I'd Rather be Cooking

Frosting Rum Balls Recipe

veronica — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:14:30 +0000

For the video, click here.

1 C frosting, at room temperature
1 C cake/cupcakes, in pieces

2T rum

1 t vanilla

1/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

1/4 C chopped chocolate pieces (optional)

Mix everything together to form a frosting mush. Form into balls, refrigerate or freeze until firm. Serve.

Optional: after firm, dip in melted chocolate… mmm…

This is a VERY versatile recipe - feel free to change amounts and flavors and ingredients. Like I said in the video, you just can’t go wrong with frosting and cake! This is great for kids to help out with, too (sans the rum) - let them decide what to add to the mix.

Frosting Rum Balls

veronica — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:09:47 +0000

This video was done during a presentation skills class I took at work, during a “leadership excellence program.” ooohh…

Anyhoo, the assignment was to do a presentation about anything, and keep it to 4 minutes. A bunch of people in the class requested I do some type of cooking demo, so this is what I came up with. The video isn’t of the best quality, but the finished product (the rum balls) are yummy. I hope you try it yourself!

For the recipe, click here.

Yes, there will be more shows!

veronica — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:59:43 +0000

So I have to apologize - I never expected the move and house-hunting to take *this* much time! I was hoping to be up and filming again by now… BUT - the good news is that we have found a house, and will be moving in mid-April. Adam, my wonderful director, filmer, and friend, will be looking to fly out here in early May to do a marathon filming of multiple episodes. I thank you all for your patience and viewership - I appreciate your kind words and encouragement and ideas! Please stay tuned, I’ve got a bunch of great ideas & recipes that I can’t wait to share with you.

Until then - you can always visit musicmoose.org and learn to play an instrument! (Shameless promotion of my husband’s site…)

Cook on…

Upcoming shows…

veronica — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:47:47 +0000

So there’s a few shows I have in the works. I apologize for the delay in posts - things are a little crazy around work/life balancing… I’ve actually just been uprooted to Seattle, WA of all places, and am now settling in up here. Once the hecticness of moving reduces somewhat, I will be back filming. My film/writer/director dude, Adam Swietlicki, is still in Austin, but we’re working out travel arrangements to keep on a filmin’. We both have so much fun doing this, distance isn’t a reason to stop a dream… Anyhoo, please check back periodically - sometime soon there will be more shows!
The 3 shows that will be coming are: classic Czech beef gulas (goulash), specle (or to those who know the German version, spaetzle), and kolaches. Yummmy…. (drool drool)
I want to show you more of my Czech roots, so look for some shows on classic Czech cooking (other goulashes, wiener-schnitzel, various types of kolaches, duck, dumplings, etc…), as well as other international cuisine I’ve picked up over the years. So stay tuned! And please email me with any suggestions or comments.

Sugared Nuts

veronica — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 02:02:56 +0000

In this short video, I show you how to make sugared nuts.

I use a mixture of pecans, almonds, and walnuts, but feel free to pick whichever nuts are your favorite. The egg white is used to act as glue - it makes sure the seasonings stick to and flavor the nut. To get the full recipe, click here.
This is also a great base to make all sorts of flavored nuts - I made a sweet version, to accompany the dessert empanadas, but you could also use other seasonings instead - for example, replace the sugar/cinnamon/vanilla with more savory flavors, like cayenne pepper for spice, extra salt, paprika, garlic powder… The possibilites are endless. Or change up the sweet version by adding honey or cocoa powder. Experiment - it’s a great way to learn!

Sugared Nuts Recipe

veronica — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:56:40 +0000

Sugared Nuts

For the video, click here.

1 lb nuts (mixed or one type - pecans work great)
1 egg white
3/4 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg white lightly until frothy. Stir in the nuts to coat. Then add the remaining ingredients, toss to coat the nuts with all the mixture.

Spread the nuts on a greased cookie sheet (or use non-stick foil) and bake 45 minutes, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes.

Cool and serve immediately, or store in an airtight containter.

Strawberry and Green Chile Empanada Recipe

veronica — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:59:12 +0000

Strawberry and Green Chile Empanadas

For the video, click here.

4-6 strawberries, diced
1 small Hatch green chile, quick roasted to get the skin off, then diced fine
4 oz. cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 - 3/4 C sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
1 t vanilla extract (I like to use Mexican or Tahitian vanilla here)
1 package pie dough, cut into ~4.5″ rounds (yields 10-12 rounds)
2 egg yolks to brush the top
optional: warm caramel sauce, sugared pecans (recipe and video), and fresh whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Beat the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with a hand mixer until combined and fluffy. Fold in the strawberries and green chiles.

Place about 1 T of the filling a little off center into a round of the pie dough, fold over, and crimp with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining filling and rounds. Brush tops of each with egg yolk, sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon. Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

To serve: drizzle with warm caramel sauce (or chocolate sauce), top with some sugared pecans and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Heaven in an empanada!

Strawberry and Green Chile Empanadas

veronica — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:51:41 +0000

These dessert empanadas are out of this world!

Inspired by a local restaurant’s (Chuy’s) annual New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Festival, this is my take on their delicious dessert. I know putting chiles into a dessert sounds wierd, but trust me - it gives the dish a great depth of flavor and a little zing that makes it in a class all its own.

There’s sweetened cream cheese, strawberries, green chiles and vanilla (full recipe)… All wrapped up in a flaky pastry dough. What more could you want? Served with warm caramel sauce and homemade sugared pecans topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream? Yeah, we got that covered.

I definitely recommend you trying this out - you won’t be disappointed!

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole

veronica — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:46:31 +0000

In this short episode, I show you how to make pico and guacamole from scratch! It’s not too difficult, so definitely try it out.

In getting the meat out of the avocado, instead of using a spoon or cutting the avocado, I just cut the avocado in half, removed the seed, and then squeezed each avocado half into the bowl. It’s quicker and easier, and allows you to make it as chunky as you want.

This goes great as a side dish, or just served with chips or tortillas. Or eat it plain, with a spoon…

For the full recipe, click here.

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole Recipe

veronica — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:40:34 +0000

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole
Both pico de gallo and guacamole start out with the same base, then avocado is just added to make guacamole!

To see the video that accompanies this recipe, click here.

1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced, and made into paste (see video)
1 large tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced (with or without ribs/seeds)
juice of 1 lime
2 T fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley)
salt, chili powder, and cumin to taste
1 large avocado (for the guacamole)

Combine all ingredients (except avocado) in a bowl and stir to combine. If desiring guacamole, put half of the pico into a bowl, squeeze in avocado (see video), and mash the avocado meat with a fork, leaving some chunks. If you want nothing but guacamole, use 2 avocados to this recipe.