Easy Divinity

Tags

candy, divinity, egg whites, homemade, pecans, vanilla

Divinity is an old fashioned candy that I remember from my childhood. My grandmother used to make this every year. Be sure when you make this it is on a sunny dry day. The humidity should be below 60%. This is true of most homemade candies. Candy made on wet day will not turn out. Divinity takes a little effort but it is worth it!

Easy Divinity (From the Southern Lady Cooks)

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping

Combine the white sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove from the microwave and stir. Microwave the sugar mixture again for another 5 minutes, uncovered. The temperature should reach 250 degrees or hard ball stage. Set aside to cool for 3 to 4 minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. While the mixer is still running on high, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Continue to beat the mixture on high until the mix looses it’s glossiness and holds together, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and pecans. Spoon the mixture onto wax paper in teaspoon fulls. Makes approx 25 candies, depending on the size you make.

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The Perfect Chocolate Cake

Tags

cake, chocolate, dessert, homemade, icing, perfection

Luscious. Decadent. Moist. Sinful. Perfection on a plate.

It is not an exaggeration to say this is the most perfect cake I have ever had.

You simply MUST make it. Trust me.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake (from Diethood)

Cake:

• butter for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brewed strong black coffee
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting:

• 12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 stick butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter then flour two 9 inch round cake pans. In a mixer bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a pond in the middle and add in the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Combine the ingredients using the mixer, beating the ingredients on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The results will be a thin batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, being sure the batter is evenly dispersed. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pans onto wire cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, chop this chips into small pieces and add to a medium mixing bowl; set aside. In a saucepan, add the whipping cream and butter. Cook over medium heat until just at a boil. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Whisk until the ingredients are totally incorporated and smooth. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Remove from the fridge, stir, and place back in the fridge for another hour. Check the icing again. It should be at a spreadable consistency.

On a cake pan, place the first layer. Spread 1/4 to 1/3 of the frosting evenly over the first layer. Top with the second layer and frost the entire cake evenly. Serves 12.

Chai Lattes to Ward off the Bitter Cold!

Tags

beverage, black tea, chai, cheap, drink, gluten free, homemade, latte, vegetarian

According to the National Weather Service, we are currently experiencing gust of wind up to 35 mph. Though our temperature is 55F, it is expected to drop 8F with wind chills below -5F. Tomorrow promises to be even better – Highs around 9. Wind chill readings 12 below to 22 below zero. Thank goodness for my electric blanket and this chai.  The flavors of this chai are perfect. Exactly like my local coffee shop makes it, only I didn’t use steamed milk. Plus my version is a heck of a lot cheaper!

Chai Latte for One

• 1 cup water
• 1 black tea bag
• 1/4 tsp of ginger, cardamon, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon
• Sugar to taste
• 1 cup milk

In a small saucepan, combine the water with tea and the spices. Boil gently until the tea is steeped well. Add your sugar and the milk. Simmer until heated through. Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer. Serves 1 but multiplies well.

Making Sausage

Tags

bratwurst, DIY, homemade, hot, Italian, mild, pork, sausage

Last year for Christmas, my loving hubby gave me several attachments for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Specifically the grinder and sausage stuffer. I have been wanting to use it but just haven’t had the extra hands to help with such a momentous project (oh the joy of shift work). Black Friday was the perfect opportunity. My parents and I cut and ground 20 lbs of meat then spiced, mixed, and stuffed it into natural hog casings. It took a full 8 hours start to finish and was great fun, though next time I think I will grind the meat and stuff the sausages on separate days. (On a side note, I used my mixer nearly the whole time. It didn’t overheat or have any troubles at all. I was pretty impressed!)

Below are the recipes we used and how the look prior to being stuffed. The Hot Italian smelled the best.

Hot Italian Sausage

5 lbs pork
1 cup cold red wine
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder or-4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
3 tsp cayenne
5 tbsp fennel seed
2 tsp crushed chili peppers
5 tbsp paprika

Combine all, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

Bratwurst

5 lbs ground pork, fine grind
4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

Sweet Italian Sausage

10 lbs ground pork
4 tbsp salt
1 cups ice water (the original recipe called for 2)
1 tbsp cracked fennel seed
2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp coriander
3 tsp crushed hot peppers

Combine all ingredients, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

The picture below is me rinsing the casings and looking for holes. About 7 had small holes and I set them aside, though we did use nearly all of them. We just cut the pieces smaller to avoid them and continued on with the idea that smaller sausages could be bun length.

After the casings were selected, you grease the stuffer attachment with crisco and gently (but with purpose) thread the casing on. Then run your meat mixture through the attachment and into the casing. At first we were rather slow but with practice we were able to speed up fairly significantly.

As you can see, the sausage was a great success! Can’t wait to taste it!

 

Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Granola Bars

Tags

bars, chocolate, coconut, cranberry, food, granola, homemade, snack, vegetarian

I love granola. There are so many different flavor combos. These are very tasty and easy to make. You can crumble them into yogurt or eat them plain. Bonus- they are way cheaper to make than to buy!

Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Granola Bars (inspired by Charlotte au Chocolat)

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 cups rolled oats (not the quick cook kind)
• 1 heaped cup flaked unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup lightly toasted nuts of your choice (I used pecans and pepitas)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or other fruits
• Melted semi-sweet chocolate for drizzling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the oats and oil in a bowl. Spread the oats in an even layer on a baking sheet lined and toast for about 20 minutes. Stir at the ten minute mark. When lightly toasted, remove from the oven. In another bowl, combine the oats, coconut, spices, salt and nuts. Combine the honey and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over the oats and stir to coat evenly.

Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch glass pan with parchment. Spread the granola in an even layer. Use a heavy object to press the granola down. This will help make it denser. Bake until just golden, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into rectangles.

In a small saucepan, melt some semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle over the granola bars. Allow the chocolate to hard then store the bars in an airtight container.

Busy Busy December!

Tags

Christmas, consumerism, DIY, gift, holiday, homemade

Wow! I am overwhelmed just thinking about the Christmas holiday. So much to do, so little time. I have to confess I have been a bit of a crab in the past about Christmas. Christmas is supposed to focus our minds on love, peace, family time together, etc. Instead it seems that everything is focused on the consumerism that is the holiday season. My local Kmart had decorations out before Halloween! Good grief! Can we please celebrate one holiday at a time?!?!?

Now we have passed Halloween and Thanksgiving on the calendar. Time to celebrate Christmas. Remember when we had real cranberry garlands? When children were so excited to watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas and drink homemade hot chocolate? When it was more about the events and the fun playing with your cousins/friends than the belongings we soon would acquire? When an orange was still an appreciated gift?  I plan to focus on the love, peace, and family time even more than ever before and to combat consumerism with a vengeance. I am going to make the great majority of my gifts. The few exceptions are the books for my grandparents (books are always a good and lasting gift that promise the receiver many years of enjoyment).

For the ladies in my family I hope to make some sort of sugar/salt scrub. Who doesn’t like spa days? For the cooks in my family, both male and female, I plan to give lemon curd, the pear jams I made (here and here), and taco seasoning mix. For my neighbors and co-workers, I will put together a candy box full of homemade candy like these chocolate covered caramels, bourbon truffles, and dark chocolate butter crunch. Don’t those seem like better gifts than the junk you don’t know you want or need? Gifts from the heart are gifts I want to give and receive. Not gifts made anonymously in a foreign country with more bright lights and promises of distraction from the most important thing in your life- those you love.

Real Caesar Dressing

Tags

caeser, dressing, food, homemade, salad, summer

I have always wanted to try making my own caesar dressing but always was put off by the use of anchovies. Everyone I know swore you can’t taste them so I decided to just give it a go. The worse that could result was an inedible dressing that I threw in the trash. Might as well try it. Thanks to this AllRecipes.com recipe, I have a wonderful dressing that does not taste fishy. I am glad I made the effort 🙂

Real Caesar Dressing

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3-1/4 anchovy fillets, minced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together the above ingredients. Chill before serving. Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing.

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Yogurt Cheese – Part 2

Tags

appetizer, cheese, DIY, food, herb, homemade, lemon, yogurt

Many of you may remember my previous post Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Cheese.  I was pretty excited to see the results, especially in light of my friend David’s fantastic cheese.

The results are in! And it was a success…

Though there will be some future changes. Finished cheese on a bagel chip….

Texture- The texture was creamy and smooth, just like I expected it to be. I let the cheese drain for 3 days. That was the longest I thought it needed to work. But after the cheese sat in a container for a day, a surprising amount of liquid had seeped out. Next time, I will either allow it to sit longer or I will use a sieve instead of a strainer to hold my cheese.

Flavor- The flavor is garlicy, lemon-y and herb-y. Maybe a bit too garlicy. I had hoped for a more subtle garlic flavor. Instead, it tasted a bit raw. Next time, I intend to roast a head of garlic and mash a few cloves into a paste. The thyme and lemon were right on. I have recently become obsessed with lemon zest, which I love in this cheese.

Overall, I will certainly make this again. My in-laws like it very much when they came to visit. It would also make a nice appetizer for work functions, for presents, for appetizers.

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Yogurt Cheese – Part 1

Tags

appetizer, cheese, DIY, food, herb, homemade, lemon, yogurt

I am so excited to finally taste the final product of this two part recipe. The ingredients list and the pre-taste indicates that it is going to be superb. My friend David made something very similar to this a few months ago. Since then, I have been searching for a recipe to recreate his masterpiece. I stumbled across a fantastic food blog called Scrumptious, an African food blog written by Jane-Anne Hobbs Rayner from Cape Town. Not only does Jane-Anne have this cheese recipe, she also posts such beauties as Lemony Green Beans with Frizzled Prosciutto, Fried Breadcrumbs and Aioli, and Buttermilk Cheesecake with a Strawberry Topping.You really should check it out. The recipes are fresh, the ingredients are accessible, and the photography is stunning. I have perused her blog for several hours and found many recipes I can’t wait to try. Have a look yourself, won’t you?

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Yogurt Cheese

1 (32 oz) container full-cream natural Greek yogurt
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
Small sprig rosemary, finely chopped
Sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped and lightly bruised
1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cream, lemon zest and juice, garlic, fresh herbs and salt. Place a piece of cheesecloth or muslin (or a fine clean tea towel or napkin) in a sieve and place it over a bowl.

Place the yogurt combination on top of the cloth. Refrigerate for two or three days, until the yogurt reaches the creamy consistency you desire.

Come back in a few days to see The Results- Part 2!

Rosemary Olive Oil Buns

Tags

bread, buns, Dinner, herbs, homemade, quick, rosemary, Supper

This recipe is originally from the driven cook, who sadly has taken a brief break from blogging because some jerk broke into her home and stole her computer, etc. She published this gorgeous recipe a couple of months ago but I have had it in my recipe file ever since. I am so pleased by how they turned out and by the ease in which they were made.

I am pairing them with Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loins, a nice salad, and hasselback potatoes (my new addiction).

Rosemary Olive Oil Buns

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 egg, whisked with a little water

In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit and work for 10 minutes or so. Add the flour, salt, rosemary, italian seasoning, pepper, and olive oil. Mix in gently until the rough dough forms. Remove from the bowl and kneed on a floured surface until smooth. Do not overwork, as it will lead to tough bread. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise for an hour, until doubled in size. Separate into even balls (I had enough for 6) and set on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise for 45 minutes. Coat the buns with the egg wash for a nice surface color. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.