April Fooling at the Dinner Table
by Jennifer Anderson, Managing Editor of Allrecipes.com
For some April Fooling that your family won't soon forget, get 'em when they may
be least expecting it - at the dinner table! There are all kinds of ways you
can dress up your clan's favorite food so that it's not what it appears to be,
but still tastes just great. Learn about the history
of April Fooling, and keep in the spirit of fun during this silly
holiday. You'll show everyone that you're the most cunning and clever April Fooler
of them all!
Make Dinner Look Like Dessert!
Everyone will look at you wide-eyed when you serve dessert first. But,
surprise! It only looks like dessert...
The Meatloaf Cake
What you'll need:
- Two round cake pans
- Your favorite meatloaf recipe
- Mashed potatoes
- Ketchup
- Cherry tomatoes
Prepare your favorite meatloaf recipe as you normally would, but, before
baking, divide the mixture into the two round cake pans and pat it flat.
Bake as usual, but shorten the cooking time (these thinner meatloaves won't
take nearly as long to cook). While the meatloaf is in the oven, make a
batch of mashed potatoes, adding a little extra milk to them and whipping
them with an electric beater until they are fluffy and spreadable. When
the meatloaves are done, invert one of them onto a round plate. Cover the
meat with a thick, even layer of mashed potatoes. Place the other meatloaf
on top of the potato layer, and finish frosting the "cake" with the remaining
potatoes. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes to look like cherries. Just
before serving, decorate the top of your crazy cake creation with ketchup.
You can use it to write a personalized message to the hungry gang at the
dinner table, or just a simple "Happy April Fool's Day!"
The Spaghetti Torte
What you'll need:
- A large springform pan, generously greased
- Your favorite pasta sauce
- A pound of pasta
- Mozzarella or provolone cheese
- Ricotta cheese or more pasta sauce for "frosting"
Bet you've never had spaghetti like this before! It looks like a fancy torte, but it's still the same pasta,
sauce and cheese combo that the whole family loves. Toss your favorite pasta sauce
with about a pound of cooked pasta. Gently fold a couple of beaten eggs into the
pasta mixture, and then spread half of this mixture into the well-greased springform
pan. Sprinkle the pasta with shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese, and then cover
the cheese with the remaining pasta mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 350
degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Allow your spaghetti "cake" to rest
for about 15 minutes before unmolding it from the springform pan. You can "frost"
this tasty cake with ricotta cheese or drizzle it with more pasta sauce just before
serving.
Make Dessert Look Like Dinner!
If the family wasn't thrown off by your clever meatloaf cake or spaghetti
torte, their jaws are sure to drop when you serve up fish sticks and mashed
potatoes, or a plate of spaghetti, for dessert!
Fish Stick Surprise!
What you'll need:
- Cylindrical candy bars (i.e., Mounds™, Twix™, Baby Ruth™, Kit Kat™, etcetera)
- Toasted coconut
- Vanilla ice cream
- Caramel sauce
- Gummy candies in the shapes of vegetables -- peas, carrots, corn, etcetera
(available in bulk at most candy stores)
Of course, there isn't really any fish or potatoes to be found in this devious dessert,
but the kids are going to love this catch of the day! Candy bars coated in toasted
coconut look like just like fish sticks, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream crowned
with caramel sauce can look suspiciously like mashed potatoes and gravy. Depending
on the candy bars you choose, you may need to cut them in half to be the length
of an average fish stick. Place the candy bars on a microwave-safe plate and zap
them on high power for about five seconds - just long enough to soften the
chocolate without completely melting it. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on a sheet
of waxed paper and roll each candy bar in it until completely coated. Arrange two
or three "fish sticks" on each plate alongside a small handful of gummy veggies.
Just before serving, use a round scoop to adorn each plate with a serving of
vanilla ice cream "mashed potatoes" and top with a drizzle of caramel "gravy."
"Spaghetti" Cake
What you'll need:
- Vanilla frosting
- Yellow food coloring
- Piping bag with a round tip, approximately 1/8 inch in diameter
- Sliced pound cake
- Strawberry sauce
- Malt balls
- Grated white chocolate
If you've served spaghetti that looks like cake, now how about cake that
looks like spaghetti! All you need to do is tint the frosting pale yellow -
the color of cooked spaghetti - and spoon it into the piping bag. Lay a
slice of pound cake on each plate. Pipe the frosting onto each piece of
cake, using big looping motions to create the appearance of spaghetti piled
on the plate. Top with strawberry topping for "spaghetti sauce." Make
those malt balls look just like little meatballs by roughing up the outsides
with a butter knife or fine cheese grater. Now all you need to do to complete
the look is add a sprinkle of grated white chocolate for the Parmesan
cheese!
