Hot Cocoa on a Stick

I was a little hesitant to share this because it's my Christmas gift to extended family this year and posting it will ruin the surprise. But I thought about it, and figured some of you might want to make these yourselves to hand out to teachers, crossing guards, hair stylists, etc. You can make individual ones like this:

I bought small treat bags at Michael's, put the chocolate end inside and added a few marshmallows. Then I secured the bag with a red twist tie and tied the tag (with instructions on back) with a ribbon. For the family, I put several into a large treat bag, added some marshmallows and tied the bag closed with ribbon and a tag. I then put them into the cute felt buckets you see below with a little paper filler to keep them snug.

I got the buckets at Target's Dollar Spot. Aren't they cute?

The recipe comes from Giver's Log. I do suggest checking out her post because she gives a lot of great advice about what chocolate to use and other molding ideas (like ice cube trays or small paper cups). I knew I was making a lot of these, so I bought Wilton's Brownie Bite silicone mold at Michael's (I had a lot of 40% off coupons, can you tell?), which has 24 squares. I estimate each square equals about 3/4 of an ounce. One batch made 11-12 squares.

I started out using popsicle sticks only to discover they aren't super great when it comes to stirring. So I switched to plastic spoons. You can leave them to set at room temperature or you can speed up the process by sticking them in the fridge. Once they are hard, you can just bend the mold and they pop right out.

The chocolates I used (because it's more economical than Ghiradelli's) are Baker's Semi-Sweet:

And the large Hershey's Symphony bar (the plain milk chocolate one - this photo says it's 5 oz. but I'm 99% sure they aren't 5 oz. anymore, more like 4.75 or something like that):


The Baker's bar is usually found in the baking aisle and the Symphony bar is in the candy aisle. The best prices I've found on both are at Wal-mart. I wasn't sure which would make better hot chocolate so I made one batch with just Bakers and one batch with just Symphony. Bakers was a little too...semi-sweet and didn't melt very well. The Symphony melted great but lacked flavor. So I compromised and combined them. And then I decided I wanted to dress it up a bit with peppermint. I've included instructions at the bottom.

HOT COCOA ON A STICK
from Giver's Log

8 oz. chocolate, chopped (4 oz. [4 squares] Bakers + one large Symphony bar)
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Sift together the cocoa and sugar in a small bowl (this is an important step - make sure you sift it - use a wire mesh strainer and a spoon if you have to).

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave on high, stirring after the first 30 seconds. Microwave 30 seconds more; stir. Microwave about 15 seconds more and stir (there will still be lumps of chocolate at this point but that is okay, just keep stirring it until it's all smooth).

Stir in half the cocoa mixture until combined. Stir in remaining half (this will take some elbow grease - the chocolate will be the consistency of a thick cookie dough).

Divide chocolate into molds (I just used a spoon). Insert spoons or sticks. Allow to firm up at room temp or refrigerate. Remove from molds.

PEPPERMINT VARIATION (this is enough for 8 hot cocoa batches):

12 oz. bag white candy melts
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 box peppermint candy canes, crushed

Melt candy in microwave-safe bowl according to package instructions. Stir in extract (if candy freezes - or turns lumpy - add a teaspoon of shortening or vegetable oil). Dip hot cocoa "sticks" first in melted candy, then crushed candy canes. Lay on waxed or parchment paper until firm.

CINNAMON VARIATION:

Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to sifted cocoa and powdered sugar before stirring into chocolate. Later dip "sticks" in melted chocolate then dip in crushed red hot candies.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING HOT CHOCOLATE:

The amount of milk will vary depending on the amount of chocolate in your mold (2 Tbsp. = 1 oz.). Essentially it's 1 cup of milk to 1 oz. of chocolate. So, since my molds were essentially 3/4 of an ounce, these are my instructions:

Heat 3/4 cup (6 oz). milk in mug until steaming. Stir in chocolate until melted. Add marshmallows and enjoy!

These may be stored in an airtight container up to one year. Chocolate may "bloom" or lighten in color - this will not affect quality or taste.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars

Image via FoodNetwork

Caralie and I made these today. She couldn't wait for them to cool off enough to eat. And I have to say they are moist and delicious. However, this is really more of a dense cake than "bars" in my opinion. Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top, if you like, to make it pretty and you've got a great dessert for a get-together. I made a couple of changes:

1) I used 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and

2) I added an extra 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the frosting because it was a little too cream-cheesy for me.

Next time I'll try substituting applesauce for the oil - I would have done that today but I am out of applesauce.

PAULA DEEN'S PUMPKIN BARS
from FoodNetwork.com

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread over cooled bars.

Apple Crisp

The perfect autumn dessert! If you have one of these:
now is the time to use it! Just peel your apples first and then stick 'em in your wedger. It's a quick way to get uniform slices that will bake up evenly.

APPLE CRISP

10 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (Granny Smiths are good)
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix apples with 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon until evenly coated; pour into 9x13 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce

This recipe was recently featured in the Make a Cake Series on Make It and Love It. It is not a very sweet cake and really seems more fitting as an adult dessert. It's served sliced and drizzled with a sweet sauce. A squeeze bottle makes it easy.



I deviated from the recipe, which suggests making candied cranberries for garnish, and instead simmered the cranberries into a cranberry glaze to spoon over individual slices as desired. A pretty, grown-up dessert for holiday parties!

CRANBERRY CAKE
Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce on Make It and Love It

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 bag fresh cranberries, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a bundt pan with shortening. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in butter, eggs, and milk; do not over mix. Fold in 2 cups cranberries. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes then invert pan onto wire rack. Let cake cool completely.

WARM VANILLA BUTTER SAUCE

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Let cool slightly, then pour into a squeeze bottle for drizzling, if you have one.

CRANBERRY GLAZE

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
remaining cranberries from bag

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes, slightly crushing cranberries as they simmer. Let cool and serve over cake slices.

Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin Roast

This is a great roast for the holidays. It looks pretty and festive and has great flavor.

You can usually find prepared horseradish by the mustard in your grocery store. I put 1-2 tsp. in the recipe because I made it with 1 teaspoon but personally would like the added kick of an additional teaspoon.

CRANBERRY GLAZED PORK LOIN ROAST
from Quick Savory Cranberry Glazed Pork Roast on Allrecipes.com

1 (4 lb.) boneless pork loin roast
1 (14.5 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup apple jelly
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed
1-2 tsp. prepared horseradish
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, jelly, mustard, bouillon, horseradish, garlic powder, and thyme; bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Line a large baking pan with foil. Place roast fat side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon enough sauce onto roast to cover; reserve remaining sauce for basting.

Cook for 1 hour, basting (spooning sauce over) roast every 15 minutes. Let roast stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with sauce/gravy from pan.

Chicken Pesto Alfredo

This is a variation of a recipe I found at The Cottage Home. Once I saw it I had to try it. I loooove pesto and I loooove alfredo and combining the two just blew my universe apart. I added chicken to make it a little heartier (and so the menfolk wouldn't complain). As Backpack would say, "Yum yum yum yum yum delicioso!"

CHICKEN PESTO ALFREDO
adapted from Creamy Pesto Pasta Alfredo

3 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to an even thickness
2 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. box penne pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup prepared pesto (store-bought or fresh)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper to taste

Start water for pasta - cook according to package directions. Strain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to pan. Brown both sides and cook through.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add pesto and cook for 2-3 minutes more to mellow the flavor. Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Stir in 1/3 cup reserved cooking liquid from pasta and add salt and pepper as desired.

Chop cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Combine pasta and chicken in a large serving bowl and pour sauce all over. Stir to coat and serve with grated Parmesan on top.

Nutter Butter Ghosts/Snowmen

It's a little late to make these guys unless you want to make them into snowmen. But they are so darn yummy! Caralie and I made a batch about a week before Halloween and I forgot all about posting them until now.

NUTTER BUTTER GHOSTS/SNOWMEN

1 (1 lb.) package Nutter Butter cookies
1 (1 lb.) package white almond bark or vanilla candy coating
mini chocolate chips (for face, buttons)
Fruit Roll-Ups (for scarves)

Melt almond bark or candy coating according to package directions. Dip cookies to coat and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Add mini chocolate chips for face (ghost/snowman) and buttons (snowman). Put cookies in fridge to harden. Cut fruit roll-ups into "scarves" and wrap around the neck of snowmen.