The DIVA of TINY FOODS: 4/1/09

20090430

DUMP CAKE - Easy Dessert Cake - Cobbler

I have no idea where this recipe came from, all I know is that almost every body who cooks has a version of this in their recipe box. It's one of the easiest cobbler style desserts I've ever tried - you simply "dump" a can of pie filling in a greased cake pan, then "dump" a box of DRY cake mix on top of that then drizzle melted butter over the whole kit-n-kaboodle and bake.

Honestly, the first time I ever saw one of these made (Robyn S. it was at your house over 25 years ago!) I though, "OMG, it's going to taste awful!" Boy, was I wrong. It was one of the richest desserts I had ever had up to that point and it was delicious. It really is a twist on a cobbler recipe, not really a cake but I guess "dump cobbler" sounded too much like a break up with a shoe repair guy, lol.

In order to make it a "tiny food" I simply do the recipe in individual baking dishes and bake for a shorter period, usually closer to 30 minutes, but test them after 15 minutes and then every 5. You can also simply dish individual servings up in some fun stemmed glassware or for an appetizer party drop a small mouthful on some decorative spoons, top with a dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf or some other fun garnish.

Anyway, it's not gourmet or classic cooking but it really is scrumptious and actually easier than making a cake from a mix! Try it out, top it off with a great vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream (sorry, I cannot stand those fake whipped creams) and enjoy!

BTW, The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and I'm posting the Kentucky Derby Martini tomorrow in it's honor at The Martini Diva.

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If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!

My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!

20090428

CHOCOLATE TRIFLE CRUNCH - Sweet Snacks in Bite Sizes

I've been suffering from "sweet tooth" for the last few days and got on a dessert cooking binge. I went back to a few of my favorite tried and true recipes that I haven't done in a while - in fact, I haven't done this Chocolate Trifle recipe as long as I've had this blog. It was time to indulge myself again and the best part is this is a pretty easy recipe.

Traditional English Trifle involves true classic custard, lady fingers or sponge cake, whipped cream or and fresh fruit or fruit jams and, if a liqueur is used, sherry. This Chocolate Trifle Crunch is an Americanized version that uses chocolate cake, Kahlua, chocolate pudding and whipped cream with the crunch coming from Heath Bar bits.

The classic English Trifle is traditionally served in a large glass bowl so the layers are visible and for a regular sized dessert you can do the same with this Chocolate Trifle - however, to turn it into a "tiny food" simply spoon the layers into a martini glass or any clear glass that is wide enough to get a spoon into or an individual baking dish! I even done one layer of each in a Chinese soup spoon for a cocktail party once - Fun!

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20090423

A GREAT PAELLA RECIPE and so much more!

I was looking for a recipe for paella and found this great e-book the other day from Folk Heart Press called "Spanish Cuisine One Region At A Time" by Eduardo Balaguer. I downloaded it and discovered, to my happy surprise, that it was a great e-recipe but it was also so much more!

Mr. Balaguer included a great history of the region where the recipe came from, there were maps and great sections on local chefs. The Paella recipe was not only detailed and precise, it came with serving suggestions, tips for turning the entree into a full meal, including wine and dessert suggestions, and even resources! The photo gave me a good idea of what my dish should end up looking like too! Amazing!

I got what I thought was a recipe book and ended up with so much more. As for the recipe? Oh my God, one of the best Paella dishes I've ever had, even if I did make it myself, lol. For $5.95 I got a little history, a good read, some great tips and information and the Paella recipe I was looking for.

Oh, and ladies Eduardo is pretty cute too!

"Spanish Cuisine One Region At A Time" is located for purchase at Folk Heart Press.

If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!

My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!

20090421

MINI APPLE BETTY BAKES - Tiny Food Dessert!

I got a bunch of free Granny Smith apples last week and I've been trying to find ways to use them all. I don't can or do preserves so that wasn't going to happen. I also don't eat apples often because they sometimes upset my tummy.

I do love apple crisps, apple pies-tarts and apple bettys a lot so that's pretty much what I've been having for dessert the last few days. Here's a fun recipe I really like for Apple Betty, Tiny Food Style.

I also made a simple apple tart based on Alice Waters' recipe from Chez Panisse (though I hear it's really Jacques Pepin's recipe) and later this week I'll be doing my APPLE ONION BRUSCHETTA and my PORK CHOPS & APPLE CABBAGE.

I'll still have apples left - yes, I will be doing my Apple Martini and using an apple for garnish - but I'll still have a lot of apples left. Got any good apple recipes?

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20090416

Deep Fried Potato Poppers - Tater Tot (NOT!) Surprises

I love potatoes. I love them baked, fried, mashed, hashed, scalloped and home fried and I always have leftovers, especially when I make mashed potatoes because I hate peeling potatoes so when I do I always make extra. My mom used to make potato patties, sort of her version of Latkes, and I'll often do the same with my leftover mashed potatoes.

I had leftover mashed potatoes the other day but I wanted to try something different and I found a great recipe for potato bites that sounded good - but I amped it up a bit - I put a little cube of cheese in the center of these deep fried treats that look a bit like Tater Tots.

If you like Jalapeno Poppers but the heat bites you back, try these out the next time you want to serve up some canapes to your guests.
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20090414

STALKED BY ASPARAGUS ROLLS!

I bought my first bunch of asparagus the other day and had a whole plateful for dinner. I love asparagus and can eat it steamed with just a little butter, salt and pepper. I ate most of it but had a few stalks left over that I didn't cook so the next day I decided to try making an appetizer with them and the tomatoes I had to use before they went bad. These Asparagus rolls are the result.

It's simple enough - just cook the asparagus a little - remember they'll cook more when you bake them in the rolls - add some other fun ingredients that you can wrap around them, snuggle them all in some kind of pastry dough and bake! Then serve them up with some of your favorite savory sauces and you've got an elegant h'ors d'oeuvre from leftovers!

Try them out with some variations of your own - if you find a really creative combo let me know about it here!

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20090409

CHOCOLATE COVERED PEEPS - That'll Fix 'Em!

Here is one of the easiest and most liked of the Peep recipes I've tried - Chocolate Covered Peeps! It's fun for the whole family - just be careful with the little ones with the melted chocolate and the fondue pot, okay?

You can also microwave Peeps and make S'mores! How much more fun can you have with a recalcitrant Wild Peep with delusions of freedom???

Fun PEEPS Recipes - This will fix those little buggers:
Peeps de Creme
Peeps Waldorf Salad, S'mores and Other Peeps Treats
Cooking with Peeps

FREE, HUMOROUS EASTER E-BOOK DOWNLOAD - THE WILD PEEP WAR OF 2009

Illustrated Nano Story: "There's a Peep in My Martini"
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20090407

Salmon, Cream Cheese & Cucumber Appetizers

This appetizer reminds me a little of Sundays in NYC, lazing around brunching on Bull Shots or Bloody Marys and munching on a toasted bagel with a schmear and some lox, while reading the newspaper and deciding on what to do the rest of the day.

I love smoked salmon (lox) and cream cheese (schmear) and this appetizer adds another of my favorite flavors with the cucumber "wrapping" for the present of salmon and dill flavored Philly cream cheese. It's simple, quick and very flavorful as well as attractive on a h'ors d'oeuvres platter!

If you're experiencing a little New York Sunday laziness you can just spoon the cream cheese and salmon mixture on a round slice of cucumber instead of doing the wraps - still tastes great and takes a lot less time - just not as fancy!

If you have a Tiny Food question, please feel free to ask me in a comment and I'll respond back here in the comments section or in a new post!

My Favorite Tiny Food Recipes at PopArtDiva.Com
All my recipes for food and drink at the PopArtDiva Bistro
Buy Great Products at The DIVA of TINY FOODS Shoppe!

20090401

DON'T LET INSECTS BUG YOU - COOK 'EM UP FOR SNACKS!

GOT INSECTS IN YOUR GARDEN? TURN THEM INTO TINY FOODS!

SAUTEED GARLIC GRASSHOPPERS

1 Stick of unsalted butter
8 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, minced
1 Cup of Fresh Grasshoppers, cleaned

Directions:
Melt your butter in a skillet over medium heat then sauté the garlic until soft. Add grasshoppers and cook until nice and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with a nice cold Grasshopper Martini from TheMartiniDiva.com!

CHOCOLATE COVERED FIRE ANTS

1000 Large Black Ants (Use 2,000 if the ants are small)
4 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/8 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes, Ground into a fine powder

Keep your ants nice and fresh in a jar with a little sugar to keep them happy and alive until ready to coat them. Fresh sugar fed ants are much sweeter on the palate.
In a double boiler melt your chocolate chips until nice and creamy, add your spices and turn the burner off - the hot water will keep your chocolate melted long enough to add your ants.
Gently fold in your ants so as not to break them, broken ants loose their flavor and moistness!
With two very small spoons, scoop out some of your chocolate ant mixture and gently spoon it onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
Your chocolate fire ants can be kept refrigerated for up to a week in the refrigerator. TIP: If you like even more heat use red ants!

Serve with a Chocolate Martini from TheMartiniDiva.com.

Yes, I'm kidding - BUT you really can use these recipes and eat grasshoppers and ants! I've eaten both - as well as some other pretty wild food. Grasshoppers (Chapulines) taste a little like popcorn to me and the chocolate covered ants a bit like chocolate covered raisins!

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

Proceed at your own risk. Anyone with any allergies to insects of any kind should avoid eating them as well as being bitten by them.

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FOOD THEMED ART, APPAREL & GIFTS