August: Potlucks!

August Theme: Potlucks. What do you take with you?

Friday, February 22, 2008

Grandma Poulsen's Fudge

This is my Grandma's famous fudge recipe - it's the best I've tasted! She makes it for every family gathering. I've never actually made it (Casey doesn't like fudge -surprise...) but all your yummy recipies have got me motivated to try it!

4 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
1 large Hershey bar
1 pint marshmallow cream
12 oz. chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts (optional)

Break up chocolate bar and place in a bowl with the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream.

Mix sugar, butter, and milk in a heavy pan. Boil until it reaches a soft ball stage (235 degrees) - approx. 20 - 25 minutes. Pour over mixture in bowl. Add vanilla and nuts. Stir. Press into a buttered 9x13 pan. Cool before cutting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

Sorry, I can be horrible at posting. I added 2
chocolate recipes. And very funny Heather!
But you're right...I love chocolate!

Plan ahead……needs to chill

20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, set aside 4
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup peanut butter
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
1 carton (16 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-in. square dish. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
In another mixing bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners’ sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

Makes about 12-16 servings.

Snicker's Pie

(Makes 2 pies)

(For one pie just half everything)
-2 baked pie shells
-6 snicker’s candy bars

Divide snickers, 3 per pie shell. Cut up bars in pieces and press down in a layer into the bottom of pie shell, gently.

Beat until smooth:
-2 bricks cream cheese (16 oz. total)
-2/3 cup sugar

Then add:
-2 eggs
-½ cup sour cream
-½ cup peanut butter

Pour filling equally into the 2 pie shells. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. Meanwhile,

Melt over LOW heat 2-3 on Stove-(This is for one pie)
-1 cup milk chocolate chips
-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

When pie is nearly done, melt chips and cream and pour over baked pies, spreading evenly across the top. Cool, and then put pies in the freezer overnight. In the morning put pie in fridge to thaw, or on counter. To serve, cut using a hot knife (by running hot water over it for a bit.) to cut through pie and serve. Keep pie in freezer covered if you are saving it for a later time.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Dulce De Leche Hot Cocoa


Some of you have this recipe, but I had to share it with those that don't. It's so rich and yummy! And perfect for the horrible winter weather. (Although the snow is finally starting to melt here! YAY!) I'll take a picture next time I make it and add it to the post so it looks pretty . . .

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
4 cups milk
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
Aerosol whipped cream
Caramel ice cream topping

In medium saucepan, combine cocoa and ½ cup of the milk; beat with wire whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Stir in remaining 3½ cups milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Return to medium heat; continue cooking and stirring until mixture is thoroughly heated.

Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream. Drizzle caramel topping over each and serve immediately. (4 servings)

Turkey Chili Cheese Burgers

Ok, I know this month is chocolate, but I made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit, so I thought I'd share. I was trying to make a Rachael Ray recipe and found myself drastically simplifying it so that I could feed Jeanette her dinner at the same time! Here's the result.

Turkey Chili Cheese Burgers

Combine:
1 lb. ground turkey
2 Tbl. chili powder
1 Tbl. cumin
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
a few shakes of seasoned salt

Mix it with your hands and form into 4 burgers. Cook in a medium-high frying pan coated with olive oil for 6 minutes on each side. When you flip them, place cheddar slices on top to melt. Serve on burger buns with your favorite condiments.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Hot Fudge Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Blend in Bowl:
1 C sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Add:
1/2 C milk
2 Tbsp Canola oil
1C chopped nuts (optional)

Spread in a square pan.

In a 2nd smaller bowl blend:
1 C brown sugar (packed)
1/4 C cocoa powder

Sprinkle this mixture over batter. Pour 1 3/4 C hot water over contents in pan.

Bake 45 minutes.

Truffle Brownie Cups

This is one of my favorite Pampered Chef recipes. You can even make the ganache separately and use it in whatever other dessert you want to (or you can keep it in the ziploc and squeeze it into your mouth if it has been a rough day--nothing wrong with that.)

Um, where are Kathy's recipes? Have I been away way too long, or isn't chocolate still one of her favorite food groups??

1 2/3 cups chocolate chips
2 T butter (NOT margarine)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325.
Spray mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray that has flour added (the brownies come out much easier that way). Place 2/3 cup chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl with the butter. Microwave on high 40-60 seconds or until smooth, stirring after each 20 second interval. Add sugar and egg, stir until smooth. Add flour and stir until just incorporated. Using two teaspoons (I just use my small scoop) divide batter evenly among wells. Flatten the top to make smooth surface. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set (DO NOT overbake).

Meanwhile, pour cream into microwave safe bowl. Heat on HIGH for 1-2 minutes our until hot. Add the rest of the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Place bowl into freezer for 10-12 minutes or until mixture is cool and starting to thicken. Stir and place in ziploc baggie.

Remove pan from oven; cool 2 minutes. Press tops of brownies to make a well. Cool in pan 3 minutes. Trim ziploc baggie and pipe ganache into each brownie well. Garnish as desired. (Whipped cream, cherries, strawberries, orange zest, nuts, etc.)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Hot Chocolate Cake

Super decadent dessert without the hard work!

Hot Chocolate Cake:
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for coating
3 T. flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 C. sugar, plus extra for dusting
10 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375. Generously butter, flour, and sugar pie plate or 10" springform pan. Place butter and chocolate in medium heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or a double boiler) and melt, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. While chocolate is cooling, beat eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt and sugar at highest mixer speed until volume doubles and the mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir the 3T flour into the chocolate, then gradually add to egg mixture, beating on low until fully mixed. Pour into pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or 17-20 minutes for a more gooey center. Remove from oven, sprinkle with marshmallows (don't cover whole thing; they'll expand), then bake for another 2-4 minutes until the marshmallows start to turn brown. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Chocolate Roll-up Cake


This one is great for birthdays or for Christmas. I've been making them every Christmas ever since I learned how in a French class. You can mix it in the blender, mixing the eggs until they are foamy and then adding everything else. It is a lot easier, but the results aren't quite the same. Here's the Yule Log we made this Christmas.


Chocolate Ice Cream Cake Roll/Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

Cake:
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 375. Line a jelly roll pan with foil (or you can fold up the sides of a piece of foil to about 11x16x1 and place it on a cookie sheet if you don’t have one) and grease and flour generously. Beat egg whites until foamy, then gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks with vanilla on high speed about 3 minutes, and then gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating 2 more minutes. Combine dry ingredients and add to the egg yolks, alternating with the water. Fold into the egg whites. Spread into the foil-lined pan and bake 12-15 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert the pan onto a kitchen towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Quickly and carefully remove the foil and roll the cake up in the towel. Roll from a long end if you want more small servings and from a short end if you want less and bigger servings. Don’t give up if the cake breaks a little; you can often repair it with frosting. Allow the cake to cool before filling. Fill with softened ice cream, pudding, frosting, or the following filling. Leave a couple of inches at the end unfilled and roll it up, placing the cake seam side down on serving dish. Glaze or frost and refrigerate (freeze immediately if it is filled with ice cream!).
For a traditional French Christmas dessert, decorate the cake with chocolate frosting and use a fork to score the frosting to look like bark. Then, sift powdered sugar over the top to look like snow and decorate with holly leaves. You can even cut off a piece and reattach it with frosting to look like a forked branch. You can get really creative with the fillings and frostings and make it a treat for any occasion.

Filling:
Beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream until slightly thickened. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup finely crushed candy cane, peppermint candies (or 1/2 tsp mint extract). Add a few drops red food coloring. Beat until stiff.

Glaze:
Melt 2 Tbl. butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add 2 Tbl. cocoa and 2 Tbl. water, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Do not boil. Remove from heat and blend in 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Drizzle over filled cake.

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

Ooey, gooey cookie bars with two of my favorite ingredients in the whole world: chocolate and caramel!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x9 inch square pan. Combine flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine, mixture will be very crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the chocolate chips, nuts and caramel over the crust . Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let bars cool before cutting.

Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Martha Stewart also has a really good recipe called "Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies" as well. The recipes are similar but sometimes one turns out better than another.

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. hot water
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. baking soda
1 c. white sugar
1 c. butter
1 egg
1 T. butter
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. peanut butter
1//2 c. milk

1. Cream together 1 c. of butter & the egg. ADd 1 c. white sugar, vanilla & hot water. Stir in flour, cocoa & baking soda & mix well.
2. Drop from teaspoon onto cookie sheets and bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes. Sandwich cookies together with frosting.
3. Frosting: Blend 1 T. butter & peanut butter. Stir in powdered sugar & add enough milk to make frosting soft enough to spread. Spread between flat sides of cookies! Enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse


I believe life isn't complete until one has tasted chocolate mousse. My oldest brother went to France on his mission and mastered the art of making chocolate mousse. He would make it for us when he came back. I was so young, this was such a treat for me to have CHOCOLATE. So I have loved it ever since. However, I have not been able to have it lately because of the semi-raw eggs in it. Gross when you think about it, but so delicious when you eat it!

1 2/3 c. heavy cream
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. light corn syrup
2 T. water
7 oz. melted chocolate (what kind is your choice)
1 t. pure vanilla extract
salt

1. Put 1 2/3 c. cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Put 4 egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale & frothy, 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1/4 c. sugar, 2 T. corn syrup & 2 T. water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down the side of the bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate, 1 t. vanilla & a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula.
3. Add 1/3 of chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard any solids.

Chocolate Praline Layer Cake

This is the recipe I made, but I would change some things about it for next time. I wouldn't make it a layer cake, just one big 9X13 pan cake. Cook it and then flip it so praline side is up. And I would frost with something else besides whipped cream, the texture just wasn't right for the cake, I thought. I would try buttercream or a caramel frosting.

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1 pkg. Devil's Food cake mix
1 1/4 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325*. In a saucepan, combine the butter, 1/4 c. whipping cream & brown sugar. Cook over low heat until butter is just melted, stirring occasionally. Pour into two 8" round cake pans. Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil & eggs at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at highest speed. Carefully spoon batter over the pecan mixture.
3. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from the pans & cool completely.
4. In a small bowl, beat the 1 3/4 c. whipping cream until soft peaks form. Blend in powdered sugar & vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form.
5. To assemble the cake, place one layer on a serving plate, praline side up. Spread with half of eh whipped cream. Top with the second layer. Frost with the remaining whipped cream. Store in refrigerator.

Friday, February 8, 2008

MilkyWay Bar Cake

This is my family's favorite treat at Christmas time. I think this year we must have made at least 10 during the holiday season for everyone to enjoy.

13 fun size milkyway bars
½ C. butter or margarine
*melt together

Prepare batter:
½ C. butter or margarine
2 C. sugar
4 eggs
2 ½ C. sifted flour
½ t. baking soda
1 ¼ C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 C. chopped nuts (if desired)
*Add melted candy bars to batter. Bake in bundt pan that is greased and floured for 1 hr. 20 min. (I usually do 70 min.) at 350 degrees. Dust with powdered sugar when cooled.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Chocolate-Dipped Brownies

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 Tbs. water
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbs. shortening

1. In a saucepan, bring the sugar, butter and water to a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and vanilla; stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; stir into the chocolate mixture. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.

2. Pour into a greased 9-in square pan. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes or unitl set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Place in freezer for 30-40 minutes - do not freeze completely. Cut into bars.

3. In a saucepan, melt remaining chips with shortening; stir until smooth. Using a fork, dip the brownies in chocolate to completely coat; shake off excess. Place on waxed paper. Let stand until set. Enjoy!
*You can sprinkle with pecans or other nuts if you desire.

Thank you Kirsten for making the suggestion. I was wondering what I was going to do!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Marshmallow Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

2 squares butter softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa (Saco, Hersheys)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 large package marshmallows

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and then add everything else. Bake at 350 in a 9x13 inch pan for 20 - 25 minutes. Add marshmallows and bake for 2 minutes (until melted not brown)

Frosting
In sauce pan combine:
1/2 square butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup canned milk (can use 1% or higher)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Frost over the warm marshmallows. You can freeze until cool about two hours and then cut. Also you can make a week or so ahead of time and they stay great in the freezer.

Great theme for this month! I might have another recipe to share if I can find my cookbooks among all the boxes surrounding me. May I make a request? I have the recipe, but I think Katrina should share her Chocolate Dipped Brownies with those of you who are new. So Katrina if you are reading this, I think you should add that one . . . or let me know and I'll add it for you. (I already have it typed up because I'm putting it into my family cookbook and taking the credit for all the chocolatey goodness! Hope you don't mind.)