The Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers

For the contest, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s Triple Churned Sour Cream.)

Vote & Be Entered to Win $2,500!

OK, so the participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150). But here’s the best part.

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Here’s a look back at what I made this year. These dishes make for an easy, down-to-earth menu that will make any holiday celebration fabulous.

Appetizer: Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp

These sweet and spicy shrimp have a crisp coconut coating that’s made with eggs and sour cream (the combination keeps them ridiculously moist). Click here to get the recipe and see how they’re made.

Entree: Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pizza

I have four words for you: Best white pizza ever. Sour cream and ricotta make a luscious and light sauce for this crisp, light pizza. Get the recipe and see how it’s made here.

Dessert: Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

Ice cream with sour cream? You bet.

Sour cream adds surprising depth and tang to sweet dishes. It’s amazing in this chocolate ice cream, which tastes just like frozen chocolate ganache. (Hello, death by chocolate!)

Click here for to get the recipe and see how it’s made.

Please vote for The Hungry Mouse!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win $2,500.

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Here are a handful of great candy recipes that you can make at home. They’re tried and true favorites at The Mouse House. I’ve even included a few treats for the, um, bigger kids on your list.

Make your own candy

Even though I don’t really have a sweet tooth, I find myself making a lot of candy. Here are some ideas if you want to stuff your Easter baskets with homemade goodies.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are always a hit with kids—and adults. My recipe includes instructions on how to make homemade s’mores cups, too (graham cracker, marshmallow, the whole shebang.)

Fudge is always good, too. This Easy Dark Chocolate & Walnut Fudge is really (really, really) simple to put together. If you’ve failed with fudge before, definitely give this one a shot.

And, of course, Homemade Marshmallows. You can add food coloring to them, cut them in shapes, dip them in chocolate, etc. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about trying to figure out how to make homemade Peeps. More on that if we can noodle it out.

Treats for adults

OK, so all of the above also count, as well. But if you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, try Candied Fruit Peel…

…or the ever-popular Homemade Irish Cream (needs to be refrigerated).

Drunken Coffee Jello Squares are fun and festive, too (also need to be refrigerated).

Other Easter Ideas from Breakstone’s & Better Homes and Gardens

Plan your own Easter egg hunt.

Make a chicken pinata (who doesn’t love a pinata, right?).

Use stickers to make pretty patterns on dyed eggs.

Enter to win $2,500!

Don’t forget, Breakstone’s is hosting a big sweeps on Better Homes and Gardens, where one lucky winner will win $2,500! Enter today!

Thanks to Kraft & Breakstones!

This post rounds out our participation in The Kraft Breakstone’s Holiday Celebration Program, which included our Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles…

…and the surely-soon-to-be-famous Peep Topiary.

We had a ton of fun. Stay tuned for more fun from the folks at Kraft Breakstone’s around the winter holidays.

Please note: This is a sponsored post for Breakstone’s Sour Cream. All ideas, thoughts, experiences, photos are my own.

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If you know me, you know what I’m talking about. And if you have kids under five, chances are that I’ve told your wee ones a tall tale or two.

For example, if your kids think that squirrels grow on trees, they probably got that from me. (Everyone knows that if you plant acorns in the fall, they’ll sprout into squirrel trees in the spring.)

And the terrible tale of the eight-legged cat? That’s one of mine, too.

Which brings me to Peeps. Specifically, Peep trees. Much like squirrels, it’s a little known fact that Peeps grow on jelly bean trees. Topiaries, to be exact. It’s true. It must be. I have one in my kitchen right now. See?

I can’t make these things up.

If you look closely at a Peep tree, you can usually spot the leader.

If he gives you too much trouble, well, you know what to do.

Thankfully, a Peep topiary makes a fabulous (and delicious) centerpiece for your Easter table. Here’s how to make one of your very own.

It’s a fun, sticky, and totally ridiculous way to spend an afternoon. Make them with your kids. Just be careful with the toothpicks.

This table top idea is my contribution to the Kraft Breakstone’s Holiday Celebration Program. Check out a handful of other great Easter decorating ideas from the other program bloggers here.

About ingredients

Definitely switch up the candy to suit your taste. Here’s what I used.

A bag of seriously old-school jelly beans. (Think I’m kidding? Go to a drugstore and try to find regular, old-fashioned jelly beans. They’re, like, a rarity. At least around our parts.)

Boxes of Peeps, or any other festive marshmallow-y type confection. You’ll need 6 or 7 boxes. I bought a few different colors so I could make a flower-y pattern.

A styrofoam flower ball. You can find these at any big craft store.

A stake or dowel. Your Peep topiary is going to be heavier than you think by the time it’s done, so you’ll need a sturdy stick to hold it up.

A flower pot. You want it to be about the same size as your top topiary ball, so it’s stable enough to hold up the ball. So, for a 7-inch styrofoam ball, I grabbed a 6-inch pot. It worked out great. If you want to, paint the pot, cover it in glitter. Go nuts.

A box of regular old wooden toothpicks.

Here’s how I made my Peep topiary. It will give you the general idea. Improvise and change around the ingredients as you like. If you have any tips or tricks, definitely leave them in the comments. This was my inaugural Peep tree. I can only imagine that the next one will be even better.

I could see making these on the cone-shaped forms around the winter holidays with green and red, Christmas-y Peeps. (They make those, right? They must.) You get the picture.

In truth, there’s probably no limit to the marshmallow sculpture you can create.

Peep Topiary

Peep topiary
1 6-inch pot
1 7-inch styrofoam ball (for topiary top)
1 4-5 inch styrofoam chunk (for inside the pot)
1 12-inch wooden stake or thick wooden dowel
1 box of wooden toothpicks
6-7 boxes of marshmallow Peeps
1 bag of jelly beans

Other table decorations
Assorted foil covered chocolate eggs
Plastic easter eggs
Easter grass
Assorted silk flower garlands

Makes 1 Peep topiary that will knock your socks off

Assemble the topiary top

Pick your workspace carefully. It’s going to get covered in sugar.

Gather all your ingredients together on a workspace.

Poke the stake or dowel into the styrofoam ball, about into the center.

Give it a quick check to be sure you’re happy with the basic shape.

Wedge a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the pot. You want it to be really snug, so it doesn’t move at all. This is going to anchor your topiary. I cut this piece of styrofoam from a larger piece to ensure a snug fit.

 

Cover the ball with Peeps

To begin, set the ball in the flower pot, so you can work on the center of the topiary.

Poke 3 toothpicks into the ball in a triangle, about an inch apart from each other. Insert them about halfway into the ball. This is the center of your topiary.

Insert 10 toothpicks in a large circle around the triangle. Make them about an inch or so apart. Don’t make yourself nuts with precise spacing. You’ll be able to adjust them later if you have gaps.

Do the outer ring first. Stick one Peep onto a toothpick. Do it so that the toothpick goes through the center of the Peep, up through his head. This will give him the strongest anchor.

Smoosh him down gently to be sure he sticks.

Repeat with the rest of the Peeps.

Next, do the center. I used the little purple guys.

Nestle them together. If you need to, remove and readjust the toothpicks so that there are no (or very few) gaps.

To do the rest of the ball, you’re basically going to place each layer of Peeps in between the Peeps on the previous layer. Like this:

Once you’ve completed each layer, start on the next.

When you’ve covered one side of the ball, it’s time to put it in the pot. Insert the stake or dowel into the center of the styrofoam in the flower pot. Stick it down far enough so that the topiary stands upright and is stable.

Work your way around the ball, alternating rows of Peeps until the entire ball is covered. I only did the flower-y face on one side of my topiary, but if you wanted to, you could do one on the other side, too. You get the idea.

A note on the very bottom of the ball. Some of your Peeps may fall off the very bottom. When the whole ball is covered, they do a nice job of sticking together and holding in place. However, if you do lose a few to gravity (I did), I think that’s just fine. When the whole thing is complete, the bottom of the ball is actually very hard to see.

When your ball is totally covered in Peeps, it’s time to finish the display.

Finish the Peep topiary

Cover the styrofoam with colored tissue paper or a few paper towels.

Pour in the jelly beans to cover.

And…voila! One Peep topiary! How about it?

Create your table top

Grab your Easter grass and your silk flower garlands.

Set the Peep topiary in the center of your table. Wrap the garland around in a loose circle. Fill in the area between the pot and the garland with Easter grass.

Fill a handful of plastic Easter eggs with candy and chocolate.

Nestle the filled eggs into the Easter grass.

Surround with more silk flowers, if you like. Forsythia are particularly Spring-y.

And there you have it! One Easter table top, complete with Peep topiary. (Who says the Easter isn’t fun for adults?)

Enter to win $2,500!

Don’t forget, Breakstone’s is hosting a big sweeps on Better Homes and Gardens, where one lucky winner will win $2,500! Enter today!

Please note: This is a sponsored post for Breakstone’s Sour Cream. All ideas, thoughts, experiences, photos are my own.

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Now, as you might imagine, Salem, Mass. can be a pretty interesting place to live. And when it comes to celebrating the rites of Spring, I’d argue that no one does it better—this side of ancient Rome, that is.

Last weekend, we hit Salem’s fourth annual Spring Fling event, hosted by our favorite kitchen shop in town, Pamplemousse, and Magic Hat beer.

I’m pleased as punch to be able to share a different slice of life in our fair city with you guys. (See? We’re not *all* about Halloween here in Witch City…)

Spring Fling was held at the Old Town Hall in Derby Square.

The event was two floors of wine and beer tasting, local artists and vendors, and dancing.

About Bacchanalia

Spring Fling finds its roots in the ancient Greco-Roman Bacchanalia, springtime rites celebrating the god Bacchus (Dionysus in Greek mythos), the god of wine.

During bacchanalia, “priests and aged priestesses, adorned with garlands of ivy, carried through the city wine, honey, cakes, and sweet-meats, together with an altar…in which…sacrifices were burnt.”

While I don’t think anyone was burning any sacrifices, folks were definitely doing their best to give Spring a hearty welcome. There were cakes, wine, and garlands a-plenty. Here, see what I mean.

Pictures from Spring Fling

Far be it for us to miss a party where the wine, beer, and mead are flowing freely. Oh, and did I mention that it’s also a toga party? Roman attire was encouraged. As you can see, lots of folks rose to the occasion.

There were a lot of Animal House-esque togas (think knotted sheets over jeans with sneaks).

But some folks definitely went all out, donning their armor, and even gold body paint.

There was a living statue.

Our warrior for the evening was performance artist Cady Vishniac, who also does a lot of work in Salem around Halloween. (What’s a living statue, you ask? Just what it sounds like. Take a peek at some of Cady’s other work. I give her a ton of credit. She’s one patient girl.)

And a lovely lady kind enough to help serve the fruit.

You could consult an oracle.

The band, Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket, was sporting their best Roman regalia.

Faces from around Salem

A lot of local business owners were out and about. I didn’t remotely get all of them, but here are some of the friends we ran into.

This is Diane Wolf from The Lobster Shanty. (We love Diane!) You might remember The Shanty from when we met Guy Fieri there last year, back when Penelope was just a pipsqueak.

And, of course, Diane, one of the owners of Pamplemousse. That’s her in the middle.

(Everyone apparently loves it when a mouse demands that you “say cheese!”)

Our buddy DJ Vudu was there, in full armor. (Don’t mess with him, eh?)

As well as two of our favorite girls in town—Lynn from Dirty Witch Soaps (left) and Lizzie from Witch City Wicks (right). These two make soap and candles that smell seriously good enough to eat. (More on that soon. I’m going to see if I can con one or both of them into doing a giveaway.)

We also saw artist Nick Demakas, who paints great portraits of beasts wearing their shiniest finery.

And Aepril Schaile, one of the region’s finest bellydancers.

And, of course, the vendors

You could buy or sample a ton of different goods here. There were masks and jewelry.

An artist drawing portraits.

And a couple girls painting on tattoos.

And beer…

…more beer…

…and yet more beer. You get the idea. Not to mention the wine. And the mead.

Oh, and the samples of food from local restaurants.

The end of the night

When the event broke up, everyone was happy and definitely well feasted.

I think it’s fair to say that a good time was had by all.

The Angry Chef and I hung out ’til the end of the night, watching happy revelers filter out into the twinkling, cobblestoned streets of Salem.

Oh, and speaking of Bacchus

Stay tuned for a review of one of my favorite vineyards!

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So, I was at the supermarket early on Saturday morning. The Angry Chef called me as I was tooling around the produce section, squeezing avocados and snuffling about for fresh mint for cocktails later that night.

“Mouse! Are you done shopping? The Mayor just called. Guy Fieri is filming over at The Shanty!”

The Mayor (not the real mayor of Salem) is one of our best friends. And if it’s happening anywhere in Salem, he knows about it—usually before it goes down.

“Guy Fieri? At the Shanty? Like, the Lobster Shanty?”

“Yeah! Get home! Let’s go say hello.”

And that’s exactly what we did.

If you’ve somehow managed to miss larger-than-life Guy Fieri in the midst of the Food Network mania of the last few years, he’s the guy behind Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. He’s also the winner of the second season of The Next Food Network Star, and chef owner of Johnny Garlic’s.

Not to mention, a pretty darn nice guy.

To the Shanty!

I zipped home, we suited up the pups for a walk, and made a beeline for the Lobster Shanty, located at Front Street and Artists’ Row. The Shanty is a great place to sit outside, grab a bite, hear some music, and have a few drinks.

Our timing was good. Guy was hanging out outside, sitting on a bench checking his cell phone and yakking with some of the staff.

Miss. Penelope and I mosied up. I excused myself and asked him if he might have a minute to talk.

I gave him my card and said that I run The Hungry Mouse, a food blog based in town. I told him a little about the site, and mentioned that we get upwards of 80,000 visitors a month.

He was like, “You go, girl! That’s fantastic!” Thanks, Guy! (We think you’re pretty fantastic, too!) He kindly agreed to take a few photos.

Aside from that, we talked mainly about (you guessed it)…Penelope, which he mentioned is also his mother’s name.

When I posted these pictures on our Facebook Fan Page, the comments were half about Guy, and half about Penelope. If this keeps up, she’s going to need her own website. (You know I’m only half joking…)

Don’t forget the Camaro

You know I couldn’t leave without a few pictures in front of that beautiful Camaro of his.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sorely tempted to see if the keys were in the ignition and go for a little ride.

So big thanks to Guy for stopping to chat! It was a blast to meet you! We’re totally psyched that you’re giving some well-deserved national press to one of our favorite local watering holes.

Visit The Lobster Shanty in Salem, MA

The Lobster Shanty is located in beautiful seaside Salem, MA, a.k.a. Witch City—home of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the biggest Halloween party on the planet, and The Hungry Mouse headquarters.

If you ask me, Salem is the best place on earth. If you’re ever up in our neck of the woods, stop in for a beer or three. Let us know if you’re in town. If we’re around, we’ll join you!

The Lobster Shanty
25 Front Street
@ Artist’s Row
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-5449

Back to the kitchen!

The new pup’s been keeping us hopping the last few weeks. I’ll hopefully be back in the kitchen this weekend, putting together a batch of new posts.

Who knows: Maybe I’ll do a little diner food in honor of Guy. Corned beef hash, anyone?

Cheers!

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