Seeing a Trend

Well, first of all, it seems my one year ‘blogiversary’ has come and gone. So, happy belated birthday to MSandS. Remind me to bake a cake… or something…

So last night, O2 decided that what she just HAD TO HAVE was frozen cookie dough dipped in chocolate.

Oy.

And sure enough, a short time later I found her in the kitchen whipping up a batch of these. You might notice a marked resemblance to this middle of the night candy-making binge. I sense a trend here.

I never got to sample any of these last night, and it will be interesting to see if they made it through the day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough Pops

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs water
2 cups flour
¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup chocolate for melting (whatever you prefer)
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs half & half

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla, water, flour, and chocolate chips until well blended. Roll dough into bite-sized balls. Place on a lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Combine chocolate, butter and half & half in a small bowl. Place in microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. Allow to sit in microwave with door closed for 30 seconds to one minute. Remove and stir until mixture is smooth (add a bit more of the cream if necessary). Remove dough balls from freezer and skewer with toothpicks to hold. Dip in chocolate mixture and return to pan. Return to freezer until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes. Store in resealable plastic bags.

Elves in the Kitchen

I remember late one night not too many years ago being awakened out of a sound sleep and having that feeling that ‘something just doesn’t seem quite… right’. This was quickly followed by a moment of panic thinking that the house was on fire because I definitely smelled… something.

Turns out it was O1 and O2 having the first of many Midnight Summertime Crèpe-making Extravaganzas. These eventually became their little bonding ritual and my only reservation (once these little sessions of theirs no longer resulted in my bolting awake in a panic) was facing a kitchen that was only ‘sort of’ put back together afterwards.

What I’m trying to say is that I’m no stranger to walking into the kitchen in the morning and seeing evidence of various late-night culinary endeavors.

And maybe it was because last week was a REALLY long week, which had followed another REALLY long week, or maybe my head just wasn’t in the right place, because when I walked into my PRISTINE kitchen and spotted a tray of these…

all I could manage was… confusion.

I wondered if maybe I had made them and just promptly forgot (told you it had been a long week)? But no, upon closer inspection, these seemed too peanut butter-y to have been made by me. I’m not much of a peanut butter fan.

Turns out O2 had a craving for peanut butter and chocolate and decided to dive right in and make a batch of Buckeyes.

And then wash all of the dishes, countertops, etc.

Excuse me while I go check her temperature. While you’re waiting, you might want to whip up a batch of your own, because judging from how quickly they disappeared, they must have been pretty tasty.

Even if they were full of peanut butter.

Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cups (1 stick) butter (if you're using unsalted, you might want to add a dash)
1 tsp vanilla
1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs vegetable shortening

Combine first four ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, using clean hands to mix, if desired. Roll into balls (1-2 teaspoons) and place on a waxed-paper lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until cold set.

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a bowl in the microwave (30 seconds to 1 minute at a time - be careful not to burn). Put balls on a toothpick and dunk 3/4 of the way into the melted chocolate.  Remove toothpick and refrigerate again.

Yeah. I Went There.

Let me first say that I considered these an epic failure.

Actually, let me back up a bit. I’ve been putting brown sugar on my bacon way before the current ‘bacon as a sweet’ craze kicked in. It’s really not much of a stretch if you think about it. How many times have you shoveled pancakes drowned in maple syrup and a big bite of bacon into your mouth? See? Not that weird.

Anyway, I work with a bunch of guys, and I just thought they might enjoy something like this. So I dove in and made a batch of, yes, bacon caramels. Everything seemed to be fine until the next morning when I tried to cut into them. And they were hard. As. A. Rock.

Epic fail.

But I wanted to at least be able to pass out a few samples to get some feedback on taste, so I popped the dish into the toaster oven just long enough for the glass to heat up and the caramels to soften a bit.

And then I passed them out.

I received two declarations of love, and a “I don’t care how much it costs, will you make these for me for my next party?”

So maybe they weren’t a complete failure after all. I did, however, change the temperature on the recipe here so that the end result is softer and doesn’t put you in danger of extracting teeth when you try to bite down on it.

I know Valentine’s Day is over, but if you’re looking for something a little offbeat and fun to give your guy, try these. Judging from the moans, I’d say they were a hit.

Go figure.

Bacon Caramel

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream, divided
2 Tbs maple syrup
4 strips of crisply fried, meaty bacon, crumbled and fatty portions removed
1/2 tsp fleur de sel

Reserve 1/2 cup of the heavy cream. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Stir to combine. Set on medium high heat. Stir occasionally and cook until 234°. Remove from the stove and carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cream. Place back on the heat and continue to cook to 240°. Immediately remove from heat and stir in a portion of the crispy bacon. Pour the caramel into a buttered dish (I used an 8×8 glass dish). Scatter the remaining bacon and fleur de sel on top. Let set for at least 3 hours before cutting.

A Milestone Birthday

Offspring #1 turned 21 today.  Oy.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the entire concept and the idea that she'd rather have top shelf vodka than Barbie dolls (although, to be truthful, she was never really a huge fan of those).

Anyway...

Over the weekend we had a family get-together for her.  And I was so wrapped up in getting everything together that I managed to only snap a few pictures.

At her request, I made Shrimp Wraps with Mango Salsa.  And in addition to her birthday 'cake', which was actually a key lime pie, I made her White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Fudge.  There were many other things there as well, but alas, no photos.

The wraps had a number of components, including a revisit to the Toasted Parmesan Flatbread from the previous weekend.  Just thought they'd make a nice substitute for tortillas.

I had eleven people to feed, so I made double batches of everything.  The amounts can be cut down for smaller numbers of servings.  Once the flatbread was ready to go, the next component was a coconut rice flavored with a bit of cumin.

Gingered Coconut Rice

2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 cups long-grained rice
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 14 oz. can low-sodium chicken broth (or substitute water)
1 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  As soon as oil gets hot, add cumin and ginger and sauté just until fragrant.  Add rice and stir to coat with oil.  Continue to stir and cook for a minute or two and allow the rice to toast slightly.

Add coconut milk and chicken broth, plus enough water to bring the total amount of liquid to 4 cups.  Add salt.  Turn heat up to medium-high and stir a couple of times to completely incorporate the liquid.  Allow to come to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 16 - 18 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir to incorporate the coconut milk solids, which will settle on the top.

Garlic Shrimp

2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp (I used small 55 - 60 count to better fit in the wraps)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
3 - 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste (I like to use a course salt here)

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke.  Add chili flakes and garlic.  Sauté just long enough for the garlic to start toasting.  Immediately add shrimp (if your pan is small, do this in a couple of batches so the shrimp flash fries and doesn't steam).  Cook and stir until shrimp is just cooked through.  This will only take a couple of minutes.

Mango Salsa

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 ripe mangos, cut into small cubes
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced to the same size as the onions
1 lime
Salt to taste
(you can also add some finely chopped cilantro to this)

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.  Zest the lime and add to the mixture, then add the juice from the lime as well.  Season.


** We set up a buffet and allowed everyone to assemble their wraps according to their own specifications.  Also had avocado and olives on hand to add to the mix.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Fudge

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup)

1- 12 oz. pkg. white chocolate chips

1 jar (7 oz.) Marshmallow Creme

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 234° (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.

Pour immediately into the prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled; cut into 1-inch squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature

Sugar Coma

After the last couple of weeks, I should probably have the C & H logo stamped on my forehead.

My diet regimen over the holidays is to produce so much in the way of candy and baked goods that I can't look a stick of butter squarely without feeling the need to take a 20 minute hike.  Luckily, I have coworkers who are more than happy to alleviate me of any confectionary items I may put together.

Two weekends before it was all about the baking.  Last week I was giving my digital thermometer a proper workout in preparation for a work party and a holiday party at a friend's house.  The end result of my efforts being CANDY.  Lots of CANDY.

The nice thing about candy is you can whip up a batch in about the same amount of time it takes to put a cookie dough together.  And then you don't have to spend time baking.  In spite of the quantity, I did put this together fairly quickly.  In addition to the ever-present caramel corn, there was Pumpkin Seed Brittle...

Peppermint fudge (which I won't include the recipe for here as they were the standard Special Magic Fudge, or whatever the heck they call the stuff on the back of the marshmallow fluff container)....

Almond Roca (and yes, it tastes just like the real thing, but better)....

Two kinds of truffles....  Amaretto with silver sprinkles, and Frangelico with toasted hazelnuts.

And the thing I believe elicited the most 'Oh. My. Gawd.'s were the Vanilla Bean Caramels with Fleur de Sel

Oh.  My.  Gawd.

I feel like the next post should be all about lettuce.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup raw, green (hulled) pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Place a foil-lined cookie sheet on a flat surface (I use the non-stick variety - if you're using plain Jane foil, you might want to butter it a bit).  Bring sugar, water and salt to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Cook mixture, without stirring, and only washing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in a bit of water if sugar crystals form, until the syrup reaches 238º (about 10 - 15 minutes).  The syrup will have little or no color to it.  Remove from heat and stir in seeds until sugar crystals form (don't panic - this is supposed to happen).  It should resemble course sand.

Return pan back to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts completely and turns a deep caramel color, about 5 minutes or so.  Carefully pour brittle out onto cookie sheet, as thinly as possible.  Cool completely and then break into pieces.


Almond Roca

1 cup unsalted butter (omit salt from recipe if butter is salted)
1 cup sugar
9 oz. sliced almonds, toasted slightly
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine butter and sugar in a heavy saucepan and melt over low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.  Turn heat up to medium and stir gently as mixture comes to a boil.  Once the mixture boils, continue to stir gently until it reaches a temperature of 300º on the candy thermometer and becomes a toffee color.  Try not to scrape the sides of the pan as you stir.

When it comes to temperature, immediately remove from heat.  Crumble in about a third of the toasted almonds and pour mixture out evenly onto a lined cookie sheet.

Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over hot toffee and tent the pan with a piece of foil.  Allow the chips to melt for 2 - 3 minutes, and then spread them evenly over the toffee.  Sprinkle top with remaining almonds and allow to cool.  Once cool, break into pieces.


Dark Chocolate Truffles

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, choppped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs heavy cream
1 Tbs liquor (I used Amaretto for one and Frangelico for the other)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts, sprinkles, cocoa powder, or something else to roll the truffles in

Place chocolate in a medium bowl (make sure it is at room temp).  Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and then pour over the chocolate.  Allow to stand for about 5 minutes, then add the liquor and vanilla and mix until the liquid is completely incorporated into the chocolate.  Allow to cool for about 1/2 an hour.

Using an electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture until fluffy and lighter in color, about 4 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate until firm, about an hour or so.

Line a dish with waxed paper.  Place your coating in a small dish.  Using a melon baller or a couple of spoons, scoop truffle mixture out and roll in coating, using your hands to form the truffle into a ball.  Place on prepared dish.  When all of the truffles are prepared, cover the dish and refrigerate another hour.

Vanilla Bean Caramels with Fleur de Sel
from Annie's Eats

1 cup heavy cream
5 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 1/4 tsp fleur de sel, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Line the bottom and sides of an 8" square baking dish with parchment paper.  Lightly butter the parchment.

Just a Little Between Your Teeth and Gums

If last week was all about cookies (which I realize I have yet to post about but soon will!), then this week is about the candy.  Maybe it's my last ditch attempt to avoid the Christmas shopping that still needs to be done (sigh).

This is a recipe that has been floating around my family since, gosh, way back when I was in college?  {Ahem} We'll dispense with the discussion of how long ago THAT was.  Anyway, I remember it being on this faded old card with a Jiffy Pop logo.  WAY before microwave popcorn became the norm.

During the course of the holiday season, I probably make 3 - 4 gallons of this stuff.  I even sold it at work one year to help raise money for something Offspring 2 was doing.

Here in the Northwest, this recipe can get tricky at times.  Not because it's in any way difficult to make.  It's the humidity.  With all of the rain we get in the winter, our humidity levels are really high, and the sugar in this tends to crystallize, which is did with this batch.  Still delicious.  Just doesn't cover as well or come out as smooth.

I like to put a big bag of this in the conference room, which sits directly across from my office, and watch people sneak in and out and surreptitiously grab a bite here and a bite there.  I'm telling you, it is seriously addictive.

Caramel Corn

24 cups popped popcorn (if you want to dispense with the stovetop popping, use 3 bags of NATURAL microwave popcorn - no butter or salt), remove kernels

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ - 1 tsp salt (use less if you're using salted butter)
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Put popcorn in one or more large baking pans (or use an aluminum turkey roaster, which has the added benefit of being able to be tossed after - not very ecologically sound, but a big timesaver).

Heat oven to 250º.

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a full boil. Continue to boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add baking soda and vanilla and stir until the mixture is an equal consistency throughout. Pour over popcorn and stir to combine.



After adding the baking soda and vanilla, see how it foams up?



















Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Allow to cool a bit so that the caramel hardens (and so you don't give yourself 3rd degree burns), then break up with your hands.

To Welcome a Baby Boy

The great thing about being involved in a community theater is that you get to meet really fantastic people.  I was lucky enough to meet a terrific couple, who just happened to be starting a new family, and I asked Daddy if it was ok to throw a shower.  The only real 'theme' for the party was a tie-in to their nursery décor, which happened to be Winnie the Pooh.

So, for the goodie bags, I put some honey (fresh from a friend's farm in California) in baby bottles and also included these Honeycomb Candies, which were very quick and easy to make.

Honeycomb Candy

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water
3 Tbs honey
1/3 cup light corn syrup
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
 
Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or non-stick aluminum foil.  Measure baking soda onto a piece wax paper or other surface and make sure there are no lumps in it.
 
Add sugar, water, honey and corn syrup to a large saucepan (if the pan is too small, you will be sorry later).  Gently stir and then heat mixture over medium heat, swirling the pan gently on occasion (once you start heating it, keep your spoon out of it).  Allow mixture to come to a boil and continue heating and swirling until it becomes a golden amber color.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla and then the baking soda.  The mixture will start foaming up... a LOT (thus the large pan).  Continue mixing until mixture is of the same consistency throughout and then pour onto lined baking sheet.  It will continue to expand on the pan.
 
Allow the mixture to cool completely and then break into pieces.
 
We also had chocolate fudge cupcakes, which I filled with an Oreo cookie cream mixture and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting and edible shimmer dust.  I poked lollipop sticks with gumdrop ends into them to make them resemble baby rattles.