FoodieGems Recipes For A Crowd

We are on the cusp of summer beginning and you know what that means, don't you? Big casseroles & Cinnamon Rolls of course. No really, kids are home and we have visitors. These two recipes are perfect for a big gathering. 

 

Cheesy Ham Biscuit Pull Aparts 

1 (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits (I used the buttery flavor).
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup diced ham
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11 x 7 or 12 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk with a wire whisk until smooth.

Separate dough into individual biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat evenly. Fold in ham, cheese, onions and granulated garlic. Spoon mixture into prepared dish, arrange biscuit pieces in a single layer.

Baked at 350 for 23 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. You can either cut into squares or just pull apart and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.



What are some of your favorite big crowd dishes? We would love to know. 


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Easter Ham & Ostrich Races Oh My!

 

Hello Fellow Foodies, I trust all of you sampled some Irish fare, or at least some green beer, this past month.

 

Our hope is that each of you had a great Easter like I did.  And what makes Easter (or any other holiday) special is the traditions that go with it.  When I was a boy, my family had some fun and very unique Easter traditions. After Easter Sunday services, my relatives would all come over to my house for a day of festivities.

Each year, my mom and dad would hire an ostrich trainer to give us children rides around the yard. As you can probably imagine, it was pandemonium! A dozen ostriches running around the back yard with screaming children hanging onto the necks of the poor beasts for dear life.

After the rides came the annual games. For many people, the main course at Easter dinner is ham. And there was certainly no exception at our house during the Quiles Family Easter Ham-Throwing Competition!  This is where we’d all line up in the street and take turns chucking juicy, delicious hams as far as we could down the road. Inevitably, somebody would hit a car, or a pedestrian who wasn’t paying attention.

Once my cousin hit an old woman who was walking her dog, and she seemed pretty upset until my cousin told her she could keep the ham - then it was all we could do to keep her from running straight into the flying hams!

Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place - usually ham-shaped buttons or balloons. Although one year they went all out and sprung for ham-shaped trophies. I remember because that year I won the silver trophy.

Then came the pinatas. Being a Mexican family, no celebration was complete without a pinata.

I remember one year, my uncle played a mean trick on us and stuffed the pinata with Japanese Hornets. It was a terrible trick to play on us back then, but we laugh about it now. Hahahaha.  Silly Uncle Fernando!

Anyway, I wish all of you also had a happy Easter filled with your own Easter traditions.  And those traditions are what build memories and make them uniquely yours to cherish and share with others.

Take care, Foodies and remember to come on over to FoodieGems.com to become a Foodie for FREE!!

 

10 Awesome Easter Food Ideas

Easter is upon us and here are 10 Awesome Easter food ideas....

Be inspired and go make something amazing today! Happy Easter from the FoodieGems family to yours!

Mexican Manhattan Restaurant Review

Mexican Manhattan

Flavorful food; good service; dated, but cozy atmosphere

This week, FoodieGems decided to go to Mexican Manhattan in beautiful downtown San Antonio.  It is a casual restaurant on Dolorosa St. that also has access from the beautiful San Antonio River Walk. For an inexpensive and good Mexican meal, Mexican Manhattan is a great choice. 

While it may not have all the flare of other Mexican restaurants on the River Walk, the cuisine is tasty and authentic -nice if you don't want to pay touristy River Walk prices.  It's goal is to give you great food without distracting you with all the other"bells and whistles" that tourist traps tend to do.

The salsa definitely bites back and goes great with their homemade tortilla chips. In addition, they have a full-service bar for those of you on strict orders from your doctor to be on a "liquid diet".  Ok, I'm writing this review the week of Spring Break; what do you expect?

The enchiladas had great texture and flavor and were fairly-portioned.

On the not-so-great side, the rice was a bit dry, and the homemade chips we received may have been sitting out for a little while. If this is the case, don't hesitate to ask for a fresh batch.

Patio dining is also available with plenty of seating. Family owned for more than 50 years, Mexican Manhattan has been a San Antonio staple.  Downtown locations can be a challenge since they typically are hard to get to; but this one is well worth the trip.  They offer FREE parking at the garage right across the street to its guests.  

Foodies, give Mexican Manhattan a taste.  You won't be disappointed.

Make sure to connect with us in all the Social Media ways. Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+! 

 

The Importance of Food Presentation by Carly Schuna

Food presentation is nearly as important as taste. If presented well, food will look appetizing, encourage people to try new recipes and may even influence them to adopt better nutrition.


Creativity
Artistic food styling and presentation gives chefs an opportunity to differentiate their work from the work of others. Depending on presentation details, the same dish and even the same recipe can look unique coming from different chefs.

Hunger
For those who have poor appetites or little interest in eating well, an artfully arranged plate can provide motivation to dig into a meal that might otherwise seem unappetizing.

Appeal
Artistically prepared food can appear appetizing and appealing even if the person looking at it does not like the ingredients. If a food or meal looks interesting, it can entice someone to try it despite reservations.

Balance
A well-styled meal looks balanced and often appears to be nutritious. It contains a number of colors, which add visual interest and food from at least two food groups.

Advertising
Food that is prepared and presented with an artistic flair is vitally important for marketing and promotional campaigns. A food company's revenue can depend on how well its product is presented to consumers.

So remember... 


"It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate – you know someone’s fingers have been all over it."
Julia Child

Restaurant Review: The Cove in San Antonio

The Cove

606 W. Cypress St.

San Antonio, Texas 78212

 

Atmosphere under-promises; Food and service over-delivers

Restaurant Review

Don't let the adjacent laundromat and car wash fool you. Things aren't always what they seem. As one might expect when dining at a place called "The Cove," the atmosphere is casual and almost hipster, with an Austin or Portlandy feel to it. And in true hipster fashion, all their food is locally-grown, sustainable and organic, from the grass-fed beef burgers down to their organic line of sodas. We at FoodieGems love their famous fish tacos:  perfectly seasoned fish, with the right accent of spicy poblano sauce, topped off with a leveraging cole slaw.  These items combined orchestrates the right spice to the palate without leaving your tongue feeling numb.  And don't forget about the corn tortillas, they are home-made and easy on the diet.

 

 

 

Of course such an artisan atmosphere wouldn't be complete without live music from talented local musicians who play in the main dining hall - mostly country-western singers and soft rock. Seating is also available outside of the main hall, but it is outside seating - covered, but not climate-controlled.

Though dressed down, servers are attentive to guests needs. Guests order at the front of the restaurant, and servers bring the food to the tables. Our server was quick to bring us condiments and bus the table.  The food is already impressive, but to receive the service we did was a nice touch.  It boosted The Cove out of that realm of "kitchy places with good food, but not-so-great service".

 

Give them a try and you'll see what we mean.  FoodieGems.com is a fan of The Cove.  And we are sure you will become one as well.

-4 out of 5 emeralds

 

 

 

 

 

Chef John's Caramel Apple Pie

We know how difficult it is to make something that DOESN'T fall into one of these categories. So we're posting some recipes that are not only delicious, they are not complicated, and they include an
instructional video! Don't be afraid - bake away!


Chef John's Caramel Apple Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
5 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 pastry for double-crust pie (see footnote for recipe link)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

Roll out half the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate; pour in apple slices.
Roll out top crust into a 10-inch circle. Cut into 8 (1-inch) wide strips with a sharp paring knife or pastry wheel. Weave the pastry strips, one at a time, into a lattice pattern. Fold the ends of the lattice strips under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp to seal.

Pour butter-sugar mixture over top of pie, coating the lattice, and allowing any remaining sauce to drizzle through the crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until the crust is golden brown, the caramel on the top crust is set, and the apple filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 more minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Bon Appetit! 


Chef John's Caramel Apple Pie Video:

http://allrecipes.com/video/410/chef-johns-caramel-apple-pie/detail.aspx?prop24=RD_VideoTipsTricks