Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha

I have a sizable addiction to any combination of chocolate and peppermint, and especially to Starbucks’ Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha or Peppermint Mocha – hot or cold – it really doesn’t matter to me.  I long for the stuff.  I make up excuses to go to Target because there’s a Starbucks inside the store.  You just can’t beat shopping while sipping on a frappuccino.  Sometimes my sweet mom even sends me a Starbucks gift card in the mail… just because.  My adoration is great.  For my mom and for Starbucks.  But mostly for my mom, of course.

When I saw this recipe last winter, it practically sang to me.  Of course I had to try it, and it did not disappoint.    Pouring this into the blender made a nice froth that I topped with a little bit of whipped cream.  The recipe made one large serving so you might want to share with a friend.

Find a quiet corner, a warm blanket, and a really good book.  Now make yourself a steaming mug of this peppermint white chocolate mocha.  It’s also a great treat to enjoy while you decorate for the holidays.  Enjoy!

Recipe:  Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha

(adapted from Joy of Baking)

1 1/2 c. milk (any fat content will do)

3 oz. white chocolate, chopped  (make sure the ingredients include cocoa butter)

1 Tbsp. instant coffee or espresso powder

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract

Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is nice and hot.  Meanwhile, place the chopped white chocolate, instant coffee powder, and vanilla extract in your blender.

Pour the hot milk in the blender and process until nice and foamy.  Garnish with shaved chocolate or whipped cream.

Here’s hoping you all enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with those you love.  I wanted to share a quickly-taken photo of our pumpkin pies.  I traced each of my kids’ hands and then cut them out of dough to put in the center.  Even though this photo isn’t great, the pies were really cute.

I always follow the good ole’ Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe and I use this amazing pie dough.  I make two pumpkin pies because we have a kooky tradition around here.  We look forward to having one pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, then the other is for dessert after dinner.  My theory is that we are always so full from eating such a big dinner, that we definitely enjoy the pie more for breakfast.  And my kids enjoy this treat as much as I do.  {smile}

Recipe:  Pie Dough

(from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan)

~yields enough dough for two double-crust pies

5 1/4 c. pastry flour or all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 3/4 c. solid vegetable shortening (11 ounces), chilled

1 c. ice cold water

(I made my dough in my kitchen aid mixer, but you can also do this by hand or in a food processor.)

Fix mixer with paddle attachment (or use a pastry blender).  Put flour and salt in bowl and mix.  Add butter and mix on low until it is cut into dry ingredients and the mixture looks coarse and crumbly.  Add shortening in small bits and continue to mix on low.  When the mixture holds together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers, add the water and mix only until it is incorporated.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself two or three times, just to finish the mixing and to gather it together.

Divide the dough into four equal balls and flatten into thick discs.  Wrap dough discs in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as 5 days.  When dough is thoroughly firm and chilled, roll for pie crusts.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Here’s a recipe for those of you with a serious sweet tooth.  Peanut butter popcorn with chocolate drizzle.  I didn’t enjoy this one any where near as much as I loved that cinnamon popcorn I made a while back.  It tasted more like candy to me, than the salty/sweet snack I was craving.  Jim and Sam liked it though, so I wanted to share it.

I’ve also got a camera update.  I happily upgraded just a little from my old, broken point and shoot camera to a new Nikon L100.  It’s still a point and shoot but it offers me more flexibility and choices when I’m taking pictures.  Now I just have to learn how to use it!  And thank you for all the blog-commiserating when my camera broke!

Recipe:  Peanut Butter Popcorn

(slightly adapted from Frantic Home Cook)

8-10 c. popped popcorn

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. granulated sugar

1. c. peanut butter  (I used smooth, but I think chunky would be great too.)

2 pinches of kosher salt or sea salt

chocolate candy melts for drizzling

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Stir corn syrup and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Be careful!  This is super hot! Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat.  Pour popcorn onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Spoon popcorn onto wire rack covered with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Allow to cool completely.  Melt candy melts in microwave following package directions.  Drizzle over popcorn and allow to set.  Break popcorn into pieces.  Store in airtight container.

Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

Oh my gosh.  This soup is absolutely delicious, and just one more amazing way to use a can of pumpkin puree.  I saw this at Furey and the Feast and couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I ended up making it for lunch the other day, then we had it again as a side with dinner.  It is fabulous.  You get sweet, savory, and salty in every bite.  Perfection.  I think it’s my new favorite soup!

Recipe:  Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

(slightly adapted from Furey and the Feast)

**I cut the recipe in half and still got a 2 qt. pot full of soup.  Making the full recipe would make a lot!**

8 strips of thick bacon

2 c. onions, diced

1 c. carrot, diced

1 c. celery, diced

1 29-oz. can pumpkin puree

1 c. apple cider  (or white wine or apple juice)

8 c. chicken or vegetable stock

1 c. water

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika  (or cayenne pepper for more heat)

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 c. half and half  (or heavy cream)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Chop bacon into small pieces.  In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy.  Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Add onion, carrot, and celery to bacon fat in pot and cook for one minute.  Add pumpkin puree and cook over low-medium heat for 15 minutes.  Stir puree occasionally.  It will caramelize a little and become a little bit darker.

Add cider, stock, water, sugar, and all spices; stir to combine.

Bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover pot, leaving lid slightly ajar to allow room for steam to escape.  Simmer soup for one hour.  Soup will reduce by about 1/4.

Taste soup to adjust seasoning.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to blender (or use an immersion blender to puree in pot).  Also add a little broth.  Puree until smooth.  Return to pot.  Turn off heat and add half and half and butter.  Mix in bacon or use as a garnish in middle of each bowl.

Chocolate (Tofu) Pudding

Yep.  You read that right.  There’s tofu in my pudding!  Or maybe I should be saying that my pudding is tofu!  Who woulda’ guessed it?  Nobody, that’s who!  This is a very quick and easy recipe to put together, and you get such a chocolaty treat.  I loved the flavor, but my only complaint is that it isn’t as thick and creamy as it should be.  I will definitely try again though, as both Mark Bittman (in the NY Times) and Diane from Stylish Cuisine claim it to be thick, so I’m thinking maybe I just over mixed it or some such thing.  Next time I’ll cut back on the water a little bit and see how it turns out.  There will surely be a next time.  I’ve already eaten two of these and the kids haven’t even gotten home from school yet!  I’m consoling myself with the fact that it’s TOFU, people.  Good for me and all that.  {tee hee}  Plus, I just can’t believe I actually like it, but I really do.  Yum!

Recipe:  Chocolate (Tofu) Pudding

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. water

1 lb. silken tofu

8 ounces high quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

chocolate shaving and whipped cream to garnish

In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 c. water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Cool slightly.

Put all ingredients, except for the garnish, into a blender and puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.  Divide among 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes.  Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Pretty lengthy name, eh?  But, I’d hate to leave anything out because each of those flavors totally deserves to be mentioned.  This bread is a favorite of mine.  I came across it over at Recipe Girl’s blog about a year ago and I’ve been making it ever since.  I don’t know why I’ve never posted about it before.  It is the best way I’ve found to use up bananas, and both my kids even like it.  That’s saying a lot cause they never want to eat anything with bananas baked into it.

One full recipe should make two loaves of bread, but I must have larger pans because I only get one large loaf and a few muffins out of this.  I follow the original recipe with the exception of a tiny increase in the salt, and at the end when I doll it up a smidge.  I can’t resist extra chocolate chips and a sprinkling of granulated and brown sugars on top.  I love how the bread or muffins look when they come out of the oven.  You can see a little sparkle from the sugars and the chocolate makes you want to cut right into it.  And it freezes great, so you can double the recipe and enjoy some now and save some for another time.  Perfect for the holidays!

Recipe:  Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bread

(very slightly adapted from Recipe Girl)

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 c. mashed, overrripe bananas

1 c. milk, any fat content

3/4 c. smooth peanut butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 c. semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, plus a few more for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9×5″ loaf pans (or muffin tins).

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In another large bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and egg.  Stir to blend.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, then a sprinkling of granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Bake 50 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (Muffins take about 18 minutes.)  Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack.

I don’t really have a recipe for you, but I do have this picture of the turkey I made for the kindergarten class’s Fall party.  How stinking cute is he anyway?  Grab some tooth picks and wooden skewers, stop by the produce aisle, and start creating!  By the way, the kids LOVED this.  Even though there was chocolate pudding to be had, they wanted seconds of grapes and cheese instead!

Tie Dyed Cookies

There really isn’t a day that I don’t take a picture of something or someone, so I’ve been at a loss since my camera broke.  Actually, it’s been more like a major funk.  It’s a little bizarre how weird it is NOT to take pictures.  So Jim brought a camera home from work for me to borrow while waiting for a replacement for mine.  (No, Diana, it won’t be that much sought-after DSLR, but a higher end point and shoot.  I can live with that.  For now.)

Anyway, what better way to pull myself out of a blue mood than by baking these crazy tie dyed cookies?  My kids had Fall parties at school and Sam asked specifically for this cookie.  I started with a sugar cookie recipe, and with a little rolling, I ended up with these big, swirly cookies.  They were perfect to share with a bunch of 10 year olds.  Now they think I’m totally groovy.

So here’s what you do.  Make your dough and divide it into four equal parts.  Squeeze a bit of food coloring into the middle of each and moosh and squish until the dough is the color you want and there are no streaks.  Now wrap them up and refrigerate them for about an hour.  Once they’re chilled, grab a pinch from each color and roll them into small balls.  Then put all of those balls together and roll them into one larger ball.  Roll the ball on a flat surface to make a “snake” about 12″ long.  Then, you begin at one end and roll it into a big swirl.  Tuck the loose end under the cookie and transfer to a cookie sheet.  Leave a lot of room for spreading because they get pretty big.  I only baked 8 at a time, and with all the rolling, this was a little time consuming for a batch of cookies, but the kids really enjoyed them so it was worth it.

Recipe:  Tie Dyed Cookies

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

food coloring (Betty Crocker neon gel food coloring)

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until smooth.  Beat in egg and extracts.  Gradually add dry ingredients until all flour is incorporated.  Remove dough from bowl and pat into a big ball.  Divide into 4 equal portions.  Add a different color of food coloring to each portion.  Knead until the color is blended in.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chilled dough near your work surface.  (I used a pastry board and cloth so I didn’t need to cover my work surface with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.)  Pinch a piece of dough from each color and roll each into a small ball.  Now, combine all four small balls in your hand and roll them into one bigger ball.  On your work surface, roll dough out into a long “snake,” about 12″ long.  Starting at one end, begin to make a swirl by rolling it around and around all along the length of the cookie dough.  When you reach the end, tuck the end under the cookie.  Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8 cookies at a time for 7-9 minutes.  Cookies will spread a lot and get golden around the edges.  Remove from oven and cool one minute on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Oh, friends.
I am mourning the loss of my little camera tonight.  If I can’t figure out what the heck is wrong with it and why it won’t focus, I’m going to seriously cry.  It’s making these horrible noises every time I try to take a picture.
How can I blog without a camera???

Jim is so not believing that I didn’t throw it up against the wall or something, cause I’ve been talking for months about buying a DSLR.  This is bad, folks.  Bad, bad, bad.  Please pass the tissues!!!