Chocolate Truffles February 19, 2011

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 January 11, 2011

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!

Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies October 10, 2010

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.

Pizza Bagels September 20, 2010

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 September 12, 2010

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.

Hawaiian Heartthrob Smoothie June 10, 2010

Summer is back, so it’s time to break out the blender and mix up some cool fruit smoothies. This year I have added a new favorite to my collection of smoothie recipes. It’s called the Hawaiian Heartthrob.

I tried one of these strawberry banana piña colada smoothies a few days ago at Red Robin and fell in love with it instantly. The following recipe for RR’s Hawaiian Heartthrob is one that I found online. I adapted it slightly to make it my own.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Hawaiian Heartthrob Smoothie

makes 1 serving

1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup pineapple
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1/4 cup banana
1 tbsp. grenadine
3 large ice cubes

1.) Pureé all fruit and grenadine together in a blender.

2.) Add ice cubes and blend until smooth.

For a slightly sweeter blend, try adding a tiny bit more pineapple and coconut to the mix. This will also help balance out the banana flavor.

Laura’s Raspberry Lemonade April 21, 2010

Now that the weather is warming up, try cooling off with a splash of raspberry. My original recipe for raspberry lemonade will make your mouth water and leave you craving for more.

All you need to make it is a blender, 1 cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup of sugar, 1 packet of lemonade mix and some water. See below for directions.

1. Measure raspberries, sugar and 2 cups of water. Pour into blender.
2. Add lemonade mix.
3. Mix ingredients in blender for approximately 1 minute, or until smooth.
4. Pour mixture into 1/2 gallon pitcher and fill pitcher the rest of the way with water.
5. Stir diluted mixture until well combined.
6. Refrigerate until chilled or serve immediately over ice.

Don’t care for raspberries? Try mixing things up by using a different fruit such as strawberries or blackberries. For an added touch of sweetness, you may also want to try adding half a cup of pineapple juice to the mix.

Chocolate Covered Clementines December 24, 2009

A friend recently gave my mom the idea of making chocolate covered clementines, so my mom passed the idea along to me. Last night I decided to try it, and they turned out amazingly well!

If you’re looking for a sweet treat to serve at Christmas or New Year’s, this is the perfect solution. All you need are several clementines, about a pound of dark chocolate melting caps and a few white chocolate melting caps.

Directions:
Peel about 6 to 8 clementines and pull apart the slices. Set aside.

Place a handful of dark chocolate melting caps into a microwave-safe container. (I used a Pyrex measuring cup.) Microwave for about 30 seconds. Then stir the chocolate and put back in the microwave for another 15 seconds. Stir again.

Continue microwaving for 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is completely melted. (Be very careful not to leave it in the microwave too long, or it will burn.)

Once the chocolate is melted, place one of the clementine slices into the chocolate. Use a spoon to submerge the clementine and to pull it back out of the chocolate.

Let the excess chocolate run off the spoon before placing the slice onto wax paper. Use a fork to gently slide the clementine off the spoon and onto the wax paper.

Continue melting more chocolate caps as necessary, heating them for 10-15 second intervals.

Once you have dipped several slices, melt some of the white chocolate caps the same way as the dark chocolate. Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate across the dark chocolate-dipped slices to decorate.

Place the finished slices in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate coating.

To garnish my chocolate covered clementines, I made a clementine flower.

Garnish:
Using a sharp knife, trace two perpendicular lines across the top of a clementine and extending down each side (as if you were going to cut the fruit in quarters). Gently use the knife to slice through the peel, but try not to cut into the actual fruit.

Once you have slit the peel about 3/4 of the way down each side of the fruit, gently peel back the skin part of the way to expose the fruit inside (making the petals of the flower).

Place a chocolate chip or whatever else you like in the center of the inside of the fruit to make the center of the flower.

Arrange the chocolate covered slices in a flower shape around the outside of the garnish.

November 13, 2009

Tonight I was busy in the kitchen again. Although I didn’t try anything very adventurous this time, I did find a new way to spice up a simple batch of green beans.

I discovered that a tablespoon of melted butter mixed with a little bit of garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese makes a tasty vegetable glaze.

Along with the green beans, I cooked up some jasmine rice and sautéed some chicken with World Harbors lemon pepper garlic sauce. To make the meal complete, colorful and balanced, I served some pineapple on the side, too.

Total prep time for the meal was about 20 minutes–not bad for a fast, yet delicious, dinner.

Now, speaking of World Harbors lemon pepper garlic sauce, I’m becoming quite addicted to World Harbors marinades! World Harbors offers a number of different sauces including honey dijon, teriyaki, Italian grill, cheriyaki and island mango. Any of them taste great on chicken, and most coordinate well with any kind of white fish, too.

Pair that marinaded chicken or fish with some pasta or rice, and voila! You have a meal.

So, if you haven’t tried World Harbors’ sauces and are looking for a quick fix for dinner, grab a bottle of one of their marinades from your local supermarket and get cooking!

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes November 10, 2009

In the mood for a delicious hot breakfast but don’t know what to make? Try mixing up a batch of good old fashioned pancakes. They’re easy to make and require only a short prep time.

The following recipe from allrecipes.com gives pancakes a tasty twist by adding melted butter to the mix.

These pancakes are great if you’re on the run, too. Unlike most pancakes, these are so flavorful you can skip the syrup and enjoy them plain.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

For more flavor, try adding fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or butterscotch chips to the batter before frying.