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Orange Brown Butter Tart from a Sweet Heart

by mj on February 27, 2013

I wish I could say that I made this beautiful Orange Brown Butter Tart, but I can’t. Instead I’m thrilled to say that it was made by my dear friend Anne @ From My Sweet Heart who is sharing it with us today! In case you don’t know Anne, Anne makes some of the best desserts, sweets, treats, mouthwatering delights on the web. Every once in a while she’ll surprise us with something savory like her Black Bean Tart with a Chili Crust. Oh my!!! Anne has a passion for baking, and you can definitely see that when you visit her site. She’s fun, she’s creative, and she’s one hell of a baker! So let’s check out this wonderful tart. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Anne!

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Chocolate Pot with a Hint of Coffee

by mj on February 7, 2013

It’s February and what better month to post a chocolate recipe. As a huge chocolate lover, finding this chocolate pot recipe and then getting to test it out several times was heavenly. This chocolate pot is not as light, texturally, as a mousse or chocolate pot de creme which use egg or egg yolks, but it’s still smooth and creamy, rich and delicious and with less fuss.

A few months ago I was the lucky winner of the Green & Black’s Organic Chocolates giveaway from Vianney at Sweet Life. It was a wonderful package as you can see below that consisted of a logo tote bag, Green & Black’s Ultimate Chocolate Recipe cookbook, and 3 bars of chocolate. When going through the cookbook, I found it quite difficult to decide which recipe I wanted to make first. There were SO many that I marked. However, when I came upon the 5-minute Chocolate Pot, I knew that needed to be made as soon as possible. It’s simply a little pot of chocolate with cream and only takes 10 minute to make. The recipe says 5 minutes, but let’s be realistic. The hardest part of making this was waiting for it to cool off. It is meant to be served warm or at room temperature, so the recipe says to let it cool on the counter for an hour before serving. It actually took a couple of hours. You can serve each serving with a little cup of whipped cream or with nothing at all. Either way it’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
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Sweet Kabocha Pudding

by mj on December 19, 2012

A few days ago I roasted a Kabocha squash with the intention of making a soup; however, when I tasted the pulp it was so sweet, I decided that I wanted to make a dessert. But what kind of dessert do you make with squash? As I was tasting the squash and thinking about how creamy it was, the squash spoke to me….pudding. Oh how I love pudding! So there you have it. Kabocha squash pudding was born.

The main ingredients for this pudding are squash pulp and almond milk. A little maple syrup is used as the sweetener and agar as the gelling agent. Because I used agar, the texture isn’t the same as pudding made with eggs and milk, but it is still very creamy and smooth. Bobby grabbed a pudding from the fridge thinking it was butterscotch. He took a couple of bites and then said “I have no idea what I’m eating, but it’s damn good!” Need I say more?

Because I only used 1 cup of pulp to make this pudding, I still had 2 cups left to make a small batch of Kabocha and Fennel Soup. A completely different use of the Kabocha and oh so good!

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Pinon Biscotti

by mj on November 11, 2012

I made cookies!! Biscotti no less – pinon biscotti to be exact. This may not seem like a big deal but for me, it is a big deal. I can count on one hand the number of times I have made cookies in the past 25 years!

I was inspired to not only make cookies, but to develop a cookie recipe when Anne of From My Sweet Heart invited me to take part in a very special event called Pass the Plate. Sharon & Denise of Be Betsy, were inspired by Kitchenaid’s Cook for the Cure^® to join the fight against breast cancer. They purchased a plate specially designed by Jacques Pepin. The plate is filled with cookies and literally passed from blogger to blogger. Each time the plate reaches a new destination, Kitchenaid donates $5 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®. Last week I became the proud recipient of these absolutely delicious Ginger Chili Caramel Cookies that Anne made just for me (although I did share a few with Bobby). Sweet and spicy – one of my favorite flavor combinations! Thank you Anne for the perfect cookie!
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Pear Apple Cobbler – A Twist on an Old Favorite

by mj on October 10, 2012

My absolutely favorite dessert is the classic southern fruit cobbler (see recipe below). It is SO easy to make and you can use any fruit that is in season or that you have in the freezer. I’m calling it “classic” because it is one of those recipes that goes back several generations. My southern grandmother made it and I’m sure she got the recipe from her mom. My mother made it all of the time and I am continuing with the tradition. I call it “southern” but a friend of mine that was born and raised in New Mexico by native New Mexican parents has used the same recipe all of her life as well. So go figure. It’s obviously made and loved by a lot of people.

The only problem with the recipe is that it makes enough for 6 people. Since it’s just the two of us, that means Bobby eats two servings and I eat the rest. I have no willpower when it comes to this cobbler. If it’s sitting on the counter, I’ll take a bite every single time I walk through the kitchen. Before you know it, it’s gone. In an effort to be good, I decided to experiment with the recipe, by cutting back on the quantity as well as the fat and sugar. The result was excellent! The first time I made these individual servings I used a Bosc pear. The next time, I added a small Winesap apple with the pear. Both versions were delicious and very easy to throw together. Bobby and I each got one serving with no tempting leftovers. It was perfect.

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Watermelon Rind Candies

by mj on September 23, 2012

In my watermelon post a while back I mentioned that my mother saved the watermelon rind and made watermelon rind preserves. After we all finished off the watermelon, she would cut away any remaining pink from the rind, peel the rind, then slice it into spears. All of the rind spears were transferred to a big pot and layered with sugar, then left to sit overnight. The next day she cooked them down “until done”. After they cooked I helped her pack the spears lengthwise into sterilized mason jars and then seal the jars. By fall we had enough watermelon rind preserves to last the winter and then some.

Eating her watermelon rind preserves was like eating a crunchy, sweet stick of candy. It didn’t really have a watermelon flavor, but it had a clean, sweet taste that is very hard to describe. All I know is those preserves were really, really good, very, very sweet, and hard to stop eating. A couple of years ago I decided to come up with my own way to preserve watermelon rind but in smaller pieces and less sweet, if possible. My efforts paid off! These little candies turned out exactly like I wanted – small, crispy bites of sweetness with a touch of anise flavor. So good, so addicting! (I made a jar of these before the remodel, so I thought I better get a picture before they were all gone and get it posted before all the watermelon disappeared from the markets.)
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Purple Yam Ice Cream by Wok With Ray

by mj on September 5, 2012

Due to a kitchen remodel I’ll be without a kitchen for a few weeks, so I’ve asked some friends to keep my virtual kitchen going with some of their fabulous recipes. This week Ray from Wok With Ray dropped by and brought me a unique and wonderful dessert.

If you have never been to Ray’s place, I’m sure you’ll be heading that way as soon as you read this post! You’ll love his Filipino-Asian dishes, and if you are like me, you’ll lust after everyone of his desserts. And that’s why sweet Ray brought us this recipe today; because he knows how much I love his desserts. Thank you SO MUCH my friend!

Take it away Ray!
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Masala Chex Mix by Ramona

by mj on August 29, 2012

Due to a kitchen remodel I’ll be without a kitchen for a few weeks, so I’ve asked some friends to keep my virtual kitchen going with some of their fabulous recipes. This week Ramona from Curry and Comfort dropped by and brought me a batch of nostalgia; however, as Ramona always does, she added her signature seasonings and made it extra special.

If you don’t know Ramona, then you need to change that! I’ve been following her blog for quite a while and have made several of her dishes – all of which were wonderful! One of the best things I love about Ramona, is that she is fun! You can read it in her writing and see it in her food – she’s having fun and just loves spoiling us all with her wonderful recipes!