Toaster Oven Food: Mandarin Orange Creamsicle Pie

Another shitty week in the books:

• Finished babysitting an incompetent charge.

• Got tattled on by some crybabis (adults).

• Let the boss raise his voice at me and not report him to the powers-that-be (yet).

• Watched my boy suck at the Russian Grand Prix.

• Consoled an even-more disengaged colleague.

I made a promise to myself that this week will be better.  It HAS to be.

After getting zuigui'd on Friday (to celebrate the wonderfully crappy work week), I decided my weekend was going to begin on the right foot.  What am I saying?  It began on the right foot from Friday afternoon!  My promise to have a good weekend continued on Saturday when I got my monster taco and curly fries for lunch!

After the monster taco, I was able to get some things done.  I had The Help take a bunch of pictures of my wips, and I decided to make a dessert, a dessert which can be made by people like OllieMama (and other only toaster oven-owning people).

BTW, I recently got a new toaster oven.  It replaced a toaster oven I had for nearly ten years.  Instead of just going to Costco and buying one, I did some research before deciding upon the Breville Smart Oven Pro.  It seems like I made a good choice, and the Breville Smart Oven Pro can even accommodate a 9 x 13" pan!  But no worries. . .my dessert this week is made in a square pan.  I suppose I could've doubled the recipe just to say I made it in a 9 x 13" pan, but I'd rather not end up eating the same dessert for the entire week (and most toaster ovens cannot hold a 9 x 13" pan).

This dessert reminds me of something I used to eat often as a kid. . .a creamsicle (frozen treat on a stick; orange sherbet surrounding a vanilla ice cream core).  I thought creamsicles were good (not as good as vanilla popsicle), and my grandparents must've thought so too because their freezer boasted an endless supply of creamsicle.  And on those rare occasions when they ran out of creamsicles, a quick run by UJohn to Murakami Store (on Manono Street)  solved that problem in no time. 

The creaminess (and calorie count) will depend on the milk you use.  I use what I have on hand (2%), but whipping cream would make it very decadent (and definitely more caloric).  And although I haven't tried it for myself, I think substituting melted vanilla ice cream for the milk would push it into the realm of decadence.

Now that I've had a moment to reflect, I thought of something I could do to make this work week much better than last.  I think I will stay home all week!  I must be dreaming.  There is no way I could stay out all week.  There would be just too much waiting for me when I return.  Maybe going to work doesn't sound so bad after all. 

Well, just in case I end up going to work, at least I'll have some of this dessert to come home to for the first half of the week.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Mandarin Orange Creamsicle Pie

Crust:  2 tbsp sugar
            1 c flour
            1/2 c butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine sugar and flour.  Cut butter into mixture until dough forms "pea" size bits.  Press into a 9" square pan.  Bake for 11 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:  2 tbsp cornstarch
              1/2 c sugar
              1 box (3 oz) orange jello
              3 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges
              3/4 c milk

Drain mandarin oranges, reserving 1 cup of juice.  In a medium saucepan, heat reserved juice, cornstarch and sugar.  Stir constantly until thick.  Remove from heat and immediately add orange jello and stir 3-5 minutes or until jello is dissolved.  Set aside to cool to nearly room temperature.  Stir in milk.  When completely combined, gently add in mandarin orange segments.  Pour carefully over cooled crust.  Chill until set.

Frog Eye Salad

I am dedicating this post, Frog Eye Salad, to my amphibious brethren out there . . . those of you who, by sheer bum luck, tend to get caught in slippery situations beyond your control.  If this sounds like you or if you know someone who has webbed feet and can jump many times his/her body length, read on . . .

We are knee-deep in what is likely the soggiest summer in Hilo in the past 15 years.  I counted more days of rain than sun, which supports Hilo's infamy as being the wettest city in the United States.  I am so glad to have retired from league tennis, as I'd likely spend more time squeegee-ing the court than actually playing.  Bejeweled Blitz is a much better pastime!

I've come to the conclusion that I am a magnet for wet places, no matter how much I keep saying I don't like rain.  My four years in Seattle were miserably damp.  I'm likely the only person who has attempted to escape the Hilo rain, only to be drenched by a sudden downpour in the parking lot of the Kona Costco.  In another botched attempt to circumvent rain, I ran off to the Hapuna Prince and was treated to an amazing show that night: thunder, lightning, torrential rain.

acini di pepe

One of the silly traditions of league tennis in Hilo is the camaraderie-building potluck after each match, which often forces one to display acts of sportsmanship long after an opponent has humiliated you on the court.  Having played league tennis on Oahu for several years, I can safely say this practice does NOT happen there.  Lest I sound like an ingrate, it is because of these silly gatherings that I became acquainted with frog eye salad.  Someone on my team brought it as a potluck contribution.  It was absolutely delicious, but inimitable, as there was no market in Hilo which carried the "frog eyes", acini di pepe pasta.

That was way back in the early years of the 21st century, and Hilo today is much different place from what it was 10 years ago.  We have a new Safeway that has an olive bar, and that same Safeway also carries acini di pepe pasta!  Ribbit ribbit. . .

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Frog Eye Salad

     1 c acini di pepe pasta

     water

     2 cans mandarin oranges

     1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple

     1 c sugar

     1/2 tsp salt

     2 eggs, well beaten

     3 tbsp flour

     8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

     4 c miniature marshmallows

     1 c maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

Bring water to a boil and cook acini di pepe pasta for 9 minutes.  Drain.  Drain mandarin oranges and pineapple, reserving 1 1/2 c of juice.  Refrigerate mandarin oranges and pineapple.  In a medium saucepan, combine juice with sugar, salt, eggs, and flour.  Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until thick.  Remove from heat.  Add drained pasta to sauce and mix gently.  Place in a large, covered bowl, and refrigerate overnight.  Add drained fruit, Cool Whip, and miniature marshmallows to acini di pepe mixture.  Combine gently and refrigerate until ready to serve.