Laura's Notebook

Chocolate Truffles

Laura Wolstenholme — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:55:55 +0000

Want to satisfy your chocolate craving? Taste one of these rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles. They’re easy to make and require very few ingredients. Whether you’re just looking for something yummy to serve for a holiday or you’re searching for a creative gift idea for someone special, these are the perfect solution. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Ingredients
1 12-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and melt on medium heat, stirring constantly. *To avoid burning the chocolate, stir until partially melted with a few remaining chunks. Then remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth.

Once chocolate is melted, add 1 tsp. vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into bowl or container and chill in refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until firm but not quite solid.

Using a melon baller, scoop chocolate into approximately 1-inch balls. For plain truffles, roll chocolate balls in cocoa to coat the outside. To add variety, roll truffles in toasted coconut, chopped nuts, or Oreo crumbs. Next, place truffles in paper “candy cups” (You can find these at your local craft store). Chill or keep at a cool room temperature until ready to serve.

Other variations:

For mint chocolate truffles, substitute 1 tsp. peppermint extract instead of vanilla.

For peanut butter truffles, use peanut butter chocolate chips instead of semisweet, and coat outside of truffles with chopped peanuts.

For white chocolate truffles, use white chocolate chips and vanilla extract. These are good rolled in toasted coconut.

Oreo Peanut Butter Pie

Laura Wolstenholme — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 02:04:28 +0000

It has been far too long since I’ve posted, so I think I’ll get things going again with my “recipe of the week.”

This frozen chocolate peanut butter dessert has quickly become one of my favorites. In fact, I love it so much I’ve already made it twice this week. It’s easy to make and requires very few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 8-oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 16-oz. container CoolWhip (thawed)
2 ready made Oreo crusts
a few Oreos to garnish with (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the sugar and cream cheese. Once they are blended, add the milk and peanut butter and mix until smooth. Fold in the CoolWhip until it is well mixed. Spoon mixture into Oreo crusts (Makes 2 pies).

Garnish as desired. For mine, I crushed Oreos and sprinkled them on top. I also drizzled melted chocolate across the top of one. Chocolate syrup would work nicely to garnish, too.

Place both pies into the freezer and freeze about 2 hours or overnight, until firm. Cut and enjoy!

Give Thanks

Laura Wolstenholme — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:54:00 +0000

Thanksgiving reminds me to be grateful to God for all that He has given to me.

Red Squirrel in Rittenhouse

Laura Wolstenholme — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:40:56 +0000

November is here! Fall is in full swing, and winter is just around the corner. When the cold weather hits, this little guy will be ready. I caught him foraging for food as I was strolling through the plaza at Rittenhouse Square.

Obama Makes Last Minute Campaign Stop in Philadelphia

Laura Wolstenholme — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:27:29 +0000

President Barack Obama visited Temple University on Saturday, October 30, to draw support for the Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s upcoming elections.

The President spoke briefly to a crowd that consisted primarily of Temple students, thanking them for their support and encouraging them to head to the polls and cast their votes on Tuesday, November 2.

Joe Sestak-D, candidate for senator, and Dan Onorato-D, candidate for Pennsylvania governor, also made an appearance at Saturday’s rally.

Onorato and Sestak addressed the crowd at Temple’s Student Pavilion around 11 a.m. Saturday, and were followed by Obama at 11:30.

Prior to the event, a number of Tea Party Patriots lined the sidewalk at the intersection of 16th Street and Berks Street in an attempt to dissuade voters from pledging their support to the Democratic party.

Let’s Go Phillies!

Laura Wolstenholme — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 04:41:08 +0000

Phillies fans all over the city rally around their team as the Phils head home to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, October 23, to face the San Francisco Giants in game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies

Laura Wolstenholme — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:03:40 +0000

Tired of cookie recipes that leave you disappointed with flat, overly-crispy cookies? Try the following recipe for award-winning, soft chocolate chip cookies instead.

Unlike other recipes, this one yields soft cookies that rise nicely in the oven and will stay soft even after they have cooled.

Although the recipe is not my own, I wanted to pass it along to my friends and readers. These chocolate chip cookies truly are the softest I have ever had.

The trick to keeping the cookies so light and soft is to add one package of instant pudding mix to the batter.

Award-winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in pudding mix. Then stir in eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour and baking soda.

Stir in chocolate chips (and walnuts).

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 min. until lightly golden brown.

For more information, or to see original recipe, see allrecipes.com.

Love Birds

Laura Wolstenholme — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:00:38 +0000

Photo of the Day:

I caught these two little sparrows flirting together in the
park on a sunny March day in Rittenhouse Square.

Pizza Bagels

Laura Wolstenholme — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:00:32 +0000

Looking for a quick and easy meal solution? Try pizza bagels. These personal-sized pizzas are perfect for any time of day. You can sit down and enjoy them for dinner or take them with you on the go.

Pizza bagels are inexpensive to make and require very minimal prep time. Pair them with a fresh garden salad for a colorful and well-balanced meal.

Laura’s Pizza Bagels

3 plain bagels
1 14-oz. jar tomato sauce
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1 green bell pepper
1 8-oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni

Cut bagels in half. Spread bagel halves across a pizza pan or cookie tray. Cover the top of each bagel with tomato sauce, cheese, diced pepper, pepperoni and any other toppings you like.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Laura Wolstenholme — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 03:00:19 +0000

Lemon poppyseed muffins have always been one of my favorites. Recently I found this recipe for them on another website and thought I would pass it along. I changed just a couple things when I made them, so here’s my version of the recipe:

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

3 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. poppy seeds
10 tbsp. butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 c. sugar
2 6-oz. cups lemon yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in eggs and lemon zest. Add yogurt and continue to mix.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the creamed mixture. Stir all ingredients until well mixed.

Line 2 regular sized muffin pans with cupcake papers. Spoon batter into the pans, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Makes 24 muffins.