Chocolate Apples

Chocolate Apples

Endless Flavor Possibilities!

Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 small Fuji apples

2 bag Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups M&M Trail mix

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp butter

Cooking Tools

Bain Marie

2 small mixing bowls

4 Popsicle stick or equivalent

Small sheet pan

Directions

In a Bain Marie add water to bottom pot, secure top half over simmering water.  Stir together 1 1/2 bags of the chocolate chips, cream and butter until melted smooth and without any lumps. Place sticks into apple half way to secure.  Mix walnuts and the rest of the chocolate chips in one mixing bowl then place the trail mix in another. Dip one apple into the melted chocolate then into the bowl of walnuts and chocolate or trail mix. Repeat with the other apples.  Place apples on sheet pan and place in refrigerator to firm up.

Serves 4

Roasted Tomatoes & Ricotta Bruschetta

Roasted Tomatoes & Ricotta Bruschetta

Fresh Garden Tomatoes From Jennifer's Garden!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Tuscan or Ciabatta bread, sliced 1/2" thickness

4-5 cups sweet grape tomatoes

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp minced parsley

olive oil

Balsamic glaze

salt

pepper

Cooking Tools

Sheet pan 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.  Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil to coat the tomatoes. Season with oregano, garlic powder, half the minced parsley, salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Remove the tomatoes to a bowl and leave behind the juices in the sheet pan.  Place slices of bread on sheet pan to absorb the juices, then flip over the bread and place the sheet pan back in the oven with the bread and bake for 10 minutes. Slightly cool the bread before spreading on the ricotta cheese.  Top the bread with ricotta with the roasted tomatoes, drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with the rest of the minced parsley.  Drizzle some Balsamic glaze right before serving if you so desire.

Serves 4-6

 

Fresh Strawberry Pudding

Fresh Strawberry Pudding

Just A Few Ingredients Makes Something Fresh & Delicious!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: No cooking required

Chilling Time: 1 hour

Food Dye Was Not Used In This Recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups fresh strawberries, quartered

3 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup chilled strawberry jam (seedless)

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

3-4 drops of red food dye (optional)

Cooking Tools

Large mixing bowl

Electric hand mixer 

Directions

Pour 3 cups of cold whipping cream in mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer, whisk on high until slightly thickened,  cream.  Add in jam and whip until it dissolves into the cream, about a minute.  Add in the instant pudding mix and whip until completely thickened. You can add the red food dye to make it pink if desired at this time. Chill pudding in the refrigerator for about an hour, before serving, fold in the quartered strawberries.

Serves 4

 

Cassoulet

Cassoulet

This Is A Much Quicker Version Than The Traditional French Version!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

4 chicken confit quarters or duck confit

3 cans cannellini beans, drained

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups chicken bone stock

3/4 cup pancetta, small dice

1 smoked keilbasa sausage, sliced

1 tbsp duck fat

1/2 tsp dried thyme

pinch of ground cloves

2 bay leaves

minced chives for garnish

salt

pepper

Cooking Tools

Dutch oven or

Cassoulet pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. On the stove top on medium heat, in a Dutch oven or Cassoulet pan, melt duck fat and saute Pancetta to render some of the fat. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic until slightly tender. Add in beans, sausage, seasoning and the stock. Bring to a simmer and lay the confit of chicken or duck and immerse into the stock and beans.  Place in the oven for about 40 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid.  Remove bay leaves before serving. Garnish with minced chives.

Serves 4

Hokkaido Milk Bread

Hokkaido Milk Bread

Reminds Me Of Kings Hawaiian Bread!

Difficulty: Moderate

Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp bread flour

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 1/2 cups bread flour + dusting

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp active dried yeast

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

vegetable oil for greasing

Egg Wash

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

Cooking Tools

Small saucepan

Bread loaf

Large mixing bowl

Stand mixer with paddle

Pastry brush

Plastic wrap

Rolling pin

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together 3 tbsp water, 3 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp flour on low heat.  Whisk until smooth and slightly pasty.  Remove from heat and whisk in 3/4 cup milk and dissolve flour mixture then whisk in 1 egg until whisk through.

2. In the mixing bowl, add; 2 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp yeast, 1 tsp salt, butter and the egg, flour liquid from saucepan and blend on low until dough ball forms and pulls away from the bowl.  If it is to sticky, just add a little bit of flour.  Grease mixing bowl and add in the dough ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm location to let rise for 1 hour, 30 minutes.

3. Once risen, punch down dough and place on a flour covered work surface. Knead into a large ball, then divide into four sections, roll each section into a ball.  Use a rolling pin and roll out to about 8-9 inches long and with width of the loaf pan.  Roll dough from one side to another and place in greased loaf pan.  Proceed the same with the other three dough balls.

4. Place bread in a warm area for about 45 minutes to rise again.

5. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Whisk together egg wash and brush on top of bread dough then place bread in the oven and bake for 30-35. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before inverting to a rack or cutting board.

Yields 1 loaf