Finished Truffles

I have completed a few truffles. I made just enough to take a picture, but as you can see they were melting and melting bad! I don't understand why they melted so badly. It wasn't hot in the kitchen.

I kept the chocolate mixture in the freezer for half an hour to forty five minutes. I took it out and started molding right away. Giada's recipe page recommends using a teaspoon measurement to scoop the chocolate out of the bowl, but I tried and decided it doesn't work very well. I decided on just a regular small spoon from the silverware drawer. This worked great. Granted, they weren't all the same size, but I don't mind. It's all about the taste at this point and these definitely don't skimp on taste. They are very rich.

I encourage you to try to make your own truffles. You can mix up the different chocolates and different coatings, it depends on what you like. Experiment before you pack for your holiday party though! They are delicious, but they take a few tries to get right. Good luck and enjoy!

Peanut Covered Chocolate Truffles

I have seen so many articles about truffles in magazines and on the internet lately that I decided it's time to try to make them. This recipe is adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis. Here's the link to the original recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/balsamic-chocolate-truffles-recipe/index.html
In this recipe she includes balsamic vinegar, but I left it out. Quite simply because I forgot to buy it. I've changed the recipe only a little from her original version, but the end result is still delicious.

8 1/2 ounces milk chocolate chopped ( I used Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate)
1/4 Cup Cream
1/2 cup Chopped Peanuts ( I had a jar of Planters salted peanuts that I just chopped up for this)

Using a double boiler, I melted the chocolate and cream together until it was fully melted. I took it off the heat and because I made this in a metal bowl over the pot of water, I just left it in the bowl. But, if you used an actual double boiler I would suggest putting it in another bowl. A bowl that it easy to get your hand into is best, as you'll be scooping these later.

So, this is the start of my problem area. I started this process around 1:30 yesterday afternoon. They are supposed to be refrigerated for an hour and then set out for two hours to cool. This did not happen for me. They've been in the fridge since yesterday around 2:00 pm. I tried twice to roll them, but they just melted. I've decided to put the mixture in the freezer for awhile. Hopefully this will work. I did manage to make four so far, but they have been funny shapes and melt right on the plate. They tasted really good though!

For the outside I decided on peanuts instead of the cocoa powder. I tried just cocoa powder and tried one. I almost choked on all the cocoa powder. Not a good choice. I tried mixing the cocoa powder with a little sugar, probably 1/4 of a cup of sugar. Okay, but still not as good as the peanuts. I used peanuts because that's what I had, feel free to mix it up. I'm waiting on the mixture to come out of the freezer and I'm going to try to roll some again. I'll post a picture when they are all done.

Posts to Come

Today was my last full day at home for this long weekend. I ended up shopping with my sister Mary. We visited Home Depot, Michael's and Ross. I also woke up today and decided to carry out my search for cute bowls and cups, anything that would make my food look extra delicious. After all, you eat with your eyes first.
My first find was at Micheal's. The cutest, tiniest loaf pan. It's ceramic which makes me love it all the more. I decided on a lavender color, but I had my choice from black, yellow, orange and black with polka dots. I had to buy it. It was also a steal at $1.00. The price was right!
The next place I fell in love was Ross. This store does not get enough credit. I am in love with Ross. I always head right back to the home goods part. This is the absolute best place to buy housewares. Sure, you might not have a huge selection, but you'll get an amazing deal. First, I found a gorgeous cake stand. Something I could have used. It was $12.00 though, something I didn't want to spend. I searched and searched through their stash of items. I found a wonderful casserole dish, something new and exciting. I've owned a casserole dish before! It was a steal for only $9.99! I had a decision between my casserole dish and another, which was my third find. I chose a smaller size of the other dish because I couldn't find anything that said they were oven safe. I don't want to risk it!
So those were my amazing finds today, all for less than $20.00! I look forward to using them in the future and hopefully they'll make for some beautiful pictures.

Artichokes with Dinner

So, before I started dating my boyfriend I had never had artichokes. Ever. Shocking I know. Now I can't get enough. We've probably had them with dinner ten times since I've started cooking in Richmond. So, I thought I would do tonight blog on the yummy artichokes that went with our dinner tonight. At home we have to split one, but here we each get our own. Which I love because now we don't have to fight over how to split an artichoke. That's not easy at all. So, lets begin.
When I buy artichokes I look for a nice green color and a slightly medium to larger size. We've had smaller one, but I don't really like them. So, after I purchase them I just pop them in the fridge until I'm ready to cook them. Before I'm ready to start cooking dinner, I start the water to boil them earlier. These take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to cook, just to warn you. I normally make them for their ready right when I serve the meal, so they have time to drain and cool. Boil the water in a pot big enough to hold how ever many artichokes you are making, add a little salt to taste and toss some over your shoulder for good luck!
To prepare the artichokes for cooking I cut off the stems and about the first inch on the top of the artichoke. When the water starts boiling, I place the artichokes with the top side down into the water. I do this to the best of my ability, but sometimes they just don't cooperate. You'll see when you get to this step. Like I said I cook them anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. With these in the pictures I did 37 minutes, but should have probably done about 40 minutes. I turn them over halfway through the cooking time and I find one of the pronged slotted pasta spoons things works best for this. I remove the artichokes with the same utensil and let them drain in a stainer until it's time to eat them.
I eat mine with a little mayonnaise. Yum.They're pretty simple, they just take some time to cook. But, I recommend them. Enjoy the artichokes with your dinner tonight!

Sorry for no end result picture. I ate it too fast :)

Oh pasta.

I made myself dinner tonight. A whole box of pasta + a pound of ground beef + 1 can of pasta sauce = one really big dinner for one little girl. I had maybe three bites before I don't really feel like pasta tonight. I had tons of pasta left, what was I to do? Could I freeze it? Yes! I didn't even know you could freeze pasta until tonight. So, I googled of course. I waited and waited for everything to cool so I could finally package it up to eat at a later date.

I bought some rubbermaid containers when I moved to Richmond and searched through the box to see what would work. I found the perfect single serving sizes. The pastas. Three sauces. Too cute.

Above: Their new home on top of the corn dogs

Right: What it looked like beofre I kimd of ate it.

first breakfast at my apartment

Ooh, it's been forever. Sorry. I've been quite busy with school and not staying at my apartment. I've made some nice food creations at my boyfriends apartment though. I've made my easy delicious chicken enchiladas at his house a few times. The first time to his delight - "Oh my god, you need to make these every night!"
For moving down here to Richmond, I created a nice cookbook. Not as nice as I planned, just pages and pages of recipes in an orange folder. But, it brightens up the kitchen :)
Now to the enchiladas.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Margarine ( I just use whatever I have, which always seems to be I Can't Believe it's Not Butter)
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 Cup Sour Cream, plus some to top your enchiladas if you like that
1/2 Cup Canned Diced Green Chili Peppers, Drained
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 cups COOKED chicken cut into small cubes ( I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, I emphasized cooked because I had a bit of a disaster on my hands when I accidentally added uncooked chicken to the mixture)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
8 Flour Tortillas ( I normally use more, but it depends how you fill the enchiladas)
1 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Salsa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The directions I received from my middle school teacher when we made these was to cook this in an electric fry pan, but I just use a large skillet. So, heat the margarine in whatever you have decided to cook it in and saute the onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soup and sour creams and mix. Heat this mixture, but do not boil. Add the chili peppers and chili powder. Saute this for a few more minutes. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for three minutes then turn off heat. Cook tortillas as directed. Place an equal amount of filling on each tortilla, but normally I start out with less filled and then realize I haven't used enough so the later made ones are super full. Roll them all up and place in a baking pan, I use a 9 by 13 brownie pan covered with aluminum foil for I can just pull the whole thing out of the pan and easily get the enchiladas out. (Bonus, you have a clean pan and you can just throw out the aluminum foil - less dishes!) Sprinkle the mixture with the cheese, I normally just measure by eye or use as much as I want that day. Place in the oven and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!


Side note, I had my favorite breakfast today. Left over pizza and coffee in my favorite mug I got from Bryan :)