We Won't Go Until We Get Some.

When Merry and I were discussing the theme for this year's Christmas blogs, we threw out Christmas traditions that we could comment on.  I said stockings, she said elves (she got that one).  I said caroling, she said pickle on the tree (she got that one).  I said Rudolph (she got stuck again), and she said figgy pudding.  When we drew topics, that lot fell to me.

Figgy pudding is a British equivalent of fruit cake, though without florescent/radiated fruit.  It does, however, get lit on fire, which is one of two reasons it is not recommended for minors.  The other would be the accelerant that makes it burn so brightly.  Apparently figgy pudding can be made in November and be expected not just to last until Christmas but actually improve with age as the brandy and rum penetrates the fruit and cake.

There is nothing Christ-like about figgy pudding, except maybe that the Puritans, in the name of Christ, ban it in the 1600s, probably because of the alcohol.  If we wanted to reach far enough (far-fetched, that is), we could call it a birthday cake for the baby, but that's just wrong.

If there is a connection, it's just that it's a joyous time of year - a time of celebration!  Dining together on high calorie desserts is just fun and it brings us together, and that's all good.  So, there.  I've never had nor even seen a real figgy pudding.  But if you want to make one, I'll bring matches and come celebrate with you!

We do, indeed, Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Milkyway Brownie Crunch

Yum.

I baked a box mix of 

brownies 

in an 8 x 11 pan and about 

10 minutes before they

were done I sprinkled on 

Milkyway bites 

and finished baking.

Then I melted 6 ounces of 

chocolate chips

with 6 ounces of 

butterscotch chips,

stirred in a bunch of 

Rice Krispies 

and poured it over the hot brownies.

Um, Yum.

The only thing that might have

made them better would have been some

drizzles of caramel along with the

Milkyways.

I have done this before with Reeses bites

and added some dollops of

peanut butter. 

With all the bite size candy they are coming

out with, I am wondering what

other combinations might be good.

Kit Kat?

S'Mores In A Jar

I quite possibly have done this before, 

but never, I am quite sure,

with toasted marshmallows on top!

It's a layer of 

coarsely crumbled graham crackers

followed by

brownie,

fluff,

fudge sauce,

brownie,

graham crackers,

and finally,

toasted marshmallows!

Happy Independence Day!

UPDATE:
It was pretty unanimous that
the graham cracker layer needed a
moisture maker, so a layer
of the hot fudge sauce over each
graham cracker layer would probably
be a good thing :)

Krispy Peanut Butter Brownies

Or something like that.

It's what happens when you combine all of this

in some manner.

I baked the brownies in a 9x13 pan

to within about 10 minutes of being done then

topped them with cut up peanut butter cups

and finished baking. 

Then I put some globs of peanut butter 

around on top and smoothed them around.

Then I melted a bag of semi sweet 

and butterscotch chips

together and mixed in a couple cups of 

rice crispy-esqe cereal

and dumped that on top of the brownie

peanut butter cup

peanut butter

concoction

and let it set up.

And I wound up with this:

Yum.

S'mores Bars

 Michelle sent this recipe to me and I had every intention

of making them Mother's Day weekend 

but things got away from me. 

They do sometimes. 

A lot of times.

But I did manage to make them for

Memorial Day weekend.

In theory they sound great, basically a

Rice Krispy treat make with Golden Grahams 

and chocolate chips on top.

The originator suggested putting the chips on after

it cools a bit so they don't melt. 

The only problem with that is that 

the chips then fall of as you try to bite into them.

I kind of solved that problem by serving them in 

cupcake liners.

The other problem was that they got rock hard

in 24 hours, so make them 

right before you want to eat them. 

Other than that, they were a good

alternative for a bunch of 

people who were not inclined to 

stand out in the rain and toast 

marshmallows for S'mores.

Transporting Cupcakes

Found this little idea on

Pinterest.

Pretty self-explanitory.

What I'm not so sure about is how they got them 

out of there. 

Chocolate Coconut Tarts My Way

Big Mary is really gonna think I

closed up shop!

Well I didn't.

Maybe a vacation?

A sabbatical?

A dry spell?

Whatever the cause, I have

been taking pictures of my food 

and anything that strikes my fancy

(mostly pictures of Maddie)

in the assumption I would get back to this

one day.

So here you go, let's start back up 

with a fun one!

My Facebook friend, Maggie,

is a cook/baker extraordinaire

she blogs about her food everyday, 

and multiple dishes everyday.

 I have made a few of her creations.

The cream horns are hers.

Actually, now that I think about it, 

she made the puff pastry. 

I bought frozen. 

A theme will develop here. 

A couple of weeks ago she made 

chocolate coconut tarts.

I love Mounds bars and this sounded 

like a glamed up version of them so I was all in.

http://maggiesonebuttkitchen.com/2013/04/23/chocolate-coconut-tarts/ 

My first stumbling block was the 

4 inch pie/tart pans.

18 of them.

I overcame that with these:

Those are paper cups for cupcakes but they are a bit 

wider and shallower. 

Perfect!

Got the shells all made.

Then for the chocolate filling.

It's egg yolks, half and half, heavy cream

and chocolate.

It demands LOTS of stirring.

And LOTS of attention. 

And, it would appear, 

strict temperature control. 

 One should NOT pour hot melted chocolate into

a custard base.

In case you can't tell, that's what ruined looks like. 

All lumpy and oily and separated. 

YUCK!!

But, a search of my cabinets turned up some 

instant pudding and pie filling. 

WaLa!

I'm sure Maggie's are way better but these are done

and pretty god in their own right. 

Hey, and the fact that they look like sunflowers

was an unexpected added bonus!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

For the past few years I have been in

purge mode.

Getting rid of all that extra *stuff*

that just clutters your house and your mind.

Well, maybe not my mind so much.

But house stuff for sure.

I have a system by which I put clothes

in a box in the basement.

If I don't open that box for two years

it goes to Goodwill.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

I should do that with kitchen 

accoutrements as well.

(man, had to Google that one!)

I decided to make this cake.

Thing is, this cake requires a very specific

piece of equipment. 

Namely, its namesake.

A 

Bundt pan.

I had one. 

Once upon a time.

Facebook to the rescue and

Amy loaned me hers.

On to the cake.

It had every reason to succeed:

four eggs, 

pudding mix,

sour cream,

vegetable oil.

Oh, and chocolate.

It did not disappoint.

The original recipe just called 

for a dusting of powdered sugar

on top. 

I poured 

ganache over it before the sugar.

Why wouldn't you?

Oh, and I put a hit of rum

in the ganache.

Again, 

why wouldn't you?

http://savoringtimeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/easy-chocolatey-bundt-cake.html
Heads up if you choose to make this cake,
note the cake mix package size,
all boxed cakes are not created equal.

Can You Bake That In a Jar?

Why yes, you can.

Cheryl, Carol and Val

were coming for lunch.

We decided that we really want to be deliberate

in getting together more often.

Usually we like to craft together but our schedules

are just so nuts right now that if

we can find a day with just an hour that we are all

available, we had better take it.

Today we had one and a half hours!

YeeHaa!

We decided to meet here and each 

of us bring our own lunch.

But I just had to make something.

These three are too much fun to experiment on.

So, to Pinterest I went and found 

this idea:

It's just a 4 ounce Ball jar

that I lined with refrigerator pie crust, 

filled with canned pie filling

and topped with more pie crust that

I cut into strips, wove and cut

into rounds.

The post I found these on just said to

bake as you would any pie.

Right.

I GTS and decided to go

400 degrees

for 40 minutes.

Nice thing about the clear glass

was that I could tell when all the crust

was good and golden. 

So, can you bake that in a jar?

Yes.

Next, 

chicken pot pie?

Pumpkin Spice Bites

Another entry in my

"Can I Call You Pumpkin"

board.

These were really good but I was very surprised at 

the steps that were troublesome.

One might think forming the cups of cookie

would be difficult but given the right tools, they were

a piece of cake. 

Or cookie.

Finding the pumpkin cookie mix was a problem.

After three stores I decided sugar cookie mix

with a healthy dose of pumpkin pie spice would 

suffice. 

And it did.

Mixing pumpkin pudding (not hard to find)

with a cup of heavy cream proved to be an issue.

It turned to cement.

Immediately.

The recipe called for you to whisk it till smooth.

Can you see the folly in that?

And then it said to put it in the fridge so it 

could set up enough to pipe.

Set up enough to pipe was NOT a problem.

Piping cement pumpkin pudding

was.

But I persevered.

24 times.

http://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/10/pumpkin-spice-bites.html

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cobbler

As you can see I could not wait

to try this before it's beauty shot.

What you can't see is that I burned my mouth

in the process.

I found the picture for this on 

Pintrest, 

but where I got the recipe is anyone's guess.

Here's the link:

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake-cobbler/1/

As best I can tell it's a recipe site.

I think someone named Diane created it

and in this world of bloggers

being so concerned they get their credit, 

there.

Here's what I have to say about Diane's recipe;

while the ingredients make for a tasty

treat, her process is whack.

In my humble opinion.

The recipe calls for you to grease a pan

and then put canned pumpkin and evaporated milk in 

it and mix. Then add a dry cake mix and 

graham cracker crumbs and mix.

 Again. 

Not the easiest way to accomplish this task. 

Next time I'm using a bowl. 

Call me a renegade.

But here's the hardest part, 

next you mix softened cream cheese with powder

sugar, making in essence frosting/cheesecake

that you are supposed to *spread* over this

raw cake batter consistency layer in the pan.

Yeah, not gonna happen.

I made little blobs and dropped them all over.

Eh, not perfect.

I think next time I will try warming the cream cheese

and see if it gets thin enough to pour.

Oh, 

because there will be a next time.

As I said, 

her ingredients make for a tasty treat :o)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifles

In my effort to create all things 

pumpkin from Pintrest I submit

the Trifle.

Mini-ized.

This was so easy that it gets to be a 

keeper.

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-trifles/

Here's where I went renegade:

the recipe calls for 

"Biscoff cookies",

yeah, I don't know what those are so I used 

ginger snaps.

Could be the same thing for all I know. 

Could GTS, but naw.

It also called for 

pumpkin pie spice.

I had a chai spice blend sitting around from

those chai cookies with the pumpkin kisses

and while I wasn't a fan of the cookies, the spice 

blend was pretty nice.

One thing I didn't do but will in the future is

to put a layer of the crushed cookies 

in the middle. 

It's just too far a distance to get down to 

that crunchy layer.

Here's the spice blend formula:

1 1/2 tsp. cardamom

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Margarita Frosting Shooters

When on Pintrest I pin anything "Margarita".

It is my goal to make all things

 "Margarita" by the end of the summer.

And so it begins.

http://keepitsweetdesserts.com/margarita-frosting-shots/

I am not a big sweets or frosting person

but I am always interested in things I can

fill these little glasses with.

(thank you Nancy and Steve)

Well, I ate 2!

I was a little leery of the graham cracker/pretzel

layer but it totally works.

That salty kick is just what the 

sweet, limey, tequila-y frosting needs. 

I used pre-smashed graham crackers

because I had them but next time I'll

smash my own and not pulverize them like

these were. 

Other than that,

Yum!

These?

Pretty but, not so yum.

In all fairness the recipe did state that they were a bit

"stiff" and you may want to substitute

water for half the tequila.

I am of the opinion that when making a recipe 

for the first time you should make it as written. 

I may reevaluate that stance.

But, pretty, yes?

http://jelly-shot-test-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/ocean-margarita.html

Cheesecake Balls

And a sign.

There appears to be a movement out there to 

convert every dessert into a ball. 

And then put it on a stick.

I will not. 

Put it on a stick.

They slide down. 

There's a technique. 

I don't know it. 

I will, however, turn it into a ball. 

To that end I present the 

Cheesecake *Ball*.

Not *pop*.

I followed the directions as printed because

I figured there is a specific texture you must

need in order to roll the cake into balls. 

It worked great. 

I did leave the cake in the oven 5 minutes 

longer than suggested because 

it just didn't seem set.

It wound up getting a bit golden on top but

that didn't seem to affect it's ability to be rolled. 

First you make a ball and then roll it in crushed 

graham crackers and then coat it in chocolate.

I started out with milk chocolate.

But I far prefere the white candy coating. 

The chocolate overpowered the cheesecake.

In my opinion. 

Some of you (Big) I am certain

would prefer chocolate.

As for the sign, that's it in the first picture. 

These are just trim ceramic tiles.

Like they use in a bathroom.

I cut little 45 degree wood blocks

and epoxied them on the back

and then applied little decals on the side.

You just use a dry erase marker to identify food

(like on a buffet) 

and WALA!

It's a sign.....

that I found on Pintrest.......

Valentine Twinkies

The good news is, 

they're not deep fried.

However, they are coated in chocolate.

It's just another little idea I picked up on

Pintrest. 

The original post has them on a stick. 

I don't have much luck with stuff on a stick. 

The only thing that has stayed where I put it 

when on a stick was a marshmallow.

And then I didn't even tempt fate by standing 

them upright.

But these babies just laying there worked out fine.

Happy Valentine's Day Honey.

Balls

I have been dubbed the 

Queen of Balls.....

...Oreo Balls.

And while I don't mind the title, I am feeling

a bit penned in. 

My creativity stifled.

My horizons limited.

Predictable.

And so to combat that I present to you;

The Blond Oreo Ball.

(just used the vanilla Oreos)

And the latest in ball creation;

The Cookie Dough Ball!

There are no raw eggs in these so they are

food safe, always a nice touch.

I searched the internet and found virtually the same

recipe at every site so I don't feel like

I am stepping on toes to offer it here.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

(or truffles if you want to be fancy)

(notice, I am not fancy)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 cup mini chocolate chips

chocolate for dipping.

Cream the butter and sugar.

add in the vanilla and the the flour, milk

and chips.

Chill before rolling and again before dipping.

I took an independent taste poll

and the general consensus was favorable.

The only thing I had issue with was the texture.

Regular cookie dough has a bit of a 

"crunch" from the brown sugar.

I think I creamed these too well. Next time I 

would go a little lighter on the creaming process

and maybe a bit heavier on the brown sugar.

Now then, what else do you suppose I can roll into a ball

and dip in chocolate?

Hmmm....

Santa Hats

Or how to get from here

to here

These are so cute, 

but so inedible.

They are way too sweet but I mixed them in with

the Puppy Chow I made and they looked really cute. 

Unfortunately, I did not manage to get a picture of that.

Shanna sent me the link to this.

They have you mix them with a white 

chocolate covered concoction. 

Talk about *sweet*!

Here's what I can tell you about this little project:

Val had suggested you dip the bugles

in halves but top and bottom as opposed to side

and side. It made sense till I did it. 

When you dip from the bottom all the

coating pools at the bottom. 

The Swedish Pearl Sugar was a better size than the 

white "ball" sprinkles I  bought.

This is messy and requires the down time

for the candy melt to harden between steps.

But the ooohs and ahhhs 

made it worthwhile. 

Rolo Turtles

These babies are crazy good and

crazy easy. 

You just line a baking sheet with parchment paper, 

spread out mini pretzel twists, 

top each one with a Rolo candy

and pop in a 350 oven for 3-5 minutes. 

Just till the candy gets soft. 

Press a pecan on top as soon as you

take them out of the oven and 

Wa La!

I drizzled the dark chocolate over top. 

My own little addition. 

Feel free.

Salted Caramel Sauce

Or, Christmas Gift Idea #4

It' s #29 in the Food Network Magazine's 

insert this month.

I am taking these for a mass birthday party tonight

but they are really cute hostess gifts as well.

I have never made caramel before and my candy

making experience is limited at best, but nothing

ventured, nothing gained.

Here is what I can share:

Do not "simmer" the sugar water as the instructions 

would have you do. 

After 1/2 hour of simmering

 (not the 12 minutes the instructions suggest) 

 and the mixture not getting anywhere near a dark amber, 

I Googled more instructions. 

As best I can tell, you should allow the water to boil. 

I had to make a second batch and that one 

did turn dark amber in about 12 minutes. 

Ina would have you stir the sugar water, 

these instructions tell you to swirl it. 

For some reason, I think you are not supposed to 

stir sugar water when making candy, so I did not. 

The first batch I just poured in the cold cream which 

bubbled quite impressively and proceeded to form a 

big ol' ball of goo that I eventually

turned into a sauce.

With the second batch I warmed the cream a bit but

when I poured it in it went NUTZ!

Up and over the sides of the pan, 

all over my stove. 

Now, I don't know if that was a result of the warmed cream or 

of taking the sugar water all the way up to a boil.

A bit more research and I found Alton

suggests you let the sugar water cool a bit

before adding the cream. 

That sound like good advice. 

All that aside, it's really delicious sauce. 

My friend asked what you do with it. 

I suggested

over ice cream, 

over gingerbread cake,

or by the spoonful. 

You decide.

Whatcha Gonna Do With Those?

Seasons 52 turned us on to the 

Mini Dessert concept.
So Gaye got 6 To Go and I wound up with these:

Then Steve and Nancy gave me these for my birthday:

They bought them at Pier One.
They are called mini cordials.

Can I just tell you, the possibilities are endless!

These were just what I had in the house.
Granola, instant vanilla pudding, blueberries, whip cream
and some toasted coconut on top.

Here's my take on a deconstructed eclair.
Graham cracker crumbs, vanilla pudding, chocolate ganache
and more graham cracker crumbs on top.

Mmmmm, crushed up Oreos, Oreo pudding,
whip cream and a mini Oreo on top.

And finally,
Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits.
These were for Thanksgiving.
I happened to find mini gingerbread men sprinkles
for on top.

These are so much fun and everybody really gets a kick
out of them.
The one tip I have so far is, if you put
crumbs at the bottom, don't pack them in.
It's a bit hard to get them to break up while you
are eating the parfait.

Oh, and if you have other ideas, please share!