fudge

mmm chocolatey delicious creamy fudge.

i had some left over sweetened condensed milk from another recipe, so I decided to use it to make fudge (letting it go bad.. not an option when it's so expensive!!)

Simple Fudge:

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package chocolate chips

put both ingredients in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. then microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between. when the chocolate is completely melted give it one more good stir. Pour it into a lightly greased container and allow to harden (put in fridge to speed up the cooling process) and then cut into small pieces.
I spooned it into one of my ikea silicone ice cube trays (a heart shaped one for valentines day) - which made it easy to pop them out.

Enjoy! (in small doses, or you'll get a sugar overload!!)

tinfoil dinners

Simple and delicious.
Perfect for camping but also for a nice quiet cozy evening in.

Tinfoil Dinners for 2
ingredients:
1 medium size onion
6 small potatoes (or 3 medium/large ones)
2 handfuls of baby carrots
1 full length of farmer sausage

directions:
tear off a 2 large sections of tinfoil (around 1 1/2 feet maybe? better to have extra than too little)
grease the tinfoil (butter or pam)
cut up the onion, potato, baby carrots & sausage into bite sized pieces and split evenly and place on the greased tinfoil.  (at this point, Michael added a splash of bbq sauce to his, I'm not a huge bbq sauce fan, so I didn't)

Add a generous sprinkle of salt & pepper.
Fold the tinfoil both horizontally across and then vertically till it is nicely sealed.

Place directly on the oven racks of a preheated oven (375-400 degrees) and cook for 45 minutes. Take them out and open very carefully (the steam will be very hot!) and check if the potatoes and carrots are cooked all the way through (and the meat too of course! but the potatoes and carrots seem to take much longer) - put them back in the oven in 15 minute intervals until they are done.

Empty contents onto a plate and enjoy!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Yup - they sound delicious - and they were delicious!!
A little more work than your typical cupcake since you have to make a filling, remove the centre of the cupcake, fill it and then frost it. But... they were delicious!

I got this recipe from Fake Ginger again (she has a lot of great recipes!)


Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Ingredients

• For the cupcakes:
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

• For the filling:
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 7 ounce sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

the cookie dough filling

• For the frosting:
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• For decoration:
• Mini chocolate chips

Instructions

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (about 20). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

i used my "shark knife" to cut out the centre of the cupcakes

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

filled with the cookie dough filling

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips for decoration. 

YUM

cut down the middle so you can see the filling and all. it kinda blends into the colour of the frosting but you can sorta see the difference. so good.
Enjoy!

Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

I love a good cupcake - especially one that tastes so fresh & delicious. The raspberries turned the cupcake a bit of a blue colour, but the icing was a nice rich pink colour. They were very delicious!! I will definitely be making these again..


Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
(adapted from a recipe from Fake Ginger)

For the cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cup chopped raspberries  *all I had was frozen, so l drained off a little of the liquid as they began to thaw
• For the frosting:
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped raspberries

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans.
2. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.
3. In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in berries.
4. Fill cupcake pans 3/4 way. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

1. Use a mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach a slightly stiffer consistency then you wanted. Blend the raspberries into the mixture. The raspberry juices should thin out your buttercream a little bit, add more powdered sugar if needed.

ENJOY!!! (and share if you want!)

Drunken Fruit Salsa

I made this salsa to enjoy on top of the bbq chicken for my brother's birthday (see previous post). I made it both "drunken" and "non-drunken" since we were also feeding Everett :) It was my first time eating & making fruit salsa, and I think it was a hit.

Drunken Fruit Salsa
(I doubled it to feed the 7 of us)
1 medium mango, peeled and finely diced**
3/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 kiwi, peeled and finely diced
3/4 cup pineapple, finely diced
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup rum (leave out if you want it "non-drunken")

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours, stirring once or twice. Serve on top of bbq chicken! enjoy!

**the best way to cut a mango:
hold the mango so that the longest side of the mango is vertical, essentially you want to have it so the pit is standing vertically. slice top to bottom, curving around the pit as much as possible. When you feel resistance you are likely cutting into the pit, so you want to angle out a little more. Once you have cut off both sides of the pit you want to hold one side in your hand, peel down. Now you will cut into the mango in a checkerboard way. Then you pop the mango inside out, and the mango will be like a porcupine, sticking out so you can easily pop it off the peel.

(I realize these instructions aren't the best, so here is a video on youtube, watch from the 1:30 mark: http://youtu.be/lvLdPjpELyU it really is so much easier to enjoy mangos once you learn this! my mom-in-law taught me)

Honey Barbecue Chicken

My brother just turned 30 last weekend, and I offered to make him supper. he requested bbq chicken with fresh fruit salsa. So I did a little online searching and found this recipe (see next post for the fresh fruit salsa recipe)

Honey Barbecue Chicken
(I doubled it for the 7 of us)

4 chicken breasts

Marinade:
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 large bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Mix to combine. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours.
BBQ and then serve with rice (I did basmati rice, made with chicken brother instead of water, very tasty) and fresh fruit salsa. yum!

Mixed Herb Pasta with Red Bell Peppers and Feta

I had bought feta awhile ago to make veggie bagels, and wanted to use up the rest of it to make some type of herb & feta pasta.

I found this website on epicurious.com - it wasn't my favourite, but Michael asked that we put it on our "regular rotation" of recipes (aka my go-to list)

here it is!

Mixed Herb Pasta with Red Bell Peppers & Feta

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 pound spaghettini
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, parsley, tarragon, mint, and sage)
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (about 7 ounces)

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add peppers and cook until crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine; boil until reduced by 1/3, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and reserved cooking liquid to pot. Add pepper mixture, herbs, and cheese. Toss gently but thoroughly until cheese begins to melt. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

* I only made a half recipe and it was enough for the two of us with no left overs.

Peppermint Patties

I LOVE mint and chocolate together, it is one of the tastiest combinations in my opinion.

I love a good york peppermint patty after a meal, so minty & delicious. I decided to try and create my own, they were a lot of work, but so tasty that I think they were worth it. YUM. 

(I found this recipe on joyofbaking)

Peppermint Patties:

2 cups (240 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon peppermint extract (add more if you want a stronger flavour)

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (30 ml) evaporated milk

Chocolate Coating:

8 ounces (240 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon (12 grams) shortening

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. Lightly dust the foil with icing sugar.

With an electric mixer beat (on low speed) the sugar, butter, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill until firm enough to roll into balls (about an hour).

Roll the batter into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls and place on the prepared pan. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until the patties are about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter and 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the patties are firm (at least one hour, or even overnight).

Chocolate Coating: 

* This is where I ran into it being "more work than it's worth?". I didn't let the peppermint filling cool off long enough, so when I went to dip it in the chocolate it just became goo. I ended up coating the bottoms of the patties first and placing them on the pan, and then I dropped a dollop of chocolate on the top of each one and spread it around to cover the whole thing. 

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove the patties from the refrigerator and dip, one patty at a time, into the melted chocolate, making sure both sides of each patty are completely coated with chocolate. (You can use 2 forks or a chocolate dipping fork.) 

Let any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl and then place the patties back on the foil. Once all the patties have been dipped in the chocolate, return to the refrigerator to chill until firm (30 - 60 minutes). Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (separate layers with parchment paper or wax paper) for up to one month.

Makes 25 - 30 patties. 

Oatmeal Smoothie

I found this recipe on my first day of using pinterest

I am almost always running late in the mornings.. I love my sleep, what can I say! So, often I make a smoothie and then run out the door with my breakfast.


This recipe (via martha stewart) had this description: All the nutritional benefits of oatmeal and fruit can be enjoyed in this simple, healthy smoothie.
sounded good to me! So I tried it out this morning.

Over all, tasty, filling and easy BUT.. it had a bit of a chalky taste from the oatmeal. Other than that, you couldn't taste or feel the oatmeal.

I will likely make this again!

Oatmeal Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup ice

• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup coconut water (or other liquid, such as juice)
• 
  
• Directions

1. Place ice and raspberries in the bottom of blender, and all other ingredients on top. Whir until completely smooth. Serve.

Red Lentil Soup With Bacon

I found this recipe in a renters magazine a few months ago & decided to try it out on a nice cool day. It hit the spot!


Red Lentil Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch
1 1/2 cup red lentils
1 tsp ground cumin
2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
**I also added a good amount of tabasco sauce to give it a little kick :)

plain yogurt
fresh sprigs of basil (i didn't have any, so you can do without!)

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a piece of paper towel & set aside. Keep 1 tbsp bacon dripping ins the pan.
Add the garlic, onion & carrots to saucepan. Cook vegetables over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the lentils, cumin, tomato paste, chicken stock, wine & water, stir to combine. Simmer until the lentils are cooked and falling apart, about 25-30 minutes. The soup is fairly thick, so if you prefer it thinner just add more stock or water.

Puree the soup in a blender. Reheat if necessary.

To serve, divide the soup among warmed soup bowls, garnish with a dollop of yogurt  & the reserved bacon (crumbled).

Enjoy!

gingerbread

mmm nothing says christmas baking like a good gingerbread man!
well the gingerbread man doesn't really talk.. but, well you know what i mean :)

i made this batch so that we could munch on cookies while making a gingerbread house with Everett, and they are very tasty!

i got the recipe from my chatelain magazine:

Gingerbread
3 cups flour
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (i didn't have it so i used a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg & 1/4 tsp of cloves)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup fancy molasses

stir 2 cups flour with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt & baking soda in a large bowl. make a well in the centre.

beat butter with brown sugar in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, for 2 min. Beat in egg and molasses. Pour molasses mixture into flour mixture. Stir until all flour is incorporated. Stir in remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough is no longer sticky but still soft. Divide dough into 4 portions. Form into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Roll out 1 disc of dough** on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.

Bake in centre of oven until deep brown around edges and firm to the touch, about 7 minutes. Larger cut-outs may require more baking time. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Cool sheets slightly before the next batch. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

**I normally let the dough sit on the counter to warm up slightly, and then knead it with my hands until it warms up a bit, or else it will crack as you roll it out.

 i cut out little animal shapes for Everett, i realize there isn't anything christmasy about a cow!!

decorate with icing and sprinkles or just eat plain and ENJOY!

cookie dough truffles

i got this recipe from my cousin emilee after sampling some that she had brought over
they are even better than they sound and they have been snatched up wherever I take them.

It makes a big batch so either prepare to share or feel really sick from eating them all yourself!

enjoy

Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Approximately 2 boxes of Bakers Semisweet Chocolate

Cream softened butter & sugar together. Add flour, sweetened condensed milk & vanilla. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper (or wax paper works too). Cover & refrigerate (or set outside if it's cold out) for about an hour.

Melt baker's chocolate in microwave (remember to use 1/2 power so you don't burn the chocolate, and stir often) for coating the truffles. (don't melt all of the chocolate at once, it'll cool too much and be hard to dip the truffles in)

Dip balls in melted chocolate and place on parchment/wax paper. Refrigerate until firm (10-15 minutes or so) these freeze very well too!

To make them look extra fancy, melt a small bowl of while chocolate chips, and place into a ziplock bag, cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag and then drizzle the chocolate all over the truffles & top with a few rainbow sprinkles.

Pope one in your mouth for a reward and enjoy!!!

panko chicken strips

I found panko crumbs at bulk barn the other day and decided to buy it so I could make my own delicious chicken strips. found this recipe online and it was delicious.
try it and enjoy!


Panko Chicken


5 boneless chicken breasts, washed & patted dry, cut into strips
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp parsley flakes


Mix melted butter, garlic and mustard. Set aside. Mix panko crumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley. set aside.
coat chicken in mustard sauce on both sides; dip chicken in panko mixture. lay chicken in baking pan (use small baking pan so chicken stays cozy/close together. 
Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes. If chicken isn't done at this point, turn down the heat to 400 and cook longer, checking every few minutes.

smartie oatmeal cookies

when halloween was over, i had a lot of leftover candy
i decided to keep all the smarties for baking
i think they taste so much better when they are baked into a cookie
so i looked online and found this recipe
they made big, soft, delicious cookies

use your leftover candy to make these!

smartie oatmeal cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter
• 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups of large flake oats
• 1- 1 1/2 cups of Smarties
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugars. Once those are light and fluffy, beat in the eggs and vanilla, again until it’s light, airy and completely combined.
2. Take the flour and mix the baking soda in, then add to the bowl. Mix until the dry ingredients are blended in. Add in the oats, mixing until they are through the dough.
3. Mix the Smarties in by hand.
4. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Take a golf ball sized scoop and roll into said golf ball. Then flatten them on the cookie sheets.
6. Fit 6 six to a sheet. Or, if you choose to do larger ones, space accordingly. (You must flatten them to achieve the flat yet chewy goodness)
7. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes, watch them carefully, then pull them out when they look browned. They might be a little soft in the middle – good!
8. Cool them on the sheets completely.

enjoy!!

Potato Skins Recipe

potato skins are one of the tastiest things. i decided to make them yesterday for supper as a side dish for bbq chicken. took a little longer than, say, making rice in the rice cooker, but they were SO good, that it was worth it.

here is the recipe I found online:

INGREDIENTS

• 6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes (total 3 pounds)
• Olive oil
• Canola oil or grapeseed oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 strips of bacon
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

METHOD

1 Scrub the potatoes clean then bake the potatoes using your favorite method, either oven or microwave. If using an oven, rub with olive oil and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed. If using a microwave, rub all over with olive oil and cook on the high setting for about 5 minutes per potato. I have found that baking the potatoes in a conventional oven yields potatoes that are easier to work with (cut and scoop out), the potato seems to adhere to the skins a little better, but there is hardly a discernible difference in the final product.

2 While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

 

3 Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub grapeseed oil or canola oil (or another high smoke point oil) all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

 

4 Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately. 

Note: If you have a potato whose skin or flesh has turned green, cut out those parts, do not use them. The green indicates the presence of a toxin that develops when potatoes are exposed to sunlight.

enjoy!