Hot Fudge Sauce

Probably my most favorite dessert - - no, by far my favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce, and depending on the mood a warm gooey brownie is a wonderful addition.
My hubby and I had the benefit of a date night last night.  This involved dinner, Christmas shopping for the girls, and a Christmas concert.  It was a blast.   We ate too much at dinner to indulge in dessert and Eric had just tried on jeans and we were commenting on skinny jeans being all "the rage".  See, Eric is a very tall/lean guy and if he can't pull off skinny jeans - who can?!?!  He took a pair into the fitting room and didn't realize they were the "skinny" fit and he said he couldn't get them over his ankles.   Fast forward to Macy's and I was looking over a sweater (we were supposed to be shopping for the children, I know, I know).  I saw it on the mannequin and thought it looked cute, of course she had some sort of tights/leggings on and I sort of laugh and say "I could NOT get away with those", to which Eric replies "I don't get the waif look."  I said "you're right babe, you don't GET the waif look, you get the plumper version."  After laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes, I make my purchase and we really do finish shopping for the girls - I promise.
Now, on to the reason I can't pull off skinny jeans - Hot Fudge Sauce (see this did have a point after all!) :)....
This is by far the best recipe I've found for hot fudge and the secret wasn't found in the ingredients but in an extra step at the end - beating or blending the sauce!  Perhaps this is no secret to others, but I surely was "enlightened."  My crafty side got the best of me and instead of doing traditional fudge or cookies this year as teacher/neighbor gifts we are doing fudge...sauce.
Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 (or more for darker choc.) cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Combine butter, cocoa, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator. 
*To make this in a large amount use the following measurements and it almost makes 5 pints: 1.5 cups of the cocoa, 1Tbs vanilla, double everything else and boil for 9-10 minutes.

Ready to go!

Applesauce Day

I scored a LARGE bushel of already peeled/sliced apples from a friend who was doing a pie fundraising event.  I was even more thrilled when I found out they were using Ida Reds (the only way to make applesauce, right Grandma Burnett??!?!).  My Grandma is the reason I love to do this and the reason it makes me smile.  I had been meaning to do this post sooner (since this event actually happened in October), I was looking for a picture my sisters and I had taken with my Grandma a couple years ago making applesauce with her (learning from the best!).  Sadly, I haven't  been able to find it.  She is the prettiest lady and would have made this a much better post.  Perhaps she will have a copy I can get when we see them on Thanksgiving!
Back to applesauce...I rarely use all four burners on my stove, and for whatever reason it delights me to do so!  It really makes me feel like I am being productive.

I made most batches "chunky" style, but I did use the Vita-mix and made some smooth, this works for when I substitute applesauce for oil in baking recipes.  I had also stocked up on a bunch of Ziploc containers the week before, they were super cheap (ranging from .50-.75 cents)! 

My sweet grandmother!

Gluten Free Adventures

A few weeks ago we had a great group visit our church for some special meetings.  One of the girls traveling had some food allergies (gluten/dairy/soy).  I was in charge of getting meals together and this was a challenge that I really did enjoy!  Ok, I will admit I was nervous at first, I mean who wants to be responsible for putting one of God's servants in the ER?!?! lol  The girl was from my alma-mater (PCC) and was the sweetest person you could ever meet! Anyways, in the process we actually discovered some new recipes that we love as a family and are very healthy.  I learned a lot...for instance, I was calling Quinoa (qui-noah) and according to the package at Costco it's pronounced (Keen-Wah).  It is a rice/couscous like texture, packed with protein, and has a great nutty flavor.  The first day was a Quinoa Salad with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette Dressing.  Using blue agave vs. maple syrup as the natural sweetener.  You can find the recipe here.
Our favorite though is found below, and I've made it since for our family - yummo!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Pine Nuts & Raisins

1 large Portobello mushroom per person
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the stuffing:

Chopped fresh garlic, to taste
About 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa per mushroom cap
A handful of yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending upon size
1 scallion (spring onion) per person, sliced
A sprinkle of raisins
A sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley, basil or mint

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking or gratin dish.

Gently clean off the mushroom caps; slice off the stems and using a sharp teaspoon carefully scrape out the gills. Place the caps in the baking dish. Drizzle with a scant amount of olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. Pre-bake the mushrooms for about 15 minutes to soften a bit.

In a skillet, heat a little olive oil and toss in the garlic. Stir for a minute. Add in the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, scallions, raisins, pine nuts. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine. Moisten with more olive oil, as needed. Gently heat through, briefly. Remove from heat. Add in the fresh chopped herbs.

Stuff each mushroom cap. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, till the mushroom cap is tender. Tent with foil to keep it moist.

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I also found this salad dressing recipe and have made it several times since - it has a fresh Mexican flavor and I LOVE me some Mexican food!

Dressing:

2 TBS lime juice 

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp maple syrup (I've been using 3/4 tsp of blue agave since we have it right now.  It is very sweet so you don't need as much)

dash or two of chipotle hot sauce

 

I've used it on salads, wraps and just drizzled over black beans and corn as a simple side dish...love this stuff.  It doesn't make a lot so you may consider doubling the recipe.  If you do double, like with all other recipes, you don't necessarily need to double the spice amounts (maybe 1 1/2 times)...those can be added to taste at the end if needed.  Spices carrying over quite well!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These are definitely a keeper!  I am usually not a pumpkin fan, but my husband is a huge fan!  We both really loved this recipe you can find by clicking here.  It is very Fall-ish and the perfect addition to this is a cup of hot chocolate....Mmmmmm! 
*The only alterations I made to this recipe was to use only a little milk in the frosting to make it more thick.  If you want more of a "glaze" add the amount listed.  Also, instead of kneading the dough myself I used the dough hook on my Kitchenaid mixer. 
Another bonus for this week is that Meijer has cream cheese on sale for .25 each!  Just click on this link and you can print the coupon.  It is on sale for $1.25 after the $5 off 5 coupon that makes them .25 cents!  I also used this cream cheese frosting on a spice cake mix I had and it worked very well.

Sunday Night Snacking...

Growing up we had one big meal on Sundays.  We would delightfully come home from evening church, throw on our pajamas and get popcorn and since it was Sunday we got pop! (A.K.A soda, coke, whatever).   I remember the first Sunday we were settled into married life and we came home from church, I, being excited for popcorn and pop, Eric wondering where dinner went and why it was ok to skip such thing!  We have adjusted, we usually do leftovers or cereal.  Lately, our new Sunday snack has been these spinach/artichoke pizza's, and let me say this is a tradition I can get used to!
It is pretty simple, just assemble (this is also a benefit, those of you who know how busy the day is on Sunday)
Needed:
Spinach
Artichoke Hearts (which we buy in bulk at Costco - love those things!)
Jar of roasted red peppers
Whole wheat pita
Your favorite cheese (I like either romano/mozzarella/parmesan).  This particular evening we had mozzarella on hand.

 Chop artichoke hearts and spinach then layer on your pita in the above order.  Throw this puppy in the toaster oven on the broil setting for about 5-7 minutes.  This is SO yummy.  Very healthy too!

More of Fall...

Today we were on a walk and the girls started collecting acorns.  I remembered that last year when Grandma Bonnie was here she put some acorns from her yard in a little glass dish and then stuck some flowers in them...it was simple and I liked the natural aspect.  After digging through some of the leftover garage sale items we found three matching glass bowls (I was actually glad for once that Mel Trotter hadn't shown up to take the stuff yet)!  A little trick to keep the acorns looking fresh is to hairspray them.  The alcohol acts as a glaze/sealant.

The idea was to give these away as gifts...specifically to Chloe's teacher.  I am kind of feeling selfish now after seeing three in a row, it makes a pretty tablescape...

I love the fact that these were virtually free and from God's abundant natural resources!

Fall

Today was our first morning that we woke up to frost (in 2010 anyways!).  The girls thought it was snow!  I was feeling very much the need for comfort food and warm goodness.  Stew and homemade bread is the best remedy.  I also came across a blog today of a  Pastor's wife who shows love to her family and friends through the art of simple cooking.  I realize this isn't a novel idea, however, since both sermons yesterday dealt with this idea of fellowship & hospitality I have been chewing these things over in my mind.  As I was getting dinner around I remembered I had bought some Fall-ish placemats and napkins on clearance last year (.75 each!!).  I went downstairs and dug them out.  The girls helped with the napkins (cloth napkins are a big deal and they felt like they were invited to a fancy dinner party).  I am going to make an honest effort to put more into our dinner time (with our family and having others over more).  Just adding a couple extra things made for a memorable and cozy experience.  Chloe said something that touched me during dinner..."mom, if I were a lost girl I would want to come to this house and eat this warm soup." LOL  I told her we would welcome her anytime! ;)