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Peppermint Mocha or Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

November 29, 2012 by 231 Comments

Update: The Pick Giveaway Winner plug-in chose Pamela and Miranda as the winners. Congratulations, ladies! Please respond to the email I just send to you with your mailing addresses and details and I will send it onto our friends at Korin.com!

I promised a Peppermint Mocha to end all Peppermint Mochas today and I am a girl of my word. I also promised a giveaway, and that’s coming up, too, but first a word or two about the ne plus ultra of mochas.

This was inspired by my poor friend who went to a place that rhymes with Flickschmonalds and ordered a seasonal Peppermint Mocha because it sounded cozy and warm and Christmasy. She left with the impression of having consumed a cup of coffee laced with vinegar and sugar immediately after brushing her teeth. I knew I could do better for my friend.

And I did.

Oh. I diddlydiddid.

Flickschmonalds, Blartucks, and Punkin’ Gonuts have nothing on my Peppermint Mocha. It screams CHRISTMAS, and WINTER, and CUDDLY, yes, but it also screams I’M AFFORDABLE ENOUGH TO DRINK EVERY DAY. …though given the quantity of half and half in it, it may not be a well-advised decision. Mmmm. Half and half.

My word people. If I carry on like this there’s gonna be trouble in the fitting-into-my-pants realm. These taste so darned good that I don’t really care, though. On the plus side, there is some coffee in it (which turns me into MRS. HYPER which is why I keep TYPING IN CAPS. Somebody stop me.) which is supposed to boost your metabolism. So there. And also, can someone come scrape me off of the ceiling where I’ve been parked since beginning working on this recipe?

It’s not enough just to have the half and half, AND the Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce AND the coffee AND a thick cap of whipped cream. I sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes and use a chocolate covered peppermint stick as a swizzle stick. Apparently I have a thing for swizzle sticks these days.

Drive right past that drive-through window and straight to the store to buy your ingredients. I use Bogdon’s Chocolatey Candy Sticks for the job, but use whatever little peppermint sticks you can find. If it’s coated with chocolate? Well, buy two boxes -no- buy four. Those little puppies are seasonal and Peppermint Mochas are good all winter long!

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Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Try this ultra decadent, rich, creamy Peppermint Mocha for a wintery treat. There simply isn't anything better to have on Christmas morning than this frothy treat!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
  • 6 ounces half and half (Whole milk can be substituted for a less decadent mocha)
  • 1 shot of espresso or 2 ounces double-strength brewed coffee (omit coffee if you're making a Hot Chocolate.)
  • whipped cream
  • 2 peppermint sticks (or 2 small candy canes), divided

Instructions

Brew the espresso into a standard sized mug (or pour the still-hot double-strength coffee into your mug.) Omit the espresso or coffee if you're making a Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Heat the hot fudge sauce and Half and Half together in a canning jar in the microwave or a small saucepan until steaming hot. Use a small whisk or a milk frother to vigorously combine the two until the hot fudge sauce is thoroughly melted into the mixture and it is slightly frothy. Pour it over the espresso or double-strength coffee in the mug. Dollop a generous amount of whipped cream on top of the drink. Crush one of the peppermint sticks or candy canes and sprinkle over the whipped cream. Use the remaining peppermint stick or candy cane to gently stir the drink and leave it in place as garnish.

Enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/29/peppermint-mocha-or-hot-chocolate-and-a-giveaway/

Now for the giveaway! Do you see that gorgeous mug that’s holding the decadent mocha? Korin.com -one of my favourite online kitchen wares retailers- sent those Mugtails to me about a month ago. They have scarcely had an empty moment since. They’re so charming and so sweet and so pretty I haven’t wanted to put them on the shelf. The mugs are a beautiful stark white and the fawn and squirrel impressions in the mug are slightly thinner than the rest of the mug. When held up to the light, it comes through the shapes slightly. If you were to drop a tea light into the mugs, they’d be stunning!

For those of you who -like me- are mug crazy, these are the sort you wrap your hands around. The tail on the fawn mug is obviously not designed as a method to hold the mug. The squirrel mug’s bushy tail is perfect for holding the mug, but you can still cup your hands around it if that’s your preference.

Korin.com has kindly offered to give away one of the Fawn Mugtails (pictured above: ARV $16) and one of these adorable Squirrel Mugtails (ARV: $16).

 

The Fawn Mugtail is a standard sized mug that holds a generous mocha or tall cup of coffee while the Squirrel Mugtail is more of a demi-tasse, espresso sized cup. You’d still have room for a goodly cap of whipped cream in the squirrel cup if that dings your chimes… Just imagine these beautiful cups for holiday entertaining! How do you win? I’m glad you asked! Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry method you use so they’re all counted!

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment here telling me which of the two mugs you’d prefer and tell me what you’d use to fill the mug!

Optional Entries:

You have until 9 a.m. EST on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 to enter! Winners will be announced here sometime on Monday. Good luck, everyone!

Disclosure: Korin Knives provided mugs for me to review and is giving two mugs away, but I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are mine alone!

Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

November 28, 2012 by 27 Comments

I’ve spoken before of my deep, deep love for the hot fudge sauce made by my stepmom, Val. Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce is a staple around the Foodie With Family household. It goes on ice cream, to be sure, but it is also drizzled on cake and stirred into hot milk for fabuloso hot chocolate. On days when I feel particularly frazzled or mom’ed out, a spoonful of it applied directly to my mouth is sometimes the only thing standing between me and stark raving lunacy.

The other day, a friend complained loudly about the quality of the peppermint mocha she purchased at a big name restaurant. Her description was:

If you’re considering trying McD’s peppermint mocha drink cuz it looks good and nice and warm and holiday-ish with the oncoming cold weather, here’s a tip to save some money: Make a pot of coffee, and while that’s brewing, go brush your teeth (some mouthwash after is good too). Then come back to the pot, pour some sugar and vinegar into it, pour yourself a mug, and drink up! Voila! Now you don’t have to go buy one.

Blech. That was enough to dissuade me. With all that, though, I still wanted a Peppermint Mocha. I decided to turn the ubiquitous Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce into the vehicle for the world’s best Peppermint Mocha. I turned it into Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce.

Mercy.

I’ll share the Peppermint Mocha recipe tomorrow, but first? First you must make this Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce. Believe me. All by itself it is a holiday treat second to none. If you can resist eating this by the spoonful then you’re a better animal than I am. But when you drizzle this over a bowl of Perry’s Mint Tingaling or Peppermint Stick ice cream? Oh Holy Night. It is something to remember.

When it’s still hot it’s a deep, fudgy, smooth, thick-yet-pourable, minty sauce with a hint of vanilla. When you pour it onto cold ice cream, it turns into a chewy caramel candy that keeps you coming back for more.

…Speaking of coming back for more, be sure to check in tomorrow for a Peppermint Mocha recipe that DOESN’T taste like toothpaste, vinegar and bad drip coffee and a GIVEAWAY that you will NOT want to miss.

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Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

When it's still hot it's a deep, fudgy, smooth, thick-yet-pourable, minty sauce with a hint of vanilla. When you pour it onto cold ice cream, it turns into a chewy caramel candy that keeps you coming back for more. This is also the base for the best homemade Peppermint Mocha of all time!

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade is best! )
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, and boiling water. Increase heat to medium and stir mixture until it reaches boiling. Boil without stirring for 8 minutes. Really. Do not stir that stuff.

Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract, vanilla extract and salt. It will bubble up violently, so be careful. Let rest for 5 minutes before pouring into a heat-proof container with a tight fitting lid. (A canning jar works perfectly for this situation.) Be certain the container you use is small enough to fit into the microwave for reheating purposes. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded, heat-proof container.

To Reheat:

Remove lid from the jar and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir. Heat in additional 10 second bursts until the hot fudge flows freely when poured.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/28/peppermint-hot-fudge-sauce/

Filed Under: Condiments, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Whiskey Vanilla Extract | Make Ahead Mondays

November 26, 2012 by 17 Comments

 

I am obsessed with vanilla extract. Since I started making my own extract several years ago, I haven’t bought vanilla extract (either faux or pure) once. Once you’ve made your own and tasted just how much better it is (and realized just how easy the entire process is) it’s hard -if not impossible- to go  back.

Why bother when you can get pure vanilla extract relatively cheap? First, the homemade stuff is customizable. You can make it as strong or as weak as you’d like it. Normally, the method involves splitting beans, pouring a neutral high-alcohol spirit such as vodka over it, capping it, shaking it and letting it age until you can’t really taste an alcohol burn from it. The idea is that the alcohol becomes a vessel for mega vanilla flavour delivery. I told you it was easy, didn’t I? That’s wonderful, isn’t it? It’s fabulous. I have a giant jug of the stuff in my cabinet… but…

Yes, there’s a but…

Sometimes I WANT a little burn to help cut some sweetness: I want that presence of alcohol WITH the vanilla. And in those cases, I reach for this stuff; Whiskey Vanilla Extract. The process is every bit as easy. I split vanilla beans lengthwise and stuff them into an empty bottle. The prettier the bottle the better. It’s not like it effects the overall outcome, but life is hard enough: Let’s try to get some beauty in there where we can.

I pour something drinkable but not expensive* (ask the clerk at your local liquor store for a good, inexpensive but sippable whiskey or bourbon.) over the top, cap it, shake it and let it go for a week.

*I did NOT use Templeton Rye Whiskey for my extract, merely the empty bottle.

A bottle of that on your pantry shelf invites you to use it, and since we’re not going with a neutral alcohol here but highlighting the richly flavoured, slightly smokey whiskey taste, you can start using it about a week or two after starting it. It will mellow with age, so if you find it’s a little too brassy and bright at the beginning, just stash it in a dark corner and retrieve/retry it later.

I love to use this in place of the ‘regular’ vanilla extract in whipped cream, pecan pies, fruit crisps, and hot fudge sauce. What would you make with Whiskey Vanilla Extract?

A Note on Making This for Gifts:

You can use canning jars to prepare this if you’d like, but I find using an actual liquor bottle makes it easier to use the finished vanilla extract without spilling it. If you don’t have access to empty liquor bottles or want to prepare it in smaller containers for gifts, dollar stores and big box stores usually have a nice selection of small decorative bottles with corks or twist caps. Just be sure the caps fit snugly to prevent spilling when you shake them.

A Note on Finding Inexpensive Vanilla Beans (because it CAN be done!)

You can use whatever vanilla beans you prefer, Madagascar, Tahitian, Bourbon (Hey! Bourbon Bourbon Extract!). I don’t actually have one that I love better than others, I love ‘em all! I buy my vanilla beans in bulk through one of two places. Here they are in order of preference.

  1. My beloved Amazon.com has them When you consider that the best price I have found in grocery stores is about $10 per package of 2 beans, and that there are about 50 beans in a half pound, that’s akin to saving $223. Trust me. My math is good, I’m  a homeschooling mom. And better yet, when the beans are properly stored (at a steady room temperature out of direct light) they last for at least a year.
  2. eBay. Seriously! I have bought pounds of vanilla beans via eBay over the years. Sometimes you can get a better deal on eBay, sometimes Amazon has the better price. Keep your eyes peeled and get bargain happy!

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Whiskey Vanilla Extract | Make Ahead Mondays

Whiskey Vanilla Extract | Make Ahead Mondays

With its smokey, richly flavoured, high alcohol content, whiskey makes the perfect vehicle for homemade vanilla extract. There's nothing neutral about this vanilla extract, so use it where you'd love a little bite: in whipped cream, pecan pie, fruit crisps, and the like. This makes a wonderful and unique hostess gift for the holidays.

Ingredients

  • 1 clean and empty 750 ml liquor bottle with a tight fitting lid (or a glass container that can hold about 3 cups of liquid with a tight fitting lid.)
  • 5-20 whole vanilla beans, depending on how strong you'd like the vanilla flavour
  • about 3 cups whiskey, depending on the container you use

Instructions

Split the vanilla beans lengthwise then in half. Slide them into the empty liquor bottle. The fewer the beans you use, the weaker the vanilla presence will be. I like a LOT of vanilla and stuff as many into the bottle as I can while still leaving enough room for the beans to be covered by liquid and the lid to be added when I'm done.

Insert a funnel into the top of the bottle and pour in as much whiskey as you can, being sure to cover the beans completely. Add the lid, shake vigorously for about 2 minutes, then place in a dark, cool place for at least one week, shaking the bottle daily, before using. The longer the extract ages, the more mellow the whiskey and the more pronounced the vanilla will be.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/26/whiskey-vanilla-extract-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Component Foods, Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

November 23, 2012 by 9 Comments

It was a Dark & Stormy night in the orchard…

No, let’s start again.

“You poured your apple cider in my Dark & Stormy.” “No, you poured your Dark & Stormy in my apple cider!”

Hmmm. Closer, but not quite right. Let me start at the beginning.

I’m in a contest. (Ah, that’s better.) In the Spice Up the Holidays contest, nine of my fellow bloggers and I will be duking it out (virtually, ’cause I’m a lover not a fighter, man…) over the next couple of weeks to throw a party spiced up with the aid of Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum and Black Spiced Rum. We’ll all be developing recipes for an appetizer, a cocktail and a dessert that are oomphed up with rum.

This whole shebang will be judged by Spike Mendelsohn: the former Top Cheftestant and current Next Iron Chef contestant. Chef Spike. When I was watching him on Top Chef admiring his creativity I never expected to have him inspecting my food. Eep.

I feel obliged to tell you your left shoelace is untied, Spike. If you fell and got hurt, I’d feel guilty. What can I say? I’m a mother.

“Why are you doing this?” you might ask. Here’s why I’m all in; they will donate $1,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. The generous prize package they’re offering the winner doesn’t hurt, but that donation to charity? That’s SWEET! That’s worth all the jitters and visions of abject humiliation. (Totally healthy self-image, I assure you. So long as I’m not in a swimsuit. Ahem.) Also? I love a challenge.

This week and next, I’ll share the recipes I’m making for this big par-tay of mine. I’ll share the plans and then photos of the party and then finally the name of the winner.  Judging by the competition, we are in for some spectacular food and cocktails.

Now that you know what I’m doing, let me tell you where you all come in to the picture because I need you.  I love having people over to share dinner with us, but I don’t do a lot of “entertaining”. As in get-out-the-nice-plates soirées. I need help. Big time. What do you do to make your parties fun/exciting/fancier-than-Chinet? I mean beyond getting the Legos off of the couch and the science experiments off of the table. Do you see how much assistance I need here?

Oh dear.

I think we’d better start with the drinks.

Ah, the Dark & Stormy. What’s not to love about that? Spiced or dark rum with burny ginger beer. That’s my kind of adult beverage. I couldn’t very well do a plain old Dark & Stormy for a competition, though, so I ran it through the orchard. Not literally, mind you. I don’t run unless something is chasing me with a big knife.

I added just the right amount of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) to my gingery rummy concoction to make it seem like Captain Morgan got himself marooned on the Maine coast and made the best of it.

The tart, concentrated apple molasses add both flavour and perfume to the party. It’s a natural match for the cinnamon, clove, and nutmegy goodness of the Captain Morgan’s Black Spiced Rum.

My husband -who is most assuredly NOT a cocktail kind of guy- declared it delicious and drank the whole thing. He even SIPPED it. His pinky, however, was not up. That’s okay, there’s only so far a guy can deviate from the path before he has to rethink his life.

So please, whip up a Dark & Stormy Orchard for yourself and contemplate your best entertaining tips while you sip away. Pinkies are optional, but do share your ideas with me, please!

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Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

Ginger, spiced rum and apples are a match made in the orchard. The classic Dark & Stormy takes Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum on a tour of the Maine coast with the addition of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) and a cinnamon swizzle stick.

Ingredients

  • Per Drink:
  • a highball or double old fashioned glass full of ice
  • 1 tablespoon Boiled Cider Syrup (a.k.a. Apple Molasses)
  • 2 ounces Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum (Dark Rum or Original Spiced Rum may be substituted if desired.)
  • 11 ounces Ginger Beer (Use Q Ginger, Barr's, Reed's, or Papa's Hooch for best results.)
  • Optional: A cinnamon stick for stirring.

Instructions

Pour the boiled cider syrup over the ice. Follow this by adding the Black Spiced Rum and then the ginger beer. Use a cinnamon stick or spoon to stir lightly. Serve immediately.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/23/dark-stormy-orchard-spice-up-the-holidays-announcement/

Once you have your drink in hand, stop on by and say hi to my fellow competitors. They’re good people, people!

 Disclosure: I am a participant in the Spice Up the Holidays contest sponsored by Captain Morgan USA. I received products to use in my recipe development and compensation for additional ingredients but all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Slow-Cooker Asian Beef | Make Ahead Mondays

November 19, 2012 by 15 Comments

Let me tell you about my friend, Robyn. She’s gorgeous, brilliant, talented, kind, warm-hearted, and has a seriously adorable family. Robyn is good people, people. All that’s impressive enough, right? Well, the woman can cook, too. She posted the most incredible looking Balsamic Roast Beef recipe a few of weeks ago and I about fell out of my chair it sounded so good.

In fact, her recipe is on that short list of ones that have sounded so darned good that I had to make it the minute I read it. Literally. As in, I stood up, unplugged my laptop and moved to the kitchen to begin making it AS I was reading it. I made that roast twice in one week.

…Then the third time I started making it (Yes, three time in two weeks. What?!? Me? Obsess much?) I realized I was out of a couple of ingredients. I preserved Robyn‘s method and played around with the stuff I always have handy. In this house, that usually means going Asian directions with recipes. The result was fah-hah-haaabulous.

It was so delicious I stood there pulling piece after piece off of the fall-apart tender beef dunking it into the pan juices and slurping it up. I dare not admit how much of it I consumed. I’ll just say that my husband came in the room to find out from whence the delectable aroma was coming and said, “Oh, I guess it was a small-ish roast?”

It was four pounds.

Ahem.

Yeah, so. The point is that it’s not just good, it’s great. If you have more willpower than I do, or start with a larger roast than I did, leftovers store and freeze, and reheat beautifully.

 

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Slow-Cooker Asian Beef | Make Ahead Mondays

Slow-Cooker Asian Beef | Make Ahead Mondays

This succulent, spicy and just-a-little-sweet Asian beef is almost sinfully easy to prepare in the slow-cooker -no pre-browning, extensive preparation or complicated sauces- yet somehow yields incredibly deep flavours. It's good enough to serve to company.

Adapted gently from and with many thanks to the lovely Robyn Stone of Addapinch.com

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4 pound boneless top round or bottom round beef roast
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons Asian Chili-Garlic Sauce, depending on heat preference.
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed with the side of a knife, depending on how garlicky you like things.
  • 1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, lightly smashed with the side of a knife or a mallet

Instructions

Place the beef roast in the crock of a slow-cooker. Scatter the ginger and garlic cloves over and around the beef. Stir together the broth, balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of the honey, the soy and fish sauces, and the chili garlic sauce and pour over the beef roast. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or LOW for 6-8 hours or until the beef is fork tender.

Carefully transfer the beef to a casserole dish or a large bowl. Pour the juices from the slow cooker into a small saucepan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey and bring to a boil over high heat. You can reduce by as much as 3/4, just keep in mind the flavours will intensify the more you reduce it. While that is boiling, use two forks to shred the beef as finely as you wish.

You may pour the reduced pan juices directly over the beef or serve as a sauce to be used at the table. We like to pour it directly over the beef, toss it, and serve over Spicy Asian Broccoli and hot rice.

To Freeze and Reheat Leftovers:

Put leftover meat and pan juices in a freezer-safe bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can before sealing and freeze flat. To reheat, empty the contents of a bag into a microwave or oven safe dish. Heat covered (by plastic in the microwave or foil in the oven) at a moderate temperature (75% in the microwave or 350°F in the oven) just until heated through.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/19/slow-cooker-asian-beef-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Main Dish, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Pizza Party Bread

November 16, 2012 by 14 Comments

I know all good food bloggers are posting their best Thanksgiving recipes right now. They have that covered. Believe me, I’m thinking of the big show, too, but there are a lot of days between then and now and a lot of days afterward and it can’t be turkey and stuffing all the time.

This recipe today is for the parties. Obviously we’re party central this time of year. Between mid-October and the first week of January, every one of my five sons has their birthday. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. In other words, from mid-October to the first week of January we are the hap-hap-happiest, most festive household since National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. (Now, let’s see… who is our Cousin Eddie? Come on. You KNOW every family has one.) If it’s not a birthday party it’s a Thanksgiving party. If it’s not a Thanksgiving party, it’s a Christmas party. If it’s not a Christmas party it’s a New Year’s party. We cannot be the only household doing this right now.

See that bread? That’s a total sanity saver. It’s not only mega comfort food -can food get more awesome than bread/cheese/butter/garlic/pepperoni?- but it’s as easy as can be to make. The Pizza Party Bread is everything you love about pizza and garlic bread minus the call for take out or the time involved in making homemade pizza.

It’s party perfection… who can resist ooey, gooey, melted mozzarella on buttery garlic bread in the first place?Not me, I’ll tell ya that. And when you add lovely crisp little pieces of pepperoni? It’s all over but me licking the foil, folks.

To really drive that pizza flavour home, we like to serve this with a bowl of warmed pizza sauce for dipping on the side. And much like the recipe that inspired this one, there are never leftovers. Whether you serve this for a quiet movie night at home or in quantity for a party buffet, you’re going to be a very happy camper.

 

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Pizza Party Bread

Pizza Party Bread

Comfort food writ large. Scads of ooey, gooey mozzarella melted onto a pull-apart loaf of tender garlic bread studded with pepperoni. Does it get better than this? Maybe, but I can't see how!

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Italian bread (16 ounces, by weight)
  • 1 pound grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 stick (4 ounces by weight) butter
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 bunch of green onions (scallions) trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 24-30 slices of pepperoni, cut into quarters
  • Nonstick cooking spray and foil
  • Optional: additional chopped scallions for garnish.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (or preheat grill to medium heat). Lay out a double thickness of standard foil (or a single thickness of heavy-duty foil.) Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside

In a microwave safe bowl, or a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the butter until melted and mix in the garlic and sliced green onions. Stir with a serving spoon.

Lay the loaf of bread on the cutting board and cut a ½” grid pattern into it stopping about ¼” above the base of the bread so that it stays connected. Gently pry apart the bread and spoon the butter mixture along the seams. Gently wrap the foil up around the top of the loaf and put on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, open the foil and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top, gently pushing some of the cheese down into the cut bread. Separate and scatter the pepperoni over the top, shoving some into the sliced bread, too.

Leave the foil open and return the pan to the oven or grill and raise the heat to 425°F or HIGH for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Let set for 3 minutes before garnishing with additional chopped scallions, if desired. Serve while still hot or warm.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/16/pizza-party-bread/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Bacon Cheeseburger Mini-Meatloaves and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes | {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

November 15, 2012 by 115 Comments

 

Update: The Pick a Giveaway Winner plug-in chose MaryG as the winner. MaryG, congratulations! Please email me with your information so the book can be sent right away.

I love cookbooks. I have a lot of cookbooks. As in AH- LAWT of cookbooks. Shelves and shelves and boxes and boxes of cookbooks are mine. Some of them I like more than others, obviously; some of them speak to me.

Not literally, mind you, that’d be crazy.

What I mean is some of them NAIL my way of eating. The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook: Comfort Food with a Twist by Cynthia Kallile is one of those. I have to admit, the cookbook surprised me a little… I honestly didn’t expect to be blown away by -of all things- a meatloaf cookbook. From the moment I pulled the book from the envelope, though, I was hooked. Hardcore.

The cover has tiny little cupcake meatloaves with beautifully piped mashed potatoes and a dusting of paprika, a meatloaf pot pie, ADORABLE little meatloaf appetizers with stars of mashed potatoes, a meatloaf in pastry and something that I couldn’t identify but still wanted to eat. Desperately. (I later found out it was a baked mac-and-cheese with crispy bits.)

The first test of any cookbook, though, is how hungry it makes you when you eat it. Usually, I find that when I flip through a cookbook, I find a handful of recipes appealing with one or two must-makes in the mix. Not this time. This time, I wanted to make every. single. recipe. from the Chili Chili Bang Bang (a chili flavoured meatloaf with beans ground into it baked with cornbread on top) to the Omega-3 Meatloaf (a fresh salmon meatloaf topped with *GASP* wasabi mashed potatoes.) I mean, really… There was an Herby Turkey Meatloaf that momentarily made me rethink my Thanksgiving plans.

Photo Courtesy of The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook by Cynthia Kallile

Let me tell you, it was HARD to narrow down what the first recipe I’d try would be.

This cookbook actually inspired me to drive to the store to get meat so I could make something from it. “Big deal!”, you say? Oh, it IS a big deal. For me, an impulse trip to the store means a half an hour drive in either direction.

I settled on the recipe called “No Buns About It Burger Loaf”. It was, in essence, a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf (with chopped pickle in it!!!!) topped with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes. Like a dingbat, I forgot to write down the ingredients I needed before I drove to the store, so I did the best I could from memory. I ended up with the crucial stuff (a big old chuck steak to stick through my meat grinder) but blanked on some of the supporting players. I had many fabulous stand-ins at home (for instance, white cheddar vs. the specified yellow cheddar, yogurt vs. the sour cream, and Romano vs. the asked-for asiago/parmesan combo.) so I went ahead anyway.

I didn’t mess around, people. I was confident enough in the recipe after reading it to jump in with both feet and start off with a double  batch. Half of the batch I cooked as directed in greased large muffin tins, the other half I baked in a loaf pan.

The smell of these cooking was enough to drive me to distraction. They smelled like bacon cheeseburgers. I piped mashed potatoes on the little muffin ones when they were done and served them at the dinner table and awaited the reaction.

Hooooooooooooboy.

Locusts have nothing on my family. Those meatloaves disappeared at light speed. That evening was youth group night for my eldest son, so after clearing the dishes and before driving my boy, I wrapped the leftover loaf version of what we had eaten and said, “Honey, don’t eat this. Okay? Please? Eat anything else in the fridge that you’d like, but please leave this. I want to make meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow.” He responded, “No problem!”

Two hours later, I arrived home to find an empty platter with a wadded up piece of plastic wrap and a penitent husband who greeted me at the door with an earnest, “I couldn’t help it! It was so good!”

I will be cooking my way through this cookbook. I honestly didn’t know I was such a nut over meatloaf until I read it. The two of my friends who have thumbed through the book at my house looked at me and asked boldly, “Will you be doing a giveaway of this or should I just buy it now?”

I’ll tell you this, too… At least one of those friends decided she couldn’t wait to see if she would win and went out immediately to buy her own copy.

The good news is I DO have a copy to give away. The good folks at Cynthia Kallile’s publisher have offered me a copy of this fantastic cookbook to give away to one of you. Details on the giveaway are below the recipe.

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Bacon Cheeseburger Mini-Meatloaves and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes | {GIVEAWAY]

Bacon Cheeseburger Mini-Meatloaves and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes | {GIVEAWAY]

These mini-meatloaves taste just like a good old-fashioned bacon cheeseburger straight down to the finely diced dill pickle in them! Top them with creamy, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, a little extra dill pickle and a sprinkling of sesame seeds (instead of a sesame seed bun) and you'll be in seventh meatloaf heaven!

Gently adapted from and with thanks to "The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook" by Cynthia Kallile.

Ingredients

    For the Bacon Cheeseburger Mini-Meatloaves:
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) bacon, cut crosswise into small slices
  • 3/4 cup finely diced cooking onions
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
  • 1 cup panko or plain white bread crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar plus extra for garnish
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup well-drained finely diced dill pickles plus extra for garnish
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk, beaten
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 black pepper
  • nonstick cooking spray
    • For the Cheesy Mashed Potatoes:
  • 8 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, warmed in the microwave
  • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 1/3 cups shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded romano cheese
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cook the bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Pour off all but about 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the remaining meatloaf ingredients well with your hands in a mixing bowl. Grease 6 large or 12 standard sized non-stick muffin pan. Use your hands to mound the tops of the meatloaves so they're domed.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes (for the standard sized mini-loaves) to 40 minutes (for the large loaves) or until the middle of the interior of the loaves measures 160°F on an instant read or meat thermometer and the meatloaf tops are browned.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool a couple of minutes before trying to remove the loaves.

When you can handle the pan, unmold the meatloaf cupcakes and set on a cutting board or flat pan to prepare for "frosting" with the mashed potatoes.

To Make the Cheesy Mashed Potatoes:

Cover the peeled and chunked potatoes with cold water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until they are fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the hot pan. Add the milk, butter, and yogurt to the potatoes and mash until very smooth. Add the shredded cheeses to the hot potatoes and mash that into the potatoes until melted into the potatoes. Taste the potatoes and adjust with salt and pepper. If you're going to pipe the potatoes onto the mini-meatloaves, you want to be sure you don't have chunks as those could block the pastry tip. If you're going to dollop or spread it on top, you don't need to be quite as thorough in eliminating lumps of potato.

To Serve:

Dollop or spread mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf cupcakes ~OR~ insert any large tip into a 12-inch to 14-inch pastry bag. Fill with the hot Cheesy Mashed Potatoes. Be careful as the bag will be hot to the touch! Pipe the potatoes onto the tops of the meatloaf cupcakes. Serve immediately, topped with extra pickles, shredded cheese and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, if desired.

Leftovers, if you have them, can be stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in either the microwave or a moderate oven (350°F.)

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/15/bacon-cheeseburger-mini-meatloaves-and-cheesy-mashed-potatoes-giveaway/

Let’s get to some giveaway details, shall we? There are a couple of ways to enter.

Mandatory Entry:

What’s the best meatloaf you’ve ever had? Was it studded with loads of vegetables? Did it use dried onion soup mix? Was it topped with gravy or ketchup? Talk details in a comment below!

Optional Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry to be sure it’s counted!):

A winner will be chosen using the “Pick a Winner” plugin here on Foodie With Family. I will announce our lucky winner on Monday morning. Good luck, folks, this is a serious keeper of a cookbook!!!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the cookbook for review and a copy is being provided by Adams Media for the purposes of the giveaway, but all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways!, Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Zombie Apocalypse Tres Leches Cake | Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

November 14, 2012 by 5 Comments

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be zombies. Isn’t that how the song goes?

Something like that, yes?

My eldest baby is just about to turn fifteen. It’s kind of freaking me out a little bit. I hit major freak out territory when I realized -thanks to his observation- that he’ll be old enough to vote in the next presidential *CHOKE* election *HACK*. I’m sorry. It’s just kind of giving me respiratory distress to think that this sweet little chubby boy I birthed is not only nearly old enough to vote, but is only a year away from driving. (Another of his observations, thankyouverymuch.) Eek!

I’m going to fan myself for a minute. Or get some smelling salts. Do they sell smelling salts any more? I kind of think they should come standard issue for mothers of sons.

The aforementioned son had a few of his best and biggest friends (because WHEN did they all get taller than me? Salts. Gimme my smelling salts.) over to celebrate ahead of time. The guys had a few simple requests.

  • Food. Lots of food. Mostly Cheddar Tailgating Bread, please.
  • They wanted to watch Napoleon Dynamite and Inception.
  • More bread? Maybe more than one loaf per person?
  • They wanted an epic Nerf battle.
  • They wanted cake.
  • They wanted to play Zombie Apocalypse.

I was all in ’til they got to the last part and said, “What?” Zombie Apocalypse, it was explained to me, was pretty much just tag. Well, except that it had to be after dark and the one who was it pretended to be a zombie and eat others’ brains turning them into zombies and thereby… Blah blah blah. That’s where I tuned it out. I asked a the only question I could think of other than ‘why?’ , “Does anyone actually get hurt?” They assured me no one’s brains were actually eaten in the process, so I gave it my stamp of approval and started baking a cake.

Chocolate Tres Leches sounded about right to me. My plan was to hit it with a little chunky strawberry sauce before plating. I got a little distracted by the  screams of horror from the faux zombies inmy front yard while I was blending the strawberries with the other ingredients, though, and ended up with a silky smooth puree. Those Vitamixes are super efficient.

When the Zombie Apocalypse was finished, the newly minted un-dead came in for the cake.

As I drizzled the strawberry sauce over the cake, someone remarked, “HEY! That looks like BLOOD!” and thus, Zombie Apocalypse Tres Leches was born.

Clearly the zombies hadn’t been satisfied by their recent brain feast, because I got exactly zero pieces of the cake before they polished it off.

Nine out of nine zombies agree, this cake is better than brains.

 

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Zombie Apocalypse Tres Leches Cake | Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

Zombie Apocalypse Tres Leches Cake | Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

This chocolate tres leches cake is decadent devil's food cake topped with chocolate pudding, whipped cream and drizzled with a smooth and punchy strawberry sauce.

Perfect for special occasions and birthdays for your favourite zombies.

Ingredients

    For the Chocolate Cake:
  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (can substitute whole milk if necessary)
  • For the Good Stuff on Top:
  • 3 cups of your favourite chocolate pudding (I use a double batch of Nana's Spanish Style chocolate pudding.
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • For the Zombie Apocalypse Strawberry Sauce:
  • 1 pound frozen strawberries, partially thawed
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

To Make and Bake the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch by 2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a batter blade, or with a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla until it is fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and cocoa powder until no lumps remain. If you can't whisk out the lumps, push it through a sieve or sift it.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the contents of the mixing bowl. Beat it in on medium low until no dry pockets remain. Add 1/3 of the milk and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue adding the flour and milk alternately, mixing until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl each time. The last addition should be milk. Mix just until evenly combined.

Spoon the cake batter into the pan. Smooth the top of the batter and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the edges of the pan a bit and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on the rack completely before proceeding.

When cake is cool, use a skewer or chopstick to poke holes all over the cake. Pour the pudding on top of the cake, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cake and let it soak for at least an hour but up to overnight before proceeding.

To Make the Zombie Apocalypse Strawberry Sauce:

Put the partially thawed berries, granulated sugar and balsamic vinegar together in the blender and blend on high until smooth. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve the cake.

To Top and Serve the Cake:

When ready to serve, whip the heavy cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract together until you reach soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the cake evenly. Cut the cake into pieces of desired size. Drizzle individual servings with the Zombie Apocalypse Strawberry Sauce.

Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/14/zombie-apocalypse-tres-leches-cake-chocolate-tres-leches-cake/

P.S. Don’t feel too badly for me. I made another one and ate a third of it by myself.

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,
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