Pokémon: Indigo League

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Showdown at Dark City
Omurice

There are a ton of shows out there that I’m crazy about. And then there are the few shows that I’m CRAZY about. Those are the ones that truly define who I am and never fail to make me smile. They’re also the ones I obsess over to the point where it’s probably unhealthy. Pokémon is one of those shows. (Particularly Indigo League.) After watching it over and over all of these years, I still can’t get sick of it. I love the show. I love it as much as…as much as…as much as Pikachu loves ketchup!

Man, that really takes me back. All the way back to Dark City when the Yas and Kaz Gyms were in the middle of a gang war over becoming an official Pokémon Gym. When Ash, Misty, and Brock enter the city, they’re puzzled by its ghost town appearance and a woman’s fear of Pokémon trainers. Before Ash and friends have a chance to do anything, they encounter some rock-throwing kids who dislike anyone who works with Pokémon. Fortunately, a friendly restaurant owner steps in and invites Ash and Co. inside and explains the city’s situation. Since they’re in a restaurant, they might as well eat. Ash is served up some tasty looking omurice, but it doesn’t stay pretty for long. Pikachu is just loving a bottle of ketchup and when Ash asks Pikachu to pour some on, Pikachu is happy to share the good stuff. And by share I mean dump on enough that you can’t see the omurice anymore and Ash has to take the ketchup away from Pikachu. (Which Pikachu quickly wrestles back from Ash.)

Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

Fried Rice:

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup onion, finely chopped

½ cup mixed vegetables, finely chopped (I use a mix of peas and carrots, but use whatever you like.)

4 ounces chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup cooked rice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup, plus more for decoration

Salt

Pepper

 

Omelettes

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Salt

Oil or Nonstick Cooking Spray

 

Directions

Fried Rice:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and vegetables and cook until onions become translucent and vegetables begin to soften. Add the chicken, salt, and pepper. Once the chicken is fully cooked, add the rice and soy sauce and stir until any clumps of rice have been broken down and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add the ketchup and mix until the ketchup is evenly distributed throughout the rice. Adjust seasonings and remove from heat and set aside.

Omelettes:

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream or milk, and a pinch of salt.

Putting It All Together:

Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pour in half the egg mixture and tilt the pan to evenly spread it. When the bottom of the egg has set but the top is still runny, reduce the heat to low. Spread half of the fried rice in the middle of the omelette. Fold the left and right sides of the omelette over the rice. Move the omurice to the edge of the pan and flip it onto a plate. Cover the omurice with a clean towel and shape it into an oval. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle the omurice with ketchup (Or drown it if you’re like Pikachu!) and serve!

Pokemon OmuricePokemon Dark City Omurice

So maybe the omurice doesn’t look as pleasing after Pikachu’s through with it, but I’m sure it’s still delicious. I tend to be a bit heavy-handed with the ketchup myself. It’s good for everything, except aliases. But “Tom Ato” isn’t very good either. (Don’t get me started on “Ann Chovy” and “Caesar Salad.”) Ash should’ve picked a better name, but that’s not what’s important. What’s really important is that the Yas and Kaz Gyms know that it’s wrong to use Pokémon for street fighting. And the kids finally realize what I’ve known most of my life: Pokémon are the coolest, especially Pikachu.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

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Episode: Mind Pollution
Blintzes

“I’m your powers magnified. Haven’t you heard the song? ‘Captain Planet, he’s our hero…’” Isn’t Captain Planet just the greatest superhero? He sings his own theme song! And when he’s not singing or quoting, he’s making some bad joke or pun. (He’d fit in just fine at my house.) But the greatest thing about Captain Planet is that he’s a hero for Earth, which honestly needs all the help it can get. With the invaluable aid of the Planeteers, Eco-Villains are thwarted, animals are saved, pollution is stopped, and people are educated. Yes, this is an educational show. And it’s a darn good one because it inspired me to be part of the solution and not the pollution.

When I watch Captain Planet and the Planeteers, I get so angry at the stupid Eco-Villains that I just want to reach in my TV and start smacking them around. They cheat, kill, destroy, and pollute just to satisfy their own greed and cause trouble. And it’s not just the environment that’s in danger. People get hurt too, especially when Verminous Skumm is out causing the most insidious kind of pollution by dealing drugs. Linka’s cousin Boris becomes hopelessly addicted to Skumm’s drug, Bliss, and puts her in danger in order to get more. Linka’s too smart to do drugs, but she’s in a world of trouble when Boris slips Bliss into some blintzes and she eats one.

Recipe makes about 10 filled blintzes.

Ingredients

Filling:

2 pounds ground beef

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Blintzes:

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups milk, room temperature

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups flour

Oil or Nonstick Cooking Spray

Butter

 

Directions

Filling:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and parsley and cook until meat is browned. Stir occasionally while browning to break up the meat. Remove from heat and set aside.

Blintzes:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, sugar, and salt. Gradually whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of heavy cream.

Place a crepe pan or 10-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little bit of oil. Pour 1/3 cup of batter in, tilting the pan to evenly spread it. When the edge of the blintz begins to brown and curl, flip it over using a thin spatula or your fingers if you’re careful. Cook for another 20-30 seconds and set it on a plate with a bit of butter on it so it doesn’t stick. Top the blintz with a bit more butter so the next one won’t stick to it. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Putting It All Together:

Place about ¼ cup of filling slightly off from the middle of a blintz and spread out into a cylinder shape. Fold in the top and bottom sides and roll up the blintz. Repeat with the other blintzes. Now you can enjoy a tasty, 100% Bliss-Free blintz!

Variations:
After folding the blintzes, you can heat some oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the blintzes on both sides. Blintzes can be filled with anything you want. I just assumed it was ground beef because people have compared the blintz to a burrito. If you don’t want the large burrito shape, you can place the filling in the middle, bring the left and right sides completely over the filling, and roll up the blintz from the top. This shape doesn’t need as much filling, so you should be able to cut the filling recipe in half.

captainplanetblintzCaptain Planet Blintz (2)

This episode sticks out in my mind for a few reasons. Yes, the blintz is one of them, but the main reason is because this episode gets downright scary. The Planeteers are in the middle of a zombie siege. Boris breaks through a window and cuts his arms badly and bleeds everywhere. Then Boris…he…you know. And I wasn’t expecting that! This show has shocked me a few times, but that was the biggest. There are real dangers out there, so I’m proud of this show for not sugar-coating anything. We may not have those specific Eco-Villains around, but our world is in peril. I wasn’t given a magic ring, but I can still help protect the Earth. I’m a Planeteer and you can be one too! Remember, “THE POWER IS YOURS!”

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

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Chocolate Tarantula and Octopus

Gosh! Easter’s on its way! April Valley must really be hopping right now. Well you know, in Spring the Easter Bunny never sleeps. There are tulips that need tending and baskets that need mending and a million other things. But don’t worry guys. Peter Cottontail’s the right bunny for the job and he’s got everything covered. He won’t let us down. Sure he made one little mistake and ruined Easter, but that’s all in the past. You know the story, right? Seymour S. Sassafras first told/showed it to me a long time ago and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.

Colonel Wellington B. Bunny decides to retire from the position of Chief Easter Bunny and chooses Peter as his successor. However, the kid hating, January “Boom Boom” Irontail (Hee hee. I couldn’t help myself.) wants to be the ruler of April Valley and won’t allow Peter to have the the job. According to the constitution of April Valley, the Chief Easter Bunny shall be the one who delivers the most eggs, so Irontail swoops in and proposes a contest. Peter readily accepts, certain that he’ll win. But instead of getting lots of sleep, the irresponsible bunny decides to stay out late partying the night before Easter. Thanks to that and Irontail sealing the lips of Peter’s alarm clock rooster, Peter sleeps through Easter and loses to Irontail. To make up for his blunder, Peter sets out in Mr. Sassafras’ Yestermorrowbile, piloted by Antoine the caterpillar, to revisit Easter. Unfortunately, Irontail spies Peter and has his spider foul up the wires of the Yestermorrowbile. They pass right over Easter, but there are still plenty more holidays in a year. If Peter wants to give away his eggs, he has to try one (or all) of those.

Now you’d think that since Here Comes Peter Cottontail is all about Easter eggs, I’d just paint some eggs. Well it’s not happening. Maybe someday in the future, but not today. I’ve always enjoyed the egg hunt, but my favorite part of Easter is the chocolate. Works of delicious art like those created by Milkchocolateangelo and Leonardo di Bittersweet. And even though Irontail’s idea of Easter is a lot less…umm cheerful, he still wants the candy sculptors to keep busy. But instead of bunnies and chicks, Irontail wants chocolate tarantulas and octopuses. Ha! I just can’t pass those up! The candy carvers of April Valley start off with big blocks of chocolate to make their art, but I don’t have those. Plus carving isn’t very forgiving because you can’t add back what you’ve taken away. So I’m going to sculpt these guys out of modeling chocolate instead. A wise caterpillar once said, “When you can’t get it all together, improvise.”

Recipe makes one chocolate tarantula and one chocolate octopus.

Ingredients

2 pounds chocolate, finely chopped-Milk, Dark, Whatever (I’m a Semisweet fan myself.)

2/3-1 cup light corn syrup (Milk takes closer to 2/3 cup while Dark takes 1 cup)

 

Directions

I prefer to make the modeling chocolate in two smaller batches, but you can make it all at one time. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over a pot of simmering water. At the same time, microwave the corn syrup for a few seconds until it’s warm. Allow the chocolate to cool to 90-91 degrees F., stirring often. Pour the corn syrup into the chocolate and fold it in with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix! Pour the chocolate out onto a cool countertop. I like to chill a baking sheet in the refrigerator and work my chocolate on that. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chocolate rest until it firms up to a workable consistency. Depending on how hot it is, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Unwrap the chocolate and knead until smooth.

Now comes the fun part. Half of the modeling chocolate will be used for the tarantula and the other half for the octopus. For the tarantula, you’ll need to mold a large oblong shape and a large round shape for the body. You’ll also need to roll out 6 legs. Now I’m no artist, so please sculpt as you see fit. I placed the oblong piece on a support. (They were small boxes of jellybeans.) I attached the round piece to the back and placed more support behind it to keep it in place. Then I attached the legs. For added stability, use toothpicks or dry spaghetti noodles to attach the pieces. Let the tarantula sit until firm. For the octopus, you’ll need one oblong/rounded piece for the body and 6 arms. I flipped a short glass upside down and placed the large piece on top. I then attached the arms. Let the octopus sit until firm. Now you can eat them!

PeterCottontail ChocolatePeter Cottontail ChoTarOct

Halloween is more of Irontail’s kind of holiday, so my chocolate tarantula and octopus don’t seem too Eastery. I still like them, but I don’t think they’ll catch on. Can you imagine an Easter basket with one of these guys sitting in it? Peter Cottontail’s got jellybeans for Tommy, colored eggs for sister Sue, and a big chocolate tarantula!!! Nope. Not going to work. Oh well. Have a hippity hoppity, Happy Easter Day!

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Tom and Jerry: The Movie

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Éclair

I like Tom and Jerry: The Movie. There, I said it. I watched this movie all the time when I was a kid. I can still remember the exact spot where it sat at the video store. And that’s because I love Tom and Jerry. (Who doesn’t love Tom and Jerry?) And it was fun for me seeing them break from the norm and talk and work together. (Which looking at it now, okay, I can see why everyone gets so cheesed off.) But I still enjoy Tom and Jerry getting thrown into a very not-so-Tom and Jerry story. There’s a little runaway “orphan” girl, an evil “aunt” and lawyer, an animal-napper, a strange carnival guy with a hand puppet, and a seriously fat doggy on a skateboard. (I’m going to come clean right here and admit that Ferdinand has always been my favorite.) These sound like the ingredients for a nice, adventurey movie. Throw in some corny song and dance numbers and we’re all set. Oh, and some food would be nice.

Aunt Figg is a horrible, rotten person, but I have to give the lady credit for surrounding herself with food. (That’s what I’d do with all my money.) It seems like she always has cupcakes nearby and her kitchen is filled with all kinds of treats. (I can see how Ferdinand got so tubby.) Despite there being such a vast amount of delectables in the house, when Tom and Jerry come to stay with them, the “something special” they’re given is a scary, dripping bowl of who knows what. But out of all the food in the movie, the one that calls to me the most is an éclair. There’s just always been something about the scene where Aunt Figg is scheming with Lickboot over the phone and she squeezes an éclair to death.

Recipe makes about 7 éclairs.

Ingredients

Filling:

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Pinch of Salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature, and cut into chunks

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

 

Pastry

1 cup water

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature, and cut into chunks

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup flour, sifted

4 eggs, room temperature, beaten

 

Ganache Topping

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

 

Directions

Filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until it simmers. While whisking constantly, pour a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, whisking constantly. When the milk and egg mixture are fully combined, pour this mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Pour the cream through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, letting it touch the surface so the pastry cream won’t form a skin. Place in the refrigerator and chill completely, at least 2 hours. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream.

Pastry:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the butter is completely melted. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and add all the flour at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated. Return the pan to the heat and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. When the dough comes together in a ball, remove from heat and cool slightly. (Enough so the eggs won’t cook when added.) Move the dough to a bowl or stand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The dough should be smooth and paste-like and shouldn’t cling to a beater or spoon when lightly shaken.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (3/4-1 inch). Pipe 6-inch lengths of dough onto a greased baking sheet sprinkled with just a little water, leaving plenty of room in between them. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. and bake for 30 minutes. (Don’t open the door.) Remove the tray from the oven and make a small hole in the end of each éclair to allow steam to escape. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the éclairs are crispy and golden. Remove the éclairs from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache Topping:

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Putting It All Together:

Split each éclair in half lengthwise. Pipe or spoon filling into the bottom half of the éclairs. Dip the tops in the ganache. Close the éclairs and let the ganache set before serving. Enjoy!

Tom and Jerry MovieTom&Jerry Movie

Now I really feel like a million dollars here with my éclair. Yes, I’m trying my best to squeeze money talk in here somewhere. But hey, a delicious, fancy éclair definitely beats chunky tuna from a trashcan. (That stuff is green!) At least Tom and Jerry don’t have to worry anymore about eating off the streets because of bad owners. (What’s up with that? And Puggsy’s family too! There’s a greater chance of me getting left behind during a move than one of our pets.) Actually, Tom and Jerry don’t have to worry about anything anymore, which leaves them plenty of time to do what they do best: play cat and mouse games.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

A Troll in Central Park

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Salad

I have no idea what I did to Gnorga, but I somehow ended up on her bad side. Not bad enough for me to be turned to stone, but for the last few months, I lived in a place of rock and steel where nothing grew. (And I wasn’t even in New York City.) Oh wait. I wasn’t feeling the wrath of the “Queen of Mean.” That was winter. But now spring is here and my little patch of green has returned. I could use some more flowers though. This wouldn’t be a problem if I had Stanley’s green thumb and I could grow some with a snap. Unfortunately, my thumb’s a little more like Gnorga’s black thumb. It won’t turn things to stone, but it’s still very dangerous. (I’m not too good with plants.) And even if I were to successfully grow a flower, it wouldn’t be a magical talking, dancing one. (Yes, I want magical dancing flowers. Did you see how happy they make Rosie?) Maybe I’m just not believing in myself enough. Or maybe I’m better off leaving the plant growing to the professionals and should just stick to eating them.

No, no, no, I don’t want to eat any of Stanley’s flowers! But I am talking about eating some greens. You see, things don’t go too well for Stanley at the beginning. He gets banished for growing flowers and is flung all the way to New York. Sure, he’s happy to see that there was some mistake and he isn’t in a land without grass, leaves, and flowers, but taking in this new world isn’t the easiest for the gentle, little troll. He gets chased by ferocious dogs and bumps into a really angry squirrel. Then he falls from a tree over a restaurant and lands straight in a large salad. He wanted green, he got it. But he finds himself in a tight spot when the salad gets dressed and served to a very hungry customer. And when the man digs in, it’s a pain in the butt for Stanley, literally. He screams and runs off and, after more trouble, finds himself a hole under a bridge. So his punishment is off to a rough start, but it’s not supposed to be nice. “It’s supposed to be punishing!”

Recipe makes one very large salad.

Ingredients

2 hearts romaine lettuce, rinsed and left in large pieces

1-2 large tomatoes, sliced into wedges

Black Olives

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Vinaigrette Or

Vinaigrette

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of Sugar (Optional)

Salt

White Pepper

Directions

Vinaigrette:

Pour white wine vinegar and olive oil in a mason jar. Tightly secure the lid and shake it vigorously until fully combined, about 10 seconds. Season to taste. (This can also be done in a blender.)

Putting It All Together:

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, and black olives. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Add freshly ground pepper. Toss the salad and serve individual portions. Enjoy!

Variations:
Obviously, smaller sized pieces of lettuce are much easier to eat than the large leaves.
For a more stable and flavorful vinaigrette, add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. You can also opt for black pepper if that better suits your taste.

Troll ParkTroll Park Salad

Okay, I really like salads, but I’ve never gotten as excited over one as that guy in the restaurant. (He’s licks his lips and everything.) I kind of feel bad that he doesn’t get to enjoy it. I feel even worse for Stanley for being a part of it. But without all of his scary encounters, he wouldn’t have ended up in the right place to meet Rosie and Gus. Sure, they lead to even more trouble, but when everything’s said and done, Stanley manages to create a world that’s bright and shiny and absolutely green.

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Feed the Kitty

Posted on by cartooncravings

Kitty Cookie

Marc Antony and Pussyfoot are long-time favorites of mine because they’re just so gosh darn cute together. No matter what names they go by, seeing the big bulldog dote on that tiny kitten has always made me smile. And no cartoon of theirs makes me happier than “Feed the Kitty.” Marc Anthony tries to act like tough stuff and bark at Pussyfoot, but she just curls up on his back. And despite all the kneading she does to get comfortable, he can’t help but like her. (Yeah, this is starting to sound a whole lot like my kitty and me.) However, unlike Marc Anthony, I don’t have the problem where I’m constantly bringing stuff home. His owner is finally fed up with all of his mess and tells him not to bring one more thing into their house. Now I’m just guessing that Marc Anthony would be reasonable about this order under normal circumstances, but he did just bring a kitten into the house. A kitten who doesn’t like to stay put. Every time Pussyfoot crosses paths with his owner, Marc Anthony pretends that the kitten is just a toy or a powder puff and gets more and more desperate to keep her a secret.

Now here’s where it gets really good. Marc Anthony hides Pussyfoot in the flour drawer just before his owner comes into the kitchen to make cookies. She unknowingly scoops up the kitten and adds her to the bowl. She proceeds to make the cookie dough while Marc Anthony tries his best to rescue Pussyfoot. Fearing the kitten’s fate if she meets with the stand mixer, Marc Anthony’s last-ditch effort is to spray whipped cream all over his face and pretend he’s rabid. His owner has been putting up with his crazy antics all day, but wasting her whipped cream was the last straw and she throws him outside. Pussyfoot gets out of the bowl unharmed, but poor Marc Anthony doesn’t know that. He watches in horror as his owner beats the dough, rolls it out, cuts it, and places the cookies in the oven, thinking his precious kitty is in there. He can’t take it and cries himself a puddle. And then when his owner lets him back inside, she gives him a cookie shaped like a cat!

Recipe makes about 20 cookies (Depending on size.)

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 cups flour

Candy (Blue Jelly Beans, M&M’s, etc.) or frosting for eyes

 

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the milk. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Divide the dough in two and flatten each half into a disk. Cover each disk with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (I know Marc Anthony’s owner rolls her dough out right away, and I may have been able to get away with it, but I feel better letting it chill.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly dust a counter with flour and roll out a disk to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with a kitty cookie cutter or make a stencil and cut out with a paring knife. Marc Anthony’s owner used a variety of cookie cutters, so you don’t have to just stick with kitties. Re-roll and cut until you run out of dough and continue this process with the other disk.

Place cookies in the oven and bake, rotating trays halfway through, until the cookies have browned slightly, 10-15 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. While the cookies are still warm and soft, press candy into them to make eyes for the kitties. If you want to draw eyes on with frosting, make sure the cookies have fully cooled. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. Enjoy!

FeedTheKittyFeedTheKittyCookie

Oh, I can’t handle Marc Anthony’s face! And instead of eating the kitty cookie, he puts it on his back. But there’s no sad ending for the sweet, furry pair. Pussyfoot shows up and Marc Anthony is ecstatic. And busted. Luckily, Marc Anthony’s owner allows him to keep the kitten, but he’s got to take care of her. I don’t know what’s more incredible: Marc Anthony’s owner allowing him to care entirely for a kitten, or Marc Anthony actually being responsible enough to do so. That could never happen in my house. The only cat my dogs would take care of is one made of cookie. (And we all know how that would end.)

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Very Aggressive Vegetables

Posted on by cartooncravings

Short: Baby Corn
Baby Corn in Butter Sauce

My sister brought home a very large can of baby corn the other day and we got all sorts of excited because we are baby corn junkies. We had big plans for that can. (Yes, those big plans really were to open the can and eat as much baby corn as we possibly could.) And no matter how many times we eat the stuff, we always bring up the same topics. My sister always says that she wants to see baby corn harvested and I always talk about how aggressive they are. Mmm hmm, baby corn. It’s a very aggressive vegetable. They’ve never done me any wrong, but that’s because I don’t give them the opportunity. I’ve watched the Very Aggressive Vegetables shorts on Nicktoons enough to know veggies’ true natures. Sure, they sit there all quiet and unassuming, but when some kid says or does something to offend those vegetables, the produce is ready to come at them!

Broccoli, Celery, A Not-So-Sweet Potato, Cucumber, and Zucchini are all pretty hostile, but the angry, little Baby Corn is what’s really stuck with me all these years. He can tolerate being stabbed, having his face rubbed in sauce, and getting splattered against a wall, but it’s when the baby corn’s taste is insulted that he takes action. And when you insult one’s taste, you’ve insulted all baby corn, so the aggressive baby corn calls for all his little baby corn friends to rise up and attack the bratty little girl. All they want is to be appreciated. I think I can do that.

Recipe makes 1 serving.

Ingredients

4 ounces baby corn

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Salt and Pepper

 

Directions

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the baby corn and salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the water. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the baby corn is heated through, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve with unidentifiable green stuff/greens of your choice. Enjoy, or else!

VeryAggVeg BbyCrnVery Ag Veg Baby Corn

I don’t want to say that the little girl deserves the wrath of the baby corn, but come on, she deserves it. Yelling and throwing food just because it tastes off. And it’s just baby corn. It’s not like it’s…well I better not give an example. Who knows? Whatever I suggest may turn out to be quite aggressive as well. I don’t want to get anyone mad, so if there’s anything I’ve learned from these shorts, it’s to just sit here and eat all my vegetables.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears

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Carrot Soup

“Once upon a time there were three bears-Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear.” Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Yeah, it’s the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” but it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of. (Actually, I’m sure you’re thinking of the right one. You did read the title of this post after all.) So yeah, it’s the classic tale done up in good ol’ Merrie Melodies fashion. You know things aren’t going to go as expected right from the get-go when you see The Three Bears. This dysfunctional family is not the good-natured trio who just want to eat some porridge. They want to eat Goldilocks and are willing to go through the whole “Three Bears” routine just to get her. Now this is my kind of story, but there’s just one more thing needed to really jazz this up: Bugs Bunny.

The whole “Lure Goldilocks to the house and when she goes upstairs to sleep…WHAM! idea” is very spur of the moment, so the bears don’t even have porridge for her. All they have are some old carrots. That doesn’t stop Papa Bear and he tells Mama Bear to make carrot soup then. (You know where this is going.) The aroma of that nice, hot soup pulls Bugs from his hole and brings him straight to the bears’ table. Bugs isn’t one to pass up free carrot soup so he helps himself to it. And he knows the bears are there, but he just plays along. He’s got this whole situation under control, right?

I don’t even have all the stuff to make porridge in my kitchen right now, (I’m low on grains.) so I know where Mama Bear’s coming from. But she puts me in a tight spot when she says that they ONLY have some old carrots. So I’m going to say that she’s got a few extra things in the kitchen, like an old onion and some old stock, just to add some flavor. 

Recipe makes 8 cups of soup.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds peeled carrots, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

½-1 teaspoon white pepper

Additional whole carrots (scrubbed and trimmed) for garnish

 

Directions

Heat olive oil and melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté until onion softens, 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, water, salt, and white pepper. (If you don’t want raw carrots for garnishes, toss them in the pot to soften them too. Otherwise boil them separately.) Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat and cook until the carrots are tender, 25-30 minutes.

Remove the whole carrots. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or purée the soup in a blender in batches. Return the soup to the pot over low heat. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add additional stock to achieve your desired consistency. Adjust the seasonings if needed.

Pour soup into bowls and garnish with carrots. Enjoy!

BugsBearsCarrotSoupBugsBunnyCarrotSoup

Bugs Bunny yells for some ketchup while he’s eating. (Which I tried with the soup and I’m not a fan.) He then lies on top of the bears and goes upstairs to sleep. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s going to outsmart the bears and end the cartoon a happy rabbit. Well, not this time. This is one of those cartoons where Bugs takes his games a little too far. He tells Mama Bear that she’s beautiful and lands one of his big Bugs Bunny kisses on her. Mama Bear becomes infatuated with him and he can’t shake her off. Even when he gets to his hole, she’s there. She covers him in kisses and he runs away screaming. I hope that carrot soup was worth it.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

The Rescuers

Posted on by cartooncravings

The Rescuers
Ginger Snaps

“R-E-S-C-U-E. Rescue Aid Society. Heads held high, touch the sky. You mean everything to me.” Now that we’ve sang part of the Rescue Aid Society Anthem (and have the rest of it stuck in our heads.) we can now get to business. I will now present The Rescuers. I’ve watched enough cartoons to know that you should never underestimate mice. That goes especially for Miss Bianca and Bernard. Sure they’re small, but with enough faith, they can do things you wouldn’t believe. Traveling from New York to Devil’s Bayou, finding the world’s largest diamond, and taking on the evil Madame Medusa and her pet alligators to save one little orphan girl are all in a day’s work for Rescue Aid Society agents. The pair doesn’t do it all alone, but their help comes from other small animals. Orville the albatross flies them to Devil’s Bayou and Ellie Mae and the other bayou residents charge onto the riverboat to save Penny. Evinrude’s just a dragonfly and he puts his life on the line to help out. Clearly, little ones can do big things.

Even Rufus the Cat plays an important part in finding Penny. Miss Bianca and Bernard meet him at the Morningside Orphanage and he directs their search towards Madame Medusa, the owner of a sleazy pawnshop down the street. (Though he says that they’d be wasting their time going down there.) Rufus tells Miss Bianca and Bernard about the last time he saw Penny before she ran away. Penny was depressed about being passed over on Adoption Day, but Rufus reassured her by saying, “Faith is a bluebird, you see from afar. It’s for real and as sure as the first evening star. You can’t touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight, but it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.” Once Penny cheered up she gave Rufus two extra ginger snaps that she took from lunch even though she wasn’t supposed to. Rufus licked them and called them catnip snaps, much to Penny’s delight. Then Rufus’ tale ends with Penny telling Rufus that she loves him and carrying him (rather roughly) off to supper. Seeing all of this breaks my heart and makes me root harder for Miss Bianca and Bernard to succeed in finding and rescuing Penny. And then the stupid hungry side of me ruins the moment and says, “Hey, let’s go make our own Catnip Snaps!”

Recipe makes about 45 cookies.

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon molasses

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg. Add the molasses and corn syrup and mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Drop dough with a 2-teaspoon sized scoop, 2 inches apart, onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by hand or with the bottom of a glass.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, for 10-12 minutes for softer cookies or 15 minutes for crispier ones.

Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Dig in!

therescuerstherescuers-gingersnaps

Because I made these ginger snaps, I’ve got no problem taking two extra for my cat. (But I’m not really going to share them with her.) We’re close like Rufus and Penny, but she doesn’t talk back when I speak to her. I’ve tried talking to mice too and they don’t answer either. (I thought mice could talk like anybody.) Penny’s just special, not to mention incredibly brave. During her ordeal in Devil’s Bayou she never stops trying her hardest to flee from her captors. I’m beyond glad that Penny finds “someone waiting for her.” And Penny and her new parents aren’t the only ones brought together. Miss Bianca and Bernard are now ready to take on anything and jump right into another mission. That won’t be the last time we see the agents, but I think I’ve left you with enough for now. “Tomorrow is another day.”

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: My Son, the Hamster
Pecan Pie

Don’t you feel like there should be more pie-related holidays? Sure, there’s National Pie Day, Pi Day, Thanksgiving, and Pule, but what about all those pie-less days in-between? So I’m declaring today a special day to eat pie. And tomorrow. And the day after that and so on. I just want to eat pie every day! I know, I may have a bit of a pie problem, but I feel better about myself when I think of all the other pie lovers out there. The first one that always comes to mind is Hugh Neutron. I know he’s a fictional character, but the two of us are kindred spirits. We like the finer things in life: pie, ducks, toast, cheese. All those sorts of things. I’m also a lot like Carl and Sheen too, so throw those three together and you get all sorts of weird. I’d love to say I’m a lot like Jimmy, but he’s too smart for me. However, I wouldn’t mind getting caught up in all of his scientific hijinks.

Jimmy couldn’t be a normal kid if he tried. (And he did. It didn’t turn out well. “Hey, have you guys seen my loopy dance?”) But I love him for that. He’s always doing something like unleashing an army of evil pants, starting a second Ice Age, or shrinking everyone in town. Each episode is just so fun that it’s next to impossible for me to settle on one favorite. Just like pie. I could make an alphabetical list of all the types of pie and I wouldn’t be able to pick the one I like the most. Well lucky for me, I don’t have to look too hard to find food and fun in this series. In “My Son, the Hamster”, Jimmy has a mishap with his teleportation pods and his atoms get mixed up with those of Carl’s hamster, Mr. Wuggles. Basically, their bodies switch, so Mr. Wuggles turns into a hamster boy (Furry Jimmy) and Jimmy, according to Sheen, becomes Hamster Lord. Yep, he’s got a cute, fuzzy hamster body with a big belly and little pawsies. I just love him! He’s so adorable/freaky and it’s so funny to watch him move around. And when his hamster sense takes over, he can’t resist the tempting smell of pecans, so he climbs up to his kitchen windowsill and dives right into a freshly baked pecan pie. That sweet smell is too much for me, so of course that would drive Hamster Jimmy nuts.

Recipe makes one 10-inch pecan pie.

Ingredients

Pie Crust Or:

Crust:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into chunks

3 tablespoons shortening, cold

4-5 tablespoons ice water, plus 1 or 2 more tablespoons if needed

 

Filling:

1 cup light corn syrup

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly

3 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups pecan halves

 

Directions

Crust:

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 4-5 tablespoons of ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until dough just comes together when pressed. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse again. Form dough into a disk and cover in plastic wrap. Let dough chill until firm, 30 minutes to an hour.

Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat corn syrup, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans.

Putting It All Together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough anywhere from 12 to 14 inches across and place in a pie tin. Gently press dough into place. Trim excess dough or fold it back on itself.

Pour filling evenly into pie crust and bake until golden brown and the filling is set, 50-55 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack or on windowsill if that’s more your style. Serve and enjoy!

jimmy-neutron-piejimmy-neutron-pecan-pie-3

The human part of Jimmy loses control for just a little bit, but it’s still long enough to get him into trouble. At least he gets some sense knocked into him. With a broom. And even then he keeps munching on a pecan. I can’t blame Judy Neutron for freaking out over a vicious little rodent eating her pecan pie, even if it is her son. I’d hate for a beautiful pie like that to get ruined. Still, with all the (robot) dogs, brooms, and hawks out there, the world isn’t safe for hamsters or people with hamster bodies. But Jimmy’s smarts save the day and he and Mr. Wuggles return to normal. I just hope that Sheen doesn’t get his hands on Jimmy’s teleportation pods. The last thing Retroville needs is Lizard Lord and his Tongue of Doom.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!