Cooking with the Crazy Photographer Bloggers – Drew and Jen go to London

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Treats

Jen — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:44 +0000

What better way is there to celebrate being 39 Weeks along and my last day at work than making Peanut themed treats?! If I can do it, you can too.

You will need:
1 glass of wine or Diet Dr Pepper (remember, your beverage is really your choice)
6c Corn Flakes
1 c Lyle’s Golden Syrup (UK) or Karo Syrup (US)
1 c granulated sugar
1 c peanut butter (creamy, crunchy or a combination)
11 oz chocolate chips or broken chocolate bar
11 oz butterscotch chips (US) or Carnation caramel (UK)

greased or lined 9″x11″ or 9″x13″ cake pan/roasting pan

What you have to do:

Grease or line a cake pan.

Measure the Corn Flakes into a large bowl (you need the extra room in the bowl.)

Grab some Lyle’s or Karo Syrup.

Get a double boiler ready for your chocolate and butterscotch/caramel.

Heat the syrup and sugar on medium heat until smooth, stirring almost constantly (you know what sugar looks like, did you need a photo?!). DO NOT OVERHEAT.

Remove the syrup/sugar mixture from heat and immediately stir in the Peanut Butter.

Stir the above mixture into the cereal until well coated and then press into your prepared cake pan.

Melt together your chips and butterscotch/caramel; if you don’t have a double boiler just heat in a microwave safe container in the microwave for thirty second bursts. Pour this mixture on top of the pressed cereal.

Cool in the fridge for as long as you can stand it (2-4 hours is a nice chilling time); cut; serve.

www.drewandjengotolondon.com

Mama’s Hungry

Jen — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:00:15 +0000

It seems clear to me that I will struggle to do much else besides feed, eat, change nappies, sleep, and repeat for about 6 weeks after Peanut arrives. It may take 12 weeks for some sort of normal to seep in. To this end, I’ve been cooking large quantities and freezing meals for the babymoon. Recently I made a chunky vegetable pasta sauce that was yummy. My sister would hate it, but she won’t judge me for eating it this way.

We had a starter salad with Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pickled shallots (from my friend Chisa at work), feta cheese, yellow pepper, cucumber, olives, and vinaigrette dressing.

The chunky vegetable pasta sauce started with roughly cut onion, yellow and orange pepper, chilies, minced garlic…

I may have cheated a little.

I added a chunked courgette (zucchini squash) and diced carrots which somehow didn’t get photographed…

I added blended chopped tomatoes and some right out of the container. Then I plopped in some tomato paste and spices to taste.

I feel really accomplished. If I were really gourmet, I would have added mushrooms.

Who knew dinner could be this easy?!

www.drewandjengotolondon.com

A Man’s Heart

Jen — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:32:59 +0000

I don’t know how to solve the world’s problems. In fact, I am not sure I know much. But I can bake cake.

You wish you were here.

Look, it’s me and Drew.

It may not be the sure fire way to his heart, but I am willing to try.

www.drewandjengotolondon.com

Fat and Happy

Jen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:37:03 +0000

We three chefs of London, N1, have forged new Thanksgiving traditions…

Wine is a relatively new addition for me; and you can see that we really don’t need it. We are quite silly already.

First, we start with a big mess. Then we make it an organised mess with too much cream and/or butter while we pretend to look at recipes.

Eventually, it looks like this.

And we are happy.

And then there is pie.

I am not eating ever again until next year.

www.drewandjengotolondon.com

A Song For You

Jen — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:40:20 +0000

â€˜You taught me precious secrets / of a true love withholding nothing…
If my words donâ€t come together, please listen to the melody /
[be]cause my love is in there somewhere hidingâ€

I have not said â€˜thank youâ€ as many times or to as many people as I should. In the aftermath of 2009, I felt loved at the least – if not carried.

Angels walk among us; I know because one of them sent me spoons.

There was also a sweet personal story, a recipe box, recipes, vegan chocolate chips, beautiful cupcake cups, and an exquisite apron.

The first thing these spoons made was Vegan Pistachio Rosewater cupcakes.

Maybe they weren’t as pretty as the photo in the cookbook, but making them was music to my soul. Who knew a girl could find so much joy in spoons and corn meal?

Thank you, Thomas family, for this and your many beautiful gifts.

www.drewandjengotolondon.com

A Day to be Thankful

Jen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:57:57 +0000

As hard as this week naturally is, for the obvious reasons, I have been met by patience, love, and growing friendships. While Drew was working away in Sweden on Tuesday night, my friend Sarah came ’round for dinner. Auntie Sarah, as I like to call her, never seems to tire of answering my questions about pudding, cream tea, boarding school, television, mortgages, and vests – among other things. She offered a shoulder more than once when I thought I was near falling off the edge of the Earth. And she let me torture her with videos of my Chimeras days. Those kids were in shape – excuse me while I do some crunches… (I still wish I had in my possession all the videos of my students’ performances!! Maybe while I am home, I will beg someone to make me a DVD…)

Auntie Sarah has not been alone in her quest to keep me smiling. And there has been love and support coming from across the ocean, too.

Today there will be too much food. There will be friends. There will be leftovers. And I am thankful for this distraction. It stings and feels strange, but there are still giggles bubbling to the surface. I think it’s all the wiped cream (I dare you to call it this all day) and powdered sugar.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

When you visit the website it boosts my self-esteem. [insert smiley face here]

Fancy a Curry?

Jen — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:57:25 +0000

Tonight I am making my first ever Vindaloo to celebrate. Â (Brad, if you are out there, this Vindaloo is for you.) Â I have a bank card for our new bank account, I have a confirmed interview on Wednesday with a great company, and (in case you haven’t heard) we have guests coming in June. Â Perhaps by the time they get here, the vindaloo will be good enough to make for someone pickier than Drew! Â

We have plans to purchase costumes for a fancy dress party and attend a walk in west London this weekend. Â We might also nail down some dates to visit the states again. Â Get your diaries out. Â Have a pen handy.

Lemon Lovely

Jen — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:08:23 +0000

Valentineâ€s Day was more about lemon than chocolate this year.Â For our first V-day boycott in our new little city, we caught up on Battlestar Gallactica and dined on London Lemon Dessert with a side of Lemon Cupcakes.Â Mmm.

Of all the amazing things there may have been to do in London this weekend, staying at home for quality time with each other (and the new website reconstruction project) seemed just the thing to tickle our fancy.

Praise Song for the Day

Jen — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:27:12 +0000

It seems that we may have sold the motorcycle; that is, our amazing friend Matt may have sold our motorcycle.Â We woke up to his email yesterday morning and I think that must be why the sun is shining so brightly in London two mornings in a row!Â How nice for everyone here?!Â So Matt, when are you bringing the lovely wife over for that beer (and free accommodation) we owe you?

Yesterday I had the most fun wandering to Leicester Square to have lunch with Drew and Janita after my morning job search.Â I stopped at Piccadilly Circus to help some tourists get a few good shots of themselves and I wandered through the famous Foyles bookstore.Â Wow.Â Itâ€s like a university bookstore on steroids.Â (Credit belongs to Emily on that phrase!)

Last night I made a very tasty vegetarian Sheperdâ€s Pie and green beans on the side. Â (Eric are you listening?Â Yes, Donna, you could make it for your meat-eaters, too.) Â This is a good one, but remember measuring is for wussies.Â Unless you are baking.

This recipe goes out to all of those non-cookers in the world who just throw stuff in and figure it out as they go.

Basically you need:

9×9 square baking dish
Quorn mince/Morningstar Farms Mince, or other ground beef sub (like lentils)
4 good sized potatoes, Idaho or similar (brown)
peas and carrots (canned or frozen, but drained)
corn kernels, optional (drained)
Vegetable broth (use the cheat, I donâ€t care)
Gravy (cheat.Â for real.Â itâ€s ok.)
Herbs de Provence (It contains rosemary, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, thyme, and sometimes lavender flowers and other herbs, and I will look the other way if you just make your own little assortment, but Donna, I think I left mine with you.)
garlic (powdered or minced)
salt and pepper
butter
chip dip, sour cream, or whatever kind of milk is normally in your fridge
shredded cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.Â Whatever.Â Line 9×9 baking dish with foil for easy clean-up if you are into that kind of thing.

Peel the potatoes and chop them up.Â Cook them in gently boiling, salted water.Â While the potatoes are cooking, â€œsauteâ€ the other veggies in a shallow puddle of veggie broth until broth is absorbed/evaporated.Â (If veggies cook before broth disappears, drain). Set veggies aside for a moment.Â I donâ€t know, use a bowl or a plate â€“ whatever.

Heat or make your gravy in the frying pan.Â You did already have that out, right?Â Well, anyway, add garlic, salt, pepper, and lots of Herbs de Provence to your gravy until it tastes right.Â Add in your mince.Â Heat through and add drained veggies â€“ mixture should be less firm than meatloaf but not as runny as sloppy joes.Â Just eyeball your proportions; only you know how tolerant you and your picky/non-picky family are.Â (Keep an eye on those potatoes…)Â Spread this mixture in the bottom of your pan.

Drain potatoes once cooked.Â Mash with butter and dip/milk/spices+milk, use your imagination.Â A little garlic never hurt anyone.Â I said a little, Gina.Â Spread potatoes on top of first layer in your baking dish.

Place in the oven until mashed potato peaks turn a golden color or until you are so hungry that you canâ€t stand it.Â If you want, you can sprinkle some cheese on top.

A Lazy London Sunday

Jen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:00:06 +0000

I would like to say that we went to the Chinese New Year Parade at Trafalgar Square this afternoon or to the fireworks display in Leicester Square this evening.Â There was another cool event on my calendar that looked like an inexplicable mix of dance and art exhibit.Â Unfortunately, I have finally admitted that I am fighting a cold.Â So instead of those awesome things we could have done I went for some cough syrup. Â

Venoâ€s Honey & Lemon Tickly Coughs seems to provide at least a moderate and immediate relief of porcupine-in-throat type symptoms.Â It tastes pretty wicked, but a few hours of relief is worth it.Â Hit me again.Â Every 2-3 hours.

Thatâ€s it folks.Â That is our amazing day so far.Â Ok well, it hasnâ€t been quite that uneventful.Â We watched Back to the Future II, I made an awesome lunch out of leftovers, and we saw some snow flurries.

Later, I might do the dishes and take a shower.Â There will probably not be photos of that.

Even though I am in danger of telling you something you already know, I feel compelled to tell you that black bean enchilada filling tastes great as quesadilla filling as well, whether you use real or faux cheese.Â Top with things like salsa, sour cream (again, real or soy, whatever), jalapenos, or black olives.Â MMMmmmm.

Snow Comes to London Town from Drew Huddleston on Vimeo.