Homemade Hot Chocolate

Homemade Hot Chocolate (Netflix ad)

1 qt milk
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c sugar
2 oz semisweet chocolate mini chips
2 tsp vanilla extract

I a 2 quart saucepan, heat milk to simmer over medium heat. With a wire whisk, stir in cocoa, sugar, chocolate and vanilla. Heat mixture for 3 minutes or until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Toss in marshmallows if desired.

Peppermint Tarts

Chocolate Tarts with Peppermint Creme (McCormick.com)

2 pkg phyllo (fillo) frozen mini shells (15 shells each) [freezer section near frozen pies]
1/3 cup plus 3/4 heavy cream, divided
4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate, cut into chunks (chocolate chips will do)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Prepare phyllo shells as directed on package for crisp unfilled tarts (heat in toaster oven 3-4 minutes). Cool completely.

Microwave 1/3 cup of the cream and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl on High 1 minute, stirring after 30 second. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes or until chocolate ganache starts to thicken. Spoon a teaspoon of ganache into each shell. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and 2 Tbsp of the sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat remaining 3/4 cup of cream, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and extract in a medium bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add 1/2 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture; stir until blended. Gently stir in the rest of the whipped cream.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the peppermint creme into each tart. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired. Makes 30 tarts.

Variation: use raspberry extract or orange extract instead of peppermint.

Holiday Desserts 2013

This holiday I decided not to bake Christmas cookies but I eventually caved on my sweet-tooth craving and made two cheesecakes.

Philadelphia Dark Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake (from Kraft Foods)

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 TB sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
32 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
8 oz Cool Whip Whipped Topping (DO NOT Thaw)
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (semi-sweet 60% chocolate)
1 cup fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix graham cracker crumbs, 3 TB sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each egg just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 55 min. or until center is almost set. Edge may become slightly browned. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake at least 4 hours.
Microwave Cool Whip and chocolate in a microwavable bowl on high for 2+ minutes (checking and stirring after 1 minute) or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Cool 15 minutes or until mixture thickens and slowly pour over cheesecake pushing chocolate mixture to edges and allow it to partially run down the sides on the cheesecake.
Garnish with fresh raspberries.


Decadent Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cheesecake ((Elaine Edstrom's BH&G prize winning recipe Feb. 2010)

18 chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 TB sugar
16 oz cream cheese, softened (2 - 8oz pkgs, separated)
12-14 oz creamy peanut butter (1 cup) (the good kind)
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 TB milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine crackers, melted butter and 2 Tbsp sugar. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan, set aside.
Beat one package of cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add peanut butter and 1/4 cup sugar beating until smooth. Fold in 1 lightly beaten egg; set aside.
In saucepan, stir chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth, remove from heat. Cube remaining cream cheese and add to chocolate, stirring to combine. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 2 slightly beaten eggs. Spread half of chocolate mixture into prepared pan. Layer peanut butter mixture over chocolate layer and top with remaining chocolate mixture, spreading each layer to the edges.
Make 45 minutes or until top is set when slightly shaken. Outer edges will be slightly puffed and dry-looking; center will look darker and wet. Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack. Use a sharp knife to loosen crust from the sides of the pan, cool another 30 minutes then remove springform rim. Cool completely on rack then cover and chill at least 4 hours. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with optional peanuts. Makes 16 servings.

Salmon-Potato Cakes (from Better Homes and Gardens Feb 2008)

14 oz fresh-skinless salmon fillets
2 cups refrigerated sour cream and chive mashed potatoes
1/2 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh dill
nonstick cooking spray
5 oz. mixed salad greens
1/2 cup bottles Honey-Dijon salad dressing

Place salmon in a 2-qt square microwave-safe baking dish; cover but vented. Microwave on high for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Break into pieces in a bowl and add mashed potatoes, bread crumbs and dill. Form salmon mixture into 8 3-1/2 inch patties. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook cakes over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until heated through and browned. Place salad greens on plates. Top with two salmon-potato cake patties each; serve with salad dressing. Serves 4.

503 cal, 31 g fat (7 g sat. fat), 74 mg chol, 851 mg sodium, 31 g carbo, 2 g fiber, 25 g pro, 17% vit. A, 14% vit. C, 9% calcium, 9% iron.

Banana - Chocolate Tea Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 TB cocoa
1 tp baking soda
1 tp salt
1/2 tp ground cinnamon
1 tp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, soda, salt and cinnamon. Sift together. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture, blending well. Add vanilla. Stir in banana, sour cream, walnuts and chocolate morsels.

Spoon batter into 2 greased & floured loaf/bread pans. Bake @ 350 for 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pans to finish cooling.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
4 tsp Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine mayonnaise with cheese and lather on top of chicken breasts. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake (uncovered) for 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

If using thin chicken cutlets, reduce baking time to 10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter

Another recipe I found on Pintrest.

1 stick unsalted butter (let sit at room temperature to soften)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whip until light and fluffy. Store in the refrigerator. Yummy!

Baked Oatmeal

I saw this pin Megan Dietz posted on Pintrest who found a recipe on Urban Nester for gluten free baked oatmeal that was altered from a post on Inspired Taste (I hope I gave credit to everyone). What a wonderful make ahead breakfast dish! I adjusted it to what I had in the house.

2 cups oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries

Mix this all together and spread evenly in a 9 X 13 "brownie" pan that has been well sprayed with cooking oil. Top with two sliced bananas.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk the following ingredients and pour over the dry mixture in the pan (gently jiggle it to spread out the liquid mixture):
2 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bake for 35-40 minutes and eat warm. Wonderful!

Chocolate Frosting

Running with Spatulas has a great chocolate frosting recipe.


Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:
Ingredients:

• 5 eggs whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsps of granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups butter at room temperature (chopped into tbsp sized cubes)
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted and cooled)

Directions:

1. Put egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Fill a large saucepan halfway with water and heat on the stove over medium heat.
3. Put mixing bowl with egg whites and sugar over the sauce pan water and whisk constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. (it will feel smooth between your fingers)
4. Remove from heat and pour into the mixer bowl (or leave in same bowl if using a handheld mixer)
5. Mix on low with the whisk attachment until frothy.
6. Slowly increase speed until soft peaks form.
7. Reduce speed and slowly add one piece of butter at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding another.
8. Once half of the butter is added you can increase mixing speed and toss the rest in.
9. Increase speed and mix on high for 5 mins.
10. Add in the vanilla.
11. Stop mixing and using a spatula slowly fold in the melted chocolate chips until combined.
12. Then change to the paddle attachment and mix slowly to remove air bubbles and until icing reaches desired consistency.
13. If your icing it too soft, toss it in the fridge, but keep in mind that it will behave like butter, so don’t leave it too long or you will end up with hard icing.
14. Toss in a piping bag and pipe!

Perfect Eggs

Take the guess out of boiling eggs!

Medium boiled

Hard boiled

I can not remember how long to cook eggs to make them hard-boiled. When I found this on my summer vacation, I knew I need this in my kitchen. I bought each of my children one as well. I usually try to find a kitchen gadget for their Christmas stockings. I tried it out yesterday and loved it.

Finger Foods

This post will not have actual recipes because I have been experimenting with items I saw on Pinterest and many times the actual recipe isn't there so I had to figure out how to adjust my regular recipes to create these wonderful finger foods.

My Attempt

Pinterest BLT

My first attempt was BLTs. I thought the picture was cute and the taste would be wonderful. I was correct on both accounts except for the execution of making these little gems. My first task was to get the cherry tomato to stand up properly so I sliced a very little off the bottom and then the juice wanted to come out. Then, I tried to turn it upside down and slice only a little off the top so I could begin to core it, only you really need a very sharp knife to do this. BTW, how do you core a cherry tomato? I made somewhat of a mess trying to core a tomato. Next, how do you stuff lettuce in a cherry tomato? I attempted this by tearing the lettuce into very small bites. I did discover if I put my bacon strips in a small plastic bag, I could crumble it with out having to lick my fingers all the time. Assembling these takes some patience and next time I think I will wear disposable gloves because of all the poking with the food that people will eat. My camera is doing its own thing so I never know how the pictures will actually turn out. This one of my tomato is a little fuzzy.

Pinterest Strawberry Cheesecake

My Version

My next attempt was the (single) strawberry with cheesecake filling I saw on Pinterest. I read the comments and so many great suggestions were added to the original post. One person suggested using the make and bake cheesecake from a box purchased in the baking aisle instead of making it from scratch (this Pinterest post did have the recipe). I have always liked that particular item and felt the time I would save was worth not making it from scratch. Plus, as another reviewer posted, the graham cracker topping is included in the box and suggested sprinkling a little graham mixture on top of each strawberry. Finally, another person posted she would drizzle a little chocolate over the completed strawberry. I opted out of this addition as it might be too messy to pick up once the masterpieces were completed. Okay, so how hard can it be to slice a strawberry in perpendicular directions, fan it out a little and pipe in some cheesecake and top it with graham cracker crumbs? I found I needed more hands. This cheesecake pipes really well when you first make it. Once it has had a chance to chill and gel, it is harder to pipe into the strawberry. They were very delicious and since I was eating more strawberry than cheesecake I felt I was consuming less calories this way than eating a normal slice of cheesecake!

Pinterest Lemon Curd pie

Flower shaped pan for pie crust cutter

perfect size

align petals so they won't touch

Pumpkin pie flowers

I saw these little flower shaped pies and thought they were little pumpkin pies. How cute! But they were lemon curd. Okay, so I can just change out the filling to pumpkin pie (or chocolate pie). But, how many will my favorite recipe make and how long should I bake it? I have always liked the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can (not the pie mix) and I had a packaged refrigerated pie crust in the refrigerator so I used that instead of making my own pie crust. I didn't have a flower cookie cutter but did have a flower shaped bread pan that was just the right size! I was able to cut out 29 flowers from two pie crusts. But I had enough filling (using the large can of pumpkin) to make 154 flower pies. I found a 1/8 measuring cup that made it easy to fill the pie crusts with the pumpkin mix (1/8 cup filled two pie shells). I did adjust the baking time to 425 degrees (15 mins) and then turn it down to 350 degrees for an additional 10 minutes. My crust did get a little darker than I had wanted so I will experiment with the time and temperature on the next batch. I am also experimenting to see if these freeze well after baking them.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Pinterest cupcakes

Finally, I loved the mini cupcakes using ketchup cups, except I won't go to the fast foods and beg for cups. I have mini cupcake liners and tried them instead. They worked just fine in my mini cupcake pans (same pans I used for the pies above). I found a tablespoon that was just the right size to spoon the cake batter into the mini cupcake liners. I saw a YouTube video about putting the batter in a plastic bag and piping it in but after trying piping from a plastic bag with my strawberry cheesecakes, I knew I would leave too much cake batter behind in the bag. Again, how many will a regular cake box make and how long do I bake them? I can make 82 mini cupcakes with one box of cake mix and I did see a post on Pintrest about baking cupcake so they rise nicely and don't have the volcano peaks and break open. So I tried their method by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and as soon as I put the pans in the oven, turned down the temperature to 325 degrees. I am pleased on how the cupcakes turned out. I baked them for 20 minutes. I can freeze them unfrosted and frost them at a later date.

Tablespoon to add batter to cupcake liner

Fill half way full

Apple Rosemary Pork Roast from VEMA 2010 cookbook

4 tsp. dried rosemary
1-1/2 tsp. thyme
1-1/2 tsp. marjoram
salt & pepper
pork tenderloin (3 pounds)
12 oz. apple cider or hard cider
brown sugar
water
3 large baking apples, cored & cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Mix the herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl, then rub the mixture into the tenderloin. Place it into a container, and pour the cider over the roast. Add water until the pork is totally submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place roast in roasting pan, elevated from the bottom, and pour marinade around the meat. Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.

In a large bowl, mix apple and onion pieces. Place mixture around and on top of roast. Spoon brown sugar over the entire pan evenly. Place roast back into the oven, and continue to cook for 1 hour more, or until meat reaches 160 degrees. Transfer roast, apples and onion onto a serving platter.

Gravy 
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup maple syrup

Brown flour in a skillet. Pour in marinade/drippings mixture from roasting pan. Stir in syrup. Cook and stir over high heat until th eliquid has thickened to desired consistency. Slice roast and serve with gravy.