#recipe

Recipe 118 - Caramelized Onion & Pecan Tart

“Caramelized Onion & Pecan Tart” is the tenth recipe I’ve done from Ghost of Thornton Hall and the 4th I’ve pulled from Jessalyn’s wedding menu. The other nine GTH recipes I’ve done can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here,here, and here.

This one was a bit obscure. When I went searching for a recipe I found a lot of pecan tarts and a lot of caramelized onion tarts, but not a lot of tarts with both ingredients. I always wonder if these in-game menus are just made up on the spot or if the staff at Her had real life food in mind. I did eventually find a good fit, which was a puff pastry, gorgonzola, and pear pizza-like thing, pictured above. A sophisticated mixture of savory and sweet. I think it fits in with the hoity-toity image they were going for.

I went a little out of my comfort zone with this recipe because I’m not the biggest gorgonzola fan. Luckily, I think its strong flavor was nicely balanced/complemented by everything else on the tart. Melting the cheese also mellowed it out a bit. This tart is a bit too heavy for an appetizer and too savory for a dessert. I think it would be best served as part of light lunch with some salad and tea. Easy to throw together, but definitely for a more adult palate.

Recipe #117 - Koffee Kandy

Coffee is a God tier flavor and I don’t know why I don’t buy it more often.

This was another fun and easy recipe where I just took the prompt from ASH and then saw what concoction I could come up with. The in-game description for the shake is that it has “koffee kandy pieces.” The issue with that is that most coffee flavored candies IRL are hard and wouldn’t blend well. To stay true to the game, I crushed some mocha KitKats and sprinkled them on top of the whipped cream. Close enough!

I think Oreos are the best milkshake ingredient, so I was excited when I saw that there was a java chip flavor. I guess Oreos and KitKats are the MVPs of wacky flavors, huh? When I was little we used to go to this family restaurant and get “Awful Awfuls” (awful good, awful big) which were huge Oreo shakes. This was like the slightly grown up version of that. Nice little mix of nostalgia and something new.

Recipe:

(I made this one up)

-2 cups coffee ice cream

-1/3 cup milk

-4 java chip Oreos, crushed

-1 mocha KitKat, crushed

-1 peep for garnish

-whipped cream

Recipe 117 - Koffee Kandy Milkshake

“Koffee Kandy” is the seventh recipe I’ve made based on the ice cream/milkshake flavors at Scoop in Alibi in Ashes. If you’d like to see the other six you can find them here,here, here,here,hereandhere.

I had to take a break between last recipe and this one because my tummy can only handle so much sugar. I have so many dessert recipes left at this point! I was inspired to do the coffee flavored milkshake when I saw that coffee-flavored peeps were a thing. Perfect for the Easter season :)

This was basically a frappuccino, which my brain puts into a separate category from milkshakes even though they’re the exact same thing. I went for double the coffee by using coffee oreos and coffee ice cream and I think it was a big success. Surprisingly light and low in the guilt department. I’d 100% make this again.

Recipe #116 - Chocolate Mayhem

The simplest foods are definitely the best, I gotta say.

Death by Chocolate (this recipe’s real name) has it all: fluffy, crunchy, creamy, and chewy. It’s essential to get every layer in each bite to experience the synergy of the ingredients. The crunchy toffee on top really pulls it all together (I discovered I like heath bars thanks to this!)

Although this recipe was very easy from a baking perspective, assembling it was tricky. I’ve experienced this issue before when making the parfaits from Danger by Design, it’s difficult to get a clean layered look, especially in a narrow glass. It requires a steady hand and patience. I kind of felt like I was building a ship in a bottle with the miniature coffee cups I bought. That was definitely the downside to downsizing this dish. I imagine if I made it in a giant bowl, it would have been pretty simple. My 2nd attempt was better than my first as I got the hang of things. The cool whip right out of the freezer was especially hard to work with.

This is a good dessert to make if you want to impress people with something visually interesting, but you’re not an experienced baker. If you can make brownies, you can make this.

Recipe:

Here is my source

-1 Package brownie mix (requires an egg and vegetable oil)

-1 Package instant chocolate pudding (requires milk)

-English toffee, crushed

-1 Package frozen whipped topping

The weather is finally warming up where I am and I’m so here for it. Bring on the cookouts and picnics! :D

Recipe 116 -Chocolate Mayhem

This recipe is yet another dish pulled from Wickford Castle’s menu in Treasure in a Royal Tower. The six other menu items I’ve made so far can be found here,here,here,here,hereandhere.

Just like “Odyssey to Bananaland” I had to kind of guess what kind of dessert “chocolate mayhem” would be. I knew that “death by chocolate” was a thing so I googled what dessert had that name and found this trifle! Trifles are usually huge and serve up big punch-bowl like dishes. Since I’m just one girl, I opted for a miniature version of that.

This dessert is light and decadent at the same time! It seems like it’s going to be a lot, but then you realize it’s mostly pudding and cool whip and you’re ready for a second round. It seems like it would be a fun recipe to assemble with kids because all of its components are very basic. Highly recommended for parties!

Recipe #115 - Pizza Bread

For full effect, listen to the Luca soundtrack.

Just in case you have no idea what this recipe has to do with Midnight in Salem, here is an image I received from Her to help me identify the food items on sale at Lauren’s shop:

This was so fun to assemble! It really felt like I was making art because I painted the sauce on with a brush and arranged the toppings to fit the aesthetic I was going for. I added the fresh basil after the bread came out of the oven so it would keep its bright green color and make everything really pop. I could’ve gone for a normal pizza, but I just can’t say no to fresh mozzarella so I went Margherita.

My two complaints about the results I got were the lack of sauce and the thickness of the bread. I think if I made this again I would spoon the sauce onto the bread instead of painting it on, the sauce layer was just too thin. The bread (ciabatta) was fine once I got it in my mouth, but it was very challenging to cut, even with a heavy duty steak knife.

The pizza sauce recipe I followed was very good, but it felt less “from scratch” than I had hoped. The majority of the sauce came from a big can of crushed tomatoes, so it didn’t feel too different from just buying a can of sauce. Oh well, I tried.

Recipe for pizza bread:

Here is my source

-1 loaf of bread (I went with ciabatta because it has a wide surface area to work with)

-¼ cup olive oil

-1 ¾ cups shredded mozzarella (I went with fresh mozzarella)

-¼ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

-Desired toppings

Recipe for pizza sauce:

Here is my source

-1 ½ tbsp olive oil

-2 tsp minced garlic

-3 tbsp tomato paste

-1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes (I used a 12 oz can and was fine)

-2 tbsp chopped, fresh basil

-1 ½ tsp oregano

-Salt and pepper

Excited to be getting into some more MID recipes. Not my favorite Nancy Drew game, but it brought me a bunch of new cooking/baking opportunities and for that I’m grateful. Until next time, keep on cookin’!

Recipe 115 - Pizza Bread

“Pizza Bread” is the first recipe I’ve made based on the offerings at Lauren’s shop in Midnight in Salem. I’ve only made one other recipe for MID which you can find here.

To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what “pizza bread” is, so I just found a recipe for French bread pizza and called it a day. Hopefully that’s what Her was going for. This recipe is super simple so I added some self-imposed challenges to make things interesting. First, I went to a specialty Italian market (Eataly) so that I could get the most authentic ingredients possible. Second, I made the pizza sauce from scratch. In other words, I made a fun Saturday out of it! In the end I think my efforts were worth it because this was delicious and gorgeous to look at. A treat for the eyes and the stomach :)

I don’t think I need to go into crazy detail about the experience of eating pizza bread. If you’ve had pizza, it’s not much different, just thicker. This would be a great recipe for beginners, kids or guests at a party to make together. It’s extremely customizable and all of the ingredients are easy to find.

Recipe #114 - Black Bun

From a distance, this kind of looks like a meat pie. It really throws my brain off.

I’m very pleased with how this came out even though it’s not the prettiest thing in the world. It feels very medieval, like I could bring it as a snack to a Dungeons and Dragons hangout or something.

I had a terrible time getting ingredients together for this thing. Some of the ingredients are just not accessible where I live so I had to improvise. Also, I made it during fruit cake season so currants and candied peel were tricky (I tried 4 grocery stores one night before giving up). In the end, I’d probably never make this again, but I’m glad I got the opportunity to try something new.

This is a VERY dense cake that leaves you full. Between breakfast and dessert, I would say it works better for breakfast because it’s not really sweet and is honestly more like a meal than a treat (rhyme unintended). Following the recipe, the dough came out a lot smaller than I anticipated so I couldn’t fill the sides of my cake tin. I saw pictures of black bun online with gaps in the sides, so I just rolled with it.

Recipe:

Here is my source (I converted things to cups/tbsp and used brown sugar instead of muscovado/molasses sugar)

• 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 200g raisins
• 400g currants
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 75g dark muscovado sugar
• 25g molasses sugar
• 100g chopped mixed peel
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp brandy or whisky
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp milk
• A generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Once again, happy 2022 everyone. Hopefully we’ll get a new game announced soon. I get the feeling that Her is doing better lately with lots of big name streamers promoting their games. MID was pretty “meh,” but I’m not ready to give up on the franchise just yet.

Recipe 114 - Black Bun

“Black Bun” is the ninth recipe  I’ve made based on the food offered at the Deli Shuss in The Silent Spy. The other eight can be found here,here,here,here, here,here,hereandhere. For those keeping score, there are 14 food items you can buy at Deli Shuss so only 5 more to go! (Although I probably won’t be able to make some of the remaining things).

“Black Bun” is a traditional, Scottish, New Year’s fruit cake. I was very excited when I read that because I originally wanted to do the recipe for Christmas but ran out of time (couldn’t find currants). Compared to the other fruit cake I made (Dundee cake) it is a lot more dense with dried fruit, in fact it’s more fruit than cake. I saw someone compare it online to a giant fig newton and I think that’s pretty accurate. Texture wise it’s pretty gritty and dense and the dough is flaky like a pie crust. Definitely not a combo of tastes that’s familiar to my American tongue. Since it’s very dry, I recommend a generous lathering of butter and some salt for some zing. (I’ve been putting salt on all my sweets lately).

I gotta share the black bun lore that was attached to my source’s recipe because it’s both interesting and seasonally appropriate:

“‘First footing’ is an old Hogmanay custom: shortly after midnight, neighbours would visit one another to offer their best wishes for the New Year and take gifts such as black bun (a fruit cake wrapped in pastry) to symbolise that the household would not go hungry that year.”

Happy New Year clue crew!

Recipe #113 - Fried Okra

I’m always excited to work with something new! I’ve never purchased or cooked okra before. This actually gave me an excuse to go my local Japanese market which was fun to explore. I wanted to buy fresh okra (as opposed to frozen) for the full experience.

I nibbled a little bit of the raw okra and, to me, it tastes similar to green beans. Very unoffensive, mild flavor. I know some people are freaked out by its sliminess, but the slime actually came in clutch when I was coating the okra rounds with corn meal and flour. The slime (mixed with buttermilk) kind of worked as a glue to help the breading stay on.

As is typical, I think the sauce took me longer to make than the main dish. It was the perfect, creamy accompaniment with a slight zing. Don’t be fooled by the “hot sauce” ingredient, I didn’t find it spicy in the slightest. Definitely the kind of recipe you can tweak to your tolerance level.

Recipe:

Here is my source

Remoulade Sauce:

-1 cup mayonnaise

-2 tbsp Dijon mustard

-1 tbsp lemon juice

-1 tbsp chopped parsley

-1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce

-2 tsp whole-grain mustard

-2 cloves garlic

-2 tsp capers

-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-1 tsp paprika

-1 scallion

-¼ tsp salt

Fried Okra:

-¾ cups corn meal

-¾ cup flour

-1 tsp garlic powder

-½ tsp onion powder

-½ tsp smoked paprika

-¼ tsp cayenne pepper

-½ cup buttermilk

-1 lb okra

-6 cups vegetable oil for frying

To all of the clue crew who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving! As you can imagine, I’m stoked for the feast. ;)

Recipe 113 - Fried Okra

“Fried Okra” is the ninth recipe I’ve done from Ghost of Thornton Hall and the 6th I’ve pulled from Charlotte’s masquerade invitation. The other eight GTH recipes I’ve done can be found here,here,here,here,here,here,here, and here.

I’m very pleased with how this came out! I was apprehensive because I’ve never been okra’s biggest fan, but I think I like it in its fried form best. It tastes very similar to fried pickles and would make a great appetizer at a BBQ restaurant. Not pictured is the remoulade sauce I made with it which is basically a spicy mayo. Honestly, the fried okra held its own so I only dipped each bite ever-so-slightly into the sauce. The darker pieces were the tastiest because they had a crunch. Don’t be like me and take the okra out of the pan too early because you’re afraid of burning it.

Recipe #112 - Peanut Butter Chunk Milkshake

This recipe isn’t sponsored by Reese’s, I swear! The in-game description for this milkshake is: “Vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered peanut butter chunks.” When I think chocolate covered peanut butter, I think Reese’s.

My first attempt at this recipe was too watery so I had to redo it. I used almond milk in recipe 1, but half and half in recipe 2. I also swapped the mini Reese’s out for chocolate fudge syrup and Reese’s syrup. The Reese’s candies did not blend well, either because my blender sucks or because I didn’t chop them up enough. I think already liquefied ingredients was the way to go with this one.

In case it’s not already obvious, the fudge syrup drizzle on the glass was added on before I poured in the milkshake. You just take a spoon, dip it in the syrup, and then let it drip down the sides of the glass. It was totally worth doing because it added a bit of chocolatey goodness to each sip.

Recipe:

I actually just made this one up. I did get inspired by this recipe though (if you want an alcoholic version, check it out): https://sweetpeaskitchen.com/boozy-reeses-peanut-butter-milkshake/

-2 cups vanilla ice cream

-2/3 cups half and half

-3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

-2 tbsp Reese’s syrup (ice cream topping)

-2 tbsp hot fudge

For Topping:

-4 mini Reese’s (crushed)

-Reese’s Pieces (as many as you want)

-Whipped cream

-2 tsp hot fudge to decorate glass

Recipe 112 - Peanut Butter Chunk Milkshake

“Peanut Butter Chunk” is the sixth recipe I’ve made based on the ice cream/milkshake flavors at Scoop in Alibi in Ashes. If you’d like to see the other five you can find them here,here, here,here, and here.

I was very excited for an excuse to load up on candy for this recipe because it’s Halloween month! Reese’s have always been my favorite candies because I’m obsessed with peanut butter. As I near my 30s (oh God) they’re definitely a little too sweet for me, but they’re great as an “every-now-and-then” treat.

I actually made this recipe twice because the first time the flavor and consistency were not quite right. Take 2 was a huge success because I learned from my mistakes. Once you balance the ingredients correctly, this is a very fun and easy shake to blend up. I had a lot of fun decorating the glass and whipped cream. Highly recommended if you have a major sweet tooth!

Recipe #111 - Anchovy Heaven

I know people are probably thinking “Just a caesar salad?” but, no, this actually took me almost 2.5 hours to make. Not a difficult 2.5 hours, but just a lot of time to devote to a salad. In the end I think it was worth it.

The most time consuming part of this recipe was definitely the dressing. As the dish’s name suggests, and in case you didn’t know the main ingredient in caesar dressing is anchovies. This was actually my first time working with anchovies and, although they definitely looked pretty nasty before I mashed them into a pulp, they actually smelled and tasted really good. It was interesting to see all that goes into making that caesar flavor (I didn’t expect the egg yolks).

The chicken and the croutons took very little time to prepare. Both were basically two steps: toss in seasoning and cook/bake. The chicken came out very juicy so I made a mental note to use that technique again (1.5 tbsp veggie oil > don’t flip for 5 min > flip > add 1 tbsp butter to pan > 5 more minutes > done!) The croutons were, of course, amazing, but I’m convinced it’s impossible to ruin croutons so I’m not going to toot my own horn too much.

Recipe for the chicken:

Here is my source

-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

-1 lb boneless chicken breast

-salt and pepper

-½ tsp garlic powder

-½ tsp onion powder

-½ tsp dried basil

-½ tsp paprika

-2 tbsp butter

Recipe for everything else:

Here is my source

-6 anchovy fillets

-1 small garlic clove

-salt and pepper

-2 large egg yolks

-2 tbsp lemon juice

-¾ tsp dijon mustard

-5 tbsp olive oil

-½ cup vegetable oil

-3 tbsp finely grated parmesan

-3 cups bread pieces

-3 romaine hearts

Glad to get another salad on my blog. I think I can count all the ones I’ve made so far on one hand. Random side note: I’m realizing that this is a very non-vegan salad with there being eggs, fish, AND cheese in the dressing. I bet a vegan caesar dressing would make for an interesting challenge. Anyway, until next time, clue crew.

Recipe 111 - Anchovy Heaven

This recipe is yet another meal pulled from Wickford Castle’s menu in Treasure in a Royal Tower. The five other menu items I’ve made so far can be found here,here,here,hereandhere.

Probably the healthiest option at Wickford, this is a simple caesar (hardest name to spell) salad with some garlicky croutons. The game didn’t specify whether or not it comes with chicken, but I wanted that extra kick of protein. I’ve never like caesar salad, I’ve always thought it was one of the more boring salads, but I knew this was going to taste good because when every component is homemade, it’s a different story. This was salty, creamy, crunchy and delicious. I think the croutons are actually the MVP; which is fitting because they’re a selling point in the in-game menu.

I would definitely consider making this again in a big batch because it’s so easy to assemble for a quick meal. Plus, I could definitely use the greens.

(P.S. Shout out to remove.bg. I’ve been manually editing out the backgrounds of these images for years now and it always takes at least an hour. Using that website saved me so much time! Honestly, a game changer.)

Recipe #109 - Scotch Pie

I believe this is my first recipe with my apartment in the background so you’ll finally get a new stove/table/countertops to look at. I moved almost exactly a year ago (Sept. 1st 2020) and I have a slightly smaller cooking space now, but way more freedom to make whatever, whenever.

Anyways, I was nervous for this one, you never really know how baking is going to turn out. I just hear the Great British Bake Off judges taunting me (“soggy bottom,” “overworked the dough,” “under/overbaked” etc.) In the end, this recipe was very forgiving and I had nothing to worry about! The main thing I was concerned about was that the pie crust wouldn’t hold together and it would just explode or stick to the tin. Instead, I got these perfectly formed, buttery morsels that slid right out. Such a relief! I was very surprised that the pie “lids” stayed on because I didn’t put much effort into pinching them on. I guess everything just gels together in the oven.

This isn’t the most authentic version I could have done for this recipe, the shape’s not quite right and I didn’t use haggis or lard, but I wanted to stick to accessible ingredients and prep. Luckily, the internet obliged. The whole thing took me about 2.5 hours give or take.

Recipe

Here is my source

-Filling

• 1 lb. ground lean beef ; or lamb
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp Onion soup mix ; or (minced onion)
• 1 cup oatmeal or dry French bread crumbs
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup stock (beef broth)
• salt and pepper to taste

-Pastry

• 1 lb. plain flour
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 cup hot water
• ½ cup butter

Whelp. My meal prep is done for the week. I love how perfectly portioned these are! I’ve been inspired to use my muffin tin for savory stuff more often. Keep on cookin’ clue crew!

Recipe 109 - Scotch Pie

“Scotch Pie” is the eighth recipe  I’ve made based on the food offered at the Deli Shuss in The Silent Spy. The other seven can be found here,here,here,here, here,here. and here.

“Scotch pie” is a little hot water crust meat pie filled with mutton or haggis. I filled mine with lamb which is close enough. Other than chicken pot pie, I feel like savory pies aren’t super popular in America so I have very little experience with meat pies. My first impression of this recipe was that it was very dry and I’m not sure if that’s my fault or if it’s supposed to be like that. Once I got over the initial texture shock and paired the pies with some sauces they really grew on me.

The strongest flavor here is probably the Worcestershire sauce which I love. In fact I poured more on as a topping. I’d be curious to hear what other people eat meat pies with because I really have no clue. Always fun to try something new :)