Hot Chocolate Mix

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cups chocolate chips (milk)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

1 1/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain salt

1 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pinch or more to taste ground cayenne pepper and/or cinnamon, optional

Hot milk or water to serve 

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse/blitz till mixed. Use 1 Tablespoon mix for every 1/2 Cup of Liquid.

Spicy White Cheddar Pimento Cheese

This next recipe I came up with in an effort to imitate (sincerest form of flattery, right?) a specific flavor from a local company but without the preservatives, or the cost.

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese softened

6 oz. of Aged White Cheddar, shredded
3 Tbs. Mayonnaise
3 Tbs. Sour cream or milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of black pepper (optional)
1 4 oz. jar of pimentos, drained, or 8 oz. if you like it Pimento-y

1 teaspoon Jalapeno flakes + 1/2 teaspoon Habanero flakes

Carrot or Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot or Pumpkin Spice Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) of Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups shredded carrot (or 1-15 ounce can of Pumpkin puree)
1/3 cup Buttermilk or yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract (optional) 
3/4 cup of flour White flour
3/4 cup of Whole Wheat flour (I really love Bob's Red Mill Pastry WW flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon Cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger

You could add nuts and/or raisins if that's your thing

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in Sugar, salt, and spices. Beat in Eggs, mix in Buttermilk and Carrots. I simply add the flour on top, mixing in the baking powder and soda into the flour prior to combining with the wet ingredients beneath. Pour into a greased glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, 25-30 if cupcakes. Remember, spice cake is always better the next day.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup butter
8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Soften butter in microwave, add cream cheese. Beat till combined, add vanilla and sugar, beat till smooth.  Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and split lengthwise

2 Tablespoons Prepared Dijon Mustard 

6 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise 

3 Tablespoons minced onion 

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley or Chives

Sea Salt to taste 

Paprika or Cayenne Pepper 

 

To Hard Boil Eggs: Place cold eggs in a 2 quart saucepan and cover eggs by an inch with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 12 minutes then immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath and let rest till cool. 

 

Refrigerate eggs. By getting the eggs really cool, peeling will be much easier. The cold helps the egg shrink inside the shell. Peel the eggs and rinse under cold water to remove any shell fragments. 

 

Halve the eggs lengthwise and you are ready to devil. 

 

Remove the yolk from the egg halves and collect in a large bowl. Mash with a fork. 

Add the Mayonnaise, Mustard, Onion, and pinches of salt, and blend until smooth. 

 

Warning: for some reason Deviled Eggs do not need much salt and it is very easy to over salt the yolk mixture.

 

Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture into the egg halves. I like to place the halves on paper towels so they don’t slide around. As a finishing touch sprinkle Paprika or Cayenne Pepper and the minced Parsley or Chives on top.

 

Transfer the eggs to a serving platter.

Tuna Fish Salad

1 can of Tuna Fish packed in water (I use Wild Planet)

1/3 cup of Mayonnaise

1 large rib of Celery finely diced

2 Tablespoons of minced Red Onion

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon minced fresh Parsley

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

It never hurts to let this sit covered in the fridge for 4 hours before eating, if you can wait. I like it on whole wheat bread sprinkled with a little Cayenne pepper.

Hobbit Day! A Feast for Hobbits

September 22 is Hobbit Day!  Apparently it is the celebration of Bilbo's 111 ith birthday.

There are 6 Hobbit meals a day, 7 (according to the movies, if you include 2nd breakfast).

So, for my Hobbits here's what I prepared, with some Apple Cider to wash it all down with, Beer or Wine for the adults.  We ended up doing this over 2 days otherwise we would not have been able to eat all this food!

Breakfast:

Bacon and Eggs

Second Breakfast:

Marmalade Toast

Elevensies:

Guiness Brown Bread with Kerrygold Butter

Lunch:

Baguette with Cheese

Bangers (Sausages)

Sauteed Cabbage and Onions in Bacon fat with Salt and Pepper

Roasted Po-Ta-Toes in Bacon Fat, Salt and Pepper

Tea Time:

Victorian Seed Cake (not so good) or Zucchini Spice Muffin

Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Dinner:

Mushroom Stew (Technically this time it was Shitake and Pork Ramen with Napa Cabbage, Bamboo, and an Egg, not exactly Hobbit fare, but it was leftover and needed to be eaten, no Hobbit would turn down mushrooms.)

Supper:

Zucchini Spice Muffins

Next Time:

Lemon Poppy seed Cake next time, or Blackberry Tarts, or Scones, or Hand Pies or all of them!

Loose Beef

1 pound 80/20 (I get angus) ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced

Saute ground beef over medium high heat until browned.  Add onion and stir till starting to brown.  Add pepper and saute for another few minutes.  Salt to taste

I use this as a base for my spaghetti, sloppy joes, and chili.  It is very versatile.

While I cook the beef I am boiling water and then cooking spaghetti.  I am in love with the Kroger Private Selection Arrabiatta Spicy Marinara Sauce.  And of course I top my bowl with a heaping of shredded Asiago.