Blood Orange Mimosas

Some people only drink Champagne on special occasions, but I have always considered each and every day a special occasion! Why save something for a day that may never come? Or worse... maybe that special day comes and goes and you forget to bring out that bottle you've been saving for such a time.

In our house there is usually a bottle of bubbly in the fridge, chilled and ready for action. Be it for a lazy Saturday morning or a random Thursday night when you just want a mimosa, we like to be prepared. Recently, it happened to be a Tuesday. The evening air was warm and our front patio was calling our names. I had a jug of OJ in the fridge, but the bag of Blood Oranges seemed like a good way to give our usual mimosa a quick makeover.

Is it just me or are blood oranges completely fascinating? They are so beautiful with their jewel toned reds and many shades of orange. They make me want to Google "how do blood oranges get their color?"

I think I just will...

 I juiced the whole bag and it yielded this gorgeous reddish purple juice. It was bright and sweet, just a bit tangy. Totally worth the few minutes of prep work.

In my world, the juice makes the mimosa. I don't care if you're drinking Dom (which, btw, you should not make a mimosa out of). If you use yucky juice, the whole thing is just not going to be good. And if you're drinking Cook's (which I am not above) if you use Odwalla or any fresh squeezed juice, you will not be disappointed in the results. This festive drink is the perfect way to turn your average Tuesday into a memorable event.

So pick up a bottle of bubbly and a bag of blood oranges next time you're out grocery shopping and take a moment to celebrate the little things in life. Cheers!

Stuffed Jalapenos

Everyone knows the Super Bowl is just an excuse to get together with friends, watch some funny commercials and eat LOTS of good food (right?!) So this past week, I was scoping my favorite websites for a fresh new appetizer to bring to my aunt and uncle's house for the BIG game.

Have you ever checked out Chow.com? I adore this site because it's not just recipes. They have discussion forums, food related articles, how-to videos.... the list goes on. 

Anyway, Chow is a great website for appetizer recipes, like these Jalapeno Poppers. When I think of a popper, though, I think of breaded and deep fried. These are definitely not that. You don't pre-cook the peppers themselves at all, so they retain most of their crunch. The result is a fresh tasting stuffed pepper that doesn't really resemble it's mushy deep fried cousin at all.

Splitting and removing the seeds from the peppers was the most time consuming part of this recipe. If you wanted to prepare in advance, you could make the mixture and fill the peppers, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. If you want more heat (!!) add some of the seeds to the filling. Mine didn't come out too spicy. In fact, I didn't think they were that spicy at all. I would add some seeds back in the mix next time.

For the instructions on how to keep the peppers whole, see the original recipe which I linked up below. I wanted to halve mine for two reasons: #1- it would make more portions so I could stretch the recipe, and #2- the halves are good so people can eat them up in 1 or 2 bites without much mess. This two-bite aspect is pretty important for party food, in my opinion.

Just broil for a few minutes until golden and bubbly. Arrange them on a platter and you're ready for the big game! They should keep fine at room temp for a few hours.... if they last that long...

Mine sure didn't!

Recipe adapted from Chow.com. Click here to view the full recipe. I doubled it.

14 jalapeno peppers, split in half, seeds and ribs removed
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 links of hot or sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled (should yield about 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, sauteed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Turn the oven to broil and line a cookie sheet with foil. Set aside.

Halve and de-seed your jalapenos. Or follow the original recipe's instructions on how to remove seeds while keeping them whole. Line them up on your prepared cookie sheet.

Next, put your room temp cream cheese into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Cook the sausage in a saute pan and crumble it up into small pieces as you cook it. Drain and add to the cream cheese.

In the same pan, saute the onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown. Add to the sausage & cream cheese mixture. Stir in a few grinds of pepper, and then scoop into a ziplock or pastry bag. Pipe the mixture into the peppers. Broil for 4 minutes, then rotate the pan and broil for 4 more minutes until the cheese mixture is browned and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a platter and you're ready to party!



What are your favorite party foods??

Happy New Year!!

Even though it is the 26th of January, I still feel the need to say that since I have not posted since December!!

2011 has already brought some incredible blessings and also a disappointment or two....

First and foremost, the major blessing was the arrival of my sister's baby boy, Brett Thomas. He is so precious!! He is the little guy for whom I made the diaper bag I posted back in December.

I have heard it said time and time again that new babies put life into perspective. They remind you of what is important, and make the things that used to seem important become totally unimportant. I love this little guy to bits and am so thankful for his safe arrival into this world.

As I said before, this year has also brought some disappointments that I have been trying to make peace with... and this morning I came across a quote from Hind's Feet in High Places:

"For disappointments accepted with praise always seem to turn into EXTRA-RADIANT BLESSINGS."

I love this. I love that I know that even though I am not getting what I thought I wanted, I can have faith that there is a bigger picture in the works. There is a bigger and better blessing that will result. I am coming to realize (or rather I am re-realizing) that to force something means compromising what I really want.

So now, I just continue living my life, loving the people in it and trusting the God who holds it in his hands.

Peppermint Bark

I always thought of myself as a dark chocolate kind of girl. I love to savor a small little chunk of super dark right after a meal. (I have this seriously intense chocolate craving the second I finish the last bite of my dinner). Dark chocolate really satisfies the craving and also makes me feel pretty darn good about myself... you know with all of the health giving antioxidants and such.

So anything with white chocolate I tend to think of as "not worth it"... but let me tell you, one little taste of this peppermint bark had my taste buds singing praises to white chocolate... even with it's lack of anti-oxidants. 'Tis the season, right? The silky smooth white blends amazingly with the dark. Add some crunchy freshness with smashed candy cane and you've got the perfect holiday treat.

 

 I had never made any kind of bark before this. My husband is a big fan and wanted to make some (read: he wanted me to make some) for us to give out (read: give out half and gorge ourselves on the other half). So off to the store I went for chocolate and peppermint extract.

We had a GIANT homemade candy cane from one of Scott's co-workers so we used that for our topping. See how big it is? I was a little sad to destroy it, but happy that it went to good use (and a portion of it back to work with Scott)

 I sort of wish I would have made more. I wasn't sure exactly how much the recipe would make, but figured I could always make another batch. 

I am definitely going to make another batch.

 The original recipe calls for the dark chocolate mixture to be melted directly in a saucepan, but mine morphed into some weird chunky slimy glop. It was totally irreversible and I had to toss it. I don't know what happened, but I had enough chocolate and whipping cream to do another batch, which I did with a double boiler and it came out fine. The 3/4 of a teaspoon of Peppermint extract in the dark mixture really gives it that extra punch of minty freshness... like you're in a Peppermint Patty commercial. Really.

So the key is to give each layer a chance to set up completely and have the next layer of melty chocolate be just lukewarm. Spreadable, but not hot enough to start smearing the layer underneath. We want a clean separation of white and dark here.

 I sort of ran out of white chocolate for the top layer. My edges left the layers exposed, but I kind of like the way it looks. Like a peppermint bark pizza!

Trim it up as directed below and package however you wish. These little 4x6 inch "treat bags" from Michael's allowed for the perfect serving size. Not so much that people hate you for single-handedly causing 5 lbs in holiday weight gain. Just enough to make them love you and ask you for the recipe.

Layered Peppermint Bark Crunch
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 36 pieces

17 ounces good-quality white chocolate
6 ounces coarsely crushed peppermint candies (about12 regular candy canes)
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water to create a double boiler. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth and a candy thermometer registers 110°F. Pour 2/3 cup of the melted white chocolate onto the baking sheet, and using an offset spatula, spread it into about a 9x12-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in a double boiler or a bowl set over simmering water until just melted and smooth. Cool until it is lukewarm. Pour the dark chocolate mixture in long lines over the white chocolate rectangle. This is important to not melt the white chocolate layer. Using a clean spatula, spread the chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, at least 25 minutes.

Rewarm the bowl of white chocolate over barely simmering water again, to 110°F. Working quickly, pour the white chocolate over the firm bittersweet chocolate layer and spread evenly to cover. Immediately sprinkle the remaining crushed candy cane over the surface of the candy. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes. I left mine in overnight before cutting.

If using a silicone mat, slide a spatula under the slab and move it to a cutting board. If using foil, lift the foil with the bark on it to a cutting board and trim it directly on the foil. Trim the edges of the slab to obtain nice clean edges with the layers visible, then cut the bark into pieces. You can snack on the edge pieces, or if you don't care about having perfect pieces, you can include the edges in your packaged up gift bags.

Can be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Merry Christmas!!

Modern Diaper Bag

A while back I promised my sister I would make her a weekend travel bag. I really liked the way Amy Butler's Weekender Bag was styled, so I bought the pattern, the fabric and all of the other items I would need to get the bag started... Some time passed as I pondered (dreaded) the journey ahead of me. I began procrastinating like I was back in college. I was out partying when I should have been studying for finals.

Searching through Blogland for people who had made the bag before me did not help me to overcome my  tendency toward procrastination. I read post after post after post of people who had put their blood sweat and tears (literally) into the Weekender. I was absolutely intimidated. All the talk of broken needles, layers of cording and the excessive use of their seam rippers had me regretting my promise to my sister. It was a big project, one of the likes I had never attempted before.

So when my sister found out she was pregnant over the summer, I decided she would probably need a diaper bag more than a weekend travel bag (I can almost hear all of you mom's nodding in agreement) and I switched gears a bit. I bought Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones and after quick flip through the pages I saw the Modern Diaper Bag. I knew Michele would be happy to have that instead. This bag took me about 6 sessions of 4 hours each to complete. There was a lot of cutting, a lot of interfacing and quite a few ripped seams. But all in all, it was totally worth it.

Here she is at her baby shower this past weekend.
I think she loves it.
Can't wait to meet my little nephew, due January 26th, 2011!!

Buckeyes!

I have never heard of these cookies (or are they candy?) in my entire life. Initially I thought they were called Buckeyes because they look like an eyeball. Sort of gross... and sort of true in  a round about way. They are named after the Buckeye nut, which got it's name from the Native Americans who thought the nut looked like the eye of male deer. The nut comes from a tree that is native to Ohio..... hence Ohio being the Buckeye State and the Buckeye being the mascot for Ohio State University.

If you do a Google Image search for the Buckeye Nut, you'll see that these cookies look exactly like the nut of the same name (although I didn't coat mine high enough up the sides for them to really look like the nut). See the notes below on a trick for getting the coating up the sides without losing the ball in the chocolate bath.

My apologies for the boring history lesson. I hope I kept it short enough so that you didn't just scroll down to the bottom to get straight to the recipe :)

 I have been on the hunt for a recipe that contains graham crackers... But it can't be just any recipe; the graham crackers need to somehow be formed into a little ball and coated with chocolate. There is a very specific purpose for this, but I have to keep it under wraps until after December 18th. Check back after then for a recipe that will be the MVP of your next camping trip. Anyhow, I found this recipe when I googled "Graham Cracker Balls". Perfect!

I decided to try these as a trial run for the above mentioned Top Secret recipe and really liked the way they turned out. They are simple to make and soooo tasty. I had to give the majority of them to my husband to take to work with him, fearing that I would devour all of them and wake up 10 lbs heavier. Yikes.

Follow the easy-peasy recipe below. I learned a few things along the way that might be helpful:

1. Don't leave any big chunks of walnuts or graham crackers. If you can use a food processor or mini-prep, do it. The finer the crumb, the better the balls will stick together.
2. Add half the graham cracker crumbs and stir the mixture. If its too sticky add more. You don't want it to be overly dry.
3. Use a toothpick or fondue fork to dip. If you don't want the hole from the toothpick showing at the top, stick the poker in the side and tilt the bowl of chocolate, submerging the ball until just a small circle is uncoated at the top. Submerge the part when the toothpick is poked in, that way you don't have to patch up the hole. I will do this next time I make these... I put the pick in at the top and was having a hard time submerging the whole thing without it getting stuck and the pick slipping out when I removed them from the choco-bath.
4. I used crunchy peanut butter but will try smooth next time for a less chunky end result.
5. If you don't like coconut, you can leave it out. I would try and add 1/4 cup of cream cheese to bring a little more depth of flavor. Other recipes I have found call for cream cheese. Sounds good to me!

Buckeyes
Adapted from Zandria’s Mom’s Graham Cracker Balls

1/2 - 2/3 box graham crackers, crushed into a fine crumb
1 cup walnuts, chopped finely
1 cup peanut butter
8 oz. shredded coconut
2 sticks butter, melted
1 lb. confectioners sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
 
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips


Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together in a stand mixer until smooth. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place rolled balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or by heating in the microwave for 30 seconds and then in 10 second increments until smooth, stirring in between each heating.

Using a toothpick or skewer, coat each ball with chocolate and place on the cookie sheet. Chill for 30 minutes for the chocolate to set.

Yields about 60 balls, depending on the size. They will keep for 3-4 days, or up to a week in the fridge.

Remember to check back after December 18th for a variation of the Buckeye that will be sure to blow your mind :)

Salted Pumpkin Caramels

Fall is by far my favorite season. Especially here in California where you get those bright, sunshine filled days when the air is crisp and cool. It's like Fall combines the best parts of all of the other seasons- summery sun, cool winter temps and spring fresh air. My favorite holiday is also in the Fall. That magical day filled with family and friends, turkey and cranberries, parades and football on TV.

When it comes to Thanksgiving dessert, I have always been a Pecan Tart kind of girl. I like Pumpkin Pie, but never really get excited about it, if you know what I mean. I recently found a recipe that gives life to your old can of pumpkin puree. Salted Pumpkin Caramels. Now these I can get excited about.

 

The recipe calls for your standard caramel ingredients of sugar, corn syrup and butter and throws in some extra Thanksgiving-ish ones like pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup. For a little festive punch, the bottoms of the caramels are lined with pumpkin seeds.

A side note about the pumpkin pie spice: if you don't have any, check your spice rack before buying some. If you have cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and ground cloves, you have everything you need. This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Just combine a scant quarter teaspoon of each spice listed above in a small dish. Easy! And it saves you $4.

I have found that the weather has a lot to do with how caramel sets. The temperature and humidity all effect how soft or firm the caramels turn out. You also have to pay close attention to the temperature of the mixture, so make sure you use a candy thermometer.  Bring it up too high and you'll have rock hard caramels. Don't get it hot enough and the caramels wont set. The more you make them, the better you'll get a feel for how to get them just right. It really is more of an art than a science.

Resist the temptation to scrape the sides of the pan when you pour it out. The tiny crystals you scrape off will cause you to have grainy caramel. In the words of Alton Brown: Definitely NOT good eats. I realized this after the fact and had a few pieces that were sugary and grainy :(

 Use a hot knife to cut the slab into equal quadrants. Original recipe states a 64 piece yield which means they will be about 1" cubes. If you're not sure if you're cutting them in the right size, but want uniformity, cut the slab into 4. Then cut each one of those pieces into 4 smaller squares. Each of those smaller squares will then make four 1" cubes. Make sense?

Don't these just look beautiful? So festive, and the pumpkin-y spiciness of it is very Fall :)

Original recipe can be found at Food 52, a new website I recently stumbled upon. From their site description: "At food52, we recognize talented home cooks by giving them a place to show off their work, a place where cooks of all kinds come to be inspired and engaged in lively conversation." How fun!

Salted Pumpkin Caramels (From Cheese1227's recipe posted on Food52)

2/3 cup unsalted pepitos (pumpkin seeds)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see note above if you do not have pumpkin pie spice)
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/3 cup good maple syrup
1/4 cup of water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

Directions:

Dry toast the pepitos in a skillet until they start to pop being careful to move them around so they don't burn.

Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-in square pan with parchment. Butter the parchment on the sides of the pan. (I actually didn't line the sides with parchment, I just heavily buttered them.) Evenly spread out the toasted pepitos on the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment.

In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Warm the mixture, but do not let it boil.

In a second heavy bottomed pan, with sides at least 4 inches high, combine the sugar, both syrups and water. Stir until the sugars are melted, then let it boil until it reaches 244 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer). Carefully add the cream and pumpkin mixture and slowly bring to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir frequently and adjust the heat as needed.

As soon as it reaches the 240, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Stir vigorously until the butter has melted.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let cool 30 minutes and sprinkle the salt over the top. Let the caramels fully set (at least 2 hours) before using a hot knife to cut them into 1-inch squares. You can wrap them individually in waxed paper, or arrange on an elegant plate to present at a party. Or just hover over the counter in the kitchen and shovel them directly into your mouth as fast as you can :)