Peepshi — a tsunami of flavor

Posted on May 8, 2019 by flamingpeepsmama

Samurai warriors would eat peepshi before going into battle as part of a sacred rite. We now understand why death was considered a blessing.

Ah, so you have a hankering for Asian fare, do ya?  What could be better to quell a craving than peepshi? This masterpeeps contains no heavy metals and is ocean-safe. No bits of plastic from the great Pacific trash vortex will find their way between your teeth when you use Peeps® instead of raw fish. You are what you eat and these obi-clad cuties will make you even sweeter than you already are.  They’re easy to make, eco-friendly, vegan, and not the least bit radioactive. They are the sole reason that Geisha houses had such a long run in Japan. Japanese businessmen still flock to establishments that serve this delicacy and after 6 or 7 large saki, they’re chowing down on the Peepshi. Wouldn’t you? Salty seaweed wrapping a wasabi slathered finger of rice with a perched peep? Yum!

Ingredients:

  • Rice
  • Rice vinegar
  • Peeps!
  • Dried seaweed sheets
  • Wasabi
  • Pickled ginger

Wash the sushi rice (yes, that’s what it’s called — or if you want to show off, “shari”) with running water for a minute or two until there is no more starch coming out of it. Then gently place the rice in a pot; combine a little bit more water than rice (the ratio is 1.15 : 1 — water : rice). The rice should be cooked on high heat at first — stir every minute or two — until the water boils. Then, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. After 6-8 min, check the water level. If there is no more water, then the rice is ready. If not, check back every minute, making sure not to burn the rice on the bottom. (Hint: Get yourself an electric rice cooker that has sushi as one of the cooking options — follow instructions.) Use a wooden spoon (rice no likey the metal) to take out the rice and add rice vinegar. For 3 cups of rice, use ½ cup of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix the non-rice ingredients together on medium heat until the sugar and salt liquify. Pour over the rice and toss well. Let the rice cool until it’s room temperature. Don’t put the rice in the fridge to make it cool faster – that makes for icky rice.

Cuttin’ it up!

While the rice is cooling, cut up your dried seaweed by pressing a sharp knife into the sheet (see photo — yah, okay, the strips aren’t even. I’m not Japanese. I’m Irish — we don’t know how to make straight lines). Put strips aside.

When the rice is cool, take a spoonful and shape it in the palm of your hand into a nigiri-sushi-looking glob.

Take a finger of wasabi and slather it on the rice glob.

Place your peep.

Wrap the seaweed strip around the rice glob and the peep, then dampen (no licking!) the inside of the overlapping strip to adhere the ends.

どういたしまして。
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Croissants du Peep

Posted on April 20, 2019 by flamingpeepsmama

Le beau Croissants du Peep

Croissants du Peep add a bit of joy to your Sunday Brunch because nothing is better than making fun of the French. Our perky Peeps ® playfully poke out of the croissant to wish you and your guests a happy start to your day. Coffee, Croissants du Peep, and the Sunday paper are the perfect combination and an excellent way to start the last day of your weekend. Enjoy them in bed. Peeps are great for picking up the crumbs — not unlike a lint roller.

Ingredients

  • 1 package of zee active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm eau (water) (110 degrees F/45 C)
  • 3/4 cup evaporated lait (milk)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sal (salt)
  • 1/3 cup white sucre (sugar)
  • 1 oeuf (egg)
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup melted beurre (butter)
  • 1 cup chilled and diced beurre
  • 1 more oeuf but zees one, she eez beaten
  • Les Peeps

Directions

  1. Een a large bowl, dissolve zee yeast in warm water. Let eet stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir een zee salt, sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup flour and melted butter. Beat to make a smooth batter; set aside.
  2. Een a large bowl, cut zee cup of chilled butter eento zee remaining four cups of flour, until zee butter particles are zee size of dried beans. Pour zee yeast batter over zees and carefully turn zee meexture over weeth a spatula to blend, just until all zee flour eez moistened. Cover weeth plastic wrap and refrigerate until she eez well chilled, at least 4 hours. You have up to four days to use thees refrigerated meexture.
  3. Turn zee dough out onto a floured surface; press eento compact balls and knead about 6 turns to release zee air bubbles. Divide zee dough into four equal parts. Shape one at a time. Refrigerate zee remaining dough.
  4. Roll one part of zee dough on a floured board eento a circle 17 inches een diameter. Weeth a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut zee circle eento eight equal pie-shaped wedges. Roll zee wedges loosely toward zee point. Shape each roll eento a crescent and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Each roll should be about 1.5 eenches away from zee ozeer so zeey don’t all rise eento one grande croissant mass…unless of course you want to and then absolutely do eet. I’m not sure what zee baking time would be – but hey! Peeps are all about pushing zee boundaries. Write me and let me know how eet worked out.
  5. Cover and let zem rise at room temperature until zey’ve almost doubled in size (approximately 2 hours.) While you’re waeeting, preheat zee oven to 325 degrees F.
  6. Brush zee croissants weeth beaten egg. Bake een preheated oven for 35 minutes, or unteel zey are golden.
  7. Let zem cool
  8. Gently leeft part of zee croissant and pop een zee Peep so zee Peep eez peeping out. Shove in as many as you feel are needed to make your Croissant du Peep complete.

Shortcut

Go to Le Costco and buy zee croissants zere – skeep to step huit (8).

 

Who wouldn't love to wake up to these faces!

Posted in Brunch | 1 Comment

EscarPeeps®

Posted on April 19, 2019 by flamingpeepsmama

EscarPeeps like to stick close together to stay warm and produce a false sense of security.

It’s spring! Time to be in the garden spreading Slug Death® around the tender shoots giggling maniacally whilst wringing your hands. I look forward to it every year. The beauty of Slug Death (I just love that name — so unequivocal) is that it works on snails as well. Slugs may leave a satisfying goo, but snails leave handy food holders. The French figured this out long ago when they cooked the snails in garlic and butter and gave it a fancy-pants name. I hear Marie Antoinette would lose her head over escargot when served at the Palais. But in the here and now, we have EscarPeeps® or as they say in Arkansas, Peepscargot. It’s an excellent appetizer that comes complete with entertainment. Race your EscarPeeps with high-stakes betting to get the par-tay rolling. Finally a nonviolent Peep activity!

Ingredients:

  • Peeps!
  • Snail Shells

Optional slime recipe:

  • Jam of your choice
  • Wee bit o’ hot water

Combine jam and water until it’s a liquid, yet slimy consistency. Place yer Peeps. Drizzle a trail behind them (remember, they get lost easily).

EscarPeeps racing is uber fun! Although the Peeps do have a hard time getting to the finish line. Their sense of direction sucks.

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TurPeepin’ Pot Pie

Posted on November 29, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

Peeps® tucking in to their very own Turpeepin’ pie.

We had a loverly Thanksgiving. Thanks for asking. The Peeps® had a great time and enjoyed being the stars of the show. They especially enjoyed the Sweet Peeptatoes. We had a day of cooking, porking out, then watching the parade, football, and a movie (all in a tryptophan-enduced, bleary-eyed, and almost comatose state). For once the Peeps weren’t cutting it up in the kitchen — except for that incident with the wasp spray and the lighter.

But as in all things involving huge amounts of food, there is the left-over issue and the biggest dilemma is what to do with the bird. I love turkey sandwiches (on white bread (I’m a purist) with mayonnaise — I know this grosses some of you out, but so what — and some cranberry sauce). But sandwiches use up only part of the mountain of meat and I’m sick to death of turkey noodle soup. The Peeps have had it up to here as well — yah, they’re small so “up to here” isn’t very much.  So, what to do? What to do? Turpeepin’ Pot Pie is the answer. The Peeps love playing hide and seek so this is the perfect dish for them. I made the plural form of this dish in ramekins so the Peeps wouldn’t fight in the oven. They do better when they have their own space so I gave them each their own pie. This version is also more convenient if you freeze the finished product for future use — like when you want to take a nap.

Shhh. They’re inside. That’s why the pies are so lumpy.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pkg frozen veggies. I used frozen peas, carrots, corn, and green beans. Then I threw in some fresh fingerling potatoes — but peas and carrots is the traditional pot pie sort of mix
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • Leftover gravy or if you used it all up, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1-3/4 cups chicken broth, 2/3 cup milk, and 1/3 cup butter
  • 2-1/2 to 3 cups cut-up, left-over turkey
  • Pastry for a 2-crust pie. I suck at making pie crust so I buy the pre-made, but I’ve included the pie crust pastry below for those of you who don’t screw it up every time like I do.

Peeps playing in the veggie mix.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat the oven to 425F
  • Rinse the frozen veggies in cold water to separate them and let them drain. If you’re using potatoes like I did, cut them up into bite-sized bits. The Peeps love to play in the bowl with the vegetables, so let ’em have at it (see photo)
  • If you have left-over gravy, heat it up on a big sauce pan. If you don’t have left-over gravy, melt the butter; stir in the flour, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken broth and the milk. Put back on the heat and stir constantly until the mixture is boiling. Continue to stir for one minute.
  • Throw in the veggies and turkey and remove from the heat
  • Make the pastry (see below) or roll out the store-bought pie crusts.
  • Cut out shapes that will fit into your ramekins or if you’re doing the singular version, line your pie pan
  • Spoon in the mixture and place your peeps
  • Cut out shapes that will fit the top of your ramekins or if you’re doing the singular version, enclose the top of the pie pan
  • Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown

PIE CRUST

  • 2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp shortening
  • 4 to 6 tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until it forms pea-sized bits. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp at a time until all the flour is moistened. Gather the pastry into a ball. Shape into a flat round on a floured surface. Put in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes or so. Roll pasty on floured surface using a floured rolling pin. Use as directed above.

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Peepkin Pumpkin Spice Bread

Posted on October 31, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

Peeps cozying down into the spice bread. Such toasty bottoms! Serve with tons of butter.

Today is Halloween and tomorrow we’ll have to deal with the smashed pumpkins on our porch. Our choices are,reuse or compost, and I vote for taking advantage of the vandals’ hard work and creating a sweet masterpiece from the detritus. Conveniently, the pumpkin has been pre-smashed, thus tenderized and easier to pulverize for spice bread. How thoughtful of those rowdy kids to help us out like this. The Peeps® love to get outside in the crisp fall air and rummage for the good bits. The giggles of glee can be heard around the block. Then after getting chilled and stiff they scurry into the kitchen to “help” with the baking. When the bread is pulled out of the oven, they snuggle in to warm their butts. Happier Peeps you’ve never seen.

This is an excellent snack especially when paired with Hot Piping Peeps Cider. Serve them in front of the fire while playing Scrabble® and burning effigies of the neighborhood thugs.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar (the Peeps prefer organic)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée (see below)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
  • (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pumpkin purée: cut a pumpkin in half; scoop out the seeds; lie it down on a foil lined baking sheet, skin-side up. Bake at 350°F until soft (45 minutes to an hour-ish). Cool, scoop out the flesh. Or, if you cut the pumpkin into pieces, boil or steam them until tender. Scoop out the flesh. Smash or puree in a food processor or blender.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda
  • Mix the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together
  • Combine dry and wet ingredients
  • Stir in the walnuts
  • Pour the batter into a well-buttered loaf pan
  • Bake 50-60 minutes until a skewer such as that was used in Medieval Peeps on a Pike is poked into the center of the loaf and comes out clean
  • Turn out of the pan and let it cool on a rack
  • Cut out little Peeps nests and let them wiggle their way into the warmth
Posted in Comfort food and drink, Dessert, More Peep fun! | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sweet Peepstatoes — More ThanksPeeping Fun

Posted on October 26, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

Peeps posing amongst the potatoes

The Peeps® are really excited about Turkey Day. They just love holidays that feature fowl. After the great success of Peepin’ Chicken (the dry run for stuffing the big bird) they wanted to customize more of the traditional T-day dishes to suit their particular idiom, Peep-centric fare. Sweet Peepstatoes are easy to make and a favorite with the kids. It’s a side dish and a dessert rolled into one. The Peeps were fascinated by the multifunctional aspect of this tuberous tureen of tantalizing taters and participated in every aspect of its creation. They went for a swim in the pot as the water was warming (see below photo) and completely covered the counter with semi-starchy water. I noticed that they didn’t help with the clean up however…typical. After the spud cookage, I slathered on the butter and the Peeps hopped right in and started sliding around. Such shouts of glee! Nothing like happy Peeps to make cooking in the kitchen a joy.

A big brain is not required — which is fortunate for the Peeps — so I’m sure you’ll ace this recipe the first time out.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Tons of butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Peeps

DIRECTIONS:

  • Peel, cut up, and boil the sweet potatoes
  • When a fork easily inserts into the potatoes, drain
  • Throw taters into a bowl and slather on tons of butter
  • (Alternate serving suggestion, mash the potatoes)
  • Let the Peeps have at it

Peeps frolicking and splish-splashing all over the kitchen counter. Cute!

Posted in Dessert, More Peep fun!, Sides | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Peepin’ Chicken

Posted on October 22, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

Peepin’ Chicken
Easily extrapolated to Peepin’ Turkey, but it doesn’t rhyme

Thanksgiving is right around the corner in the US and already in the past in Canada, so I figured it was time to start planning the big meal. I always like to include my Peeps® when creating the menu for a feast (or any other occasion) — as you may have noticed. I pondered, mulled, and cogitated until I came to the conclusion that there is no more perfect way to share the joy than to stuff the peeps in the turkey. I really didn’t want to make a turkey in October because I’m sure I’d be totally sick of it by T-day, so I opted for a roast chicken as sort of a dry run. I made a stuffing that will transfer well to the big bird in November and the Peeps seemed to be pleased with the result. In fact they were so happy that they spontaneously paraded around the bird creating a racquet and disturbing the neighbors. There’s talk of getting balloons for the big event next month so their parade will have an even more festive feel. We’re currently hoping that no stiff breeze kicks up and carries away the balloons and the Peeps. Peeps are lightweights — on so many levels.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1-1/2 cups orange liqueur
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 1 lb italian spicy sausage with the casing removed
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 peeled, cored, and chopped apples
  • 1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 tsps chopped, fresh sage
  • 1  16 oz package seasoned breadcrumbs
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Peeps

DIRECTIONS:

  • Place the raisins in a small saucepan, and cover with the orange liqueur. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and set aside.
  • In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Saute the celery and onion in the butter for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • In the same skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until crumbled and evenly brown. Drain off the fat.
  • Combine the sausage and stuffing mix with the celery and onion mixture. Stir in the raisins and liqueur, pecans, and apples.
  • Mix in melted butter and chicken broth. The stuffing should be totally moistened.
  • Season with sage, salt, and pepper
  • Stuff your bird
  • Bake
  • After baking, place your peeps

BAKING THE BIRD:

  • Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Tie drumsticks together with string
  • Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The thermometer should point towards the body, and should not touch the bone
  • Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Use the below chart to estimate the time required for baking

Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent. During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but helps promote even browning.

Turkey Cooking Times:

Weight of Bird Roasting Time
(Unstuffed)
 Roasting Time
(Stuffed)
10-18 lbs 3-3.5 hours 3.75-4.5 hours
18-22 lbs 3.5-4 hours 4.5-5 hours
22-24 lbs 4-4.5 hours 5-5.5 hours
Posted in Main dishes, More Peep fun! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hot Piping Peeps® Cider

Posted on October 15, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

Rub-a-dub-dub, three Peeps in a mug!

As the days turn cold and darkness is more abundant than light, the Peeps® look for snuggly warmth and comfort. Being sensitive whatever they are, they seek camaraderie, candle light, and cider (preferably hot and spiced). They take this time to contemplate what they’ve accomplished this year and start to form their goals for next. As they mull over their past, I mull the cider. They hop in, first dipping their tails to gauge the temperature, then submerging their bellies into the piping-hot, aromatic, potentially melting beverage. It’s a serious, and yet, not somber time in the kitchen. Peeps are basically fun loving with very short attention spans so the cider fights and cider-filled balloons come out and get all over the counter in pretty short order. It smells great, but golly what a mess. It’s even worse when I add rum.

Speaking of which, Halloween is around the corner and kids just love having hot cider after a vigorous evening of trick or treating. Sit them down with some Hot Piping Peeps Cider with a dollop of rum and when they get dozy you can easily go through their candy bags and snarf the good ones. They’ll sleep well and you’ll get your Mars® bars. Win-win!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 gallon apple cider
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 orange peeled and sliced
  • Rum (optional)
  • Peeps!

DIRECTIONS:

  • In a big saucepan heat the cider to boiling
  • Throw in the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange slices
  • Turn down heat to low and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes
  • Strain out the non-cider bits
  • Pour into interesting mugs
  • (Optional) Add some rum
  • Place your Peeps

I was surprised after that whole Peeps Jello Mold experience that they sat upright and didn’t tip over onto their sides since they’re such lightweights. That occurred later after the rum seeped in. Peeps just can’t hold their liquor.

Posted in Adult beverages, Comfort food and drink, More Peep fun! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Peeps® Speecy-spicy Black-Bean Soup

Posted on October 9, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

What a gas! Peeps® Bean Soup excites your innards and aids propulsion in the tastiest way ever. Easy to make and even easier to eat, this spicy concoction is a piquant preamble to any meal. It’s also an excellent accompaniment to a grilled cheese sandwich or a leafy-green salad. Or get why not creative and pair it with hard cheeses and figs.

Kickstart the chorus with this magical fruit soup and sing its praises all night long.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium purple onion, finely chopped (the more flying-saucer shaped the onion, the sweeter)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeño (2 inches), seeded and minced (do NOT rub your eyes)
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3ish cups water
  • Cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Peeps

Sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a heavy 4 or 5 quart pot. Add cumin, oregano, and a pinch or two of salt until the onion starts to brown. Add the beans, water, and some cilantro and simmer covered — stirring occasionally — until the soup has thickened slightly.

Transfer about 2 cups soup (or more if you don’t like lumps) to a blender and purée. Return it to the pot and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Season with salt.

Decorate with sliced avocado and a Peep.

Enjoy.

Pffffft.

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Brainy Peeps®

Posted on September 22, 2015 by flamingpeepsmama

The mind of a Peep is easy to read when it’s on the outside.

Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, but Peeps® wear their brains on their heads. These smarty-pants Peeps are as good looking as they are tasty…and so easy to make. I used chilled frosting to make their brains but as it warms up the Peeps don a more Elvis look than the mad scientist I was going for (just a timing issue really — so chomp on them quickly after squirting their brains out).

This should have been a noodle dish really.

You would have thought that if you slice their heads open that you’d see white brains and yet their think tanks are pink. “Why is this?” you ask. Well, this is because they like pastels. Gray matter just didn’t appeal to them when I ran this recipe by them — and really gray frosting is kind of gross. For Peeps it’s all about fun and dull colors just don’t further their brand ethos, “Party hardy with your organs on the outside.” Actually, “Party under any and all circumstances” is their motto, but they used their noggins and came up with the former and I told them I’d mention it.

How many brainy Peeps does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Yup, they’re that smart.

Posted in Hors d'oeuvres, More Peep fun! | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment