Nutella Tartlets

I thought it was such a cute and fun idea of her making Star Wars characters topping for her Star Wars fanatic dad!

Stuck in the house for two consecutive days due to snowstorm...other than painting, my Sweetpea and I have been baking like crazy!  At the same time, hubby is out of town and we always surprise him with a dessert as our "welcome home" gesture, although Sweetpea would always go the extra mile of making him homemade cards and little arts and crafts (she's good at it...I'm not!  And God bless her heart for being so thoughtful) but I'd rather stick to what's in the kitchen.  Brainstorming for the perfect dessert for this guy was a challenge because we can only work with what we have in hand (remember, we're stuck!) and it has to be with chocolate or Nutella (that's a huge deal!).  So after gathering all potential ingredients this Nutella Tartlets came to mind.  We thought they were so adorable that she even made them a "Star Wars" (hubby's fave) theme toppings out of black paper and toothpicks (told ya' this girl is so creative)!  And the best part, they were so good that we both scraped leftovers from the bowl, HA!


6 store-bought frozen mini tart shells, thawed
1cup half and half
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup Nutella (add more or less to your liking)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Chopped roasted hazelnuts or any nuts you have (we use peanuts)
Pinch of salt


Pre-bake your tartlets according to package direction.  Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk cornstarch and 1/2 cup of cream until incorporated.  On a small sauce pan add the rest of the cream, vanilla extract, Nutella and salt.  Then add cornstarch mixture into the pan and put
on stove top  and heat it up, stirring gently until it boils.  Continue stirring until sauce thickens, about
2 minutes.  Turn off heat, pour Nutella sauce on each tart shells all the way up.  Garnish with nuts.  Put in the fridge for an hour or so until firm.  Serve and enjoy!


Yield: 6 mini tartlets

Jesus' Birthday Cake (Nutella Cheesecake)

It's a tradition in our family every Christmas day to have a birthday cake for Jesus because He is the reason for this season.  We've decided every year we can change up the flavor of the cake as long as we stay true to the meaning and significance of it.  This year, we made Nutella Cheesecake.  You can get the recipe at http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/nutella-cheesecake and added our own twist which is adding shaved white chocolate and cherries on top... oh, so good!  This cake represents the following...

* The shape of the cake is round to represent the world into which Jesus was born.
* The bottom (inner) layer is black to represent the sin in us, which is why Jesus came to the earth.
* The red coloring is Jesus' blood that was shed on the cross for our sin.
* The pure white frosting is the purity and righteousness of Christ.
* The red candle (not shown on picture) represents Jesus who came into the dark world to bring light and truth to all who are willing to receive it.

• 10 oz graham crackers
• 5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 1 x 13 oz jar Nutella (at room temperature)
• ¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 1 lb cream cheese (at room temperature)
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar (sifted) 
  

  Method

• Break the digestives into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.
• Tip into a 23cm/9inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.
• Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.
• Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

Additional information - for vegetarians make sure the cream cheese does not contain rennet


Recipe Courtesy:  Nigella Lawson

Hot Chocolate

This time of the year when the weather drops low and the coldness exerts, my family loves sipping on hot chocolate any time of the day.  Did I tell you we are chocolate lovers hot, cold or room temperature?  Yep, we are :).  I find ourselves indulging hot chocolate every day....so I thought, why not make them from scratch?  This way, I know what ingredients are in it and enjoying it guilt-free.  This is very easy, simple and best of all, it's all natural and amazingly delectable!  Not to brag but it tastes better than what's out there.  So convenient to make, all you have to do is drop one chocolate ball in a cup of milk, heat it up for a minute or two,  enjoy!


2 cups semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup half and half (skinnier version) or heavy cream (if you prefer creamier)
pinch of salt
Organic milk (I use 2%)
reddi whip for garnish, optional
small marshmallows for garnsih, optional
chocolate shavings for garnish, optional
small cupcake liners
small cupcake tin

Mix chocolate, salt and half & half in a microwavable bowl.  Heat up for 1 minute or so until melted, stir.   Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of chocolate mixture (about a golf ball size) and put on each of paper cups.  Put in the freezer for about an hour or until hard and transfer it to a ziplock bag and freeze.

When use:
Take one chocolate ball and put in a plate and microwave for 10 seconds to loosen chocolate from the paper cup.  Drop chocolate in a cup of milk and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir.  Then microwave for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stir until chocolate has completely melted, garnish with marshmallows, reddi whip and chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

To Die For Pot Roast

Fall has just arrived!  I loooooove everything about fall from nature's beautiful change of colors, the comfort foods, hot cocoa, cozy and cuddly weather, fall festivities (farm and orchard trips, apple picking, yay!) and let's not forget fashion, as well (cardigans, light jackets, jeans and boots....oh my!).  As you can tell, fall is my kind of weather...my kind of style... and has my kind of comfort foods.  There's something about it that excites me!
I have been dying to make this pot roast for the longest time and just waited for the right moment, right time to make it.  Today, the weather seems cooperating with me as it's kind of cool out there already....so, I figured today is the day for this mouth-watering deliciousness plated and accessorized just the way hubby would eat his pot roast (smothered over pasta which in my case would be rice as most of you know I eat rice with everything, ha!...and a steamed corn in a cob on the side, yum!).

1 (4-5 lb) beef roast
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dried Italian salad seasoning (I use half only, personal preference)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry
1/2 cup water
3 big carrots, chopped (optional)
3 long sticks celery, chopped (optional)

Place beef roast in crock pot. Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast.  Drop chopped carrots and celery around, and pour water around the roast.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours.  Enjoy!


Yield:  8 servings
Recipe Courtesy:  Food.com, by yooper

Banh Mi

Here's something I've never made before, Banh Mi!  It's a Vietnamese sandwich loaded with meat (shrimp, beef or chicken which in this case I use pork), veggies and its unique and flavorful homemade sauce.  Once in a while, I give my dear hubby the privilege to choose the kind of dish or food I should offer/make for him since in our household, weekday dishes are my responsibility and the weekends are his, giving "mama" a chance to sit back, relax and be served:)).  So, he chose Banh Mi!  Oh boy, what's wifey gonna do...so Banh Mi it is!  Thank goodness it turned out scrumptiously good!!!

1 french baguette, cut lengthwise (divide into 4 servings)
1 pound pork loin, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Mix all ingredients and let it marinade for an hour or longer.
Pan-fry meat (both sides) in a medium heat until brown, doing in batches.  Do not overcrowd them. 


Condiment Fillings:
1 big carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
handful of cilantro leaves
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

In a bowl, mix shredded carrot and rice vinegar.  Set aside and let it soak.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt or kefir cream (I prefer to use kefir for probiotic boost)

1 teaspoon fish sauce

juice of half a lime, freshly squeezed

a splash of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce (optional)

How to assemble:
Open warm baguette in half (serving pieces), spread the mayo sauce at the bottom part.  Arrange the following in order...sliced cucumber, cooked meat, sliced onions, drained shredded carrot, topped with cilantro leaves, then add the top part of baguette.  Enjoy with your favorite chips on the side!

Breakfast Sandwich

A good day always starts with a good breakfast.  Okay, I have to confess that I'm in looooove with this breakfast sandwich!!!  Did I tell you that I always look forward to Saturday mornings because of this?...well, other than spending quality time with the family, of course.  It's my dear hubby's breakfast specialty which he owns the kitchen on weekends, by the way.  I thank the Lord for a man not just knows how to cook but can cook good!!! :)

4 serving size individual ciabatta bread or a loaf and cut into serving pieces

Asiago cheese, cut in thin slices

4 eggs

4 slices bacon or more, we prefer Nitrate-Free bacon

Olive oil spray or Pam

Salt and pepper, to taste

Bake bread according to package direction.  Cook bacon in the microwave until crispy (we prefer this way to eliminate fats and for the crunchier texture), set aside.  Heat skillet on medium heat sprayed with olive oil spray or Pam, until hot.  Crack eggs on the skillet and cook until halfway through (seasoned with salt and pepper), flip the eggs over and add sliced cheese on top and cook for few minutes more until eggs are well done and cheese are soft and melted.

Assembly:

Cut ciabatta bread in half.  Lay the bottom part on the plate topped with egg and cheese, add bacon and cover with the other half of bread.  We always serve this with freshly squeezed orange juice...it's a beautiful match made in heaven!  Enjoy!

Whey And Cream Cheese

Making whey and cream cheese is so much easier than I thought.  All you need is some plain milk kefir (which I prefer) or a store-bought plain yogurt.  I use my whey for my homemade probiotic lemonade and I use the cream cheese for any recipes that calls for it.  



2 cups milk kefir (I use homemade, unflavored)
1 coffee filter (big enough to fit the kefir)
plastic strainer
1 deep medium-size bowl
Saran wrap or paper towel

Position the plastic strainer with coffee filter on it on the bowl making sure there's enough room at the bottom of the bowl for drippings. Pour milk kefir into the strainer, let it drip. Cover with Saran wrap or paper towel. Place it in the fridge overnight. The next day, you'll have instant whey (liquid) and the top part is cream cheese.  Keep them separately in tight containers at the fridge, they will last for months to use.