Norwegian Krumkake

Norwegian Krumkake is a thin Norwegian waffle cookie that is often rolled in to a cone and filled with cream or fruit. It is popular any time of the year, but it is most traditionally known as a Christmas dish. These cookies are not only popular in Norway, but around the world where Norwegians have migrated to.

In Norway, krum means “bent,” while kake means “cake.” So I made a bent cake! Even though it is more of a cookie or crisp waffle.

Norwegian Krumkake is made in a decorative two-sided iron griddle. I got mine from NordicWare, and ordered it right off of their website www.nordicware.com

Now there are a ton of varied recipes online, but I used the one that came with my griddle. They turned out great!

Norwegian Krumkake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon of cardamom
1-1/2 cup flour
1 scant cup of milk

PROCESS
Beat eggs well, add sugar, butter and cardamom,
Beat well
Then add milk and flour alternating and beat until smooth
Heat Griddle over medium heat on your stovetop
Add about 1 Tablespoon of batter to hot griddle and close.
Hold griddle closed for about 10-18 seconds
Then flip griddle over
Remove from griddle after a golden brown is achieved.
Roll with your rolling cone and let cool.
Fill or not fill – it’s up you!

NOTE: I subbed Vanilla for cardamom and only made a ½ batch for my first attempt.

My family absolutely loved this! Your will too!

Get your Griddle at
NordicWare
www.nordicware.com

SodaStream

In the last month I have started a series of DYI projects. I have started growing mushrooms in my basement. I have a batch of home-made wine brewing. I am starting a garden and have many others in store for you. Over this period of time, we have made a concise decision to make healthier choices in our everyday eating. Now don't get me wrong, we still enjoy all the great comfort food that you have seen me make on this site, but we do that more on the weekends and try to eat a little healthier during the week. My latest DYI adventure is to make homemade sodas and flavored waters. Well I found a great little kit from the folks at SodaStream. We recently got the JET model soda maker from SodaStream. This has been a great addition to our kitchen. If you looking for a long tedious project this is not for you. If you are looking for an easy, inexpensive way to made homemade sodas and flavored waters for you family, this is is! It is FAST - EASY AND FUN!

The SodaStream is a great investment in your families health. You can make great tasting sodas with less sugar and additive than the store bought colas and at just a portion of the cost. Now I know what you are thinking. Your thinking it won't taste as good. Your right it taste better! My kids love the taste, I have actually set a bottle of a major brand cola and a bottle of the SodaStream cola next to each other on the table and told them to pick which one they wanted a glass of - and they picked the SodaStream! We have not bought pop at the store in over a month! The nice thing is they like it and it is better for them!

Now many people like the very distinct taste of the brand of cola they have been drinking for years. SodaStream has many flavors with comparable taste. In fact it is noted on the bottle of the mixes. You can get over a dozen different flavor of soda, plus tea's, tea's, tonic water, seltzer and energy drinks. They also have a series of flavored waters, that have a great light taste!

OK - now your thinking this is going to be a really expensive project. Wrong again! Number 1 - Chef Dad lives on a tight budget, so if this was going to be an expensive toy, I would not have it! Number two I ran the numbers! Say you buy a 1 liter bottle of name brand cola at the store, every week for 2 years and it cost you about $1.79 per bottle. Over a 2 year period it will cost you a total of $186.16. If you purchase a SodaStream kit for about $79 and make a two half liters every week for 2 years! It will cost you about $146 for 2 years worth of soda. That includes the cost of your machine, your flavor mix and carbonation! Then your saving will grow even further after the cost of the machine is absorbed! With the state of the economy these days, I love to find products like the SodaStream, I want to save money and provide healthier, tastier food for my family!

Now let me tell you how easy this is, all you need to make these great drinks at home is - a SodaStream fountain, cold tap water, SodaStream flavor mix and 45 seconds! To see just how easy this is. check out this video!

Unlike the national brands that come in liter bottles and often go flat before you finish them. The SodaStream is made in a 1/2 liter bottle and you can make any flavor you want in a smaller batch! My kids love the Rootbeer, my wife likes the flavored waters and I have on of the Energy Drinks before every workout! 3 small bottles, 3 flavors and no waste! I highly recommend this to all families!

So how do you get one? You can order one online right from SodaStream at www.sodastreamusa.com. You can get them nationally at Bed Bath and Beyond, they have had them in their ad lately! For all my folks here in Omaha, you can get them at the Afternoon Stores! We ever you go - Tell them Chef Dad Omaha sent you!

Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

I like my coffee! and if I am going to eat chocolate, its got to be dark chocolate.
Several years ago I bought some chocolate covered coffee beans from a candy vendor that stopped in to my office. These things were awesome! I chowed that bag down in a few days. Well shortly after that I left that job and was not able to track down that candy vendor.
So after getting a bag of some Eight O'Clock Bokar Coffee Beans, I decided to try and make my own. So I did! Well they didn't look as pretty as the one's I got from the candy vendor, but they tasted even better!

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of your favorite roasted coffee bean (I used Eight O'Clock Bokar Beans)
1 Cup of dark chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar

PROCESS
Using a double boiler melt the dark chocolate chips and butter. Make sure to mix through out the melting. Once the mixture starts to get good and melted add the powdered sugar and mix well. Once the mixture is completely melted, add the beans and mix well.
Then remove from the heat.
Immediately spoon the mixture on to a paper sack or sheet of wax paper. Make sure to separate in to bite size pieces.
Once that is done put them in to the refrigerator for 2 hours. Then it is time to eat!

This makes a small batch, so try them out and I am sure you will like them!

St. Patrick's Day

This Thursday is St. Patrick's Day. In this area you have a ton of great places to drink green beer and eat corned beef and cabbage! I would like to share with you a great place that I have gone for my corned beef lunch or dinner for years. Not only do they have some of the best corned beef in town but they are a wonderful group that does incredible things in the community. This corned beef dinner is hosted by the Tangiers Shriners here in Omaha.

The Tangier Shrine is a Chapter of the Shriners International.

"Shriners International is a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. There are approximately 340,000 members from 193 temples (chapters) in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Panama.

Shriners International supports Shriners Hospitals for Children®, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay."

So if you are looking for a GREAT corned beef dinner with all the fixin's and have the proceeds go to help an organization that helps so many children in Omaha and across the country, check out the Corned Beef Dinner at Tangier Shrine!

TANGIER SHRINE
2823 SOUTH 84TH STREET
OMAHA NEBRASKA
http://www.tangiershrine.com/

King Cake Recipe

King Cake is a tradition Mardi Gras treat. I made this for my family Monday night and we enjoyed it on Fat Tuesday with our Dirty Rice!

Check out Wikipedia for the history of the King Cake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake

INGREDIENTS
2 envelopes active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 sticks melted butter
1 cup warm milk for dough
3 tablespoons of milk for icing
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup of brown sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 7up
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 packages of soft Cream Cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Colored Sugars Purple, green, and gold are traditional King Cake colors (but I subbed pink for purple because my daughters love pink)

PROCESS
I used my stand up Kitchen-aid mixer
Combine the yeast and sugar in the bowl mix with well with paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low for about a minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat for on low for about a minute. Then I changed to the dough hook then add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and 7up mix well. Increase the speed and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball.
Place dough in a larger oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and let rise for 2 hours in a warm dry place.

For the filling combine the cream cheese and brown sugar. Whip with a mixer until mixture is nice and creamy

After your dough rises roll your dough out into a long, narrow piece about 8” x 24”

Spread your filling onto your dough – evenly all across the dough. Then roll you dough up like a jelly roll. The take you ring and form a circle and neatly attached the ends to for a circle

Cover the ring with saran wrap and rise again for about 30-45 minutes.

Set oven for 350 and bake for 30 minutes

Let cool completely!!! - no seriously if you don’t let it cool completely you icing will melt off.

ICING. Combine 3 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix well with a whisk or electric mixer. Spread icing over you cooled cake. Sprinkle colored sugars – alternating the colors in 3 inch strips around the cake.

Cut and enjoy

Knox Blocks or Jello Jigglers

Ingredients
2 packages of your favorite flavor jello
2 packages of knox unflavored gelatin
3 cups of boiling water

Tuna Guac Sliders

This is a Recipe I entered in the Ritz Cracker Recipe Challenge on Super Bowl Sunday

INGREDIENTS

• For Guacamole Spread
• 3 Fresh Avocado's
• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Rotel peppers and tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup of Mayo
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon of cilantro
• 1/2 Tablespoon of cumin
• Couple dashes of hot sauce
• For Mini Tuna Slider
• 3 Cans of Tuna
• 1 Egg - Beaten
• 1/2 Cup of bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon of parsley
  
• 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
• 1 cup of ground Ritz crackers or bread crumbs
  
• 1/2 stick of butter
• Additional Ingredients
• 40 Ritz Crackers Whole
• 3 green onions cut up into 1/4 inch pieces
• Optional: Louisiana-style hot sauce

PROCESS

For the Guacamole Spread

Place all ingredients in a chilled bowl

Mix well with a spatula

Then Chill for 30 Minutes

Mini Tuna Sliders

Place all ingredients in a metal mixing bowl except for the 1 cup of ground Ritz Crackers and the butter. Everything else mix together well

take a Tablespoon of the mixture and form a small patty (about the size of a Ritz cracker)

Make up 20 patties.

Then lightly coat the patties in the ground Ritz crackers.

Preheat your griddle to 300 degrees

Then lightly butter your griddle and place patties on the buttered spots. Cook each side until a golden brown is reached.

Once your patties are nice and golden brown it's time to assemble.

Assembly

Place mini tuna slider on a Ritz cracker.

Then top you slider with a Tablespoon of Guacamole spread. Then place 2 pieces of green onion on the Guacamole spread. At this point you have the option of placing a couple dashes of a Louisiana-style hot sauce. To finish place another Ritz cracker on the top!

Balloon Wine - Day 1

Last night I started my first batch of homemade wine. I started with a very simple balloon wine. This type of home wine making has been around for decades. I remember my Grandparents making it when I was a kid. This is going to be my first batch, and I plan on trying more advanced techniques for making home wine down the road.

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/8 teaspoon of dry active yeast (or a 1/2 of packet)
2 cups of white sugar
6oz of a thawed frozen of liquid concentrate fruit juice (I used grape)
6-3/4 to 7 cups of water.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
(1) 1/2 gallon glass jug. I used a 1/2 gallon beer growler from a local microbrew
(1) 12" helium grade balloon
(1) rubber band

PROCESS
The first step is the most IMPORTANT
Step 1: Sanitize your container and your balloon with very hot water
Step 2: Add in this order yeast, sugar, and fruit concentrate
Step 3: Add water - make sure to leave about 2" at the top empty
Step 4: Place balloon over the mouth of the container
Step 5: Use rubber band to secure balloon

Place wine in a dark cool place for 4-6 weeks (the basement is usually the best)
With in a few days the balloon will start to inflate. Once your balloon inflates and then deflates again, your wine is done - It take about 4-6 weeks

GOOD LUCK!

Guacamole Dip SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

IT'S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
TIME FOR FOOD, FAMILY, FOOTBALL AND ANOTHER STEELER WIN!

Today one of my many dishes for our family party is home-made Guacamole Dip!

This a great game day dip, that can stand alone or be added on to your loaded nachos.

INGREDIENTS
3 Fresh Avocado's
1 Tablespoon of Garlic
2 Tablespoons of Rotel peppers and tomatoes
1/4 cup of Sour Cream
1/4 cup of Mayo
1/4 teaspoon of salt (note I said 1/4 tablespoon in the video - I meant 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon of pepper (note I said 1/4 tablespoon in the video - I meant 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 Tablespoon of cilantro
1/4 Tablespoon of cumin
Couple dashes of Chrystal's hot sauce

Mix all ingredients
Chill and Serve!

MPH My Pole-ish Horseshoes

This is one of my most favorite weeks of the year! Super Bowl Week!!!!!!! What makes this years Super Bowl week even better is that my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Super Bowl. This week I am doing some articles on game day foods and fun!

A few week ago I got an awesome new tailgating game from our friends at MPH My Pole-ish Horseshoes. This game is a new twist on an American classic. Unfortunately right now it's 4 degrees here, so I won't be playing my new game Sunday. Luckily Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early Spring!

My Pole-ish Horseshoes is combines skill and endurance as players defend their post from opposing teams. It provides hours of outdoor competition and fun. The object of the game is to score points by throwing a Frisbee at the opponent’s pole and knocking the can off its perch, while holding a 12-ounce beverage in one hand at all times during the game. The first team to get 21 points wins the game!

Check out the Official Rules to the Game!

My Pole-ish Horseshoes Game Rules

1. My Pole-ish Horseshoes is played with two teams of two people.


2. Place MPH poles 30 feet apart or a desired distance.


3. Place a 12-ounce beverage can on top of each pole.

1. Each team takes a turn throwing the Frisbee. The throwing team is the offensive team and the team catching the Frisbee is the defensive team. Team members switch back and forth with their partners every time it is their turn to throw.

1. When throwing the Frisbee you must stand behind your pole.


2. The defending team only has to catch the Frisbee when the throw is within one step left or right of the two people defending. If the two defending people have to jump to catch the Frisbee they don’t have to catch it. No points are awarded when the throw is out of range.


3. Throw the Frisbee and hit nothing – but the other team catches the Frisbee – the offensive teams gets no points.


4. Throw the Frisbee and hit nothing – but the other team drops the Frisbee – the offensive team gets a single point. Throw the Frisbee and hit the pole, and the can falls off, the offensive team gets two points. If the defensive team catches the Frisbee or the can – but not both – the offensive team gets one point. Should the defensive team catch both the Frisbee and the can, the offensive team gets no points.

1. Throw the Frisbee and hit the can off the pole, you get three points. If the defensive team catches the can or Frisbee but not both the offensive team gets two points. If the defensive team catches both the can and Frisbee, the offensive team gets one point.


2. If the offensive team throws the Frisbee short of the pole, the defensive team gets a penalty shot. A penalty shot allows the defensive team to take a shot from where the Frisbee landed.

The winner is the team that first reaches 11 or 21. Good luck!

The object of the game is to throw the Frisbee and knock a can off the pole while holding a 12-ounce beverage can in one hand at all times during the game.

Remember, when setting up My Pole-ish Horseshoes the base's middle pole faces the other team.

Get your own set at

MPH - My Pole-ish Horseshoes

www.mypole-ishhorseshoes.com

GET THEM OUT - GRAB A COLD ONE AND HAVE SOME FUN!

Crystal's Hot Sauce

I have always been a big hot sauce fan. I love to try the different brands and I have found some favorites. One hot sauce that has been a favorite of my for some time now is Crystal's Hot Sauce from Baumer Foods. The other night I was eating some Jambalaya and decided I need a little more spice, so I added some Crystal's Hot Sauce - WOW talk about enhancing the flavor. Crystals gives you a nice touch of heat, but very smooth and always consistent.

I have used Crystal's in wings for years and have used it as a condiment for even longer. So I got me thinking what else can I make with Crystals? Well your gonna find out! Over the next month I am going to, not only show you how to make great wings, but also a couple non-traditional dishes using Crystals Hot Sauce!

Also being a food geek - I always like to do a little reading about the history behind some of my favorite brands. So I thought I would share with you what I read about the history of Baumer Foods, the company that brings us Crystals!

This part is taken from their website

"Since 1923, when the first cayenne peppers were ground, aged and bottled as Crystal Hot Sauce, Baumer products have been synonymous with quality and service. Baumer Foods was founded by Alvin and Mildred Baumer on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. Today, Alvin A. Baumer, Jr., their son, carries on the business, still personally inspecting the pepper fields prior to harvest to make sure each cayenne is hand-picked at its sun-ripened best.

With a little over 200 employees, domestic sales of Crystal Hot Sauce have been red hot, increasing every year for five consecutive years. International distribution brings the great taste of Crystal Hot Sauce to pepper loving people in more than 73 countries. Every year, 3 million gallons of Crystal Hot Sauce are shipped out of our New Orleans plant to destinations around the world.

While hot sauce is the heart of Baumer Foods, the company also boasts a taste-driven product line that includes Crystal Extra Hot Hot Sauce (three times hotter, just as flavorful); specialty hot sauces; steak, soy, Worcestershire and teriyaki sauces; chicken wing and barbecue sauces.

One taste and you'll understand why we say the difference is clear: Crystal."

If you would like to read more go to

http://www.baumerfoods.com/

And don't forget - Stay tuned for some great recipes using Crystals!

Easy Eight O'Clock Mocha Mousse

The other night I was watching one of my favorite shows on Food TV - Dinner Impossible.
On this episode Chef Irvine was making Chocolate Mousse for the desert in the meal, and it looked really good! So I decided I would have my own Desert Impossible challenge tonight.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves making Chocolate Mousse without making a trip to the grocery store. You have 2 hours to complete this mission"

So I ran to the kitchen and took inventory of the fridge and pantry. What I found that I could use to make my mousse was some Cool Whip, Pudding and Milk. Well I can make an easy mousse with that, but I want to make it a little unique. So I decided to add a little coffee flavor! I also had Vanilla and Chocolate pudding, so I decided to make French Vanilla Mousse and Chocolate Espresso Mousse.

Here are my 2 recipes

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS
1 box of chocolate pudding
1-7/8 cup of cold milk
1/8 cup of Eight O'Clock Italian Roast Espresso (chilled - I strained it over ice a couple times)
1/2 tub of Cool Whip

PROCESS
In a chilled stainless steel or glass bowl
Mix the pudding, espresso and milk
Beat ingredients vigorously.
Put mixture in fridge for 1 hour and forty minutes
After 1 hour and forty minutes your pudding should be set up.
Take out of the fridge and add a 1/2 of tub of Cool Whip.
Then with a plastic spatula fold the Cool Whip and Pudding together, until mousse is achieve.

Put in a serving bowl or glass and serve!

FRENCH VANILLA MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS
1 box of chocolate pudding
1-7/8 cup of cold milk
1/8 cup of Eight O'Clock French Vanilla Roast Coffee (chilled - I strained it over ice a couple times)
1/2 tub of Cool Whip

PROCESS
In a chilled stainless steel or glass bowl
Mix the pudding, coffee and milk
Beat ingredients vigorously.
Put mixture in fridge for 1 hour and forty minutes
After 1 hour and forty minutes your pudding should be set up.
Take out of the fridge and add a 1/2 of tub of Cool Whip.
Then with a plastic spatula fold the Cool Whip and Pudding together, until mousse is achieve.

Put in a serving bowl or glass and serve!

RESULTS
I succeeded in my mission, my family enjoyed a unique and tasty Mousse in less the 2 hours start to finish and I did it with what I had in my house!

Chef Irvine - Chef Dad is ready for a Mission!

REAL Snow Cones

I don't know about you, but we have had snow fall the last couple days. So I decided it was a perfect opportunity to make REAL snow cones. Let me tell you this was great fun for the whole family. I like to find ways to get the kids involved in cooking and this was a fun project and it couldn't be easier.

How is all you need!

1. a large metal bowl.
2. a spoon
3. serving bowls or glasses
4. 1 packet of Kool-Aid
5. 1 Cup of Sugar
6. 16oz of cold water

PROCESS
When the snow starts to fall, place a large metal bowl outside to collect the snow. Make sure it is up off the ground in a spot that it will stay clean. While you bowl is collecting the snow. Take 1 packet of Kool-Aid, 1 cup of sugar and 16oz of cold water and mix well in a bowl. Then pour in a squirt bottle and put in refrigerator until needed.
Once you have enough snow. Bring you bowl inside and spoon the snow into you serving bowls or glasses. Make sure to pack you snow together, so it makes a nice dense ball. Then pour your syrup slowly over your snow. Be generous with the syrup and cover the snow well, but be careful not to melt all your snow.

Serve and enjoy the sweet flavor and the sweet smiles that come with this fun snack!

Tiesta Tea a Great Story

Since I have started the Chef Dad Omaha Blog I have had the opportunity to be introduced to a lot of unique products and some companies that have inspiring stories. Tiesta Tea is no exception!

Tiesta Tea was founded by a group of college students. The became inspire during a weekend study abroad trip in Spring of 2009 to Prauge. One night when wandering the streets of Prague, they stumbled upon a traditional Czech tea house. They ordered a famous fruit tea called Granny's Garden and wanted to introduce this type of beverage to America

They bought a few bags to sneak home on the plane. They realized how important coffee and tea shops were to European society. So they said to themselves, why not the United States? Then on March of 2010 Tiesta Tea was born.

"Tiesta Tea is a company sponsored by the University of Illinois. Tiesta Tea provides the highest quality custom-blended, flavored teas in the world, specifically created to cater to a customer’s daily lifestyle needs. Tiesta Tea offers five lines of teas categorized by their effects on the consumer rather than by their color or type. The five effects we focus on are vital to every person’s health and physical well-being: Energizer, Relaxer, Slenderizer , Immunity, and Forever Young. Each line of tea has a wide variety of flavors designed to appeal to every beverage drinker. Tiesta Tea believes that for tea to truly enter the mainstream, it must be simplified and accessible to people of all ages. Tiesta Tea’s goal is to transform tea from an affordable luxury to a daily health necessity"

After reading about the beginnings of Tiesta Tea, I just had to try some. I was really impressed with these young people to not only discover this opportunity, but their drive to pursue it and see it through. When most colleges kids come home from a weekend with only empty pockets and a hang over. These fine young people came home with a dream and the ambition to make it a reality.

Some the flavors I have tried so far are, Lemon Zen, Chunky Watermelon and Fruity Pebbles. The one thing that is constant with all of them is great flavor and absolutely incredible aroma! Now I have had all three flavors hot and I have tried them brewed then poured over ice, because I am huge ice tea guy. Now all you tea purest out there settle down - it's my tea I can drink they way I like it. Regardless of weather your are a hot or iced tea fan, you can't go wrong with Tiesta! Great Tea's, Great Taste, Great Smell and a Great Company!

Check them out at http://www.tiestatea.com/