Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding YUM!!!

2012-03-05T13:51:00.001-08:00

Today I was in a chocolate mood....OK, everyday I'm in a Chocolate mood!! Don't Judge Me!!

So I stumbled across this recipe for chocolate pudding and I realized I had ALL the ingredients, which doesn't always happen. I want to share it because it's actually the first time I've ever made pudding from scratch. And one of my testers (my daughter's friend Michael) tasted it while it was warm and said it tasted like a quality chocolate cake...Yayyy!!!

Here's the recipe ~

1/4 cup of Sugar

1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder

2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch

2 Cups of milk...you can use low fat or non fat, it's up to you

2 ounces of Bitter Sweet Chocolate chopped....the one I used is in the picture

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - I think you can get creative here and substitute a liqueur like Kahlua or Frangelico

In a medium sauce pan stir together sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Turn heat to medium high and gradually add the milk...stir constantly until it thickens...about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and add the chopped chocolate and cook for like another 4/5 minutes....remove from heat add vanilla extract (or liqueur of choice) and pour into pudding cups.

You can serve it warm or chilled.

Enjoy!!

BTW...if you dont have Ramekins, you should. Desserts look better in them

Mini Donut Maker

2011-10-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the Donut maker I used in my lastest video. This is such a fun Kitchen Gadget. Makes donuts fast and it's so easy to clean!!

Below you'll find a widget~link to purchase it....I love it and know you will too

Butter Butter Butter

2011-08-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

I love butter, no I mean I LOVE butter. Not a big fan of Margarine. Especially after I found out that it's actually a terrible gray color before they add things to make it yellow. I mean, would you eat it if it came in the original gray color....I think not. Read about some of the Evils of Margarine here.... This Is Your Brain On Margarine

Anyway

This morning I was making toast and of course when you take the butter out of the fridge it's IMPOSSIBLE to spread without destroying your bread. So I Googled "How long can I keep butter out before it goes rancid?" and here's what I found out.

Butter usually can be kept out for several days without going rancid (salted butter will keep longer because salt acts as a preservative). Exactly how long butter will stay fresh at room temperature depends on how much heat and light it gets and whether it’s wrapped.

Margarine Vs Butter ~ Truth & Fiction

One thing I had that worked out great was this Butter crock. You replace the water in it every 3 days and your butter can stay out for a month...LOVED IT! It was under $20.00 and well worth it. I posted a widget below...check it out. You'll thank me later :)

Some of you might say....Ohhhh butter is bad, cholesterol, fattening...I say SHUT UP!! Eat in moderation dammit and enjoy the wonder that is butter!

I also made a video a while ago showing 2 ways you can double your butter....here's the link Butter Video

Salt Box

2011-06-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

A lot of people message me and ask where I got the Salt Box I use in my Cooking Videos. I purchased it on Amazon and I LOVE it! It's a great way to keep Kosher Salt handy when cooking.

I added a widget below for those interested in purchasing it ♥

Did You Know...

2011-05-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the color of those tabs on bread products meant something??? I didn't!!

I found this and had to share...the color corresponds with the day the bread was baked. Good way to remember is that it's in alphabetical order.

Starting with B (Blue) for Monday and ending with Y (yellow) for Saturday. There's no Sunday.

Apple Caramel & Chocolate Galette

2010-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe a while ago and it stuck in my head. So today I decided to make it!

Start by chopping a couple of Granny Smith apples and cooking them in 3TBS of butter. Add 1/2tsp of cinnamon,a dash of nutmeg and 3TBS of light brown sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes until apples are tender.

Now take a handful of Rollo candies and cut them in half. If you don't know what Rollos are then let me just say...they are AWESOME chocolate covered caramels. If they don't sell Rollos in your area find a similar substitute.

Now take a prepared pie crust, Pillsbury sells a great one that comes rolled up, you just unroll and bake. And because its a well known fact at this point that dough hates me...guess what?? YEP!! Using the prepared pie crust. DON'T JUDGE ME!
Just spread it on a cookie sheet and get ready to make magic happen :)

Now take the apples you cooked before....oh yeah let them cool just a bit. Add it to the center of the pie crust

Now just add in those Rollos you cut up...Hopefully at this point you haven't eaten them all. I buy them by the bag so I have plenty.

Now here's where it gets very complicated... L O L ...since when have you known me to make anything to complicated? Pffft!

Just pull up the edges of the pie crust...doesn't have to look fancy. As you can see mine doesn't. And brush the dough with a little bit of egg wash.

Bake it at 350 for about 40 minutes, depending on your oven. Just keep an eye on it so the pastry doesn't burn.

Make sure you let it cool completely before cutting. I put mine in the fridge for a few hours before I cut it.
Oh and you don't have to make it with Rollos. You can use raisins, nuts, cranberries...anything you like that goes well with apples. I'm just a chocolate caramel freak so that's what I used :)

Soon I will invest in a good camera, right now I've been using my phone so sorry if the quality isn't that great :)

Veggie Pockets for kids

2010-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

I find it extremely hard to get my granddaughter to eat vegetables. So I've come up with a way that might sneak them in her belly... Homemade veggie hot pockets!!

I start with some broccoli and cheese...I used the one that comes in the microwave bag. But eventually I'll make the fillings from scratch. Some puff pastry sheets found in any local market freezer section and a beaten egg to seal them.

I roll the pastry dough out and cut it into squares...as I did this I remembered how much dough hates me!! But I was determined to win it over and make it love me...or at least like me a little.

I add a small spoonful of the broccoli and cheese filling and brush the edges of the dough with egg to help seal it.

Then I crimped the edges just to make sure it was really sealed and because I'm like totally OCD and will freak out if they ooze out their filling...DON'T JUDGE ME!!

I baked them at 350º for about 10 minutes...but every oven is different so keep an eye on them.

My Granddaughter really loved them...tried taking a picture of her eating one but she hates having her picture taken and I really didn't want to disturb her while I finally got her to eat some veggies!! Yayyyy

You can experiment with different fillings or even make them as an appetizer for parties

ENJOY!!

Heavenly Taters

2010-08-31T16:35:00.001-07:00

These potatoes are mad easy to prepare. I cooked bacon with a little oil in the pan. Then added 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. I cubed about 5 medium potatoes. Added some salt, pepper and paprika. After they cooked for about 20 minutes I added 1/2 cup of chicken stocked and covered it for about another 15 minutes. After that I take off the lid, raised the heat and let the liquid cook out. Great side dish....even good for breakfast with eggs!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

Eggs In Purgatory

2010-08-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

this is one of the easiest recipes .... just heat a couple of tablespoons of oil, cook onions until translucent, add garlic. Can of whole tomatoes. Some Basil,salt,pepper & crushed red pepper(optional) to taste....after its simmered for about 30 minutes just drop eggs in and allow to poach for about 5 minutes. Serve with Italian bread and salad.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2

2010-07-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a while because between my daughter moving back home with my 2 yr old granddaughter, son graduating from high school and a personal roller coaster that I am happy to be off of I haven't really had time to.

Sometimes life gets in the way of having fun. But I plan to update this blog more often.

Here's a video of my visit to my sweet friend Sonia in Florida....had a blast there with her. Hoping to visit her again soon. But before that I have to go to the west coast and see Kelley & Rey, I miss them dearly.

National S'mores Day!

2009-08-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

August 10th is the official National S'mores day. It seems they have a national day for EVERYTHING.
This recipe was all kinds of fun to make. I found it on the web about a year ago and was going to make the video. But then my daughter moved with her husband to Kentucky and between helping her settle in and other life related stuff I was unable to post it. So this year I made it a point to pass it along!
My sons LOVED IT! They are huge S'mores fans and this was a great treat for them.

It's just a very basic cookie dough with a twist of added crushed Graham crackers added.

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

This has become my son Zackary's new favorite dish. Every time he knows I'm making it he lights up!
Not that he's a picky eater but there are very few dishes that he raves about.
The sauce can be used it many other ways too... especially good on Raviolis. The recipe can also be changed by adding shrimp, Salmon, Scallops.... let your imagination run with this one.

Henrietta Hen

2009-04-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute junkie when it comes to kitchen gadgets. I found this little hen on QVC and HAD to have it. I use it often, unlike a lot of other gadgets that just collect dust in my basement.

Ricotta Cheesecake

2009-04-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I make this a lot for my family. Especially during the holidays. It's a lighter version of the New York Style Cheesecake.

I'm not to fond of the NY cheesecake because it always seems to be such a heavy thick flavor. makles my throat all kinds of phlegmy (ugh)

This versions is always a crowd pleaser!!

Broiled Ravioli with Butter & Garlic

2008-05-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

This was the first cooking video I created on YouTube. I look at it sometimes and think... OMG... what a disaster! I would have edited it better. But little by little I'd like to think they got better.

The recipe was inspired by Frank, who first ate it in a restaurant in Little Italy in NYC. He came home one day and told me about it and we were able to recreate it. It soon became one of our favorites.