Sweet Dreams Chocolate Fudge

it’s that time of year.  and i love to share the tastes of the season with family, friends and coworkers.  that’s what it all about.  my mom and i decided to make this fudge, because it’s so easy to make, you don’t need a candy thermometer.  so get a non-stick pot and get to work…

Sweet Dreams Chocolate Fudge
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk chocolate
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

line an 8 by 8-inch pan with aluminum foil. set aside.

in a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt. bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thick.

remove from heat and pour in the milk chocolate chips. stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. stir in nuts and vanilla. pour into prepared pan. chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm.

this recipe is by Max Brenner as seen on Paula’s Best Dishes.

tips

• you can find a similar recipe on jars of marshmallow cream.
• evaporated milk is different than sweetened condensed milk.  both go through an evaporation process removing a good amount of water. but condensed milk has added sugar, while evaporated milk does not.
• the aluminum foil makes it easy to remove the fudge from the pan in one big piece.  you can then slice it into smaller pieces on a cutting board.

Pecan Pie

to me the holidays are all about tradition.  it’s about getting together with my family and enjoying a nice meal.  it’s also about recounting those old stories from our childhoods. for me that means my parents telling a story about how i wanted more pretzels.  and if i knew you all a bit better i would finish telling the story.  otherwise it’s way too embarressing. 

in the end it’s all worth it because i get to enjoy a nice slice of my mom’s pecan pie…

Pecan Pie
Filling
4 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, chopped

Topping
½ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoon butter
1½ cups pecan halves

prepared pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a pie dish with non stick cooking spray and lay in prepared pie crust.

Mix together all filling ingredients and pour into crust. Bake for 40 minutes.

In a sauce pan heat topping ingredients until melted and combined. Top pie with mixture and bake for another 10 minutes.

tips

• when you take the pie out of the oven after the first 40 minutes, it will be puffed up.  but don’t be alarmed…this is normal.  just push down slightly to make room for the topping.
• if you run out of brown sugar use a mixture of white sugar and molasses.
• save yourself some money and just buy a big bag of pecan havles.  smash 1 cup of nuts in a food storage bag with a heavy skillet to get chopped pecans.

Roasted Broccoli and Sugar Snap Peas

when i made the orange chile glazed chicken i needed some greens.  and i had these in my frig…good thing.  ina garten makes a similar recipe that i love, so i used the same method here.

Roasted Broccoli and Sugar Snap Peas
2 pounds broccoli florets
1 package of fresh sugar snap peas
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
oil
salt and pepper
1 tbs pine nuts, toasted
1/4 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. on a sheet pan toss the broccoli and sugar snap peas with the slices of garlic, oil, and salt and pepper. roast for 20 minutes. once out of the oven sprinkle with pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

tips

• the best way to toast nuts is in a dry skillet over medium to low heat on the stove top.  watch them closely and toss in the skillet to toast evenly.
• if you have left over nuts, keep them in the freezer.  they last longer this way, and they will defrost quickly when you do use them.
• when you roast garlic it gets sweet and soft.  so the slices are not as pungent as one might suspect.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

when i talked about how to “spice up any side salad” this was the salad that inspired that post.  it has different textures, different colors, and tastes amazing.  i can’t take credit for it, it’s all thanks to ina garten.  it even incorporates seasonal produce…it doesn’t get any better than this.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

while the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated parmesan. spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

tips:

• aunt jemima has nothing on real maple syrup.  do yourself a favor and use the real stuff.  you’ll never get a good end product if you make it with subpar ingredients.
• if you want to taste the walnuts, toast them.  if you skip that step, the flavor will be completely different…and not in a good way.
• after you eat a salad like this…it should get your mind going.  for instance tonight i needed to make a simple side salad…so what did i do?  i use mesclun greens, slices of pear, dried cranberries, and a mixture of catalina and ranch salad dressings…mmm.

How To Jazz Up Any Side Salad

a side salad is instrumental to a great meal, but it’s done wrong all too often.  it’s easy to just throw some carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes on top of some iceberg…but we can and need to do better. 

the best salads are made with a variety of colors and textures.

when you think red, you should think: tomatoes (grape, cherry, heirloom, roma, beefsteak), red peppers, radicchio,  beets, cherries, apples, and pears.  orange/yellows: orange and yellow bell peppers, corn, carrots, butternut squash.  blue/purple: currants, raisins, olives and purple onions.  and finally green: artichokes, green beans, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cucumbers, green apples, celery, green onions, green peppers, peas, and spinach.  as far as lettuce goes, branch out.  try green leaf, boston leaf lettuce, arugula, red leaf, romaine, endive, and frise.

to add different textures try dried fruit, nuts, shredded cheese, and croutons, in addition to the mixture of soft and crunchy veggies.

let’s build a few:

side salad 1 – green leaf lettuce, carrots, beets, corn, and pecans.
side salad 2 – arugula, pears, blue cheese, craisins and walnuts.
side salad 3 – spinach, butternut squash, dried cherries, parmesan, and almonds.

now you try…

Per Request: Red Velvet

it has long been my favorite type of cake.  one of my friends refers to it as her future wedding cake. what is it? red velvet.  if you’ve never had it before, it will transform your life.  but what exactly is red velvet? according to the real experts, otherwise known as wikipedia, “red velvet cake is a type of rich and sweet cake, with a distinctive dark red to bright red or red-brown color.”  it’s very common in the south; i got my recipe from my southern relatives.  it’s also commonly paired with cream cheese or buttercream frosting, mine is a cooked flour frosting.  so without further ado…red velvet.

Red Velvet Cake
2 sticks butter, softened
2 c sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c flour
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz red food coloring

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. cream the butter and the sugar.  then add eggs and beat until fluffy.  in a separate bowl, make a paste of the cocoa and vinegar, then add to the butter mixture.  sift the salt, baking soda, and flour together.  add this dry mixture in thirds alternating with the buttermilk.  add vanilla and coloring. spray 2 9-inch pans with non-stick spray and divide batter evenly.  bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting
1 c whole milk
2 tbs flour
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c walnuts
1 c coconut, optional
1/2 pecans, chopped

cook milk and flour until the mixture becomes thick, let cool.  mix butter and sugar, add cooled milk.  beat until the consistency is like whipped cream.  decorate the cake with nuts, and coconut.

tips:

• they always say “do not over mix,” and that definitely applies in this case.  but do you know why? if you over mix your batter suddenly you’ll have bread and not cake.  you’ll be over working the gluten proteins that you find in flour…so do your taste buds a flavor and stop once combined.
• coconut is optional.  for most people it’s a love it or leave it ingredient. i love it but i usually leave it, because most of my tastetesters guests prefer to leave it.
• my recipe uses red food coloring to get that classic color.  other recipes use beets, so don’t act too shocked if you see one floating around.

Did You Say Chocolate Cake?

i have been cooking for my cousin and her husband for the past few months since their twins were born in April.  they’ve become fans of my cooking and baking, which i’m flattered by, but it really puts the pressure on me.  they know what i’m capable of, so if my food falls flat, i think at this point i’d be more disappointed than them.  i recently went to visit and i decided to bring lunch. i chose a salad that wouldn’t let down any one down: bacon, apples, and blue cheese….oh yeah and some arugula.  but for dessert…i took giada’s hazelnut crunch cake and made my own interpretation of the cake.

My Chocolate Brittle Cake
 
Cake:
1 box devil’s food cake mix

Brittle:
1 cup pecans, toasted
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
 
Frosting:
2 (8-ounce) containers cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
mini chocolate chips, as many as you want
 
Directions
preheat the oven and prepare the cake mix according to package instructions.  divide the cake batter between 2 (8 inch) cake pans and bake according to package instructions…then let cool on a wire rack.
 
For the brittle:
place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. stir the sugar mixture until dissolved. bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light brown, about 8 minutes. let the bubbles subside then pour the caramelized sugar over the nuts. place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30 minutes. when the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. set aside.

For the frosting:
put the cream cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to soft peaks.
 
To assemble the cake:
put 1 cake on a serving plate. top with 1-inch of the frosting. top with the second layer of cake and continue frosting the entire cake with the remaining frosting. sprinkle the top of the cake with the mini chocolate chips. sprinkle the sides of the cake with the brittle. serve.
 
tips:

• use any nuts you have to make the brittle: peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.
• if you want to make a short cut, buy the frosting…no one will ever know. the decor of the cake will more than make up for it.
• don’t have the time to do it all at once? bake the cake, while it’s in the oven make the frosting and brittle, and assemble the next morning to still look like a rock star!