Bonus Recipe: Thick Caramel Sauce

I searched, I hunted, I quested long and hard for a filling for chocolates for my husband this Valentine's Day.  His favorite chocolate from Holl's is the royal truffle, full of a gooey caramel sauce that we both love.

I wasn't sure: did I want to use a "real" caramel and just coat it with chocolate? (not the same, but delicious) Or did I want to try for that authentic goo?

We'll see how this goes!  It's certainly delicious by itself!

Important note:  This is not a good recipe to make with children.  Besides the patience factor, the caramel will rise up and possibly spit molten sugar at the stage where you add the heavy cream.

Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp butter (chopped into small chunks)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum (optional)

Directions:
Measure out and set aside all your ingredients in advance.  I usually do this anyway, but for this recipe it is ESSENTIAL.  Set them within easy reach of a cleared work space (I use the top of my stove since I have a flat top)

In a large saucepan (at least 4 qts), stir sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened.  Put on stove on medium high.

STAY WITH YOUR PAN.*  Watch it, without stirring, as it comes to a boil, and bubbles begin to slow down as the sugar melts off.  (This took mine about 5 minutes)   Continue to watch, now very closely, until the mixture begins to turn the color of honey.

Pull the pan off the heat and stir the mixture vigorously.   Continuing to stir, add the first 1/2 cup of heavy cream and the chunks of butter.  THE SUGAR WILL RISE UP.  Keep stirring until it settles back down and all the butter is worked in.  Still stirring, add the remaining heavy cream, vanilla, and rum.  Stir until totally incorporated, then pour into a glass jar or storage container.

DO NOT LICK THE SPOON UNTIL COOLED!  (Yes, I totally did this)

Let cool on the counter until no longer hot to the touch, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  It will get thicker in the fridge.

*I cannot emphasize highly enough the chaos that may ensue if you do not stay with your pan.  Let's just leave it at "burnt, crusted sugar water all over your stove and kitchen floor" or "burnt, crusted sugar water nearly or actually ruining your pan"

Leftover Rice Pudding

Leftover rice is nothing to be ashamed of.  Especially if you're trying to watch your portions (good job, you!)  On the other hand, having it sitting in a container at the back of the refrigerator growing steadily harder and unappetizing isn't really the best situation.  So what to do?

Add a few simple ingredients and enjoy it, that's what!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (whole milk, skim milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, whatever you like milk!)
1/2 cup leftover rice, preferably not hard yet
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
Heat milk and sugar in a large mug in microwave for 2-3 minutes (warm, but not so hot a layer of skin forms on the milk)  Stir in nutmeg and rice.  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas Eggnog

There is, in my opinion, nothing quite as seasonal, delicious, relaxing, and utterly fattening as a really good eggnog.  If there isn't a part of your brain shrieking "This has to have a billion calories!" and another responding "Oh, hush, it's Christmas you Scrooge." then you can't possibly have a good batch.

This is my base recipe, sans alcohol, for those who may just like it by itself (as I occasionally do). Should you decide to add alcohol I recommend Baileys or Meyers, though I do know some people who like to add cinnamon schnapps.  Weirdos.

Makes a little more than half a gallon (depends on how much you slurp up while you're bottling it)

Ingredients:
12 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 cups whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp nutmeg plus some for garnish


Directions:
In a large bowl, use a mixer (hand or stand) to beat the egg yolks until they start to get lighter in color. Gradually add in sugar, continuing to beat, until sugar is fully incorporated.

Meanwhile, heat milk, heavy cream, and nutmeg in a large pot on the stove over medium high heat until steam rises off it.

Ladle a bit of the hot mixture into the egg/sugar mixture at a time and stir in between adds to prevent the heat of the milk from totally cooking the eggs.    When the bowl is about half full, dump the whole thing back into the pot with the rest of the milk mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 more minutes.

Pour everything back out into a bowl and either serve warm with nutmeg garnish (delicious!) or cool a little and pour into a storage container for later use.

National Brownie Day (belated)

National Brownie Day was this last Saturday, December 8th.  I had the best of intentions of posting this recipe then, but life got in the way.

This is a mildly altered version of Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownie's recipe (follow the link for the original) for increased chocolate-y goodness

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces (2 sticks) melted butter
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks of chocolate
1/2 cup of pecans (optional)
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan. Make sure you get into the corners!


Unless you're feeling super strong and long-lasting, grab a hand mixer with a whisk attachment or your stand mixer and whisk attachment and whisk the daylights out of your eggs until they increase in volume and get lighter in color.  Took me about 5 minutes with a hand mixer on medium speed.

Add both sugars. Add butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, 1/2 cup of flour and salt and mix to combine.  In a small bowl, toss chocolate chips and pecans (if using) with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour before mixing into the brownie batter.*

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

*Wondering why?  The flour keeps these ingredients from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

Creamy Coleslaw

I absolutely love a really good creamy coleslaw.  However, I've found a tendency in recipes to make it entirely too sweet.  So I found one and I tweaked until I got it right where I liked it.

Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 c mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tbsp vinegar (I usually use white vinegar, but it's all a matter of taste, really)
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp pepper
1 pinch of salt

Directions:
Toss together carrots and cabbage in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together everything else.

Pour sauce over carrots and cabbage and toss with forks or salad tossers (if you have them) until everything is thoroughly coated.  Let sit for at least 1 hour.  Chow down!

Sneaky Candy

Got the idea of these from a Real Simple magazine several years ago. I don't have the chance to make them often, but they're really very good when I get one before my father eats them.

Ingredients:
1 bag dried apricots blended/chopped/otherwise murdered
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Chocolate chips (optional)
Extra sugar and nutmeg (optional)

Directions:
Blend the apricots, sugar, and nutmeg until as smooth as you can get it. Roll them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball and stick in the fridge to harden (About 1 hour)

Coating options:
Chocolate-melt chocolate by placing chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until smooth chocolate forms. Dip 1/2 of the apricot balls in the chocolate and set on a waxed cookie sheet to harden.

Sugar/nutmeg-mix together sugar and nutmeg to your taste preference in a large flat-bottomed bowl. Roll balls in the mix


No matter which coating option you chose, they're cute in mini muffin cups.

Quick and Easy: Tropical Rice Pudding

Accidental recipe discovery

Ingredients:

1 cup leftover rice (we used sushi rice)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 fresh ripe pineapple cut into rough chunks
1 fresh orange cut into chunks
Sprinkle of nutmeg

Directions:

Toss it all together and eat!

Quick and Easy: Squish

Sometimes I just want some cookie dough. But... we don't have any and I don't really have any desire to cook any.

Thereby I began making Squish (Which is what I told my then 4 year old sister it was when she asked) which tastes not at all unlike spicy cookie dough and also does not contain raw egg which I hear is allegedly bad for you.

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter softened (best option) or melted (also acceptable)
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cloves
Allspice
Ginger

Directions:
Squish the butter and sugars together. Add two shakes each of the spices (or to taste), then enough of the flour to form what appears to be cookie dough. Eat!

Toasted Coconut Rice Pudding

If you never liked rice pudding, you'll like this.

If you hate the smell of burning popcorn, this may change your mind.

Toasted Coconut Rice Pudding

1/3 cup Jasmine rice (I haven't tried this with another type yet, so do so at your own risk)
1 14oz can of unsweetened coconut milk, not low fat
1/3 cup white sugar (brown sugar will make this too sweet)

Makes about 2 cups (6 servings)
Tip: Have all your ingredients out and measured when you start the recipe: this will not only keep you from having to struggle around for it, but also keeps you from burning the rice.

Pour rice into medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir and shake constantly until all rice is browned, about the color of brown sugar. Will put off a strong scent not unlike burning popcorn. YOU MUST KEEP STIRRING OR THE RICE WILL BURN.

Add the coconut milk and sugar to the pan and reduce heat to low. Stir to combine. Wait for it to come to a boil again, then cover with tight fitting lid and set a timer for 20 minutes. Stir about every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes, then stir every other minute until done. This should make al dente (slightly chewy) rice, so you can cook longer if you want it really soft.

Serve warm or cold

Ginger Gems

A simple, quick, dessert recipe for today to tantalize your tastebuds. This is what I call a "no kids" batch (in other words, very small)

Ginger Gems

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs freshly grated ginger (you can also use thawed ginger cubes like the ones produced by Dorot. They last pretty darned long too.)
1 1/4 cup flour
3-6 oz chopped candied ginger to taste

Directions
Heat oven to 375
In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar, and salt until creamy. Add egg, mix well. Add vanilla and ginger root, mix well. Add flour and blend until all lumps are gone. Mix in the ginger, making sure to spread it evenly throughout (otherwise you'll have a handful of just vaguely ginger scented sugar cookies) Drop heaping tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet and mash slightly. These cookies barely spread at all so you can place them pretty close together. Bake for 12 minutes. Warning they will not brown, so be careful not to overcook. Unless your oven runs a little cold, twelve minutes is perfect for slightly soft cookies.

Simple Scones

Snack time! Want something sweet but not too sweet? Scones are perfect! Best when served fresh out of the oven.

Simple Scones
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
24 tbsp butter (3 sticks) COLD, cut into cubes
1 1/4 milk
1 large egg, beaten, with 2 tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover two baking pans with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and cut it (*) into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Do not work the dough too much (ingredients should still feel cold)

Add the 1 1/4 cup buttermilk and mix until just combined and the dough begins to stick together. Add additional milk, 1 tbsp at a time if the dough seems too dry.


Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll or pat it into 2 6inch rounds about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut each round in half, then cut each half into 3 triangles. Separate the wedges slightly and brush the tops with egg wash.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch: 30-35 minutes.

(*) Cutting in the butter can be done in a few different ways: with two knives (cross your wrists in an X and pull knives towards each other, being very careful not to snick your fingers), with a pastry cutter (a metal half circle with slits on the bottom that usually has a wood or plastic handle and is pressed into the dough repeatedly), or with a food processor (blend in pulses, not a constant run since the constant speed will warm the dough)

Grandma's Ambrosia

Have you ever had that marshmallow filled cherry confection that little old ladies like to make at every picnic/church function/family reunion ever? Noticed that it's really hit and miss: sometimes delicious, sometimes like munching on pink socks?

Following is my family fool-proof recipe for delicious Ambrosia (for that is what my grandma called it) Feel free to play with the amounts until you get what's just right for you.

Ingredients:
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
4 oz sour cream
1 1/2 c mini-marshmallows
1/2 c well drained mandarin oranges
1/2 c crushed pineapple
1/2 c coconut flakes
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/2 c drained maraschino cherries (don't drain too well: the juice gives this dish the signature pretty pink color)

Directions:
Whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Add sour cream and whisk to combine. Add everything else and stir well until completely combined. Transfer to a glass or melamine bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best)