Dark Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is so delicious, you will never want to buy the manufactured stuff again. Just don't forget to share!

1 cup heavy cream

6 Tbs. unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (make sure you use dark chocolate powder and not the regular -- I use Hershey's)

Combine cream and butter in a medium sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture comes to a slow boil. Add the sugars, stirring until completely dissolved. Reduce heat and add salt and cocoa, whisking gently until smooth. Remove from heat and serve.

You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container -- a spoonful in the middle of the afternoon is as good as a candy bar! Reheat over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power.

Chocolate Ice Cream

This is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten in my entire life... and that's not hyperbole. It's so smooth, so creamy, so chocolatey -- you'll feel like you've gone to chocolate heaven. The recipe is from "The New Best Recipe" cookbook.

8 oz high-quality bittersweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in microwave at 50% power. Set aside to cool.
2. Position a strainer over a medium bowl set in a larger bowl containing ice water.
3. Heat the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until steam appears and the milk is warm, about 5 minutes.
4. While the milk is heating, beat the yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until pale yellow. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated.
5. Whisk half the warm milk mixture into the beaten yolks, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
6. Whisk the milk-yolk mixture into the warm milk in the sauce pan. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until steam appears and the mixture is slightly thickened. Do not boil, or the eggs will curdle.
7. Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set in the ice bath. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla, cover and refrigerate until it's cooled to 40 degrees or lower -- at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
8. Pour custard into the ice cream machine and churn for up to 1/2 an hour. (Longer and you risk getting flecks of butter in your ice cream.) It should resemble soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until firm, around 2 hours.

Gateaux aux Poires (Pear Cake)

This recipe came from my friend Cindy. I made it last night for book group and everyone seemed to really like it. The quantities below are a little different from the ones she gave me as I needed to make a larger amount for all the gals in my book group. If you want to original, let me know. Cindy counseled that it's really important to not delete the rum -- she's made it without and said it was really bland. It's really a perfect dessert for a fall evening.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2 Tbs. Rum

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 lb. pears

1 Tbsp. soft butter

1 Tbs. sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1. Mix together flour, sugar, eggs, yogurt, rum and oil.
2. Spread half of butter on the bottom of a pie plate or tart pan.
3. Cover bottom of pie plate with peeled and cored pear slices.
4. Cover with dough and spread bits of the remaining butter on top. Bake at 400 degrees F, for 25-35 minutes, until it starts to brown around the edges and the middle looks kind of spongy -- it should be firm.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the sugar/nutmeg blend.

Amazing Apple Bread

I know, I know, this blog is filling up with apple recipes. But 'tis the season and this bread is SOOOO good, that I had to add it. My friend, Julie, found this on the internet, but I reduced the amount of sugar, substituted some whole wheat flour and increased the amount of cinnamon. You seriously will want to eat an entire loaf all by yourself.

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups apples, peeled and diced

3 cups all-purpose flour (I substituted 1 1/2 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups white flour)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts, toasted (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Whisk gently to break up any lumps in the flour.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the oil mixture.
5. Blend in apples and nuts.
6. Pour into 4 mini loaf pans or 2 large loaf pans. Bake for approximately 1 hour. (It may take longer, so check them before taking out of the oven.) Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then cool on a rack.

Apple Muffins

1 c. whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups gluten free flour, recipe is in comments here)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 c. applesauce ( I used homemade)
1 c. chopped apples

Directions:

makes 12 muffins (about the size of cupcakes)

-preheat oven to 375 degrees F

- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon . Set aside.(Don't have a sifter? instead of using a spoon to mix these ingredients, use a whisk. )

- in a seperate bowl, mix together the milk, vinegar, oil, maple syrup, applesauce, and apples.

- add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together gently until "just" mixed. DO NOT over mix, this will make your batter (and muffins) heavy and hard.

- spoon batter into well greased muffin tins. bake for 15-20 minutes. test with a toothpick to see if done.

Sauted Apples

We went apple picking last weekend and came home with a bountiful supply. Thus, I'm trying to come up with ways to use them. I made these tonight and wish I'd made more. There was a big argument about who got the last serving!

5-6 apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced (Use two-three more apples than you have eaters because they shrink)

1 tsp. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add apples, cinnamon and lemon juice. Saute, stirring periodically until the apples start to brown.
3. Cover and continue cooking 2-3 minutes. Stir to move the apples that are getting soft from the bottom to the top. Repeat until all the apples are soft. Serve immediately.
4. We ate these for dinner, but they would be really good served for dessert with a scoop of ice cream.

Zucchini bread

It's the season for zucchini and here's the recipe I've been using for a number of years...... (adapted from better homes and garden's new cook book)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use a gluten free blend I make myself)
2 or 3 teaspoons cinnamon (use the good stuff, it makes such a difference)
1/2 teaspoon baking soada
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (more flavor if you use fresh)
1 cup sugar (or less, it’s pretty sweet if you use all)
1 cup shredded zucchini (unpeeled)
1/4 cup cooking oil (can substitute applesauce)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon zest of lemon peel
1/2 or more cup of chocolate chips

In mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, backing powder, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl combine everything else except the chips. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the rest and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes (check doneness with a toothpick). Cool on wire rack. Makes one loaf. Double and freeze a loaf, freezes well.

Easy Chocolate Fondue

There are many wonderful, complicated chocolate fondue recipes, but this one is super easy. And heck, isn't it really all about getting the chocolate onto a piece of fruit in the easiest manner possible?

This makes enough for 2 adults and 2 kids. We ate 16 strawberries and two whole bananas. If you need to make more, increase the amount of chocolate chips and half and half in a 1 to 1/4 ratio.

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup half and half (you can probably use milk, I just had half and half on hand)

Possible dippers: strawberries, banana, pineapple, apple, pound cake, short bread cookies, etc.

1. Combine chocolate chips and half and half in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat at 50% power until chips melt, stirring periodically until creamy and smooth.
3. Transfer to a small crock pot or fondue pot.
4. Start dipping.
5. Don't lick the inside of the crock pot or fondue pot when you're done... you could burn your tongue.

World-Beater Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's hard to beat a fresh chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven and it's really hard to find a recipe that will deliver that experience better than this one will. If you like chewy, gooey cookies this is for you... if you prefer cookies that are bit puffier, almost cakey, you'll need to keep looking.

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups oatmeal, blended finely in food processor

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed Heath Bar

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in salt, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add flour and then oats. Mix well.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, Heath bar and nuts (if desired).
6. Spoon onto cookie sheet leaving 2" between... these will spread as they bake.
7. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven while they still look a little under done. Cool for 5 minutes on pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Eat immediately with a glass of milk. Save a few for your kids or wipe your mouth well to remove the evidence.

Double Chocolate Brownies

My sister-in-law, Margo, gave me this recipe and it's one that my kids always beg for whenever the word "brownie" is mentioned. I love it because the only chocolate needed is chocolate chips and I always have those on hand.

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. water

2 cups chocolate chips or one 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3. In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, sugar and water; heat just to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and stir in one cup only of chocolate chips and the vanilla. Stir until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Gradually blend in the flour mixture.
7. Stir in remaining chocolate chips (and nuts, if desired).
8. Spread in a greased 9" square pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. This is easily doubled for a 9"x13" pan -- bake 35-45 minutes.

These brownies are very thick and rich. If you have a pan that's a little larger than 9" square, they'll come out closer to traditional brownie thickness. I also don't think there's any need to frost them because they're so dense. Definitely taste one before you lather on more sweetness.

Boy, just writing all this down makes me want to go bake a batch. Too bad they like my thighs so well.

All-Butter Pie Crust

Since we're heading into prime apple pie season, I thought I would share this crust recipe. I love a good pie crust, but most of them require shortening and in my mind, "shortening" is another word for partially hydrogenated oil... something I avoid like the plague. There's no question that it helps make a great crust, but I still don't like it. So, I was thrilled to find this recipe (which I've modified a bit) and use it any time I make a pie. I know that butter isn't a healthy form of fat, but at least it comes from a cow and not a factory.

This makes one 9-inch, double-crust pie shell.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

16 Tbs. (2 sticks) frozen, unsalted butter; grated

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1/3 cup ice water, more if needed

(You can combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, but I always do it the old fashioned way.)

1. Blend flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Add grated butter and combine.
2. Sprinkle lemon juice and 1-2 tablespoons of water over flour mixture. Combine with a spoon.
3. Add additional ice water until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains.
4. Turn dough out onto work surface. Divide into 2 balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1-2 hours, before rolling.
5. Roll out the bottom and top crusts.
6. Fill pie shell with something yummy!

Butterscotch Yums

My kids all love these, they are easy and fun to make and taste absolutely fabulous!

1 bag (12 oz) butterscotch chips

12-16 oz jar Dry roasted peanuts

9 oz can pik-nik shoestring potatoes

Melt butterscotch chips on stove over medium heat until melted through (or use double boiler).  Remove from heat and add peanuts and shoestring potatoes.  Mix well.  Using a spoon place a small (bite size) piles of mixture onto wax lined cookie sheets.  Place cookie sheet filled yums into fridge until thoroughly cooled.  Makes about 100 yums.  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

Perhaps it's because of the carrots, but I love to pretend that this cake is good for you. It might be a little less sinful than other types of cakes, but probably not by much. For some reason, I find carrot cake to be a bit more forgiving than other types of cakes. So, if you're not much of a baker, this is a good cake to start with.

Aside from a few nuts, this carrot cake is not full of chunks, so everyone in my family really loves it. Gavin still tends to pick out the walnuts, but I'm hoping he'll grow out of that. If your family really doesn't like nuts at all, just eliminate them from the recipe.

CAKE:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup melted, browned butter, cooled slightly

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups shredded carrots (5-6 medium-large carrots_

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (pecans are a great substitute) 

3/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

FROSTING

1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese, not softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with oil.
2. Cake: put first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir to blend. Make a well in the center, add oil, butter and eggs. Stir with spatula until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide evenly between pans. Bake 35-40 minutes (the 9-inch pan will take less time) until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a mixer until blended. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in sugar.
4. To frost: Place one cooled cake layer (make sure it's cool or the frosting will melt!) on serving plate. Spread top with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with a second layer, bottom side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Pat sides with chopped nuts.

Strawberry Shortcake

In honor of the 4th of July, I thought I would share this recipe. It makes enough for 8-10 people, so serve it to a crowd. It's a huge favorite in our house... especially if the kids get to put on their own whipped cream!

Fruit:

8 cups (2 ½ lbs.) strawberries

6 Tbs. sugar

 

Shortcakes:

2 cups flour

5 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

8 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup plus 1 Tbs. half-and-half or whole milk

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

 

2 cups Whipped Cream

 

1. For the fruit: slice strawberries and toss with sugar. Set fruit aside to macerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
2. For the shortcakes: Adjust the oven rack to the lover-middle position and heat to 425 degrees. In the food processor, pulse the flour, 3 Tbs. sugar, baking powder and salt to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl.
3. Mix the beaten egg with the half-and-half in a measuring cup. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Combine with a rubber spatula until large clumps form. Turn the mixture onto a floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.
4. Use your fingertips to pat the dough into a 9 by 6-inch rectangle about ¾ inch thick, being careful not to overwork the dough. Flour a 2 3/4 –inch biscuit cutter and cut out rounds. Pull together left over pieces and cut out a few more rounds. Place the rounds 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet, brush the tops with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. (Dough rounds can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.)
5. Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.
6. To assemble: When the shortcakes have cooled slightly, split them in half. Place each cake bottom on an individual serving plate. Spoon a portion of the fruit and then a dollop of the whipped cream over each cake bottom. Cap with the cake top and serve immediately.

Best Banana Bread

My kids love this. In fact, during the school year my daughter will often come home and ask to make banana bread for snack. I think she would cook or bake every day after school if she could.

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped coarsely and toasted (optional)

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 very ripe, soft large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 vanilla yogurt

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Don't over bake. (I start checking it at 50 minutes... I hate dry banana bread!)
5. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Continue cooling.