Quarantine Baking: Croissant French Toast with Butterscotch Apples and Sesame Brittle

To promote his upcoming cooking competition "Next Level Chef" for Fox, Gordon Ramsay held a live, virtual set tour and cook-along demonstration as we watched from our kitchen. It took us three times as long as it did for Gordon to make this sweet brunch treat, but it paid off in the end: Delicious. I mean, you can't go wrong with croissants, custard, carmelized apples and more. Nathan helped as my sous chef.

Quarantine Cocktails: Craig's Honey Elderflower Mule

Variety's Showrunners Dinner -- a tradition we brought over from TV Guide -- was back this year, on Sept. 13, but in virtual form. Guests included Emmy-nominated showrunners Chris Van Dusen (“Bridgerton”), Eric Kripke (“The Boys”), Misha Green (“Lovecraft Country”), Steven Canals (“Pose”), Barry Jenkins (“The Underground Railroad”), Bruce Miller (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (“Cobra Kai”) and Jac Schaeffer (“WandaVision”), to name a few.

Food was provided by Craig's, which also sent a cocktail kit to mix their honey elderflower mule. Featuring Grey Goose vodka, St. Germain, honey, mint syrup, lime and ginger beer. Delicious.

An Appropriate Sixth Grade Class Shirt, Circa 2021

 

Nathan's official sixth grade shirt. Completely appropriate, and yet a reminder of how unfortunate his final year in elementary school wound up.

Quarantine Cocktails: Spicy Margarita Edition

Courtesy ABC's "The Bachelor," a spicy margarita via this delicious "Sourced" mix. "The Villain: Heat things up with the refreshing taste of PATRÓN Silver margarita featuring fresh lime juice, homemade agave syrup, and just the right amount of organic chili oil to bring the fire."

Quarantine Cocktails: The First Glass After Dry January

Well, it was not necessarily easy to do during a pandemic, but I pulled it off -- Dry January is over, and time to celebrate with a glass of red. This is also the overdue celebration of Biden's inauguration and the hopeful end of a dark chapter in American history. Cheers!

Quarantine Baking: Beignets Bring New Orleans to LA

 

Here's the deal: I used to go to New Orleans for work conventions all the time. I'd inevitably buy a box of Cafe Du Monde beignet mix, with the goal of re-creating those delicious beignets I'd scarf down on the Cafe Du Monde patio.

I never did. Those boxes would eventually expire and wind up in the trash.

But this is the pandemic, and there's time now to do crazy things like deep frying dough balls in your kitchen. So when I received a mailer with Cafe Du Monde beignet mix and chicory coffee, I thought I'd do it for reals this time.

(Coincidentally, I was back in New Orleans last January and got this Cafe Du Monde alligator for the Blogger Kid 2.0 — but I didn't bring home the mix this time, knowing better. This mix and coffee came with a mailer for Showtime's "Your Honor.")

Look at this! Deep frying beignets!

Look at this! Rolling beignets in powdered sugar!

Delicious. Almost like being in New Orleans. Almost.

Social Distance Road Trip: Playing in the Snow on the Angeles Crest Highway

 

Regular readers of this blog know that we like to marvel at how close we live to the snow in Los Angeles. I'm not talking driving all the way to Big Bear; during the winter months and after a lot of rain, the snow is a quick drive up the Angeles Crest Highway (the 2), above La Canada-Flintridge. And after the holiday rains, we knew we wanted to get up there to play.

So we grabbed the sleds and headed up in late December. The good news: The snow was at low elevations, which meant we started seeing it on the side of the road just 15 minutes after leaving home in Glendale. The bad news is the 2 is closed at Mt. Wilson, which means there is no ability to drive higher and play in the really deep snow. Instead, this would have to do, and luckily we found a side-of-the-road spot with enough snow and enough space to go sledding.

Clearly, we weren't the only ones to have this idea. The Angeles Crest was crowded with cars, especially where the highway is closed right at Mt. Wilson. We somehow found a spot with no other people.

I'm assuming the snow is all gone now, especially with our warm days recently. Here's hoping more rain comes and we can return in the next few months!

New Food Sunday: A Running List

Maria and I have instituted "New Food Sundays." Every Sunday, a new restaurant. Inspired by the Los Angeles Times' latest 101 Restaurants special issue, we're on a quest to find new eats. Here's how it's gone so far:

Dec. 13: Bridgetown Roti

Dec. 20: Evil Cooks

Dec. 27: Mini Kabob

Jan. 3: Polka Restaurant

Jan. 10: Holdaak Far East Chicken Shop

Jan. 17: Yess Aquatic

Jan. 25 (special Monday edition): Holi Organic Indian Cuisine

Jan. 31: Mama Musubi

Feb. 7: Goldburger

Feb. 15 (Monday edition): Zhengyalov Hatz

Feb. 21: Tokyo Hot Chicken

Feb. 28: Golden Globes, no New Food Sunday

March 7: Drive-Thru Fair Foodie Fest

March 14: The Donut Hole 

March 21: Cluck & Blaze

April 11: The Bucket

April 18: Tamales Liliana

April 25: G Fat Burgers

May 8: [New Food Saturday] Angel's Tacos

May 15: [New Food Saturday] Daybird

May 22: [New Food Saturday] Me + Crepe

May 29: [New Food Saturday] Rosty 

June 5: [New Food Saturday] Chick Next Door

Quarantine Cocktails: Conan O'Brien's "Conan Creamsicle"

I'm usually not one for overly sweet or creamy beverages, but all bets are off during the holidays. And this was perhaps my favorite alcoholic beverage of the recent holiday season, courtesy "Conan" and TBS: The "Conan Creamsicle" wasn't overly sweet, but it was very delicious.
 

Ingredients below, although I can't really tell you what was in the "Sherbet" mix, but it indeed tasted like a creamsicle!

Quarantine Baking: Homemade Pfeffernusse Cookie Mix from Trader Joe's

Our favorite holiday cookie from Trader Joe's? Easy. The Pfeffernusse. We would consume boxes and boxes of this German spiced powder sugar cookie every year. And then one year... the recipe changed, and they weren't quite as good. And then the following year... they disappeared completely off the Trader Joe's shelves. This is where TJ's fails in its lack of communication with customers. There's no Trader Joe's social media to explain these things, and we're left just hanging with the mysteries of what happens to our favorite TJ items.

This year, in a twist, Trader Joe's didn't sell Pfeffernusse -- but it sold a Pfeffernusse cookie mix kit. It wasn't going to be the same, but it was something. We bought it and made the cookies. And they were good! They wound up being smaller than the TJ Pfeffernusse cookies we fondly remember, but they did have that crispy shell and soft interior just like the ones they used to sell. And of course, you can't go wrong with powdered sugar. We'd make them again... but how about just bringing back the already made cookies next year, TJs!

Quarantine Cocktail: The Flight Attendant's Mile High Mai Tai

 

Our last quarantine cocktail came from HBO Max's "The Flight Attendant," and so does this one! As we wrote last time, the new show stars Kaley Cuoco as a flight attendant who has a rendezvous with a passenger at his hotel room — but then wakes up the next day and finds him dead. Last time, the appropriately named drink was the "Amnesia." This time, the beverage goes tropical with the "Mile High Mai Tai."

Delicious. But how could it not be? Two kinds of rum and the orange liqueur. But then the secret ingredient is the "mile high mix," which I assume includes lime and coconut juices.

Quarantine Baking: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

 

For several years, Trader Joe's sold a frozen Pumpkin Bread Pudding during the holidays, and it was incredible. I looked forward to it every year. And then sadly... they stopped selling it. This year, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was going to make my own Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Spoiler alert: It was delicious.

The secret was Trader Joe's pumpkin brioche bread. "Pumpkin-y, slightly sweet and lightly spicy. Great for fresh toast, sandwiches and toast with nut butter." Or, if you're really ready to indulge, Pumpkin Bread Pudding. Come along for the ride.

Of course, bread pudding is that odd dish that asks for slightly stale bread. This wasn't quite stale enough, but toasting the bread (cut into cubes) in the oven helps to dry it out.

I followed a bread pudding recipe I found online: Heavy whipping cream, eggs. check.

Vanilla, salt, all the usual ingredients. Instead of cinnamon, I went with the pumpkin pie spice that Trader Joe's also sells. Gotta pumpkin it up!

Now, it's ready for soaking.

Ideally, the bread will marinate in the mixture overnight, fully embracing the deliciousness.

And now, it's ready to go in the oven.

Almost there! This was a success.

Quarantine Cocktail: The Flight Attendant Amnesia Edition

 

HBO Max's new series "The Flight Attendant" stars Kaley Cuoco as a flight attendant who has a rendezvous with a passenger at his hotel room — but then wakes up the next day and finds him dead. What happened? She has no idea. And that's the inspiration for this appropriately named drink, the "Amnesia."

Ingredients include vodka, amaro, and Oubliette mix. The recipe below:

Quarantine Cocktails: Big Sky Mule Edition

ABC threw a virtual premiere event on Thursday night for "Big Sky," its new drama from David E. Kelley. The series, set in Montana, is a bit of a thriller -- with surprise twists throughout. Speaking of twists, as part of its "Big Sky" premiere delivery, "attendees" were given mixers to create a twist on the traditional Moscow Mule — in this case, a "Big Sky Mule." The secret is the Cold Spring huckleberry vodka. (Apparently, huckleberries are a thing in Montana?) The Cock & Bull ginger beer is a nice touch -- love the extra ginger kick. Here's the recipe:

Quarantine Cocktails: Romulan Whiskey Edition

To promote the new animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and its premiere party last week, CBS All Access sent over the fixings for a "Romulan Whiskey." It's pretty -- a blue-green -- and includes tasty burbon whiskey. But alas, a bit too sweet for my tastes. I'd probably go without the simple syrup next time. Recipe below:

The 8 p.m. Essential Workers/First Responders Tribute

In our neighborhood, we now know exactly when the clock strikes 8 p.m. — the cheers, the gongs, the claps, the horns, the whistles, the drums and more. It's a lift-me-up, practiced all over the world, that our part of town has fully embraced. And because we live at the base of a hill, the sounds echo all around, providing a true nightly celebration. In honor of the essential workers, the first responders, and honestly, everyone just getting through the day in these uncertain times, it's a joy to hear every night.

Most evenings, we listen from home. But on a recent night, we climbed to the top of the hill, with noise makers in hand, to join in the celebration. The blogger kids felt a bit self-conscious about it, but I think they secretly, ultimately, enjoyed the pomp and circumstance. Two months into quarantine, it's sometimes the little things that can keep spirits up.

Quarantine Family Game Night: A Roundup

You've seen our ongoing tally of Family Movie Night (Wednesdays) and Family outdoor grill night (Saturdays)... now welcome to the addition, our Family Game Night! Early in the stay-at-home pandemic, we spent several evenings playing board games... but as the weeks carried on, we found ourselves playing fewer games and spending more time in front of our computers. Hence, the decision to make game night a formal Monday evening event. Here have been the games so far:

April 20: Clue

April 27: Monopoly (Voice Banking edition)

May 4: Uno

May 11: Sorry / Exploding Kittens

May 18: Battleship / war (cards)

May 25: Throw Throw Burrito

June 1: Throw Throw Burrito (ended early due to bad sportsmanship)

June 8: Ben & Jerry's/"Space Force" puzzle

June 15: Clue

June 22: ABC Fun & Games puzzle; Uno

June 29: Bears vs. Babies

July 6: Jackbox Games: Quiplash, Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, Tee K.O., Fakin' It

July 13: "The Simpsons" Pictionary

July 20: Sorry

July 27: Jackbox Games: Quiplash, Guesspionage, Tee K.O.

August 3: Beyond Balderdash

August 10: Jenga

August 17: Uno

August 24: Bop It and Uno

August 31: Mike's birthday (break)



September 7: "The Masked Singer" Puzzle Challenge!

September 14: "The Simpsons" Pictionary

September 21: Mike at work (break)

September 28: Monopoly (Voice Banking edition)

October 5: Uno

October 12: Bingo and Among Us

October 19: Sorry

October 27: Blackjack

November 2: Chutes and Ladders

November 9: Bingo

November 16: Uno and Blackjack

November 23: Monopoly (Voice Banking edition) Nathan wins again!

November 30: Game night in the guest house! Jenga, air hockey, Boggle

December 7: Guest house game night: Battleship, air hockey

 

December 14: You've Got Crabs 

December 21: Bingo

December 28: Poetry for Neanderthals

January 4, 2021: Poetry for Neanderthals

 

January 11: Clue

 

January 18: War 

January 25: Sorry!

 

February 1: Monopoly (Voice Banking Edition) 

February 9 (Tuesday edition): Poetry for Neanderthals

February 15: Jackbox Games: Quiplash, Trivia Murder Party, Tee K.O., Fakin' It

 

 

February 22: Deadbolt Mystery Society (mystery puzzle game for Amazon Prime Video's "Tell Me Your Secrets")

March 1: Jackpot Uno

March 9: Cupcake baking!

March 15: Schneider Family Zoom Bingo

 

March 22: Holey Moley putt-putt golf 

March 29: Back drawing game (sort of like Pictionary meets the Game of Telephone)

 

April 5: Blackjack

April 12: Poetry for Neanderthals

 

April 19: "The Simpsons" Pictionary

 

April 26: Jackbox Games: Quiplash, Trivia Murder Party, Tee K.O., Guesspionage

May 3: Scrabble

May 10: Uno

May 17: Sorry!

 

May 24: Poetry for Neanderthals (ended early due to poor sportsmanship) 

 

May 31: Poetry for Neanderthals (on location with the Uys!)

June 7: none (moderating "Mythic Quest" panel at Ford)

June 14: Mini bean bag toss

June 21: Mad Libs

June 28: No game [Hawaii trip eve]

July 5: No game [Hawaii trip]

July 12: Connect Four

July 19: No game

July 26: Space Jam Uno

 

December 28, 2022: Nintendo Switch Sports

 

January 15, 2023: Sorry

 

February 12, 2023: Exploding Kittens 

March 21, 2023: Poetry for Neanderthals

May 17. 2023: Poker

 

June 6, 2023: Poker

June 15, 2023: Blackjack

June 18, 2023: Jackbox

August 19, 2023: Poetry for Neanderthals and Twister (at the Uy house)