Homemade Chocolate Syrup

First off, let me (again) apologize for not posting for so long.  It's been a long, hectic summer, but the end result is pretty awesome:  our son, Simon, was born September 13, weighing 9 lbs 5 oz and measuring 21-1/4 inches!

This is Simon at 6 weeks old!

And, unfortunately, that's the only picture you'll be seeing this post because I didn't even think to take photos of the recipe.  D'oh!  Still, it's a simple recipe and y'all are smart, so I'm sure you can figure it out.

Now, for the yummy goodness of chocolate syrup....

Adam is currently on a chocolate milk kick and I've been buying him Hershey syrup up until now.  I recently joined Pinterest and stumbled across a recipe for homemade chocolate syrup.  It seemed easy enough and hey!  I have all the ingredients here at home.  No need to spend money to fuel Adam's chocolate milk addiction!  Score!

You will need:

• 1-1/4 cup of sugar (The recipe called for organic sugar, do with that what you will.  I'm using the regular, non-organic sugar I have in my pantry.  So there.)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Here's what you do:

1)  In a saucepan, whisk (yup, I finally bought a whisk!) the sugar and cocoa to remove the lumps

2)  Stir in the water and salt

3)  Bring to a oil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  I stirred pretty much the entire time as I was worried about the chocolate burning.

4)  Once boiling, cook for a few minutes, still stirring frequently.  Supposedly the sauce should thicken;  mine didn't.

5)  Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

6)  Stir in vanilla extract.

7) Store in an air tight container in the fridge and use within 2-4 weeks.  Don't worry, you'll use it all.  It's yummy!

It did turn out thinner than commercial syrups, but it is MUCH richer.  Use sparingly until you get used to it - it's very different from store bought syrups.  And just think, you can even try to jazz it up by using different extracts - peppermint or orange spring to mind.  DISCLAIMER: I haven't tried using different flavors, so if you do try it and it sucks, don't blame me!

Enjoy!  It's taking all my willpower to not go into the kitchen and drink the whole batch of it.

Julie's Tarte Suisse, With Peaches and Raspberries

Okay, wow.  So, I haven't posted anything in a very, very long time.  I apologize, but, well, you know, I have a toddler now!

Anyway, here we are.  I will try and get better about putting things here and on my canning blog, especially as canning season gets here later this summer.  That said, our new baby boy will be arriving in late August or early September, so things are still going to be very, very busy.

The recipe for my latest delicious treat comes from my wonderful, beautiful friend Julie.  She got this recipe from her grandmother, so just imagine the history I am sharing with you all today!

This is an incredibly quick and easy dessert, and I would think that most people have the ingredients on hand most of the time.  Well, except for maybe the fruit and, people, you should have fresh fruit around all the time.  It's healthy.  Eat it.

For this wonderful concoction, you will need the following:

• 6 tablespoons milk
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 12 tablespoons floor
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Fresh fruit of your choice.  This time, I used peaches and raspberries.

What to do:

1.  Measure your flour into a bowl, 12 tablespoons.

2.  Add 6 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

3.  Mix together 6 tablespoons milk and 6 tablespoons oil together.

4.  Add your milk/oil mixture to your dry ingredients along with 2 eggs.

5.  Mix well.  Look, it bubbles!  I tasted the batter; it tastes like very sweet pancake batter.

6.  Now, Julie suggested lining your pie pan with parchment paper to make it easier to get your tarte out.  However, the parchment paper and I had a slight disagreement, so I opted to just butter the hell out of the pie pan.  Butter makes everything better.

7.  Pour your batter into your pan.  Bubbles!

8.  Prepare your fresh fruit.  I used about 2-1/2 fresh peaches, sliced and peeled.  Yeah, I kind of mangled the over ripe one a bit.  It still tasted good.  

9.  And raspberries.  I used maybe 12-15 berries total.

10.  Place your fruit into your batter.  Try and shuffle the fruit so the batter covers it.  Obviously, my raspberries had other ideas.  I did a ring of peaches, then a ring of raspberries, a ring of peaches, and some raspberries in the middle.  But, hey, whatever you want to do.  Have fun!

11.  Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  It should look something like this:

12.  While it's still warm, feel free to sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to finish it off.  I didn't take a picture of that part, though, so you'll have to use your imaginations.

And that's it!  Quick, simple, and delicious!  Imagine all the different fruit combinations you could try.  Like, adding some cinnamon to the batter and using apples.  Or fresh pineapple or pears or blackberries.  I'm even trying to figure out a way you could add a cream cheese filling of some type to it.  Lots and lots of possibilities here.  Have fun and ENJOY!

Wow, it's been a long time.....

Holy flying time, Batman!  I knew it had been a while since I posted here, but I didn't realize that it has been 6 months.  My apologies, wonderful followers.

Obviously, things have been busy.  Fall 2011 was a difficult and hectic time around here.  I am hoping that 2012 is going to be better.

I will try and post more often.  I am in the process of revamping my diet a little bit, so that should give me some new things to try out.  In fact, there's a bacon-wrapped chicken shish kabob that I might try this week.  I'll try to remember to take pictures of it and post it for you all.

In the meantime, I have recently started doing some home canning projects.  I think those are best kept separate from my regular recipes, so I have started a new blog:  http://adventures-in-canning.blogspot.com/ I'm really having fun with canning!  I will try and get some of my canning stuff up soon.

Voodoo Dressing

Another one of my random finds.  I actually don't remember where I came across this recipe.

This dressing is phenomenal.  I tossed it with cold, shredded rotisserie chicken and served it on warm naan bread with sliced tomatoes and feta cheese, with garlic-stuffed olives and marinated mushrooms on the side.  Awesome dinner!

You could do so much with the dressing.  Just over a regular salad, or you could toss it with shredded pork or beef.  Adam and John had the suggestion of pairing it with rice or pasta.  So, very versatile stuff.

And, as always, I made some changes to the recipe.  I've noted with an * the ingredients that were in the original recipe or noted in (_) what others changes I made.

You will need:

• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons chili paste *  (I didn't have this and couldn't find it at the store.  However, it would make this dressing even better, I think.)
• 1 Tablespoon crushed red peper
• 1/3 cup mayonaise
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 3/4 cup of sugar (This seemed excessive.  I used 1/2 cup).
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons ginger*  (I didn't use this at all)

Put everything into your blender and mix until smooth.  Do with it what you will.  

Trust me.  It is good.

1L-Alison's Salsa Chicken

This dinner idea came to me from my dear friend, Alison.  It is incredibly simple and extremely delicious.  I didn't know it was going to be this good, so I did not take pictures.  But trust me - this is YUMMY!

You will need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Jar of salsa of your choice, enough to cover the chicken.  (I used a Medium Garlic Lovers salsa)
Shredded cheese (I used the Kraft 5 CHeese Mexican Blend)
Sour Cream
Tortillas (optional)


What to do:

1) Put chicken and salsa in crock pot.  Make sure salsa is covering chicken.
2)  Cook until the chicken starts to fall apart. (For me today that was an hour or so on high, then about 3-4 hours on low).
3)  Remove chicken.
4)  Shred the chicken and return to crock pot.
5) Cook for another hour or two on low.
6)  Empty chicken and salsa from crock pot into baking dish.
7)  Cover with shredded cheese.
8)  Bake in a 350° oven until cheese is melty and bubbly.
9)  That's it.  You're done!

Tonight I served this with tortillas and sour cream and it was fabulous!  Next time, I will be serving it over cilantro-lime rice.

Try this!  You will not be disappoint!  Again, many thanks to Alison for this one!

Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings

I first made this a couple of months ago, before I started my blog.  I had gotten a craving for Chicken and Dumplings and went searching for a recipe.  I came across this recipe for Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings, thought it looked interesting and decided to give it a try.  After all, who could forget the scene in 'When Harry Met Sally':  "Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash...."

So, let's get started.....

You will need the following:

• Chicken.  The recipe as written called for 4 pounds of chicken.  That's a lot of chicken.  I'm only cooking for 2 1/2, so the first time I made this I used 2 bone-in, skin-on thigh/drumsticks.  It was greasy as hell (but the skin was delicious).  This time, I just used 2 skinless, boneless breasts.  That worked just fine and cut down on the grease factor.
• A white onion
• Mushrooms, sliced.
• Minced garlic.
• Butter 
• Paprika  (Note:  I used regular paprika.  I have been told that smoked paprika is spicier, but I haven't tried it yet.)
• Salt & pepper
• Sour cream

And for the dumplings, you will need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• water
• Salt & pepper

So, let's make some Paprikash!

1.  Cook your onion, mushrooms, and garlic in your butter.  I used about 4 tbsp of butter, but that may have been a bit much.

2.  Once your onions and mushrooms have softened a bit, add water to your pot.  You need a fair amount of water to make your dumplings (more on this later).  I filled it up about 2/3 full, but that was WAY too much.  I should have only done 1/2 way or so.  However, I think if you are using more chicken, then use more water.  Make sense?  Okay, on with the show...
3.  Put your chicken in the pot.  I left the breasts intact for the initial cooking.

4.  Season with salt, pepper, and paprika.  You will need a LOT more paprika that you think you need, especially if you're using a lot of water.

5.  Heat everything to boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot and let it rapidly simmer for an hour.  Is 'rapidly simmer' a term?  You want it on the verge of boiling.  Enough so that it reduces, but not so much that it burns or sticks.
6.  While that is cooking for an hour, go veg in front of the T.V.  Law & Order is probably on.
7.  After an hour, it's time to make the dumplings......
8.  Mix 2 cups of flour, an egg, salt, pepper, and some water together to make a sticky dough.  I ended up using about a cup of water, but I would suggest you start with 1/4 cup and gradually add from there if you need it.  You want the dough to be very sticky.

9.  Now, this is where I deviate from the written recipe (well, and the mushrooms, but I digress).  The recipe says to make your dumplings in a separate pot of boiling water.  This makes no sense to me because 1) It's an extra pot you have to clean, and 2) I would think that by cooking the dumplings in the chicken broth you've made that they would have extra flavor.  So, that's what I did - I made them in the same pot.  However, feel free to use an extra pot if you want - you would need it full of boiling water.
10.  Bring your chicken pot up to boiling.  Take a spoonful of dumpling dough.  I used a dessert/teaspoon/whatever, as a tablespoon would have made really big dumplings. You want your dumplings to be on the smaller side so they will cook completely.

11.  Dip your spoon of dumpling dough into the boiling broth.  The dumpling should slide right off, but don't worry if a little residual dough sticks to the spoon.

12.  Continue making dumplings until all your dough is gone.  The dumplings should float when they are cooked.
13.  Remove the chicken and shred the meat.

14.  Put the shredded meat back in the pot.
15.  Add more salt, pepper, and paprika.
16.  Reduce heat to simmering and let cook for an hour, letting more of the liquid reduce.

17.  You can stir some sour cream into the paprikash before serving, or you can let everyone add their own if they want.  I, of course, added lots of sour cream - yummy!

This was the second time I've made this dish, and I still found it to be rather bland.  I don't know if I'm using the wrong kind of paprika, or not enough, or if there is something else I'm missing.  It was still very good, though, and I hope you enjoy it!

Italian Stuffed Shells

Much like the Tomato-Feta Tarts are my signature appetizer, the Italian Stuffed Shells are one of my signature entrees.  These were the first meal I ever cooked for Adam, and are typically what I bust out whenever we have people over for dinner.  These can be finicky to make, but totally worth the effort!  We had our friends Brandee and Shelby and their sweetie daughter Reese over to dinner on Saturday and, of course, I just had to make my shells!

Let's get started!

I'm feeling rather disjointed at the moment (it's been a strange week), so I've broken everything up into sections:  The meat filling/sauce, the cheese filling, and the shell construction.  First off, let me give you the complete ingredient list:

• Ground beef - around 2 pounds
• Onion - chopped
• Minced garlic
• Big can of crushed tomatoes (the 29 oz can, I think)
• Can of tomato sauce - 15 ounce
• Can of tomato paste
• 1 egg - beaten
• 1 container ricotta cheese
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Whatever other shredded Italian cheese you like - I use Kraft 5 Cheese Blend
• 1 package of jumbo pasta shells - cooked according to package instructions and cooled.

Meat Filling and Sauce!

To prepare the meat filling/sauce:

1)  Brown your ground beef with your onions and garlic as normal.  Drain off the grease.

2)  In your sauce pot, mix the ground beef with the can of tomato sauce and half the can of tomato paste.

3)  Season to your liking with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.

4)  Simmer on low eat for 15 minutes or so.  This mixture should be very thick, so stir frequently to keep it from burning.

5)  Once the flavors have blended, remove half of the meat mixture into a separate pot and continue to keep warm on low (again, make sure it doesn't burn).  This is going to be the filling for some of your shells.

6)  In the remaining meat mixture, add in the can of crushed tomatoes.  Stir well, and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes, or until you are ready to put your shells together.

The Cheese Filling!

What to do:

1)  Blend the egg, ricotta, half of the mozzarella, and however much of your other cheese(s) you want in a bowl.  Add some salt, pepper, and parsley if you want.

2)  Congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Shell Construction!  

It's time to put everything together!

If you haven't already done so, please take this opportunity to cook your pasta shells according to the package directions.  Go ahead.  We'll wait.  Oh, and make sure they're cool, too.  I don't want you burning your hands.  But remember - never, ever rinse off pasta in cold water.

You will need a large baking dish.  Personally, given the mess level, I just buy an aluminum roasting pan, like what you use for turkeys.  Wasteful it may be, but well worth the $2.99 to not have to deal with the clean up factor. 

What to do:

1.  Put a layer of your sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Ideally, there should be no pan showing through, but don't make it too thick.

2.  Take a shell, and fill it with either the meat filling or cheese filling.

3.  Place it in the pan.

4.  Repeat until the pan is full.  I usually do half-pan meat filled and half-pan cheese filled.

5.  Cover the shells with the remaining sauce.

6.  Top with your remaining mozzarella and any of your other cheeses that are left.

7.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Cover with aluminum foil for the first 15 minutes or so.  For a pretty color to the cheese, broil for just a couple of minutes before serving.

I was so excited to have the Thompsons over that I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish - my bad! But trust me, it was gorgeous and delicious.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!