Friday, January 31, 2014

Hot Fudge and What to do with it

On a fit of whimsy I decided to make some hot fudge sauce.  I found the recipe over at simply gourmet.  Although, all you have to do is remember the 3 "c" s. 

A Cup (of chips)
A Can (of condensed milk)
A Cube (aka stick of butter)

You melt the butter in a pan, then add the chips.  When they are melted add the condensed milk and stir over the heat until it's all mixed together.

Nice and rich and chocolatey.

But when you store it in the fridge it hardens up like this:

Ok so this one has been in the microwave for 30 seconds so it's spreadable, or easier to eat by the spoonful.

It gets pretty solid, or fudge-like once fully chilled.

 Aside from straight off a spoon, this is the best way to eat it:
SMORES!

Spread some of this softened fudge on a graham cracker, then place the other graham cracker square on a microwaveable plate.  Pop a marshmellow on that bad boy and nuke it for 10 seconds until it looks large and in charge.  Top with the chocolate coated cracker, and BAM...instant smores sans fire.

It beats roasting the marshmellows over your gas stove and almost setting your house on fire.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

PB Cup Mug Cake

Since I can't seem to find an enjoyable version of hot chocolate, I'll just drown my sorrows in mug cake.  This peanut butter cup mug cake from the Frugal Foodie Mama sure does the trick nicely.

Sadly, thieves broke into my house and ate all my Reese PB cups so I had to use chocolate chips instead.  They did a fair job, but I think I will have to have one or ten more cups to make sure it's a passable substitute.


PB Cup Mug Cake from Frugal Foodie Mama
2 T flour
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 T canola oil
1 1/2 T peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 1/2 T milk
1 Reese Peanut Butter Cup or chocolate chips

In a mug mix  flour through salt. Add oil, milk, and peanut butter. mix well.  Push Reese cup down into center of mug. Nuke 45 sec.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Bird seed ornaments

Way back over Christmas break, Blockette and I made these Birdseed ornaments.  I made them with the intention that the squirrels would eat them. 

You see, we had a bird feeder in our backyard growing up.  Those darn squirrels ate every last drop of seed from the feeder.  And when they ate all the birdseed?  Do you know what those little devils did? 

They ate the feeder.

Yes.

The squirrels gnawed off the plastic top of the feeder.

Thus ended the feeding of the birds and/or squirrels.  The squirrels are such ruiners.

So I hung these birdseed ornaments off these weird hooks on what used to be the inside of our 3 season room, now covered patio.

Yeah...I know this picture is horrible, but it was cold out and my camera hates taking pictures through the screen.  I also hate being in the cold and was too lazy to put on my coat.

I made the ornaments in a mini bundt pan.  The pan has 6 mini bundts and this recipe from saltwater- kids filled the entire pan up perfectly.  The little bundts just lent themselves to being hung as ornaments.

So far, the squirrels have only figured out how to get one of the birdseed dealies down.  Everytime we get a new layer of snow I can see all these squirrel tracks all around the post they are hanging near.

Could it be that I have finally outsmarted the squirrels?

We'll have to let the rest of the winter progress to find out.

Squirrel (or not) Birdseed feeder ornaments from Saltwater-Kids
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.) 
straw
yarn or twine

Combine flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined. Add birdseed, stir until well coated. Spray mold(s) with cooking spray, and spoon birdseed mixture into each mold. Use bottom of measuring cup to pack it down, and make the top smooth. If needed, poke a hole through top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through. Leave birdseed mixture in molds for 2-3hrs. Then, remove straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove hardened ornaments from mold, and place on wax paper upside down. Allow to dry overnight.Thread those bad boys and hang them up outside where you can watch the animal antics.

Friday, January 24, 2014

A big Cross Stitch Finish for December

I wrote about this one separately because I was too lazy to iron it in time for the post I made on Wed.
So here it is in it's ironed glory.


The design is called Bethlehem by Imaginating.

For my birthday in 2012 my husband gave me a free for all in the most awesome cross stitch store near where my mom lives.  (Big shout out to Stitchville USA.  You rock!) One of the things I purchased was this chart and the fabric.    The fabric is 32ct hand dyed linen.

I started it in December of 2012 but stopped because it wasn't Christmas anymore and I was tired of stitching all in dark brown.  I picked it up again in Dec 2013 and finished it one week before Christmas.

Normally, we don't frame the cross stitches I make anymore, but I think I may ask for this to be framed for my birthday this year.

Here are a few close ups:





As a side note, I named all the buildings while I was stitching them. They are from Left to right: Mushroom, Castle, Bullet, Alamo, Plantation, and the Adler Planetarium.  (Because I'm sure Jesus was born right next to the Adler Planetarium.)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Nov and Dec Small Cross Stitches

I've been trying to get back into crafting.  I always feel better when I've got a project to work on.  Sometimes it's just knowing I have a project that I CAN work on is more important than actually working on the project.

Over the holiday season I wanted to do projects that didn't require a lot of concentration.

A few weeks before Thanksgiving I started Bent Creek's Thankful Quaker.

I used a piece of 18 count cream/antique white colored aida I had in my stash.  I also used DMC thread instead of the specialty threads listed on the chart.

I've no idea what to do with it, but it was a fun little seasonal chart to work on.

Being in the mood for whimsy, while I was visiting my mom over Christmas, I stitched this Grumpy Kitty.
Eventually I'll finish him into an ornament.

The chart is by Brooke's Books Publishing and can be found here for free.

This design was stitched on a scrap of blue grey 28ct evenweave I had in my stash.  Amazingly I left this design unaltered!

Don't you just love Grumpy Kitty?

Monday, January 20, 2014

Three New Christmas Cookie Recipes

I stated earlier how my goal was to make the 4 favorite Christmas cookies for the family.  I wound up needing to make a few others for parties and just because.  Some were winners and others just meh.  Here they are, in the order I made them.

First off is these Dutch Cookies for St.Nicholas Day called Pepernoten.  I got the recipe from the blog In My Red Kitchen

They were made for a bake sale at church that was held the day after St. Nicholas day.  I thought it would be a fitting recipe.  I also liked that they were egg free.  There is a boy at our church who is allergic to eggs so I thought that would be cool for him to have some more choices.

The thing is was that they were supposed to be nugget shaped.  I don't know why they spread out.  They tasted ok, sort of like a soft more spiced version of a gingersnap.  I dipped half of them in chocolate.  They were not a big hit at the bake sale.  I won't be making the recipe again.  While they didn't taste bad, if I'm going to have a spiced cookie, I want it to be crisp.

The second cookie is a Oreo Peppermint Crunch cookie from Inside BruCrew Life.
I used red velvet cake mix instead of white cake mix, and chopped up chocolate crinkle cookies instead of Oreos.  Both were poor substitutions.  The Chocolate crinkle pieces were not distinguishable from the rest of the cookie and the red velvet cake mix turned everyone's teeth red for a short time.  Of course no one knew this cause I kept my mouth shut, but I did feel bad that I sent a huge plate of these with Mrblocko to work.  Everyone liked them but I keep picturing people with red teeth chatting it up.  If you ever choose to make these, I guarantee you will love them...just don't veer from the original recipe like I did.

Finally, we have our winner of the holiday season...Maple nut cream truffles from Crazy for Crust.

Ok.  So they look horrid.  I am lacking in chocolatier skills.  They are bloody amazing.  They rank right up there for me with Russian Tea Cakes.  I mean they are pretty similar. Think Russian tea cakes minus the flour, with the addition of maple extract, dipped in chocolate.  I feel delirious just thinking about them. The only bad thing about them is that they are so good they get eaten quickly and then there are no more to eat.  Although, Mrblocko thinks they are too sweet.  (What does he know?  More for me right?)

Maple Walnut Truffles from Crazy for Crust
1/4 c softened butter
1T maple syrup
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 t maple extract
1 c chopped, toasted walnuts
8 oz candy melts

Mix all ingredients except for chocolate with a hand mixer until creamy. Chill 30 min. roll into 1 T balls and chill for 10 min or til ready to dip.  melt dipping chocolate per directions on bag.  Dip truffles in chocolate and try not to make a huge mess like I did in the process.  Store in the freezer or fridge.
  • Mix butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add both extracts and beat until creamy. Stir in walnuts. Chill for 30 minutes.
  • Once chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill again until just ready to dip (at least 10 minutes).
  • Melt your candy in a microwave safe bowl according to package directions. Dip each truffle in the bowl of chocolate. Do not roll it around, use a spoon to spoon chocolate over the top. Lift onto a fork carefully and tap to remove excess chocolate. Place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. I find it best to use a toothpick to help the truffle slide off the fork without disturbing too much of the coating.
  • Note: these truffles soften quickly. If you find them getting to soft, re-chill them and only remove a few at a time to dip.
  • Chill dipped truffles for just a few minutes, until coating is semi-hard. Meanwhile transfer the remaining chocolate to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with the tip cut off) and pipe swirls or swipes of chocolate over the top for decoration.

  • Read more at http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/09/maple-walnut-truffles/#qRdH9vs4IjHBcfuX.99
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 8 ounces chocolate candy melts (such as Candiquik)

  • Read more at http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/09/maple-walnut-truffles/#qRdH9vs4IjHBcfuX.99
    • 1/4 cup butter, softened
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
    • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
    • 8 ounces chocolate candy melts (such as Candiquik)
    Instructions
    1. Mix butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add both extracts and beat until creamy. Stir in walnuts. Chill for 30 minutes.
    2. Once chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill again until just ready to dip (at least 10 minutes).
    3. Melt your candy in a microwave safe bowl according to package directions. Dip each truffle in the bowl of chocolate. Do not roll it around, use a spoon to spoon chocolate over the top. Lift onto a fork carefully and tap to remove excess chocolate. Place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. I find it best to use a toothpick to help the truffle slide off the fork without disturbing too much of the coating.
    4. Note: these truffles soften quickly. If you find them getting to soft, re-chill them and only remove a few at a time to dip.
    5. Chill dipped truffles for just a few minutes, until coating is semi-hard. Meanwhile transfer the remaining chocolate to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with the tip cut off) and pipe swirls or swipes of chocolate over the top for decoration.

    Read more at http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/09/maple-walnut-truffles/#qRdH9vs4IjHBcfuX.99

    Friday, January 17, 2014

    Greek Black Eyed Pea Soup

    Apparently it's good luck to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Years.

    via
     No.

    Not those Black Eyed Peas.

    These:
    via

    I wanted to make something different from the usual crockpot Black eyed pea soup I usually make.  I thought this Greek style black eyed pea stew from The Cozy Apron would fit the bill.

    Sadly, while my family enjoyed it, I thought it was a bit on the bland side.  I doubled the amount of spices called for in the recipe, but it still lacked that certain something I was never able to put my finger on.  I'm wondering if the culprit might be that I used turkey stock instead of beef stock.  That is a definite possibility.

    Greek Black Eye Pea Soup from The Cozy Apron
    3 T olive oil, plus extra
    ½ pound lean ground beef ( i used 1 lb)
    ½ t sea salt
    ½ t black pepper (I used 1 t)
    1 onion, diced
    3 celery ribs, diced
    3 carrots, peeled and diced
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 ½ T dry oregano (I used 3T)
    ½ teaspoon ground cumin (I used 1 t)
    ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used a scant t)
    1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
    6 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas (I used 1 bag of dried beans that had been soaked and cooked about 6 cups)
    5 cups beef (or chicken) stock, hot (I used turkey stock)
    2 T flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    1 t lemon zest
    2 t lemon juice

    Place a large pot over med-high heat, and once hot, add the 3 T olive oil; once oil's hot, add  grbeef , break up to crumble,brown 2 min. add salt and pepper, onion, celery, carrots, minced garlic and dry oregano. Cook 2 min, add cumin, cinnamon and tomato paste. Stir to combine;  cook 2 min, add  the black-eyed peas and stock.  stir to combine, and simmer, covered, for 20 min; after 20 minutes, smash black-eyed peas lightly with potato masher to break them up to thicken the stew; cover, and simmer an additional 20 min, stirring ever so often to keep peas from sticking to bottom of pot; to finish  stew, add in parsley, lemon zest and juice.

    Wednesday, January 15, 2014

    Ear Flap Hats

    In November I made Mrblocko and myself some crochet hats with ear flaps. I used this pattern from Repeat Crafter Me.  Obviously I omitted the step to make them into puppy dogs.  Although, I added a Mohawk to mine using this as a guide.



    The hats were quite large using the adult pattern.  This wound up being exactly what I wanted though.  Mrblocko has a larger than average head, and I planned to use mine over another hat for extra warmth while standing outside at work.

    With the hats working out to be larger, I thought the ear flaps were a bit too small.  I added a few stitches to each row so they didn't look disproportionally small.
     
    I think the mohawk makes it look a bit like a Roman helmet.  Maybe I will make another one that is grey with a red mohawk at some point in the future.



    Mrblocko got a matching scarf as well.  Originally he wanted a solid grey scarf, but as he wanted this as a hat and scarf to wear while running, I thought he should stand out a bit from the pavement.  Blockette picked the neon green, but only after I vetoed the neon pink.

    Monday, January 13, 2014

    Dairy Free Caramel Corn

    I've made this recipe 3 times and I cannot believe I managed to forget to take a picture each and every time!  It's probably because this dairy free caramel corn from Rue Rococo is so good you can't stop eating it long enough to actually use the camera.


    I made the first batch to take as a dish to pass at a party.  One of my friends can't have dairy so I always try to bring something he can eat when I know he is going to be in attendance.  The snack was a huge hit, not only with him, but with the vegans too!

    The swanky thing about this recipe is that you can use other spreads instead of peanut butter.  Once I used Jiff Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut spread.  That was a huge hit with coffee fanatics.  I bet Biscoff would be amazing as well, and peanut allergy friendly to boot.

    One important note: This is the sticky variety of caramel corn.  If you wanted the crunchy type, I'm sure you could bake it in the oven to crisp it up.  I was too lazy and impatient to try it though.

    Peanut Butter Caramel Corn from Rue Rococo
    12 c popped popcorn
    2/3 c corn syrup
    2/3 c sugar
    2/3 c peanut butter

    Pour popcorn into a large bowl and set aside. (Make sure you look through it and discard any old maids/unpopped kernels to prevent damage to your teeth.) In med pan, mix corn syrup and sugar. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and quickly stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour peanut butter sauce over popcorn and toss to coat. The mixture will set up quite rapidly and be difficult to stir so be sure to use as large of a bowl as possible.

    Friday, January 10, 2014

    Baked Coconut Shrimp

    Every year for New Year's Eve,  it's tradition to have some sort of shrimp dish.  This year I decided to try baked coconut shrimp from Tastebook.

    via
    The Orange rum dipping sauce was amazing, but the cooking times for the shrimp was way, way off.

    First, we used a much smaller shrimp than the 16-20 count that the recipe called for.  I think it was 24-36 count.  You would think, as the shrimp were smaller and therefore, not as thick, you could bake them for a lot less time, right?  Apparently not.  The recipe says to bake them for 10 minutes.  It was more like 15 min on each side.  I also think that the cooking temp of 375F was incorrect as well.  We wound up cranking the oven up to 400F after the first 10 min.  Even after baking at 400F for an additional 20 min, the coconut was barely golden brown.

    The leftovers were much better the next day.  I reheated them in a skillet with no oil. This finally allowed the breading to crisp up, and the coconut to become a darker brown.

    While this recipe wound up tasting ok eventually, I wouldn't make it again.  Try it at your own risk.


    Coconut Shrimp from tastebook (edited to add my suggested bake times)
    1 pound 16-20 count shrimp, peeled and deveined, leave tail on
    1/3 c cornstarch
    1 t salt
    1 T  cumin
    pinch of cayenne
    1 c flaked sweetened coconut
    1/2-3/4 C Panko bread crumbs
    3 egg whites, beaten until foamy

    Orange Rum Sauce
    1/2 C orange marmalade
    1 T whole grain Dijon mustard
    1 T coconut rum (Malibu)

    Preheat oven to 375 F (or 400F). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or use a silicon baking mat. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and spices in a shallow bow; pour coconut flakes and Panko in a separate shallow bowl. Dredge one shrimp at a time in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll in coconut, making sure to coat shrimp well. Place on prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Bake shrimp til they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, about 8-10 minutes (10-15 min on each side). Serve with Orange Rum Sauce.

    Orange Rum Sauce
    Mix marmalade, 1 T mustard and rum. Mix well.  (Tastes best after chills for a few hours in the fridge so the flavors can combine.)

    Wednesday, January 8, 2014

    Dr.Pepper Chili

    Whoa...has it been nearly a month since I blogged?  It was a much needed break.  Every year I let the pre Christmas planning drive me bonkers.  I try to do everything.  Well that never works!  No matter how much I do, there's always one more thing to be done.  I've decided that I'm only going to do the bare minimum which includes putting the tree up, shopping and wrapping presents, and baking our four favorite Christmas cookies. 

    Notice Blogging was not on that list.

    While I enjoy blogging, it was nice not stressing over what to write.  I was able to fully enjoy the time I had off work and the time I had alone with Blockette. 

    Today was her first day back due to the wind and cold.  The lucky duck wound up with an 18 day long break!  I miss her already and school's only been on for a few hours.  So to keep my mind off the missing kookie doodlebug, let's get to talking about Dr. Pepper Chili

    Dr Pepper Chili? 

    Yeah.  It's just what the Dr. ordered on a chilly day.  (See what I did there.  Feel free to groan.)


    Mrblocko thought the concept sounded peculiar, but it wound up being delicious.  The sweet from the cola and the spicy from the chipotle were a rockin flavor pairing.

    My tweaks to this recipe were using a half pound of ground beef, and 1 1/2 cups each of black and pinto beans.  I also added 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn as well.  Finally, I used the last 36 oz of pureed tomatoes I harvested and froze from the garden.  I used the pureed tomatoes in place of the 28oz of whole peeled tomatoes and 8 oz of tomato sauce.   

    While Chicken Chili is still my all time favorite, the Dr Pepper Chili from No. 2 Pencil was a nice change of pace.  It's nice to mix things up every once and a while so you don't get into a food rut. 

    Dr Pepper Chili adapted from No.2 Pencil serves 4-6
    2 T olive oil
    1 med onion, diced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 t kosher salt
    2 t chili powder
    2 chipotle chile en adobo chopped,t
    1/2-1 lb gr beef
    1 can of Dr Pepper (about 12 oz)
    28 oz whole peeled tomatoes
    8 oz tomato sauce (or use a total of 36 oz pureed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes and sauce)
    14.5 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes
    1 1/2 c frozen corn
    1 1/2 c pinto beans
    1 1/2 c black beans

    Saute onion and garlic in oil, just until they start to soften. Add salt, chili powder, and chipotles.  Stir til combined 2 min over med  heat. Brown meat, and deglaze pan with soda. Reduce liquid to half over med heat. Crush whole peeled tomatoes if using. Add all tomatoes, and their juices to the pan and simmer 30 min til thickened. Add corn and beans during last 5 min to heat through.