Cartoons

Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Spooky Space Kook
Shaggy’s Jaw-Stretcher Special

There aren’t a whole lot of shows out there that left an impression on me as strong as Scooby Doo, Where Are You! Most of my favorite things today are: cartoons, mysteries, dogs, and food. Coincidence? I think not. There’s no way I could watch that show over and over and not take something from it. Whether I turned on my TV morning, noon, or night, Scooby Doo was on. For me, Scooby-Doo easily became synonymous with Cartoon Network. And I guess I’m not the only one who thought that. (How else did he get elected President?)

Another Scooby Doo influence is that even though I’m a fraidy cat, I love legends about ghosts and monsters. If I heard someone talk about a haunted mansion, zombie, or outer space ghost in the area, I’d be the second person on the scene. (I’d need the first person to use as a shield.) I’d try to stay out of trouble, but with my luck I’d end up just like Shaggy and Scooby and come face to face with the ghost/monster/scary thing. Either that or I’d end up getting trapped or something, like “Danger Prone Daphne”, or losing my glasses somewhere, like Velma. I share the worst traits with the members of Mystery, Inc., so they probably wouldn’t let me join. But I can be persuaded with food too, so maybe they actually would. Shaggy and Scooby seem to have the most fun anyway. I’d just stick with them and pass the time eating strange, big sandwiches, like Shaggy’s Jaw-Stretcher Special. Yeah, chocolate sauce on a meatloaf and bologna sandwich is odd, but it beats a sardine and marshmallow fudge one.

Recipe makes 1 sandwich.

Ingredients

You can add any amount of stuff to your sandwich, but here’s kind of a guideline:

3 slices Bologna

3 slices Meatloaf

1 slice Swiss Cheese

1 slice Cheddar Cheese

1 leaf Lettuce

The following can’t actually be seen on the sandwich, so they are optional:

Tomatoes

Green Olives

Ketchup

Mustard

Mayonnaise

 

5 Slices of Wheat Sandwich Bread Or

Bread:

½ cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 ¼ teaspoons yeast

½ tablespoon sugar

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened and cut into chunks

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

 

1 Bottle of Chocolate Syrup Or

Chocolate Syrup:

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Directions

Bread:

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 whole wheat flour and salt. Add yeast mixture, milk, and honey and stir to combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the butter. Once the butter is fully incorporated, continue kneading the dough for 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball 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 ½ to 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough and shape into a loaf. Place the dough into a greased 9-inch loaf pan, cover, and let rise for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out and let rest on the rack until completely cooled. Slice.

Chocolate Syrup:

In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil and whisk until sugar, cocoa powder, and salt dissolve. Whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Allow the cocoa mixture to simmer until it has slightly thickened, whisking occasionally. Remove mixture from heat and cool completely.

Putting It All Together:

Tomatoes, green olives, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise can be added to any layer of the sandwich but the top.

Place down a slice of bread. Add a slice of Swiss cheese and top with another piece of bread. Add a lettuce leaf and two slices of meatloaf. Top with another slice of bread and place two slices of bologna on top of that. Add another slice of bread and a slice of cheddar cheese. Cover that with one more slice of bread, a slice of bologna, and a slice of meatloaf. Drench the sandwich in chocolate syrup. Now it’s ready to be eaten!

scoobydoo jawstretcherScooby Doo Sandwich

Okay, I’ve got strange tastes, I know. But this is a really good sandwich. Plus it’s super fun to eat. It’s difficult to get everything in one bite and this one’s tiny compared to some of the sandwiches Shaggy makes. And this one is an absolute mess. Now so am I. I got syrup everywhere and had trouble getting through my sandwich because I couldn’t stop laughing. See, even after all these years, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! still makes me laugh. I don’t think I’ll ever find the “Recipe For My Love” of this series (I know, wrong episode, but I couldn’t resist.) but the recipe for this sandwich is close enough.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Tom Sawyer

Posted on by cartooncravings

Blueberry Pie

I was quite the lucky kid growing up because I had not one but two video stores in my town. And I’m not talking chain stores. These were good old mom and pop stores and I spent many hours of my life in them. Every Friday after school, I could be found pacing back and forth in the small aisles, trying to choose who to take home that weekend. (Yes, I said who.) My parents would always let us rent 3 or 4 videos because we would watch them on loop the entire time we had them. One of the tapes we rented the most was Tom Sawyer. My brother was the one who originally chose it, but we all fell for it “Hook, Line and Sinker.” I knew the bare-bones of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but I had never seen it presented this way. I was drawn in by the beautiful animation, the changing style, and the fantastic music. (The characters being anthropomorphic animals also didn’t hurt.)

Actually, we watched this version of Tom Sawyer so much; I refused to give any other ones the time of day. Even when I visited Hannibal, Missouri, this movie was the only thing I could think about. (I saw a copy in a gift shop and freaked out a little.) We just couldn’t get over this movie. Tom and Huck easily charmed me with their rebellious and adventurous spirits. I even began to envy them. It didn’t help when the boys were thrown a “Hero Party” and got to eat their own pies. Hey, we grew up in a small, country town, so some recognition and baked goods really meant a lot. Nowadays, I can make a blueberry pie whenever I want, but we always considered Tom Sawyer one of our ultimate summer movies, so there’s no better time like the present.

Recipe makes one 10-inch pie.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cut into chunks

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

1 egg, plus 1 tablespoon milk for egg wash

 

Filling:

6 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon (Optional)

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks

 

Directions

Crust:

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 4 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 ball and divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk and cover in plastic wrap. Let dough chill until firm, 30 minutes to an hour.

Filling:

In a large bowl, combine sugar, quick-cooking tapioca, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Gently fold in blueberries until fully coated in sugar mixture.

Putting It All Together:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Unwrap one dough disk and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough anywhere from 11 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 or spoon filling into pie crust. (I pushed some of the blueberries into two small mounds to try to get a similar shape to the pie Huck is eating.) Dot the blueberries with small chunks of butter.

Unwrap the second dough disk and roll out similar to the first disk. Place the dough over the blueberries. Press both crusts together to seal. Trim excess dough or fold it back on itself. Crimp edge for a more decorative look. Cut small vents into the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together and brush the top of the pie. Bake for 20 minutes. If the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, place a thin strip of foil over them.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling and have thickened. Cool pie on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!

TomSawyerPieTom Sawyer Pie (2)

Huck is a fox after my own heart. He’s covered in pie and isn’t going to stop eating any time soon. That’s pretty much me with desserts. And this blueberry pie is no different. But eating pie with my hands is as mischievous as I get, so I think I’m all right. No running off to Dead Man’s Cave for me. I’ve got all the treasure I need already. Right before my video store closed, I bought the Tom Sawyer that we used rent. You can pick up a VHS copy for 50 cents, but for me, this movie is priceless.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Baby Looney Tunes

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Save Our Cinnamon
Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve always been a sucker for baby/kid versions of cartoon characters. I don’t know if it’s because I found them easier to relate to when I was a kid, or if it’s just that the little versions are too cute. Yeah, cute. I’m definitely going with cute. Baby Looney Tunes is no exception. They don’t act much like their adult selves that I know and love, but I like the idea of seeing the characters growing up together in a more modern environment and getting along (for the most part). And I loved watching and waiting to see which characters got the “babyfication” treatment. I mean, of course Bugs, Daffy, and Sylvester are adorable, but have you seen Baby Gossamer? (He’s so cute!) Every time I went to Six Flags, I begged my parents for all the Baby Looney Tunes plushies I could get my hands on because I couldn’t go any longer without that cuteness in my life. Cuddliness aside, Baby Looney Tunes is a sweet, little show, filled with lessons about using your imagination, and trying your best, and doing the right thing, and growing up. (You know, all of those cartoon standards.)

But you know what else is sweet? Cinnamon rolls. Baby Looney Tunes is full of cookies and cakes, but the king of sweets in this show is the cinnamon roll. Granny’s sister, Auntie, owns a bakery called Cakery Bakery Doc which has the most addicting cinnamon rolls. I’m pretty sure the Babies were more excited about eating cinnamon rolls than seeing Auntie. (Daffy was not a happy camper when she brought in a cake for them.) But when the bakery is on the verge of shutting down, the Babies have no problems getting their hands dirty making a giant cinnamon roll worthy of the Skinni’s Book of World Records. As much as I’d love to make a record-breaking, giant cinnamon roll of death, I’m going to play it safe and just bake up a bunch of yummy, regular-sized ones.

Recipe makes 16 cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees F)

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

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

2 eggs, room temperature, beaten

2 egg yolks, room temperature, beaten

4 cups flour

 

Filling:

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

 

Icing:

4 ounces (½ cup) cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions

Dough:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the warm milk. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the sugar, salt, butter, eggs, egg yolks, and 2 cups of flour. Add the yeast mixture. Mix in the rest of the flour until the dough comes together. 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, 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.

In a small bowl, make the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into an 18 X 12-inch rectangle. Evenly brush the melted butter on the dough. Sprinkle the filling over the dough and spread to cover evenly. Pat down on the filling just a bit to encourage it to stick. Beginning with the long edge closet to you, use your fingers to tightly roll the dough into a cylinder. Use a serrated knife to cut the cylinder into 16 rolls. Place the rolls on a couple of greased baking sheets and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the rolls, rotating the pans halfway through, for 30 minutes, or until the rolls are browned and cooked through.

Icing:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and beat until the icing is smooth.

Putting It All Together:

Allow the rolls to cool slightly and generously spread icing on top. Now you can enjoy!

babylooneytunesBaby LT Cinn Roll

I love cinnamon rolls as much as the Baby Looney Tunes do, so I know these won’t last long. If it were possible, that sweet smell would have me floating all over the place like the Babies. But what I truly love about this episode (besides the excuse to make cinnamon rolls) is that a little bakery education is thrown in there. The Babies are truly making a cinnamon roll from kneading the dough, to spreading the filling, to rolling it, and baking it up. It takes some work, but cinnamon rolls (and saving bakeries) are definitely worth it.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie

Posted on by cartooncravings

Cookies

Just like many other girls of the 90’s, my cousin, sister, and I were all super fans of Sailor Moon. We incorporated the show in just about every aspect of our lives. We watched it every weekday, collected the toys and books, and ran around pretending we were Sailor Scouts. (Over the years, I’ve gotten into the bad habit where I use names, quotes, and phrases from the original and English adaptation interchangeably, so please bear with me.) In case you’re wondering, I always played Sailor Venus. I wanted to be Sailor Moon, but my cousin got dibs because she was a year older than me. We considered ourselves experts who had seen and done everything Sailor Moon until we took a gander in one of my local video stores and found the movies. They completely blew us away and we watched them every time we had a sleepover. I even forced all my friends to watch Black Dream Hole at one of my birthday parties. Unfortunately, none of my friends were into Sailor Moon and I passed out pretty quickly, (Watching movies in the dark always make me sleepy.) so I think I left all of my friends bored and/or confused. (Ouch.) At least I managed to stay up long enough to catch the girls making cookies. Although I prefer watching the girls kick butt, it’s great seeing them just be themselves. I always wanted to have friends that liked to hang out and bake and be study buddies.

Watching it now, it seems like I’d fit in just fine with the Sailor Scouts. Every time I open a bag of chocolate chips, I end up eating at least a handful. (Just checking them for freshness.) And whenever something I bake turns out right, I turn very much into Serena. “Look how beautiful and unburnt my cookies are!” Yeah, I’m not perfect. Now I’ve got a good butter cookie recipe that should work just fine to make sweet, little bunny and heart cookies like Usagi’s. Unlike her’s though, I’m pretty sure mine will taste great!

Recipe makes 90 cookies, depending on the size.

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/8 cups flour

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

 

Directions

In a medium bowl, sift and combine flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. 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 1 hour.

Lightly dust a counter with flour and roll out a disk to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with any similar-looking cookie cutters or make stencils and cut out with a paring knife. Re-roll and cut until you run out of dough and continue this process with the other disk. The dough will become more difficult to work with as it warms up, so you may need to chill it for a short time before continuing to cut. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes into the bunny cookies for eyes. If you want to use sprinkles for the eyes, you can place them in now or do it right when the cookies come out of the oven. Place the cookies on their sheets in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place cookies in the oven and bake, rotating trays halfway through, until the cookies have browned slightly, 10-15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. Now they’re ready for eating!

smoon cookiesSmoon Cookies

I think my cookies are cute and they don’t taste a thing like Serena’s cardboard cookies. (Thank goodness.) I do try to make all my food with love, so maybe that’s what I taste. Or it’s just the butter and sugar. I don’t expect my cookies to aid in saving the planet from evil like the Black Dream Hole, (These aren’t Chibi-Usa’s hundred fold courage and power cookies.) but if I can make someone happy when they eat one, then I’ve done my job. Yeah, it’s a far cry from being the Champion of Love and Justice, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Rocket Power

Posted on by cartooncravings

The Spot Remover
Potato Salad

If any show had inspired me to get up and active, it was Rocket Power. Seeing the kids surf, and snowboard, and the million other things they did made me want to get into extreme sports too. Unfortunately, I’ve never been the athletic type (I trip over dust.), so that dream died pretty quickly. I still love the show though and I can pretend that I’m shredding along with them.

The kids really do have the life with where they live and the things they get to experience. They’ve got the sun. They’ve got the surf. They’ve got…SAND IN THE POTATO SALAD! Oh, what a tragic loss of potato salad! My heart really goes out to Sam. I can’t stand to see food go to waste, especially good food. I guess Sam can’t either, since he decides to eat the potato salad anyway, sand and all. I’d at least give it a shot, but sand just isn’t one of my favorite flavors. However, I’m liking the idea of adding some crunch to my potato salad. Oh, and I have no idea what’s in the potato salad besides potatoes and sand. Any potato salad can be used here, but I’m using some brain power and guessing that Tito, being the fabulous cook he is, probably whipped up a Hawaiian style potato salad for his Little Cuzes.

Recipe serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds (6-7) large red potatoes, peeled

1 ½ cups dry macaroni

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons pickle relish

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups mayonnaise (More or less.)

¼ cup grated onion

½ cup grated carrots

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

There aren’t orange or green bits in the potato salad, so the carrots and peas are optional.

1 ¼ cup bread crumbs

 

Directions

Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set potatoes in an ice bath to fully cool. Drain again and cut the potatoes into chunks.

Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles have cooked through, 8 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to cool.

Place eggs in a small saucepan and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil on high heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit 12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Peel the fully cooled eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Cut the whites into small pieces.

In a medium bowl, mash the egg yolks. Then add the vinegar, pickle relish, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Stir to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, macaroni, egg whites, onion, carrots, and peas. Add the dressing and stir to combine. You can eat it now, but potato salad really is much better after it sits. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place bread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned, 10 minutes. Cool completely. Process the crumbs until fine.

When ready to serve, top the potato salad with the toasted bread crumbs and enjoy!

rp potato salad (2)Rocket Power Potato Salad

This is definitely not the mustard-based potato salad I grew up on, but it’s oh so good. Hey, I just like potato salad. (Have you counted how many times I’ve mentioned potato salad in this post?) Every time I have the stuff, I just can’t help yelling, “They got sand in the potato salad!” I’m sure my family just loves that. But as goofy as sandy potato salad is, it’s an important part of the episode. Right here’s the turning point for the gang when they realize how wrong they were and clean up their act. That’s when enemies become friends and Sam finds that sandy potato salad really isn’t that bad.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

The AristoCats

Posted on by cartooncravings

Crème de la crème à la Edgar with Crackers

I’ve always been an animal lover, so The AristoCats really struck a chord with me. I wanted to be just like Madame and use my fabulous wealth to start a foundation to support all the strays I could, like her home for all the alley cats of Paris. That fabulous wealth part isn’t looking too good, but I’ve been taking care of strays for many years just fine without it. I’ve mostly brought in cats because there were always a lot around my house, but we became known as the family to bring any animals to if they needed help. However, none of the animals we’ve taken care of possess any kind of musical ability like Scat Cat and his gang. I did have my own Thomas O’Malley show up on my doorstep though. (He was a big, orange, alley cat. What else would I have named him?)

Although I adore my cats, they don’t eat like Duchess and the Kittens. My kitties are pretty content with cat chow and the occasional can of tuna. They’re actually kind of snobbish when it comes to “people food,” so they might turn their noses up at something like Crème de la crème à la Edgar. Well, I won’t. It always looked delicious to me. And then Roquefort brings over that yummy-looking cracker and dunks it. Yep, I definitely need to try it. Since I don’t have a butler, I guess it’s up to me to make some.

Recipe makes 4-5 servings and about 75 crackers.

Ingredients

Crème de la crème à la Edgar:

4 cups heavy cream or milk or a combination of the two. I like 3 cups milk and 1 cup cream.

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Crackers:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into chunks, plus 4 tablespoons melted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup milk, plus more, if needed

 

Directions

Crème de la crème à la Edgar:

In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream/milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salt dissolve and the cream/milk mixture starts steaming. Don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Divide into bowls or cups. Enjoy!

Crackers:

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add vegetable oil and pulse. Add milk and pulse until dough starts coming together. You should now be able to press the dough together with your hands. If it’s too dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, and pulse again. Form dough into a disk and cover in plastic wrap. Let dough chill until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of plastic wrap, roll the dough out to a thickness somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8-inch. Cut out rounds with a small cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once you’ve used up all of your dough, use a toothpick or skewer to poke four holes into each cracker. Bake for about 10 minutes or until crackers are lightly browned. To ensure both sides get a good browning, flip the crackers over halfway through baking. Remove the crackers from the oven and brush with melted butter. Move the crackers to a wire rack and cool completely. Now they’re ready for snacking!

aristocatsAristocats Creme

I just realized I’m kind of the butler in this family. I’m always cooking, or cleaning, or waiting on someone. Too bad. I always thought I was a lady, like Marie. (I don’t start fights, but I can finish them.) Maybe that’s why I’m so tired. Or it could just be this rich cup of Crème de la crème à la Edgar I’ve been sipping. I know for sure that I didn’t put any sleeping tablets in it, but I am on my third cup of the stuff. And don’t ask me how many crackers I’ve dunked in it. I lost count. Somewhere around 5…6…7…8…ZZZZ.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Jem

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: A Father Should Be…
Carrot Cake

“Me and my friends are Jem girls!” Actually, I don’t think most of my friends have any idea who Jem is. That is a crying shame. This show’s got it all: the clothes, and the hair, and the singing. I love it love it! And even though the show is chock full of drama, I don’t mind because all the situations are truly, truly, truly outrageous. I love Eric Raymond, but it’s impossible for me to take him seriously as a bad guy. And Jem and the Holograms are always being locked up or stranded somewhere. And everything that The Stingers do is completely over-the-top. (That’s why they’re my favorite!) Yeah, this show is definitely not about the typical rock stars. Well for one, there aren’t a whole lot of bands with a holographic projection computer meant to serve as an “ultimate audio-visual entertainment synthesizer,” like Synergy. And there aren’t a whole lot of rock stars who support a charitable organization to the extent that Jem and the Holograms do for the Starlight Foundation. Not only do they live with the girls, most of the money the band makes goes to support them. Yup, that means they are a big time rock band that isn’t rich. (When it comes to money.)

The Starlight Girls aren’t just there for show. They have their own problems to face and do play important roles in the series. Without them, there really wouldn’t be a Jem and she works hard for their sakes. When Ba Nee can’t handle being apart from her father any longer, Jerrica/Jem, the Holograms, Rio, and Riot and his dad’s connections all pitch in to find him. But before any leg work is done, Jerrica offers Ba Nee a great big piece of carrot cake to help cheer her up. When that doesn’t do the trick, she knows there’s a big problem. I’m fortunate enough to not know what Ba Nee’s going through, but I do act similar when I’m upset. If I’m offered something yummy like carrot cake and I turn it down, then it’s time for action.

Recipe makes 9 giant cake squares.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups carrots, grated

3 cups flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 X 9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Add the grated carrots in small amounts, alternating with the eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove the dish from the oven and cool upside down on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the dish and allow it to cool completely. Cut and serve!

Jem Cake Ba NeeJem Carrot Cake

It could be that Ba Nee likes carrot cake because of its connection to her father’s red hair, but I’m sure nothing in Starlight Mansion tastes bad. They don’t eat anything fancy, but it’s all made with love. Jerrica would go above and beyond for any of her girls, but Ba Nee has been pretty special throughout the show. She gets to sing her own song twice! And she is the only one in the entire series who has the ability to make peace between Jem and the Holograms, The Misfits, and The Stingers.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation

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Mayo and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

For many long years, school was the bane of my existence. And the only way I could find sweet relief was Summer Vacation. Summer was such a magical time of year where I could let the stress of learning slip from my mind for a short while and do whatever I wanted. And I’ve done it all: the beach, camping, and vegging the whole 12 weeks away in front of the boob tube. Really, the vegging out part was my favorite and I could never really start enjoying my break until I had watched Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation. I had never seen something so accurately describe the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies Summer Vacation. Plus it was done in hilarious Tiny Toon fashion and managed to smash just about everything I love about the show into it.

The scenes that really steal my heart though, are Plucky’s misadventures with the Pig Family. I just adore Hamton, but his family is a little strange. They’re loving, but strange. They even bring their own food to the drive-in. And what they bring is on a whole other level of odd. They all eat mayo and cream cheese on white with the crusts cut off. I’d rather have the jumbo cheeseburger, chili fries, and a cherry pie, but maybe I’m missing out on something fantastic. There’s only one way to find out.

Recipe makes enough bread for 6 sandwiches, but you can make as many as you want.

Ingredients

Cream Cheese, room temperature

White Sandwich Bread Or

Bread:

¼ cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 ¼ teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened and cut into chunks

2 1/4 cups bread flour

 

Mayonnaise Or

Mayonnaise:

2 egg yolks, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 cup oil Corn, Vegetable, or Olive

 

Directions

Bread:

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 and salt. Add yeast mixture and milk and stir to combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the butter. Once the butter is fully incorporated, continue kneading the dough for 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball 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 9-inch loaf pan, cover, and let rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out and let rest on the rack until completely cooled. Slice.

Mayonnaise:

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, dry mustard, salt, and sugar. Whisk in the lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Begin adding oil, drop by drop, while constantly whisking. Once the mixture begins to thicken, you can add the oil in a thin, steady stream, while still whisking constantly. Keep whisking until all the oil is incorporated. This is a lot of work on your arm, so you can do the exact same thing in a food processor or blender if desired. Let the finished mayonnaise sit for an hour at room temperature and then cover and chill.

Putting It All Together:

Take two slices of bread and cut off the crusts. Spread mayo and cream cheese on the bread and bring the slices together. Enjoy your sandwich!

Tiny Toon SandwichTiny Toons Mayo

Alright, these sandwiches will probably never sound appetizing, but they’re not half bad. I don’t plan on packing any the next time I make the pilgrimage to “Happy World Land,” but if that’s all I’ve got, I’ll eat it. I mean, they are Hamton’s favorite. And when you’re on a road trip, you take what you can get because you never know what (or who) is waiting for you down the road.

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

SpongeBob SquarePants

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Pizza Delivery
Krusty Krab Pizza /Krabby Patty Pizza

Even though I love doing my Cartoon Cravings thing, I’m still not really a big fan of writing. I can talk someone’s head off about shows I love, but when I have to put it down on paper or a screen, it gets tough. So I do tend to procrastinate a bit and that always leads me back to SpongeBob SquarePants. A lot of things I do always seem to connect with SpongeBob. (I hope it’s not just me.) I think that’s part of SpongeBob’s charm. Some things are so unexpected and other things hit so close to home that you can’t help but laugh at it. Yeah, a sponge living in a pineapple and working as a fry cook sounds pretty weird. But the world loves weird, because it seems like every person out there has at least heard of SpongeBob.

Now here’s my chance to tackle a show I’ve loved for years and has involved food since Episode One. Every time I turn around, the characters are at the Krusty Krab and Krabby Patties are showing up everywhere. And what do I do? I make pizza. I know. I couldn’t help myself. “Pizza Delivery” is in my Top 2 of Spongebob episodes. (“Band Geeks” takes the top spot by a slim margin.) And it really is the perfect way to describe my life. Oh, and I can’t forget the “Krusty Krab Pizza” song! Every time we have pizza in this house, someone is singing that song. By someone I mean me. And my sister. She takes care of the high notes for me. I’ll get to a good ol’ Krabby Patty sometime down the line, but at least it’s a Krabby Patty Pizza. Mr. Krabs mashes up Krabby Patties, so I figured it had to be a cheeseburger pizza. It’s just topped with mushrooms and pepperoni for an extra oomph.

Recipe makes 1 really large pizza or two 12-inch pizzas.

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ¼ cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

3 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons instant non-fat dry milk powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

3 cups bread flour

 

Sauce:

¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons ketchup

1 ½ tablespoons mustard

1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sugar

 

Toppings:

Ground Beef:

½ pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onions

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 teaspoons of your favorite hamburger rub or spice combination

Up to 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke (Optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

Use as much or as little of:

Shredded Mozzarella

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Or use your favorite cheese combination.)

Dill Pickles

Mushrooms

Pepperoni

 

Directions

Crust:

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 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough and flatten and stretch it into desired pizza size and shape. Let rest for 15 minutes on a lightly floured pizza paddle or on your pizza pan.

Sauce:

Combine ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and sugar in a small bowl.

Ground Beef:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ground beef, hamburger rub, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Cook until the meat has browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Putting It All Together:

If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven. If not, just make your pizza on the pan and place it in the oven once it is heated.

Preheat oven as high as it can go! Mine was at 550 degrees F.

Ladle desired amount of sauce onto crust. Layer dill pickles over the sauce. Spread the ground beef over the pickles. Add cheese. Top with mushrooms and pepperoni. Transfer the pizza from paddle to stone or place your pizza pan in the oven. Bake until crust is browned and cooked through. My pizza was in there for 15 minutes, but all ovens vary so you may have to adjust your cooking time.

Remove the pizza from oven. Slice and enjoy!

spongebob pizzasponge pizza

I’d be happy to eat the whole thing in one bite. I don’t need a Diet Dr. Kelp. Seriously, I will never forgive that guy for making SpongeBob cry. If I didn’t already like Squidward, his heroics right there would easily have won me over. The honor of having the first Krabby Patty Pizza is wasted on a jerk. And how come that pizza didn’t take off? It’s awesome! Maybe Mr. Krabs didn’t find it cost-effective. After all, he did ADD the mushrooms and pepperoni.

 

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!

Johnny Test

Posted on by cartooncravings

Episode: Johnny of the Jungle
Meatloaf Burritos

There are a lot of super geniuses out there in cartoon land. Although I do love them, I feel more at home with the less intelligent and the stupid folk. (I can’t imagine why.) I tried the science thing for a while and turns out, it wasn’t for me. It would be nice to have the brain power to invent gadgets and elixirs for the betterment of mankind. (Or at least myself.) Yeah, I’d probably make most of my stuff for the wrong reasons and end up doing more harm than good. Kind of like the disastrous combination of the Test kids. Just like Johnny, I’d run to the Lab whenever I have a problem, use something that I’m probably not supposed to, and destroy half of my city. I know it’s wrong, but it really does sound kind of fun. And Johnny’s daily life frequently includes a bunch of villains bent on his destruction who are a lot more misguided than evil. And they love a good competition. See, even more fun.

What’s not so fun about living in the Test house is dinner. Or should I just call it meatloaf because they don’t eat much else. Now I love a good meatloaf, (And I think deep down so do the Tests.) but eating one night after night after night gets pretty old pretty fast. That’s even if it’s edible. More often than not it’s too dry or disgusting. Just the word “meatloaf” strikes fear into any member of the Test Household, minus Dukey and Hugh, the meatloaf fanatic. Hugh spends most of his days at home, so he’s got plenty of time to perfect his meatloaf recipes. Instead of focusing on making one killer meatloaf, (I mean that in terms of taste, not the meatloaf monster.) he makes all sorts of meatloaf creations. He’s tried flavored meatloaves, meatloaf casserole, meatloaf pie, meatloaf balls, meatloaf parfaits, mini meatloaves, and meatloaf burritos. Wow, that is a lot of meatloaf. I see how it can get scary in the wrong hands. But I don’t eat meatloaf all that often, so all the possibilities are beginning to sound exciting. Plus, I really like saying “meatloaf burritos.”

Recipe makes six burritos.

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

1 pound ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork (I like using a ½ pound of each.)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion

1/4 cup red bell pepper

1/4 cup orange bell pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 egg

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon parsley

 

Glaze:

3 1/2 tablespoons ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons mustard

3 tablespoons brown sugar

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Burrito Fixings- Cheese, Refried Beans, Etc. (Optional) I tried plain, with cheese, and bean and cheese, and they were all yummy.

 

Directions

Meatloaf:

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and parsley. Add the vegetables and meat and mix until combined.

Transfer the meat mixture to a parchment-lined pan. I chose a 10 X 10. Shape the mixture into a loaf and bake for 20 minutes.

Make the glaze by combining ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Brush the meatloaf with the glaze and bake another 25 minutes or until the meatloaf’s internal temperature reads 155-160 degrees F. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Putting It All Together:

Cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Break up a slice and spread over a tortilla, along with anything else you want to add. Fold the sides and roll up the tortilla. Repeat with the rest of the meatloaf slices.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the burritos on all sides and serve!

Johnny Test Burritos (2)Johnny Test Meatloaf Burritos

Johnny’s dad was really on to something with the whole meatloaf burrito idea. And mine don’t stink at all! Even my anti-meatloaf sister enjoyed her’s. Too bad, because then there’d be more for me. Now just because I made a yummy meatloaf, doesn’t mean I’m going to eat one every day. That’s where poor Hugh messes up. As for myself, I think I’ll have spaghetti for dinner.

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!