Tasty Recipes From The Blind Vine

Debbie Azzarone via The Blind Vine has written about how as her vision has declined, there are things she doesn't feel as comfortable cooking and baking as she used to feel.
 
Read on for some of The Blind Vine's tasty recipes (dessert, breakfast, even dinner!) that don't require flipping, checking for browning, and other steps that those with low vision may want to avoid.
 
1. Cheesecake Flavored Ambrosia
 

Dessert ambrosia with fruit on top sits in a bowl.

Ingredients

1 (29-ounce) can Dole fruit cocktail, drained

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and rinsed

1 (1-ounce) box cheesecake flavor Sugar-Free Jell-O pudding

8 ounces Daisy sour cream

3 cups Cool Whip

1 cup Jet-Puffed miniature marshmallows

Instructions

Drain all fruit. If fruit was packed in syrup, rinse in c old water and drain.

Combine fruit cocktail, pineapple, mandarin oranges and cherries in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheesecake flavored pudding mix and stir to coat. Add in sour cream and Cool Whip and stir well.

Fold in marshmallows and chill for at least one hour before serving.

2. No-Flip Omelet

A no-flip omelet is featured in a skillet and cut up on plates.

Mix your eggs, and two tablespoons water, a little salt, etc. into a fry pan. Put all of the toppings in the eggs. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with cheese until it’s melted. Fold the omelet over. Voila! A no-flip omelet. 

3. Beer Crockpot Chicken

A close-up view of seasoned crock pot chicken.

You can play around with your seasonings. These are just a suggestion. You can also use fresh chicken or use frozen breasts, and either cook on low all day or cook for five hours on high. Adjust the heat according to your time on hand.

4-6 Chicken Breasts or 1 Whole or cut up Chicken

1 Can of any kind of Beer

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

*You can use whatever spices you like 

Put all ingredients into crockpot

If frozen cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10

If fresh cook on high 3-4 hrs. or low 7-8 hours if fresh

Valentine's Day "Very Red Velvet Cake"

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day recipe? Look no further!

A slice of red velvet cake sits on a plate. Image via RecipeTin Eats.

VLANJ student and technology instructor Christina Brino recommends a recipe featured on Epicurious.com by Dora Charles: "Very Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans." Here's what you need to make it:

YIELD
Serves 12–16

INGREDIENTS

  1. Cake:
    • 2½ cups cake flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
    • 1½ cups sugar
    • 1½ cups vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons red food coloring (from two 1-ounce bottles)
  2. Icing:
    • 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
    • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
    • 1 cup chopped pecans

Here's how to make it:

PREPARATION

To make the cake: Set the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack positions to the middle and top third. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans well with baking spray.

    1. Sift the flour with the baking soda.
    2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs well, then beat in the sugar, oil, and vinegar. On low speed, slowly add the flour and beat in well. Add the buttermilk slowly, then the vanilla, and then the food coloring.
    3. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and rap them on the countertop several times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from shelf to shelf so they bake evenly and bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 25 minutes altogether. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 15 minutes.
    4. Run a knife around the sides of the pans and invert the cakes onto the racks to cool completely. Once they’re cool, refrigerate the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes to make icing them easier.
    5. To make the icing: Combine everything in a medium bowl and mix well until very smooth. It’s best to use the icing right away, when it’s soft and spreadable.
    6. Put one cake layer upside down on a cake plate or cake stand and cover the top evenly with frosting. Add a second layer, right side up, and spread with more frosting. Top with the third layer, right side up, and spread the frosting evenly around the sides of the cake and on top; check for any places where you can see through to the cake. Finally, sprinkle the pecans evenly all over the top of the cake.
    7. Once the frosting sets, cut into slices to serve. This cake keeps for up to 2 weeks in a cake keeper, but once it’s ready, people want to dive right in.
Two Tips From Dora:
"I sometimes like to mix the pecan bits right into the frosting. Don’t worry, they’ll stay crisp. You can make 18 cupcakes from this recipe. They’ll take about 25 minutes to bake."
 
Happy Valentine's Day from all of us here at VLANJ!
 
For the full red velvet cake recipe feature, click here: https://bit.ly/veryredvelvetcake