mmm. . .hot chocolate

Photo courtesy of my lovely roommate KB

Tis the season for hot chocolate. The weather is colder and with Christmas approaching I find that this hot chocolate is becoming a staple in our house. I prefer sipping chocolate to regular hot chocolate, so this is my version. I also am not a huge fan of super sweet things, so this is not a super sweet hot cocoa either. Here's my version of hot chocolate. This makes about 2 servings, and the measurements are not exact, so make it to taste.

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 heaping Tablespoons tapioca flour
sprinkle cinnamon
freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup water
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan and add the water and 1 cup of half and half. Mix until combined. Then add the last cup of half and half and the vanilla. Continue stirring until the hot chocolate has thickened to the perfect thickness for your tastes. This will become pudding if you let it go long enough. Also it is really important to continuously stir it or else it won't thicken evenly.

Observations:

Freshly ground nutmeg is the only way to go. Don't use the ground nutmeg from a container. Find whole nutmeg and grate it. You will not regret it, I promise. This makes hot cocoa soooo much better.

For all my friends whose bodies don't agree with milk you can most certainly substitute almond milk for the half and half.

For those of you who enjoy a little something special in your hot chocolate you can add peppermint schnapps, southern comfort, rumchata, whiskey, brandy or other liquor of your choice. We most often drink ours with peppermint schnapps.

However you decide to alter your hot chocolate, I hope you will enjoy it. . .all winter long. Merry Christmas!!

P.S. The days are going to start getting longer now!! :)

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ish Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups old fashioned oats
raisins
chopped dark chocolate

Cream together sugar and butter. Add applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Mix well. Add baking soda, flour and oats. Mix in raisins and chopped dark chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. And enjoy. I also added some peanut butter to this latest batch. Enjoy!!

Cali-NZ Chicken

I was looking for new recipes to try, and I came across this recipe for California chicken. I made it for my roommate shortly after I returned from a trip to New Zealand. She then asked me at a later date to make New Zealand chicken. I was confused about what she was wanting me to make until we clarified that New Zealand chicken was California chicken. So now we just call it California-New Zealand chicken. It's delicious and easy to make.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook a chicken breast (or however many people you are trying to feed). Don't cook it all the way, just partially. Season it with whatever you feel like. When it is partially cooked and properly seasoned, put it in an oven safe dish. Top with sliced tomatoes and a slice of cheese and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with sliced avocado and serve with sweet potato and green beans. Delicious!!

cupcakes. . .yum!

I went shopping yesterday and found the coolest cupcake carrier. It has two layers, so it can hold up to 24 cupcakes, and it basically just wonderful. I just had to get it. Well, in honor of the new cupcake carrier, I just had to make cupcakes. So I went back to ming makes cupcakes and decided to try a new recipe out.

Espresso Fudge Cupcakes
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup milk (which I didn't have on hand so I used half and half)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add applesauce and vanilla.

The recipe called for espresso powder which I didn't have, so I dissolved 2 heaping Tbsp. of instant coffee in about 2 Tbsp. of hot water and added it to the half and half.


Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee, half and half mixture to the butter mixture until it is all combined.


Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


The recipe off of ming makes cupcakes calls for chocolate cream cheese frosting. I happened to have some already made up in my fridge from making a cake a while ago, so I just iced them with that instead of making the frosting listed with the recipe. I honestly can't remember what I put in my chocolate cream cheese frosting.

scottish whisky cake

My sweet baker friend (who is coming home at the end of this month. . .eeeeee!!!) posted this recipe a while ago, and I was looking for the perfect opportunity to try it out. I had a group of friends over for dinner on Sunday and decided that I wanted to give it a try. Here's my take on her recipe.

Scottish Whisky Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. whiskey
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups dark brown sugar
6Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine coffee, whiskey butter, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour into a large, heat resistant bowl. In a small bowl combine applesauce and vanilla. Stir into chocolate mixture. Then stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. My oven runs hot so I baked it for about 30 minutes.

When the cake is almost done baking make the following whisky butter sauce.

Combine 1/4 cup whisky, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup butter, and 3/4 cup dark brown sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar is dissolved.

When cake is done remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minute. Poke holes in the cake using a toothpick and pour the whisky butter sauce over the cake slowly until it is all absorbed. Allow to cool and serve to happy people. This can be topped with whipped cream.

and over three months later. . .

. . .here you go!! Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon* with my own little twist. I'm going to be honest with you it was a while ago when I made this so I don't exactly remember everything I put in but I did try to follow along her recipe as closely as possible. Also I just want to state that the beautiful pot you see in the pictures was a birthday present from my parents a couple years ago. My dad brought it back from Mexico for me. How sweet is that!?!?


Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In an oven proof pan saute stew meat in olive oil. I used about 1 - 2 pounds. Julia's recipe calls for 3 lbs. but I was just cooking for two, so I decreased the amount a little.


When the beef is slightly browned on all sides, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and whatever other seasonings you like. (I think I added some cinnamon and maybe some chili powder. This is one recipe, though, that I would be careful not to over season.) Then sprinkle in about 2 Tbsp. flour and toss lightly to coat. Put it in the preheated oven for about 4 minutes and toss it again and return to the oven for about 4 more minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.


Next you are going to add a small onion that has been sliced and a sliced carrot as well. I may have used two carrots, but I can't remember exactly. I guess it depends on how well you like carrots how many you should use.


Return to the stove top and add 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 2 cloves mashed garlic, 1/2 tsp. thyme and a crumbled bay leaf.


Next stir in about 3 cups of red wine, such as Chianti and enough beef stock to cover the ingredients. Bring to a simmer on the stove top.


Then cover the casserole dish and return to the oven. Allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I let it cook for about 45 minutes to an hour and then stir it and then repeat the process until it is done. The beef should be very tender when it is done.


Remove the casserole from the oven and either cool the stew and refrigerate for later use or if serving immediately prepare as follows. Quarter about a pound of button mushrooms and saute them in butter.


Add to the stew and stir to coat.


Then serve with boiled potatoes and buttered green peas and of course a glass of red wine. Enjoy!!



*Recipe adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck.

I'm so sorry!!

I didn't mean to leave you hanging so long on that Julia Child teaser. I have been a little busy lately, and I haven't had the time to sit down and update my blog. I am hoping that when I get back from vacation I will have the time to update you. Let me just say this. . .I have been learning new things and making some delicious new dishes that I'm excited to share with you. So be excited!!

the makings of something delicious

Get ready for some Julia Child deliciousness a la Meli.

a bit fishy

I was on my way home from work tonight (after getting off early) and trying to decide what to make for dinner (because I got off work early) when I realized that I really wanted some fish. I have been craving asparagus lately too, so I decided to stop at the grocery and get some asparagus so I could throw this all together.

Preheat oven to 350*. Start by making a nice white wine sauce for the fish. Melt about 3 Tbsp. of butter in a saucepan and add some fresh chopped garlic as well as some basil leaves, a good pour of white wine, some fresh ground pepper and a dash of cinnamon.


Put the fish fillets in an ovenproof pan then pour the sauce over them. Drizzle with some olive oil and pour in another good splash of white wine.


Place asparagus and some diced tomatoes in the pan with the fish. Place in the oven and bake for 20 ish minutes.


While that is baking, cut up some fresh pineapple and melt about 2 Tbsp. of butter in a skillet. Pour in a dash of rum (I used guava rum because I had some on hand. And I recommend it if you can because the flavor was fantastic!). Sprinkle it with cinnamon and drizzle in some honey. Then add in the pineapple. Allow to cook for just a bit, but not so long that the pineapple gets mushy.


To plate up this delicious meal add some diced, uncooked tomato to the top of the fish and asparagus with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Make sure you get a little of the sauce from the fish spooned over it and spoon on some of the sauce from the pineapple over it as well. I was sad that the grocery didn't have green asparagus because it would have made the plate so much prettier, but alas they did not have any.

honey-dijon glazed grilled chicken

I saw this recipe when I was looking through my family cookbook to make meatloaf and thought it sounded so good. So I decide to try it with my own little spin on it.

Honey-Dijon Grilled Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-4 Tbsp. butter
2-4 Tbsp. dijon mustard
about 1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. salt
2 ish tsp. curry powder
sprinkle chili powder, cinnamon and turmeric

Before you start on the chicken, you should start by placing a sweet potato or two in a pot of water and setting it to boil. This is a delicious accompaniment to the chicken, but takes much longer to cook than the chicken does. If you don't like sweet potatoes, you can skip this, but you will be missing out let me tell you.

Start by melting the butter.


Then add in the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken and allow to cook for a minute to combine the flavors and make a nice sauce. Now this is important. Stick your finger in the sauce and then lick it. To make sure the seasonings are correct. Repeat as many times as necessary to make sure that the sauce is perfect. Confession: I could take a bath in this sauce it is that delicious. Please, please love this bit of deliciousness.


Then pour the sauce over the chicken breasts. Allow this to marinate for a little while. If you want to make this ahead of time and allow it to marinate overnight or for several hours that would be okay as well.


Grill the chicken breasts basting with the glaze every time you turn the chicken over. Don't overcook the chicken as it can easily dry out if you cook it for too long. Then check on your sweet potato which should be done about now.


So delicious! Also if you are not starving as I was at this point you could make some green beans to go with this meal and it would be perfectly complete.

meatloaf

The other day it was a bit of a dreary day and my roommate was having a sort of bad day, so I decided to make some comfort food. I'd been wanting to try making meatloaf for a while because it is usually made with eggs, and I wanted to try making it without eggs for my roommate.

I adapted this from the recipe that my grandma usually makes out of our family cookbook. I know, you wish you had a family cookbook too. I just threw in whatever spices I felt like. Feel free to mix it up however you want.

Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground elk
2 slices bread, crumbled up
ketchup
splash red wine
dash cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, chili powder

Crumble the two slices of bread in a bowl. I was able to find bread that wasn't made with eggs, so I went with that.

Then season with the spices you choose to use.


Add the ketchup.


Then add in the beef and elk as well as the red wine. Mix it all up together. I used my hands because that's just how I roll but I supposed you could mix it with a spoon.

Place in a loaf pan and pour some more red wine over it. Then top with some tomato sauce and bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. I think mine was about 45 minutes because my oven runs hot.

I'm not a big meatloaf person. I didn't really grow up eating it, but this turned out well. I actually think it was better the next day because it had time for the flavors to combine and sit together and be all happy. It might actually be good to let it sit for a bit and marinate before topping with the tomato sauce and baking it.

oatmeal

I love oatmeal. There was about 3 months of my life that I ate oatmeal every single morning for breakfast, and while I don't have that kind of devotion to it any more, I still love a good bowl of oatmeal. This is how I make mine.


In a saucepan combine the appropriate amounts of old fashioned oats and water or milk as well as a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, a handful of chopped pecans and some honey. Allow this to cook over medium heat until it thickens.


Then stir in about 1 chopped banana and allow to cook for just a minute before enjoying a delicious and nutritious breakfast of champions.

This is just one of the many variations of oatmeal that I have made. One of the things I love about oatmeal is that like shortbread it is a very basic thing and so it is easy to make many variations of the same thing and each one has a bit of a different flavor and taste to it.

coconut milk ice cream

I've been craving coconut milk ice cream for a while now. My mum generously gave me her freeze and make ice cream maker. You freeze the inner portion and then turn the hand crank to make the ice cream. So I was finally able to make coconut milk ice cream. I was inspired by this lovely post, but went the non-chocolate route. I didn't really measure anything. I used 1 can of coconut milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon, some toasted coconut and some agave. The only thing that I would have changed is the amount of agave that I put in. It was super delicious!!


Whisk together all the ingredients and then make the ice cream according to the directions of your ice cream maker. For me that meant pour into the frozen part and turn the crank.


Then enjoy with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. If you made it so it wasn't quite sweet enough add a drizzle of honey on top.

coconut cupcakes

You may remember that I made a coconut cake for my sister's bridal shower back in April. I realized that this recipe would also make great coconut cupcakes. So that's what I did. It helped a lot with the dryness of the cake to make them in cupcake form instead. I also didn't bake them as long. I was also making these so that my roommate could enjoy them as well, so I adjusted the recipe somewhat from my coconut cake recipe. I also cut the recipe in half as I didn't need as much batter for the cupcakes as I needed for a three layer cake.

Coconut Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coconut sugar
1 2/3 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose, and this was approximate)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. applesauce
2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
dash cinnamon
sprinkle nutmeg
toasted coconut

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.


Add the tapioca flour and applesauce.


Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Fill cupcake wrappers and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes. I iced these cupcakes with the remaining frosting that I had from the coconut cake and sprinkled them with toasted coconut. Delicious.

peanut butter + dark chocolate = heaven

I discovered heaven yesterday on my sweet friend's blog. Please, please, please, if you try no other recipes on here, please, try this one. You will not regret it, I promise. Unless you don't like peanut butter or dark chocolate, in which case I don't promise. But you should try it anyway because you might change your mind. Deliciousness has a way of making that happen.

I have a dear friend in Scotland right now who is a kindred baking spirit, and she posted a recipe for giant peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and I just knew I had to try them. You should just go look at her blog anyway because she's funny and sweet and lives in Scotland and she's my friend. . .'nough said. I tweaked her recipe just a bit to accommodate for my roommate because I wanted her to try them too because everyone should try these cookies. The End. Okay, so here's my altered recipe.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
sprinkle freshly grated nutmeg
sprinkle cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar
6ish Tbsp. applesauce
1 pkg. dark chocolate chips

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Then add the peanut butter and beat again. Then add the sugars and beat again.

Add the applesauce and beat again.


In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Then add to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just combined.


By hand stir in the dark chocolate chips. Then take a good handful of dough and roll it between your palms and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.


Bake at 350* for 12 minutes turning the pans halfway through.


Then enjoy the deliciousness that awaits you. May I just say you know the mark of a good cookie when it falls apart when you are taking them off the baking sheet, these definitely did. Yum! Thanks Anna for making my day with these delightful cookies!!