Chocolate Bow

My first day working with chocolate at school we made bows! It was a very lengthy process mainly because chocolate is hard to work with because you have to keep it in temper. If you are unfamiliar with working with chocolate and how to temper here are some helpful instructions: Tempering Chocolate.

One thing I want to stress is to make sure that you don't get any water in your chocolate, or it is ruined. This includes steam, so if you are using a double boiler with your chocolate, make sure the bowl fits over your pot correctly so no steam can roll into the bowl. You also have to be careful when using a double boiler that you don't burn your chocolate. I prefer to pour the hot water into a bowl and use that instead of a pot over direct heat. It may take a little longer to melt, but there is less stress of burning and not as much steam to worry about.

I don't have my notes with me on how to make the bow, and I don't really know how helpful they would be without step-by-step pictures. However, if you really want my notes, let me know and I can send them to you.

-amanda

Blueberry Ice Cream

This blueberry ice cream was fun to make and tasted good, but a little too tangy for my taste. But still a nice refreshing treat. (I forgot to save some blueberries for garnish, oops! So sorry about the not so exciting picture!)

Blueberry Ice Cream
(from Noble Pig)

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen, thaw and drain)
• 1/3 cup sugar, or more to taste
  
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of one lime
• Juice of 1/2 a lime, or more juice to taste
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sour cream

In a medium saucepan cook blueberries, sugar, salt, lime zest and juice over medium heat, stirring until mixture boils and the berries pop and soften, about 4 minutes.

Pour the berry mixture into a blender and whirl until a puree is achieved, about 1 minute. The mixture will not be completely smooth. Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse to blend. Taste and add a bit more lime juice or sugar if you choose.

Pour the blend into a bowl and refrigerate until it is chilled before churning into ice cream.

Tip: If you don't like blueberry skin, after blending the blueberries try to put the mixture through a sieve to get rid of skin, and then finish adding the creams.

-amanda

Dirt and Worms!

Dirt and worms brings me back to the third grade when kids brought in treats for their birthday. It was the first time I ever had dirt and worms, and I believe the last. Until now! My friend at work has been talking about dirt and worms for awhile, so I made it for her birthday. And it was so yummy!!! The best part is, it only took minutes to make! It's a nice quick treat and fun for kids (and adults too...ahem).

Dirt and Worms
Makes about 10 - 7oz cups

• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jello-O chocolate instant pudding
• 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
• 20 Oreo Cookies, finely crushed, divided (I take out the creme)
  
• Gummy Worms (plain or sour)

Pour the milk into a large bowl and add the pudding mix. Beat with a whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Mix in the Cool Whip and half of the Oreo crumbs.

Pour into cups or container of your choice and top with remaining Oreo crumbs (you can always crush up some more Oreos if want more dirt on top). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and add gummy worms before serving.

-amanda

Classic Creme Brulee

Creme brulee...my boyfriend's true love. ;o)

It is the only dessert that he really likes. In fact, he likes it so much that he makes it himself, and I just assist him. :o) Personally, creme brulee is not my favorite dessert because it lacks something that I find to be a necessary ingredient in a delightful dessert.....Chocolate! I do suppose you could make some sort of chocolate creme brulee, but so far all we have had is your basic creme brulee with fruit. Enjoy!

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. plus additional 1/3 cup sugar
2 extra large or jumbo egg yolks
½ tsp. vanilla extract

•Preheat oven to 300ºF. Prepare some boiling water.
•In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 Tbs sugar; cook, stirring occasionally until small bubbles appear around edges of pan, 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
•In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. Pour hot cream mixture into egg yolks, a little at a time, beating continuously until well blended. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Divide mixture among four 4 oz. ramekins.
•Arrange ramekins in a baking pan and place on middle shelf of preheated oven. Fill pan with boiling water to halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until custard is just set, about 25 minutes (use caution when removing ramekins from oven as they will be very hot!). Chill 2-3 hours.
•Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly over top of cooled custards. With the kitchen torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins, in a circular motion until sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately surrounded by fresh fruit or refrigerate for later use (if saving for later use, wait to torch the sugar until ready to serve).

♥ Thanks B for all the hard work and help with this one! ♥

-amanda

New Layout and Giveaway!

Sorry I have been MIA for so long. I have been out of town a lot and started baking and pastry school which keeps me quite busy along with work. Over the next couple months I will be posting some different things I make in school. So be sure to check back!

Now onto the fun stuff! How do you like the new layout? That's me as a cartoon! :o) Fun huh? Well, I told you I would be doing a giveaway when I got my new layout. So here it is!

If you win you will receive:
2 potholders, 1 oven mitt, and 1 kitchen towel,
all with a cute cupcake/flower pattern!

• You must follow my blog to be eligible.
• And just so I know you're still out there, leave a comment on this post about what you think of my new layout, ideas of new desserts I should make, or whatever you want!
• Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win!
• Winner will be picked by random.org.
• Deadline for post is Friday, September 11th @ 5pm.

Good Luck!

And the winner is....Kim from Stirring the Pot! Congratulations!

-amanda

Rocky Road Ice Cream

I have a friend who is pregnant and craves ice cream. Since I got my new ice cream maker she was really hoping that I would make her favorite, rocky road. I was a little resistant to wanting to make it, because I have never had it and I'm not a big fan of marshmallows. However, I think she and baby deserve some yummy rocky road. :o) And this is a good opportunity for me to try something new!
Rocky Road Ice Cream (from Serving Ice Cream)
Makes 10 half cup servings

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate (8 oz)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows (place in freezer before making the ice cream so they are easier to stir in at the end)
  

On your stove or in your microwave, heat milk until it just starts to bubble. While the milk is heating, finely chop chocolate in a food processor or blender. Remove milk from heat and add chocolate and sugar, mix until chocolate completely melts and the mixture is smooth.

Cool in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Once cool, stir in heavy cream and vanilla. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and mix about 20 minutes or according to manufacturer's instructions.

Add chopped nuts and chocolate chunks and mix for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from ice cream maker, stir in frozen marshmallows, and place in a storage container.

And enjoy! It was better than I thought, but I still am not a fan of the marshmallows. Hopefully my friend will enjoy it!

___________________________________________________

For those of you who are new or haven't heard about the giveaway, I plan on doing a giveaway soon. The only thing you need to do to be eligible for the giveaway is to follow my blog. You can do so by clicking the follow button in the sidebar to the right.

I apologize for not having done the giveaway yet. I wanted to do it with the launch of my new blog layout and I am still waiting to get the new layout. Hopefully it will be soon!

I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten and I promise it's coming!

In the meantime, thanks to all of you that are following my blog and even those who aren't. I really appreciate all of the visitors and the comments/feedback that you leave!

Thanks again :o)

-amanda

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These no-bake cookies have been a favorite in my family since I was little. We like them so much they are usually gone in one day. I made them today for my brother's birthday, because it is one of the few sweets that he likes. Personally, I am not a big fan of oatmeal cookies, but I love these!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 18

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 cups Quaker Oats Quick Oats (you MUST use the quick oats or the cookies won't turn out)

Set out some wax or parchment paper on the counter before beginning.

In a large pot combine cocoa powder, butter, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter, stir until peanut butter is melted. Pour in oats and mix quickly until all the oats are covered with the chocolate.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop some of the mixture onto the wax paper and pat down with the back of the scooper to make the cookies flat. Do this quickly as the mixture starts to harden quite fast once the oats are added.

Tip: I suggest measuring out your peanut butter and oats ahead of time so the chocolate will be at the right temperature when you add them.

Let cookies set for about 10-15 minutes or until firm and you are able to pick them up without them bending.

Finally, eat 'em up! Because they are gooooood!

-amanda