Happy Halloween 2016!!

Well Happy Halloween everyone!!! 

Yes I know I have not blogged in FOREVER!! But this girl has been busy, but today
I have a quick easy recipe for Halloween or really anytime. 🙂

I do like a Butterfinger Candy Bar every once in awhile, so when I saw this online, I thought really does it taste like a Butterfinger????

This was one of those million some videos you see of recipes, and I was like 3 ingredients and you have a Butterfinger…well lets give this a try 😛  LOL!!

Now I made a big batch, I wanted to bring them to the office today for everyone for Halloween. 

So I will give you the original recipe and then tell you what I did for large batch.

So you need – Chocolate discs for melting, Creamy Peanut Butter and a bag of Candy Corn…

Now you know tomorrow you will find a ton of bags of Candy Corn marked down to like 25 cents…LOL
So stock up and you can make this anytime 🙂

Melt Chocolate, spread on to a silpat or parchment paper

In a microwave safe bowl add peanut butter and candy corn

 

Heat in microwave until softened, then mix until smooth
and candy corn has been melted and mixed in

Once Chocolate layer is firm, layer candy corn mixture over top

Spread mixture over chocolate to the edge

Melt more chocolate

Spread it over top all the way over the edge

Like this, now let it set up, I let mine set on the counter

Now Cut and there you have your bars, 
you also can free form bar shapes and then dip
the whole bar into chocolate

Homemade Butterfinger Bars

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

The original recipe is not mine, just google it and you will find a lot of them.

1 cup candy corn
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups chocolate discs

Melt half the chocolate and spread out onto a silpat or parchment paper, set aside to cool

In a microwave safe bowl add candy corn, heat for 30 seconds and keep repeating until smooth, then add peanut butter, mixture will become stiff.
Let cool a little, then spread over top of chocolate, then melt remaining chocolate and spread over top of candy corn mixture, let set then cut into bars.

What I did was a little different, and this is that recipe, this was a large batch

4 cups candy corn
1 jar 16.3 oz. peanut butter
1 lb. milk chocolate disc, divided 
1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate disc, divided

I used a silpat for this and made it over the entire thing

To a microwave safe bowl add half the milk chocolate and half the semi-sweet, I also like to add a tablespoon of Crisco shortening to my chocolate to make smoother.  Heat for 1 minute, stir, then heat again in 20 seconds intervals, stirring each time until smooth.

Pour out all over the silpat, let set to cool, once cool, then in a large microwave safe bowl add candy and peanut butter. I added some peanut butter first then some candy, then peanut butter again then candy then peanut butter again.

Heat for 1 minute, stir, then heat for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stir again, then heat in 20-30 second intervals until candy corn is completely combined into the mixture.  

TIP – take the candy corn and add it to your food processor to chop up, I think doing this will help in melting easier and then it will not take that long in the microwave.

Let candy corn mixture cool just a bit, then spread it over the cooled chocolate, spreading it to the chocolates edge.

Now melt the same way as the first, the remaining chocolate and pour over top the candy mixture.

Let set up at room temp for at least 6 hours, if you can’t wait you can put it in the fridge to firm, but let it get to room temp before cutting or chocolate could crack.

Cut into any size bar you want…and Enjoy!!!

Happy Pi Day! 3-14

Happy Pi Day Everyone!!! 3-14-16

In honor of Pi Day here is a link to my Banana Cream Pie!!!  I hope you check it out and what Pie will you be eating today!! LOL!! 🙂

https://whatscookingwithchefamy.com/2012/06/17/banana-cream-pie-for-fathers-day/

National Chocolate Cake Day!!!

So yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day, and I got the itch to make a
Chocolate Cake and I brought it in for the office today!!!  

I know they will happy, since this is the second thing I made this week, on Monday
I made a Cinnamon and Walnut Coffee Cake and they all loved that!! 🙂

So I didn’t have my usual ingredients at the house that I have used in my Chocolate cakes before, like
buttermilk or sour cream those things make my cakes moist and I like using them.

So I just followed the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa Powder can.

The only thing I did differently was two things:
1. I used 1 cup of cocoa powder, instead of what it said, (I can’t remember LOL)
2. I used Hot Strong Coffee instead of Hot Water.

I also made it in a bundt pan 🙂 Bake for about 40-50 mins, just until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

The I made Cream Cheese Frosting and that recipe is below 🙂

Adding the chocolate to the cream cheese, butter and sugar (sorry i didn’t take better pictures)

whipped up altogether 🙂

frosting!!

Done 🙂

now Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

2 – 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
2 stick of butter, softened
1 3/4 – 2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup half and half

In a double boiler add chocolate and half and half, stir until chocolate has melted and mixture has before like a thick paste.  Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl mix cream cheese until fluffy, then add butter and mix until combined and fluffy.
Then add powdered sugar, I only used 1 3/4 cup but if you like it sweeter add more, mix until combined.

The mix in chocolate and continue to mix until all in combined and fluffy.

This recipe covered the bundt cake and I had about 2 cups left over.

Store cake in the refrigerator, let set at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

YUMMY!!! Enjoy!!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Creamer!!

So are you one of those people that CANNOT wait till fall hits so you can get your
Pumpkin Spice Latte on!! 😛

As you know most of the coffee shops only have this Pumpkin Spice Syrup during the fall and maybe into the winter???

I don’t know because I am not one of those people 😛

But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to get on the “Band Wagon” and make my own…LOL!!

So many recipes have been flying around the internet, so I decided I would give it a try…

And let me tell you it turned out DELICIOUS!!!!!!!

I kind of shock myself…LOL 😛

So of course I dug into my spices to find the hidden Pumpkin Pie Spice in the back from the fall before LOL and finally can open one of the two large can of pumpkin pure, again from the fall before 😦

Okay so what else…I found some sweetened condensed milk and now I just needed cream, but I didn’t want to use cream, so I settled for half n half.

Okay I think I am ready to go and this is how it all went.

Ingredients

in a saucepan, pumpkin, milk and spice

stir that up, then stir in the half n half

cook on med-high
okay I will confess, I had in on med-high, but I was trying to do other things as well, and I may not have been stirring it the whole time…hence it started to burn on the bottom, when I went back to it, and started whisking like a mad women, black bits started to surface.  I may have cursed that this time, but I turned it down to low and kept on whisking until it thickened a little, then I let it cool for 5 minutes

Once I tried it was AWESOME!! It tasted like Toasted Pumpkin Marshmallow 🙂
I thought Holy Crap I just added another flavor dimension…WOOO HOOOO!!!!! LOL 🙂

It does get a little darker as it thickens

now you have strain this through a fine mesh strainer,
and take the back of a spatula and force the mixture through the
strainer by moving the spatula back and forth

this is what you will have left in the strainer

after I let the mixture cool in the fridge,
I poured it into 2 little mason jars

This will keep in your fridge up to 2 weeks
if it last that long 🙂 LOL

My Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino

I added to my mug, about 2 Tbsp. pumpkin mixture
2 Tbsp. creamer and stir it up

Then I frothed that

Then I add my espresso

and to finish it off I sprinkle a little
Pumpkin Pie Spice on top…it was just Yumm!!!

Now you can just mix it into your regular coffee,
as I did at the office this morning 🙂

As I talk to some of the ladies this morning, I started coming up
all kinds ideas to do with this mixture besides to put in your
coffee…oh a can wait to get back in the kitchen…stay tune!!!

• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup half n’ half, or cream or whole milk

Whisk everything together in a saucepan, cook over med-high, whisk until mixture thickens
and darkens a little.  Like I said above, let it burn a little and it will give it a toasted flavored, I felt
like that added such good flavor.

Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer, take a spatula and force mixture through the strainer by going back and forth.  Pour mixture into a jar or container and keep refrigerated for up to two weeks if it last that long…LOL  Mind didn’t 😛

Add as much or as little to your coffee or tea and sit back and enjoy!!

 

It Was An All-Star Week!!!!

Well if you are not a sports fan and don’t live in Cincinnati, then you may not even know what I am talking about 🙂 but for a year the city has been planning for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.

Let me say the city was crazy, I did go downtown a couple of days but if you didn’t get down there early to find a parking space, lot or garage it was nuts.  So to say the least I just drove around and then went back across the river 😛

But the Home Run Derby was exciting since Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds won it this year!!!

All and all I think Cincinnati and Northern Ky. did an outstanding job hosting this years All-Star Game.

I did take some pictures, I have some here that friends took as well, but as I say it was an “All-Star Week”

There were are couple birthdays in our family and of course I made a few things, so check out my pictures and enjoy!!!

First of the birthdays was my little niece I made cupcakes 🙂

She likes presents and bubbles 🙂

Around town they made these mustaches statues here are few of them

here is the picture of all of them that they made, pretty cool 🙂

Here are few of my souvenirs

Buskin Bakery made the cookies got to love that!!

Here are some pictures of the Red Carpet Parade,
the players start at their hotel and end at the ball park, all on red carpet 🙂
Grand Marshall – Barry Larkin

 

Mr. Red and Gapper

 

Rosie Red

 

Some other mascots

Todd Frazier and his family

 

You can see on Todd’s hand the blisters from the Home Run Derby 🙂

 

Few other Players 🙂

Some of the city skyline and downtown

yes they had a zipline too

 

My All-Star Pizza, half spinach & garlic
other half was spinach, Gorgonzola cheese,
sliced almonds, sliced strawberries and
balsamic glaze…so so GOOD!!!

 

The other birthday was my Mommy!! 🙂

I made her cookies peanut butter with no flour 🙂

Dinner – Braised Short Ribs, butter noodles and carrots 🙂

Peach Ice Cream (I just scooped some out to take the picture)
she took the Ice Cream, cookies all home 🙂

And for actual dessert I made Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 😛

I must say I agree is was an All-Star Week 🙂

Summer Cooking Class Series!!

Yes I know I have been a little “MIA” lately!!!

But this summer has been busy and I can’t believe its JULY!!!! 
I have my hand in so many different little things that I am just so busy and it’s been hard to find the time to blog.  Plus I have not been cooking anything really good for myself, so hence no blogs.

But I did finish a couple weeks ago a cooking class series that I did in 3 of our stores 🙂

They all turned out great, a lot of grilling and a few out of the box recipes, beer sampling with one too!!

Here are a few pictures of the dishes and the crowds, it was a great time and I had a LOT of help from some of GREAT co-workers.

I hope you enjoy!!!

Grilled Fruit Pizza – naan bread, Camembert cheese, blackberries, strawberries, basil and balsamic glaze

Grilled Asian Corn with peanuts

Grilled Watermelon with arugula, feta and balsamic glaze

Crowd pic

Veggie Pizza – Garlic naan bread, red pepper hummus, grilled veggies topped with goat cheese

Grilled pound cake and pineapple

Grilled German Potato Salad

Grilled veggies with garlic couscous topped with basil

crowd pics

Zucchini & tomato salad with ricotta, Parmesan and pesto

Hawaiian Rice – cooked in coconut milk, golden raisin, macadamia nuts and green onions

Mango & pineapple salsa

Crowd Pics

Grilled romaine with mango vinaigrette, shredded jicama, pineapple, red pepper and black sesame seeds

Me – having fun with the microphone….I love being on the Microphone 😛 

One Lovely Blog Award!!

Recently I was nominated for the “One Lovely Blog Award” by Ka@My Uni Kitchen

Ka has a terffic blog, he has amazing Recipes, How to Guides and Cooking Tips, so please go over to his
blog and check out all those good things he has to offer 🙂

There are few rules to accepting the award you must tell everyone 7 things about yourself and nominate 15 blogs
for the award.

So here we go 🙂

1. I worked on a cruise ship for 6 1/2 years

2. My first career was in Theater Costuming before going into Culinary

4. I love Hockey

5. I worked for our home town Hockey Team by sewing names and numbers on their jerseys

6.  During the baseball season, I am on call for the Cincinnati Reds and the away teams
      that come into town and play the Reds, to sew their uniforms (sewing names & numbers),
      for any last minute call ups.

7.  The most I was ever paid for sewing 1 single uniform for an away team was $100.00
and that was for 1 hour of work, that included the call, me driving to the ball park
(i live very close) getting in there sewing the name and number and then 
      back in my car.  🙂  

Bonus – here’s the picture 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the few things that most of you did not know about me 🙂

 

Here are the blogs that I think are fantastic and I give the “One Lovely Blog Award” too

Suzanne@apuginthekitchen

Gretchen@Feeding My 3 Sons

Ginger@Ginger&Bread

Loretta@Safari of the Mind

Angie@The Novice Gardner

Julie@Hostess At Heart

Michelle@Giraffes Can Bake

Suzi@Beach Blanket Bacon

Jhuls@The Not So Creative Cook

Coco@Crafty Little Coco

Lili@Lili’s Cakes

Max@Dante’s Kitchen

Linda@La Petite Paniere

Ms. Frau@Frugal Hausfrau

Petra@Food Eat Love

Vidya and Chitra I added you as well
I know Ka added you to his blog
but I wanted to let you know I love
your blogs too, so you can consider mine
with his 🙂

Vidya@Traditionally Modern Food

Chitra@Chitra’s Healthy Kitchen

Thank you everyone for checking out my blog!!!

 

 

 

Red Velvet Cheesecake!!! “Fiesta Friday #63”

“Red Velvet, Red Velvet, send “Cheesecake” right over” LOL

Anyone remember playing “Red Rover, Red Rover” as a kid 😉 if not just google it LOL 😛

Anyway I was trying to start my blog out in a silly kind of way, but there is no silliness when “Red Velvet” is involved 😉

Of course Red Velvet everything starts to come out around Valentine’s Day, and this is around that time I made this delicious cheesecake.

Of course I did share with several friends and I must say I had “zero” complaints 🙂 LOL

So I thought this would be perfect for this week’s “Fiesta Friday #63”, of course our host is Angie@The Novice Gardener her new blog for Fiesta Friday’s is here and her co-host this week are Julianna@Food On Board and Hilda@Along The Grapevine.

So I’d like to thank them for letting me share this recipe 🙂

So without further ado here you go!!

 

Ingredients

Crust –

place biscuits in food processor

 

 

Pulse until it becomes fine crumbs

this is the 1 1/2 cup of the tea biscuits

 

Add melted butter and crumbs together

 

 

butter & crumb mixture

 

 

spray your spring-form pan

Pour crumb mixture into pan

with your fingers firmly press crumb mixture into pan
and up the sides about 1 inch

Filling – cream cheese softened

 

blend the cream cheese until smooth

 

add eggs one at a time, blending well after each one

 

add the sugar

 

add sour cream

 

add salt & cornstarch

 

add vanilla

scrap your bowl

put about 2 1/2 cup of the filling in another bowl

add red food coloring and cocoa

 

whisk together

Pour red mixture on top of cream mixture
and give it a swirl and bake

 

once its done turn oven off, crack the oven door open
and let cake sit inside for 1 hour

 

remove from oven and let cool for 3 hours

 

Chill overnight or for at least 3 hours before
cutting and serving

 

Its came out just delicious!!!

Enjoy!!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

• Servings: 8-10
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Crust:
2 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (graham or flavored)
(I used 1 1/2 cups Cappuccino tea biscuits and 1 cup graham cracker crumbs)
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Mix all together in a bowl, in a 9 inch spring-form pan press mixture down on the bottom and up the sides about 1 inch, set aside.

Filling:

2 8oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. red food coloring
1/4 cup cocoa powder

In a large bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, add one egg at a time, making sure each is mixed in before adding the next.  Then add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla, salt and then cornstarch, scraping the bowl as needed.

Take 2 1/2 cups of the mixture and add it to a small bowl then mix in food coloring  and cocoa until fully combined.

Pour white mixture into the pan and spread around, then add red mixture and just swirl the 2 mixtures together.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, edges will be puffed up and slightly brown, turn off oven, leave the door cracked with cheesecake inside for 1 hour.  Then cool at room temp. for about 3 hours, place in refrigerator to chill for at least 2-3 before serving.

Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake!! Fiesta Friday #58

Welcome to Fiesta Friday #58!!

I want to thank Angie@The Novice Gardener and her co-host for this week are Caroline @Caroline’s Cooking and Elaine @foodbod 🙂

I would like to share my “Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake”

This past weekend in the states was the final episode of Downton Abbey Season 5!

My friend Paul and I decided to get together and watch it together and have a little Downton Abbey Dinner.  He bought the Downton Abbey Cookbook so we picked out a couple of recipes to make.

We made Crawley Family Chicken Breasts with Caper Cream Sauce, Lord Grantham’s American Italian: Risotto alla Milanese and Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan.

Of course we had some cocktails too I made “Huckleberry Clover Club’s”  a few pictures of the night 🙂

Oh and Downton Abbey did not disappoint it was just wonderful with happy endings, I cried of course 😛

Our table 🙂

 

Huckleberry Clover Club

 

 

Our dinner

I knew the dessert had to be special and for our love of Prince William, I decided to make Prince William’s Grooms Cake, this was his favorite cake growing up.

I saw Carolyn Robb the former chef for the British royal family make this on Good Morning America in December and I was like I have to make that sometime for some occasion.

This was the perfect occasion to make it, here is the original recipe, but this is what I did I changed it slightly.

Ingredients

Butter in the pan

golden syrup added

Melted all together

the chocolate, vanilla and cocoa

 

add the chocolate

the vanilla

now the cocoa

whisk until silky smooth

biscuits ready

pistachios and figs

Mix those together

pour in chocolate mixture

mix all together

my pan

 

pour into pan and cool

rack

 

now chilled

place upside on rack

 

melt chocolate with crisco

pour on top of cake

spread all over

cake comb

melt white chocolate with criso (blurry)

drizzle over cake

add maltesers

Enjoy!!

Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake

• Servings: 10-12
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

3 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup golden syrup
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup cup semi-sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup packed soft, plump dried figs, diced
1 pound digestive biscuits, each biscuit broken into 4 pieces
To Decorate:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate
3 Tbsp. white chocolate
1 1/2 Tbsp. crisco & 1 tsp. crisco
small bag of ‘Maltesers’ or ‘Whoppers’

Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a small saucepan. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate and vanilla. Stir until you have a very smooth, glossy mixture.
In a large bowl mix together the pistachios, figs and broken biscuits then pour the chocolate mixture over top and mix well.
Line a round 9 inch cake pan with plastic wrap. Pour the mixture into the tin and press it down well to fit, I did this lightly because I did not want to crush the biscuits. Leave to cool thoroughly at room temperature  for 2 hours before covering and chilling in the fridge for about 3 hours.
When set, remove from the tin, peel off the plastic wrap and place it on a cooling rack lined with wax paper upside down. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate with 1 1/2 tbsp. Crisco and white chocolate and 1 tsp. Crisco separately. Spread the semi-sweet chocolate all over the cake. I used a Triangular Cake Decorating Comb over the top of the cake, then drizzled the white chocolate all over, place the Maltesers around the top of the cake before the chocolate sets.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, let set at room temp for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Everyone that got some LOVED IT!!!  You must make this one 😉

Mini Strawberry Espresso Surprise!!! Fiesta Friday #55

Hello everyone it’s another Fiesta Friday!!! I want to thank our host Angie@The Novice Gardener and her co-host today Sue@birgerbird and Suzanne@apuginthekitchen.  Suzanne has become a great blog friend and I want to thank her 🙂  So enjoy Fiesta Friday everyone!!!

So earlier this week I went to my favorite place “Flying Olive” 🙂

The Flying Olive has 50 varieties of olive oils and vinegar’s, I love going there because you can taste anything before buying it 😛 check out their website for all the info and check out their 2 locations one each in Ohio and Kentucky.

I currently have Strawberry, Red Apple, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Pear in the vinegar’s and in the olive oils I have Butter, Persian Lime, Cilantro and Roasted Onion and Tuscan Herb 🙂

During my recent trip I got Dark Espresso Balsamic Vinegar as I just love coffee so I knew I had to get it.

So I had some strawberries at home so I knew I was going to use those some how and I was thinking of using mascarpone cheese. After getting home and checking out what I had already in my pantry, I thought this would be a perfect mini dessert.  A couple of years ago for Christmas my friend Danny gave me a few sets of mini plates, bowls, spoons and forks, he know how I like to entertain 🙂 so this is my is my mini dessert.

Ingredients (ended up not using the half n half)
If you wanted mascarpone to be more creamy
then I would add a little half n half.

Added the vinegar to my strawberries

Added the vinegar to the Mascarpone cheese

Mixed up

I crushed the Biscotti and added a little to bottom on the dishes

Topped the biscotti with the strawberries that were soak in the Vinegar

Then a dollop of the mascarpone mixture

drizzle of more vinegar

shave some chocolate, I thought this chocolate would go perfect

Done…serve or chill until your party begins 🙂

Mini Strawberry Espresso Surprise

• Servings: 12
• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

3/4 cup Flying Olive Dark Espresso Balsamic Vinegar, divided
2 containers tiramisu flavored mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
3 chocolate biscotti’s, crushed
1 piece dark chocolate

In a bowl add the chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup vinegar, stir and set aside.

In another bowl add mascarpone and 3 Tbsp. of vinegar and whisk together, set aside.

Set out your mini dishes that you are going to use, add about a teaspoon or a little more of the crushed biscotti to each dish, then add strawberries on top of biscotti, start with a teaspoon on each then add more to each to finish up the strawberries.  Dollop mascarpone cream on each dish, then with a teaspoon drizzle a little of the vinegar over top the mascarpone and finish with some of the shaved chocolate.  I like this recipe as a mini since it has a great richness to it 🙂

Serve or chill until needed.

This was so good, it was not overly sweet, and that tartness at the end from the balsamic vinegar was just perfect!!!  Enjoy the rest of your Fiesta Friday!!!