Wonder ingredient powers activate!  Form of:

Crepini Cafe Crepes with Alouette Cheese

So, a couple times now you may have noticed me talking about Crepini Cafe’s crepini, which aren’t quite a crepe and not quite a blini, but they’re filled and they taste good.  (You can check out my reviews for Crepini Cafe Greenwich Spinach and Four Cheese and Basil elsewhere on this fine blog.)  Well, I also asked to try just some of their crepes by themselves since I figure I’ll probably never own my own crepe cooking device.

(This is due in no small part to the fact that I am cheap and my wife hates crepes.)

Also, the good folks at Alouette sent me some coupons to try their cheese spread.  Since I was in an experimentin’ mood this weekend, I thought I would blend them and make a Mexican style crepe using Crepini Cafe crepes instead of tortillas.

How Was It?

REALLY good.  Despite the fact the Crepini Cafe crepes have been in my freezer for a while now, when I baked them for a few minutes in a 350 degree oven, they were still pliable and chewy.  They also tasted great and they went very well with the Alouette, which had great flavor and complemented the vegetarian topping very well.

Now for the recipe »

Everyone DO THIS…it sells out every month…

August 9th The Heirloom Tomato Experience

Is there anything more delicious than fresh-picked, local heirloom tomatoes?

Chef Jasper is taking them to another culinary level with his “Experience” dinner series. Five courses, each one showcasing the flavors of tomatoes in the Chef’s innovative and delightful way.

If you have been to any of the previous “Experience” dinners, you know the treat that awaits you. Mouthwatering courses, always enjoyable stories and information from Jasper, and of course, his step-by-step cooking demos! It’s entertainment, education and great eats all rolled into one.

Please call 816.941.6600 with your credit card for reservations. This will ensure you have a spot for the event. Only $45 per person, not including tax, gratuity and beverages. It’s a night you won’t forget!

Gardein Chick’n Good Stuff

So for this #MeatlessMonday post, I thought I’d review Gardein’s Chick’n Good Stuff.  The nice folks at Gardein were nice enough to send me some review coupons for their products.

I was really appreciative of them doing so, so much so that I didn’t even think about the fact that you can’t get Gardein in Kansas City (that I know of.)  So, on a trip to St. Louis, Mrs. WellDone was able to land the mother load of frozen Gardein products.  For this post, I will talk about the Chick’n Good Stuff and in future posts, we’ll talk about the “beef” tips and their “chicken” fingers (both of which were really good.

What is Chick ‘n Good Stuff?

Chick ‘n Good Stuff is basically everything you want in a vegan meal.  They take their garden/plant-based chicken and stuff it with marinara and vegan cheese.  The outside is breaded with a flavorful coating.  You bake, you eat, you enjoy.  End of story.

The Good

Of all the Gardein products I’ve tasted from Mrs. WellDone’s mother load, these are probably my favorite for one reason: the marinara.  Sure, everyone at Gardein just winced a little because I didn’t say the chicken, but that’s not a knock against the plant-based chicken at all.  I really did like how moist and tender it was.  But the marinara was like… amazing.  I would have eaten it all by itself.

Don’t get me wrong, Gardein makes a mean vegan chicken.  It has all of the texture and most of the taste of real chicken.  (Gardein chicken has a slight aftertaste that was less than chickeny, but that’s common to all plant-based chicken products.  It’s also a little harsh because I was paying careful attention to any difference between Gardein and real meat for this review since I think it’s important faux meat products get close to what they are emulating.)  So really Chick’n Good Stuff gets high marks in the flavor and the “I’d drive to St. Louis and buy it again even if it means buying less Match Meat category.”  Two thumbs up.

The Less Than Good

I’m not labeling this “the bad” by any means, but there was one part of the Gardein that was less good than the others: the vegan cheese.  Not that Gardein doesn’t get an A for effort, but as a non-vegan, I could tell it wasn’t real cheese.  It just didn’t feel right.

Is that fair of me to judge Gardein on?  Maybe not, but I rate vegan food on two scales:

1) Would I eat this as a vegan?  The answer is everyday.

2)Would I serve this to my non-vegan friends in order to get them to consider veganism?  This is where the Chick’n Good Stuff stumbles.  I probably would not because of the vegan cheese.  If I had non-vegan friends coming over, I’d make the Crispy Tenders instead because those were almost perfect copies of real chicken.

The Verdict

Buy and try them.  Even if you are not vegan, the marinara is good by itself and the whole experience is worth a try.

Picture from gardein.com

Ready for Baked Cheese Appetizers

Over on FabulousFoods.com, I did an article featuring three ways to make baked cheese: Parmesan crisps, savory baked brie with Romesco Sauce and sweet baked sheep’s milk with jam and balsamic.

baked cheese: so easy, so very cheesey

Who can get enough cheese?  It’s perfect for parties, pick me ups, snacks, or just because you feel like it. But baked cheese takes things to a whole new level.

Next time you want a little pizzazz with your cheese, try baking it. Here are three cheesy, but deliciously simple ways to serve baked cheese. The first baked cheese recipe is a simple garnish that can be ready in minutes. The next baked cheese recipe combines the savory flavors of Spain with the earthiness of brie. The last baked cheese dish combines a mild sheep’s milk cheese with balsamic and jam for a cheesy way to finish a meal.

Read more on FabulousFoods.com.

Picture from FabulousFoods.com.

Making Vegan Ice Cream

Over on FabulousFoods.com, I did an article on making vegan ice cream.

Sitting on the deck and eating ice cream is a summer national pastime. The cool, delicious flavors, even the sticky fingers are all part of the fun. But, sadly, not everyone can have dairy.

Sure, there are plenty of dairy-free alternatives, but vegan ice cream is delicious and easy to make at home. In fact, basic homemade vegan ice cream uses almost exactly the same recipe as the one that came with your ice cream machine. All you need is a few store-bought replacement ingredients.

Read more on FabulousFoods.com.

Picture taken from FabulousFoods.com.

Limoncello Recipes

Over on FabulousFoods.com, I did a guide for making your own limoncello, applecello, etc. (With the help of Chef Jasper, of course.)

Have you heard about limoncello, the Italian liqueur? It’s basically the best lemonade ever improved by the addition of a little vodka (or, in some cases a lot of vodka.)  Together, this amazing combination forms a refreshing spritzer that is light, delicious, and the perfect summer drink. Even better, lemons are not the only thing that you can turn into a cello. Culinary pioneers are out there making cellos from apple cider, blood orange juice, key lime juice, Meyer lemons, even raspberries and blackberries.

Oh, perhaps best of all, not only do cellos come in all different varieties and not only are they fun to drink, but you can also make them at home. All you just need is a little juice, some vodka, and some patience.

Check it out on FabulousFoods.com.

Picture from FabulousFoods.com.

Make Your Own Sushi

On SheKnows.com, I wrote an article a while back on how to make your own sushi.

Everyone loves sushi, but where’s the love for making it? Maybe it’s the artistry or perhaps the raw fish, but the mere suggestion of making sushi at home is enough to strike fear into the heart of even the bravest cook. Still, imagine the look on your friends’ or family’s faces when you tell them you made the platter of delicious sushi they’re eating! Here is a simple sushi-making technique – master it and you can then start rolling your own sushi creations.

Read more on SheKnows.com.

Picture taken from SheKnows.com.

Homemade Condiments

Hey everyone, over on FabulousFoods.com I had an article published on making your own condiments.

Have you ever gotten into an argument that a hot dog must be slathered in mustard rather than ketchup? Did you violently disagree with Bruce Willis when he nearly got deadly over mayonnaise on hamburgers? Such is the depth of people’s love affair with condiments.

Still, the ketchups, mustards, and mayonnaises you find at most grocery stores will never be confused with health food. Most of them are laden with too much salt, too many preservatives and oftentimes, a lot high fructose corn syrup.

Fear not, though…

Read the rest on FabulousFoods.com.

Picture taken from FabulousFoods.com.

Cupcakes, SugarMamas and Nene Takes The Cake

So, I recently had an article published on FabulousFoods.com.  Here’s an excerpt:

Everyone’s caught cupcake fever. So if you’re looking for new and fun cupcake ideas from the pros for your next delicious cupcake adventure, read on.

Big things come in small packages. Small, individually wrapped packages and topped with delicious frosting, fun shapes, and sometimes even sprinkles.  Yes, right now there is no bigger dessert craze than cupcakes.

Over the past few years they’ve gone from homeroom snack to gourmet staple, with cupcake stores appearing on every street corner, master bakers producing volumes of cupcake recipes and designs, and cupcakes have even found their own show on the Food Network, “Cupcake Wars.”

Read the rest on FabulousFoods.com!

In that article, I talk about two great Kansas City cupcake places: SugarMama’s, which has a storefront in old Overland Park, and Nene Takes The Cake, which features @Ms_Nene delivering amazing cupcakes.

Even cooler, Ms_Nene is working on a project to start a mobile cupcake truck which will drive around the city, delivering sugary goodness to all who desire it.  Click on the link to donate to her Kickstarter project and get free stuff, plus your name on the truck.  (Or else!)

And in general, eat more cupcakes!

(Oh, and if you want to see one of Ms_Nene’s cupcake recipes, check out my Examiner.com article.)

Image duly stolen from FabulousFoods.com.

The Tasteful Olive

Gourmet Olive Oils and Vinegars

So, by now, you may have heard me mention The Tasteful Olive and you may have noticed that I have been cooking with a lot of fancy balsamic vinegars and olive oils.  Well, that is because I met some tremendous foodies here in Overland Park, KS who run The Tasteful Olive, a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar store.

Basically, the tasteful olive features rows upon rows of containers, each holding a different flavored oil (mostly olive, but some truffle) or 12-18 year old balsamic vinegar with flavors ranging from lemon to black currant to fig to chocolate to vanilla.  Oh, and did I mention, samples are completely free!

The thing to do is give yourself an hour to just go in and try each one separately.  Then go back and mix and match (my personal favorite is still the Persian lime olive oil with the lemon balsamic, but you come up with your favorite.)  Then buy them and cook with them.  You’ll find recipes on their site and this one!

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The Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Unsurprisingly, they are big advocates of consuming olive oil at The Tasteful Olive.  Jeanne and her husband both espouse it’s health benefits on a regular basis.  You can read more about it on Jeanne’s blog.

Baking with Olive Oil

They also want everyone to try baking with olive oil instead of butter because its healthier (and if you use a flavored olive oil, it’s tastier, too.)  As such, they hand out helpful charts to anyone considering baking with olive oil that tell you how much olive you need to replace an amount of butter.  I have typed the chart in below.

They recommend you use a lighter olive oil (*cough* Hojiblanca from Australia *cough*) but use what you have.  Do be careful, though.  I have found that olive oil cakes can dry faster than cakes that use butter.

By my calculation that means I need 2 1/4 cups of olive oil to make Ina Garten’s pound cake.  God bless that woman!

What Are You Waiting For?

You know where to get good olive oil and balsamic (at least in KC, but look for The Tasteful Olive online), now get to cooking!

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Picture taken from http://www.thetastefulolive.com.

Oh, and as I’ve noted before, The Tasteful Olive has given me free and discounted bottles of both their gourmet olive oils and gourmet balsamic vinegars so that I could create recipes.