I realized late on this day, when I was already at my in-laws house celebrating Labor Day that I had Something To Do that I had forgotten about. Being a little bit A.D.D. it could have been anything from leaving the sprinklers on to not folding a load of laundry.
It was when someone at the luncheon started asking me questions about how I do giveaways on my blog that I had the D'oh! FacePalm moment. Giveaway! On my blog! Big oops!
Yeah, so...without further ado (and more forgetful embarrassment) the very cool and fabulous REDBetty Crocker Goodie bag goes to:
Churros!
Who would have thunk it??? I would love to try churros stuffed with
mango jam. Yum! They would probably be great with a bit of anise in the
batter and sprinkled with just sugar. Ok, I need to make some NOW!
I have only used Bisquick for pancakes (duh) & beer biscuits (yum).
Please send me an email with your snail mail address and Hey, Marta! I won stuff on your blog! in the subject line and I will send you the Betty Crocker goodies ASAP.
But wait...I will be doing another fun Betty Crocker giveaway again tomorrow. And I will be asking a different question for the entries (but that's not important right now).
In the meantime, I'm thinking that maybe instead of a cooking show (great cooking show name suggestions, by the way) maybe I should write a telenovela and call it:
I still have so much more to tell you about my trip to General Mills and the Betty Crocker Kitchens. I have some very cool recipes I want to share and also some fun stuff to giveaway. There was so much to take in that I can't possibly write about it all in one post, so I will be writing about this for the next week or so (I'll also do some giveaways to make it worth your while).
First, can I just tell you that I have moments when I'm very aware of my Cuban-ness? I'm aware that I'm pushy and loud and prone to performing spontaneous bouts of stand-up comedy. (I know. Shut up.)
Out of the larger group of 30 bloggers that got to go on this amazing trip, 6 of us were Latinas.
The good folks at General Mills were more than gracious hosts and much to my delight, let us cook in the Betty Crocker Studio Kitchen along with Chef Cristina of Que Rica Vida. (I felt sooo accidentally cool.)
And I fell in love with Chef Cristina. She is the Mexican Nitza Villapol (but with a better sense of humor).
We made 7 (!) recipes in an hour with the cameras rolling and in spite of having the noisy, attention-seeking Cuban on the set (yes, that would be me, but that's not important right now.), she managed to maneuver around the kitchen with tremendous poise and ease, giving instruction and keeping us focused.
We made alfajores (a particularly lovely and flaky shortbread) stuffed with dulce de leche! (Thank you, God!), various types of cookies and bars and crepes, (I know. Crepes! Who knew?) and my personal favorite.....
Churros!
Vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 1/4 cups Original Bisquick® mix(<--How awesome is this??)
1 cup hot water
In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil (2 to 3 inches) over medium-high heat until thermometer inserted in oil reads 375°F.
In small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the cinnamon; set aside. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, hot water and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with spatula until dough forms.
Spoon dough into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch star tip. Pipe 5-inch strips of dough into hot oil. If necessary, cut dough with knife or scissors between each churro. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown. Carefully remove from oil; drain on paper towels.
Immediately sprinkle churros generously with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve warm.
Special Touch: For a chocolate-covered delight, dip one end of each cooled churro into melted chocolate candy coating, and place on waxed paper until set. (recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker Kitchens.)
Marta's Special Touch: Personally, I think I'll try injecting them with melted dulce de guayaba. Genius, right?
They are quick. They are easy. They are tasty. (Win!)
So they filmed us and made us look like kitchen pros. Notice how they added cool cooking-show music and the aren't-we-all-that mini-interviews about how easy and fun it was to make these recipes. (<--both completely true.)
But, boy howdy! I couldn't get over just how round my face was on camera! The phrase "cara de papa" (potato face) kept going through my head. They say the camera adds ten pounds to you, but honestly, I think I added those on my very own, thankyouverymuch. So, I came to the cataclysmic decision that there would be NO cooking show in my future. *sigh* (Not that there was really any danger of there being one, but still...)
So now I'm a little depressed, but I know what will cheer me.....
How about a giveaway? (Yes, Marta, that will make us all feel better about the roundness of your face. =D)
I have a beautiful & fabulous RED (!) Betty Crocker Tote Bag with a Dessert Decorator device to give away. There's a Bisquick spatula and some Shake & Pour Bisquick in there, too (I swear it's in there, I just didn't get a picture of it. Don't judge me - I'm a little depressed.)
To be entered in the drawing, just answer one or all of these questions in the comment section of this post:
Do you use Bisquick? If so, what do you make with it?
What would you stuff your churros with?
What should be the name of my cooking show, if I did have one? (I can still dream, can't I?) ;-)
I'll choose a winner on Monday, September 6th at 11:00 AM Pacific Time. (I also have more Betty Crocker giveaways for next week, but that's not important right now. =D)
[Disclosure: General Mills paid for my entire trip and treated us like royalty. Even if they hadn't, I would still gush about the fabulous treatment and I am still a huge Betty Crocker fan. Thanks to Matt Holland Photography for making me look cute in spite of my "cara de papa."]
I'll be writing multiple posts (and sharing multiple recipes!) about the kitchens, the company culture and the fun we had, because there's just so much to share. (Plus, I'm waiting for a few Betty Crocker goodies to arrive so I can do a giveaway. Thanks, General Mills!)
[NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure: General Mills covered all the costs of my trip to Minnesota. Thanks again, General Mills!]
Today, I thought I'd whet your appetite (=D) by telling you about The Brownie Goody Bars. (Did you just hear the angels sing? Yes. Yes, you did.)
Of all the fabulousness that we mixed and stirred and cooked and baked, these beauties were my absolute favorites.
Here I am sticking my hand in the chocolate. I kept getting busted for tasting stuff out of turn, but that's not important right now. ;-)
Here's the recipe. Just trust me on the deliciousness of these Chocolaty Gifts from God Himself.
Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark non-stick pan). Grease bottom of a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening (for easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foin on bottom only of pan.)
Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.
Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; Refrigerate while making cereal mixture.
Measure cereal into medium bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.
Busted again!
(Video by blog-buddy and phenomenal photographer, Nika of Nika's Culinaria. Thanks, Nika, my friend.)
My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog
My Big Fat Cuban Family is all about my Cuban American life. Enjoy my ramblings on my blog about my Cuban family, Cuban heritage, Cuban culture, Cuban life. And some decent Cuban recipes with pictures, too.
