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Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

August 21, 2012 by 18 Comments

Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet.

Despite the prevalence of desserts here on Foodie With Family, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I think that is why I’m so picky about my desserts. When I DO want a sweet, I don’t want just any sweet. I want the best.

Oh, hi. I’m high maintenance on desserts. There are certain things that are almost guaranteed to make me happy: dark chocolate, Nutella, and peanut butter or any combination thereof.

During a rare attack of my sweet tooth last week, I turned to one of the fastest ways to satisfy; I made brownies. They weren’t just any brownies, though, oh no. They were THE brownies. The fail-safe, fool-proof, can’t-mess-’em-up brownies I’ve been making for years. I’ll tell you know, they’re cakey. I kind of think of them as brownie cake rather than br-ow-nies. Brownies are, to me, just this side of fudge. And I don’t know what possessed me, but this brownie cake that I’ve made so many times and left plain? I had to go and frost it. Simply had to do it. I was compelled.

Into the stand mixer went butter, Nutella and peanut butter. Because, well, I don’t know. Because I could? Whatever the reason was, I’m awfully glad I did it because I ended up with the fluffiest, Nutella-y-est, peanut buttery-est frosting ever to get licked from the bowl. I grabbed ye olde offset spatula and put an entire batch of the frosting on the big brownie.

Then thought to myself, “EGADS. That is going to be sweet. SALT! I’m going to put salt on it.” A little shower of Maldon sea salt flakes later, I sat down in front of the cutting board and cut off a corner of the now frosted and salted brownie cake to take a bite.

Have you ever had salt with your chocolate? Do you know what it does to you? There is a scientific reason behind why it is do dadburned good. Salt makes your taste buds wake up and take notice of what it rides in on. When you put salt on chocolate, the chocolate tastes more chocolatey. You know that’s a good thing.

I do have one little bit of warning, though. Don’t make this when you’re going to be home alone. Just don’t. Not that I ate too much of this by myself… But hey, if you’re in the neighborhood, maybe you could roll me out to my pilates mat?

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Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

This fool-proof, fail-safe, crowd-pleasing, deep-chocolate brownie cake is topped with fluffy Nutella and peanut butter frosting and then sprinkled with Maldon Sea Salt flakes.

Ingredients

    For the Brownie Cake:
  • 4 ounces (4, 1oz squares) unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces or 16 tablespoons) butter
  • 2 cups raw sugar (can substitute granulated white sugar if necessary)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces by weight) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • For the Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting:
  • 1 stick (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Nutella
  • 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • For Serving:
  • Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Instructions

To Make the Brownie Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Unwrap and add the 2 sticks of butter and the chopped chocolate to a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over very low heat and stir until the butter is melted and the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a batter blade (or a mixing bowl in which you can use an electric hand mixer.) Add the sugar and mix on medium until combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, quickly whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add it to the mixer all at once and mix on low just until combined and there are no more dry pockets. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter two or three times to even it out.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or just until the center is set. Do not overbake! Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool completely in the pan.

Use the foil to help you transfer the brownie cake from the pan to a cutting board. Carefully pull the foil from under the brownie cake.

To Make the Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, blend the softened butter, Nutella, and peanut butter on high until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and start and stop the blender a couple of times to prevent a POOF of powdered sugar from flying into the air. Once you're sure you're in the clear, turn the mixer to high and blend until it is even. Pour 2 of the tablespoons of milk or cream and the vanilla extract while the mixer is running. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on high again until smooth and fluffy, adding some of the additional milk if necessary.

Frost the cooled brownie cake. Cut into squares and sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt Flakes -grinding them between your fingers over the frosting- just before serving.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/21/brownie-cake-with-nutella-peanut-butter-frosting/

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cakes, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Waffle Iron Hash Browns and Chorizo Hash

August 2, 2012 by 11 Comments

I absolutely, unequivocally, unabashedly, whole-heartedly, borderline-medicably love potatoes in just about every form they can possibly be served; Mashed, fried, baked, smashed, roasted, grilled, and most especially in grated hash brown form. Oh hash browns, you are so magical. The crunch to soft ratio is so perfect on you. Every bite is a beautiful thing.

I’m going to say something everyone knows is true, but it’s unpopular to point it out. Potatoes need fat. Oh, yes they do. I don’t do skinny potatoes. (Unless we’re talking about fingerlings doused in melted butter.) Potatoes cry out for fat. It’s practically the law. And hash browns are no exception to that rule. In fact, they require a little more fat than the average tater.

Given my love for the ever wondrous hash brown, it should come as no surprise that when I saw this pinned on Pinterest, I about broke my neck getting to my waffle iron. Waffles are already in the “How do I love thee, let me count the ways” category of foods for me because of the crispy little pockets of syrup-catchery. The idea of putting hash browns in the waffle iron to better catch sour cream, bacon jam, hot sauce, etc… made instant sense to me. I grabbed a bag of frozen hash browns (keep frozen hash browns in case of potato emergencies), generously buttered my waffle iron plopped a massive pile of shredded frozen potatoes in place, added a dollop of bacon fat (don’t look at me like that) and closed the waffle iron. Then I stood there and watched while tapping my foot. Then I clenched my fists. Then I bit the counter. If you can behave better than that while potatoes are cooking then you’re a stronger person than I am…

The wait was so worth it. It was like the offspring of a potato chip and a hash brown. Terminally crisp, fluffy in the center. Oh my word. That day, I topped it with bacon jam and it was a very good thing. I knew, however, that the potato-tential of the waffle ironed hash browns far exceeded that simple treatment (that was, I repeat, a very good thing.) I thought chili, but I didn’t have all the fixings. Then I thought chorizo.

Chorizo is the magic meat. Chorizo makes everything just that much tastier. One of the beautiful things about using chorizo in a meal is that it is a self-contained flavour explosion so you really don’t have to add much more in the way of garlic or onion. So into the skillet went a pound of chorizo until browned and crisped in spots, then came black beans, tomatoes with green chiles, and a handful of corn at the end. I simmered just until the corn was hot through then spooned it over my wickedly delicious waffle iron hash browns. Another hash brown went on top, then a dollop of sour cream, a little salsa and a couple slices of candied jalapenos.

Holy swoon.

I about fell off of my chair I was so happy. I didn’t think there was any way it could possibly get better.

My brother commented “Add a poached or sunny-side up egg.” Well, duh. Of course. Next time, friends. Next time.

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Waffle Iron Hash Browns and Chorizo Hash

Waffle Iron Hash Browns and Chorizo Hash

Hash browns cooked in a waffle iron with plenty of butter or bacon fat topped with a spicy, flavourful chorizo, black bean and corn hash. Elevate it to the next level by topping with a sunny-side up egg or sour cream, salsa and a candied jalapeno slice or two.

Since chorizo is so full of spices and herbs, the simple hash comes together in mere moments without extra ingredients.

Ingredients

    For the Waffle Iron Hash Browns:
  • Frozen Hash Browns (or freshly shredded potatoes)
  • Butter (or a combination of butter and bacon fat)
    • For the Chorizo Hash:
  • 1 pound bulk Mexican style Chorizo
  • 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 standard sized can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 2 cups frozen or freshly cut sweet corn
    • Optional for serving:
  • Sour Cream
  • Salsa
  • Candied or Jarred Jalapeno Slices

Instructions

To Prepare Waffle Iron Hash Browns:

If you have a waffle iron that has different sections, put a 1/4-inch pat of butter in each section. If it is one big section, put about 3 pats of butter around the section. Pile about 2 to 3 inches of shredded potatoes on the base of the waffle iron, dot over each section as you did beneath the hash browns either with more butter or a dollop of bacon fat. Close the lid of the waffle iron and let it go to desired crispness. I like mine at about 8 minutes. Use tongs to remove to a pan and repeat until you have enough servings.

To Prepare the Hash:

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, break up the pound of chorizo. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up chunks, until the chorizo is fully cooked and browned in places. If necessary, drain the chorizo after cooking then return it to the pan. If the chorizo is relatively lean, leave it in the pan.

Add the black beans and tomatoes with green chiles and stir. Bring to a simmer, add the corn and cook just until heated through.

To Serve:

Lay a piece of hash brown on a plate, top with a scoop of the chorizo hash, and another hash brown. If desired, top with a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of salsa and a candied or jarred jalapeno slice.

...Or as my brother suggested, a poached or sunny-side up egg.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/02/waffle-iron-hash-browns-and-chorizo-hash/

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , ,

Whole Cherry Clafoutis (Cherry Custard Tart) | Classic French Dessert

July 13, 2012 by 12 Comments

Plrb.

That’s the genteel version of ptooey. Which is what you’re inevitably going to have to do if you eat a clafoutis whilst in France. This brings me, rather quickly, to two very important points.

  1. Clafoutis -for the benefit of those who haven’t yet had it- is seriously good stuff. It’s a warm or room temperature custardy dessert that is usually studded with fresh fruit, usually cherries. It’s kind of a big deal in France.*
  2. In the aforementioned Belle France, cherry clafoutis are usually made with whole fruits. Translation: they leave les pits in les fruits.

*As in a really big deal. Clafoutis is to France as apple pie is to the U.S.A.

And this is why the spitting. As an American, born and raised, I was unaccustomed to cherry desserts avec pits. I was used to having the pits removed before they reached my plate and ploughing through cherry pies at lightning speed. Thankfully, a kind soul was aware that most Americans didn’t eat pit-intact cherry desserts and warned me, otherwise, I could’ve become intimately acquainted with the dental system in France. While I’m sure it’s a wonderful system, I’m really okay with not knowing it from the inside.

Why would you want to leave the pits in when you could remove them and be done with the whole thing? There are actually two very good reasons. (Today’s post brought to you by the number Two!)

  1. Leaving the pit in the cherries preserves the beautiful round shape of the cherries as they bake. It’s visually appealing.
  2. The cherry pit -believe it or not- brings a lot of flavour to the party. It contributes a subtle hint of almond. This is where the bells and chimes ring out. Yes. Cherry and almond. The pairing is not an accident! If you leave the pits in place, you don’t have to add almond for that classic flavour combination.

Negotiating the pits while eating dessert is not as disconcerting as you might think, speaking from personal experience. When the cherries cook in the custard-like batter, the pits free themselves from the fruit. As you bite down, the pits tend to slip right out of the cherries and you can tuck them into your cheek to be discreetly plrb-ed or ptooeyed (depending on the company) into a napkin or into the spoon and then deposited in a small bowl next to the dessert plate.

While cherries are still at their peak of availability, try a whole cherry clafoutis. Put a little Edith Piaf on the stereo. Throw in a Gallic laugh for good measure. And do summer like the French do: with style and great taste.

P.S. These are, like most custard-based tarts, at their very best when served fresh and at room temperature. They are quite good, though, cut into wedges when cold.

 

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Whole Cherry Clafoutis (Cherry Custard Tart)

Whole Cherry Clafoutis (Cherry Custard Tart)

A simple, creamy, custard-based classic French dessert made with fresh cherries. Enjoy with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of fresh, sweet cherries
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole milk (DO NOT SKIMP ON THE FAT. You will regret it bitterly.)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • soft butter
  • powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove the stems from your cherries, but leave the pits intact. Generously butter the sides and bottom of a deep pie plate. Scatter the cherries as evenly as possible over the bottom of the pie plate. Set aside.

Vigorously whisk the eggs until they are frothy.

Add the sugar, salt and vanilla and beat well again with a whisk until the sugar is incorporated. Whisk in the milk and cream. Sprinkle the flour over the surface and -once again- beat enthusiastically with the whisk until you have a perfectly smooth batter. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes at room temperature then pour over the cherries in the prepared pie plate.

Bake the clafoutis for 40-50 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown in the center (but still jiggly) and darker brown at the edges. A knife, when inserted in the center of the clafoutis, should come out clean. It may be damp, but it should not have uncooked egg clinging to it.

Let the clafoutis cool in the pan on a cooling rack until it is barely warm to the touch or room temperature. Dust the clafoutis generously with powdered sugar and serve in wedges with a small bowl or napkin for the pits.

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

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/13/whole-cherry-clafoutis-cherry-custard-tart-classic-french-dessert/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cakes, Comfort Food, Desserts, Eggs, Happy Healthy and Wise, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Tocino (Filipino Cured Pork) | Make Ahead Mondays

July 9, 2012 by 46 Comments

UPDATE: The National Pork Board has generously extended the deadline for The Foodbank donation partnership with you all because you’ve been asking such great questions! In other words, every question you leave for pork producers in the comments on this post, the Foodie With Family facebook page, or on Twitter with the hashtag #sustainablepork will translate to 1 pound of pork being donated to The Foodbank of Ohio. No strings attached!

Pork.

It’s what’s for dinner in one form or another in our house most nights of the week. We are a porkcentric household. That has probably been pretty obvious here with all my use of bacon, chops, roasts, Cuban Pork, Cola Pulled Pork, Hot Tex Mess, and more (scroll down for porky goodness.) So when the National Pork Board contacted me to see if I wanted to take a tour of a sustainable pork farm, I replied with a pretty quick ‘yes’.  Then they contacted me again and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

They are going to donate one pound of pork to The Foodbank in Ohio for every question you all leave here for me to ask them when I go on the tour up to 1,000 pounds. Holy cow. Or should I say holy pig?

Just think of how many people we can feed if you all are curious enough!

Let’s talk for a moment about what I’ll be looking at when I head out to Dayton. According to the information sent to me by the National Pork Board, within a 50 year time frame, pig farmers have reduced their carbon footprint by 35%, reduced water usage by 41% and decreased the amount of land needed to grow feed by 78%. Additionally, we are getting more meat from fewer pigs – which helps reduce the use of natural resources to raise pigs.

 The Pork Checkoff has been honoring the sustainability efforts of pig farmers for 18 years with the Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award. The farm I will be visiting on July 24 was recently honored with this award.

So where do you come in on all of this? Just leave me a question in the comment area below (or on Twitter using the hashtag #SustainablePork ) between now and July 13th. All comments and tweets that have questions for me to ask the farmers and the National Pork Board representatives will count and one pound of pork will be donated per question or tweet.

~~

Now I figure you all know me well enough to realize that I couldn’t talk this much about pork without giving you a great recipe for it. That would just be unkind. Without further ado, I present to you one of my favourite freezer pleasers; Tocino. (Pronounced toe-see-no.)

Tocino is a Filipino dish that I have loved longer than I can remember. Starting with a humble and inexpensive pork shoulder (about $1.29/lb where I shop), a little slicing and a quick cure in some sugar and spice in a resealable zipper top bag, you end with a salty but sweet, crisped pork that tastes like super meaty bacon. It doesn’t take much work, and once you’ve tossed the pork with your sugar and spices, you can stash the bag in the freezer for up to six months before frying or grilling. Low investment, mega-payoff.

The sugary salty cure that enrobes the thin slices of pork keeps the mixture from freezing totally solid, so you can scoop out what you’d like to serve for dinner and leave the rest frozen for future meals. The traditional accompaniment for tocino is garlic fried rice and a fried egg for the classic Filipino breakfast called Tosilog. Doesn’t that sound like just about the best possible way to start a day? I speak from experience when I say it makes one heckuva lunch, dinner or snack, too.

Tocino is traditionally cured with red food colouring or other agents (like the pink salt, or saltpeter, used in curing other meats). I’m not super keen on food colouring, so I use beet powder as recommended by Jun-Belen. That man is a genius. The beet powder adds an appetizing red colour without adding any funky insect or chemical colouring. Lest you fear the beet, let me assure you it does not impart any beet-y flavour to the finished product.

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Tocino (Filipino Cured Pork) | Make Ahead Mondays

Tocino (Filipino Cured Pork) | Make Ahead Mondays

Do you love meaty bacon? Give this traditional Filipino, quick-cured, pork a try. An inexpensive pork should gets a boost from the fast-curing sugar, salt and spice combination and yields salty, sweet perfection that is reminiscent of thick cut bacon. It stores beautifully in the freezer for whenever cravings strike.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork shoulder, sliced into 1/8-inch thick pieces
  • 3/4 cup raw or granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons beet powder (you can substitute about 15 drops of red food colouring if you prefer.)
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • For Cooking:
  • Vegetable, peanut or canola oil for pan frying

Instructions

Combine both sugars, the garlic, salt, beet powder (or food colouring), and soy sauce in a very large resealable zipper top bag (2 gallons) or a stain-proof container with a tight fitting lid. Close the bag or container tightly and shake to combine ingredients evenly. Open the bag or container, drop the pork slices in and reseal. If using a bag, squeeze the bag to thoroughly coat all of the pork with the sugar and salt mixture. If using a container, use your hands to move the pork around to be sure it is thoroughly coated in the mixture then close the container tightly.

Put the bag or container in the refrigerator and let it cure for at least 2 days before using, but up to 4. Alternatively, you can put the container or bag directly into the freezer (letting it sit for at least a week before using) for up to 6 months.

To Cook the Tocino:

Whether using fresh from the refrigerator or directly from the freezer, remove the amount of tocino you want to cook and let it sit in a colander for several minutes to drain any excess liquid.

You may either grill the tocino over high, direct heat, or pan fry in batches. To pan fry, heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pieces until cooked through and browned with little charred bits, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve, if desired, with garlic fried rice and a fried egg for a traditional Filipino breakfast.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/09/tocino-filipino-cured-pork-make-ahead-mondays/

Don’t forget to leave your question for the pork farmers and National Pork Board below. Every question you leave will provide a hungry family with a pound of pork!

From July 23-24, I will be attending a tour of an Ohio family’s pig farm with the National Pork Board (NPB) focused on sustainability efforts in the pork industry. NPB will cover the costs of my trip, but all opinions expressed are my own.

 

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Charcuterie, Comfort Food, Filipino Food, Freezer Pleaser, Gluten Free, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Butterscotch and Milky Way Tapioca Pudding | Amish Recipe

June 29, 2012 by 10 Comments

I’ve told you about my friends, Ada and Anna, in the Maple Sandwich Cookies post. What I haven’t told you about these ladies is that we are constitutionally incapable of having a conversation without it somehow turning to food and lots of it.  We talk about every kind of food we can think of, but our favourite topic is always dessert.

About three months ago, we were chatting about pudding (like you do) and Anna said, “Mom, you’ve told Rebecca about our butterscotch tapioca, right?” Whenever Anna says that, my ears perk up, and they did. “No…,” said I. “I don’t believe you have!”

What happened next is etched in my brain for all of eternity because I never had heard of such a glorious, decadent, unapologetically desserty dessert in all of my time.

Ada: Well, you start with cooking tapioca with brown sugar…

Anna: And then you add in white sugar, egg and milk.

Ada: Stir it so it doesn’t scorch!

Anna: Then you stir in butter and vanilla. Now you have to let it cool. Then you fold in whipped cream. Lots of whipped cream.

Ada: And chopped Milky Way bars.

Anna: And little tiny pieces of cream cheese. That’s it!

Ada: No, that’s not quite it. We sometimes serve it with caramel ice cream topping.

 

THUD. That was the sound my jaw made as it hit the floor. I was speechless. I was mesmerized. I was so befuddled that I walked out of their store with neither the recipe nor the requisite pearl tapioca.

I couldn’t really head back up the hill to see them again for about a week, and when I finally got there  no one was home. I left a beseeching and desperate note pinned to their front door, “Dreaming about your tapioca! Would you be so kind as to write it down for me? We can exchange it the next time we see each other!” I’m pretty sure I drew some smiley faces and hearts, too.

Two weeks after that, Ada and Anna pulled their buggy into my driveway to chat about helping me paint my fence and porch. Their horse was a bit lame that day, so they didn’t stay long, and it wasn’t until they were out of the drive and halfway up the road that I remembered the pudding.

Just three days ago I finally got my hands on the recipe that Anna had copied over for me by hand. They called it “Butterscotch Tapioca” but I had to add the Milky Ways to the title of the recipe because, well, MILKY WAYS ARE IN THE PUDDING. Holy cow. If you’re not clutching your keyboard in anticipation by now you never will be.

It was absolutely everything I was waiting for and more. Normally, I prefer my tapioca warm with fruit, but this stuff is served cold. Warm is not optional; it needs to be cold. You want the whipped cream and candy bars to hold their integrity and if you fold those into warm pudding it’ll just go phllllllbbbbbt. You want a bowl full of this in the refrigerator just so you can walk by with a spoon and turn back and get a big old mouthful.

Even my three tapioca-averse children hoovered this with wild abandon. The two who like tapioca under normal circumstances? Forget about it. They were so blissed out they couldn’t even speak. And my husband… He walked up and said, “Tapioca in the summer? I don’t know about that… It’s more of a winter…” as he lifted the spoon to his mouth. The next words out of his mouth were, “Oh my. I need another bite. Boys, can you get me a bowl?”

Behold the power of Ada and Anna and their magical Butterscotch (AND MILKY WAY) Tapioca Pudding.

 

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Butterscotch and Milky Way Tapioca Pudding | Amish Recipe

Butterscotch and Milky Way Tapioca Pudding | Amish Recipe

In this recipe from my Amish friends, Ada and Anna, tapioca pudding takes a turn for the spectacular when cooked with a brown sugar custard then loaded with folded-in whipped cream and oodles of chopped Milky Way candy bars and little tiny bits of cream cheese.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups small pearl tapioca
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups whipping cream (or heavy cream) whipped to firm peaks (or 3 cups of Cool Whip)
  • 15 "fun size" Milky Way bars or 2 King Size Milky Way bars, roughly chopped
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces

Instructions

Bring the tapioca, water and salt to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Add the brown sugar and stir well. Continue simmering until the tapioca is cooked all the way through (clear or just a tiny white speck at the center of each tapioca pearl.), stirring quite frequently to prevent scorching. My small pearl tapioca purchased at Ada and Anna's store took close to 40 minutes to reach this point.

In a 4 cup measuring cup, whisk together the milk, sugar and beaten eggs. Ladle about a cup of the hot tapioca mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth, then return that to the pan whisking constantly. Bring to a hard simmer and then turn off the heat. Add the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted and incorporated. Cover tightly and refrigerate until cool.

Stir the cooled tapioca well to loosen it up. Add 1 cup of the whipped cream and stir it in. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold it in gently. After the whipped cream is incorporated and the mixture is even, fold in the chopped Milky Way bars and small pieces of cream cheese. Serve immediately or refrigerate, with a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and also tightly covered for up to a week.

Ada and Anna suggest serving this with caramel ice cream topping if you want!

Notes: Do not use large pearl tapioca in this pudding as it will take far too long to cook through. Ada and Anna suggest that if you're short on time, you can substitute granulated tapioca, but I have not tested this option. Additionally, when you have chilled the tapioca in preparation for adding the final ingredients, it's going to look like a big, brown lump. Don't fear! Just stir it well to loosen it up. It will lighten significantly in colour and texture as the whipped cream is folded in.
http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/06/29/butterscotch-and-milky-way-tapioca-pudding-amish-recipe/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Breakfast Foods, candy, Comfort Food, Desserts, Holiday Food, kid food, Party Food, Pudding, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops and Homemade Magic Shell | Make Ahead Mondays

June 18, 2012 by 6 Comments

 

Well, hello Summer Vacation.

That snuck up on us quickly, didn’t it? (My kids would argue that it’s taken forever to get here. Ah, youth.) The boys have already thrown themselves headlong into the summer rhythm of fishing, biking, climbing trees, catching snakes, dabbling toes in brooks and lakes, snacking, and swinging in hammocks.

We spend our Saturdays at the Angelica Farmers’ Market where I am part of the management team and the boys operate their summer business of charming people into buying their hand-made garden and yard sculptures.*

*The salesmen are adorable, tis true, but so are their garden sculptures.

When we get home Saturday afternoon, we are invariably tired to the last man (or wo-man, as the case may be. That’s Woah-Man!) and hungry. We haul in the goodies we purchased from fellow vendors, stash the veggies in appropriate storage containers and collectively collapse on chairs. And then the, “I’m hungry!” chorus starts in earnest. If I haven’t thought ahead this is the moment that makes me regret that acutely.

The very best solution is having something in the freezer to take the edge off of the heat. These frozen treats -Chocolate Covered Banana Pops- or CCBPs, as the kids call them, are a steadfast favourite around here. The frozen bananas taste for all the world like vanilla ice cream pops coated in chocolate! My mom used to make them for me and my siblings when we were little (even though she hated bananas personally) and I’m carrying on the tradition. I keep it up in part because it’s a fabulously healthy snack that feels indulgent but also because I still love eating them myself.

…There is one more reason, though, and it’s a doozy. The chocolate dip for the frozen bananas makes a killer Magic Shell topping for other frozen treats. Didya freeze some strawberries? Throw a few in a bowl and drizzle a little reheated Homemade Magic Shell over the top. Bowls of ice cream cry out for a little tap-tap-tap-break chocolate shell on top. Ice cream cones never looked so good as when they’re dunked into melted chocolate and uprighted to form that little curlicue at the top.

So freeze a few bananas today. Make a double batch of the Magic Shell. Boldly dunk frozen things (or drizzle the melted Magic Shell over the aforementioned chilled goodies.) and remember what it’s like to be a kid in the summer time. This is truly a kid-tested, mother-approved recipe. If you wake up some sweltering morning, you could eat something far worse for breakfast than a CCBP. Not that I’ve done that. Today.

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Chocolate Covered Banana Pops and Homemade Magic Shell | Make Ahead Mondays

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops and Homemade Magic Shell | Make Ahead Mondays

There just isn't anything more reminiscent of childhood summers for me than frozen Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops. The frozen bananas taste just like ice cream pops! Kids of all ages love these.

Make a double batch of the dip to use as a healthy (and divine) Homemade Magic Shell.

Ingredients

    Homemade Magic Shell:
  • 2 cups finely chopped dark chocolate chunks
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
    • Chocolate Covered Banana Pops (CCBP's):
  • 6 ripe bananas, peeled
  • 12 wooden popsicle sticks
  • Homemade Magic Shell, reheated 'til thin
  • Optional for rolling onto the chocolate coated bananas:
  • graham cracker crumbs
  • mini M&Ms
  • sprinkles
  • jimmies
  • chopped roasted nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc...)
  • crushed salty pretzels

Instructions

To Make the Homemade Magic Shell:

Put the chocolate chunks into a microwave safe jar. A wide-mouthed pint jar works perfectly for this project. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the jar from the microwave, add the coconut oil and stir until smooth. Use immediately or add a tight fitting lid and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating for up to 1 month.

To Reheat Homemade Magic Shell:

Remove lid from the jar and reheat on medium power in 30 second increments, stirring well after each burst, until smooth and thin. Pour and/or dunk as needed!

To Make Chocolate Covered Banana Pops (CCBP's):

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Cut the bananas in half and insert a wooden popsicle stick about 2-3 inches into the cut end of each banana half, leaving enough stick outside of the banana to grip easily. Arrange the bananas so they are not touching on the baking sheet and put it, uncovered, into the freezer. Freeze until the bananas are solid all the way through.

If you want to have additional toppings to roll onto the chocolate with the bananas, pour them into pie plates or small dessert plates.

Heat your Homemade Magic Shell coating until thin. Remove the tray from the freezer and quickly dunk each banana -1 at a time- into the Homemade Magic Shell, let the excess drip from the banana and quickly roll it into any additional toppings you're using. Return the dipped banana to the spot on the tray where it was before, and repeat with the remaining bananas. When they are all dipped, you can eat them right away or transfer them to a rigid container with waxed paper or parchment between layers. Cover the container with a tight fitting lid and keep frozen up to 1 month.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/06/18/chocolate-covered-banana-pops-and-homemade-magic-shell-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, Freezer Pleaser, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Ice Cream, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fudgesicle Frosty and Homemade Fudgesicles (Fruit or Agave Sweetened)

June 6, 2012 by 22 Comments

I’ve been on a bit of a blender bender lately. After getting a gorgeous, shiny, powerful new workhorse of a blender, can you blame me? I am a regular troll on blender recipe sites and found one that sang out, “MAKE ME!” on the recipe portion of the Blendtec website. Fudgesicle Frosty? Sign me up.

Side note: Try saying blender bender ten times fast after eating  a Fudgesicle Frosty. I dare you.

A little tinkering later (because I can) and I poured -scooped, really, because it was so good and thick- two jars full of the smooth, chocolatey, creamy, icy cold mixture, deposited a spoon in each one and sashayed into the living room.

I’m not much given to sashaying. I’m more of a saunterer or, when tired, lumberer. Sashaying means I’m up to something. And I was. Mm hm.

I popped a jar into my husband’s hands and casually said, “Hey. Want a fudgesicle frosty?” He eagerly took his jar and lit in before catching the fact that I wasn’t taking my eyes off of him. “These taste just like Frosties. Hang on. Are you alright?” he asked between bites, “You have a weird look on your face.”

I arranged my face so that it looked angelic and said, “Oh, I’m fine! Isn’t this goooood?”

And that’s when he was fully onto me.

“What is in this thing? It’s good, but the way you’re looking at me I KNOW something’s up.” quoth he.

Me: “AVOCADOSCOCONUTMILKCOCOAPOWDERANDDATES.” (pause for breath) “ANDABSOLUTELYNOSUGARWHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

He looked from his jar to me and back again. He hesitantly took another bite, worked it around a little and looked at me appreciatively.

“This is really, really good. Are you sure there’s no sugar? Seriously? And no cream? I could’ve sworn this was incredibly bad for me. It really does taste like Frosties. Wow. Do we have any more in the jar?”

I don’t mean to imply that my husband doesn’t like healthy food, it’s just that he has this notion in his head that healthy food has to taste like sacrifice. No bread, no fat, no sweets, no nuttin. I take giddy delight in disproving that notion.

I promise giddy delight in your home, too, if you make these. I modified the Blendtec recipe to increase the number of dates and omit the agave nectar. If you’d prefer it a bit sweeter, you can add the agave nectar back into the mix, but we liked it sweetened with dates only.

Even after The Evil Genius and I both had double servings, we still had some left, and so I did what any self-respecting tightwad would do. I froze it. I didn’t freeze it in one giant chunk, however, I froze it in popsicle moulds. The resulting fudgesicles were outstanding.

Shortly thereafter, I made a batch and poured them into half pint jars, leaving about three quarters of an inch of headspace in each jar. I lidded and froze those, then packed them as the “ice packs” in a picnic basket to take on a field trip. By the time lunch rolled around, they were thawed enough to be spooned from the jars and the rest of our lunch was nice and cold. We have already repeated that twice and we are full of plans to repeat it repeatedly and repetitively until the warm weather runs out on us.

This is my final piece of braggardly behaviour today. You know those kids of mine who won’t touch vegetables with a ten-foot pole? They love these. Can’t get enough of ‘em. And if you guessed that I haven’t told them what’s in them, you’re absolutely right. They’re still over the moon that mummy let them have fudgesicles for breakfast. Let’s just keep this between you and me and the fencepost, alright?

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Fudgesicle Frosty and Homemade Fudgesicles (Fruit or Agave Sweetened)

Fudgesicle Frosty and Homemade Fudgesicles (Fruit or Agave Sweetened)

Icy cold, super thick, fudgy frosty smoothies that shock you with their secret ingredients! What makes them so thick and creamy can be your secret! These do great double-duty as fudgesicles when frozen into forms.

Adapted from Blendtec Blender Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 can (13.5 ounces approximately), full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
  • 12 pitted dates
  • 1/2 of a ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups ice cubes
    • Optional:
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar or very mild honey for added sweetness

Instructions

Add the coconut milk, dates, avocado and cocoa powder to the carafe of a powerful blender. Fix the lid in place and blend on high until smooth. You may need to use a tamper to move the ingredients around to get them fully blitzed and smooth. (If your blender does not have a tamper, stop the motor, remove the lid and use a spoon to move it around a bit. When the mixture is smooth, taste it. If you find it is not sweet enough, add the agave nectar or mild honey to taste and blend again until combined.

Add the ice cubes and blend, moving the ingredients around if necessary, until smooth and very thick. Divide into glasses and serve with spoons.

To Make Fudgesicles:

Spoon or scrape the mixture into popsicle moulds or small, disposable paper cups. Add the popsicle handles or sticks and freeze for 6 hours, or until frozen solid.

To Pack for a Picnic:

Pour the blended mixture into half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace in each jar to allow for expansion when it freezes. Place the frozen jars in your lunch bag or picnic basket as the ice-source for your food. By the time lunch rolls around, they should be perfectly spoonable and the picnic lunch should still be chilled.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/06/06/fudgesicle-frosty-and-homemade-fudgesicles-fruit-or-agave-sweetened/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Recipes

Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender or Microwave Method) | Make Ahead Mondays

May 28, 2012 by 16 Comments

Many moons ago, when I was the mother of only a couple tiny kids, I had a very scandalous, very obese, very, very big dog named Hambone. Hambone was known for his lightning speed consumption of all food before him, whether it was intended for him or not. There was no food safe around Hambone.

Hambone ate his food. He ate his dog-compatriot’s food. He ate the cat’s food. He ate a pound of butter (still wrapped). He ate crayons, garbage, and -in short- anything that held still long enough for him to figure out how to get it down into his gullet. He was not discerning.

On a cold winter’s day, I laid the kids down for a nap and got to work on the snack I was supposed to bring to Bible study that evening. It was my turn and I decided to bring something indulgent, spectacular, unique… I settled on scones with lemon curd and clotted cream. The clotted cream I bought, the scones I made, and then came the lemon curd… I followed the time-honoured tradition of hand squeezing the citrus.

Lots and lots of citrus.

Then I set to whisking over a double boiler- whisking, whisking, whisking- until the egg yolks and sugar and lemon juice thickened. Then I dropped in the butter bit by bit and whisked even more until each little cube of butter was melted and incorporated. Now, I’ve been me a long time, and I’m consistent, so you may know what is coming next. I was making a quadruple batch. Of course! Why wouldn’t you make a double batch if you’re already going to so much trouble? This means I stood whisking for quite some time. In fact, I whisked my way through all of that precious nap time. My little fellows both woke or set to squawking at the same time… just about when that curd was finished.

Taking advantage of the cold weather, I set the bowl out to cool, covered with a screen, on a table on the porch. I did what moms do with freshly napped munchkins. I read, I snuggled, I tousled hair, I provided snacks. And then I heard a sound. A clatter. A sound that sounded like THE CLATTER OF A METAL BOWL SKITTERING ON A WOODEN PORCH. Empty. I had forgotten that the notorious Hambone was outside. He had eaten every last bit of my lemon curd from the bowl. It looked as clean as it had when I had taken it from the cupboard. I threw the bowl at the dog, locked the door, sat my sweet kidlets down in front of a Beatrix Potter movie and made another batch. A single one.

The dog was too full even to scratch at the door to be let in, and it’s a darned good thing because I was in no mood to let that beast into our warm abode. I got on the phone with my mom to complain and she said, “Oh no! I wonder if he’s in pain!” I responded, unkindly, that I hoped he was. Big time.

Time passed, Hambone had other memorable transgressions in the kitchen and I learned a few lessons.

  1. Never leave food near a dog under any circumstances. They’re just not built to resist the temptation.
  2. Lemon curd is far easier to make than I ever thought.

That second lesson is the real kicker. I learned that lemon curd does not need to be an exercise in self-flagellation. You need not whisk ’til your arms fall off. It is as easy as a burly blender or a microwave. Of the two methods, I prefer the blender method because you pop everything in, set it to high and walk away until steam billows forth from the top. If you don’t have a sturdily built blender, though, the microwave method is a vast improvement over the French galley-slave approach to lemon curd making.

Once I got the quick-curd methods under my belt, I started playing around a bit with ingredients. My favourite curd (which is really a very unappetizing word for what amounts to creamy citrus custard sauce) these days is a bright, light combination of lemon and lime, using the juice and zest of both citruses. Lemon and lime compliment each other beautifully… Where the lemon is all brightness, the lime has depth. The sugar softens up the sharpness of the citrus while the egg yolk makes the custard creamy. “Mouthwatering” is greatly overused when discussing foods, but there is simply no substitute for it here. Lemon Lime Curd truly makes your mouth water.

Even though you can quickly make curd just about any time using these quick methods, it’s nice to have it on hand ready to go at the smallest inkling of a craving. Lemon Lime curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you’d like to make it last longer than that, simply freeze for up to a year. Not that it’ll ever last that long.

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Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender and Microwave Methods) | Make Ahead Mondays

Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender and Microwave Methods) | Make Ahead Mondays

Step away from the double-boiler! Sour lemons and sweet limes come together to be made into the simplest curd ever made. Using your blender or microwave you are just 5 minutes away from a perfect dessert spread that stores for two weeks in the refrigerator or a full year in the freezer! You need never be without this tart, sweet, velvety-smooth dessert maker ever again.

Dollop Lemon Lime Curd on angel food cake or pound cake and top with whipped cream for the ultimate quick dessert. Spoon it over ice cream or on pancakes or waffles. Spread it between cake layers. Or make like me, pucker up and eat it straight from the spoon!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice (I used about 4 lemons and 5 limes.)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 9 egg yolks
  • the zest of 2 lemons and 2 limes (use zest from the lemons and limes you squeezed.)

Instructions

The Blender Method (I use my Vitamix blender . Be sure your blender is well-built enough to run on high speed for 5 or more minutes without burning out the motor!):

Add the citrus juice, sugar, butter and egg yolks to the work carafe of your blender. Fix the lid firmly in place. Start the blender on low and slowly increase the speed until you reach the highest speed. Let the blender run on high until steam is pouring out of the top of the blender. Turn the blender off and -wearing oven mitts- remove the lid carefully. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the curd. It should be at or above 170°F. (If you don't have an instant read thermometer you can test the readiness with a spoon. Dip a spoon into the hot curd. Carefully draw your finger through it in a line. When the line stays for about 5 seconds before the curd comes back together it is ready.)

*Remember the curd will thicken as it cools!

Stir in the citrus zest and immediately pour into clean jars or heat-proof containers with tight fitting lids. Let cool slightly before storing in the refrigerator. If desired, once the curd has cooled slightly, you can lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming on it. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year!

The Microwave Method:

In a microwave safe bowl that is large enough to comfortably hold all of your ingredients, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they are smooth. Whisk in the lemon and lime juice and butter until smooth. Microwave on high -uncovered- for 5 minutes, whisking well after each 1 minute mark until you reach 4 minutes. In the last minute, whisk well every 15 seconds, until the mixture has reached at least 170°F on an instant read thermometer. (If you don't have an instant read thermometer you can test the readiness with a spoon. Dip a spoon into the hot curd. Carefully draw your finger through it in a line. When the line stays for about 5 seconds before the curd comes back together it is ready.)

*Remember the curd will thicken as it cools!

Pour the hot curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any curdled egg bits. Stir in the zest and pour immediately into clean jars or heat-proof containers with tight fitting lids. Let cool slightly before storing in the refrigerator. If desired, once the curd has cooled slightly, you can lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming on it. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/28/lemon-lime-curd-easy-blender-or-microwave-method-make-ahead-mondays/

And heads-up. You’ll want to be back here next Tuesday when I show you how to use your Lemon Lime Curd to make THESE:

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Component Foods, Desserts, Freezer Pleaser, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,
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