Tag: Chocolate

Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday- Chocolate

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“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”-
Charles M. Schulz

“Chocolate is one of those flavors that’s very likeable, very loveable, very versatile.”-Adriano Zumbo

“I’m not saying I don’t enjoy the days that I’m not eating chocolate cake. But I do particularly like those days when I am eating chocolate cake.”-
Trisha Yearwood

“If it’s not messy and it doesn’t drip over the sides, it’s not a holiday hot chocolate -it’s just an average hot chocolate.”- Alex Guarnaschelli

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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I think I’m sort of back in a cooking routine again. It’s been weird being home, but still working. I lose track of how much time I need to actually make things before having to retreat to the basement to start my telehealth sessions. I think I’ve managed to get out of my cooking rut at least. I made homemade puff pastry to top a steak and mushroom pie for Pi Day, for example!

I was impressed with myself! This is even the cheater version and it still has super flaky layers and loveliness.

I’m spoiled now and plus, I have all this butter… I see more puff pastry in my future. The puff pastry recipe is here: https://www.homecookingadventure.com/recipes/rough-puff-pastry

We used the Instant Pot to cook the filling! I left out the bacon as we had none thawed and surprisingly, the Husband liked it without it! He said to leave it out next time too. Apparently, there should be several next times for this meal. 🙂 The steak and mushroom pie recipe is here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/steak-and-mushroom-pie/

We also had baked chicken thighs with a spicy rub. The Husband had a salad and rice and I had buttered, herbed brussel sprouts.

An old favorite made an appearance, spaghetti! This one was cooked on the stove. This time I used two cans of tomatoes and two cans of sauce and that seems to be the perfect stove top method for us. We like it a little more saucy.

We, of course, had lasagna, after the spaghetti. I used my favorite french bread recipe to make herbed bread. Don’t tell the Husband, but I used the Sandwich Sprinkle in the batter and it was lovely.

I made Chicken Bacon Ranch pasta with the leftover from the chicken dinner. It was a fun recipe to try. I wasn’t sure how I would like the combo of spices, but it was fun. I made my own ranch dressing spice mix. The Husband is interested to try homemade ranch with the spice mix soon too. We would probably eat this again.

The recipe is here: https://thetoastykitchen.com/chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta/

Another fun recipe that I have had on my list to try for a while is Shrimp Hushpuppies from Tasty Kitchen. Since we had some extra time this week, I whipped up a batch.

They were pretty good and a fun recipe to try. We were thinking of other things to try in the batter. They reminded me a little of the corn fritters that my Mom used to make. Here’s the link: https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/shrimp-hushpuppies/

These were the other pies we had on Pi day! We used this recipe to make apple turnovers. https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/apple-pie-breakfast-turnovers/

They were yummy! My inlaws helped the Husband move a server cage into our house, which at one point involved taking off the doors so the Husband could stand in the middle of it to get it down the stairs. Fancy tried to rescue him when it ended up hitting his shins. It was a circus, but the turnovers helped make up for it.

To finish off on an even sweeter note, here’s the latest homemade ice cream experiment. When we cleaned the freezer, we discovered a sad looking bowl of strawberries that were obviously in need of rescue. Since they didn’t look like they would be good to eat, we made ice cream instead! It was delicious and made with no eggs!

We needed a chocolate sauce, so I made a chocolate ganache and we ate it over Ghirardelli brownies the next couple of nights. It was amazing with both! Here’s the recipe: https://theculinarychase.com/2012/06/easy-homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/

Yum! I’ve made a few more fun things, including some new treats for Fancy, but those will be in a later post, as I don’t have the pictures yet. I hope you’re finding time to experiment with fun foods and things to do! Stay healthy!

Recipe Roundup

25 Treats Of Christmas Review- Week 1

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Hello and welcome to this edition of “I’m Scandinavian and can’t stop feeding people.” 😁

I’m sharing the treats with two of the three offices that my center operates, and with the Husband’s office. The third of our offices only has two people working there, so my director beings cookies over when she goes there, as it’s a bit far for me.

The butter count started at 22 lbs and is down to 18-19 lbs. We bought another 25 lb of flour (probably had 30 ish lbs with that bag when I started) and 3 lbs of brown sugar. A lot of my cookies call for brown sugar this year. The Husband and I both eyed the pile of butter doubtfully when we bought the second batch, but it’s holding out so far.

I was much more organized this year while planning my 25 Treats of Christmas list. I have a few lists that include a running master grocery list, which magazine they are from, whether or not I need additional items, and if the dough is chilled or can just be made and baked right away. The Husband is very impressed. I think everyone else just thinks I’m a little crazy.

I’m making 2-3 batches at a time and bringing them in twice a week. It evens out to about a batch a day. People have started making requests! 😁 I tend to make a chilled dough the night before and bake them the morning of. I’m getting into quite a routine. It’s a lot more fun and a lot less stress than in previous years.

But you don’t want to hear the management side of things! On to the cookies!!

These were the first two batches. I brought them in right before Thanksgiving. The stars are Maple Star Sandwich Cookies and the others are Orange Molasses Snickerdoodles. Both are from previous editions of the Food Network Christmas Cookie collections.

I used my friends’ homemade maple syrup for them and they were good, but not maple enough for me. I would use more maple next time. Everyone else enjoyed them though. Even people who weren’t sure about the maple said they were good. I would make them again.

People were intrigued by the snickerdoodles. They reminded me more of gingersnaps than snickerdoodles though and weren’t my favorite. I think they were a touch dry for me.

The next cookie is a vegan and gluten free banana bread cookie. The picture is from the Husband’s work about 2 hours after he put them out. The tin was full when it went in. They are from this website: https://www.simplyjillicious.com/banana-bread-cookies

These have almond flour and no butter. They are naturally sweetened with the bananas and maple syrup. I could probably actually give these to Fancy, although I’d have to check on the almond flour first. They needed a heck of a lot more spices than the recipe called for, but were pretty good.

The second recipe I sent with the Husband was gone even faster. These are Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies. The Husband has requested them again for Epiphany.

These are from the recent Better Homes and Gardens Christmas cookie edition. I have been having issues with my FN subscription, so haven’t received the December edition yet and needed a cookie fix. They are delicious! I will definitely be making these again.

The next three recipes are also from that magazine.

Chocolate Mint Chip. These were a big hit at my offices. I accidentally forgot the baking powder, but they were good regardless. I subbed Nestle peppermint baking truffles for the Andes pieces because it was what I had.

These are Citrus Meltaways. They have lemon and orange peel, lime, and lemon juices.

They are a slice and bake and were delicious. They would be a good summer cookie too. They are a bit delicate, but that just meant I could snack on the broken ones. 🙂 I will make them again.

Sweet and Salty Butterscotch Cookies

Judging by how many came back, these weren’t as big of a hit as some of the others. They also had cashews in them. The picture looked so good, but I did find them a little bland. I probably wouldn’t make them again.

This recipe got rave reviews from everyone and I will probably share the it at some point. It’s from a Food Network magazine.

They are gluten and dairy free Coconut Snowballs. I subbed Country Crock plant based sticks for the butter and it calls for rice flour. I completely forgot the coconut, but even so, they were good.

These will be made for the Epiphany Party too, as they are technically vegan when made dairy free. We don’t have a ton of vegan friends, but it never hurts to have something, just in case.

Which one do you think would be your favorite? Mine were the citrus melt aways and the chocolate mint.

Stay tuned for an overdue Recipe Review coming up this weekend! I hope your day is sweet!

Canning and Preserving · Monthly Review · Recipe Roundup

Not So Simple Sunday

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Well, it has been a long time since I posted a review! I have made a lot of things lately. I pulled the tomatoes from the garden and still have some green ones left. I’m researching ways to use them up. I have green tomatoe salsa in the freezer already. My Dad keeps hinting about green tomato mincemeat, so maybe if he’s nice to me, he’ll get some. 😉 

I did end up buying some tomatoes to round out my recipes, but there’s a good portion of garden tomatoes in each recipe. I was pretty happy with how the garden performed this year. Next year we will be putting it in earlier though, I don’t want to end up with as many unripe peppers as I did this year. 

For canned items, I made little jars of hot sauce and some homemade Rotel style tomatoes and peppers. The hot sauce recipe was from the Ball Canning magazine and called “Red Hot Sauce.” The Rotel was from this recipe: https://amp.thekitchn.com/recipe-rotel-style-tomatoes-recipes-from-the-kitchn-206851

I forgot the lemon juice in the Rotel and had to recan a couple days later, so went from 11 jars to 9, after reboiling. The hot sauce was canned in little tiny jars and I got five out of the batch. I used all of my homemade garden peppers, so I know it will be spicy. I also found out why gloves are necessary for cutting that many peppers. My hands burned off an on all through the next day.

Speaking of peppers, we have used our homemade salsa in a couple of dishes including, chicken tortilla soup- no pictures, and tacos! The tacos also have homemade pico on them. 


I haven’t made any more jams, but do have some jellies planned, including a pomegranate one and a cider whiskey one. But those can be all done at any time.

I know I haven’t been talking a lot about food lately. I think my original purpose for starting the blog was fulfilled, at least in theory. I didn’t use all of my cookbooks, I don’t think, but I was more successful in making more new recipes and such. I’ll continue to use them, but I have also been able to think more about which ones are useful for us. 

I have been trying to use new cooking techniques and equipment as well. I made lentil soup in the Instantpot for dinner last night and the house is still standing. That recipe is here: https://www.cookwithmanali.com/instant-pot-mediterranean-lentil-soup/

It was pretty good. I used brown lentils instead of red, so pressure cooked for 16 minutes instead of the 8. I also replaced the garlic with granulated garlic as I had run out of fresh. I used a Za’tar spice mix to replace everything except the parsley, salt, and pepper. I left out the mint because I didn’t think it would go well with the Za’tar. I had some garlic bread with it. 

I made chocolate peanut butter pudding one night. The Husband is not a fan of pudding in general and especially peanut butter, so I had a lovely bowl for dessert for several nights. The recipe is here: https://www.smartnutrition.ca/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-pudding/

It was pretty good, although I think it needed a bit more peanut butter. 

I also made these chocolaty muffins from garden zucchini. They were extremely good and you definitely couldn’t tell they had zucchini in them. Recipe:https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/chocolate-zucchini-muffins/

We had General Tsao’s chicken from “The Chew” cookbook. It was pretty nice, but needed a bit more sauce.

I used the Pampered Chef Stoneware book to make a Corned Beef Philly Cheesesteak ring. I used the crescent roll dough and then pretty much followed the recipe, except using cheedar instead of American cheese.

I wouldn’t make this again. It wasn’t the best and the meat got a little weird after baking it. 

We had Mac and Cheese from the “Vegetables!” Cookbook. It made me giggle, since it was called “Grown-up Mac and Cheese.”

It was super rich and we had to eat small servings at a time. I used different cheeses, since it called for blue type cheeses. I decided breathing was more important than recipe following. 🙂

I’m going to write a separate sewing review. I don’t want to overwhelm you all. 

I’m still trying to decide what to focus on with food, now that the cookbooks aren’t my main focus. The Husband has had several good suggestions including having themed weeks/months, using recipes from movies and books. Or focusing on a series for specific techniques or ingrediants. I also plan to try to write out some of my personal recipes. And, of course, the 25 days of cookies is coming. I think this year I will spread it out and make it the 25 kinds of cookies instead. Then I won’t be so rushed or frazzled in December. 

So let me know what you’d be more interested in reading about food-wise. I’d hate for you all to get bored!

Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday

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“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
― Julia Child

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”
― Julia Child

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.”
― Laurie Colwin

Battle Cheesecake- Party Pictures And Recipes
Party Posts · Recipe Roundup

Battle Cheesecake- Party Pictures And Recipes

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Battle Cheesecake was the most delicious battle I have ever been in! It was lots of fun. Fancy was completely worn out, as you can see.

The votes broke down to K winning the fruit and unusual category and I won the chocolate. Overall, it was a tie though. There was a tied vote on the fruit category. Here are all the cheesecakes.

I was a little distracted and didn’t get close-ups of K’s cheesecakes. They are the top ones.

I just want to take a moment to brag that I fit 6 full size cheesecakes in the fridge. 🙂 Who knew my stackable cooling racks would be so handy?

We had seven people attend. We cut tiny slices and put the three categories together. K brought meatballs and we had a salad from the garden lettuce which exploded into growth. Everyone voted anonymously and a friend counted the votes for us. I had a lovely set of kitchen towels and some rubber spatulas for prizes. I kept the jar of jam which was the third prize. 🙂

Here are K’s recipes. She made a Death By Chocolate from Delish.com, a Thimbleberry (with four Yoopers in the room, she totally won this one,) based on the Blueberry recipe from Rae-Gun Ramblings, and a tiramisu one from Allrecipes. 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7757/tiramisu-cheesecake/

https://www.raegunramblings.com/2010/04/recipe-blueberry-white-chocolate.html 

She took out the white chocolate and subbed thimbleberry jam for the homemade blueberry jam in the recipe. Also had a thimbleberry mousse on top.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a50419/death-by-chocolate-cheesecake-recipe/

Her cheesecakes were softer than mine, more mousse texture. They were all delicious and I think her chocolate one was definitely smoother than mine. I had lumps! 😳

Here are my cheesecake recipes. I tried to find some in my cookbooks, but am apparently low on baking cookbooks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from Delish.com. 

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46039/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cheesecake-recipe/

The Husband casually sent me this recipe on a list and there was a strong suggestion that I try it. 🙂 He enjoyed it, but felt it was missing something. This cheesecake must have weighed 5 pounds.

Raspberry Swirl from Martha Stewart. https://www.marthastewart.com/340227/raspberry-swirl-cheesecake

The raspberry puree doesn’t go deep enough for me. It was softer, possibly slightly under baked. Pretty good though. I would make it again.

Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake by Baker By Nature. https://bakerbynature.com/kahlua-chocolate-cheesecake/

I used homemade kahlua from my Mom. It was good, but not as smooth as I would like. It was topped with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. Mmmm…. chocolate.

It was fun and I would totally do cooking challenges again. We think the Husbands were a little more serious about it than we were. I think we both used mostly new recipes. It was a fun excuse to have a smaller party and have quality friend time.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s Shark Week and The Great White Abyss is on. Have a great night!

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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Fancy didn’t want me to go to work this morning. She was whining at the bedroom door to say hello and then refused to come in later when I had to leave again. That’s her in the bush, being snotty and stubborn this afternoon.

I went all out on recipes this week. I must be feeling less stressed than I thought. I made two recipes in one day, and two in one meal! Now of course, all I want is a nap.

Here are the recipes.

1- Basic Chocolate Ice Cream from Ashlee Marie. http://ashleemarie.com/basic-chocolate-ice-cream-recipe/

Modifications: I’m not comfortable enough changing ice cream bases around, but it’s definitely something I would like to do. Almost every ice cream recipe on her site is something that I would like to try. I made two of her recipes between last weekend and today and they were both excellent. This chocolate ice cream was smooth and not too sweet. The Husband enjoyed it too. I had mine with strawberry slices, and with melted peanut butter on another day. The Husband likes plainer chocolate ice cream, so had chocolate chips both times. It made a little under a quart, I think.

2- Coconut Meringues from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Section: Cookies and Bars

Modifications: I tripled the recipe, since I had triple the egg whites from the ice cream. I tried to go all fancy and pipe it, but the coconut clogged the nozzle repeatedly and I ended up just dropping them on the pan instead. Some of them were a little under baked, I think, but they were okay. They aren’t my favorite cookie, but it was a good way to use up egg whites. I sent them into the Husband’s work and ended up confusing a lot of people who didn’t know what they were. 🙂

3- Korean BBQ Short Ribs from The Seasoned Traveler. https://theseasonedtraveler.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/korean-bbq-short-ribs/ 

Modifications: This one was the Husband’s request. We found a good deal on boneless beef ribs at Costco. Since they were boneless ribs, I kept a close eye on them for cooko g time. I had run out of brown sugar and used molasses and some white sugar to substitute. I boiled down the rest of the cooking juices and marinade for a sauce. It was extremely salty. I didn’t eat any additional sauce, but the Husband did. I made myself roasted Parmesan Brussels sprouts, but they were not ready at the same time for pictures. They were tasty though.

4- Jasmine Cilantro Rice, method by me. I added bruised garlic cloves, cilantro, butter, and salt to the rice while it was cooking. It was good, had a nice light flavor, but added to the dish.

5- Garlicky Oven Fried Chicken Thighs (Drumsticks) from Party Food. Section: Main Dishes (We got this from a Goodwill store, it looks like it was originally from a Kohl’s Cares promotion.)

Modifications: I used drumsticks instead of thighs, because it was what we had. I used the Garlic and Herb Mrs. Dash seasoning in the breading. These were okay. They were good for an easy dinner, but we weren’t happy with the level of flavor. We had fruit and a new recipe for potatoes with it.

6- Easy Roasted Potatoes from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Section: Fruits and Vegetables.

Modifications: I quartered the potatoes instead of halving them. I used a bit more paprika than what it called for and completely forgot to salt and pepper them. We just added those after. These were good. I normally forget how long it takes potatoes to roast, so it was nice to have a reminder of timing. I’m working on getting everything to the table on time.

7- Blueberry Muffins from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Section: The Best of Susan.

Modifications: This section of the cookbook is designed to be a “how to cook section,” I think. It has all sorts of tips about cooking and other housewifery for women on their own, or newlyweds.

I used butter, not shortening, for these. I also added a little sugar to the batter instead of only on top. Vanilla was also an addition. I thought it would be too plain without it. They were your basic muffin, but good.

8- Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream from Ashlee Marie. http://ashleemarie.com/marshmallow-ice-cream-recipe/

Modifications: None. It looks like a giant marshmallow in the bowl. It’s shiny!

It is delicious. The base was very pudding like after being in the fridge overnight. The gelatin in the marshmallows probably makes it too firm. I also had half and half for another recipe, so subbed that for the milk. I would have eaten the base as marshmallow pudding too. The Husband isn’t a huge marshmallow fan, so this is not his favorite. He said it was too sweet. It is incredibly smooth and rich.

I made the base before going to bed so that I could churn it before work the next morning and some of it may have found its way into my mouth for breakfast… I was broiling marshmallows at 11 pm and the kitchen was a huge sticky mess. Fancy was very concerned that the marshmallows were going to eat me and kept trying to “help” me clean up. I didn’t have a chance to take pictures of the marshmallows after broiling, but they were so pretty!

I made a s’mores bowl with it last night with milk chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbs. Mmmm… it was delicious.

Tonight we are having leftover French Onion Soup and tomorrow we’re supposed to pull out the grill for a new burger recipe. So far it isn’t supposed to rain!

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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This week I made a few new recipes and one recipe based on a family friend’s recipe. I also couldn’t sleep past 5 AM on Wednesday morning, so I did what any slightly crazy person would do and started a batch of chocolate filled brioche at 6 AM. The Husband is luckily used to the way my brain works and didn’t really bat an eye.

1- Petits Pains au Chocolat from Complete Book of Small Breads by Bernard Clayton, Jr. Section: La Brioche

Modifications: I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking pieces instead of semi-sweet, since it was what I had. I followed the recipe and I had a nice nap with the dog while the dough raised and then it chilled while I was at work. It required at least a four hour chill, if not overnight.

It was an odd dough. I’ve not felt one like it before. It was a cross between bread dough and puff pastry. Very easy to work with though. They turned out delicious, although I needed more evenly distributed chocolate and a bigger board to roll them out on. The dough wasn’t as sweet as I expected. I would make them again. The Husband enjoyed his as an afternoon treat with his lunch and liked it. The author mentions that these are wonderful “slipped in the pocket of a ski jacket and enjoyed warm at the top of the mountain.” I just had them with tea and an egg, having misplaced my mountain that morning.

2- Thai Sweet-Hot Duck from Garlic by Janet Hazen. Section: Entrees

Modifications: Dried mint instead of fresh and not as much as called for, the Husband doesn’t like mint. 1 Serrano pepper instead of 4. My mouth almost spontaneously combusted when I tested the pepper and I do like spicy food. Also served it with stir fried noodles, instead of lettuce, and it was lovely.

The Husband said this was the “single best thing” that I’ve made so far. It was pretty delicious. I did have texture issues with the duck, but occasionally get weird about new meats, so I think it might wear off. The recipe called for 10 cloves of garlic sliced thinly which I thought might be overpowering, but turned out quite nice. The Husband said that the flavor combo tasted “familiar.” It is fairly close to some of the Asian dishes we’ve been making and has star anise in it, which is in Chinese five spice powder. I got all my ingredients ready ahead of time, which helped speed the recipe along. I think I may have overcooked the duck. It was only slighty pink in the middle. We’ll be making this again. The next time I will flip the duck after searing the skin. The recipe omitted this step, but the Husband thinks the crispy skin would be nice.

 

3- Noodles with Asparagus from 400 Thai and Chinese Delicious Recipes for Delicious and Healthy Living. Section: Noodles

Modifications: Sesame oil instead of canola oil, as I had used it up in the Mongolian Beef. I think we have the wrong noodles too. I think we bought actual ramen noodles, instead of egg noodles from the Chinese grocery, but it was what we had in the cupboard and worked just as well. This was an easy recipe and went well with the duck. I would make this again, but to go with something, not on their own. They would be a little bland.

4- Mongolia Beef- The Husband’s family recipe book. The Husband says I can’t share it. He says there will be “dishonor on our cow” if it gets out… (I’ll give you a cookie if you can tell me which movie that’s from. The comments should be working.) I guess you’ll all just have to come over for dinner one night to try it.

Modifications: I left out the tiger lilly buds, as I couldn’t find them, and added garlic powder and white pepper to the marinade. I know, nothing is sacred from me changing the recipe, not even super secret family recipes! We had it over puffy fried bean thread noodles, which is what the recipe called for. I’ve not fried them before and it was fun to see them puff up. The Husband says he hasn’t had them with it before, his Dad makes rice to go with it. It was really good. Next time I will break up the bean threads, the middle ones didn’t get hit with the oil right and weren’t puffy. I also didn’t have enough oil to begin with, so will need more.

5- Scotch Broth based on a recipe from Pauline Bradley, a good family friend and I think, my older brother’s godmother. This one is pretty simple. Chicken broth-2 boxes, ground lamb, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The original version had barley, but the Husband is not a fan of the texture. I made it in the crockpot before work. Just brown the lamb, drain off the grease, and then throw it and everything else in the pot and let it cook. It’s delicious and even better on the second day. I had a turnip in the fridge and no recipe to use it for, so I chopped that up too and threw it in. No pictures, as I ate it too fast. It’s not terribly photogenic either, but makes up for it in taste.

I’ve got a bunch of recipes marked in some cookbooks for the future and to help with meal planning. A couple of the cookbooks only have a few more sections before they are complete!  I haven’t decided on the rules for what happens when I finish all the sections in a cookbook. They pretty much all have more than one recipe that I would like to try, but I want to make sure that the ones I haven’t touched yet get used too. Plus, there is a whole shoe box full of recipe cards and mini cookbooks to use as well. For now, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I actually get there.