Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I think I'm trying to will the weather to get colder by making hot soups. It's been in the 60's and 70's for the past couple of weeks, and I haven't really had a chance to wear my winter coats.
This soup recipe is from Cooking Light, but it sure doesn't taste light.... at all. I found this recipe on the Just 2 Good blog, and she even tried using skim milk as opposed to the 2% that the original recipe used. I'm so glad because that's what we drink, and it cut down on the calories even more. Aubrey had a long day of hunting, and I had this ready when he walked in. He said that there wasn't a better meal that he could have come home to. We both thoroughly enjoyed this soup.


Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 pounds of baking potatoes (about 4 large)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups reduced fat milk (I used skim)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup green onions, chopped and divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, and bake for 1 hours or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes and coarsely mash.
Place flour in a large dutch oven. Gradually add milk, whisking until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and 1/2 Cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Do not allow the soup to come to a boil. Ladle into serving bowls and top with cheese, onions, and bacon. Garnish with pepper, if desired.

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef is one of my favorite Chinese foods, and I was so pumped when I saw this recipe on Joelen's blog. She has some great recipes on her blog, and you should check them out sometime. Aubrey and I really enjoyed this dish. The only change I would make is to use less sauce. I changed the recipe slightly, and I served the beef over a bed of white rice. I bought some spring rolls for the side item, and Aubrey made a sauce made of honey and Dijon mustard to dip them in. I'm stuffed!!!

Ingredients:
4 bunches green onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 lb lean beef, sliced thin (I used fillet)
Pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Season sliced beef with pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle cornstarch over beef and toss to coat. Set aside. In hot pan saute garlic and onion in cooking oil until softened. Add meat and brown. Add soy sauce; stir to coat. Just before serving, add green onions and toss.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

I've never made biscotti before, but it's not as hard as I thought. It's a little bit messy but well worth it! I drizzled mine with white chocolate, and I'm giving them away as Christmas gifts. I think these may be one of the best biscotti cookies I've ever had. But of course, I love anything chocolate mixed with hazelnut. They just seem to be a perfect match.


Recipe from Joyofbaking.com

Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (I omitted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
Melted white chocolate for drizzling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). To toast hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and the skins begin to flake. Remove from the oven and place nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts 'steam' for 5 minutes and then briskly rub the towel (with nuts inside) to remove the skins from the nuts. Cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Reduce temperature of oven to 300 degree F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to blend, about 30 seconds. On low speed mix in the chocolate/sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms, adding the hazelnuts about half way through mixing.

On a floured surface divide the dough in half. Form each half into a log 12 inches (30 cm) long. Do this by rolling the dough back and forth into a cylinder shape with floured hands. Transfer the logs to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart (width-wise on the pan), and pat to even the shapes. Bake until almost firm to the touch, about 35 - 40 minutes (logs will spread during baking). Remove from the oven, place on wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut the dough into slices 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

Eggnog Muffins with Nutmeg-Streusel Topping

I had some eggnog left over from making the eggnog truffles. Since I have issues with drinking something that's 200 calories per 1/2 cup, I had to disperse it into a recipe. I saw this recipe for eggnog muffins on the Milk & Honey blog, and it sounded really good. I love a good streusel topping, and this was no exception. I need to give them away QUICK so we don't eat them all.

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup dairy eggnog
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. rum extract
Nutmeg-Streusel Topping (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine eggs, eggnog, melted butter, vanilla and rum extract. Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy.) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle streusel topping over muffin batter in cups.
3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.
4. Nutmeg-Streusel Topping: In small bowl, mix 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg using pastry blender. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pecan Squares

These are some of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. I made them last year at Christmas time, and they were a big hit.... so I decided to make them again this year. I sent them to some deserving people at work, and I had a few left over for Aubrey and me to devour. They taste like a pecan pie packaged in a cookie... only better because you can taste the honey. I'll probably make these again for Christmas Eve so my mom can taste them. She loves pecans. I'm sure you'll be seeing more recipes for pecans on my blog because my sweet mother-in-law gave me oodles of pecans. Yum!!!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves (I broke my halves to make it easier to cut)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Place rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees. To make the crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt, and mix to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time, on medium speed, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Continue mixing until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.

2. Press dough about 1/4-inch thick into a 9-by-13-by-1-inch baking pan. Prick the pastry with the tines of a fork. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. To make the filling: Place butter, brown sugar, honey, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in nuts and vanilla.

4. Pour filling onto the cooled crust. Bake until filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a paring knife around edges of the pan, and invert onto cooling rack, leaving the pastry on the rack. Invert rack with pastry onto a cutting board, leaving the pastry on the board, filling side up. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-by-3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes about 32 bars

Eggnog Truffles

When I saw these truffles on Katie's blog, I was so excited to try them. These truffles are amazing, but I think they taught me that I'll never be a chocolatier. I'm not sure why I had so much trouble making them, but the first batch turned into a dip... the best dip I've ever had. I dipped gingerbread and graham crackers in it, and mmmmmm. This was the second batch below. I left the filling in the fridge for about 18 hours, and I was able to roll them into balls. However, when I rolled them in the melted chocolate, they started melting. I probably won't make the truffles again, but I know the dip will be a hit at any Christmas party.

Recipe from Wilton

Ingredients:
1 package of Wilton White Candy Melts, coarsely chopped
1 package Wilton White or Dark or Light Cocoa Candy Melts, melted
1/3 cup prepared eggnog
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground

Directions:
In a double boiler (I just put a heat safe bowl over boiling water... not touching the water), melt Candy Melts with eggnog and cream. Stir in nutmeg. Pour into a shallow pan. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight until firm but pliable. Roll into 1-inch balls. Dip into melted candy. I sprinkled the white chocolate truffles with a little nutmeg.

***Edit note: I know why my truffles didn't turn out quite right.... I'm seeing that other people are only using 1/3 cup eggnog and none of the heavy whipping cream. I think I just might give this another try. I edited my ingredients.

Laughing Cow Chicken

I absolutely LOVE Laughing Cow cheese. One wedge of the "light" cheese is only 35 calories, and it makes a good snack spread on a cracker or carrots. When I saw the recipe for Laughing Cow Chicken on the Macaroni and Cheesecake blog, I knew I had to try it. It's a quick and easy dish. I altered the recipe slightly because I didn't have the Italian seasoning. I thought it was pretty good, but I think Aubrey liked it more than I did.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
6 wedges laughing cow light cheese
1/8 tsp oregano
1/16 tsp basil
1/16 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp garlic powder
cooking spray
1/2 cup bread crumbs
dash dried parsley flakes
dash grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Lay each chicken breast flat. Combine the cheese, oregano, basil, marjoram, and garlic powder, (if you prefer you can just use garlic & herb laughing cow instead of the light). Spread mixture evenly over one side of the chicken breast. Roll up and seal with toothpicks.
Meanwhile, mix together bread crumbs, parsley, and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.Spray the chicken with cooking spray and cover with bread crumb mixture. Place in a baking dish.
Bake on 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes, and then broil until crust is golden brown. Remove toothpicks & serve.

Molasses Cookies

When I saw these cookies on Sammyw's blog, I knew I had to bake them... the biggest reason is that I needed to get rid of the molasses that I bought for a previous recipe. Let me tell you that these are SO GOOD. They taste like iced gingerbread cookies.... ones you DON'T have to roll out, and they are so soft. I do need to warn you that they are very addicting. I made them for a gift, and I had to pack them up in the cookie box before I ate them all. This recipe made about 5 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/8 cup oil
3/8 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I used bleached b/c that's what I had).

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Mix the oil, molasses, eggs and brown sugar together until well combined. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Spoon batter onto a greased baking sheet (it helps to have a cookie scoop). Bake for 5-8 minutes (it took mine 9-10 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Make frosting by combining powdered sugar with a little water until desired consistency. Frost cookies with the back of a spoon or drizzle icing on top of cookies.

Turtles

I got this recipe from my Aunt Debbie. She makes the best turtles. Want proof: I made these to take to the nursing home, and a hand got in my fridge and grabbed several of them. I had to buy a smaller box to put them in since the amount shrunk. Aunt Debbie uses Almond bark to coat the turtles, but my grocery store didn't have that. I just used Bakers chocolate.

Ingredients:
1 package caramel squares
2 TBSP milk
2 cups pecans (I coarsely chopped mine)
12 ounces Almond bark or Bakers semi sweet chocolate
1 ounce white chocolate

Directions:
Unwrap caramels and place in a medium size bowl. Add milk and microwave 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in 30 second intervals and stir until completely melted.
Stir in pecans, and spoon out small dabs on a cookie sheet (do not put on wax paper... it will stick... I learned the hard way, so trust me). Freeze for 30 minutes.
In the mean time, melt semi sweet chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the frozen caramel/pecans in the chocolate and place on a cookie sheet. I put in fridge for about 20 minutes to harden and then drizzled melted white chocolate on top.

Source: Debbie Gentry

Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

I was searching through my cookbooks for a good soup/stew recipe, and I came across this one from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It reminds me a lot of chicken pot pie, but I think next time I'll leave out the pearl onions. My grocery store didn't have the frozen ones, so I used the ones in the jar. They are more sour, I think, and I picked them out while eating my stew. Overall, I think this is a good "comfort food" recipe for a cold day.

Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup water
2 tsp snipped fresh basil, oregano, or dill, or 1/2 tsp dried basil, oregano, or dill, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 recipe Cornmeal Dumplings

Directions:
In a large saucepan combine broth, frozen vegetables, onions, water, dried herb (if using), salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to boiling.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine milk and flour; stir into vegetable mixture. Stir in chicken. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in fresh herb, if using.
Drop dumpling dough from a tablespoon into 4 to 8 mounds on top of the bubbling stew. Simmer, covered (do not lift cover), over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.

Cornmeal Dumplings:
In a medium bowl stir together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 tsp baking powder, and a dash black pepper. In a small bowl combine 1 beaten egg, 2 TBSP milk, and 2 TBSP cooking oil; add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until combined.

Nutritional Info: Per serving (4 servings total): 510 calories; 21g fat (7g saturated); 135mg cholesterol; 1045mg sodium; 46g carbs; 5g fiber; 35g protein

The Daring Bakers Caramel Challange

Caramel, Caramel, Caramel

This month's challenge has 2 different recipes:
Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels and
Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting
The caramels were optional, but I felt a little daring, and I made them. I'm so glad I did because they were my favorite. The cake was okay, but a little dense for my liking. I like the light and fluffy cakes the best. However, the frosting was to die for. I'm sure I'll make it again.

About the Hosts of the November Challenge:

Helping Dolores host this month are Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo), Jenny of Foray into Food . And since none of us know jack about alternative baking, we’ve once again turned to Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go to assist us. Our leading lady this month is Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater and her signature caramel cake.

RECIPE SOURCE
Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon , as published on Bay Area Bites . Shuna Fish Lydon’s recipe Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich, Artisan Press, Copyright 2007, ISBN: 978-1579652111 If you’re looking for additional guidance on the cake, Shuna’s got some great information posted here as well as here.

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Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels
- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -
I was excited about this month's challenge because I was ready for something sweet after 2 months of savory. The last piece of caramel is now gone, and I'm so sad because they were so creamy and good..... a little more chewy than the Brach's caramels, but much better taste. The taste was almost identical to Worther's Original toffee candies. Below the recipe are different ways to flavor your caramels.



Ingredients:
1 cup golden syrup (I substituted 1/3 cup molasses + 2/3 cup light corn syrup)
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Directions:
Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F.


Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract... if using extract, add at the end... directions below) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it.

Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations:

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt, brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the cream before you heat it.

Cardamom Caramels: Omit the vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it. Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel; discard the seeds.

Caramel Sauce: Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225°F or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228°F. Pour it into a sauce boat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer. (recipe from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert)
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Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

I decided to make cupcakes out of this recipe because I don't think I'd be able to make this cake look pretty. I drizzled some of the caramel syrup on top of the cupcake before eating it. This syrup is so good, I could just drink it straight. This cupcake will definitely give you a sugar rush. Like I said above, I don't think I'll make this cake recipe again because it's too dense for my liking, but the icing will be a good recipe to keep on hand.

Ingredients:

Cake
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Caramel Syrup
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelizing process)

Caramelized Butter Frosting
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste


Directions:

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
Sift flour and baking powder.
Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.
Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

**Note: I made about 18 cupcakes with this batter, and I cooked for about 12 minutes then rotated pans and cooked another 10 to 12 minutes until a toothpick came out of the batter clean.


Caramel Syrup
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back. *** I put aluminum foil over the pot and poked a hole in the center. I poured the water in through a funnel so it wouldn't splatter on me.
Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting
Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.
Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light
(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
I'm sitting here with a full belly (it's been full all day) and writing this quick post before I go to bed. I just wanted to mention a website that you all should visit. If you have fears of cooking cornbread dressing, have no fear. Suzy Purvis of The Spice Connection has the remedy for all your fears of messing up. She sells the perfect blend of spices with a complimentary recipe for cornbread dressing on her website. Go check it out, and surprise your friends and family. We also eat cornbread dressing for Christmas, and these spices make great Christmas gifts.

She also sells mulling spices (Raven's Nest) for hot cider that is AMAZING. Go to "other links" in her website and check out her other gourmet foods.

White Bean Chili

Mmmm. White chili. I haven't had this in so long, and this is actually the first time I've made it. I got the recipe from a cookbook from my mom's church. She gave it to me in 2002, and it has so many good recipes in there. This is Aubrey's first time to have white chicken chili (that he remembers), and he's loving it.
My grocery store didn't have Monterey Jack cheese, so I used the Colby Jack instead.

Ingredients:
1 pound dried great northern beans
2 medium onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 (4.5 ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
6 cups chicken broth
5 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 cups (12-ounce) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Sort and rinse beans; place in large Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans; soak overnight and drain. Saute onion in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until tender. Add green chiles and next 3 ingredients. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 2 hours, or until beans are tender, stir occasionally. Add chicken, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring often. Stir in cilantro, if desired. To serve, ladle chili into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with remaining 2 cups of cheese.
Yield 13 cups. One cup serving, 359 calories, 12.3g fat.

White Cheese Mexican Dip

I made this dip to snack on, and it was delicious. The recipe comes from a Vera Bradley cookbook (recipe from Vera's granddaughter, Amy Byrne Ray), and she says that every time she makes this someone always asks for the recipe. I couldn't stop snacking on these because I thought it was so good. Aubrey didn't want to try it because it has cottage cheese in it.... but I loved it. I put extra green onions in it because I love the taste.

Ingredients:
2 cups sour cream
16 ounces cottage cheese
8 ounces grated pepper-jack cheese
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 jalapeno chile, minced, or Tabasco sauce, to taste (I used the jalapeno)

Directions:
Combine the sour cream, cottage cheese, pepper-jack cheese, and green onions and mix well. Add the jalapeno chile and mix well. Serve with tortilla corn chips.

Spicy Mexican Skillet Chicken

Wow! This chicken is amazing. I found a stack of recipes that I copied and printed a couple of years ago (this one from Betty Crocker's Healthy New Choices). It's a quick weeknight dinner, and it's very filling.


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/3 cup thick-and-chunky salsa
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired
Red Chile slices, if desired

Directions:
Remove fat from chicken. Mix chili powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 8-10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is cooked throughout.
Stir in beans, corn and salsa. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are hot. Sprinkle with cilantro and chile slices.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Calories 290; Fat 8g (saturated 2g); Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 550mg; Carbohydrate 28g (dietary fiber 6g); Protein 32g

Pita Pizza

This is my favorite week night meal to fix because it's so easy, and clean-up is a breeze.... not to mention that it's good, too. I decided to make this tonight because I had some veggies in the fridge that were about to go to waste. This was a good way to get rid of them and give us nutrition at the same time. You can put whatever you like on your pizza... this is just what we had in our fridge.



Ingredients:
2 (7-inch) pita flatbreads
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 green bell pepper, sliced
few slices of red onions
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Place pita on an un-greased cookie sheet. Top with pizza sauce, Mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, and Parmesan cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

This was a good twist to my usual side items. Paula Deen had this recipe in her Sep/Oct 2008 magazine. I love green beans and mushrooms, and I would have never thought to combine the two. The green beans were still crisp, and the mushrooms were tender when it came out of the oven (I cooked them for about 20 minutes and added a bit more olive oil. I also cut the recipe in half (maybe even more) since I was cooking for 2. The full recipe serves 6-8.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine green beans and mushrooms on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, or until desired degree of tenderness. Serve immediately.

Barbeque Ribs

I've had this recipe saved for a while now, and I finally had time to cook it. Aubrey and I really enjoyed it, but we both agreed that we like the grilled ones better (without sauce). This didn't stop us from eating these, though. The meat fell right off the bone, and they were so tender. This recipe came from a Vera Bradley cookbook. The whole recipe serves 6, but it's easy to split in half.
I made baked beans to go with them, but I'm going to spare the recipe. They weren't very good... I'm still on my search for a good baked beans recipe. Anyone have one they want to share?


Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup

1 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP hot sauce
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP butter
pinch of fennel seeds
4 pounds baby-back ribs

Directions:
Heat oven to 300-degrees. In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, whiskey, brown sugar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic, butter, and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Makes about 2 and 1/2 cups of barbeque sauce.
Rub the ribs in the barbeque sauce and wrap in foil. Bake for 3 hours.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

Beware before you make these. You better have somebody to give them to or else it's too tempting to eat without stopping. These are the best scones ever. I'm not sure if they taste exactly like Starbuck's scones, but they sure are good and moist... moister than any scone I've ever tasted. I did a search on pumpkin scones, and I came across this recipe on recipezaar.com. One of the reviews said that Starbucks actually puts orange oil in the recipe. I'm sure it's good with it, but it sure is good without it, too! I added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the wet ingredients for the scones.

I also made 12 scones since I had a mini scone pan. I wasn't sure if scones rose a lot when baked because I've never made them before. I think I could have made a little more than 12 because I filled the scone sections a little too full. It turned out okay, though.

Ingredients:

Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Powderered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:
Scones:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Plain Glaze:
Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
As the white glaze firms up, make the spiced icing.

Spiced Icing:
Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Easy Taco Soup

I got this recipe from the Paula Deen magazine (September/October 2008 edition). It's made a little different from the taco soup I'm used to making, but it's not lacking in taste. My favorite addition is the enchilada sauce because it gives it a slightly different taste. Overall, it is very similar in taste, and I'll make it again, for sure. It makes a lot, so I'll get to freeze some for later meals. Yipee!!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups water
1 (16-ounce) can light red kidney beans, drained
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15.25 ounce) can niblet corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato soup
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel with green chilies
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 tsp salt
Garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, until beef is browned and crumbles; drain. Stir in water, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, black beans, tomato sauce, tomato soup, Rotel, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning mix, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Garnish with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Halloween Treats

These are several halloween treats that were made for Aubrey and me and a few that I made last year. There are so many good ideas for halloween goodies and decorations. With that said......

Catherine, my sister made Aubrey and me these cookies. I thought they were so cute, and they taste good, too! She dipped Nutter Butter cookies into melted white chocolate and put the mini chocolate chips for the ghost eyes. She dipped the Oreos into orange tinted white chocolate and placed mini chocolate chips for the eyes, nose, mouth, and stem for the pumpkin.

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Aubrey's mom made these cute cupcakes for her school this year, and she dropped a few off by our house. She's so talented with decorating cakes (and cupcakes), and these cupcakes are no exception. I'm going to have to take a Wilton class so I can learn, too!

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I made tomato soup last year the night before halloween. I swirled creme fraiche around and took a toothpick from the center to the outside to make a spiderweb design. I got this idea (and the ones below) from Martha Stewart. You could use sour cream instead of creme fraiche.

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These little ghosts are one of my favorites. I made these last year for dessert, and they turned out so cute. I melted several chocolate chips and rubbed 3 circles in each mug (eyes and a mouth). I put the mugs in the fridge so the chocolate would harden. In the mean time, I made the milkshakes. I poured the milkshakes in the mugs and topped with whipped cream.

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This is supposed to be a ghost and 2 pumpkins (mashed potatoes... sweet and russet). There are 2 seeds of some sort (I forgot what) for the ghost eyes, and the pumpkins have a pecan half and cilantro leaf for the stem. The consistency isn't right, but that's all my fault. I didn't use the recipe given.... just made up my own, which turned out to be runny. I served this with meatloaf.

Pumpkin Crisp

I had some leftover pumpkin puree from making the pumpkin fudge the other day, and I had this recipe that I wanted to try from Paula Deen. I love apple crisp... well.. I love any kind of crisp, so I knew I'd love this. It's a great Fall dessert, and it reminds me a little of sweet potato casserole. It's one of those warm and comfy foods, if you know what I mean. Top it with some whipped cream or ice cream, sprinkle with cinnamon, and you've got yourself a pile of pumpkin-goodness.



Aren't these Spode dishes so cute!?! Aubrey's mom gave them to me for my birthday this year. I made the crisp in the oval dish (below), but it would be cute to make individual small dishes, too!

Paula must have some HUGE serving sizes because she says her recipe will serve 8 people. Well, I made half of the recipe, and I believe it could have served about 6 people.... easily.


Ingredients:

Pumpkin mixture2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Walnut Crisp Topping (recipe below)
Garnish: sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, ground cinnamon

Walnut Crisp Topping

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2TBSP all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 TBSP butter, melted

Directions:

Pumpkin mixPreheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish; sprinkle evenly with Walnut Crisp Topping. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until center is set and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream and cinnamon, if desired.

Walnut Crisp ToppingIn a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, walnuts, flour and cinnamon. Add melted butter, stirring until combined.

Saucy Baked Chicken

This meal is definitely going to be a regular in our house. It's healthy. It's filling. It's easy. It tases good. Clean up is a breeze..... What more could you ask for? I couldn't get enough of the sauce that was on the chicken. I even dipped my green beans in it.
Recipe adapted from Time Life.

Ingredients:
6 chicken cutlets
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Pour oil into a cassarole dish. Add chicken, onion and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil. Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth. Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring well.
When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to cassarole dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Heat broiler. Turn chicken over. Place dish 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 290 calories; 11 g Carbs; 27 g Protein; 3 g Fat; 740 mg Sodium; 70 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Fiber; 3 g Sugar

The Daring Bakers Challenge

Pizza

Yes, it's that time again... time for a challenge from the Daring Bakers. I was so excited when I found out that the challenge was going to be pizza. That was something that would make a good meal and not just an "extra" thing sitting around the house tempting me to take a bite.
This recipe for the crust (Pizza Napoletana) is from Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice." The crust is the best I've ever had, and cooking it on a pizza stone made it taste like it came right out of a brick oven. The crust is a thin crust with the edges puffy and chewy. The recipe makes enough for 6 pizzas, and you can freeze the dough for later use.... even better. The main challenge was to toss the dough. I didn't get a picture, but I did attempt... ehhm... unsuccessfully. The dough is so stretchy, and when I tossed it, I kinda ripped it... twice. So I just moved my fists around with the dough on top and stretched it that way.
(Recipe for the dough is at the bottom ... underneath the topping recipes)

Blackened Chicken Pizza

The first pizza topping I made is from Paua Deen magazine. It's made with a white sauce and lots of toppings. I really enjoyed it and thought it was VERY filling. The bacon gave it an extra smoky taste, but I think the pizza would be just as good without it. The chicken was AWESOME. I'm keeping that recipe to make chicken slices to go on a bed of lettuce for future salads.

Paula Deen's Blackened Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
3 tsp blackening seasoning, divided
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 TBSP butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup whole milk
2 TBSP minced fresh basil
Pizza crust recipe (below)
1 and 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Sprinkle 2 tsp blackening seasoning evenly over chicken breast.
In a large skillet, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until chicken is done. Remove from heat, and cool. Cut chicken into thin strips; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt remaining 2 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in wine and milk. Cook, whisking constantly. for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in basil and remaining 1 tsp blackening seasoning. Remove from heat.
Spread cream mixture evenly over prepared unbaked crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with spinach, chicken strips, bacon, remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Bake according to pizza dough directions (below).


Classic Pizza Margarita
The second pizza I made is my favorite kind.... pizza margarita. I've never made my own tomato pizza sauce before, so this was a first for me. I gotta tell you, I'm never going back to the jar stuff. This was absolutely amazing with small chunks of tomatoes and onions, and the oregano gave it the perfect pizza sauce taste. The recipe for the sauce is adapted from foodnetwork.com and makes enough for 2 pizzas.

Ingredients:
(sauce)
1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
1 small white or sweet onion, finely diced and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 to 4 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch salt
Pinch fresh ground black pepper
Pinch sugar, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil, to saute
(toppings)
Mozzarella cheese cut into medallions
Basil leaves, whole
1-2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:
Empty the contents of the tomato can in a mixing bowl and coarsely crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands, leaving them just a little chunky. In a heavy bottom 2-quart saucepot, add the olive oil, over a medium high flame and heat a little. Add the onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute about a minute until golden. Quickly add the crushed tomatoes to the mix. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the fresh basil and oregano. You can add a touch of sugar if desired or if tomatoes are tart. Simmer on a low flame, stirring often for at least 15 minutes. If not using right away, cool down and store in airtight container in the refrigerator, up to 1 week.
Place sauce on prepared pizza dough. Top with Mozzarella cheese medallions, basil leaves, and tomatoes. Bake according to dough directions (below).


And now for the dough recipe......
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups
Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 and 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 and 3/4 Cups Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

DAY ONE

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and re-flour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully, then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

***************NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce (any) should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.

"Healthy-ish" Key Lime Pie

Key lime is my dad's favorite pie flavor. Since he was coming to visit, this was the perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at this pie. The reason I named this "healthy-ish" is because I used the fat free sweetened condensed milk and the reduced fat pie crust. To be honest, I couldn't even tell a difference in taste and neither could Aubrey or my dad.

Ingredients:
4 ounces key lime juice
4 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
9-inch graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine eggs and milk with an electric mixer and slowly add juice until well blended. Pour into pie crust and bake for about 8 minutes.
**Note: I forgot about the pie being in the oven and accidently cooked it for about 15 minutes, but nothing was burned at all... whew!

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I saw this recipe on Dr. Annie's blog. I think the recipe is originally from Southern Living. I'm glad she suggested using a larger pan because this makes a good bit of fudge.
These pictures below are from my 2nd batch. I completely messed up the first batch because I didn't read the ingredients very carefully. I put a whole can of pumpkin in (go figure... just leave it to me), and the fudge tasted way too pumpkin-y. My 2nd batch was perfect! Candy is always on it's best behavior when it's cold and dry outside.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. corn syrup
2 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
9 oz. white chocolate, chopped
7 oz. jar marshmallow crème
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract



Directions:
Stir together first six ingredients in a 3 ½ - quart saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage).

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 8-inch square pan (I used 9x13). Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.