chocolate pistachio fudge (my way)

Do you like fudge? I don't, really. I find it too sweet. Those fudge shops that you see in the malls and outlets, I cringe when I get near one because of that overwhelming smell of corn syrup. It's just so strong for my nosebuds. And here comes the second part: I do like a lighter fudge, a less sweeter fudge. Let me explain. For me, I think the whole purpose of a good fudge should be a good balance of butter (yes butter), sugar, vanilla (or chocolate or whatever flavor you are making), cream, and some sort of texture. I firmly believe fudge should always have some texture, if not then it's just a block of sugar. Ick. So, with all that said I think I have found a "lighter" version of fudge with a buttery, milky taste; not over-powered by sugar. The consistency is NOT creamy like standard fudge, but more flaky/airy which is perfect for the melting-in-your-mouth factor. Rest assured once you taste it you won't really care that the texture is different because this fudge literally melts away in your mouth. (that was the best part after all this experimenting).
So where do you stand on fudge? Love it hate it? You might want to give this a go if you are on the fence--this might change your mind about all that corn-syrupy fudges. I can tell you this does NOT taste like a block of soft, chocolate sugar. I think you'll love this kind of fudge.

Note: I did NOT get this recipe off a Hershey's can; it's a bit different than that one. I played around with my molasses-peanut chew recipe and came up with this fudge recipe.

chocolate-pistachio fudge
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5 TB salted butter
1 TB butter to grease ceramic/glass dish
5 and ½ ounces high quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup cream
1 & ½ cup white sugar
1 ts high quality vanilla extract
Giant pinch of sea salt
1 or 1 ½ cup of salted, roasted pistachios (use as much or as little as you desire)

Remember this is hot sugar, never touch the hot sugar, never be tempted to taste test, and always use oven mits.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch or 8 x 9 baking dish, set aside. Get out a candy thermometer and clip onto pot.
In a large heavy duty pot (with high sides preferably) combine the butter, chocolate, cream, sugar, and salt. Place over a medium heat and stir constantly and CONSTANTLY scraping the bottom of pan. (You will be doing this for a while). Let it boil and cook until the temperature reaches around 247 -249 (soft ball stage). Once it hits this temperature remove from heat
And add in the vanilla extract (it will make a lot of noise and sizzle, just add in and stand back then stir in)
Once mixed, add in the pistachios, stir, then pour the hot mixture into your prepared buttered baking dish.
Let cool off at room temperature. Should take a couple hours to harden up.
Gently lift it out of baking dish and transfer to a wooden board or plastic cutting board. It might be hard to lift out, I just turned the dish upside down and let gravity pop it out.
Using a sharp knife to cut into little squares. You should get about 20-25 little squares?

sweet potato fries w/ cheeseburger

OK not the most glamorous dish I know. Don't click away. At least think of this dish as meal that you can create/customize to your own liking. If you don't like what I put on it, think about putting your own types of proteins on it. This can easily be a meal; a tasty and creative meal when you break it down and think about the endless toppings that go with sweet potatoes: be it sweet or savory. Still with me? Good.
So lately, with this head cold I've been craving all kinds of foods and creations. Plus I am addicted to sweet potato fries--who isn't? Sweet potatoes are so good for you; nutritional powerhouse, loaded with Vitamin A, and have anti-inflammatory properties which I didn't know. Click here for more info. This dish is really tasty, fast to put together, and almost carb-less. Other inspiration came about from a comment I received when I made the infamous "cheeseburger & sweet potato fries pizza". A person said how they wished they could have this pizza, but are off carbs for a while. Of course that got me thinking why not try and make a "almost" carb-less version of that pizza, but just as tasty? And the best part with this dish is the no carb crash & burn later (which I hate). I know sweet potatoes have some carbs in them, the good carbs. The first round of this I made for breakfast, topping it with cooked sausage and eggs. GOOD stuff! I craved it again and made this version with the cheeseburger.
If you do make this, and I know I will again and again, try it topped with a fried egg or two. And yes, those are pickles on there, but they are bread & butter (sweet). Dill pickles do NOT go too well with this. Also, you all know I have a fussy hubby that hates vegetables and fruits BUT he eats this, all of it. And his dad loves me for that and gives me kisses for it too. Gotta love that right? :-)
The show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is that an excellent show or what? Well one episode they had sweet potato fries loaded with chili, and then another they had Chef Cat Cora giving us her favorite way. So glad to see and hear that sweet potatoes are quickly becoming popular, and even made into restaurant-like chains and food trucks. Wouldn't that be fabulous to have a food truck that serves up sweet potato fries topped with various fresh toppings, themes, and trio's of dipping sauces? I would get my fries topped with a taco salad or maybe a good thai style peanut sauce. If I was in a sweet mood, maybe some warm melted peanut butter with a hint of maple syrup and raisins. How would you top your sweet potato fries?

sweet potato fries w/ cheeseburger
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1 pack of frozen sweet potato fries
1 pound of ground beef
salt & pepper
couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
bread & butter pickles, optional but amazing
ketchup, optional but wonderful

Other ideas:
a couple fried eggs on top
caramelized onions

Bake fries according to package direction.
Brown ground beef.
In the last few minutes of browning the beef add in the Worcestershire sauce, then add in the cheese. Take off heat.
Layer fries on a plate, then add the cheeseburger mixture, and pickles. Or whatever else you fancy.

a good sugar cookie

The perfect sugar cookie, a good sugar cookie--hard to find isn't it?
Well it's hard to recreate too.
What is the perfect sugar cookie? Is it taste, texture, creaminess, the right amount of sugar to butter ratio?
For me it's not being too sweet, with more butterness taste over sugar taste.
What about you? What do you look for?
We all have different likes, wants & needs in a sugar cookie.
I love a light airy cookie with real buttery taste, crisp edges and just a hint of chewiness (a hint!).
Need to have the right sugar sprinkles on my sugar cookies for texture and eye appeal.


Some sprinkles really stink--too corn syrupy tasting or too chemically tasting. Who likes that? Not me. But I have found some really good sugar sprinkles made with pure sugar, no chemicals, and colored naturally. In of all place, my second home: Whole Foods. Yes indeed. They have the best sugar sprinkles. They are a bit pricey, but the flavor is spot on--what one would think a sugar sprinkle should taste and look like: like sugar and like big old chunks of glistening sugar crystals. No dyes, or chemicals either. Best part? The sugar crystals stay crunchy "after" baking. A lot of good bakers look for that. So give these a go, you can find them at any Whole Foods in the baking section, next to the jimmies, in the same area as the extracts, herbs, and spices.

This recipe, if you do make them try using the European butter.
It's just a better grade of butter with a better flavor; a richer flavor of butter.
So if you like light sugar cookie with a hint of chewiness, gentle crisp edges and incredible pure butter flavor, then give these a go. I promise you will love these. When I made these for friends they were not only gone in a matter of minutes but everyone wanted the recipe. That good! These are perfect for any Easter functions you have coming up; way better than store bought.

perfect sugar cookie

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2 sticks unsalted butter, grated & kept cold (use European butter if you can, makes all the diff)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 TB pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all purpose flour (13 ½ oz)
1 ts sea salt
1 and ¼ ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda

course sugar sprinkles, for decorating

In a bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix butter and both sugars until just mixed. It won’t be creamy because butter is so cold—that’s ok. Add the egg and vanilla, mix till just incorporated.
Add in the dry to the wet and mix till just incorporated—never over mix. The dough should be a little dry. We want to mix as little as possible as we don’t want the butter to get too warm nor do we want gluten to start forming—this will give us a nice light, airy, crispy cookie. Place bowl in fridge to chill/firm up. At least an hour, longer if its warm weather.
When ready to bake preheat oven to 375 degrees. You can divide dough how ever you like; I wanted large cookie so I made “almost” golfball sized balls and kept them round as they will spread when baking. Roll the balls in the sugar sprinkles on one side (or both if you desire). Place onto parchment lined cookie trays or non stick cookie trays. Do not press flat.
Bake for 18-22 minutes—all depending on your oven. Look for almost golden brown edges.
I got about 15-17 large cookies; if you make them smaller maybe you will get about 25-30 cookies, I don't know haven't made them small yet.

cake mix muffins

I must be the only person on the planet that did not know this. Cake mixes make wonderful last minute muffins. You all know this already right? I feel like an idiot. Rarely do I buy cake mixes, but when I made the cake pops I got an extra box just in case (don't all the foodies always get an extra this or that to store/hoard?). So when the cake mix box meets the 3 pounds of blueberries I have sitting err rotting away in my fridge I said why not? Let's give this a go. And I added on some crumb topping too.
These were definitely quick and easy to make, but a little too sweet for me. Cake mix was very sweet when mixed with the blueberries and crumb topping. But the overhang edges, or the muffin tops were good. Crispy edges are the best part! I always overfill my muffins tins just for the crispy edges--I'm badass like that.
But if you ever need a last minute muffin and have very little time, these will come in handy. But you already knew that....

cake mix blueberry muffins w/ crumb topping
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muffin batter:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 pint of blueberries

crumb topping:
1 cups flour
1 cups packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoons coarse salt
½ TB ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease up jumbo muffin trays (mine got 12 jumbo).
In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the crumb topping, set aside.
Mix up the cake batter according to box directions. Fold in the blueberries carefully.
Fill up the muffin cups about ¾ full, sprinkle on the crumb topping.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes? Can’t remember but check them at the 30 minute mark.
I got 12 oversized muffins. I would imagine about 24 regular size?

cheeseburger and sweet potato fries pizza

Love my weekly homemade pizza nights. It's a time for me to get creative and think of new (quick & easy) ways to kick up my pizza. So while staring blindly into the freezer for 15 minutes I couldn't think of anything to top my pizza. But staring back at me the whole time was a bag of sweet potato fries. Well, yeah, duh. Why not? And it worked fabulously. You really need to try this. It's so easy, quick to put together, and the leftovers (cold) are to die for. I'll just let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
And oh one more thing, this is the PERFECT way to get your kids (or fussy hubby) to eat vegetables.

Cook notes: make sure to let your sweet potato fries thaw a bit before using, about 30 - 45 minutes. You want them still firm but thawed just a bit. I know I've said this before but the whole grain pizza dough from whole foods is to die for good (freezes perfectly too).

cheeseburger & sweet potato fries pizza

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1 pizza dough (I love whole foods whole grain pizza)

A few TB of ketchup

1-2 cups mozzarella cheese, chunks or shredded

¾- 1 lb COOKED ground beef (whatever amount you have is fine)

Small bag of sweet potato fries, thawed for at least 30-45 minutes

Caramelized onions

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 475.

If you want caramelized onions then sauté 1 and ½ sweet onions with olive oil in a sauté pan until just brown.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil.

Make sure to cook your ground beef, don’t over cook it, can under cook just a bit because we are cooking it again in the oven.

Spread out pizza dough on sheet, place a thin layer of ketchup over dough.

Then a layer of cheese.

Then a layer of the cooked ground beef.

Then a layer of the partially thawed sweet potato fries.

Then top off with the caramelized onions.

Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes, turning pan halfway thru cooking.

Cook until desired doneness or crispy edges. Salt and pepper this when it’s fresh out of the oven.

You really have to let this cool before slicing into it. I know it’s hard. But the center of the pizza is molten hot.

midori cake pops

Do you like my cake pop french man in the middle with his white chocolate beret? I kind of dig him. He has great eyebrows don't you think? No one has eaten him--I don't want to lose him, I like him, kind of like Tom Hanks loved his volleyball turned best friend in the movie "Cast Away". I tried making a surfer dude with gnarly hair using the coconut (behind french man), but it didn't work so well.

Cake pops are literally sweeping the nation. I've even seen them in Starbucks! Is there a "cake pops for dummies" book out yet? Was it really Bakerella that invented them? I've been meaning to make them for a long time, but got lazy because they are labor intensive! Hard lil critters to make. To be clear, cake pops are labor intensive, the cake balls not so much. With the balls there is no stick to fiddle with or drying upright to keep a smooth complexion.

I didn't want to make just any cake pop, I wanted flavor-- funky flavor that would stand out and pair well with the chocolate dipping melts. Dipping melts don't taste like pure chocolate, and if you have a chocolate palate like I do then dipping melts are a very different flavor. Although I do see why they are used for these cake pops, they dry fast and have a harder, tougher coating than regular chocolate.
When my friend Anna over at cookie madness made (long long time ago) a midori cake, I kept that in the back of my mind to use for a cake of my own.

If you do make these midori cake pops I HIGHLY recommend dipping them in coconut. I should have toasted the coconut first--it would have tasted amazing.

Food Hindsight is always 20/20!

**cooking notes: if you are making cake pops (not balls) please make sure to invest in a large Styrofoam board for placing the cake pops on for drying. I did not. And should have. Read the recipe instructions below carefully as you will be swapping out water and replacing it with midori liquor. I thought the color of the cake pops would be green they are not. If you want them green to represent the midori flavoring then add in a couple drops of green dye to the cake batter before cooking. I used Wiltons candy melts, pens, sticks, bags, etc....The midori flavor is very gentle, not strong at all. I kind of like it that way, so it worked out perfectly. If you did want a stronger midori flavor maybe you could add some to the melted candy melts? But don't know how they would dry/set up. I dipped all my cake pops in a layer of pink candy melts, from there i either added on a 2nd layer of different color candy melts or went the coconut/sprinkle route. Do what whatever creativity you feel. Most of all have fun. If you want a better tutorial than mine (I know mine isn't the best) head over to Bakerella, she is the queen of cake pops after all.

midori cake pops
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1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
**for midori balls (melon flavor): reduce the amount of water you add when making the cake batter by ½ cup and add in it’s place 2 nips of Midori liquor (1/2 cup)**
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper
Assorted candy melts
lollipop sticks
sprinkles
shredded or toasted coconut
edible ink pens (optional)

Cook cake as per directions in a 13 x 9 pan. Cool, then crumble with your hands, mix in the frosting and mix well. I did NOT use the whole can of frosting; there was maybe 2 TB left. But use your own judgment.
Get you baking sheet with wax paper ready. Take the mixture and roll into small golfballs. You should get about 40-50?
Melt just a little bit of chocolate in a cup or bowl as we are going to dip the sticks in the chocolate to hold the pops in place. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.). Place back on wax covered sheet and into the freezer for a little while to firm up

Ready to dip:
melt chocolate color of your choice in ceramic coffee cups (or bowls) in the microwave per directions on package. I did one minute intervals with a quick stir. (it was easier to use ceramic coffee cups as they are easier for dipping). Get your Styrofoam blocks ready.
Gently dip the cake pops in the chocolate with a rolling method, lift up and continue rolling to get off excess and get a smooth coating. Now if you want to want to add sprinkles and/or coconut to a certain number of pops do it now, then back into fridge for cooling.
Once firm, you can either add another layer of chocolate dip for color/decoration. If you do then back into the freezer to firm up again.
Once dry, draw faces with an edible ink pen.

pb and root beer bundt cake

Remember when I first made the infamous root beer cake from Baked? Seems like years ago. Today it's still one of my favorites. No it really is. It's simple to make and packs a powerhouse of flavor. It's easily one of those cakes you can bring to a function/party to wow friends because it is so unique and tasty. Did you know that the bundt pan was actually invented by a person? I didn't. His name was David Dalquist--here is a little ditty on him here and here. He also invented/started Nordic Ware. But originally he called it the "bund" pan. Interesting. His success of the bundt pan stemmed from 1966 winner of the Pillsbury Bake Off, where a texas woman (Ella Helfrich) made a "tunnel of fudge cake" using the bundt pan. And from there 1000's of people wanted to make the tunnel of fudge cake at home--thus buying up bundt pans like crazy. I love the concept of bundt pans, just wish they weren't so strange looking. Coat them with enough frosting or glaze and they are better....looking.

Since I do like to make this root beer cake, a lot in fact, I've had it in my mind for a while to somehow kick it up a notch. Peanut butter was the easiest choice and so was pistachios. Who doesn't love a peanut butter sandwich with a cold glass of root beer? Peanut butter and root beer do pair very well together; the salty pb frosting layer adds a nice, gentle layer of salt.

root beer-peanut butter bundt cake
inspired from: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
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cake:
1 & 1/2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)

1/2 cup of root beer schnapps (if you can't find root beer schnapps use 2 cups of root beer instead of the 1 & 1/2 cups as stated above)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ts salt
2 large eggs

peanut butter frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 ts pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 3 cups for extra thick)
2 TB milk

root beer frosting (I halved this, since I didn’t want a thick layer):
2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ts salt
¼ cup root beer or 1/8 cup of root beer schnapps
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2½ cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it, dust with flour, and knock out excess flour.
In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, root beer schnapps (if using), cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into a cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy - do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.
Make the pb frosting:
Blend cream cheese and peanut butter together, adding vanilla and confectioners' sugar gradually with 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. Beat with electric mixer until of spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cake.
I like to put a thick(er) layer of pb frosting on, let that set, then the root beer frosting.
Make the root beer fudge frosting:
Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.
Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving.

Winter 2011 and other stuff...

Thought I'd change things up a bit with some photos of winter here on cape cod, what I've been up to, foods that made me fat this winter, fun stuff, neat stuff, etc... Photos taken with my iphone, so they aren't the best. Enjoy.

First up, the infamous Nauset Beach from cape cod national seashore. A stunning place to go to in the winter because it's so remote, quiet, raging, unpredictable, fierce and calming all at the same time. Very cold too. Even on the hottest of days in summer there is always a chill in the air along with the wind. This winter I braved it and went for a walk. It was so cold, the wind literally cuts your face. You have to be well prepared with layers of clothes and depending on the wind, a face mask. But as the old saying goes, a walk on the beach really clears the head.

There is a secret private beach club on cape cod that is a playhouse/clubhouse for the uber-rich to go to in the summer. Obviously no access is allowed in summer to the public, but this winter the gate was wide open for construction. Of course I had to sneak in and walk around--who wouldn't? This place is stunning. I'm not allowed to mention the place, where it is--I was asked not to. But here is a sneak peek of what the rich do in the summertime. This photo shoot was one of the highlights of my winter--stunning place.

the detail in masonary of this seawall was amazing.

not only are the homes on the beach, but they have a whole other section of private beach.

This winter I gained some weight....