Johnny Bravo

Posted on by cartooncravings


Episode: Johnny Bravo
Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

More often than I’d like to admit, I’ve released my inner Johnny Bravo on the unsuspecting world. I’ll say or do something Johnny-ish and my sister will immediately turn to me and say, “No more Johnny Bravo for you.” I can’t help it. It left quite the impression on me since I saw it on What A Cartoon! I felt like all of those shorts that went on to become Cartoon Cartoons were made just for me. (Forget all the popularity and demographic mumbo jumbo. They were made for ME and only ME.) There were so many things that went right over my head, but I didn’t care. That’s why now I appreciate quality shows with multiple levels. I hardly got any of Johnny Bravo‘s pop culture references, but I still enjoyed them. I wouldn’t love Donny Osmond as much as I do if I hadn’t seen him on the show. Sad but true.

And how can I not want to be Johnny Bravo? (Or Jenny Brava in my case.) In his own way, Johnny is kind of a good role model. Not the vain, meat-headed, pig side of him. That’s bad. (There’s something up with those sunglasses.) What I’m talking about is Johnny’s self-confidence. I want to get up every morning, look in the mirror, and have to call emergency personnel because I look that good. And he can deliver the goofiest pickup lines with ease because he truly believes in himself. Then when he’s crushed (literally) his confidence only wavers for a moment, if at all. He’s good. I mean, he’s the kind of guy that can break into song, pull a pot of hot oil out of nowhere, make a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and deep fry that bad boy in seconds. Sure, that’s probably because he’s a cartoon character, but I’d like to believe that that’s just one of Johnny’s superpowers. I can make a deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwich too, but it’s going to take me a couple minutes. And I can’t fry a thing with that kind of finesse. I better get practicing.

So, Johnny just plops a sandwich into the hot oil. That’s fine and dandy, but if I do that, all I end up with is soggy bread without a trace of peanut butter left inside. To protect the sandwich, it’s getting a nice coating of batter first.

Recipe makes 2 sandwiches.

Ingredients

Sandwiches:

4 slices of bread

4 tablespoons peanut butter (You can add more if you want but beware of leakage.)

1-2 large bananas (Depends on how much banana you like.)

Vegetable Oil for Frying

Batter:

½ cup milk

1 egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Directions

Sandwich:

I know everyone has their own way of making sandwiches, so do what you need to make peanut butter and banana sandwiches. You can spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter onto each slice of bread. Slice the banana in half, lengthwise, or into about ¼ inch slices. Lay either both banana halves or about half of the slices on one piece of bread. Top that with the second slice of bread.

Batter:

In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter of dippable consistency forms. If you want it thinner, add more milk.

Putting It All Together:

Heat oil in a large pot/deep skillet or in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.

Dip the sandwich into the batter and coat thoroughly. Allow the excess batter to drip off and use tongs to move it to the hot oil.
Fry the sandwich until golden brown on each side, 2-2 ½ minutes. Drain the sandwich on paper towels and repeat with the second sandwich. Serve warm!

Johnny Bravo SandwichJohnny Bravo Peanut Butter Banana

I understand that the zookeeper had a lot on her mind since a 900-pound gorilla escaped, but if I’m offered a deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, I’ll happily take it. Well, you probably shouldn’t take food from strangers, but I’d take one from Johnny. He was only trying to impress a pretty girl, but he went searching for the gorilla even though he had no idea what one looks like. His heart’s in the right place. It’s the Bravo brain that needs help.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

Posted on by cartooncravings


Short: Hyper-Corn
Creamed Corn

I never got the chance to see Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius in theaters. My parents just didn’t understand the greatness that is Jimmy. I, on the other hand, knew and loved him and his family and friends for months. Before I ever started to get hyped for the movie, I was content just watching the shorts over and over. Which I did because Nickelodeon played them a lot! (Smart move.) I love the shorts even more now because I can see how they progressed into the movie and then the show.

My favorite one of the bunch has always been “Hyper-Corn”. I couldn’t understand why Jimmy’s mom would make nothing but creamed corn for dinner. Or why it jiggles. But I sure didn’t want to eat it. Although, I did change my tune after the Hypercube spewed corn everywhere. I begged my mom to make heaping blobs of creamed corn, but for all the wrong reasons. It didn’t amuse her. Now here’s my chance to make my own. (I still want to throw it on everything, but I can’t bring myself to waste food or clean my walls.)

Recipe makes 1 insanely large serving or about 6 smaller servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds fresh, frozen, or canned corn

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoons white pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

 

Directions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly. As the mixture starts bubbling, whisk in the heavy cream. When the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat to low. Add the cream cheese and cook until the sauce is thick, still whisking. In a small bowl, begin whisking the egg. Add a small amount of the cream cheese mixture to the egg, while still whisking. Continue whisking in small amounts until the volume of the egg has almost doubled. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir to combine. Return the heat to medium and add the corn and sugar. Cook for a couple minutes to allow the liquid from the corn to thicken. Add the salt, white pepper, and onion powder. Stir and cook until the corn is warm and soft, about 5 minutes. The corn will set more as it cools, but if it’s too thick for you, just add more cream. Scoop out a heaping portion and enjoy!

Jimmy Neutron Creamed CornJimmy Corn

“Oh, that is good.” I totally agree with Jimmy even if I did deviate a bit from the standard creamed corn method in order to make it blobbier. It’s good for the digestion, right? We weren’t smart enough to build a Hypercube or move our house underwater, but we did start acting like Jimmy in our own way. In Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius fashion, we kind of ended up getting back at our parents for not taking us to see it. We didn’t sneak out or wish them to go away, but my little sister did buy the movie on Pay-Per-View without permission and we stayed up late watching it. (What stinkers!)

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

The Phantom Tollbooth

Posted on by cartooncravings


Punctuation Mark Cookies

The first time I watched The Phantom Tollbooth was when I was in 6th Grade. We just covered the book (Or was it just excerpts?) by Norton Juster and were being treated to the movie. I can’t really remember much about the readings or watching the movie. (We also covered Where the Red Fern Grows, so I suppressed a lot of memories from that time.) I do know that I enjoyed them, but I don’t think I truly appreciated them. When I caught the movie floating around on my television years later, I thought I’d give it another go. Within seconds of the opening credits, I freaked out. “What? This is a Chuck Jones film! Look at who’s in this! They’re legends! How did I not notice any of this before?” And then I finished the film and freaked out again. “It’s so cleverly done! It’s beautiful! I can’t get these songs out of my head!” I was very ashamed of my younger self for not caring as much back then, but I guess I was in the school lull like Milo. I also had to discover a love of learning. (I never did learn to love school, though.) If I treated words and numbers like they are in The Phantom Tollbooth, maybe my education would’ve been a tad more enjoyable.

If I lived in the Kingdom of Wisdom, you’d probably find me in Dictionopolis. I just can’t help but love all the letters and words for sale. It’s so overwhelming that I’d probably try to use upholstery, flabbergast, and quagmire in the same sentence too. And I laugh when Milo starts making a speech at King Azaz’s banquet and it’s served to him as food. “I didn’t know I was going to have to eat my words.” Priceless! Now I’m serving up letters and such too, but they’re not from Milo’s plate. When Milo and Tock are thrown into the dungeon, they meet a Which. (Get it? Which? And her brother is a Whether Man! I love it!) The poor Which was wrongfully thrown in the dungeon after Princesses Rhyme and Reason left the land. Lucky for her, she’s got all the comforts of home in her cell and can pass the time by making up cookies! She offers the tastiest looking tray of punctuation marks and representations of King Azaz and the Mathemagician to Milo and Tock. It’s fun enough just seeing that, but I bet it’s even more fun eating them. I hear the the question marks are delicious!

Recipe makes about 20 chocolate shortbread cookies, depending on the size.

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

 

Directions

Sift and combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and mix until combined. Remove the dough from the stand mixer and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4 an inch. Cut out shapes with any similar-looking cookie cutters or make stencils and cut out with a paring knife. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. For the cookies that have the details like extra marks and lines, now would be the time to carve those in. I also tried creating the details by making an extra tiny batch of dough using darker cocoa powder and pressing the darker dough onto the lighter one. Once you’ve used up all your dough, chill the cookies for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake cookies until crisp and firm, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Now would be the time to eat them!

Phan Tollbooth CookiesPhantom Tollbooth Cookies

No wonder Tock snuck another one! Who knew that education could be so delicious? And making a batch of these is far from boring. Milo needed an adventure through a magical tollbooth to cure his boredom blues. All I need are some cookies!

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Cartoon Planet

Posted on by cartooncravings


Episode: Toot! Toot!
Doughnut

One of my favorite shows in the entire universe is Cartoon Planet. I had been watching Space Ghost & Dino Boy for years, so I already liked the characters. Then they got the 90’s treatment (We affectionately refer to it as “being slapped with the 90’s pan.”) and I fell in love with them! The characters were taken in a direction I never imagined they would be (They became stupid, really stupid in Brak’s case.) and it’s so much fun to watch. I was immensely enjoying Space Ghost Coast to Coast and before I knew it, Cartoon Planet came out of nowhere and amped up the crazy! By that I mean they added Brak as a co-star. (Sorry, Moltar.) And they started “Zorak’s Helpful Hints”, and “The Cartoon Planet Storybook,” and songs about baloney sandwiches and other silly stuff. This reminds me, I’d like to take this moment to apologize to my parents who had to endure all those car rides with us wailing “Highway 40 Revisited” in the backseat.

Anyhoo. With my crazy love for the show, I’ve been dying to cover food from it. And Space Ghost and the guys do love food. They have several songs dedicated to foods and they talk about eating often. Brak even has his own cooking segment. (That he never really gets to do because his cooking makes people seriously ill.) The problem though, is Cartoon Planet was made on the cheap. When the guys spoke or sang about food, the same images were recycled over and over. I’d have no problem with that except that they were real foods. I very well can’t make cartoon food a reality if I don’t have cartoon food to start off with. On rare occasions, a quick drawing of a food item would show up. And lucky for me, a lone doughnut shows up during “The Cartoon Planet Storybook’s,” “What Does My Second Cousin Do?”

Recipe makes 18-24 glazed doughnuts.

Ingredients

Doughnut:

1/3 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

4 ½ teaspoons yeast

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup milk, room temperature

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ½ cups flour

Vegetable Oil for Frying

 

Glaze:

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Black Food Coloring

 

Directions

Doughnut:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the warm water. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the rest of the sugar, salt, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and half of the flour. Add the yeast mixture and mix all the ingredients together using the paddle attachment. Once all the ingredients are fully combined, add the remaining flour and mix until the flour is fully incorporated. Replace the paddle with the dough hook attachment and beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl, about 5 minutes. Move the dough to a large, clean bowl. Lightly coat dough with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a ½ inch thickness. (A little less thick is fine too. I just like big doughnuts.) Cut out doughnuts with a doughnut cutter or large and small cookie cutters. Move the doughnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Let the doughnuts rise for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large pot/deep skillet or in a deep fryer to 370 degrees F.

Fry the doughnuts for 60-90 seconds on each side. (Whenever they turn golden.) Move the doughnuts to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Glaze:

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Begin stirring in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Move some of the glaze to a small bowl and tint with the food coloring. Place the black glaze in a piping bag.

Putting It All Together:

Dip the doughnuts, one at a time, in the glaze until they have a thick, even coating on top. Allow the glaze to rest a few minutes to fully set. Use the black glaze to pipe little circles onto the doughnuts. Once they set, you can eat up!

Cartoon Planet DoughnutCP Doughnut

Is this batch of doughnuts a desperate excuse to talk about Cartoon Planet? Oh you bet, but who doesn’t like tasty doughnuts? I mean aside from “My Second Cousin.” And it’s Cartoon Planet we’re talking about. Nothing has to make sense here. If you want something bad enough and throw a bunch of funky stuff together, you should end up with something great.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Space Jam

Posted on by cartooncravings


Swackhammer’s Courtside Feast

Easter is just days away, so I know that poor Easter Bunny is working overtime. Although I appreciate his efforts, he’s not the only Bunny on my mind this time of year. Sorry, Mr. Cottontail, but in my house, you have to share your day with Bugs. And it’s not just because I run around yelling, “I wanna Easter Egg,” every year. The real reason is Easter Morning, 1997. I ran to see what goodies the Easter Bunny had brought and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a pristine Space Jam VHS waiting for us kids. Our Easter Baskets were full of candy, but we ignored the sugary goodness completely. We loved Space Jam so much and weren’t expecting it to be there, so we super freaked out. You would’ve thought it was Christmas.

Since that day, I’ve seen this movie hundreds of times. Looney Tunes teaming up with Michael Jordan to win a basketball game against aliens sounds like the silliest idea ever, (because it is) but it works beyond well. I’ve always found movies that pair live action and animation to be enchanting and Bugs Bunny has always been one of my heroes. Plus having the Nerdlucks steal the talent of NBA powerhouses was the coolest thing I had ever seen. The Monstars are so tough and cool, but they’ve got just the right amount of stupid sprinkled in. And there wouldn’t be any Monstars without the greedy Mr. Swackhammer. He’s such a fun villain and seeing him being pampered during the Big Game is just too funny.

His table is full of food and he’s got more bread and wine coming. (And pie, a pork chop, or sorbet, perhaps.) I assumed he’s got potatoes and green beans and I can tell that’s a jello mold from a mile away. Now what meat is he eating? Sure, it’s probably just a roasted turkey leg, but since I have absolutely no idea what it is, (and I couldn’t find any turkey legs for the life of me) I thought I’d sort of treat it like manga meat and make my own. And by that, I’m basically talking about making a meatloaf on a stick.

Recipe makes 2 large servings.

Ingredients

Meat:

1/2 cup panko

1/4 cup milk

1/4 onion, minced

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon brown mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 chicken or turkey drumsticks with the meat removed

 

For Breading:

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1 cup panko

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Oil for Deep Frying

 

Potatoes

1 pound new potatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 

Green Beans

1 pound green beans

2 tablespoons butter

Salt

Pepper

 

Gelatin

1 box strawberry or raspberry flavored Jello Or

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

3 tablespoon sugar

2 cups fruit juice: Raspberry or White Cran-Strawberry or something along the same color

 

Directions

Meat:

In a small bowl, combine panko and milk and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pan. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine panko-milk mixture, turkey, egg, onion and garlic, salt, pepper, brown mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix until just combined. Divide in half and place meat mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape the meat mounds into ovals so they resemble the leg-type shape. Stick the bones into the shapes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and cool completely.

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. In a second shallow bowl, beat the egg. Place the panko in a third shallow bowl. Dredge one “leg” in the flour. Shake off the excess and dredge in the egg. Then coat it with the panko. You may have to dredge and coat a couple of times to get an even coating. Repeat the dredging process with the other “leg.” Don’t use the bones as handles just yet or they might come apart. Save that for when you’re trying to eat it. Chill the “legs” for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a large pot/deep skillet or in a deep fryer to 370 degrees F.

Fry the “legs,” one at a time, until golden on all sides, 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Potatoes:

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add salt and potatoes and lower the heat. Simmer the potatoes until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain off the potatoes and add them back to the pan. Melt butter and coat the potatoes. Season with pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and remove from heat.

Green Beans:

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add salt and green beans and cook until green beans are slightly tender, 6 minutes. Drain off the green beans and add them back to the pan. Melt butter and coat green beans. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Gelatin:

Pour gelatin and ¼ cup of juice in a small bowl. While the gelatin is blooming, combine the sugar and remaining fruit juice in a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and bring the juice to a boil. Remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Mix until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Pour the gelatin mixture into a small mold or bowl and allow it to come to room temperature. Chill the mold for 4 hours or until the gelatin has set. Remove the gelatin from the mold and onto a small plate.

Putting It All Together:

Place some green beans on a plate. Place a “leg” on top and scoop out some potatoes. Serve alongside the gelatin, a cup of coffee, and a glass of your favorite red, fancy drink. Enjoy!

Space JamSpace Jam Food

 

I can totally see these “legs” being sold at Moron Mountain! They are pretty looney looking. Now I have something a little more fun to eat while watching Space Jam besides cereal or junk food. Hey, any excuse to watch this movie is fine with me. It still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And yes, the scene near the end where Michael Jordan steps onto the baseball field still moves me to tears.

Have a Happy Easter, Everybody!

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

The Secret of Kells

Posted on by cartooncravings


Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’ve got a wee bit of the ol’ Irish blood in my veins, so I don’t have to completely pretend I’m Irish today. Every year, my family celebrates St. Paddy’s Day by wearing green, eating corned beef and cabbage, and watching Darby O’Gill and the Little People. You know, the typical stuff. All of this makes for a fun day, but I’m not entirely satisfied. There’s so much more to Ireland’s rich history than Leprechauns. That’s where The Secret of Kells comes in. The movie is perfect any other day of the year too, but it fits so well with today. It’s a nice peek into Ireland’s days of yore when Vikings pillaged through the country and The Book of Kells was just a work in progress. Instead of a pot of gold, we’re given an illuminated manuscript and a brief glance at how these beauties were brought to life. And just because there are no little people doesn’t mean this movie is lacking in Irish magic. I’m kind of a sucker for forest spirits and fairies, so of course I love Aisling. Now all we need is some food.

I’m kind of drawing at straws here, but I’m making it work. The only food that stands out is the humble meal of bread and cheese Abbot Cellach sends to Brendan, who’s supposed to be locked in his room. This gave me an excuse to go into super research mode to find out just what was eaten back in about 9th Century Ireland. Long before the Irish grew their first potato, they had mostly bread and water. So I pulled together my findings and made an “authentic” loaf of bread. Although tasty, it didn’t look a thing like the bread in the movie. So I changed stuff up and modernized it a bit and created my take on Irish buttermilk oat bread.

Recipe makes one 9-inch loaf of bread

Ingredients

½ cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 teaspoon yeast

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

¾ cup buttermilk

½ cup oat flour or ground rolled oats

2 ½ cups bread flour

1 egg plus a tablespoon of water for egg wash

 

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. In a large bowl, combine bread flour, oat flour, and salt. Add the butter, buttermilk, and yeast mixture and combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 15 minutes. Form the dough into a ball again and place in a large, clean bowl. Lightly coat dough with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough and shape into a loaf. Place the dough into a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat the egg and water and brush the dough with the egg wash. Bake loaf for 40-45 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out and let rest on a rack until completely cooled. Enjoy it straight away or pair it with your favorite cheese and drink!

Secret KellsKells Bread

This bread is simple and lovely, just like The Secret of Kells. Brendan’s not fighting to get beyond the walls of Kells because he’s being rebellious or reckless. He just wants to help Brother Aidan finish The Book of Iona and be artistic. And Cellach only reprimands Brendan because he wants to protect him. (We all know how this goes.) The movie has so much charm and creatively hints at the history of something that has left an impact on so many people. Without a doubt, The Secret of Kells has earned its place, along with this bread, as a part of my St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Earthworm Jim

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Trout!
Nut Log

It seems I’ve caught a bad case of Cabin Fever. Now I can sit here and try to ignore it until I do something desperate or… Road Trip! Yep, I like road tripping as much as Earthworm Jim. The difference though, mine usually don’t end at a Giant Fur Bearin Trout. Although that would be pretty awesome! Road trips do run the risk of being a bit long and tiring, but they’re really the best way to experience all the wonderfully weird things out there. I’ve yet to visit the World’s Biggest Scab or the First Speed Bump in the Northern Hemisphere, but I have been to museums about vacuum cleaners and beans. And there’s nothing better about a road trip than stopping off at a tourist trap covered with signs promising clean bathrooms and grabbing yourself a nut log. Some of them do put up a bit of a fight, but I haven’t had to boil a nutty delight to soften it. Or run it over. Or shoot it.

That’s one of the things I love about Earthworm Jim, though. The show is so surreal but also super believable. Nut logs are obstinate roadside delicacies, but you just can’t resist buying them again and again and risk breaking your teeth each time. Maybe Peter Puppy is right when he says that a nut log’s true purpose is to anchor ships in a heavy storm. Still, it’s not going to stop me from trying to make and EAT one.

Recipe makes 10 nut logs

Ingredients

Divinity

1 cup sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

Caramel

1 cup sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup water

½ cup heavy cream, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature- cut into chunks

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups Pecans, most or all chopped (There are some pecan halves on Jim’s nut log, but coating them in just chopped pecans is fine.)

Melted butter, Spray butter, or butter-flavored cooking spray

 

Directions

Pecans:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F,

Spread out the pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the pecans with a little butter or butter-flavored cooking spray. Toast the pecans in the oven for 5 minutes. You should be able to smell them when they’re finished. Keep a close eye on the pecans while they’re in the oven since they tend to scorch easily. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Divinity:

Lightly grease an 8 X 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and continue to cook, without stirring, until it reads 260 degrees F. When the syrup reaches about 240 degrees F, beat the egg whites in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks just form. When the syrup reaches 260 degrees F, immediately take the syrup off the heat. With the mixer on medium, pour the syrup into the egg whites. When all of the syrup is in the bowl, increase the mixer’s speed to high. Add the vanilla extract and whip the mixture until the texture loses its shine and becomes rough, 10-20 minutes.

Pour the divinity into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a lightly greased spatula. Chill until set, 30 minutes-1 hour. Cut the divinity into 10 pieces and roll them into 4-inch logs. Place the logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Caramel:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Place over high heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F. Reduce heat to medium and cook, without stirring, until the syrup mixture is golden. When the syrup reaches close to 300 degrees F, gently stir. Continue to cook until the syrup turns dark amber and closes in on 350 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir, and let sit for a couple minutes. Slowly add heavy cream, butter, and salt. The mixture will bubble, so be careful. Return the saucepan to the stove and stir until the butter is completely melted. Cook over medium heat until it reaches 255 degrees F. Remove from heat.

Putting It All Together:

Remove the logs from the freezer. One log at a time, dip them in the hot caramel with tongs or a fork. Once fully coated, move them to the pecan-covered baking dish. If you want pecan halves on your nut logs, stick them in place now. Proceed to roll the logs in the chopped pecans until completely covered. Chill the finished nut logs until set, 30 minutes-1 hour. Enjoy!

Earthworm Jim NutlogEarthworm Nut Log

Good news! These nut logs aren’t like the ones at the Nutlog Palace. They are light (My noodle arms have no trouble lifting them.) and can actually be eaten. Every last one of my teeth is still safely snug in my mouth. I wouldn’t recommend throwing them around, but I’m almost confident that they can’t K.O. anyone. Earthworm Jim’s battle with the impudent nut log ended in a “draw,” but I think I won this round. Too bad I have to quit while I’m ahead because I really just can’t handle haggis.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Trail of the Missing Tails (And a lot of other episodes)
Chili Dog

I’ve been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog since before I could properly hold a controller. I would watch my brother play over and over until I was deemed worthy enough to give it a whirl. After spending countless hours with The Blue Blur, I became a fanatic. And just when I thought Sonic couldn’t get any cooler, he started showing up on my television! My brother and I were very Sonic and Tails as kids, so the show fit us to a T. We also got a kick out of the game references, like music, or areas, or the stupid hench-bots. We loved those guys. Except Coconuts. We hated those Badniks before the show and we still hate them. My parents didn’t have much of an opinion either way on the show, but they probably rue the day that “I’m waiting.” became a permanent part of our vocabulary.

Besides the memorable quotes and characters, this show also introduced us to Sonic’s favorite food: chili dogs. I don’t know if I ever had a chili dog before watching the show, but afterward, I wanted them A LOT. That’s probably because Sonic and Tails were eating them all the time! Sonic can pull out an entire kitchen and whip one up in seconds. He’s also quite the chili dog connoisseur and can tell what’s in one just by taking a whiff. He’s a real fan of Dr. Robotnik’s chili and loves his dogs well-spiced with danger. As for myself, I’m not too picky, but this is the chili I grew up on. Well, a chili dog isn’t going to make itself, is it? “Gotta speed, keed!”

Recipe makes 8 chili dogs

Ingredients

Chili:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon chili seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

3 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (29-ounce) can tomato purée

1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce

 

Hot Dog Buns Or

Homemade Buns:

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons instant non-fat dry milk powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup olive oil

3 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing

 

Hot Dogs or Polish Sausages

Chopped Onions and Shredded Cheese (Optional)

 

Directions

Chili:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook until ground beef is brown and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain the grease from the pot and return to the heat. Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, chili seasoning, and sugar. Add the contents of the kidney bean cans, liquid and all. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato purée, and tomato sauce and increase the heat to high. Once the chili begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for one hour.

Hot Dog Buns:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let rest for 5 minutes or until foamy. Combine flour, dry milk powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil and yeast mixture to flour. Stir to combine and form into a ball with your hands. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball again and place in a large bowl. Lightly coat dough with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out the balls into 4 ½ inch long cylinders. Slightly flatten the cylinders and place on a baking sheet. For soft-sided buns, place the buns close enough together on the baking sheet so they will touch as they rise. Cover the baking sheet with a towel and allow the dough to rise for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the buns for 25 minutes. Remove the buns and brush the tops with melted butter. Cover with a towel and let cool completely.

Hot Dog or Polish Sausage:

Sonic has been seen boiling what he calls sausages, but I usually just pan fry them. It’s just a matter of preference.

Boiling:
Bring enough water to submerge hotdogs to a boil in a pot or saucepan on high heat. Add hotdogs and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on the doneness you want. Remove the hot dogs and drain.

Pan Frying:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add hotdogs to the pan and cook until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally.

Putting It All Together:

Split a hotdog bun open and place a hotdog inside. Garnish with chopped onions and shredded cheese. Smother the whole thing with chili. Serve and chow down!

sonic chili dogsonicchilidog

There’s no need to journey all the way to Wienerville for a great chili dog. You don’t even have to set foot on Mobius. We’ve got all the succulent sausages, sauce, onions, and cheese we need right here and no Dr. Robotnik or relations to spoil our fun. Man, all this chili dog talk sure is making me hungry. I think I’ll go have 1 or 2 or 147. I am up, over, and gone!

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Total Drama Island

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: I Triple Dog Dare You
Pancakes!

I’ve been wondering for a long time just how well I’d fare in a reality competition series. I know I wouldn’t make it anywhere near the end, but maybe, just maybe, I might make it past the first elimination. I’m not all that eager to find out though, because my couch is a far safer place than any of these shows. How well do you think anyone would do on Total Drama Island? Me personally, I’m one of those non-athletic people with a low tolerance to pain who hate gross foods and situations. Chris McLean would eat me alive. Obviously, I mean that figuratively since he and Chef eat fancy food at Craft Services every day. The campers, I’m not so sure. Anything is better than the… “food” that Chef serves. I don’t doubt he’s skilled. I’m just not into things like French Bunion Soup with hangnail crackers. I can see why everyone started puking at the Brunch of Disgustingness.

Actual non-disgusting foods do show up every once in a blue moon. The most memorable for me would be the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast Chef serves the campers. Maybe it’s because Chris had to specify that Chef was preparing genuine food by-products served with fresh ingredients relatively close to their expiration dates. (Yum!) Or maybe it’s because of Owen and his pancake song. Yep, definitely Owen. (“Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!”) He was more excited about pancakes than getting closer to winning the $100,000. I would still want the money, but I do kind of agree with Owen. The only thing better than pancakes is all-you-can-eat pancakes!

Recipe makes 8 six-inch pancakes.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten

2-2 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

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

1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings like almond slivers, maple syrup, and candy (Optional)

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat an electric griddle to 375 degrees F or set a skillet over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Don’t overmix. The batter should still have lumps. Grease griddle with butter, vegetable oil, or non-stick cooking spray. Ladle out about ½ cup of batter onto the griddle. You may have to use the ladle to shape the pancake into a large disk. Cook until the pancake bubbles and the edges begin to set, 2 ½-3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Place pancake in the oven to keep warm. Repeat the process until you run out of batter. Tee ‘em up!

TDITDI Pancakes

You don’t need to win 100 Grand to start every day with pancakes. They don’t cost all that much to make and it’s way easier than playing on Total Drama Island. Pancakes are like little mini sunshines filled with yummy fun. Camp Wawanakwa is not. Owen, with his deep pancake wisdom said, “All the all-you-can-eat pancakes in the world wouldn’t be special without friends to share them.” (Then he went on to eat a toilet seat.) That may be true, but all of the all-you-can-eat pancakes in the world wouldn’t be enough to get me on that show.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

 

Darkwing Duck

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Can’t Bayou Love
Launchpad’s Hand Grenade Brownies

“I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the scourge that pecks at your nightmares. I am Darkwing Duck!” Okay, I’m obviously not Darkwing Duck. (The scourge that pecks at your nightmares? How does he come up with this stuff?) But I can dream, can’t I? Just look at Launchpad. One day he’s the number one fan of St. Canard’s Caped Crusader, and then BAM! He becomes Darkwing’s sidekick and even gets to take on the role of hero himself.

Rightly so, because I can’t think of a better partner than Launchpad. He does a lot of silly things, but he means well. Not only is he a great pilot, (He’s gotten better about his crash landings.) but he makes a mean batch of brownies. And by “mean,” I’m saying these brownies will give you a nice kick in the taste buds. As far as Darkwing is concerned, these delicious devils pack enough heat to be used in place of hand grenades. Even Jambalaya Jake is wary of them. No one’s gotten anywhere by playing it safe, so let’s get dangerous!

Recipe makes 25 brownies.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or broken into chunks

4 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cups flour

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (How much heat can you handle?)

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and line a 10 X 15-inch baking dish or lipped baking sheet with parchment paper

Melt together butter and chocolate either in a double boiler/bowl over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Using a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when the brownie is tested. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out brownie and allow to cool completely. Cut into about 25 pieces. Eat away!

darkwingdw inspired brwnies (2)

I can tell you that these brownies taste good, but I haven’t been able to test how they work as weapons. Every time I go to throw one, I end up eating it instead. I love these brownies as much as Launchpad and Gumbo do! And no, they don’t smell worse than beaver innards. Just take my word for it. The next time you’re out on an all-night crime-fighting spree, don’t forget to add some of these babies to your arsenal.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!