into school for her. Number one on all of our lists is Le Cordon Bleu- Ottawa Campus. They offer Le Grand Diplome that can be completed in ten months. My daughter was iffy about it, since she just wanted to do her Patisserie and Le Grand offers the Cuisine as well. But I pointed out to her that getting her culinary degree does not open the door to opening a bakery. With this program, if she gets in, she does intensive training in both. She would also receive first aid, CPR and HACCP certification. And certifying in the Smart Serve program. So health points and responsible alcoholic beverage service.

The Ottawa campus offers internships in their restaurant Bistro @ Signatures, or a list of others that take on the responsibilities with the students. She'd spend a week doing front of house duties, six weeks on culinary and four weeks on pastries. The opportunity would be amazing. This is the kind of program that they offer in places like Paris, London, Tokyo, Sydney, not just around the corner. And best of all, we have family there that are more than happy to host her during her school tenure. Yes, it's going to be expensive, but as an investment in the future that she's been working towards for the past five years, I think it's worth it.

Work that continues with her plans for this December. I'm not the only one being invited to cook for others. Her Spanish teacher has asked her to prepare cakes for all of her classes featuring a Spanish or Latino theme as a thank you while the teacher has been away dealing with her RL stuff. K1 is getting fired up and passionate about this and I love seeing it.