Blogging By Mail

I managed to squeeze in before the deadline for the upcoming Blogging By Mail event. Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness is the coordinator for this unique event. Food bloggers from all over the world are participating in a food care package "swap" of sorts. You are paired up with another blogger for the exchange (and, you don't have to worry about posting your "real" info online anywhere). I've already planned what I'm going to send for my first BBM package, but I haven't had a chance to make anything yet.

I'm really excited about this event. After all, who wouldn't want homemade goodies or something unique/different to try? And, who doesn't love care packages in the mail? I'll post what I send & receive in the coming weeks.

Sticky Popcorn

Pop enough popcorn to make 2 quarts of popcorn.

Dump the following into a heavy iron skillet:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar

DO NOT STIR
Cook over medium heat until an amber color appears in the middle of the skillet.
DO NOT STIR
When it becomes the size of your fist, pour over the popcorn & mix. After it cools completely, store in an airtight container.

Brie with Cranberry Chutney

Brie with Cranberry Chutney

1 cup fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. finely chopped gingerroot (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Vegetable oil
1 round Brie cheese (8 oz)
Slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
Crackers (optional)

Mix cranberries, sugar, vinegar, gingerroot, cinnamon, and cloves in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat tow low. Cook uncovered ~20 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Cool slightly (it will thicken as it stands).
Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly brush ovenproof plate with vegetable oil. Place unpeeled cheese on center of place. Bake uncovered 8-10 minutes or until cheese is soft and partially melted.
Spoon half of chutney over the cheese. Sprinkle with almonds (if using). Serve with crackers (or a spoon...it's that good). Spoon remaining chutney onto cheese as needed, or save for future use.

Apple Tart

2 1/2 cups walnuts
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
3 green apples (i.e., Granny Smith)
juice of 1 lemon in 2 cups water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground clove
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup raisins

Combines walnuts & dates in food processor. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (~ 40 seconds). It should be a coarse texture when done. Press evenly into a 9-inch tart pan. Chill while making filling.

Slice apples by cutting into quarters. Cut out core and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Put into lemon water while you finish cutting apples. Drain well in colander when done.
Place apples in large skillet with the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently.
Remove apples with a slotted spoon from hot pan to a bowl and cool completely. Reduce the liquid still in the skillet to about half the volume and cool separately.
Spread apples evenly over the crust. Brush the syrup over the apples. Serve or keep covered & chilled until serving. Top with vanilla yogurt or ice cream.

Mimi's Cafe Carrot Raisin Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large mixing bowl.
In another bowl, combine oil, eggs, molasses, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add shredded carrot and mix. Add raisins and walnuts and mix well by hand.
Pour flour mixture until other ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into two ungreased 8-inch loaf pans. Bake for 60 minutes or until done.

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Almond bark or other dipping chocolate

Mix together until well blended and roll into balls. Chill in the freezer between 15 -30 minutes. Using a toothpick, dip in melted chocolate.

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

This is Sam's favorite cookie, hands down. But beware; they're very rich.

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tbsp), room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Confectioner's sugar, for rolling out dough

Cream butter & sugar on medium speed until completely smooth (~3 minutes). Add egg & mix until well combined.

In separate bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and flour. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Chill the dough until slightly firm. Divide the dough into 3 balls. Roll out each between two layers of wax or parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Chill. Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut out cookies. Space 1/2 inch apart for baking on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Re-roll trimmings and chill. Repeat as long as you have dough.

Bake the cookies until you smell chocolate, about 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Fill with Nutella from the jar.

Fresh Vegetable Beef Soup

This makes a LOT of soup. I usually end up with a full 4 1/2 quarts. You could also add some pearled barley about 30 minutes before serving.

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 small bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup 1-inch pieces fresh green beans (I used canned)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 sliced carrots
2/3 cup fresh whole kernel corn
2 medium unpeeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (~2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 1/2 cups Beef Broth (or 2 14 oz cans of beef broth)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with garlic (or use plain tomatoes with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

Mix all ingredients in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours (or high heat for 4 to 5 hours) or until vegetables are tender.

Pink Stuff

This is THE holiday delicacy at my husband's family's gatherings.

8 oz. cream cheese (do not use low-fat or fat-free)
3/4 cup sugar
1 small package frozen strawberries
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1 large carton Cool Whip
Coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

Cream together cream cheese & sugar. Blend in strawberries and pineapple. Fold in Cool Whip. Fold in coarsely chopped nuts if desired. Chill & serve.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup evaporate milk (do not use low-fat!)
1 Tbsp. butter

Mix & bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook it to soft ball stage.

Add:
4 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix well. Pour into oiled, paper-lined pan. Cool, slice, & enjoy.

Vanilla Raspberry Pavlova

4 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups cold fat free milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jello Vanilla Sugar-Free Instant Pudding
1 cup thawed Cool Whip Lite
2 cups raspberries (can substitute any berries)
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 225 F. Beat egg whites & cream of tartar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high 5 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form.

Spoon onto parchment-lined baking sheet (or use silicone mat). Using large spoon, make a 10-inch circle (or other shape) of meringue, slightly indented in the center to form a "crust" or shallow "bowl". Bake 1 1/2 hours. Cool.

Pour milk into large bowl & add dry pudding mix. Whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Fold in whipped topping. Refridgerate 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Place meringue on serving plate. Spoon pudding mixture onto meringue, leaving a border of meringue showing. Place raspberries over pudding. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if using.

Chinese Noodle Salad

After making this salad for a while, I thought I'd better update the recipe. It seemed like the dressing made way too much for the salad ingredients and ended up making everything soggy. So, here's the updated recipe with better salad/dressing proportions. This makes a lot, however, so if just for a family meal, you might want to cut everything in half.

Chinese Noodle Salad

2 packages coleslaw mix (or 1 cabbage, shredded & 2-3 carrots, grated)
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
2 packages Beef Ramen Noodles (dry), crushed

Dressing
1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
2 seasoning packets from Beef Ramen Noodles

Mix first set of ingredients and add dressing ~30 minutes before serving.

Caution: it's very addictive.

Easiest Cheese Ball

2 8 oz packages cream cheese (do not use low/non-fat), softened
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 package dried beef, 1/4 inch dice (I use Armour)

Once cream cheese is soft, add dried beef, and use mixer to combine. Add half of green onions, mix, and taste. Add remaining green onions to taste. Form into ball, cover, and refrigerate overnight for flavors to combine. Serve with crackers.

Nutella Ganache

Note: This recipe has been updated here.

Nutella Ganache

1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook in heavy-bottomed sauce pan over MEDIUM heat*, stirring constantly until the mixture is completely smooth (~7-10 minutes). Let ganache cool slightly (~ 5 minutes). Pour over warm Nutella Bundt Cake (or any kind of cake). Let the ganache cool completely before serving.

*Do NOT use HIGH heat; if you rush this, you won't like the results.

Nutella Bundt Cake (with Nutella Ganache)

I made this cake for Sam's 28th Birthday.



1 cup Nutella, divided
4 large eggs, divided
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

In small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup Nutella and 1 egg. Blend until completely smooth and set aside. In large bowl, using electric mixer on low speed, stir together cake mix, remaining 3 eggs, buttermilk and remaining 1/3 cup Nutella until moistened. Scrape down sides and beater(s) and increase speed to medium, beating for another 2 minutes.

Remove 1 cup batter and mix with reserved Nutella-egg mixture. Pour leftover batter evenly into prepared cake pan. Spoon reserved Nutella batter over it and, using a knife, gently swirl batters together to create marble pattern. Smooth top of cake and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. (Cake is done when moist crumbs cling to inserted wooden pick.) DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR TO PEEK; THE CAKE WILL FALL!

Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes. When ready to handle, carefully invert onto cooling rack and remove pan. While cake continues to cool, make Nutella Ganache. Pour Nutella Ganache over cake, allow ganache to cool completely, and serve.

Indiana Garden Salad

I always double this recipe for gatherings.

1 can party peas
1 can French green beans
2 stalks celery, finely cut
1 medium onion, finely cut
1 can pimento, finely cut

Mix above and drain.

Solution:
1 cup sugar (I use 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup salad oil
1 tsp. salt
dash paprika

Pour solution over salad. Let set overnight in fridge. Drain in colander over a bowl. Serve on lettuce leaves. You may use the solution again.

Islander Cheese Ball

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
8 oz. can (can use more) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 Tbsp. green onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. (I use 1 Tbsp) Seasoned Salt
2 cups Chopped Pecans (or other nuts)

Mix cream cheese and pineapple with mixer. Stir in onion, green peppers, and seasoned salt. Add 1/2 cup pecans to mixture. Use remaining 1 1/2 cups of chopped nuts to roll ball in. Cover and chill. Serve with crackers.

Caramel Sauce

½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine in sauce pan; bring to rolling boil over medium heat. Cool. Serve with Apple Cake (on individual slices or pour over cake). Also good on ice cream (and anything else you can think of).

Apple Cake

3 cups sliced or chopped apples (can peel apples first, but not necessary)
1 ½ cups sugar

Pour sugar over apples, set aside, and stir occasionally for one hour. It will make its own syrup.

Combine in bowl:

2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Add to dry mixture:

Apples and syrup
¾ cup oil
2 beaten eggs
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix thoroughly by hand. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees (or until done).
Best served warm with Caramel Sauce.

Caramel Cookie Bars

½ cup margarine (I use Blue Bonnet)
½ cup butter (one stick)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
18 graham crackers, halved

Line a jelly roll pan (15x10x1) with graham crackers. Combine margarine, butter, brown sugar, and nuts in medium saucepan. Bring it to a full boil over medium heat; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon boiled butter and sugar mixture over graham crackers. Bake at 350 F degrees for 13-15 minutes. Cool. Cut caramel graham cracker cookies into squares (or whatever shape you prefer).