Cooking with Us - e31 - Fruit Tarts

Woot Woot!

Hi Guys!

Today marks the two year anniversary of
my first blog post ever on KumoCafe.com!

So I busted my bum to make an update ready for today!  In the following video, Brigly and I tried our hands at fruit tarts, for the first time ever!

As you can see on the right, they weren't the most perfect, but they were still darn good.
- A valiant first effort, if we do say so ourselves!

Please watch the video in full screen, Hi-res, and of course - share, subscribe, and comment!

When you're taking on a job as big as a pastry
(you guys know I cannot bake!)
it's important to have the right helper.
As you can see, Brigly is making sure the butter is at room temperature.

Cooking With Us - e30 - Brussel Sprout Butternut Squash Stir Fry

Ahoy mateys!

This time I did an off the cuff stir fry using somewhat seasonal veggies, and it turned out darn good and healthy!

Also, I cooked some chicken in Mrs. Renfro's salsa - which if you haven't tried - is fantastic!
(The salsas, but cooking with them rocks too!)

As you can see from the video still - I'm a big Mrs. Renfro's fan!

This is a short one which I enjoyed making with Mr. Brigly.

It gave us some quality time to cook together before the big puppy got home! ;)

As always: share & subscribe... After you, of course, watch this in high-res n full screen!

More info/pix/etc after the jump!

Cooking With Us: e29: Beet and Chickpea Salad

Hola gang!

Welcome to another episode of Cooking With Us!

This time we decided to make something super healthy using beets - which is typically thought of as a summer vegetable, but is pretty grow-able all year round, especially in more northern climes!

So I made a "salad" of sorts using beets, chickpeas, and a variety of other goodies!
What you get is something healthy, flavorful and delicious served warm or cold!

Below is the video you should watch High-res, full screen, and like, and share! And subscribe ;D

As always, the photo essay, recipe, and transcript are after the jump!

Cooking with Us: e28: Ness's Chardonnay Cupcakes

Hi Gang!

Guess what?

If the title didn't tell you how awesome this is already,

you're in for a super-delicious treat!

My twin sister visited and we made her exceptionally awesome 

jam-filled chardonnay cupcakes with powdered sugar frosting!

Twinkies! And Cupcakes! ;D

Now, I know I am always telling you to watch the video high rez and full screen,

 but this time you really do have to! 

Why?

How could you miss out on our awesome opening song and dance number?

Or our cracking up in the middle?

Or Brigly in a top hat?

Need I say more?

I left the original image thumbnail youtube chose (I was planning to use the image above) because it was so darn cute!

After the break, the photo-recipe, recipe, and transcript.

As always, share and subscribe!

Cooking with Us: e27: Teriyaki Salmon

For a long time I've had this recipe pinned on my food board on Pinterest!

Teriyaki salmon with sriracha cream sauce, topped with green onions!  What's not to love?

Especially since we caught the salmon ourselves! 

Coming up on Cooking With Us - a really delicious recipe with a bit of a controversial ending (which I found funny!)

I entreat you guys to watch Hi-res, full screen, share, subscribe, and please try and make this yourselves, I would love to know your opinions!

From fresh caught to cooked up!

Pizza with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Corn, Ham and Basil!

Hello, Beautiful!

As you might have guessed by now, my video posts are far and away my favorite. Maybe because, in what sometimes feels like another life, I was a video editor for TV shows for 10+ years, and also just because I think they're fun to make, and I love to edit them!

However, for the greater good of all you food lovers out there, I could *not* let our latest creation slip by without sharing!

We didn't photo it to be a post, but I just had to share the fantastic-ness that is the 'mushroom cream sauce, corn, ham, and basil pizza'!

My husband started by making dough from this recipe:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pizza-crust-recipe

To which he also added equal amounts of dried oregano, basil, and garlic powder. 

It turned out quite good!

(Yes, we made three small pizzas that night, but I am just sharing the most interesting!)

Cooking with Us - e26 - Spaghetti with Bratwurst

Want a big ol' American ethnic food mash-up!?
 Here comes Spaghetti, Thai style, with Wisconsin brats - on this episode of Cooking with Us!

Please watch in high res, full screen, and share. And subscribe! (^ psst, that's the video)

My last post was on an appetizer Nee made us (on her birthday!) that was fantastic!  If you missed it, please do yourself a delicious favor and check it out here!

That same night, she made us a main course of her own invention: "Thai style" spaghetti with bratwurst!  Why bratwurst?  Well, first of all, we live in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and secondly, it was in honor of 'brat days' - an annual festival that was happening that weekend! ^^

Is your mouth watering yet?
I bet it is!

Let's get to the photo recipe after the jump!

Cooking With Us - E25 - Meung Khum

Yippie! A brand new episode of Cooking With Us!

Back with some of our fave people from a recent dinner Nee made for us!

And on her birthday no less!

 Hanging out with sassy 10 year olds makes cooking show intro's way more fun!

 (as always, uprez, full screen, and subscribe!)

What did we get to gorge on this time?

Meung Khum!

It's fantastic, and really not that tough to make!

Here's a sneak peek for you:

Photo-recipe and transcript after the jump!

Theron's Deep Dish Pizza

Ever since my sister made her pizza video for Cooking With Us, Theron has been obsessed with making pizzas.

The other night he decided to try his hand at altering the dough recipe a bit and making a deep dish pizza.

Boy did he succeed!

Look at that puppy! --->


I took most of the photos with my cell so sorry if the quality isn't the greatest. I also started taking them after he was done making the dough, but I can provide the recipe for you at the bottom.

Let's do our photo post!

Theron mixes the dough, ingredients already added.

(2 cups self-rising flour, 1 pack yeast, 1 egg, 

olive oil by eye, salt to taste, 1ish cup of water, 1 T of sugar)

More after the jump!

Cooking With Us - E24 - Chipotle Chicken

Finished Product!

Ready for a short n sweet (well, spicy) cooking with us? OK!

We made chicken with chipotle sauce and tons of cheese!  Do I have to say it was delicious?

It was.

You know that though, you're smart people:)

 It's so easy to make and so yummy, why not try it out?

Here is the video. High res it, full screen it, share it!

When you're an editor sometimes you do weird things, like this:

No, not eating bad Mexican cheese, it's a freeze frame of a push from one piece of video to another.

Anyway, watch the video and you'll see what I mean ^^

Everything as always below the break!

Cooking With Us - e23 - Ness's Awesome Pizzas!!

My sister, not the results, crazers!

Welcome back everybody!

Y'all are in for a special treat today!

My gorgeous, talented, and much more well-spoken twin sister Vanessa decided to shoot an episode of Cooking With Us for me over the weekend!

Lo and behold - the results look absolutely delicious!!

She made two simply fantastic looking pizzas, and I can't wait to try and make them myself!

I'm guessing y'all will feel the same!

Below is the video, which of course you should watch in high-res and full screen!

And share!

She did a knock-out job, and Justin did pretty dang good as well as her cameraman. 

Thanks you two!

Tell me that's not the best youtube cover photo EVER?  

Since it gives you a sneak peak at both finished products, and my sister again, everything else will, as always, be after the jump!

Cooking With Us - e22 - Chicken and Sausage Kabob BBQ

Hey guys! 

And Happy (early) 4th of July!

To the right you can see the final product of the podcast we shot this past Sunday - chicken and sausage shish kabobs!

They were delicious (of course!)

and the podcast was really a blast to make.

I thought this might be a great thing to put up now, so you could have some new, super tasty BBQ inspiration for the 4th!

I admit, editing this podcast cracked me up. There were so many fun moments I couldn't put in because of length, but I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed editing it!

(As always, please view in high res, full screen, and then share! Share on FB, Google+, email, wherever!  And photos, the recipe, and the transcript are after the jump!)

Yum!

 

 Always start by smiling ^^

Cooking With Us - E21 - Fancy Grilled Cheese

Hi Gang - ready for another short but sweet (er, savory) episode of Cooking With Us?

What if I told you it involves one of America's most beloved foods - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches?

With a bit of a twist of course - we got a little fancy... and a little spicy!

It's always important to have inspiration - which is what the picture on the top right is.
Our inspiration comes from a 'speak-easy' style restaurant tucked away in Culver City, California.
Props to my sister Vanessa for introducing me to it, and their hot (meaning killer spicy)
grilled cheese sandwich!

Below, follow along with our super easy recipe and layering.
Theron's sandwich won our little contest - so it gets to be featured ;)

Uprez, Full Screen - Enjoy!

Photo-essay, recipe, and transcript after the jump! =)

Cooking With Us: e20: Lard Nar (awesome chicken stew!)

Hi!!

 Welcome to:

We have a fun and enlightening podcast for you!!
Wanna make Thai-style comfort food?
Here you go!!

This time the main course was Lard Na - so much like comfort food!!

 This is what you're plate will look like if you do it right! 

And Saowanee aint lyin' when she says you'll not be able to stop eating!!

Cooking With Us - E19 - Fried Shrimp Rolls

Awesome fried garlic-shrimp rolls!

What's that?
Our friend Saowanee's back in town?

Well, you just have to know that means another amazing episode of Cooking With Us!

(Or two in this case, as I split them up again!)

The appetizer we're sharing today is super simple to make and equally delicious.  It's like it was made for parties!

If that above photo of the finished product in a pile doesn't do it for you, maybe the following will.

Dishes from Pier 1 a few years ago, finally put to use!!

Gorgeous, am I right?

Nee put the shrimp rolls in bowls on top of chili garlic sauce because we love spicy food, 

but they can also be served just as deliciously with sweet and sour sauce, etc.

Here comes the video - How to make Fried Shrimp Rolls!

As usual, watch full-res and full-screen. 

Comment, share, and get cooking!

As always, a photo post, recipe, and transcript follow!

And as always, it never hurts to have some friends around to show you a new recipe!
Or to just carry you around your kitchen ;)

Cooking With Us - E18 - Peach Pies

Welcome all,

And rejoice! 

For your favorite episodic cooking show on Youtube is back: Cooking With Us!

This time I had a little too much fun with some of my effects in Avid, but was inspired, as can be seen in the image below, by a photo on Pinterest!

 

Nichole and Josh helped Theron and I out the first go-round!

We set out to make individually pie-crust-wrapped peaches,
 and after only one failed attempt, we wound up with a truly delicious dessert!


Below is the video where you can see Theron, myself, and our awesome Couchsurfer from Vancouver enjoying the fruits (and pastry) of our labor!

You know the drill: Hi-res, full screen, and share!

Our final product looked thusly:

Cooking With Us - E17 - Feta Burger

Finished product, from above

Howdy Everyone!

Sorry that it's been a few weeks, but are you ready for another episode of Cooking With Us?

I went to the market having really no idea what I wanted to make, but somewhere along the way I decided I'd make a sirloin burger with feta, as well as dried red pepper sauce, avocado, cilantro, and mushrooms!

Also, I was really excited and wanted to show off my new shirt ;)

 

Yes, it may have been a while in coming, but I finally have an 'Official' KumoCafe shirt.

Yay!!! 

Isn't it awesome?

Now, the only thing wrong with our burger turned out to be the meat, which I bought pre-made at our favorite local meat market. Sadness!

What was wrong with it?  It was just... well... boring!

I mean plain meat is rather plain, after all, isn't it?

Here comes the video, which you should, as always, watch full screen, in high-res, and of course - share everywhere!

Did I mention I was proud of my shirt? 

Yeah, the back has my URL on it. Woohoo!! 

Now, on to the cooking!

First things first: Making the red pepper sauce!

This is what the delicious, home-made sauce will look like when you're done!

Cooking With Us - E16 - Chimney Cakes

Working hard in Romania!

This time on Cooking With Us,

we "tried, tried again" to make the awesome dessert known as

Kürtőskalács or Chimney Cakes!  

So: 

Üdvözöljük!  To another episode of Cooking With Us!

A little background:

I first had the delicious treat known as 'Chimney Cake' when I visited Cluj-Napoca, Romania back in 2009. 

Cluj-Napoca is located in the Transylvanian region of Romania, where chimney cakes come from!

They now sell 'chimney cakes' in Prague, where my entire family recently tried them, but trust me - those chimney cakes are utter frauds!  So we just had to do something about it!

Luckily, after trial and error, we have a very good recipe to share with you!  And hopefully, some fairly entertaining photos:)

This is what success looks like, people!  - After many attempts, and buying a new 

rotisserie toaster oven, we ended up with a delicious chimney cake!

But back in 2009, it was by sheer luck (some may call it fate?) that on a random evening stroll, a couple of new friends and I happened upon a street vendor selling just that pastry! 

The Chimney Cake!

My search for this tasty treat would never end... and my life would never be the same!

 (Cue dramatic music!)

 Now, please enjoy the video below of our crazy endeavor to recreate the Chimney Cake.

As usual, I suggest watching it in high res and full screen - and share, share alike (or share and like?)!

I told you my husband is crazy - here he is with our second attempt at Chimney Cakes!
Granted, it was 2 in the morning!

You guys like the music I used?  Me too!
I will tell you more about the band and link to their page and music after the post! ^^

 Before you make your chimney cake, envision yourself in the region of its birth: Transylvania!
For me, that just meant having fun with my ani-matte and resize tools in Avid ;)

Cooking With Us - E15 - Grape Leaf Casserole

Γεια σας!!

or Yassas! 

I love you, a bushel and a peck!

This 'Cooking With Us' Episode is exactly a year old! 

(As is evidenced by my hair color!)

I never finished it back then because I didn't like the ending.

Since then we've had plenty of odd endings to our show, so I thought - what the heck!

Watch it, read about it, and then make it!  (Just don't use too much lemon juice!)

It really is fairly simple, and absolutely delicious!

Per usual - UpRez, Full Screen, and share!

Photos, the recipe, and the transcript follow :)

And here is what you will end up with:

Trust me, it's scrumptious!

Cooking With Us - E14 - Wienerschnitzel and German Potato Salad

At the original Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany!

Theron and I have recently (well, fairly recently now) returned from a three week trip in Europe!

 The last couple spots we visited were Vienna, Austria, and Munich, Germany.  

For this reason, Wienerschnitzel and German-style potato salad were fresh on our minds when trying to think up our next episode of Cooking With Us. 

Not to mention, Theron just really wanted it!

So we did our best to recreate authentic German potato salad and German/Austrian Wienerschnitzel - the latter being delightfully simple to make, not to mention delicious!

The video is a bit longer than normal, so my apologies for that! 

 Don't forget to uprez and watch full screen. 

(And, as always, please share!!)

 

Also - the 2nd camera angle is Theron trying out his new canon point and shoot.

The recipe and transcript will follow, as well as a plug for the rad page I got these recipes from!

 (For the most part!)

 And just for a little added incentive, here is what your finished product will look like:

Yummy yummy!

Leigh's Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

So I took these photos a month ago, when my friend Leigh came over to cook four batches of Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Yes. Four batches!

She knew we had a big kitchen and that, thanks to my husband, we also own all kinds of gadgets that would make her endeavor easier than what she had on hand.

 Namely: the Mixer.


The recipe is simple, and I will post it below - for one batch. If you want to be as crazy as Leigh and make four, by all means - go for it! 

Also, I am posting this bc the photos are just kind of crazy ;)

As you can clearly see, Leigh knows her endeavor is nuts, but she's totally ready for it!

Cooking With Us - E13 - Nee's Chicken Jasmin Rice

Hola Peeps!

If you remember our delicious chicken satay from the last blog, you should be equally excited about the main course that Nee made to go with them!

What was it, you ask?  Why none other than Chicken-Ginger-Jasmine Rice!

^ Here is a photo of the final plating ^
I wish I could send smell through this website, because it was out of this world!

Here comes the part two of the podcast! As always, full screen and watch in HD!
And as usual, the photos, recipe, and transcript will follow :)



Fun with bunny ears! And hugs! Who doesn't love hugs?

Cooking With Us - E12 - Nee's Amazing Chicken Satay

This woman is the bomb!

Hi Gang!

As many of you know, Theron, the fam, and I are headed to Europe in a couple days, but didn't want to leave you high and dry!

Therefore, I present to you a simply A-MA-ZING dish from none other than Nee!

A fantastic Thai Chicken Satay!

Without further ado - watch the video below!
As always, full screen and high-rez!
And I'll try my best on the photo-post part :)

Start by slicing your chicken breasts into thin strips.

Cooking With Us: e11: Marcial's Chipotle Chicken

Hola Everybody!

Ready for another episode of Cooking With Us?

This time we tried out a recipe our friend Marcial gave us!

--->

That's me and Marcial the night he debuted the fantastic Chicken-Chipotle-Cabbage dish that wowed us both so much we begged him to give us the recipe!

Luckily for us (and you guys) he did!

Now I will say - I think we sauteed our cabbage and onions a little bit too long, and I also would have pulled the chicken a lot more before adding it to the sauteing mixture. Next time!

It still turned out great, however!

Below is our video. Be sure to watch it in high res and full screen!

Can you tell we felt pretty accomplished? ;D

Read on for a step-by-step photo blog, and as always, the recipe and video transcript!

Cooking With Us: e10: Nee's Salsa

Hi! Welcome back to KumoCafe and to our newest episode of Cooking With Us!

We had the pleasure of having Nee, Jim, and Rosie over again, and this time we learned how to make Nee's Famous Salsa!

Awesome friends are the Awesomest!!

You too can learn how to make this gorgeous looking salsa to the left.

All you have to do is watch our super-terrific video in which Nee shows us how to make it!  

(So Simple!)

And then scroll down for a picture blog!  

As always the recipe and transcript will follow. :)

Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and as always, High-Res and Full Screen this bad boy below! :D

Cooking With Us: e09: Tom Kha Kai

Time for another Cooking With Us - and this time we tackle a Thai dish on our own! 

Well, with the exception of my friend Nee answering a question for me via facebook ^-^

What did we whip up?  One of my favorite soups of all time - Tom Kha Kai!  (Aka Tom Kha Gai) 

As you can see via the photo on the right, there were more ingredients than I normally saw when eating it for lunch, pretty frequently, in Hell's Kitchen, NY.

As usual I totes suggest you watch the video in high res and full screen!  (Also you can view it on youtube as well.)  

After that, come back here for a semi-photo recipe, with the actual recipe below (and transcript as always), as well as what I will do differently next time!

Yummy yummy!
Or as I titled this photo: sluuurrrp!

Two More Crock Pot Pulled Chicken Recipes!

I rarely write a blog for two recipes at once, but I see

More or less to eat over rice

no point in making three solo slow-cooked chicken

blogs, or am I just being silly?

Either way, here are two recipes coming at you in one post. One is a little more spicy than the previous pulled-chicken post, while the ingredients are a bit less hearty in all (serve over rice if you desire.)

Spicy and hearty! Perfect for winter!

--->

The other is spicy as well, and also heartier with more vegetables added. I would say it is much more of a stew than the first one I'll talk about.

As the second was spicy, I served it with delicious avocado - now who can complain about that?

<---

Now let's get started with those recipes, shall we?  

Of course, in photo-post form!