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A Blackberry-Eggnog Challenge

For a bit of backstory, every year my father asks me to make him blackberry truffles around the holiday. This is his favorite..

For a bit of backstory, every year my father asks me to make him blackberry truffles around the holiday. This is his favorite holiday treat. His second favorite is eggnog. He knows that I love to create new, elaborate desserts for Christmas dinner, so he challenged my to create something which combined both blackberries and eggnog. What can I say except:

While this is, by no means, elaborate, it’s certainly festive and definitely delicious. It is also very quick to throw together, looks beautiful, and makes a stunning dessert to take to all your holiday gatherings. Here’s what you’ll need:

2 pkg vanilla pudding mix
2 1/2 cups of eggnog
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 can of blackberry pie filling
1 carton of cool whip
1 angel food cake
mint leaves

There is not one single healthy aspect of this dessert; it is the easiest thing in the world to put together. Life is full of trade-offs. First start thawing the cool whip. Then, you’re going to dump the pudding mix into your stand mixer, add eggnog and milk. Mix on high until thick, pudding consistency is reached. Cube the angel food cake. Open blackberry pie filling, and get ready to assemble the trifle.

There is a rule of thumb for making a trifle like this one; first add the cubed angel cake, then layer in the pudding, next add fruit filling, repeat with cake, pudding, fruit, then pudding, top with cool whip, and finally garnish. Golly, that is a mouthful, metaphorically and literally.

Now, we will see if it passes muster with one of the pickiest eaters that I know. My father. If not, I’ll eat the whole thing myself. Life is full of trade-offs. 😀

If you have a picky eater at home as well, some version of trifle is sure to satisfy. Share your trifle recipes in the comments, and pics on insta @canigetaramen. Find us on FB and Pinterest@canigetaramen.food.blog.

Update: This recipe passed, in my opinion, the ultimate test. My extremely picky father, who only loves my mother’s cooking, devoured this trifle. Loved it. Everyone who has tried it has given it rave reviews. This trifle is a definite win, if you need an easy inexpensive dish to pass at holiday parties. Enjoy!

Tom Wahl’s

If you’re anything like me, then you can agree that when you want a burger, you want a good one. The main problem with getting a good burger out in the wild is simply… there aren’t many good places to do so. However this particular burger joint chain fits the bill for a good burger. Or two. Maybe four. In the Rochester NY area, you may find an 80’s diner-style building at one site or you may find a modern restaurant-style building at another, however the interior will always be the same. We went to their place in Pittsford and were pleasantly surprised by how great it was.

The atmosphere is very enthralling and pleasingly vintage; to the point that they were play what was essentially the official ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1’ music playlist. Tom Wahl’s is best known for its steak burger and its root beer, neither of which I tried. I instead went for their mushroom swiss burger, which is by far my favorite kind of burger, and a side of their fries. The rest of the crew on the other hand did indeed try the steak burger and I was told it was excellent.

Behold, the almighty steak burger! (With a side of thoroughly ketchup-ed fries.)

Another thing that should be said is that our order, which was admittedly a rather big order, came in record time; AND there is free refills with an assortment of sodas, juice and teas to keep the kiddos busy mixing and matching until they find their favorite concoction.

All in all, Tom’s is great burger joint at relatively cheap prices, with a very set-in-stone aesthetic that is rarely replicated in burger joints anymore. Therefore, if you’re in the Rochester area and catch Tommy’s logo out of the corner of your eye, do yourself a favor and give it a go.

Also, be sure to send us your pictures on Instagram with #canIgetaramen! Thanks for reading!

Lavender Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Lavender Pearl Sugar

This cupcake infuses lavender buds into the batter and lavender into white sugar to form a floral pearl. The frosting itself even has full lavender buds in it to create the perfect purple pastry paradise!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Half a cup of butter, softened
Food-safe lavender buds
2 tsp of vanilla extract
half a cup of heavy whipping cream
half a cup of sour cream
1& 1/3 cup of flour
1 & 1/4 tsp of baking powder
Half a tsp of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine eggs, butter, vanilla and sugar into a stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Slowly pour heavy whipping cream into mixture, then baking powder, and finally slowly add flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon into cupcake papers or molds and bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are lightly brown.

For the whipped topping:

! cup heavy whipping cream
3-6 tbsp. of confectionery sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine in stand mixer, and whip on 7-8 until firm, and fluffy, around 5-6 minutes. Pipe onto top of cupcakes on top with a few lavender buds.

For the pearl sugar:

1/2 cup Sugar
Water, a few drops
1/2 tsp. Lavender Buds, culinary approved

Add sugar and lavender buds to small sauce pan on quite low heat, drop about 1/4 tsp. of water into sugar and move slowly around pan with rubber spatula, until beads form. Heat slowly until sugar beads dry out most of the way. Let cool, and sprinkle on top of cupcakes.

Be sure to share your creations on Instagram #CanIGetaRamen, or find us on FB, and Pinterest canigetaramen.food.blog

Savory Salmon and Egg Oatmeal

There is nothing better on a snowy November-December morning than to sit down with a bowl of hot oatmeal and watch the flakes fall. However, sometimes it can be a bit over-indulging when constantly having the same type of oatmeal every time. Sweet oatmeal by far is the king of the two types, with savory oatmeal being the underdog. At least in the East U.S., we go sweet with our oats nineteen times out of twenty, but that can get a little boring. This is where the underdog comes in and it comes in with a bang. This little bit of salmon and a poached egg or two can really bring a brand new experience to the bowl and make it that a little more fun to bring around for your next holiday-time brunch.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups of Oatmeal
Smoked Salmon
1-2 eggs
Spinach

In a pot, add 2 and a half cups of water and set it to medium heat. Add your 2 cups of oatmeal to the pot and thoroughly cook through. In a small pot, begin to boil enough water to hard boil an egg. Instead of placing the egg into the boiling water, crack the egg into a measuring cup or other small vessel. Lightly stir the boiling water to form a whirlpool and then place the cracked egg into the middle of it, stirring lightly as it boils. Once the white is fully cooked, evacuate the egg quickly and set it aside. After dishing up your oatmeal, place the smoked salmon, poached egg and a few leaves of spinach. For garnishing or for the extra flavors, shake a bit of Spanish smoked paprika and ginger to give it some spice to go with your savory.

Overall, this is a simple dish that, while not an entirely new concept, can bring something new to that daily breakfast grain and may even spark you to experiment with this daily breakfast grain and it’s near endless potential to be sweet or salty. Be sure to shoot us off a pic of your finished oatmeal or even your own concoctions we’ve inspired you to cook up on Instagram with #CanIGetaRamen. Thanks for reading!