Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I had so much fun making the marshmallows, I decided to dress them up a bit for Christmas!


Ingredients:

• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• homemade marshmallows
  

Toppings:

• sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 candy canes or peppermint candies
• walnuts (or any nut you like)

Directions

Double boiler: I used a small saucepan with about 2 inches of water hand got it boiling on the stove. Then I set a medium sized stainless steel bowl on top of the pan, making sure the water wasn't touching the bowl. Add the package of chocolate chips and stir until melted completely. Dip the top of the marshmallows in the chocolate and set upright no a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with any topping that sounds good to you. These were a hit and really tasty! Of course you could do the same with store bought marshmallows to dress them up for a party. Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and are looking forward to the new year to come!

Much love!

e

Homemade Marshmallows

I have found my new favorite Christmas treat! Homemade marshmallows! I have had so much fun making them the past few days and trying out different recipes. While most of the recipes I found are pretty much the same, there are a host of different flavors you can make. So far I've made peppermint and vanilla. They have turned out great and it's so fun to do something other than cookies or fudge! Make sure you have a candy thermometer (I'm borrowing one from my grandmother-in-law :)). My poor Kitchen Aid mixer is tuckered out...I'm making more as I type! :)


Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
  
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo or generic)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional-I didn't use it because I didn't have any)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or peppermint)
  
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• Nonstick spray

**red gel food coloring

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixture on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Lightly spray an 8x8 pan with cooking or baking spray and dust with powdered sugar, tapping out the excess.

With a greased spatula, scoop mixture into pan and flatten out the top the best you can. **For the peppermint marshmallows, drop about 7 drops of red gel food coloring on top and swirl into marshmallows with a knife**. Let marshmallow mixture set and cool for at least 4 hours.

After 4 hours, turn out mixture onto a heavily powdered sugared surface. With a greased knife, cut marshmallows into 1 inch squares (they will be 2 inches tall in the 8x8 pan so you'll have to cut them half), making sure to dust each side with powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking to you, each other and any other surface they can find to stick to!

Stay tuned for chocolate dipped marshmallows coming soon to a foodie blog near you! :)

Enjoy!

e

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

After a cold snowy day and delivering Christmas goodies to the neighbors, French Onion soup sounded good. Most French onion soups are made with beef broth. I just replace it with vegetable broth. The soup is lighter than the traditional, but still yummy. We even got some Jarlsberg cheese to broil on top! Perfect way to end the night!

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 6-7 medium size, no need to be too precise)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Loaf of French bread, cut in one-inch slices
• ½ pound Gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions to the hot pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should become soft but not yet browned.
3. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Stir frequently and lower the heat if necessary to avoid burning the onions. They should be golden brown and soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
   
4. Add the garlic and broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. You can keep the soup warm on the stove until ready to broil and serve, or allow it to cool and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
6. When ready to serve, heat the broiler (we used the broil setting on our toaster oven and it worked great!) and ladle the soup into individual oven-safe bowls.
7. Top each bowl with a layer of bread and cover the bread with the cheese.
   
8. Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2-3/4 tsp baking powder
1-1/8 cups shortening or butter (I use butter flavored shortening)
2-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar and cocoa for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix only until combined. chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the dough by the tablespoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) into the powdered sugar and roll until well coated. Place on greased cookie sheets (I cover sheets with parchment so I don't have to grease them--easier clean up!) and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Loosen the cookies from the pan while still warm.I LOVE my stacking cooling racks! So great for a small kitchen!

Enjoy!
e

Homemade Granola

I got this recipe from a lady at our church. She is super frugal and told me this recipe would make a lot. I decided it would be good to make it and give it out this year with my soup jars! It's very honey-y, but delicious! You can add pretty much any kind of dried fruit or nuts you want to it when it's cooled. I used golden raisins, sliced almonds, and chopped dates. I also used local honey!

Ingredients

10 cups cornflakes (or do 1/2 cornflakes, 1/2 rice crispies)
10 cups regular or quick oats (I used regular)
2 cups coconut (optional-I did)
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cups wheat germ (optional-I didn't)

Mix the above in a very large bowl (preferably one that can go in the oven-like stainless steel)

In another bowl mix:
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2/3 cup oil

Then add:
1-1/4 cup honey (add honey last or you will have a sugary ball of goo that won't mix well. believe me...) :)

Stir all together. Bake in bowl at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes (the granola stays moist if you bake it in the bowl instead of a cookies sheet, but if you don't have an oven safe bowl, a cookie sheet works fine...just make sure it's big!)

Once the mixture is cooled you can add a total of 5 cups of fruits, nuts or whatever you like. Here's an example:
2-1/2 cups raisin/ craisins
1-1/4 cup dried apricots, or other dried fruit
1-1/4 cup slivered/chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.

Enjoy!

e

Minestrone Soup Jar Mix

I decided that this year I would try to make some homemade Christmas gifts for our wonderful neighbors. Instead of the typical plate of baked goodies, I decided to mix things up a bit. Dry soup mix recipes are all over the internet. One of my favorite soups is Minestrone and this recipe seemed pretty good. They were really easy to put together. For a more vegetarian soup, skip the beef bouillon and use veggie bouillon if you can find it or just use veggie broth instead of water. This makes a great hand made gift for any food lover! I'm giving these jars out with a bag of Homemade Granola.

Ingredients:
¼ cup red lentils ( I used regular lentils which are green)
¼ cup green split peas
¼ cup barley
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
3 tbsp. onion flakes
1/3 tsp. thyme
1/3 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
approximately ¼ cup alpabet macaroni ( used mini star pasta and orzo when I ran out of the stars--Barilla brand--I think they're more cute and appropriate for the season!)

Directions:
In a two-cup jar, layer from bottom in the order given, then seal the jar.

Include these instructions on your gift tag:
In a very large saucepan combine 8 to 10 cups of water, a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and soup mix. Add 2 chopped carrots, and 2 to 4 chopped potatoes (optional: 2 cups chopped cabbage). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender. Enjoy!

I made labels on the computer with blank shipping labels for the directions and used some pieces of fabric and an elastic bow to dress up the jar a bit. Try using Christmas-y fabric. I would have if I hadn't have been so lazy. :)Cheers!
e

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I found this recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazine. I've been wanting to try it out and with time to focus more on food and less on papers, I finally had time to try it out. This was my first go at some holiday baking. Two thumbs up! I substituted the yogurt with applesauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Bread:
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• Cooking spray
• Glaze:
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.