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Big Black Dog: February 2010

February 28, 2010

Welcome to the 6th HBinFive Bread Braid





This week for HBinFive we are making 100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil which makes a good flatbread. I decided to add some sourdough starter to the dough and bake the bread on our gas grill.

Baking bread on a grill is very easy but with my first attempt I had my doubts and thought for sure the raw dough would ooze down between the grates! And I could just hear Mr. Tastebuds' frustration if I made a mess of his brand new grill! But the bread baked perfectly and the taste of fresh bread grilled directly over an open flame is unique and so delicious! Baking bread on a grill is fun and I do have the entire process, in a simple Step-by-Step if you're interested.


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Due to some tummy problems, I am staying away from spicy, hot seasoning until my stomach settles down so I made a unique vegetarian pizza type flatbread by topping it with fresh Mushrooms, Arugula, fresh Tomatoes and a mix of Mozzarella, Parmesan and Provolone. I was not sure how the Arugula would taste but it was delicious and the pseudo pizza did not bother my stomach at all! WOW...a dinner that did not involve oatmeal sure tasted good! But the 100% Whole Wheat Bread with the added sourdough starter was definitely the star of this meal!


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For my other two breads for this challenge, and again taking care to eliminate any spicy seasoning, I made Welsh Pasties and Aloo Partha. If you would like to read more about this breads please click on the below title to visit the post.


Welsh Pasties and Aloo Partha


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If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.


Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog



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February 25, 2010

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes and the WINNERS!


We have our two winners of Marty Embry's Coney Sauce Spice Mix!

And the first name drawn out of the hat is...

Jewel of The Tiny Jewel Box

And the second name is...

Bonnie of City Home/County Home

Please send me your full name and home address so Marty and I can get your Jar of Coney Sauce Spice Mix in the mail ASAP!

If you are interested in ordering the Coney Sauce Spice please visit From the Court to the Kitchen Spices and Apparel. And if you're interested in any of Marty's cookbooks, poetry or artwork you can find a listing at Marty Embry's Storefront.





I've been tweeting, watching the Olympics and mentally writing this post all night. And I thought it was time I sat down and started typing. Which reminds me I found the most wonderful blog today, Gail Carson Levine, with fabulous information and ideas on How to Write. And with just reading that last sentence, you can tell I need all the help I can get!

I've often wondered if enough of my own personality comes across in my blog? Should I reveal more about my life as a teacher, an artist, a wife? I do write of dear, sweet Mr. Tastebuds and his escapades in the kitchen. Although he does not read my blog, he thinks I stretch the truth about him..honey please with you I don't need to embellish, not one iota! I know I'm not an open person like Ree Drummon of The Pioneer Woman who has such an exciting, idyllic life and writes about every aspect of it for all the world to read. Hats off to Ree but I'm not sure if I could go quite that far. But oh my, the stories I could tell.....

But I digress and need to get back to my cupcakes which were truly delicious! I used my very favorite Chocolate Cupcake Recipe and made a new frosting by adding browned butter mixed with brown sugar and heavy cream to a traditional Cream Cheese Frosting. Now doesn't that just sound scrumptious! I love Cream Cheese Frosting but after tasting the Browned-butter Caramel Frosting, I'm not sure if I could make plain Cream Cheese Frosting again!


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Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

Makes 12-13 regular sized cupcakes

7/8 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/2 good cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 TBL Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c buttermilk
1/4 c EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

NOTE: This cupcake batter is thin but it bakes beautifully. I use my 1 cup glass Pyrex liquid measure and just pour it into the cupcake liners.



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Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting
Recipe adapted from MyRecipes

1/4 c brown sugar
4 TBL Butter
6 TBL butter, cold but not firm
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, cold and firm
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt
3 c powdered sugar

Place brown sugar and 4 TBL butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. As soon as it comes to boil remove from heat and whisk in cream, blending well. Pour into a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally to incorporate butter.

Place remaining 6 TBL butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Since the butter and cream cheese is cold, it can take some time to blend so make sure to hold onto the edge of the bowl as you beat. Beat in vanilla and salt. With the mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Continue beating and add 1/2 c. powdered sugar at a time, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill for 20 minutes.

NOTE: I used a small tip in my pastry bag and although the cupcakes look loaded with frosting, I was surprised to discover that I used about half the amount of frosting I would have with one of the larger tips. So I had quite a bit of leftover frosting. But Cream Cheese Frosting will keep in the refrigerator or I've had very good luck with freezing it. When needed, just thaw, whip it with a fork and it's good to go.



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February 23, 2010

Welsh Pasties and Aloo Partha


This week for HBinFive we are making 100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil which makes a good flatbread. I had some trouble with this recipe in the beginning and I don't know why. Maybe it just wasn't my week for making bread, but then I settled down and got to work!

For some reason I've been thinking so much about Michigan lately and many of my memories involve food. When I lived in Flint, right across the street was a tiny restaurant, King Arthur Pasties, pronounced PASS-tee. King Arthur's had a very limited menu with Welsh Pasties, some people call them Cornish Pasties, being the main item and they were excellent. The unique flavor in the Pasties is Rutabaga, a large, clunky looking root vegetable with a flavor similar to a peppery potato and when cooked it turns a beautiful deep yellow.

Instead of adding Olive Oil to the HB5 Whole Wheat Dough I decided to use butter and make a flaky pastry dough or detrempe and whip up some Pasties. Detrempe is easy to make, just mix up the dough and chill. Then roll out the dough about 1/4" thick, spread a thin layer of soft butter, fold up the dough letter style and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Then again roll out the dough, spread with soft butter, fold and refrigerate. This makes the dough nice and flaky similar to puff pastry.

The Welsh Pasties were outstanding..totally delicious..definitely a keeper recipe!


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Welsh Pasties
Recipe adapted from Milwaukee Journal March 28, 1943

Dough:
3 c. flour
1 1/2 sticks butter (cold and cut into bits)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. water

Filling:
1 lb. round steak, coarsely ground
1 lb. boneless pork loin, coarsely ground
5 carrots, chopped
2 lg. onions, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. rutabaga, chopped (can substitute turnip)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Dough:
In a large bowl, combine flour, butter and salt. Blend ingredients until well combined and add water, one tablespoon at a time to form a dough. Toss mixture until it forms a ball. Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand to distribute fat evenly. Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.

Filling:
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. I browned the meat and added the vegetables and sauteed for a few minutes.

Making the Pasties:
Divide the dough into 6 pieces, and roll one of the pieces into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Put 1 1/2 cups of filling on half of the round. Moisten the edges and fold the unfilled half over the filling to enclose it. Pinch the edges together to seal them and crimp them decoratively with a fork. Transfer pasty to lightly buttered baking sheet and cut several slits in the top. Roll out and fill the remaining dough in the same manner. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Put 1 tsp. butter through a slit in each pasty and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, cover with a damp tea towel, cool for 15 minutes.


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For our second recipe we made Aloo Partha. For the filling I used white potato, sweet potato, peas, garlic and salt/pepper. I have to admit this was not one of our favorite breads but in all fairness, if I had rolled the dough thinner I think the loaf would have been better. But you can see in the below photo that the "crust" is far to thick. In the dog world we call this a handler error meaning the dog was not at fault but rather the handler had made the mistake but in this case it was the cook!


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Whole Wheat is a strong flavor and if I was making this bread again, instead of making one large loaf, I would roll the dough thinner, less then 1/8" thick, into individual loaves and add a bit more garlic and maybe some bacon bits to the filling.


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If you'd like to see Tradtional Aloo Partha, Aparna, a member of HBinFive, has a wonderful post on her site My Diverse Kitchen. And please take a minute to watch the video embedded in her post, definitely worth your time.







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February 21, 2010

Pomegranate Molasses Cookies!


Haven't the Olympics been fun so far! Maybe it's just me but I cried right along with Lindsey Vonn when she won the Gold Metal in the Women's Downhill. I was just so happy for her! So thrilling to work so hard and meet your own personal goal and to do it with so much grace and style!

And Shaun White...is this guy cute or what! Loved it when twitter went viral with "Super size it Shaun" as Shaun prepared for his second run at the Half Pipe. So exciting and with no fear what.so.ever and then to top it off with a Double McTwist 1260 and all in Super Hero Style! And he did it after hitting his head on the top of pipe wall during a practice run! Unbelievable!!

I'm not a big fan of David Letterman but Shaun's commentary is wonderful. Please take a minute to view the below video.





I don't know about you but this winter weather is getting ridiculous and thank goodness I have my baking and the Olympics to keep me sane, otherwise I'd be climbing on the roof and waving a white flag of surrender for sure! I'm not a big Milk and Cookies person, but a tall, cold glass of milk with some chewy Molasses Cookies seemed like the perfect treat while watching the Olympics.


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I used my Mom's Molasses Cookie Recipe but of course I had to tweak it a bit! And sorry Mom but I think my tweaked Pomegranate Molasses Cookies are beyond delicious!


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Pomegranate Molasses Cookies
Recipe adapted from my Mom

1 c sugar
3/4 c. shortening (I used butter)
1 egg
4 TBL Molasses (I used 1 TBL Molasses and 3 TBL Pomegranate Molasses)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c. flour

Mix all ingredients. Chill dough for at least an hour. Makes ball into size of walnut and roll in coarse white sugar. Place balls of cookie dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. DO NOT PRESS DOWN. Bake at 350 degrees until bottoms are just slightly browned about 10-12 minutes.


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February 18, 2010

Angelo's Coney Island and a Giveaway!


A few weeks ago I attempted to make Angelo's Coney Island Hot Dogs and although the recipe was good, it was not even close to the original recipe. And being I lived in Flint, Michigan for many years I know Angelo's almost too well.

Marty


A few days after I posted my failed attempt at duplicating Angelo's Famous Coney Dogs, I received a very nice note telling me that the Coney Island recipe I had used was not correct and the person that sent the email is none other then former DePaul Basketball Star Marty Embry!

But what does Marty Embry have in common with Angelo's Coney Island Hot Dogs?


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Marty Embry, chef, father, artist, business owner, Coney Dog Aficionado and author of the popular cookbook series "From the Court to the Kitchen" has developed his own secret Spice Mix for an authentic Coney Island Sauce.


Marty graciously sent me two jars of his Coney Sauce Spice Mix. Wasn't that sweet!

Well, I made the Coney Sauce and we loved it! The Coney Sauce is easy enough to make, just brown ground beef or turkey add onions and Marty's Secret Mix and then simmer for 30 minutes. Simple! Of course Mr. Tastebuds had to experiment a bit and sprinkled some the Coney Spice Mix on his baked chicken!

Since I know you want to try an authentic Coney Island Hot Dog and I just happen to have an extra jar of Coney Sauce Spice Mix, I am offering one Jar to one lucky person!




***Update***

Marty just dontated ONE more jar of his Coney Sauce Spice Mix so there will be 2 winners! Thank you Marty!



Look at these gorgeous Coney Dogs! Don't you want to just take a big bite!


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You know the drill, if you'd like to try Marty's secret Coney Spice Mix, leave a comment on this post. The winners will be announced, Thursday, February 25th.



If you are interested in ordering the Coney Sauce Spice please visit From the Court to the Kitchen Spices and Apparel. And if you're interested in any of Marty's cookbooks, poetry or artwork you can find a listing at Marty Embry's Storefront.



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February 16, 2010

Pickled Carrots


Carrots?? Yes, carrot is the theme for this months Can Jam. Carrots can not be canned in a Boiling Water Bath and since I don't own a Pressure Canner, my only alternative is to pickle them. So here I am faced with picking a recipe for Pickled Carrots..okay now say that three times really fast!

I looked but could not find a recipe I thought would work for us. And when I'm in a situation like this, I usually call my Mom. But she said she never canned pickled carrots and come to think of it I don't remember my Mom pickling much of anything! Darn, I can usually count on Mom for a recipe!

But I did finally find a Pickled Carrot recipe in a pamphlet from our local County Extension Office and with some minor additions, black pepper corns and fresh Dill, it should be pretty good. But I can't tell for sure until I taste them in a month or so. But if anything, my Pickled Carrots are pretty but of course I'm partial to anything in a canning jar!


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Pickled Carrots

2¾ pounds peeled carrots
5½ cups white distilled vinegar at least 5% acidity
1 cup water
2 cups sugar or Splenda (I used Splenda)
6 tsp black pepper corns
2 teaspoons canning salt
8 teaspoons mustard seed
4 teaspoons celery seed
4 large cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 large sprig of fresh Dill per pt jar

Makes 4 Pints

1. Clean and peel the carrots. You can slice the carrots crosswise into rounds or slice them into sticks. I used the Baby Carrots which just fit a 1/2 pint jar perfectly.

2. In a large pot combine the vinegar, salt, sugar or Splenda and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add carrots and bring to a boil.

4. Prepare the jars. Put 2 tsp mustard seed, 1 tsp celery seed, 8-10 Black Pepper Corns in the bottom of each clean, hot pint jar.

5. Pack the hot jars with the hot carrots, leaving 1/2" head space. Pack the jars fairly tightly. I packed my carrots standing on end which was not easy with a hot jar and hot carrots but it can be done!

6. Don't forget to add your slices of garlic and sprig of fresh Dill per jar.

7. I used my pyrex measuring cup to pour the hot pickling liquid into each jar. Still making sure to leave at least 1/2" of head space. The carrots should be totally covered with the pickling liquid.

8. Remove air bubbles by sliding a knife inside the jar or gently shaking the jar. Adjust head space if needed.

9. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel and put the lids on each jar. Make sure that you screw the lid on to just finger tighten.

10. Process jars in a Boiling Water Bath for 10 minutes. Remove and place on a flat surface covered with a thick kitchen towel. Let cool.

11. Anything pickled should be left unopened for at least a week, to let the flavors develop.


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Can Jam, a monthly canning event, is hosted by Tigress of Tigress in a Jam. Canning is so much fun, you really should try it! The February Theme, Carrots, was chosen by fellow CanJammer, Doris and Jilly Cook.



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Into my 7th week of the Ten in 10 Challenge. I'm still doing my weight exercises every day while I watch the news. And I've started repeating the exercises while watching the Olympics. I find that if I have something interesting to watch on TV I will exercise longer! However, last week I was sick for the entire week so did not work out at the gym at all. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. By the way, even though I am not dieting, I've lost 6 lbs.





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February 14, 2010

Welcome to the 5th HBinFive Bread Braid




I was so looking forward to making the Red Beet Bread for HBinFive. **WOW** I was not disappointed in the least! This bread was over-the-top fabulous!

One thing this recipe taught me is that I am not a very tidy baker. But grating has never been one of my specialities and grating juicy, red beets is an accident just waiting to happen. I tried to keep the juice contained but honestly afterwards I felt like a member of a CSI team at a multiple murder investigation! Geesh, there were spatters of red beet and juice every where! I was careful to not use anything that could stain easily but one of my spatulas did suffer and it's now a gorgeous shade of pale pink!

I made Hamburger Buns with the Red Beet Dough and served Grilled Turkey Burgers Deluxe. And to dress up the Turkey Burgers just a bit I made a Mayonnaise with Tarragon and Roasted Garlic which is definitely a keeper recipe!



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Mayonnaise with Tarragon and Roasted Garlic
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

6-8 large cloves of garlic, not peeled
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon water, or more if mayonnaise is too thick
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp dried Tarragon
5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 Green Onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Topping: Save some of the chopped green onion stems for garnish.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Take a small piece of aluminum foil. Put the unpeeled garlic cloves in the middle and fold the aluminum foil letter style so it covers the garlic cloves. Roast in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the cloves are soft. Set aside.

In a food processor or blender add the egg yolks, mustard, water, Thyme, Tarragon, salt and pepper. With the machine running, drizzle the oils in a thin stream until completely blended. If the garlic has cooled squeeze out the softened garlic. Add softened garlic, onions, lemon juice and blend thoroughly.


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With the Chocolate Espresso Bread I made Chocolate Cherry Pocket Pies and Mini Loaves of Bread which I sliced and served with fresh Kiwi Fruit drizzled with Ganache. Just click on the title to visit the post and recipe.


Chocolate Cherry Pocket Pies


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Mini Espresso Bread with Kiwi and Ganache


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If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.


Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog



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February 12, 2010

Hot Chocolate, Hot Cocoa or Spicy Mocha?


When I was growing up my Dad made me Hot Cocoa and Toast every morning for breakfast. And still today every once in a while I crave Hot Cocoa. We're having another very hard winter, with bitter cold temperatures and way too much snow and ice. Hot Cocoa is such an under utilized comfort food and with more snow predicted for this weekend, I thought it would be perfect for our Valentine's Day Brunch.

The Hot Cocoa recipe was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis' Spicy Mocha. I say inspired because when I wanted to make Giada's recipe, of course, I was short on the proper ingredients. So I used what I had on hand and substituted this and that and the end result was incredibly wonderful. And since we have the most wonderful local dairy, Oberweis, which has the best creamy, ultra thick 2% Chocolate Milk, I used Chocolate Milk as my base. A few weeks later, I made the recipe exactly as per Giada's original recipe. Honestly and with no disrespect to Giada, I think my recipe is better.

And I'm from Michigan and we drink Cocoa not Mocha or Hot Chocolate. :)



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Michelle's Hot Cocoa
Recipe developed from what I had on hand at the time

4-5 cups chocolate milk, use a good brand that is thick and creamy
1/2 tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use Penzeys Vietnamese Extra Fancy)
1 heaping TBL instant espresso powder

Topping: Whipped Cream and Sprinkles

Heat chocolate milk in a small sauce pan. Add hot paprika, cinnamon and espresso powder and thoroughly whisk until well blended. Pour Hot Cocoa into thick mugs and top with whipped cream and sprinkles. Enjoy!!


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February 10, 2010

Chocolate Cherry Pocket Pie with Brandied Cherries




Well, I did it again! I made more mini pies for HBinFive's Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread. The Pocket Apple Pies that I made two weeks ago were such a big hit, I had a request to make more. And I never need to be asked more then once!

But the Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread was not as easy to work and I did have to fuss a bit more but the Pies were very good. I made the Pocket Pies with my 5" Dough Press and again using about 2 TBL of Filling per pie.



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For the Cherry Filling I used my home canned Brandied Cherries and boy was the cherry filling good. I canned the Brandied Cherries several years ago but they were pushed to the back of the pantry and I had totally forgotten about them! Well, I won't be forgetting about them any time soon. And plan on making more Brandied Cherries as soon as they come into season. Sorry but I do not remember where I found the recipe for the Brandied Cherries but I've had it for some time now.


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Brandied Cherries
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

6 lbs dark, sweet cherries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cups brandy

Wash and pit cherries. Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a large sauce pot. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add cherries and simmer until hot throughout. Remove from heat; stir in brandy. Pack hot cherries into hot jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.


Cherry Filling
Recipe developed by Big Black Dog

1 Pt of Brandied Cherries, abt 2 cups including juice (You can also used canned, frozen or fresh cherries, cleaned and pitted)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 TBL Sugar

Chop the cherries into 1/4" pieces. Put Cherries including juice, cinnamon and sugar in a saute pan. Over low heat, simmer until all liquid has evaporated. Watch it closely because it can burn easily.


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With the remaining dough I made mini loaves of bread. Aren't they cute! I just cut the loaves into slices, garnished with fresh Kiwi Fruit and drizzled with Ganache.



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Chocolate Ganache
Recipe adapted from my Mom

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Put the cream in the microwave and heat until just hot. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit until chocolate is melted. Stir until completely smooth and free of any unmelted chocolate. Add remaining ingredients. Allow to cool slightly before using.



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February 8, 2010

Kung Pao Chicken


I think Oriental Recipes have to be one of the best choices for dinner when you've not had the best day and need something quick, delicious and colorful! And it seems as if you can substitute the heck out of the recipe and it always tastes great!

Mr. Tastebuds and I have completely different tastes in food. He craves vegetables of any kind and they are a must at every meal. Although I like vegetables, I could easily do without but lately I've been craving chicken and could easily eat chicken five times a week. So to satisfy both of our current cravings I decided to make King Pao Chicken, something I've never made before. I do have to be careful with some recipes due to the carbohydrates. The photos are actually my portion being I can eat just about anything. Mr. Tastbuds portion was served with 1/2 c. brown rice because it has a lower glycemic index of 55 when compared to white rice at 70.



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Kung Pao Chicken
Recipe adapted from
For Your Diabetes Life

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving: Calories 257.6; Carb 11.3; Saturated Fat .9; Total Fat 8.2

1 TBL canola oil , divided
4 c fresh broccoli florets (I used 3 c broccoli)
1 TBL fresh ginger root , grated (divided)
2 TBL water
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 c fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 TBL hoisin sauce
2 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
4 garlic cloves , minced
2 TBL Nuts, peanuts, salted , coarsely chopped (I used 4 TBL peanuts)

My additions:
1/2 c. chopped fresh red sweet pepper
1/2 c. green onion, chopped

1. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan; heat over medium-high heat. Sauté broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger in oil for 1 minute. Pour in water and place lid on pan. Cook another 2 minutes. Take broccoli out of pan and reserve in a warm place.

2. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan and heat. Add 1 teaspoon ginger, red pepper, and chicken to pan and cook for 4 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked, stir occasionally.

3. Whisk together broth, hoisin sauce, wine vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken in the pan and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Spoon broccoli back into pan and warm through. When ready to serve, top with peanuts.



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I'm now starting my sixth week of the Ten in 10 Challenge and so far I've averaged working out three times a week! And I'm doing pretty well with my weight training too, although last week I missed a few days due to problems with my shoulder.




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February 4, 2010

Vegetable Torte


I've wanted to try a Vegetable Torte for the longest time but it was just one of those things that never seemed to materialize! Well, I am putting my foot down on all the recipes I've wanted to try and I'm going to get it done!

I've actually made this recipe twice in 2 weeks because it was so darn good! Maybe I was ready for a meatless meal but I could not believe how good the roasted vegetables were with the puff pastry...outstanding. And I used my new rectangular tart pan with the removable bottom which worked out very well.

The first time I made the Torte I used the below Puff Pastry Recipe which worked out very well. Now I know you're thinking that Puff Pastry is hard to make. It's really not difficult to make, it just takes time but mostly because the dough has to be refrigerated in between laminations. So if you deduct the refrigeration time, Puff Pastry takes less then an hour to make. The second time I made the Torte I used a new pastry recipe, 5-Minute Puff Pastry, which does take less time and it is out of this world delicious!



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Puff Pastry
Recipe adapted from HomeCooking.Com

Makes: 2 Lbs

13 ounces (390 g) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) salt
3 ounces (90 g) unsalted butter, cold
7 fluid ounces (210 ml) water, cold

10 ounces (300 g) unsalted butter, softened

To form the detrempe, sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter (3 ounces) into small pieces and then cut the pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add all the water at once. Using a rubber spatula or your fingers, gradually draw the flour into the water. Mix until all the flour is incorporated. Do not knead. The detrempe should be sticky and shaggy-looking.

Note: The detrempe can be made in a food processor. To do so, combine the flour, salt and pieces of cold butter in a food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process until a coarse meal is formed. With the processor running, slowly add the water. Turn the machine off as soon as the dough comes together to form a ball. Process with the remainder of the recipe.

Turn the detrempe out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand, rounding it into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill overnight.

To roll in the butter, first prepare the softened butter by placing it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll the softened butter into a rectangle, approximately 5 inches by 8 inches (12.5 centimeters by 20 centimeters). It is important that the detrempe and butter be of almost equal consistency. If necessary, allow the detrempe to sit at room temperature to soften or chill the butter briefly to harden.

On a lightly floured board, roll the detrempe into a rectangle approximately 12 inches by 15 inches (30 centimeters by 37.5 centimeters). Lift and rotate the dough as necessary to prevent sticking.

Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any flour from the dough's surface. Loose flour can cause gray streaks and can prevent the puff pastry from rising properly when baked.

Peel one piece of plastic wrap from the butter. Position the butter in the center of the rectangle and remove the remaining plastic. Fold the four edges of the detrempe over the butter enclosing it completely. Stretch the dough if necessary; it is important that none of the butter be exposed.

With the folded side facing up, press the dough several times with a rolling pin. Use a rocking motion to create ridges in the dough. Place the rolling pin in each ridge and slowly roll back and forth to widen the ridge. Repeat until all the ridges are doubled in size. Using the ridges as a starting point, roll the dough out into a smooth, even rectangle approximately 8 inches by 24 inches (20 centimeters by 50 centimeters). Be careful to keep the corners of the dough as right angles.

Use a dry pastry brush to remove any loose flour from the dough's surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. If one end is damaged or in worse condition, fold it in first; otherwise, start at the bottom. This completes the first turn.

Rotate the block of dough 90 degrees so that the folded edge is on your left and the dough faces you like a book. Roll out the dough again, repeating the ridging technique. Once again, the dough should be in a smooth, even rectangle of approximately 8 inches by 24 inches (20 centimeters by 60 centimeters).

Fold the dough in thirds again, completing the second turn. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding technique until the dough has had a total of five turns. Do not perform more than two turns without a resting and chilling period. Cover the dough completely and chill overnight before shaping and baking.



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Vegetable Torte
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1/2 recipe Puff Pastry or you can use 1 Sheet of frozen Puff Pastry

1 lb. Fresh Asparagus, trimmed to size to fit the pan
6-7 large Mushrooms, sliced thin
3-4 Tomatoes, 1/2" slices
4-5 Green Onion, sliced into coins
2 c. Mozzarella, shredded
2 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1. Grease the pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll out the puff pastry until it comfortably fits the pan. Lay the dough in the pan and carefully press the dough into the sides. Trim any excess dough from the edges.

3. Slice up the vegetables and toss with the Olive Oil and Pepper.

4. Layer the vegetables on the puff pastry

5. Top with cheese

6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly!




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