Recipes

Thirsty Thursday: Hot Chocolate Mix

December 6, 2012

Do you know what you should not do? You shouldn’t forget about the hot chocolate you are making on the stove and then be utterly surprised when it overflows burning on your new glass top stove. yep, that’s happened… twice…

Well, you should totally make hot chocolate (and pay attention to it) and to do so you should mix up this hot chocolate mix. It’s great to enjoy snuggled up under a cozy blanket while watching a movie or RHofsomewhere. It also makes for a fantastic gift. It is quick to mix up, packages easily, and is so yummy.

I made this basic hot chocolate mix to get things started. Not basic in being ‘meh’, but basic in that it is a great base for you to create specialty flavored hot chocolate. I love starting with one recipe and making some modifications to create something fun and different.

Swap out the semi- sweet chocolate chips for some peppermint chips for a peppermint hot chocolate.
You can use peanut butter chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Awesome.
Or you can use caramel chips and triple the salt for a salted caramel cocoa.

But wait, there’s more! Amanda has flipped hot chocolate on it’s head with a Frozen Hot Chocolate. I’ve always wanted to try Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3 in NYC but have never made it there so this is the perfect chance to make it at home myself! If you can’t get to the frozen hot chocolate, bring the frozen hot chocolate to you!

Hot Chocolate Mix

Fills 8 1/2 pint mason jars

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon salt
10.5 oz package of mini marshmallow
8 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips, mini is preferred

Process

Combine all of the ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl. Divide the mix up in bags or air-tight containers.
To make hot chocolate- in an medium sized sauce pan, combine 8 oz of milk with 3 tablespoons mix. Heat gently to warm and melt the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally so the milk and chocolate do not burn on the bottom. Top off with more marshmallows or whipped cream and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Thirsty Thursday: Ginger Grapefruit Martini

November 29, 2012

So the the ‘3’ in the numerical pad in our computer keyboard doesn’t work anymore. Why? Well, I might have been drinking and messing around on the Internets while I spilled the whole glass on the keyboard. I might have been a little tipsy. I hope I was not blogging…

Well, I what was I drinking?? I was drinking Domaine de Canton and some seltzer. I just love that DdC. I can get by with some of my homemade ginger simple syrup, vodka, and seltzer but it’s just not the same. Domaine de Canton is a smooth ginger flavored cognac in a beautiful bottle. The bottle matters. I swear!

This Ginger Grapefruit Martini uses Domaine De Canton, vodka, and fresh squeezed grapefruit. Grapefruit, as well other citrus, is in season in the winter so this is a perfection seasonal drink to enjoy before dinner, at a party, or while wrapping presents. I can’t guarantee how well your wrapping will turn out after a drink or two but that’s half the fun! Blame Santa’s elves.

Since this week’s Thirtsy Thursday is brought you by the flavor ‘Ginger’ (that feels very Seasame Street to me), Amanda made this Gingerbread Hot Chocolate. Less devilish than my drink but equally perfect for the season. Don’t you just love a nice hot chocolate after you come in from a cold afternoon outside or to wind down the day? This is so perfect for those occasions.

Ginger Grapefruit Martini

Ingredients

4 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
2 oz Domaine de Canton
1 oz vodka
sugar
segment of grapefruit or lime, for garnish

Process

Rim the martini glass with sugar.
Combine the grapefruit juice, Domaine de Canton, and vodka together. Pour into the martini glass.
Garnish with the grapefruit segment or lime wedge.

Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies

November 27, 2012

Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies are fudgy brownies that use black cherry Greek yogurt in the batter. The Greek yogurt gives it a nice subtle tang with a hint of cherry.

Do you know that you can in fact perform magic acts? Yep, once you make a batch of brownies you’ll have the magical ability to make everyone come running, and make those brownies disappear. These Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies are going to disappear in a flash. *Poof!* And they are gone!

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Chocolate Bourbon Truffles- SRC

November 26, 2012

I’m so ready for Christmas and all the craziness that comes with it. Actually, I’m not at all but I’m trying. At least I will bake and cook myself into the holiday spirit. I have so many recipes bookmarked it’s a bit crazy. But I’m looking forward to tackling that list.

Something you should add to your holiday baking list are these Chocolate Bourbon Balls. As soon as I saw these on Shari’s blog, The Saucy Gourmet, I knew that these would be perfect to make for this month’s addition for Secret Recipe Club. We are taking next month off from posting so I wanted to share something perfect for the holidays.

These are so simple to make and a great treat for the holiday season. In all they took me an hour to make and that included 30 minutes of me watching Parenthood while they cooled for 30 minutes. Not bad at all. Shari suggests that you make them a few days in advance of serving them to allow the flavors to meld together and for the bourbon to mellow out. I follow no such instructions and didn’t wait so they had a real kick to them but were still soooo good. But it’s really great that you can make these in advance of a party or a cookie swap when you are super crazy swamped with a million other holiday things they will be ready and waiting for you.

Prior to making these I recruited one of the general contractors I work with into explaining bourbon to me. Bourbon is American made whiskey that is barrel-aged, which is why it is pricier than something like vodka. We discussed what bourbon to use in this recipe as well. Since this doesn’t have many ingredients it would be best to use a good quality bourbon so you don’t pucker up as you eat the bourbon balls. Basically, he suggested to skip using Jack Daniels (unless you get a nice specialty bottle). I was still confused so I called him from the liquor store… after work. Oh those general contractors are such good sports, which is why I gave them all of these bourbon balls!

Chocolate Bourbon Truffles

Makes 30 1” round truffles

Ingredients

6 oz (1 cup) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark
55 Nilla wafers cookies
4 oz (1 cup) walnut pieces
Sugar of rolling

Process

Using a food processor (or a knife and some patiences), crush the Nilla Waffers and walnuts together until fine.
In a medium sized, heavy-bottom pot, melt the chocolate on low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add the sugar, corn syrup, and bourbon and mix until chocolate mixture is smooth again. Thoroughly mix in the Nilla Waffers and walnut mixture to create a dough.
In the pot, divide the dough in half by scoring the top, then divide those 2 sections in 5 equal sections. Let the dough cool for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has cooled, remove from the pot and roll the 10 sections into even sized logs and then cut each into 3 pieces. Roll the balls and then coat with sugar.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

October: Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

September: Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, and Goat Cheese Tacos

August: Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles

July: Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

January: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

(Almost) No Baste Bacon Covered Turkey

November 21, 2012

I love 4 things about Thanksgiving: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show after it, booze, and my mom’s turkey. I don’t actually eat much turkey because I’m poor at planning and self control and get too eager with the appetizers and all of the sides. By the time dessert comes I’m just thinking of P-jams and how those pies need to get away from me!!

Okay, back to the turkey… So while I don’t eat a lot of turkey on Thanksgiving I could not imagine not making a turkey when home for the holiday and eating it the days following Thanksgiving. And since I’ve learned from my parents, the way I make turkey is that it is covered in bacon. Yep, bacon.

Covering the turkey gives it a great taste from the bacon, plus your house smells extra awesome. Also, since the bacon is continually rendering on top of the turkey you basically don’t need to baste it. This allows you to put your turkey in & just about forget about it while you watch the parade or freak out at every cute dog in the dog show. You turn the temp down once and later on check on the wings to give them a tine foil cover so they don’t burn, which is when I typically give it a thorough basting and then back in the oven it goes.

Now truth be told, if you love crunchy skin this might not be the turkey for you. This is all about sealing in the juices with the bacon so the skin doesn’t really get any exposure in the oven. If you want to give this a try and want a crispy skin then I suggest you might remove the bacon and then put the turkey back in with a broiler in low.

(Almost) No Baste Bacon Covered Turkey

Ingredients

1 whole turkey
1 pound of bacon
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2″ long pieces
3 onions, cut into wedges
4 stalks of celery, peeled and cut into 1-2″ pieces
6 cloves of garlic
2 lemons, cut into 8 pieces
1 orange, cut into 8 pieces
bunch of parsley
1 stick of butter
4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper

Process

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse then dry the turkey completely. Place turkey onto rack in large roasting pan.
Combine the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, lemons, orange, and parsley. Put the mixture into the cavity of the bird and the remaining mixture goes into the bottom of the pan with the chicken stock.
Cut the butter into small pieces and place between the breast and the skin.
Place the strips of bacon over the breast of the turkey and wrap the legs with bacon.
Put turkey in oven. After 45 minutes turn the temperature down to 350. After 2 hours, put foil on the wing tips. Continue cooking until the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. When testing, be sure that your thermometer is not touching the bone. Rule of thumb is that it will take approximately 15-20 minutes per pound.
When turkey is done, let stand 20-30 minutes prior to carving. to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the bird.

Extra Cheesy Brussels Sprout Gratin

November 20, 2012

Dinner will never be the same when you make this Extra Cheesy Brussels Sprout Gratin. You’ll love all this cheesy goodness!

Post from 11/20/12, Pictures Updated 11/15/18

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE

I was recently going through old cooking magazines to organize them into a usefully system. Since a pile of cut up recipes from magazines tossed in a box isn’t much of a system…. no?

Well, my system is still getting tweaked but at least I can more easily find some fun things to try. In that process, I dug up recipes from December ’11 from Martha Stewart Living and one of the things that jumped out of me was the Smokey Brussels Sprout Gratin. Cheese! Brussels Sprouts! More Cheese! Winner!!!!

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Thirsty Thursday: Thanksgiving Wine Glass Decorations

November 15, 2012

I’m totally flipping things around for this week’s edition of Thirsty Thursday. Sorry no drink this time… wait! don’t stop reading! This is drink related and it is perfect for Thanksgiving! Trust me…

So the thing about any family gathering or party is that people often mix up their drink with another. It’s always about ‘wait, have you seen my drink?’ or ‘are you drinking my drink?’ when there are a bunch people all drinking white/red wine. Sure wine charms are cute but wait… ‘do I have the blue charm or the green one?’ See what happens when you are drinking?!?

So I created a template for you to use for this Thanksgiving to easily identify your glass while reflecting on what you are thankful for now.

Download the file here. Thanksgiving Wine Glass Decorations

(Amanda doesn’t have a Thirsty Thursday post for you this week but she does have a really great giveaway on her blog!)

Orange Cranberry Sauce

November 13, 2012

Post from 11/13/12, Pictures updated 11/8/16

When I was younger, I wasn’t a huge fan of the cranberry side at Thanksgiving.

My mom loved the classic canned jellied cranberry sauce. She loved the ridges on it and how it would pop out of the can. I love that this is a staple on our table for her. I just didn’t really love the texture of it. Plus, cranberries were so tart to me back then.

I think things all changed when I was working in the South End of Boston by a place called Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe. You see, Charlie’s would sell oatmeal with a cranberry compote that I would get if I as a treat for suffering through retail on the weekends. I loved the warm oatmeal in the winter and the compote really added a lot of flavor to an otherwise pretty plan breakfast.

And then I met this amazing guy who just loved homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. So now when we’ve gone back to my mom’s to celebrate Thanksgiving there have been 2 kinds of cranberry sauce on the table. It’s great to have cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving but really I believe you can have it at any point in the fall. It works hot with oatmeal or cold with yogurt if you can’t get enough of it and want to enjoy it for breakfast as well.

No matter if you call this a sauce, chutney, salsa, compote, or a relish, you will call this a new family favorite. I love the orange and cranberry combination so much. It helps highlight the natural flavors of the cranberry while adding some sweetness at the same time. I often throw a vanilla bean that I’ve been using in my homemade vanilla extract to add a bit more flavor. I just give it an extra scrape and throw it into the pot. You can add a bit of vanilla extract instead or even substitute the sugar for vanilla sugar, or skip it all together. If you feel you might light a scrape of nutmeg or to throw a star anise in there then give it a try as this is all about finding the right flavors so this will be a family favorite.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2- 12oz bags of fresh cranberries
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of orange juice
zest from 1 orange
vanilla bean, optional

Process

Rinse the cranberries and pick through to remove bruised berries and to remove any stray stems on the berries.
Mix and combine all of the ingredients in a medium size pot and cook on medium low until you have a slow simmer. The berries will be popping during this process, stir often. Turn down to low to allow the sauce to continue cooking until the desired amount of berries have opened up.
Can be served warm or cold. Store in an air tight container.

Brownie Pie

November 12, 2012

I love to get mail. I used to have pen pals when I was younger. One was from Finland and she used to write the date D-M-Y. I loved it for some random reason. Well now without pen pals I just get bills, magazines, and some packages. I love the arrival of my monthly Studio Calico kit. I just get so giddy with anticipation and once it gets here I love that the package holds so many creative possibilities Well, I was just as giddy for the arrival of Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends. As soon as I finished interviewing Kathleen King I bought her new book. I could not wait for it to come that I upgraded my prime and got it the next day. I just could not resist waiting to get my hands on that book.

Once I was able to browse the book I got myself into some trouble picking out what to make first. I was drawn to so many different recipes because of their ease. I love baking but I love to find simple recipes because I am so busy I just can’t spend so much time of something that I don’t eat. I’m glad Kathleen focuses on keeping her recipes simple but delicious. The book has over 120 recipes of muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cupcakes, and cookies. Out of all of that I was really struggling to decide on Rocky Road Muffins (pg 31), Apple- Italian Plum Deep Dish Pie (pg 69), Brownie Pie (pg 71), and Pecan Squares (pg 138). I finally decided on the brownie pie and I think I made a great choice.

The Brownie Pie is a really simple, really rich dessert. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of manning the mixer and you’re on our way to a chocolaty delight. This really works for any number of people as it’s great for sweets addicts to chocoholics and people who keep to a gluten free diet. It covers all bases and does so perfectly. The recipe calls for even more chocolate stating that a slice is to be served with a smear of nutella and whipped cream. I served this with some whipped cream and fresh raspberries and blackberries since I just wanted it to be a tad bit lighter when serving it as the pie is so rich. Grab yourself a glass of milk and a slice and enjoy!

Brownie Pie

serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of salted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs plus 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Process

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch glass pie plate by lightly buttering it.
In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and pieces of the butter. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs on high until thickened and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar the mixture is light and fluffy. Incorporate the melted chocolate. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon its removal. Let cool on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream, berries, caramel sauce, or nutella.

Thirsty Thursday: Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Smoothie

November 8, 2012

As I write this I’m super cozy under a crocheted blanket while wearing sweats and super thick socks. Pretty exciting things going on over here. Well, there is a Nor’easter whirling around outside so anything goes. The walk from my office to the train station, which is only a few hundred feet, was so gross. Crazy wind and harsh rain. I am soo not ready for winter. I try to give myself a pep talk every year but the cold and wind make me walk like I am an 80 year old lady since I automatically freak out and ball up. I’m sure it’s a great sight to behold. Ugh.

While I hate the cold months of the year I do love the heartier foods associated with the season and holidays. I love the transition from summery berries, to late summer stone fruit to apples and then pumpkin. Ahhh this week’s theme…. pumpkin!! We tried to grow some pumpkins this year but didn’t have good luck so thank goodness all we have to do is pop open a can to have some great pumpkin puree to use in our recipes.

Start your day with my pumpkin pie breakfast smoothie and then from there have one of Amanda’s Pumpkin Pie Milkshake. Ahhh, love this week’s addition of Thirsty Thursday- just so perfect for fall!!

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Smoothie

Makes 1 smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup oats
6 oz of milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Process

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the oats have been processed and all ingredients are combined completely.

Thirsty Thursday: Cranberry Lime Cooler

November 1, 2012

So this little storm came through named Hurricane Sandy. Well, let me tell you Sandy it was a Bitch with a capital B. As anyone with a pulse knows, she has wrecked havoc on a whole hell of a lot of the country. Prior to the storm’s arrival I was glued to the TV watching weather channel like my life depended on it. Dear Jim Cantore, you had me at millibars. Since I’m a weather channel junkie I knew this was going to be bad but in no way did I anticipate just how bad it would be. My little town of Chelsea MA lost 15% of power, obviously including us- hence the blogging hiatus and crazy back log I have to catch up on. But loosing power is nothing compared to what the people in NY and NJ are dealing with. It is heartbreaking. Please consider helping if you can, I can’t make a big financial contribution but I am donating blood next week since, according to Red Cross “Hurricane Sandy has affected blood collections in the Northeast, forcing the cancellation of more than 240 American Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a shortfall of more than 8,000 donations thus far.” That’s huge! I just think that if help in anyway you should try.

Anywho, this week Amanda and I bring you drinks centered around the ‘cranberry’ theme. This is the season for cranberries so be sure to get ready for some cranberry sauce, cranberry jelly, dried cranberries in just about everything. It’s an awesome thing, esp in Massachusetts, where there are a crazy amount of bogs. My coworker’s family even has a bog and they are profiled on Ocean Spray bottles- she is in the back, on the right. Cranberries are great for you as they contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, that will boost your immunity, which is great for the upcoming cold and flu season.

I made a Cranberry Lime Cooler that is really refreshing, so simple to make, and a great alternative to sugary soda. Amanda made a Frozen Cranberry Margarita that will just knock your socks off… there is a pretty cool ingredient in there!!

Cranberry Lime Cooler

makes 1

Ingredients

3 oz cranberry juice (not cocktail)
juice of a lime
tablespoon of simple syrup
4 oz of seltzer
1 cup ice
wedge of lime and mint for garnish, optional

Process

In a tall glass, combine the cranberry juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and seltzer over ice.
Garnish is a wedge oflime and mint.

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

October 29, 2012

It’s been a year since I’ve started to participate in Secret Recipe Club and I have really enjoyed this past year.It’s been so much fun getting to interact with other bloggers and to make some really fun recipes. I can’t wait for the next year with this great group!

This month I had Anne’s blog called Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits. Wouldn’t you know I think the pick the 1 indulgent thing on the blog. She has great soups, breads, so many other great fresh homemade recipes on her blog. Of course I pick one with bacon and cheese. It’s just that once I saw her Bacon Cheese Stuffed Bread I knew I needed to have it. It would just work out perfectly to enjoy on a leisurely Sunday with some NASCAR and Football on. Plus, some Frankenstorm updates watching didn’t hurt! Oh, Hurricane Sandy, please be nice!

I made some changes to the original recipe in that I don’t have bacon bits at home so I used regular bacon and then I added mushroom and onion to the mix. I just figured adding some mushroom and onion would add to the overall flavor. Plus knowing it would basically be lunch it should have a veggie in there. ha! This was really simple to prepare and was so good. I highly suggest making this or a few different kinds, maybe with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or some sauteed chopped broccoli. It’s the perfect game day treat!

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 boule loaf of bread (8oz)
4 slices of bacon
8 oz o mushrooms, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch red pepper flake
2 oz of freshly grated cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyere

Process

Prepare the bread but cutting a cross hatch in the loaf almost all the way through. Place the bread onto a baking sheet lined with a large piece of tin foil.
Cut the bacon into small pieces. In a medium sized skillet, cook on medium low until completely cooked. Drain on a paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion in the same skillet with the bacon drippings as well as the butter. season with red pepper flake, salt and pepper. Once the mushroom and onion are cooked down add the bacon back into the skillet.
Add the bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture into the crevices of the bread. Freshly grate the cheese over the entire bread. Gently, wrap the foil over the bread to tent it over the cheese.
In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the bread for 15 minutes. Open the foil to expose the top and broil for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown top.

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