Assorted Chocolate Truffles

I made a bunch of these truffles for a Young Women's thing for church recently. I made peanut butter truffles, oreo truffles, chocolate covered cheesecake balls (buy your favorite cheesecake, roll into balls, refrigerate and cover in chocolate), & apple truffles (use a melon baller to make balls from an apple, cover with chocolate and whatever other toppings you want ((nuts, coconut, caramel dots, peanut butter wafers melted, etc))


Peanut Butter Truffles


1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c peanut butter
4 c powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients. (I use my hands) Roll the mixture into 1/2 T balls. Refrigerate them for about an hour. Coat them with melted chocolate almond bark and let them set on parchment paper. On these I drizzled melted peanut butter wafers.

Oreo Truffles

1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened Chocolate Almond Bark coating

	Crush the oreos in a food processor until they're fine crumbles. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate for about an hour.
	Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. I drizzled these with a little white almond bark coating.

Popcorn Heaven!!

I got this recipe from a woman in my ward at church. It looks like she got it from Our Best Bites which is an awesome food blog. It's seriously one of those recipes that you will want to make over and over and over again. One of those recipes that you will seriously crave! It's so so good. I could have eaten the whole batch myself! I didn't use white chocolate. I used a dark chocolate wafer coating.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate

Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)

1 C pecan halves, roughly chopped

1 C brown sugar

3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 C karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)

1 stick real butter (1/2 C)

1t vanilla

1/2 t baking soda

3 squares almond bark (about 4 oz)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2 liter capacity microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

Remove from microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. Mixture will foam and rise. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir very well so everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread out on a large piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil.

Melt almond bark according to package instructions. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and enjoy! (I actually like the Ghirardelli Candy Making and Dipping Bar instead of the almond bark.) I have also used a combination of melted white chocolate and melted chocolate chips or the Ghirardelli. I have melted them separately and drizzled them alternately on the warm popcorn.

Cute lunch box

We used these for a Young Women's luncheon a few weeks ago. They're called gable boxes. We had them sitting on the tables open with a sandwich, chips, cookie and an orange inside. The girls and their mom ate their lunch and then they could take some of it to go if they wanted. They were a big hit. We got them at www.papermart.com.

Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese & Salmon Cakes

I made this last night for dinner. It was SO SO good. The penne was very unique. It was cool to make a cream sauce using goat cheese, definitely better for you. It's also a great alternative for lactose intolerant people. I think next time I will use a little less pasta because the cream sauce dried out quickly from the pasta to sauce ratio. The salmon cakes were seriously amazing! I used fat free greek yogurt and the sauce was awesome.

Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

8 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
• 1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:

To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

20 min

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 salmon cakes

Ingredients

Salmon:

• 1 pound skinless salmon fillet (see Cook's Note)
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup (1/2-ounce) chopped fresh chives
• 26 saltine crackers, crushed, divided
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more, as needed
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Salmon: Put a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until the flesh is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Patties: Using a fork, flake the salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a medium bowl. Add the egg, chives, 1/2 of the crushed crackers, the corn, mustard, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix gently until just combined. Form the mixture into 2 1/2-inch diameter patties, about 3/4 inches thick. (If the mixture is too dry to form into patties, add extra mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time,) Carefully coat the patties in the remaining crushed crackers and refrigerate for 1 hour. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels.

Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the salmon cakes on a platter and serve alongside the sauce.

Cook's Note:

The salmon can also be baked in a 350 degree F oven. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put in a baking dish and bake until just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes

BBQ Chicken Supreme

This just added something extra to plain chicken. I cooked frozen chicken in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes (just until cooked through). Then I topped the chicken with a spoonful of BBQ sauce, a layer of sliced baby bella mushrooms, sliced green onions and sharp cheddar and put them back in the oven until the cheese was melted. SO good.

Mom's Simply Super Salsa!

My mom makes the BEST salsa. It's so so good and the great thing is it's SO easy. I made some last week to go along with our shredded pork tacos. For the tacos I just put 4 thick Costco pork chops, 4 oz of roasted green chilies and 1 small can of mexican style tomato sauce in the crockpot and cooked it until it would shred (about 8 hours).

Mom's Simply Super Salsa

1 large can of whole tomatoes (I think it's 28 oz)
1 small can of sliced jalapenos (I think it's 4 oz)
garlic powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)

Just put the whole tomatoes in a blender (add as much juice from the can as you want for the consistency you like). Then add the jalapenos & a few dashes of garlic and salt. Then blend and taste. Keep adding salt and garlic powder to taste (the longer it sits the more the garlic and salt will come out, so don't over season). You can also add more jalapenos if you want it spicier.

I saw this recipe in a magazine a few weeks ago and decided to try it for Sunday dinner as a side to halibut. It was delicious, unique, beautiful and nutritious!

Edamame, Black Bean & Wheat Berry Salad
http://www.pompeian.com/recipeDetails.asp?id=198

Serves 6 (3/4-cup servings)

Ingredients

4 cups water 1/2 cup dry wheat berries 1/2 of a 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup frozen, shelled edamame, thawed 1 cup chopped tomato 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 2 Tbsp. Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar 3 Tbsp. Pompeian OlivExtra Plus Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine water and wheat berries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 55 minutes or until wheat berries are just tender. 2. Place in a fine mesh strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly, drain well. 3. Combine the wheat berries with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.

Remarks

Wheat berries are unprocessed wheat kernels and are sold in major supermarkets and health food stores.

Baby Boy Shower Idea

I made these for a baby boy shower I did last week. I just topped cupcakes with edible Easter basket grass (I have a ton left over if anyone wants some.) and mini robin eggs.

Easter idea - For next year! ;)

Use food coloring in your sugar cookie dough and then roll them out to make egg cookies!

Meatball and Broccoli Rabe Stoup

I made this a few weeks ago. It was really good. I used beef instead of veal and bow tie pasta instead of orecchiette. I thought it was a little too thick, so next time I will add more liquid and I think I will cook the pasta and set it aside and put it in at the last minute to keep it al dente.

Veal Meatball and Broccoli Rabe Stoup

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds broccoli rabe, 1 large bunch, trimmed and cut into large bite-sized pieces
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, 1 minced, 3 chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can white beans, cannellini
• Black pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 cups beef or vegetable stock
• 1/3 pound orecchiette, little ear shaped pasta, or ditalini
• 1 pound ground veal
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, a generous handful, plus some to pass at table
• 2 to 3 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• Crusty bread, for mopping

Directions

Bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in a medium skillet. Add salt to boiling water and the broccoli rabe and cook 7 to 8 minutes. Drain rabe and reserve.

While rabe cooks, heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic, carrots and onions. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, add white beans and heat through, a minute. Season veggies and beans with salt and pepper. Add drained rabe and the stocks and cover pot to bring to a quick boil. Add orecchiette and stir. Reduce heat and simmer soup to a low-roll, uncovered.

Mix veal with egg, remaining clove minced garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, sage and salt and pepper. Roll into 1-inch balls and drop into stoup. Cook 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve stoup in shallow bowls with crusty bread.

Brussel Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

I made this a few weeks ago and served it with roasted potatoes and chicken breast cooked in Italian dressing in a crockpot on low.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
• 3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries

Directions

Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disk of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.

Set a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries, toss and serve.

Easter treats

Easter treat idea. Melt Hugs on top of pretzels then put an M&M on top & put it in the freezer until hard. YUM!

Murphy's Hot Hamburger

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman. Apparently is a recreation from a restaurant. It was really good. I had to cook the burgers in a little olive oil because I used really lean beef.

Murphy's Hot Hamburger

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 5 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Can) Beef Broth OR 4 Cups Water With Beef Bouillon
• 5 whole Large Potatoes
• 1 Tablespoon Oil, Or As Needed
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes into fries. Place on a large baking sheet. Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil over the fries and toss with fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle fries with seasoning of choice. I use seasoned salt. Place in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden and crispy.

In a mixing bowl, mix hamburger, garlic, seasoned salt, onion powder and salt and pepper. Mix well with hands. Form 4 large patties. I like to make really rustic, greasy diner-style patties with no uniform shape. Place in a large preheated skillet over medium heat, preferably one with deep sides. Brown burgers on each side until done.

Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Do not drain the grease. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring with a whisk. You have enough when the grease is all absorbed and the flour mixture gets thick and bubbly. Slowly add the broth a little at a time, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.

To serve, place an ample amount of fries on the plate. Place a hamburger on top of the fries and cover it all amply in gravy. Enjoy!

Magical Butter Sauce

This butter sauce is from Pioneer Woman. She says you can put it on whatever you want! It was really easy and added a zip to this salmon. I will definitely use it again. I used apricot simply fruit.

Magical Butter Sauce Recipe

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 2 tablespoons fruit preserves (apricot, mango-jalapeno, blackberry, etc.), 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, a good turn of the pepper mill and a generous pinch of salt.

Pour this over whatever your little heart desires.

Caramel Brownies

I made these brownies from Sister's Cafe yesterday. They were really easy and yummy. They were a little burnt around the edges, so next time I will cut the cooking time some.

Caramel Brownies

submitted by Brittany

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 c evaporated milk
1/2 c butter,melted

14 oz package of Kraft caramels (50)
1/3 c evaporated milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips (Guittard or other large chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together dry cake mix, butter, and evaporated milk. Press half of this mixture into bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 6 minutes.
2. Melt caramels with 1/3 c evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust. Drizzle caramel over chocolate chips. Spoon or sprinkle the other half of the cake mixture on top. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes to set. Cut and serve.

Pesto pizza

My mom and I recreated this creation from Central Market many years ago. It's really good. You just take your favorite pizza crust (cooked & cooled), top it with a layer of pesto sauce, then put diced sun dried tomatoes and dollops of goat cheese (as much as you like) on top of that. I made my pizza crust using the no-knead bread recipe and after the second rise I just stretch the dough on a cookie sheet pan with some olive oil on it.

Roasted gold beets

I really really dislike beets...that is until I tried gold beets! I just roasted them in 450 degree oven with a little olive oil, salt & pepper until tender. Yum! (something I never thought I would say about beets)

Colcannon

I made this colcannon recipe from Sister's cafe for St. Patrick's Day last week. It was really good!

Colcannon

submitted by Brittany at Sister's Cafe

6 large potatoes, peeled

4-6 Tb half-and-half

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 onions, finely chopped

6 Tb butter, divided

1/2 of a small head of cabbage, sliced thinly

1. Slice peeled potatoes in half and place in pot. Fill with enough water to cover and boil for 25 minutes, or until soft. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tb butter in large saucepan. Add minced onion and stir to coat with butter. Add cabbage over onions. Cover saucepan and cook over med-low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until cabbage is soft.

2. Drain potatoes and add half-and-half (or milk) and salt. Mash with electric mixer. Stir together onion and cabbage mixture with mashed potatoes. Spoon into an oven safe dish and place under broiler until top is browned. Traditionally colcannon is served with a deep well in the center filled with melted butter... so I place 2 more Tb of butter on top and let it melt into colcannon.

Asian Cabbage Salad

I made this salad last week. It was really good. I used napa cabbage and it was great. I will use napa in future cabbage salads. I loved the texture of it and the lighter crunch.

Sandee's Sensational Asian Salad with Chicken and Cabbage

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/recipe-for-sandees-sensational-asian.html

(Makes about 6 servings, recipe adapted by my sister Sandee from several sources.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (optional, for poaching water)
4 cups thinly sliced and chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups purchased coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup sliced green onion (or less, I like a lot of onion)
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in dry pan
2 T sesame seeds, toasted in dry pan
1 pkg. dry ramen noodles, crushed (leave out ramen noodles for South Beach Diet but save seasoning packet for dressing)

Dressing:
2 1/2 T rice vinegar ( or more, to taste)
2 T Splenda or sugar (use Splenda for South Beach Diet)
chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet (or use about 1/4 tsp. chicken flavor base)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 T olive oil + 2 T canola oil

Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts. Then fill a small frying pan with water, whisk in poultry seasoning, add chicken breasts and cook at a very low simmer until chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool.

While chicken cooks, mix together rice vinegar, Splenda or sugar, chicken ramen packet or chicken soup base, salt, and pepper, the whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time. Taste dressing to see if you want a little more vinegar, and when it's flavored to your liking set aside to let the flavors blend.

Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 4 cups chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups packaged coleslaw mix.) Add cabbage to large bowl. Slice green onions and add to cabbage.

As soon as chicken is cool, dice into small pieces (less than 1/2 inch square) and add to cabbage mixture. Add dressing until the salad is as wet as you prefer, then toss to combine. (You may not need all the dressing.)

In a large dry frying pan, toast the almonds over low heat, about 90 seconds, or until almonds start to be fragrant. Add sesame seeds and toast about 60 seconds more, or until nuts and seeds are barely starting to brown.

Add toasted almonds and sesame seeds to salad, toss again to combine, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.

Panini

I made panini for a baby shower last week using the no-knead bread method I've been using like crazy lately. You seriously have to try it! The panini were awesome! I made turkey pastrami with provolone & turkey pesto with provolone & ham, turkey, salami, havarti with olive tapenade from Costco & nutella panini. Yum!

No-Knead Bread
Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Street Bakery via Mark Bittman at New York Times

Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 c cool water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be sticky. Add a little more water if you need to make it sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature, out of sunlight, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles and it's a little bit darker of a color. Use lightly floured hands to pull the dough off the edges of the bowl and tuck the edges in to make it a round ball. Make sure there is a light coating of flour all over the ball of dough, not too much, just enough so you can pick it up without the dough sticking to your hands.

3. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Fold towel over to cover dough and put it in a draft free place to rise. Let it rise for 1-2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. A half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 475°. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes (I ended up only baking mine 10 minutes extra), until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.