S'mores Halloween Treats ~ Ghastly Ghost Peeps®

Frighteningly simple to make ~ when Mary @ Home is Where the Boat is

first featured these, I knew I wanted to add them my repertoire too.  

So a friendly shout out and a big thank you to Mary.
Please go visit her blog, you're in for a treat!

The ingredient list is as follows: A box of Ghost Peeps®, you'll need

12 'ghosts' to make enough for an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Butter, sugar,
pinch of salt, your favorite brownie recipe or boxed mix. About 1/2 cup chocolate

morsels, and 36 chocolate mini-morsels.

I hope you can see the layers here, on the bottom of the baking dish;

Graham cracker crumb crust, the brownie layer, chocolate morsels,

and topped off with the golden 'ghosts'.

Apparently ghosts are frightened of spiders.

Cutting between the 'ghosts' you have a perfect serving size for dessert.

They are quite RICH tasting, so maybe you'll want to share,

half, as I did.  (But probably not with any sort of Araneae.)

Happy Haunting!!

I hope you receive treats, no tricks this Halloween. :)

If you would like a printable copy of the instructions, you'll find it on
my recipe blog HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today~


Happy Halloween!!

Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites, Double Drenched with Dark Chocolate Ganache (Kahlua is optional)

Only 1.5-inch (38mm) in diameter, the perfect 2-bite portion. These brownies are all dressed up and great with tea/coffee or as a finish to a nice little dinner party.
You can make these in a mini-tartlet pan, but this time I baked the batch  in a 8"x8" square pan with straight sides. When the brownies cooled I used a 1-1/2 inch (38mm) round cookie cutter to cut them, cut as closely as possible to each other. 
You can also just cut them into squares, rectangles or triangles, etc. any size you want. It is just a matter of preference  (they will taste just the same!)



If you are a box-mix brownie person, by all means use your favorite brand.
For the brownies shown here I used THIS recipe  ... it is a favorite of mine. I omitted the nuts to make cleaner cuts with the cookie cutter.
Or you can use the recipe for my signature brownies, which I  posted about way back in 2008.
and you can click below for
a printable copy of the recipe
(Just substitute the Ganache for the icing in the original recipe.)



To drench the brownies in ganache:
When the brownies are cooled and cut, chill them in the refrigerator until cold. (Chilling them helps the ganache to adhere to the brownies.)
Place the chilled brownies on a wire rack  (placed in a rimmed baking sheet, or placed over parchment or waxed paper to catch the  excess chocolate as it drips off.)



Allow the ganache to cool just a bit so it thickens slightly, then spoon the it over the tops of the brownie and allow  it to drip down the sides.  
For even more of a chocolate punch, after the first coating of chocolate sets up slightly, repeat. :o)
*~*~*~*~*
I  used the traditional recipe for Ganache:
9 ounces of Chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger Bittersweet, Dark) and 1 cup of heavy cream.
Use your favorite chocolate for the ganache, I just happen to love dark. In a pinch you can even use chocolate morsels.

 

Serve the brownies just as they are, or decorated any way you like. I added viola blossoms (use organic blossoms and they are completely edible.)
If you give this method a try, I hope you love them as much as we do!




Thank you for stopping by today ~ I would love it if you would leave me a comment so I know you've visited and  I can visit your blog too.

I hope you're having a good weekend everyone.
~mari



  

EeeYikes! December seems more fleeting than usual . . .

... this year.
For some reason the month of December seems so fleeting this year,  more so than us usual.  Does it seem that way to you, too?
Here, blogging and most internet activities have taken a back seat to 'real' life;  keeping up with the critters, the regular household chores, getting ready for Christmas, yummy meals, some minor sprucing up for the kitchen,  as purging the kitchen cupboards of bake and cookware I seldom use. Donations from the closet and attic plus there are a few crafty things going on,  and most importantly keeping the wood stove fire stoked.  I love the cozy wood stove! Here are a few things I captured to share with you ~

I'm normally not a big breakfast eater, but I love winter breakfasts. :)


with cheerful flowers for the table to brighten a gray day.

A steaming cup of fragrant tea and a little bowl of hot oats  (a little undercooked, just the way I like them.) Not gluey and sticky. No.
 Served with brown sugar, cinnamon, berries and half & half (with a small pat of butter buried smack in the middle of the bowl, rising to the surface as it melts) ~ Just the way mama always made it for us. Yum.


And to warm the dark, cold evening ~
An (improvised version) of Shrimp and Halibut Chowder  with Bacon and Thyme from 'Fine Cooking'. Their version is made with haddock or cod, and clams.
I swapped shrimp for the canned clams, halibut for the cod, omitted the jalapeño and used chicken broth for the clam juice,  (no clam juice on hand, but it came out great.)   So comforting on a rainy evening, like a warm hug from the inside out.



In the past couple of weeks there was time to celebrate a birthday...



To make the celebration complete I made a cute little birthday cake.
After looking at 'Google Images' for cake inspiration, It felt like coming home ~Google led me back to a favorite blog:  Once more I fell in love with Alicia's ideas* and her take on cakes ~  It's just what I was looking for. 
Perfect, down to the tall picks (super easy to make ~  glue scraps of fabric, trim, and/or ribbon to the top of  long,  thick, bamboo food skewers.)  A few fresh flowers and greens to add color. The finishing touch; hand-dipped beeswax birthday candles (Etsy.) I love Etsy! I wanted to make a small cake, this one is only six-inches in diameter (but waaay tall!)  A little too tall.   We ended up serving it as one would a tiered wedding cake ~  deconstructed layer by layer.
Lesson learned :) next time I will fill the batter in the pans a little less than 2/3rds full. It did make a dramatic presentation though. ;)  And it was soo scrumptious.
As Alicia suggested you can use this 6 x 3 Inch Round Cake Pan.  If you use the single tall pan, horizontally split the baked cake into  halves or thirds and frost between layers.
I have also used 3 of these:
Round Cake Pan, 6 Inch x 2 Inch 
Which work particularly well; I'm more comfortable with them, especially if you don't like to deal with splitting the one cake. (And as noted, fill them a little less than 2/3rd's full of batter.) These also bake more evenly, imo.
Since most cake recipes make more batter than you will need for a 6-inch layer cake, place a few cupcake liners into your  cupcake pans and bake off after your cake has baked.  Who doesn't like cupcakes??!

*Are you familiar with Alicia's delightful blog and incredible creativity? She is an absolute treasure and she offers such fantastic inspiration,  and is a talented writer as well.
Simply an amazing human being, and now she and her hubby Andy are new parents! Lucky, lucky little Amelia!!



Back to the cake... I used my tried and true chocolate cake recipe from Hershey's  (but I have forever subbed melted, cooled butter for the vegetable oil.)
Alicia's youngest sister is an honest-to-goodness pastry chef,  and recommended THIS- 100% Cacao - Extra Brute  cocoa powder.
Ohmyheavens!    Product of France, it is the richest, finest cocoa powder of all I've tasted.  Bar none. Get yourself some.



For the frosting?    An old-fashioned frosting recipe my mom would make,  I believe it was particularly popular during WWII, (just a wee bit before my time.) A time when food rationing required homemakers to make adjustments.   As much as I loved mom's 7-minute frosting, I always liked this one the best;  it's like buttercream, but better. And with a surprising ingredient . . . flour.  If you didn't know it was there, you might never guess.   I think Joe mentioned you can make it with cornstarch, too.
It's known by several names; Heritage Frosting, Cooked Frosting, Flour Frosting, Thunder Cloud, Faux Buttercream, and others. It is so creamy and decadent, but doesn't have the greasy, synthetic taste that 'Buttercream' frosting does. 
This updated version of Heritage Frosting IS made from real butter  (not solid shortening as so-called 'Buttercream' we know today.) You must try it to taste the difference for yourself. 
 Hop on over to the following link to get the recipe and read more about it  here on Joe Pastry's blog.
Love his blog ~ if you ever have questions about baking, Joe is your man. Period.




And more comfort food for these cozy rainy/foggy/chilly days and nights~ 
My quickie take on Chicken with [Fresh Herbs and Black Pepper] Dumplings.  For this quick version I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks, seasoned with salt and black pepper, tossed in a little flour,  then quickly sautéed in a little oil. I only 'stew' the chicken for a few minutes.  I add the partially cooked chicken to the thickened chicken stock and vegetables  during the last few minutes (while the dumplings are cooking)  to keep the chicken breast pieces tender, juicy and flavorful.
This time I made the dumplings from a baking mix (like Bisquick®)  Mix milk and the mix, add herbs, fresh black pepper and stir. Cook them as usual; spoonfuls added to the hot chicken stew; 10 minutes with the cooking pot uncovered, then place the lid on the pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Perfectly light, tender and puffy dumplings. So good and easy.
Of course, you can make dumplings from scratch, or make your own  biscuit mix ahead of time, it keeps in the fridge for several weeks.  I don't do the rolled dumplings, but you could if you prefer.

And finally a little peek at one of the hooky gifts I'm finishing up for Christmas ...



Good old granny squares. :)    I love the primitive, simple repetition of granny squares, I can watch movies  or have a conversation while I make them without being distracted  by a more intricate pattern.
The request was for something bright and happy (and sturdy.)   I just have to finish 1 more row of squares, then the hooky crochet trim. I grabbed these colors from my stash; I'm not so sure about  the colors together, but I think the recipient will.  At least I hope so... and that's what counts.
Each granny is 6"x6", finished it will be about 5 feet square,  a generous throw size, or to fold at the end of the bed to keep  toes snuggy warm. :) 

Yes, December continues to fly by; but I'm not complaining at all ~  so much to be thankful for.
My heart goes out to all those displaced by Sandy,  and all of those away from home and loved ones for other reasons. Prayers to all.

xo ~mari

   

Snowflake Peppermint Bark ~ Redux

A redux, by request ~ Thank you friends!

Peppermint Bark Snowflakes
(make them any shape you like by using
other molds or filling various cookie cutters.)

You can also just make the recipe on a silicone pan 
liner (such as silpat®), then break into irregular
shards.

Wilton's has instructions to make shaped peppermint
bark ~ HERE.

The process is simple using the typical Peppermint Bark recipe. 

Choose your favorite type of chocolate; milk, semi-sweet, dark etc., 

white chocolate, crushed peppermint candies (or candy canes), 

a small amount of vegetable oil, 

and a few drops of Peppermint extract.

But instead of spreading the chocolate layers on a sheet pan, 

I  placed the melted chocolate (spiked with a couple of drops 

of peppermint extract, optional) in a silicone mold. 

First the dark layer and placed in the refrigerator until firm.

The melted white chocolate is spread on top of the dark layer 

and sprinkled with larger pieces of crushed peppermint, 

then back into the fridge to harden. 

As soon as the chocolate is firm the candy snowflakes 

are pushed out of the flexible silicone mold with no problem.

I used a small cookie scoop to portion the melted chocolate into 

the molds with a minimum of mess, that worked really well. 

Something that I found useful was to use a toothpick to 

swirl through the chocolate in the mold to help move 

it into the mold's details.

Stacked into little cellophane bags, or candy tins I think 

these would make a great little gift from your kitchen.  

If you try them I hope you have fun and enjoy them too.

I used a small cookie scoop to portion the melted chocolate into 

the molds with a minimum of mess, that worked really well. 

Something that I found useful was to use a toothpick 

to swirl through the chocolate in the mold to help move it 

into the mold's details.

Stacked into little cellophane bags, or candy tins--

I think these would make a great little gift from your kitchen.  

If you try them I hope you have fun and enjoy them too!

Happy Holidays!

Super Yummy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oat Squares

Ya, well we've been doing quite well with our healthier eating habits for the past several months . . .  SO . . .

Every once in a while I'll make some kind of treat as a reward for our efforts ~ it's okay to do that, you know. ;)

See the thin layer of peanut butter between chocolate topping and  the peanut butter-

 & oat cookie base ?!  Yummy.

I was in the mood to make something sweet, but the pantry is kept rather bare of "dessert-making" ingredients since we revamped our way of eating . . .  However, I do keep peanut butter, rolled oats, and always a bag of chocolate chips, (for emergencies) on hand.  So I went hunting for a recipe that matched my ingredients.  

Eureka! 

This looked like a good one ~  I found the recipe on Calli's blog  "Make-it-do".  Besides being a wife and mom Calli is quite talented.  If you have a moment stop by and take a look, I think you'll like her style.

The squares (or bars) are really easy to make ~ just mix up the ingredients for the cookie base (butter, sugar, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, flour and rolled oats), press mixture into a jelly roll pan and bake it for about 15 minutes.

As soon as it is finished baking, remove it from the oven and drop spoonfuls of peanut butter on top. As the peanut butter begins to melt, spread it out evenly over the hot surface of the cookie base with a spatula.  Allow it to cool thoroughly, then just make the chocolate topping and pour it over.  As soon as the chocolate sets up cut into squares or bars . . . and enjoy!

(See below for link to printable recipe)

~  * ~  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something worthy to share with you bakers out there!

If  you've been following my blog for any length of time, you probably know I've been a home cook & baker for many, many years.  Because I bake a lot, I have gone through my share of baking pans (sheet pans, cake pans, bread pans, etc.)  ranging in quality from middle to premium and commercial grade. I like to bake cakes, cookies, breads, muffins, cupcakes, etc. in metal pans (but I avoid traditional 'non-stick'.) I've never been 100% satisfied with any of them after a using them for a a few years. 

BUT,  I have finally found a line of baking pans that are sturdily built, which I recommend ~ and the bonus is, they are made in the USA.  (Come on peeps, our economy NEEDS all the help it can get ~ and YOU can make a difference by buying products made in the USA.)  

And the brand name is EASY enough to remember ~

 "USA Baking Pans"! 

 In fact, I baked these squares in the  15 x10-inch USA Baking Pan. 

 

USA Baking Pans Product Features

• Commercial grade, heavy gauge jellyroll pan
• Made of aluminized steel; corrugation provides even cooking, extra strength
• Coated with Americoat; silicone coating on top and bottom; non-stick surface
• Americoat is environmentally friendly; does not contain PTFE's or PFOA's; silicone is a natural substance
• Made in USA by American Pan in Pittsburg, PA; largest worldwide manufacturer of commercial bakeware

  

Absolutely no sticking, and the pans practically wipe clean.  I simply hand wash & dry them ~ they clean up in a flash.

The company make all kinds of high quality baking pans; here's a LINK if you would like to take a look at a selection.

<<<<<->>>>>

BUT . . .  Back to the Squares . . .

YUM!

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it is HERE on my recipe blog.




Thanks for stopping by today, please leave me a comment ~ I LOVE your company!  xo

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