Author: Natalie

Peanut Butter Filling for Homemade Reese’s

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I wasn’t aware that making candy wasn’t actually that difficult–it takes some time to tweak out the imperfections, but it’s pretty straightforward. And this filling makes homemade candy worth it. In fact, I used to just make this recipe at Christmas to pass out to friends, but last year, I made it for Valentines, Easter, Halloween (into eyeballs) and of course Christmas too. A Reese’s just isn’t the same after trying one of these . . .

Peanut Butter Filling for Dipped Chocolates

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. peanut butter (I’ve used natural and the other [unnatural?], both work fine)
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
chocolate for dipping (the better the chocolate, the better the candy. Look for Guittard, Ghiradelli or Callebaut in block form)

In a mixing bowl or standing mixer, combine butter and peanut butter until well incorporated (about 2 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix for another 30 seconds. Then, add the sugar; mix for 30 seconds, then the corn syrup, and mix until incorporated. Divide the filling (it will be really soft) into two separate storage containers and refrigerate for at least one hour.

When ready to roll the balls, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Remove one container (the other will get too soft if you take it out now, so leave it in the fridge), and roll the filling into 1/2″ balls (or whatever size you prefer). Place on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough from both containers has been rolled, then place in your freezer for at least one hour.

When ready to dip, temper your chocolate (I won’t get into this process too much here, but tempering involves melting the chocolate and cooling it to about 89-90 degrees, depending on the type, just prior to dipping. Your chocolate will get streaky if it’s not tempered correctly. This, of course, takes practice and it helps to have an instant-read thermometer. There are several helpful websites and cookbooks that can help, too). Line another cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Using a fondue fork or other dipping instrument, spear a peanut-butter ball, and dip in the chocolate, then place on the cookie sheet. Continue until the chocolate is too cold (then you must retemper) or fillings are all dipped. If the filling gets too warm before it’s all dipped, place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before continuing.

When finished, keep the chocolate in the fridge until serving. As the chocolate warm to room temperature, a little bubble of peanut-butter filling forms on the top. This makes them easy to identify–and I don’t know how to prevent it :). Since the filling is soft, it literally melts in your mouth, and is a lot less sugary than Reese’s.

This process sounds involved, but really takes no longer than a batch of cookies with a little experience. And it’s really fun to have homemade candy. I’m pretty sure you’ll love them.

Steakhouse-Style Mini Brown Bread Loaves

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So, about two years we went to dinner at a Steakhouse in Draper, and they served us these enchanting little brown bread loaves. They were a little sweet, a little on the dense side, and a perfect pairing with butter. Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate them, basing my experiments on a recipe from King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book. This is what I’ve come up with; I have to admit that I can’t really remember what the original tasted like, but these look about the same and I imagine they taste comparably good :). They do take longer than most yeast bread to rise (does cocoa powder slow yeast?), so make sure to plan accordingly.

Mini Brown Bread Loaves

1 c. warm water
6 T. butter, melted
1/3 c. honey
4 1/2 c. flour (you can substitute half for whole wheat flour, if you want)
scant T. salt
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. dutch-process cocoa
1 egg
2 1/2 t. yeast

Stir yeast and warm water together and let foam, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, honey, salt, sugar, cocoa, egg, and 1 1/2 c. flour in a standing mixer. Mix with the dough hook for one minute, add the yeast, and combine for another minute. Then, add the flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough comes together, and pulls from the side of the bowl. Continue to knead in the mixer for another 5-7 minutes.

Turn the dough onto the counter and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Place in a deep, greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 2 hours (it will look poofy, but might not fully double in size).

Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into 8-10 pieces. Shape each piece into long, oval rolls (about 5″ x 2″) and place on a baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 1 1/2-2 hours. Again, they might not fully double in size, but will definitely have grown.

Half an hour before baking, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (they will be slightly brown on the bottom or read 200 degrees F). Slice like sandwich bread and serve with soft butter.

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

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I found this recipe about four years ago, and luckily, it’s still on the internet! Our friend Corinne had made something similar, and when I found this recipe, I knew we’d like it, because we are always

This is the Food Network's picture. I think it's a little unappetizing, actually. . .

This is the Food Network's picture. I think it's a little unappetizing, actually. . .

suckers for anything with chipotles in adobo sauce. You can substitute oats or breadcrumbs for the tortilla chips, and perhaps tomato sauce mixed with ketchup (half and half) for the chili sauce, if you want. [Kelly: this isn’t the same meatloaf recipe, but it’s our favorite, and I’ll post the traditional Italian one we have later.] Click on the title below to access the recipe.

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

Gingerbread Cake

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I made this recipe two years ago for our annual Halloween party: it comes out of Martha’s special Halloween Living issue (probably the 2007 edition), and I was mostly attracted to it because she decorated it so well. But, it turns out to be a great gingerbread.  In fact, per Rex’s mom’s request, I’m posting it. The uniqueness of the recipe comes from using the unsulphured molasses–it gives the recipe it’s distinctiveness. Click here to see Martha’s fun Halloween stencils for it, too.


Gingerbread Cake Serves 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan; set aside. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses and grated ginger, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in eggs.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares; dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

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This is Martha's Picture, not mine

Of all the recipes I tried from September’s Everyday Food, this one was my favorite. I made it last week, and I’m planning to make it again this week. Hope you like it. Incidentally, the picture is from Martha, not me.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed (or I used a can of corn)
  • 1 1/2 t. curry powder
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable broth
  • 1/2 c. heavy cream

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high; add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder; cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream; heat through over medium-low (do not boil).

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

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This filling accompanies the Sweet Dough recipe and comes from the Best Make Ahead book. The Orange Cinnamon Roll recipe is my own variation.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. butter, melted

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and cloves in a small bowl. After the first rise of your dough, press the dough out to about 12″ x 16″.  Brush the dough with the melted butter and spread the cinnamon filling across the inside, leaving a 1″ border along the two long edges. Roll the dough up, jelly roll style, from long edge to long edge, and pinch the edge closed. With a sharp serrated knife or with a string, cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered dish, and let rise an additional 45-60 minutes, until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I tried my Aunt Barbara’s filling, and the results were good, but didn’t taste too much different than this easier filling above. However, they did have a nice orange flavor. So, for a sweet roll with orange in it, I would recommend this,

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Before rolling out the dough, combine in a small saucepan
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 t. grated orange peel

Bring to a boil for two minutes, then pour into an 9 x 11 baking dish. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, complete the cinnamon rolls with the filling above, but add an additional 1 t. grated orange peel to the filling. After you have cut the cinnamon rolls, place on top of the syrup and allow to raise. Finish as specified above.

Frosting

Either of the above recipes go well with this frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. whole milk
Beat the ingredients with a mixer until combined, adding more/less powdered sugar to get your desired consistency. Frost the rolls after they have cooled slightly.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon or Sunday Rolls)

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There’s a little tradition at our house of making cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning’s General Conference. Instead of Aunt Ruby’s recipe, I went back to the other recipe I’ve used, which doesn’t stay as moist as Aunt Ruby’s, but has a lighter texture and crumb. So, I’m posting it as an alternative if you, too, want to try something else (this is also in response to Kerstin’s comment on Aunt Ruby’s rolls a long time ago). Note: this recipe is a conglomeration of the Best’s Make Ahead Sweet Dough and my Aunt Barbara’s Sunday Rolls. The higher amount of sugar and butter are from Aunt Barbara’s recipe, the lower amount is from the Best’s, which surprisingly was the main difference in the two recipes.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon Rolls)

2 1/4 t. yeast
1/4-1/2  c. sugar (see note)
1 1/4 t. salt
4 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. powdered milk (or use 1 c. milk, warmed to about 110 degrees in lieu of the dry milk and water)
6-8 T. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)

In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, salt, 4 c. flour, sugar, and powdered milk, if using. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the butter and water. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the egg mixture to the flour. When combined, turn the mixer to medium speed, and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 c. flour after 5 minutes, if the dough is really sticking and is not coming off the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 30 seconds, then place in a deep, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to raise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

You can either then place the bowl in the fridge overnight, or you can push the dough down, shape it, allow it to raise a second time, and bake. Mine is going in the fridge tonight, and I’m trying two different fillings for the morning, so I’ll report how they each go.

Frog-Eye Salad

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This is our family recipe for Frog-Eye Salad, written down by my great-aunt Marilyn. This is one of my favorite froofy salads (a salad which is more of a dessert, but somehow still finds a place on the main dish table at any Utah reunion). Actually, it’s my favorite. I have to admit I was shocked when I brought it to a Rhode Island potluck, and hardly a soul touched it. Can anyone account for this?

Frog-Eye Salad

1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. pineapple juice
1 T. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/4 t. salt
1/2 T. lemon juice
3/4 c. Acini de Pepe macaroni (very important to get the right kind–these are the frog eyes)
1/2 t. vegetable oil
1 t. salt
20 oz. can pineapple slices, drained (use the juice above)
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (use the juice above)
11 oz. can Mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed (or 1 c. whipped cream, my preference)
1 c. miniature marshmallows

In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, pineapple juice, flour, egg, lemon juice and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened and is smooth. Set aside off the heat.

In another large saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Add macaroni, oil, and 1 t. salt. Boil 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse and cool in a colander. Combine with pineapple mixture. Place in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, cut pineapple slices in pieces and combine with crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges (cut smaller, if desired), Cool Whip, and marshmallows, and fold into chilled macaroni mixture. Serves 12-15.

Red Pepper, Chicken and Pesto Pasta

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For me, pesto is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s an easy thing to have on hand. If you make more than you can use in one meal, you can freeze the leftover pesto in muffin trays (or ice cube trays), and toss it in with warm pasta the next time you make it. Anyway, I love this pesto, and it’s a simple dinner.

Pesto

3-4 cloves garlic, skins on
1/4 c. pinenuts
2 c. basil leaves, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt

Warm a small skillet over medium heat, and toast the pinenuts until fragrant and lightly browned (be careful not to scorch–turn the heat down if the nuts are blackening), tossing the pan gently every couple of minutes. Remove nuts to a small bowl to cool, and add the garlic to the pan. Heat garlic until fragrant, and skins have browned as well, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

After nuts and garlic have cooled enough to touch, peel the skins off of the garlic and place both the garlic and nuts in a food processor (I do this in my mini-prep plus–a very small food processor). Add the basil, olive oil and salt and process until finely chopped. Remove to a bowl, and add the parmesan cheese. Pesto is done.

Red Pepper, Chicken, and Pesto Pasta
So, for a meal, I heat some olive oil, saute a diced onion and red pepper until softened (about 8 minutes), and turn off the heat. Meanwhile, I either reheat or cook chicken sausages until done (I like Sweet Italian or Apple Sausage), and then slice them and add the it to the onion and red pepper mixture. I then toss the onion/sausage mixture with cooked pasta (I like either penne or spaghetti) and the pesto in one bowl. It’s a whole meal in one :).

Note: I’ve learned this year that there are a lot of different combinations for pesto that work out well. A few that I’ve tried are substituting 1 c. parsley and 1 c. spinach for the basil, and substituting walnuts for pinenuts. You can also add spinach or parsley to the basic pesto–it keeps the pesto greener and gives it a few more nutrients as well.

Funny!

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So, there’s actually a reason I’ve been dragging my feet in posting lately, and it’s because I’ve been pretty much keeping out of the kitchen while I wait for my nausea to subside. Yep. Formerly, by about week 14, I feel pretty good, so I’m only about 2-3 weeks away from returning, slowly, to my favorite hobby, though by early April, there will be another big break:).

But last week I did start cooking a little again, I just have nothing fantastic to report, except for my favorite pumpkin muffins (it is officially fall, right!), so I had to laugh when I got on to post today. But if anyone is interested in an alternative pumpkin recipe, let me know and I’ll be happy to post it. It’s very similar to Kelly’s, but a little heavier on the spices, and I usually make them into muffins.

I’m looking forward to more cooking soon, but meanwhile, any tips on feeling better? (besides ginger, preggie pops and saltines, that is.)