At first I was going to write an introduction to the whole history of cocoa/chocolate – just spouting off a bunch of internet facts and myths all jumbled together. Dry – boring and not at all personal. This recipe is personal.
Awesome Spaghetti with Double the Meats
Hubby loves Spaghetti with Meat Balls – it’s one of his favorite ways to eat Spaghetti. I love Spaghetti with Italian Sausage in the tomato-based sauce. Kiddo isn’t particular – he loves Spaghetti any way you serve it. Hum, wonder what would happen if I made the sauce my way, rich in tomatoes with Italian sausage and invited meat balls to the mix . . .
Chewy Triple Chocolate Brownies and Baby Brothers
There are times in our lives when people who are no longer with us just “appear”. Maybe a light breeze touches your hair in just such a way to trigger a memory. Or the scent of a flower will recall a first love. There is a feeling of warmth; of comfort and a sadness all rolled into one that will sweep over you, even if it is only for a moment.
There are times when I miss my brother – when his loss is felt so deep, yet the memory of him warms me. These waves of emotion seem to come at the oddest of times. You would think that sense of loss would be the strongest on Christmas morning when you notice someone’s absent. Or the Thanksgiving Table, when we count our blessings and give thanks. Do I miss him then? Yes, but not in the same way as those flashes of him pop into my reality unexpectedly. They are joyfully sad surprise visits, when I am caught off guard. I miss my friend, my partner in crime.
Brother Dear loved all things chocolate. Chocolate cake eaten warm with butter on top. And Brownies – how he loved brownies! When I looked over my planned baking treats for Christmas, I realized that Brownies were not a part of that plan. I could sense his disapproval. Can’t have that. So here’s to you, baby brother. A Brownie true to his dark chocolate heart.
Chewy Triple Chocolate Brownies
1/3 cup DUTCH-PROCESSED COCOA powder
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (about 1 minute in the microwave does the trick – just place the butter in a mug or bowl cut into chunks)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Adjust oven baking rack to the bottom and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil to create a sling for the brownie batter. This will make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan. Just place a piece of foil in one direction, then place a piece of foil going the opposite direction. Allow the foil to hang over the sides. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the boiling water and the cocoa powder. Use a whisk to stir until the cocoa powder is dissolved.
Add in the unsweetened chocolate, and whisk until all of the chocolate is melted. To the melted chocolate mixture, add melted butter and oil. Whisk to blend.
Add eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Whisk to blend wet ingredients.
In another bowl, mix sugar, flour, and salt. Stir until dry ingredients into wet ingredients until all are combined.
Fold in mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the pan lined with foil.
Bake on the bottom rack for 30 to 35 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness, you want some moist crumbles to be on the toothpick which means they are cooked just right. If the toothpick comes out clean, you’ve overcooked the brownies.
Remove the brownies from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for about 90 minutes. Then, use the foil overhang to lift the brownies out of the pan. Allow the brownies to continue to cool for an additional 60 minutes. Cut the brownies into squares and serve.
Sweet Christmas Gifts from Your Kitchen
How many of you out there are baking cookies as gifts this holiday? Great! Homemade gifts are those that truly come from the heart, wrapped tightly in love. I bet a lot of you are going to include a tin of fudge with your cookies – you know, that fantasy fudge we all grew up on from Kraft made with Marshmallow Fluff. The first candy I ever learned to make was Fantasy Fudge. It’s been around since before I was born. I grew up thinking there was no other Fudge on earth. While the recipe has been modified by Kraft over the years, I still use the one as it appeared on the back of a jar of Marshmallow Fluff way back when.
People once sent tins of cookies and candies and the notorious Fruit Cake. Gifts were made rather than bought. With the influence of social media and all those DIY sites, we seem to be embracing those traditions once more. Nothing could please this old gal more.
Years gone by, Hubby’s Mom would send us big tins of Rum Balls. You could smell the rum long before the package was opened. During her final years on earth, while the Rum Balls still managed to deliver a punch, we did notice that the rum content seemed to go down with each passing Christmas. I’m not saying that my Mother-in-Law was hitting the sauce when she was making her holiday gift baskets. I’m just making an observation – there was less rum in the balls and they weren’t nearly as round. Hum . . .
Funny story about those balls. Back in the day when they were still powerful, you could actually get a buzz if you had too many of her Rum Balls. Mom always mailed her rum balls to Hubby’s office for reasons I’ve never understood. One year while we were unloading the car packed full of pot-luck goodies and Mom’s Christmas offerings, our dog was begging for a little nibble. I gave her a rum ball. She continued to beg until she fell over. It turned out Hubby gave her a rum ball, as did each of our children. Poor thing, she was drunk!
This year, in addition to my usual Soft Gingerbread Cookies and Melt-in-your-mouth Peanut Butter cookies, I’ve decided to make some candies. Do you have a favorite Christmas Candy? I’d love to hear about it . . .
Christmas Gift Candies
Chocolate Clusters: Caramel Cashew Clusters
Divinity: Betty’s Delicious Divinity
Fudge: Eggnog Christmas Fudge
Fudge: Kraft Fantasy Fudge
Fudge: Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge
Rum Balls: Two Drink Limit Rum Balls
Truffles: Candy Cane Mint Oreo Truffles
Caramel Cashew Clusters
1 heaping cup Planter’s cashews
2 cups soft caramels , unwrapped
14 ounces Hershey’s chocolate bars
Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Place piles of about 6-7 cashews all around the pan.
Place unwrapped caramels in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until caramel is melted.
Pour a small spoonful of caramel over each cashew pile, making sure some of the caramel touches all of the cashews so they will stick together.
Place the pan in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to harden the caramel.
Meanwhile, break the chocolate bars into pieces and add to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and use a spoon to coat each cluster in chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off and place back on the baking sheet.
Refrigerate for a few more minutes for the chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
Betty’s Divinity
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Cook sugar, corn syrup and water (use 1 tablespoon less water on humid days) in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, to 260 degrees on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball that holds its shape but is pliable.
Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer on high-speed until stiff peaks form.
Continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed. (For best results, use electric stand mixer, not a portable handheld mixer since beating time is about 10 minutes and mixture is thick.) Add vanilla. Beat until mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull. (Mixture may become too stiff for mixer.) Gently stir in nuts.
Drop mixture from buttered spoon onto waxed paper. Let stand at room temperature at least 12 hours, turning candies over once, until candies feel firm. Store in airtight container.
Eggnog Fudge
½ Cup Butter
¾ Cup Eggnog
2 Cups White Sugar
2 Cups White Chocolate Chips
(1) 7 Ounce Jar Marshmallow Creme
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg, Grated
Line a 9×9 pan with foil, leaving 2 inches over sides to use as “lift” handles. Spray with non stick cooking spray.
In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, sugar, and eggnog. Bring to a boil.
Cook until the temperature reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat. Stir in white chocolate until melted.
Stir in marshmallow creme, vanilla, and nutmeg.
Evenly spread into prepared pan.
Garnish with more grated nutmeg if desired.
Let fudge cool and set completely before serving. To cut, lift from pan. Place on a cutting board and cut with serrated knife or wire.
Kraft Fantasy Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk)
1 (12 oz) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped Walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
LINE 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Lightly butter the foil.
Note: A 9-inch square pan will yield thick chunks of fudge. If a less thick piece of fudge is desired, use a 9 x 13-inch pan.
Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 5 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
ADD chocolate and stir until the chips have completely melted. Fold in marshmallow creme; stir until no streaks of marshmallow cream remain. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.
POUR into prepared pan; spread to cover the pan completely. Work quickly as the fudge will set up in no time. Cool completely at room temperature.
Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan and transfer to a board. Peel off foil before cutting into squares.
Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 oz premium white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring (optional)
Line an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with waxed-paper. Set aside.
In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk; add vanilla and stir to blend. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining half of chocolate mixture at room temperature.
In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt white chocolate chips with remaining sweetened condensed milk (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring (optional). Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill 10 minutes longer or until firm.
Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.
Two Drink Limit Rum Balls
1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers
1 (16-ounce) package pecan pieces
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup dark rum
Sanding Sugar for garnish
Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add vanilla wafers. Process until crumbs are fine. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place pecans in processor bowl; process until finely chopped. Stir into vanilla wafer crumbs. Stir in honey, bourbon, and rum.
Shape into 1-inch balls, and roll in sugar or additional vanilla wafer crumbs. Place in an airtight container, and store in refrigerator up to one month.
Candy Cane Oreo Truffles
36 Oreos (Mint filled or original)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz. white chocolate chips
¼ cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies, for decorating
Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
Add the cream cheese and pulse until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a cookies scoop, scoop the mixture into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Once all the balls have been created, place in the freezer until well chilled, at least 1 hour.
Remove truffles from freezer and dip in melted chocolate.
Return to baking sheet, immediately sprinkle tops with crushed candy canes then allow chocolate to set.
Store the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Wishing everyone a blessed Holiday Season filled with joy and all the makings of precious memories.
Filet Mignon with Brandy Cream and Peppercorns
When it comes to fancy steaks, Filet Mignon is at the top of my list. If you are craving a steak with true beefy goodness, this might not be the cut for you. Fat and marbling is what gives beef its flavor. A well-marbled Rib-Eye is delicious. Skirt steaks, although thin, are packed with flavor.
Continue reading “Filet Mignon with Brandy Cream and Peppercorns”
Lemon Parsley Chicken with Garlic
While reorganizing the chicken recipes in my yumprint file, I came across this yummy recipe that had a note “on blog”. Really? So I searched, and I searched – have I lost my mind? Was that note intended to remind me to share the recipe with you or had I truly shared this wonderful dish and now it was gone? It turns out, I had shared it in a way – as part of a collection of recipes. There it was, buried in part 7 of the Traveling Dinner Party series. If I had a hard time finding my recipe for this Chicken dish, how could I expect anyone else to find it? So I’ve pulled it out, shaken off the cobwebs and shared it once again.
A Sweet Holiday Tradition – Christmas Baklava
A few years back, for Christmas my sister gave me a wonderful cookbook – a first for Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman). I loved it – the recipes were wonderful, the photographs heartwarming, and the little stories woven along the way were charming. Reading it was a lot like sitting down with a big cup of coffee in a friend’s cozy kitchen and talking about our two favorite things in life – family and cooking.
Continue reading “A Sweet Holiday Tradition – Christmas Baklava”Joyful Christmas Nibbles to Brighten Your Table
One of my all time favorite things to do is create themed tables for holidays or special events. I can spend hours upon hours reading through recipes, visualizing the beautiful table in my mind. Holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are some of the easiest to bring together. Just check the internet – there are entire sites dedicated to holiday entertaining. And not just the big holidays. Do a little digging and you can find recipes and decorating tips for just about anything. I love them all. It’s the attention to detail that pulls me in. I am such a stickler for detail.
Continue reading “Joyful Christmas Nibbles to Brighten Your Table”
The Pink Stuff
What is it about this simple Jello Salad that is so popular? Seems like at every family gathering throughout the summer; someone brings a big bowl of “the pink stuff”. Be it Auntie May or Cousin Mary. When families get together for a pot-luck in warm weather, someone always pipes up with “Oh, and I’ll make the pink stuff.” Or the question is raised “Who’s making the pink stuff?” It’s expected, like Uncle Bob grabbing you in a headlock and rubbing the top of your head or Aunt Virginia kissing everyone and leaving a big, red impression of her lips on your cheek. At the end of summer, the Pink Stuff is gone, only to reappear at the Thanksgiving or Christmas Table, then poof, gone again until the following summer.
Chicken Escabeche
This recipe is one I picked up at the Filipino Food Store.com – and being half Filipino, I knew I had to give it a try. Those of you who have been following me know by now – “trying” equates to playing around with a recipe while making it for the very first time.
Wintertime Tomato Soup with Grilled Ham and Two-Cheese Sandwiches
There’s something about Tomato Soup that just naturally goes with grilled sandwiches. Some people go for the grilled cheese variety. Others like a Tuna Melt (my personal favorite); while my guys go for Grilled Ham and Cheese on Sourdough. Hubby is strictly an American Cheese kind of guy, while Kiddo and I like to mix it up a bit with Pepper Jack or Smoked Gouda.
Continue reading “Wintertime Tomato Soup with Grilled Ham and Two-Cheese Sandwiches”
Irish Coffee To Warm The Toes
Every year in mid-March, Hubby, Kiddo and I drive over to Sonora California for their two-day Celtic Celebration. For anyone living in Northern California, this is a hoot and a half.
Golden Perfection Oven-Roasted Capon
Up until about three years ago I had never eaten, much less cooked a Capon Chicken. The first time I ever heard of a Capon was shortly after Hubby and I were married. In conversation, my mother-in-law mentioned that she served a Capon for Thanksgiving, once most of the boys had left home. Having never heard of a Capon, I imagined a small bird – much like a game hen.
Continue reading “Golden Perfection Oven-Roasted Capon”Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Kiddo and I put on our Baking Hats today. At Hubby’s request, we baked up three dozen of the most moist, soft and oh so good Gingerbread Cookies on the planet. That said, let me utter a quick disclaimer – if you are looking to make gingerbread people, this is NOT the recipe for you. The dough is very soft and sticky, making rollings and cutting with a cookie cutter an absolute nightmare. You will be pulling your hair out. These cookies are rolled in sugar, flattened slightly and baked into round, wonderful ginger delights.
I am not a cookie baker by nature. Cakes, pies, complicated souffles and I’m there. But cookies – it’s just not my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that cookies are too simple. On the contrary, cookies are anything but simple. Over mix and you wind up with a tough cookie. Over bake and you’ve got hard crackers. Measuring and achieving just the right consistency in the dough is critical in the cookie department.
Whenever Hubby asks for home-baked gingerbread cookies, I dreaded it. That is until I came across this recipe. It is so easy and so good – it’s darn near fool-proof. All the while, the kitchen smells wonderful – the scent of ginger and spice lingers in the air long after the baking is done. There is nothing more homey than the aroma of fresh-baked cookies.
There was no need to call my guys into the kitchen today. I pulled the first dozen soft cookies from the oven and placed on a rack to finish cooling. Before I had the second dozen in the oven to bake, my guys had gobbled up half a dozen cookies! Can’t blame them, these are really good!
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
3 ¼ Cups Flour
3 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¾ Cup Margarine, softened
1 1/2 Cup Sugar, divided
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Dark Molasses
Preheat oven 350-degrees. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Place dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. This will make it a little easier to work with.
Using a small scoop (about 1 tablespoon) scoop up a walnut sized ball and drop a small bowl of remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Roll cookie in sugar and then roll into a ball. Place the gingerbread balls onto a silicone lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten slightly. (If your mat has circles like mine, make the rounds about the size of the inside circle) Sprinkle tops of flattened cookies with about a pinch or so of the sugar, then press and spread around for a light dusting of sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve warm, if desired. Store uneaten cookies (if there are any left) in an airtight container.
Yields about 3 dozen cookies (including those you’ve already eaten).
Remembering Pearl Harbor
I know, I’ve hinted in the past that I’m a cranky old lady, but I’m not old enough to have any first-hand memories of the attack on Pear Harbor 77 years ago. My parents were just children in 1941, living worlds apart. Yet Pear Harbor had an impact on my life. Growing up in Central California, the scars of Pearl Harbor remained just below the surface. We lived just outside the farming community of Florin. Before the war, Florin was once the Strawberry capital of California thanks to the Japanese who worked the rich lands. The internment of the Japanese community forever changed the landscape of this sleepy little town. While the resentment and hostility were not in the forefront when I was a child, many people remembered the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the term “Jap” was still a part of everyday language.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 