A few of my favorite touches this holiday:
A few of Tristan's favorite gifts:
Chocolate Layer Ingredients:
4 (1-oz)squares bittersweet chocolate baking bars
6 (1-oz)squares semi-sweet chocolate baking bars
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Filling Ingredients:
3 tblsp instant vanilla pudding & pie filling mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tblsp amaretto liqueur* (little airplane bottle is enough)
1 tblsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Topping Ingredients:
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
Line 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, extending foil over edges. Combine baking bars, 1/3 cup butter & whipping cream in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until smooth. Reserve 1 cup mixture; set aside. Spread remaining chocolate mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Freeze until set (about 30 minutes).
Meanwhile, combine pudding mix, 1/4 cup melted butter, amaretto, milk & vanilla in large bowl; stir until well mixed. Add powdered sugar; beat at medium speed until smooth. Spread filling mixture over chocolate mixture in pan. Carefully pour reserved chocolate mixture over filling. Freeze until set (about 30 minutes).
Lift bars out of pan using foil; cut into tiny 1/2" x 1" bars. Lightly sprinkle top of bars with cocoa. To serve, place bars in mini paper liners. Store in refrigerator. Makes at least 50 if you cut them small.
*Substitute 3 tablespoons milk plus 1 teaspoon almond extract.
My Thoughts:
I was a bit worried when I poured the 1st layer of chocolate & saw how thin it was. But fear not, after I tasted this rich indulgence I was thankful. And while I did have the cocoa in house I didn't use it. Oh, and I may have added about 1 tsp more of Amaretto liquer. I bought the tiny little bottles like you would get on an airplane & there was just a little left. I had already put enough in my coffee so I added it to the dessert. I will do the same next time!
For More Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays Please Visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace!
For More Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays please visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace
{Click Here to Print Recipe}
CHOCOLATE DIPPED PRETZELS
8 oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
Toppings: flaked coconut, green, red & white sprinkles
12 oz bag pretzel rods (8 in long)
Place chocolate in microwave safe 1-cup measuring cup. Heat, covered with wax paper, in microwave for 45 seconds. Stir & heat 20 more seconds until it is fully melted. Dip & twirl pretzels in chocolate one at a time, tipping cup to cover about half of the pretzel rod. Allow excess to drip back into cup. Sprinkle on your topping & place rod in a pie plate or baking sheet, leaning uncoated portion on egde.
Refrigerate about 20 minutes to set coating. Store in tightly sealed container with waxed paper between layers, at room temp up to 1 week.
My Thoughts:
Using the 1 cup measuring cup was totally key for me. The little spout was extremely helpful in allowing a little more chocolate on the pretzel. If the chocolate hardens a bit just place in microwave for 10 seconds. I used the milk chocolate chips. This makes about 30 pretzels.
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Have a great weekend everyone. I don't know about you but I am aiming for some quiet time & a short reprieve before the lovely craziness sets in again next week as I prepare a Christmas dinner for 10.
1 yellow cake, baked in a 9x13 dish
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup brandy
2 cups whipping cream, whipped with sugar & vanilla extract added
1 large pkg Instant Vanilla pudding, prepared
1 28oz can sliced peaches, drained
In a large trifle bowl or oval dish, start with a layer of cake. Using a brush, dab some brandy over the cake. Then spread a layer of jam followed by a layer of peaches & then pudding. Repeat & then top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
My Thoughts:
I like my cake layers a little thinner then how it comes out baked so I slice a little off & use the scraps to fill in some gaps if needed. I don't measure the jam but it comes out to half of a 16oz jar. You don't have to be perfect with the jam since it doesn't spread so easily.
For the whipping cream, I use an electric mixer to beat the cream until peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. FOLD in 1 tsp of vanilla & a bit of sugar for your preferred sweetness. Or you can buy store bought. As for the peaches, I slice them once more since they're still too thick for my liking. But that's personal preference.
Depending on the dish you use for this you may have leftover cake, pudding & cream. Although this is called a trifle dessert I almost prefer making it in a regular dish, more shallow & much wider than a trifle dish. As you can see from the pic, the view isn't all that perfect since I didn't get the jam all the way to the ends. No matter what you do or how you do it, the combined flavors make for a scrumptious dessert!
Please visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace for more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays!
10 jalapeno peppers, halved & seeded
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened (may only use 1/2)
1 package regular bacon, cut into halves
Halve jalapenos & take out all seeds. The more you leave behind the hotter these will be. I do this with a 1/4 tsp measurer which fits perfectly. Be careful not to come in direct contact with the seeds & oils on the inside of the pepper. Stuff each half with about a teaspoon of cream cheese. You don't need too much. Wrap with a half piece of bacon & secure with toothpick.
Cook in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees until bacon in done, about 20 minutes. If bacon needs to crisp up a bit more then put under the broiler for 1-2 minutes as you don't want to overcook the peppers. Mine were done in 20 minutes in the oven & 2 minutes under the broiler.
My Thoughts
Be careful! I had a personal experience with very bad burns from jalapenos when I first worked with them 6 years ago. Read the short story here. Also, when wrapping the pepper with bacon, try not to overlap the layers. This way, the bacon cooks evenly & there is more than just one strip on top of the pepper.
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SECRET SANTA REVEALED
For more Secret Santa stories, please visit Kori who coordinated this entire shindig. Thanks Kori!
I also wanted to share what my Secret Santa sent me for Christmas. When I opened the box this weekend, each present was individually wrapped & they seemed to keep coming & coming. Thank you so much Alicia, over at Yaya Stuff. I was in kitchen heaven.
A Rachel Ray recipe book I have already marked up, mini snowman & Christmas tree silicone baking pans I have already used for banana bread, cookie cutters, recipe cards, baking sprinkles, Christmas themed mitt, potholder, dishtowel, spatula & whisk, initialed pad, magnetic grocery list.I loved it all so much that I started putting a lot to use & just realized what's missing here is the LAUGH sign I already put up in my spare bedroom. Alicia aka Yaya put a little note on it saying that's all that seemed to be missing within my LIVE.LOVE.EAT. So true.
Getting an unexpected little treat in the mail from not just a bloggy friend but also simply a ...
And remember the island I was waiting for? It came a while back & I'm loving it!
Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:
2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise & seeds removed
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup of water
3 tblsp sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tblsp minced sweet yellow onion or red onion
1 tblsp chopped dry roasted peanuts
Peel the cucumber then cut in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon & scoop out the seeds from the cucumber. Cut into bite size pieces & place in a colander, sprinkle with salt & toss well. Drain 1 hour. Rinse & pat dry on paper towels.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar & pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to 1/3 cut (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Stir in onion. Combine cucumbers & vinegar deduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts.
My Thoughts:
I didn't have much time so I didn't drain the cucumbers for that long & I also didn't rinse them. I did just pat them a bit to get off any excess salt. But the idea is that the salt draws out the excess water in the cukes & then you want to rinse them & pat them dry. I do this with zucchini when I am making stuffed zucchini boats. I also added a tad more crushed red pepper & peanuts because Terry likes it with a little heat.
THAI TURKEY TACOS
1 lb. ground turkey
2 T grated ginger or ¼ tsp dry ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
1 small onion, thinly sliced
16oz pkg coleslaw mix with carrots
Cilantro for garnish
Thai Cooking Sauce below
Combine: 2 tsp sesame oil, 6 tblsp of soy sauce, 4 tblsp of lime juice, 2 tblsp of honey, 1 tsp of crushed red pepper, 1 tblsp of ground coriander or cumin
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add turkey; cook, crumble & stir until meat is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, onion & slaw mix; stir-fry with meat for 2 minutes until vegetables are wilted. Add Thai cooking sauce, stirring constantly to blend all ingredients, about one minute. Serve on warm tortillas & garnish with cilantro.
My Thoughts:
We really enjoyed this for a healthy meal but there needs to be more texture to the filling, more of a crunch. So, next time I plan to add some more slaw mix once everything has been combined so it doesn't become wilted. And definitely a dollop of sour cream & perhaps some diced tomatoes.
For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays visit
Lisa at Blessed with Grace
Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Ours will be a busy & festive one, already kicked off by Tristan's Christmas show last night. He was awesome as a Wiseman in what marked his 5th & final program at his school. Tonight we will watch our beautiful little town light up for the holidays & tomorrow is our church's annual Singing Christmas Trees Show (above) which has been going on for over 30 years. It is quite the event with two 40ft Christmas trees!
And to cap off the exciting weekend, we have our 6th year wedding anniversary on the 7th but in the morning Tristan will have his 1st ever official playdate with another boy at our house. We've had playdates with his girlfriends over the years but I never found a chemistry with both another boy & his mom until now. We plan to put up the bounce house, perfect for 2 boys, & share in some sangria once it hits noon. Or 11:50. Have a great weekend all!!!!!