Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars and Valentine's Crafts

It has been brought to my attention that I have been neglecting this space again.  While that may be true, I've been neglecting my homework also if that makes you feel any better.  I may have gotten a little carried away with all the craft preparations for the Valentine's party I had for the kids this weekend.  When glitter and gem stones are involved I somehow lose all track of time.

I sometimes wonder who the bigger kid is at these affairs.  I was setting everything up, getting all the packages open and before I knew it I was knee deep in decoupage and sequins.  I bought some vases at the dollar store and with a few tissue paper squares; sequins, mod podge (glue), and a little ribbon had quite the cute project ready for my little guests to make for themselves.

I had all the supplies necessary for the kids to make their own crowns.  I made a sample one for myself with no intention what so ever of sharing.  Imagine the horror when I saw my nephew running around with it manhandling it, hence the glitter all over it.  Let's just put it this way, he is lucky he is 1 and adorable or I may have to of had a little talk with him.  Crowns of this caliber don't just grow on trees you know. Wait a second; these were made of paper, so scratch that last statement.

Did I have fun with the desserts; let's just say there was homemade marshmallow fluff involved.  In my usual neglectful fashion though, photos were neglected to be taken.  So as an apology I'm offering you some decadent Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars that would be perfect for your Valentines.

Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars

Crust: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Filling: 

1 cup granulated sugar 

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 

3 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup milk 

Topping: 

56 pecan halves, (3 1/2 ounces) or more if you’d like 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine butter, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is barely stating to come together. Press the crumbs into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan and bake for 17 minutes. (If you don’t have a food processor, you could melt the butter and just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and press in the pan.) Let cool for 10 minutes or so. 

Mix sugar, chocolate, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, and milk together and pour over the baked crust. Place pecan halves evenly over the top of the chocolate batter. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Let cool and cut into squares for serving.

In the off chance I neglect you on Valentine's Day, let me just say how much I love having you stop by here.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Gina

"Tweaking" the Twinkie Recipe

I was so excited when I spied a Twinkie pan at my local craft store the other day; I came home and couldn't concentrate on work because I had Twinkies on the brain.  I have to admit to being behind the curve on some trends.  When I saw the news that Hostess wasn't going to be making the Twinkie anymore, my first thought was, "They still make Twinkies?"  Not that I didn't consume my fair share of Twinkies over the years, it's just that it was years ago.

Twinkies and the memory of my best friend are completely intertwined.  I had a funny story in mind,  but I've had a lump in my throat I can't shake.  I put a picture up of what I was working on for you guys the other day and when I went to respond to some comments I was stopped in my tracks by some very sad news that we had lost a blogging friend Elle from Elle's New England Kitchen.  Elle had friended me through Facebook early on and I enjoyed her spirited sense of humor and her beautiful beaded jewelry she was always working on.  She had these corgis that she loved sharing pictures of which always made me smile.

I have had my unfair share of experience with these types of things the last few years, and I really feel for her family and the grief they are going to go through.  I just want them to know Elle will be missed.

I had a hard time finding the right recipe to make Twinkies, I found quite a few that used shortening, cake mix or marshmallow cream in them.  If you are going to make something and call it homemade I think it deserves better ingredients than that or I would just buy them made, or at least that is my pet peeve.  So I set about on a "Tweak the Twinkie" mission.

Cake:
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Cream filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray the pan with no-stick spray.  I bought the Twinkie shaped pan at my local craft store it is a Wilton brand, but I'm sure if you looked online there are more options.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer add the three egg whites and whip on high speed until stiff peaks are starting to form. Transfer the whites to another bowl and put the bowl back on the mixer.

Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the egg yolks get paler and lemony in color.  Add the vanilla extract and coconut oil and mix until combined.  Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until it comes together on low speed.  Add one third of the egg whites and mix until combined.  Take the bowl off the stand and fold in another 1/3 of the whites until combined, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

My daughter insisted I keep half of them vanilla, but I needed a little more zing from my Twinkies so I poured half of the batter in another bowl and mixed in the following ingredients.

Lemon- Strawberry version:
Zest from 1 lemon (I used a Meyer lemon, but regular will work just fine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried strawberries, minced

Pour the batter into each hole about 1/2 full.  You should get six vanilla and six lemon-strawberry Twinkies. If you want, you can increase the amount of lemon juice a little and up the strawberries and do all twelve that way.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, until they are just set.  You don't want to over bake them or the will dry out fast.  Let cool on a rack.

In the bowl of a mixer whip the heavy cream and sugar on high speed until stiff. (If you want lemon cream, just add a little zest and juice.)  Place the whipped cream in a piping bag with a tip and fill them from the bottom.  These are a little denser than spongy more like a Madeline, but I think I preferred this version, even though I certainly enjoyed trying the other versions I experimented with.

Note: I used a Wilton 230 tip to fill them, because it's longer and can be inserted from the side as well as bottom. Also on my bag when I use tips that I may want to change out I use a coupler, they are available where the tips are sold.  It makes things so much less messy.

Because these are filled with whipped cream you should store them in the fridge.

Peace and Twinkies,

Gina

Corn Salad to make me more regular and I've been banned from watching reality television.

In my attempts to get more regular I've been fiddling with corn.  Here where I live besides being surrounded by acres of fruit orchards we have copious amounts of corn.  So when late summer rolls around I like to be sure and relieve the great amount of pressure that builds up from the excess supply.

Hot Dog Dude loves corn, hates pickles and olives but that is a story unto itself.  I try and move things along around here by incorporating lots of fresh corn into our diets this time of year.

I caught up on a huge amount of work that was plugging up our inner workings and so I've actually had a few extra minutes to lounge around in the evening and watch Hot Dog Dude watch television. You'd think he would appreciate my lovely company; but no.

He was watching one of his favorite shows, a group of middle aged wannabe gangsters who ride around in low-rider Caddies (how cliché) and try and persuade people to pay the rent (wink, wink).  I was trying to sit there and be seen but not heard, but I couldn't help myself the verbal diarrhea just started leaking out.  I started pointing out all the holes in the loosely written plot, "How did the cameraman get inside the room, if they distinctly told them to turn off the cameras?"  "If you said you were going to go rough someone up, why would you throw a television out of the window that was clearly from the 70's?"  I mean after all that is kind of doing them a favor, because flat screens have been out for at least a decade.  Then I discretely pointed out, "Dude, you are totally the demographic they are going for, can't you tell by the commercials."

Dude: You are banned from watching this with me.

The Queen (in her head): God I just want to thank you for that act of kindness you have bestowed upon me.

I did however make us a fantastic corn salad that I hoped would move us in the right direction.

Corn, Red Bell Pepper, and Cotija Salad with Cilantro Dressing
4 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob (I used 2 white and 2 yellow)
1/2 red bell pepper, medium sized, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves
1-2 ounces cotija cheese crumbled
3 corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Salt
Cilantro Dressing (I got mine from Trader Joes's, but I've seen other brands in the grocery store)

Cut the tortillas in half and then in strips.  Fry till golden brown, sprinkle with salt while hot, and drain on paper towels.  I like to use a small pan for frying with an inch of oil of so, so I don't waste a bunch of it.

Mix the corn and bell pepper together and place in a bowl. I used a small platter to highlight a little verticality, but really it is your choice.  Sprinkle the top with cilantro, cotija cheese and the fried tortilla strips, drizzle the whole thing with dressing. I would go light on the dressing, that is just what I'd do, but seriously I don't go around telling people what to do.

Serves 4 as a side salad.

As for my regularity problem, I'm working on it.  I'm trying to be much more regular with my writing.  What regularity problem did you think I had?  No you couldn't have, make that you shouldn't have.

Enjoy,

Gina

Our Cookies and Crafts Party

I must confess to feeling like a ship lost at sea these days.  My navigational beacon seems to have lost course.  I've been slowly recharting and finding my way back to where I want to be.  When the waters seem the roughest that is when I most need to drop anchor.

For some maybe it means being alone and quiet or sweating it out at the gym, for me it's bringing those that I love even closer to me.  I invited over a few of my favorite people for a Cookies and Crafts Party.  I was ready when they arrived with a tray of cookies and lots of colorful icing and sugar sprinkles.  I made the cookies and icing, but you could just as easily buy some.  A huge basket of craft items from the dollar bin at the craft store and smiles abound.

I didn't want my little guests to go hungry so I set out a few things they might enjoy such as these baby carrots and spicy hummus, store bought I wanted to have plenty of time to spend with my guests.

I did take a few minutes and whip up some bruschetta for them.  Slice a baguette 1/2" thick and lay the slices on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake in a 325 degree F oven for 15 minutes.  While those are cooking, chop two tomatoes (good ones of course), mince two cloves of garlic and toss the whole thing with a dash of salt, a sprinkle of pepper and a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  All you have to do is wait for them to take the bait. 

I was afraid they might have needed a bit more, so I made a pan of macaroni and cheese and a green salad, just in case.

My god children, they make my heart smile.  That little guy has boundless energy; I wish I could have just a smidge of it.  His sister she has always been the apple of my eye, yesterday she was just a baby I was cradling now she is in middle school.

A little bit shy at times yet sweeter than any sugar cookie.  Just watching her makes my heart swell.

I know my brother has many gifts, who knew cookie decorating was one of them?  They now share a love that will carry them through time.

She blows me away with her verbal and reasoning skills; this little lady is one to watch out for.  My brother and sister-in-law are so blessed and so am I to have them in my life.

When she is smiling, so am I.  Gifted, determined and strong willed, I can see infinite possibilities for my girl.

I don't want to blink and watch her grow up before my eyes.  I'm going to drop my anchor more often and make sure that doesn't happen.

I'm always in calmer waters when I'm with the ones I love.  I hope you find your way to calm seas; perhaps a fun afternoon like this can do it for you.

I've been in my kitchen whipping up some other goodies I will share soon; hope you have a wonderful week.

Gina