Oreo Truffles

These are absolutely amazing. That said, they are not the healthiest, or the most complicated truffles ever. This has 3 main ingredients, and lots of varieties!

First, process the Oreos until they are crumbs. Next, blend in the cream cheese. Blend these 2 ingredients together in a food processor or blender. This is the easiest way to incorporate the ingredients. Next, roll them out into balls. The balls should be however big you want your Oreo truffles. The best size for 2 bites is about 1 inch in diameter. 

Place onto parchment or a silicon baking mat. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. I put mine in for 24 hours because I didn't have time to finish them. This made the chocolate harden very quickly and made it even easier to dip them as they did not become squishy.

Stick a toothpick into a hardened Oreo ball and proceed to cover in chocolate, rolling off any excess. Voila! You have made Oreo truffles.

Enjoy!

8 oz.   Cream Cheese

40      Oreo Cookies

12 oz. Chocolate Chips

3 T    Shortening

In a blender, crush the Oreo cookies until finely ground. When ground, add the cream cheese and blend until incorporated. Form the mixture into balls and place on a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. 

Heat the chocolate chips and the shortening at intervals of 30 seconds until completely melted. I suggest melting a in tall cup to make it easier to dip the Oreo balls. Take the Oreo balls out of the freezer and stick toothpicks in the centers. Dip the Oreo balls into the chocolate, twirling to let excess chocolate drip off. Place back onto the silicon mat and let sit, or place in the refrigerator to speed up the process. These are great for sharing with friends, if they survive that long!

Hot Cocoa

As the winter season rounds the corner and the temperatures drop lower and lower, we begin to crave hot drinks to go with the cold weather. Hot Cocoa is one of the all time favorites for the kids, because who doesn't like chocolate? This is a simple recipe made for one which can very easily be multiplied or halved.

First, measure out the cocoa, sugar, and milk.

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of milk over low heat until the sugar and cocoa dissolves. 

Make sure the cocoa mixes in well or it will be chunky when you add more milk.

Add the rest of the milk, taste test for sugar and add more if necessary. Heat it up so that it is hot, then add the vanilla and pour into cups. You are done! Unless of course, you are like me and want to add some marshmallows. 

Voilá! You are done, and it only to 5 minutes. This recipe is extremely easy to duplicate.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk or any combination of milk, half-and-half, or cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

preparation

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and about 2 tablespoons milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until cocoa and sugar are dissolved. Whisk in the rest of the milk and heat it over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it is hot. Stir in the vanilla and serve.

If you like it frothy, blend it in the blender.

This recipe multiplies easily. When you get up to a quart of milk, use 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I think this can be a hit in any family, who doesn't like cinnamon rolls in the form of bread! Of course I have had it other places, but it is always different when it is homemade. So, here we go, off on an adventure!

Of course it isn't perfect, but if it is perfect I'm always too scared to eat it, so might as well not have it be 100% perfect.

First melt the butter and mix the milk without bringing it to a boil but it should get pretty darn close.

Oooo, yummy yeast! Now gently stir it, emphasis on GENTLY. Now combine the flour and the salt in a separate bowl.

Next, it is time to combine the sugar and the eggs, combine these in a mixer with the paddle attachment, you will change to the dough hook attachment later.

When it starts to come together, it will appear more like a batter at first. Switch to the paddle attachment and then continue to knead for about 5 minutes. If it still is really not coming together, add a little flour at a time. Now it is time to let it rise for at least two hours.

When the time is over, roll it out into a rectangle, the shorter side should be the same length as the pan you are using, maybe a little longer. In mine, I made it a lot too long so it was a little hard to maneuver into the pan, but mistakes happen!

Next, when it is all rolled out to the perfect dimensions, you can sweep it with the melted butter. Keep in mind, no going back to make the rectangle bigger after this!

Combine the sugar and the cinnamon.

Now sprinkle the mixture evenly over the butter, not too close to the edge or I personally promise you will make a mess. But then again, you will probably make a mess no matter what... Anyway! Not all the way to the edge.

Next you roll it up, you should be rolling so that it will easily fit in the pan, do not roll it up the wrong way! Grease the pan that you will put it in, I used butter because that is the best way to insure you get every corner!

Now cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it sit for another 2 hours, it should about double in size. 

When that is over, brush the top with the egg milk mixture and it is ready to cook! 

Reminder: When it comes out you CANNOT eat it right away or it will be a dense brick, I suggest waiting at least half an hour!

Voila, you are done! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-½ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 3-½ cups All-purpose Flour (Or bread flour if you have it!)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen

Cowboy Cookies

So last night I had a dilemma, I really wanted to bake something for dessert but I could not decide no matter how hard I tried, I looked through all the cookbooks and probably wasted most of my time for baking. Finally I settled on some comfort cookies, Cowboy Cookies.

These cookies are quite similar to chocolate chip cookies, except they are a little healthier

First measure out the oats into a medium sized bowl

Next measure out the flour

Now measure the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon

In a mixer, mix together the butter and the sugars

Get the chocolate chips

Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough

Voila, these cookies may not be the most visually appealing, but they are certainly one of the biggest hits! This makes 24 very large cookies, or a bunch of smaller cookies. Keep in mind, if you make them smaller, do not cook them for as long.

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 
  
• In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, blend the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Blend in vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir the dry mixture into the butter mixture one half at a time. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using). Refrigerate the dough for 1 to 2 hours. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, then grease the foil. Using a cookie scoop, or ice cream scoop, shape the dough into balls and place them on the sheet about 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to flatten each ball to 1/3 inch thick. Bake 13 to 14 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Family Fun

How to Make a Pizza

This is a simple way to make your pizzas so it isn't too time consuming, but keep in mind, good food doesn't come without time. First, you must make the pizza dough (you can find the recipe here).

After you let the pizza dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, you can preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the pizza stone (if you don't have one, see here). The oven should remain at 500 degrees for at heat 45 minutes before you put the first pizza in, or your pizza will not cook evenly, or "correctly".

Next it is time for you to roll out the pizza dough. You should roll it out to about 15 inches, but you can do it more if your pizza stone is big enough to hold it. You do not want the dough to be paper thin because it will just break, you want it to be about a 1/4 of an inch thick, maybe a little thinner. It is really your choice, the question is how much pizza dough you like per bite.

Next, get some parchment and put it on a pizza peel (see here) or a flat wooden cutting board. Emphasis on the word flat! It must be flat so you can easily slide it into the oven. Anyway, put parchment on a cutting board and add some cornmeal (this is not essential, but to get a good texture, it is very helpful). Now it is time to put the pizza onto the pizza peel. If you put the rolling pin onto the dough and wrap the dough around the rolling pin and lift it onto the pizza peel, it will be easy to move the dough from where you rolled it out to the pizza peel.

Now it is time to top it. This is where the creativity part comes in. You can really take it anywhere from here. From potato pizza to arugula pesto to your old fashioned favorite, cheese. Put the sauce on, whether it be garlic oil, creme fraiche, or tomato sauce.

Topping time! Some of my favorites are:

• grilled bell peppers
• grilled onions
• caramelized onions
• mama lil peppers
• pepperoncini
• olives
• salami
• chorizo
• italian sausage
• potatoes
• pancetta
• herbs (basil, oregano, thyme)

And I could go on forever to be completely honest, but why would I do that when the best part of making homemade pizza is coming up with new things to try! Last but not lease you need cheese. This is a preference, but you can use any of the below, or all of the below!

• Parmesan
• Pecorino-Romano
• Mozzarella
• Gruyere (Potato Pizza)

Now it is time to cook it. I usually go about 10 minutes or anything around that time, it really depends on how you like it and how your oven cooks. I just watch it, but it will almost always be more than 5 minutes so that is a safe time for you to leave the kitchen. To put the pizza in, slide the pizza on the parchment and let it cook until it looks done (the cheese is bubbly and the crust slightly brown). Pull it out WITHOUT burning yourself and let it sit for at least 2 minutes. It is finally time to indulge! Enjoy!

Chocolate Molten Cakes

These are everything that the restaurants claim. They are super simple, despite what it may seem. I would like to apologize for the bad quality of these pictures, but I was having a last minute craving so what could I do? I just decided to make them after it was dark outside. I apologize, but hopefully the recipe will make up for it!

First, butter or use canola oil spray to coat the ramekins. Then coat them in flour.

Second, crack the eggs, and the egg yolks.

Beat until pale yellow and foamy, I recommend a mixer for this or you will have very tired arms.

Next, measure the chocolate.

Get one stick of butter and melt the chocolate.

I recommend cutting up the butter because it will melt faster and more evenly.

Now you have smooth chocolate.

Add the chocolate and FLOUR, to the egg mixture. Do not forget the flour.

Make sure to incorporate it very quickly, or you will end up with cooked eggs. Once some of the chocolate is incorporated, the ratio of egg to chocolate should be enough so that the eggs do not cook.

Divide it evenly among the four floured ramekins. Now it is time to cook them.

When they are done, they are slightly cakey, but you don't want them to cook all the way through, or you will lose the whole point of "molten" chocolate cakes.

Voila! Chocolate molten cake!

If you decide to turn it out onto a plate, I may suggest cooking it a little more so that the side hold together. Or you can just have a messy cake. I like lots of pudding goodness. You just made a chocolate molten cake! Congrats.

1.        1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
2. 1. 6 ounces semisweet/bittersweet chocolate
   2. 2 eggs
   3. 2 egg yolks
   4. 1/4 cup sugar
   5. Pinch of salt
   6. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
   1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter and lightly flour four 6-ounce ramekins. Tap out the excess flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
   2. In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.
   3. Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.

   MAKE AHEAD- The batter can be refrigerated for several hours; bring to room temperature before baking.

Roasted Tomato Flatbread

This flat bread is like a pizza, without tomato sauce! But I guess that is the definition of flat bread... Oh well you get what I am saying. This pizza has roasted tomatoes from my blog, basil, and French feta cheese! The basil is added on after the pizza is cooked, so it is not wilted.

Spread the tomatoes on the pizza dough. Then proceed to pour the olive oil over the tomatoes.

Next add the olives and the french feta cheese.

Put it in the oven on the pizza stone for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is puffed up and slightly brown, depending on crispy you want it.

Make sure you put it on the pizza stone with parchment under it (makes clean up 10 times easier!).

Now grab about 5 medium sized basil leaves, these are to chop up and put on the top.

Chop them up into thin strips, and sprinkle them over the top when the pizza comes out!

And pull it out when it is done.

Sprinkle the basil over the top of the flat bread, slice, and you have roasted tomato flat bread! The quantities of ingredients for this recipe really differ depending on how many toppings you like on your pizza.

1 batch Pizza Dough

Roasted Tomatoes

French Feta Cheese

5 leaves of basil

Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 500 F with the pizza stone in the oven. Roll out your pizza dough into a circle, about a foot in diameter. Move onto a cutting board or pizza peel with parchment paper. Brush the dough with olive oil so the flat bread is coated. Sprinkle the tomatoes over the dough, leaving about half an inch in between the tomatoes and the edge of the dough. Now sprinkle the french feta cheese over the top of the pizza.

Put into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, checking on it constantly. Take out when it is slightly brown and the cheese may be a little brown. The best way to tell if it is done is the crust, which should be a little brown, or a lot depending on how you like it. Let in cool for a couple minutes, then cut and enjoy!