Simply Sensational Truffles

by penji1

And now some green truffles to go with the red ones!  These are also a Kraft recipe but there are 2 different websites listed, http://www.kraftfoods.com and http://www.bakerschocolate.com where you can find this and other fun recipes!  I think the red and green truffles will look so cute together in a gift container.

2 1/2 packages (20 squares) Baker’s semisweet chocolate, divided (I used some of my Dove Chocolate Discoveries milk chocolate bars instead for the chocolate inside the truffles and then I used 1 bag of Wilton green candy melts to dip the truffles in)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

decorations:  chopped peanuts, multicolored sprinkles

1  Melt 8 chocolate squares.  Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy.  Blend in melted chocolate.  Refrigerate until firm.  (I actually had to put it in the freezer for awhile so that it was firm enough to work with and not melt.)

2  Shape into 36 balls.  Place on wax paper lined baking sheets.

3  Melt remaining chocolate (or candy melts).  Use fork to dip truffles; return to baking sheets.  Decorate as desired, then refrigerate 1 hour.

Easy Oreo Truffles

by penji1

Oh, Christmas!  I get to bake and bake and bake and then bake some more!  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! 🙂  These couldn’t be any easier to make and look how cute they are!  The original recipe has them dipped in baking chocolate but I had a bag of red candy melts and thought that would be more festive.  This is a Kraft recipe which you can also find on http://www.kraftrecipes.com.

1 (1 lb, 2 oz) package Oreo cookies, divided

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

2 (8 oz each) packages semisweet baking chocolate, melted  (I used 1 bag of Wilton red candy melts)

1  Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use.  (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.)  Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl.  (I crushed all the cookies in my food processor since I was planning on decorating the truffles with Christmas sprinkles.)  Add cream cheese; mix until well blended.  (I had to use my hands to get it blended all the way.)  Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls (I got about 52), about 1″ in diameter.  (I used my Pampered Chef mini scoop which made the perfect size balls.)

2  Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax covered baking sheet.  Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs (or your choice of sprinkles).

3  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  Store truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Funeral Potatoes

by penji1

These are a popular dish here in Utah.  I grew up in California and had never heard of them or eaten them until I moved here.  I’m sure you can guess the origin of these potatoes based on their name.  They were supposed to be for our neighborhood Christmas party last night but right before the party started, I started feeling light headed and had to go lie down so we never made it to the party and neither did the potatoes.  I don’t know where I got this recipe from originally.  There are many variations floating around but these are always the kind that I make.

1 (32 oz) bag frozen hash browns (the chunky kind, not the shredded kind, I think they’re called “Southern style”)

2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups crushed corn flakes (I have had these with crushed up crackers on top too)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Put hash browns into a greased 9 x 13″ pan.  Combine soup, sour cream, cheese and 1/2 cup melted butter.  Gently blend into hash browns.  Combine corn flakes and 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Sprinkle on top of potatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Double Chocolate Rocky Road Cookie Bars

by penji1

I found this recipe on http://www.bettycrocker.com.  I made them for our neighbors the Baldwins but kept a few for us to try and they are divine!

cookie base:

1 (1 pound, 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix (I’ll confess here that I used a Krusteaz chocolate chunk cookie mix, the kind in a box, and it worked just fine)

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons water

1 egg

filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1/3 milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1  Heat oven to 350.  Spray bottom and sides of 13 x 9″ pan with Pam.

2  In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms.  Press dough in bottom of pan.  Set aside.

3  Beat cream cheese, sugar, 1/4 cup butter, flour, vanilla and egg on medium until smooth.  Stir in nuts.  Spread over cookie base.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

4  Bake 26 – 28 minutes or until filling is set.  Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows.  Bake 2 minutes longer.

5  Melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat.  Stir in cocoa and milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  With wire whisk, gradually stir in powdered sugar until well blended.  Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup nuts.  Immediately pour over marshmallows, spreading gently to cover.  Cool 30 minutes.

6  Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.  Cut into bars.  Store covered in refrigerator.

Turkey Roll Ups

by penji1

This is a Rhodes Rolls recipe and is perfect for using up some of that leftover turkey.  These taste like little turkey pot pies.

10 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed to room temperature (I thawed 12 and still had filling left over)

2 cups diced cooked turkey

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

1 teaspoon rosemary (I leave this out, don’t really care for it)

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

salt and pepper

Spray counter, pastry mat or cutting board lightly with Pam.  Flatten each roll into a 4 x 6″ rectangle.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Remove wrap from dough.  Divide turkey mixture equally between rectangles and spoon lengthwise down center of each.  Starting with 6″ side, roll up as tightly as possible.  Place seam side down on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 – 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

by penji1

 

Here is my Red Velvet Cake story!  A friend of Courtney’s requested a birthday cake from us for her daughter’s birthday and she wanted the cake to be Red Velvet.  I had never made a Red Velvet cake before so I asked my good friend Ann, who is a spectacular baker, if she had a good Red Velvet cake recipe and so she checked with one of her friends who is an awesome cake maker and they gave me 2 different recipes to choose from.  I made the first one on the list (see recipe below) and, of course, both layers that I made and needed for the birthday cake sank in the middle!  Bummer!  So I threw them in the freezer thinking that I could use them for something at some point and then remade the Red Velvet cake by modifying the White Almond Sour Cream cake recipe which almost always seems to turn out for my fondant cakes.  Then I got a phone call from my adorable neighbor Mary asking if I would make desserts for a Holiday dinner for the ladies at my church so of course I said yes and I made Tuxedo Brownie Cups and Berries ‘n Cream Wonton Cups (both recipes on the blog already) and then decided to make Red Velvet Cake Balls with my sunken cake in the freezer!  🙂  They came out gorgeous and yummy but I forgot to take a picture of them so never posted the recipe but my friend Julie wants the recipe for the Red Velvet Cake so she can make the RV cake balls for Christmas so this recipe is for her and of course, all of you!   So the moral of the story is, if your cake sinks then make cake balls!

1 Red Velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines has a great one)

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

6 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix all ingredients on low for 30 seconds then on medium for 2 minutes.  Pour in greased pans of desired size and bake at 300 for 20 minutes then at 325 for 20 – 30 minutes or until done (do not open door during the first 30 minutes of baking!).  If making cake balls, refer to recipe already on blog for “Basic Cake Pops” and just omit sticks.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

by penji1

This could not be any easier to make and it seriously could not taste any better either.  It was even better with a little (or big) dollop of Cool Whip on top.  It comes from the Martha Stewart magazine, “Everyday Food”.

32 chocolate wafer cookies (about 8 ounces) or graham crackers

2 tablespoons sugar

coarse salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips!)

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)

1  Preheat oven to 350.  In a food processor, combine cookies, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Process until very fine crumbs form.  Add butter and pulse until mixture just comes together.  Press crumbs firmly into a 9″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.  (Use a flat bottomed 1 cup measure to press the cookies firmly into the tart pan.)

2  In a large bowl, combine chocolate and pinch of salt.  In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium high.  Immediately pour cream over chocolate and let stand 1 minute.  Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is completely smooth.  (I used a whisk here and it worked really well.)  Pour chocolate into cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set, 30 minutes (or overnight).  To serve, remove tart from pan and scatter raspberries on top; serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Thanksgiving Edible Placecard Markers

by penji1

This is a fun and easy idea that I found on the Wilton website, placecards made out of candy!  They are bigger than they look, almost the size of a regular candy bar.

ingredients:

white candy melts (I didn’t do any white ones, just orange and cocoa)

orange candy melts

dark cocoa candy melts (I used the light cocoa instead of the dark)

leaves mix sprinkles (I couldn’t find the leaves mix sprinkles so I used chocolate jimmies on the orange ones and yellow and orange nonpareils on the cocoa ones)

tools:

mini loaf pan

decorator brush set

disposable decorating bags

1  Melt candy melts according to package directions.  Pour into mini loaf pan cavities creating a layer 1/8 – 1/4″ deep.  Refrigerate until firm.  Unmold.

2  Place melted candy in disposable decorating bags;  cut a small hole in tip.  Write name on plaque with contrasting candy.  (I didn’t buy enough candy.  I bought a bag of orange melts and a bag of cocoa melts and after making 9 placecards there was no candy left to write names with so Courtney did the names for me in frosting which was probably easier than doing it with the chocolate.)

3  Brush edges of candy plaques with additional melted candy.  Dip each edge in sprinkles.  Repeat with remaining plaques.  (Brushing the chocolate on the edges didn’t seem like it was going to work too well so I put the rest of the melted candy on a paper plate and dipped the sides of the plaque in it and put the sprinkles on a paper plate too and dipped the plaques in the sprinkles right after dipping them in the chocolate which worked great.)

4  Refrigerate until firm.  Cut additional candy melt in half; trim 1 edge flat to create right angle.  Attach both halves to back of plaque to act as a stand.  (I didn’t have any candy melts left over so we just put them on everyone’s plates.)

Save

Green Beans and Bacon

by penji1

This recipe also comes from the November 2001 issue of “Food Network Magazine” (Thanksgiving dinner at the Johnson’s brought to you by the Food Network Magazine!).  I used the bacon that Bob had wrapped around the turkey in these.  They were really good!

2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

Kosher salt

1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I left these out)

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

juice of 1/2 lemon (forgot to add this)

freshly ground pepper

1  Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling, salted water until bright green in color and crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain beans again and pat dry.

2  Cook bacon in large, heavy duty saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove bacon to paper lined plate to drain.  Spoon off excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in pan.  Add onion to pan and saute until soft and very tender, 4 – 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until just fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add green beans and pecans and cook until heated through, 5 – 6 minutes.  Return bacon to pan, pour in lemon juice and toss.  Season with salt and pepper.

Basic Popovers

by penji1

I decided to try and make popovers this year which wasn’t a total disaster but didn’t turn out perfectly either.  I had to send my niece Heidi and her husband Mark to the store to buy rolls because most of the popovers didn’t turn out and the 6 that were acceptable were a little too well done.  So here is what I learned, the 6 that came out semi ok were baked in an official popover pan and the others that weren’t even close, I baked in a muffin pan so it seems like you really need a popover pan for them to work.  The batter is super runny and is supposed to be so don’t panic.  And last, keep an eye on them as they seem to burn quickly.  This is another recipe from “Food Network Magazine” of November 2011.  This is an Alton Brown recipe and I will definitely be attempting them again in the near future.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled plus 1 teaspoon for the pan

4 3/4 ounces flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1  Heat oven to 400.

2  Grease 6 cup popover pan with 1 teaspoon of butter.

3  Combine 1 tablespoon of butter, flour, salt, eggs and milk in a food processor  or blender and process 30 seconds.

4  Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the popover pan, filling each 1/3 – 1/2 full.  Bake on middle rack of oven for 40 minutes (this ended up being way too long for mine), taking care not to open the oven door.  Remove popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each one in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape.