Homemade Tortillas

THIS is my favorite homemade flour tortilla recipe. I used to make tortillas with shortening and then one day I decided to use olive oil instead. The end result is a tortilla that stays soft. Yeah, that's right. These are going to change your life. 

By the way, store bought tortillas are nothing compared to fresh, warm homemade ones. We never buy store bought. EVER. You shouldn't either. After you try these you won't want to.

Homemade Tortillas

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

3/4 cup hot water

Combine the dry ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, add in the olive oil just until it makes the dry ingredients crumbly. Add the hot water little by little until your dough is soft and shiny but not sticky (sometimes I need all of the water, sometimes I don't--- you may even need a little more than 3/4 cup depending on humidity). Divide the dough into eight balls of the same size.  

Lightly flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Use the rolling pin to roll each ball of dough into a 6-8" tortilla. You can also use a tortilla press. By the way, David (my husband) if you are reading this I'd like a tortilla press for my birthday. Please and thank you!

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook each tortilla for 1 minute on the first side. It should bubble up. Flip and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Remove to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. For best results store tortillas in a ziploc bag at room temperature (they stay softer this way) though you can also refrigerate them. I usually make them in large quantities and freeze them.

Serves: 8

Calories: 215

Carbs: 28g

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Maple Bacon Donuts as A Valentine's Day Gift

If your sweetheart is anything like mine, then I'm guessing they'll love this Valentine's gift. I mean, is there a better way to express love than a sweet and salty home baked good covered in crispy bacon? No, no there's not.

You can get the printable that I used on my paper bags here and here. I bet you are wondering why one of the documents has a "?" and the other has a "!". Well, it just depends on what kind of message you want to get across. I realize that "Don't you know I love you" is a question. But on the printable it sort of looks like you're saying, "I love you?". I personally like the one with an exclamation point better, "I love you!".

By the way, if you are skeptical about the maple-bacon-combo, you've got to try these. They're delish. If you'd rather not make the dough from scratch, then go buy some plain glazed donuts, dip them in the homemade maple frosting and finish them off with cooked crumbled bacon. They'd still be a yummy gift, just easier.

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts

Recipe Source: Adapted from Make Lemonade and More!

Maple Bar Dough:

1 1/2 cups milk

5 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2 large eggs, beaten

5 1/2 cups flour (plus or minus 1/2 a cup - depending on humidity)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Additional Ingredients:

16 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled

Scald milk in a small saucepan over medium heat (don't boil it--- scald it! When milk is successfully scalded it looks frothy around the edges inside the pan). Once milk is scalded, remove from heat and stir in three tablespoons sugar and the butter. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine warm water, remaining two tablespoons of sugar, and yeast. Your water will need to be warm enough to activate the yeast but not hot enough to kill it. Let the yeast mixture sit for five minutes. It should bubble and grow.

Once the yeast is ready and the milk mixture has cooled to warm, add the beaten eggs to the yeast. Then gradually mix in the milk mixture and the cinnamon. The cinnamon may clump but it will un-clump when you add in all of the flour.

Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Then remove the whisk attachment and secure the dough hook attachment. Stir in the remaining flour. You will know that the dough is ready when it cleans the side of the bowl, is soft, but does not stick to your fingers. 

Knead dough in machine for 5 minutes. Spray another large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Remove dough from mixer and place in prepared bowl. Cover. Let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at room temperature OR refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours). Either way, the dough will double in size.

After dough has risen, roll it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out donuts. You can also use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle of dough into bars. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Let dough rise for 30 more minutes.

While they rise, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly. Meanwhile make the icing.

Maple Icing:

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons mapleine (maple flavored extract)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine butter, brown sugar, and milk together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Let simmer for three minutes. Remove from heat and using a hand mixer blend in powdered sugar, mapleine, and salt.

While donuts are still warm, dip the tops of the donuts into the icing. Top frosted donuts with cooked crumbled bacon. Store leftovers in the fridge (because of the bacon). 

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Shared here: On the Menu Mondays @ StoneGable

Blogiversary + Cupcakes for Two

It's official. As of today, I have been food blogging for one year. It definitely was not easy getting started. There were a lot of discouraging moments along the way and I, for one, am glad I didn't give up. Having this blog and being able to express myself in a creative way has made this year one of the best of my life.

When I thought about what I could make to celebrate this momentous occasion, my initial ideas were treats I could share with anyone and everyone. Then I realized that there was really only one person who I wanted to share this day with: David. He knows this blog is important to me and he's been the most supportive husband throughout this past year. There were times where he would have been totally justified in loathing how much time I've had to put into this, but instead he invested everything in helping me chase my dreams. 

So what I needed was a recipe that made treats just for two, and I found it: One Bowl Cupcakes for two. Seriously, these cupcakes are a revelation. They are the perfect cupcake consistency--- not too dense but not too fluffy. They are moist and they taste incredible. I even thought about multiplying the recipe by six just to make twelve cupcakes to eat all on my own.

Because my baby has RSV right now, and I am totally sleep deprived I am just going to send you over to How Sweet It Is for this cupcake recipe. I promise that you most likely have every ingredient you need on hand. So go make them. Right. NOW. The original recipe calls for one teaspoon of vanilla, but we used half a teaspoon of vanilla and half a teaspoon of almond extract--- that is the only thing we changed.

If you have leftover frosting you can use that to top these off. I never have extra frosting... so here's a little recipe just for you.

To get the One Bowl Cupcakes for Two Recipe click here.

Frosting for Two Cupcakes

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Start with 1/2 a tablespoon of milk and add more in until frosting reaches desired consistency. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

One Year Ago: Three Packet Pot Roast & Homemade Egg Noodles for Soups

Shared here: Pin Me Fridays @ Diana Rambles (it's a great link party--- check it out!), On the Menu Mondays @ StoneGable

Cream of Chicken Soup

Wow, I'm really on a homemade processed foods kick this week, aren't I? I am also incredibly busy today so I am hoping no one minds if this post is a quick one.

I love this homemade cream of chicken soup. Granted, it tastes nothing like the gloppy canned stuff BUT it works as a substitute in any recipe that calls for canned cream of chicken soup--- I can prove it with a delicious recipe I'm posting this friday.

This condensed soup keeps for up to ten days in the fridge. You could probably even drag those ten days out to two weeks, but just watch for mold growth. I've never frozen this before, so I can't vouch for that method of preservation when it comes to this recipe.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk, divided

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper, depending on how peppery you like it

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)

Bring the chicken broth and 1/2 cup milk to a low boil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. 

In the meantime, stir together remaining 1 cup milk and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Add the seasonings to this mixture and stir to combine. 

When broth mixture on stove comes to a low boil slowly whisk in the flour mixture. Cook on medium low for 6-10 minutes. This will cook the flour so that you don't taste raw flour.

Remove from heat and pour into an airtight tupperware container. Mixture will thicken a lot upon standing. Keep refrigerated for up to 10 days.

Recipe Source: Pinch of Yum



Shared here: Pin Me Fridays @ Diana Rambles

Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Oh, I'm so obsessed with beans. This recipe is so good and VERY easy, two things I absolutely love. I consider this one of my favorite lazy day meals because its just a few ingredients thrown in a crock-pot and cooked for eight hours. We eat our refried beans on {open-faced} tortillas with cheese, green onions, sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about how delicious this simple meal is. They would also make a great side dish for any mexican feast.

These beans are not technically "refried" (in fact there is no added fat in this recipe), but you'll never be able to tell. I almost forgot: you don't have to pre-soak the dry beans!

Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Recipe Source: adapted by The Taste Tester from 100 Days of Real Food

2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed

1 large onion, peeled and halved

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2 bay leaves

6 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot. Cook on high for 8 hours, stirring every couple of hours, until beans are very soft. Drain excess liquid off of beans into a bowl. Set aside. Remove onion halves and bay leaves from crock-pot and discard. Mash beans with a potato masher, returning some reserved liquid to the beans in order to reach desired consistency. Serve hot. Leftover beans freeze well.

Shared here: Totally Tasty Tuesdays @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Pin Me Fridays @ Diana Rambles, On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

The Best Ever Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I first found this recipe four years ago and actually was not thoroughly impressed the first time I made it. Eventually I gave up on the original recipe entirely.

But don't stop reading there, because after a couple of years of trying to find the perfect whole wheat bread recipe, I realized that this recipe (even though flawed) was a great recipe to start with and build off of. I've made my adaptations and the recipe I am sharing today is my perfect version of 100% whole wheat bread.

It's light and fluffy, not dense. In my opinion it produces the perfect sized slices. I get kind of annoyed by bread that rises and bakes SO high that the bread slice ends up being the size of two normal slices of bread. It's a stupid pet peeve, I know, but the thing is you inevitably have to cut these tall breads twice as thick to prevent them from flopping over and breaking while you are cutting them. There are other reasons for my distaste for bread slices that are too large, but I will get off my soapbox now.

This bread is also perfect for sandwiches. Basically I love this bread. It's beautiful and perfect. I will be making it all year this year instead of buying bread. Oh and did I mention it tastes good too?

DISCLOSURE: For best results make bread exactly as directed below. Successful bread making definitely takes practice. I think you'll find that this recipe is fairly forgiving if you put forth your best effort and know-how.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 heaping tablespoon active dry yeast

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey, divided

2 1/3 cup warm water, divided

5-6 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten*

2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Activate yeast by lightly stirring it with 1/3 cup of the warm water (120 degrees) and the 1 tablespoon of honey. Set aside for five minutes. After five minutes it should be expanded and bubbly (this is how you will know that you have successfully prepared and not killed your yeast).

Combine 3 cups of the whole wheat flour and the vital wheat gluten in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining 2 cups of warm water and prepared yeast. Mix on low speed for one minute. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. This step is important, as it will help make the bread lighter.

Add oil, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup of honey. Mix until combined. Remove whisk attachment and replace it with the dough hook attachment. Slowly add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough is still very soft (and even slightly sticky) but forms a ball and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. When dough has reached this point, turn your mixer on high, cover it, and let the dough knead for 7 minutes (yes, 7 whole minutes). If you are kneading by hand, this will take 12-15 minutes. When the dough is done kneading, it should look smooth, elastic, and even a little bit shiny. 

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Spray two 8x4 inch or 9x5 inch bread pans with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly oil hands. Divide dough into two equal portions. Shape into loaves and and place one loaf into each of the prepared bread pans.

Place pans in preheated oven and let dough rise until it is doubled (20-25 minutes). When dough has risen, turn oven up to 350 degrees. Cook for 20-25 more minutes or until the tops of the loaves sound hollow when tapped (they will also be a dark golden brown). Immediately turn out of pans onto a cooling rack.

Makes 2 (1 lb) loaves.

This recipe can easily be doubled to make four loaves and it stores well in the freezer.

*Wheat flour has a smaller percentage of gluten than other flours. Adding vital wheat gluten helps give it a lighter, fluffier texture.

EXTRA BONUS: This bread takes 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.

Recipe Source: The Taste Tester, adapted from Dana Thornock

Shared here: Pin Me Friday @ Diana Rambles, One Creative Weekend @ Buns in My Oven, Strut Your Stuff Saturdays @ Six Sisters' Stuff, On the Menu Mondays @ StoneGable, Tuesday Talent Show @ Chef In Training

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

We're on vacation so I'm keeping this post sweet and simple. I'm guessing some of you readers out there have some holiday guests to feed over the next few days. Boy, have I got a simple meal idea for you: Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce. All you have to do is brown some meat and throw it in a crockpot with a few other ingredients. When it gets close to dinner time just boil some pasta, make a salad, and slice up some french bread. It really doesn't get much simpler than that.

Extra bonus, this sauce is rich and succulent; everyone will love it. Even though the red pepper flakes are optional I really recommend that you add them. They don't really add heat, just more depth of flavor.

Have I ever told you that I don't like spaghetti noodles? I think it has something to do with the fact that I think of wet hair when I have spaghetti in my mouth. I'll eat any other shape of pasta, but no spaghetti for me, please (and angel hair pasta for that matter too). Hence, the mini bow tie pasta pictured here.

On an entirely different note, I will not be posting this coming Monday seeing as it is Christmas Eve and all. See you next Wednesday, December 26th! If you need meal, holiday food, or other inspiration while I am absent please feel free to visit my pinterest page.

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, minced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons butter

Brown ground beef with onion in skillet over medium high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain excess fat off of beef and discard. Combine cooked ground beef and remaining ingredients (EXCLUDING the butter) together in crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and stir in the butter. Don't forget to add the butter, it really does make a difference (I have tasted it without before, trust me). Serve over pasta. Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe Source: Iowa Girl Eats (I highly recommend making her O.M.G Garlic Bread along with this meal).

This week I'm partying here!

On The Menu Mondays @ StoneGable

I Gotta Try That...

This recipe was featured here: On the Menu Monday @ StoneGable

New York Cheesecake with Homemade Cherry Topping

I've never been to New York City. Though between you and me, this frozen hot chocolate and this cheesecake I'm posting about today make me want to move there (along with a plethora of other delicious "New York" style foods). 

I. heart. cheesecake. When it is made the right way it is BAKED. I don't have much room in my heart for those easy, unbaked cheesecakes. Baked cheesecakes are the perfect combination of soft and firm, sweet and sour, and dessert-y deliciousness. 

Cheesecake is probably one of the only things that I could sit down and eat {the entire thing} in one sitting. This New York Style Cheesecake with Homemade Cherry Topping is no exception. Like most things I've made for the blog, I had to give lots of it away to friends and neighbors just so that David and I wouldn't gain thirty pounds in one sitting. Though if we had, it would have been worth it; this cheesecake is that good.

New York Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a springform pan (8 or 9 inches) with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, and butter until fully combined and crumbly. Press into the bottom and about 2" up the sides of the prepared pan.

For filling, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, vanilla, and milk together until smooth. Stir in eggs and lemon peel just until combined. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Put the springform pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes (9-inch pan) and 40-45 minutes (8-inch pan). You will know it is done cooking when a 2 1/2 inch area around the edges of the pan is set when you shake the pan gently (the middle will still jiggle slightly).

Remove springform pan from cookie sheet, and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the edges of the crust from the pan; cool for 30 more minutes and then remove the sides of the pan. Cool for 1 1/2 more hours on the rack. In the meantime make the cherry filling and let that cool completely at room temperature.

After the cheesecake has cooled for the additional 1 1/2 hours at room temperature, pour the cooled filling over the top of the cheesecake and cover cheesecake with plastic wrap. Move cheesecake to refrigerator and chill for at least four hours before serving.

Yield: 12 slices
Recipe Source: The Taste Tester, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Cherry Topping

10 ounces fresh or frozen cherries, pitted

1 lemon, juiced

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Combine cherries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Recipe Source: The Taste Tester, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This week I'm partying at!

My Great Grandma's English Toffee

I am about to make some really bold claims about this recipe, but here it goes. THIS is the best toffee you will ever eat. It is addicting, buttery, and crunchy; heaven in a bite.

This toffee is my great grandmother's recipe which means that it really is tried and true. There is something about making it, eating it and sharing it that makes me feel connected to my great grandmother in a way that I can't even describe. I am sure she would have been proud to see this post on my blog.

That being said, this recipe (meaning the process of making it) is not for pansies. Be prepared for blood, sweat, and tears peeps.

Your arms are going to hurt  like heck from stirring. Your legs are going to get tired of standing over such a hot hot pot for so so so long. At some point you might start cursing and screaming and wondering why you ever began this process in the first place.

From start to finish, it is going to be long time before you can eat this yummy goodness. 

Don't start if you can't finish.

Don't be tempted to turn up the heat. It won't speed things up. In fact, high heat will probably just make your toffee taste burnt and that's just gross.

I know I am making this sound daunting and scary, but if you do make this toffee I can promise you one thing: a whole lotta love.

You'll love the toffee. The toffee will love you. The people who you give it to will worship the ground you walk on. Trust me. In the end, it is all worth it. Even if you only make it once a year DO IT. You'll be glad you did.

English Toffee

1 pound (4 cubes) good quality butter*

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

1 (7 oz) Hershey's milk chocolate bar, coarsely chopped

Butter a jelly roll pan. Sprinkle half of your chopped nuts across the buttered jelly roll and set the rest aside. 

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over a low to medium heat. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a slow low rolling boil. Constantly stir with a wooden spoon. Watch closely. Have a jar of peanut butter or a brown paper lunch sack right next to the pot while you stir. The color will go from yellow to tan to brown. When the brown color is exactly the same color as the peanut butter or paper lunch sack, remove pot from heat. Add the vanilla and pour evenly over the nuts on the jelly roll pan. 

Immediately sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the hot toffee and let it soften and melt. Use an offset spatula or a knife to smooth the chocolate evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle the rest of your chopped nuts over the melted chocolate. When its cooled and the chocolate is set, just break into random pieces.

Recipe Source: My Great Grandma, Annie Van Leeuwen

*at some point during the hour-or-so long cooking process the butter will separate slightly from the mixture. By the time it turns peanut butter colored, the butter will return back into the mixture IF and only if you have used good quality butter. Lower quality butters contain more water and will stay separated from the sugar. This is why low quality butters are not a desirable choice for the making of this toffee.

This week I'm partying here!

On The Menu Mondays @ StoneGable

Dark Dark Chocolate Truffles

It is officially December which means I can start sharing holiday candy recipes! I was going to start with these last week, but it just felt wrong.

When it comes to holiday candies, let's just get one thing straight. Oreo truffles are delicious and they have sort of taken the world by storm (at least they have here in Rexburg, Idaho). I have also seen them all over pinterest and the blogosphere lately.

It seems like every Christmas party I go to has a platter of oreo truffles and they disappear within minutes. Even I myself have done a version of these truffles on the blog before.

I was at a party recently where there were some oreo truffles. I was talking to the lady who made them, obviously to tell her how yummy they were, and she started telling me how easy they were to make (which I already knew). But then she said something along the lines of "They are so much easier to make than traditional chocolate truffles".

I smiled and nodded and we went our separate ways.

In response to the last statement she said I started thinking, "Really, are they that much easier? Is it easier to make an oreo truffle than a traditional chocolate truffle?".

To all visitors of the blog today, new readers and old, I am going to share a little secret with you. Making traditional chocolate truffles is just as easy as making an oreo truffle. More so actually because unless you buy your oreos already crushed very finely, I find the work of crushing a whole pack of oreos to be very obnoxious and messy (I don't have a food processor).

So here, I will show you how to make REAL truffles in as few words as possible:

First you measure out your dark chocolate into a glass bowl. Then you cover it in heavy cream that you have brought just barely to a boil. Cover this bowl with a glass plate and let the mixture sit for five minutes.

Come back and stir this chocolatey ganache-y goodness until it is smooth, creamy, and shiny. Add a little bit of extract during this step (vanilla, peppermint, almond, orange or rum--- whatever your heart desires).

Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly over the surface of the chocolate and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When it is all set up, dip a melon baller or cookie scoop in cold water and rinse your hands in cold water as well. Scoop out the chocolate and roll it into balls between your wet hands. Yes, having cold wet hands makes a HUGE difference in the messiness factor. You may have to re-rinse your melon baller and hands in cold water every three to four truffles.

Roll them into your desired toppings (I used coconut, cocoa powder, and chopped pistachios).

Refrigerate until ready to eat and Vwah-lah! You have some real truffles. Now that was easy.

These taste like a very very dark and bitter chocolate (which I love). However if you don't like dark chocolate you could try making them with milk chocolate chips instead, though I have never tried making them that way so I can't guarantee it will work.

Wrap these up in a cute little box for all of your chocolate loving neighbors and friends. They make a perfect holiday candy gift. If these aren't the candy you were looking for this holiday season, don't worry I have many more coming your way during the month of December!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

1 1/3 cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon any flavor extract (such as vanilla)

chopped nuts, coconut, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, etc.

In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream just to a boil. Pour the cream over chocolate in a sturdy glass bowl, and shake the bowl gently to settle the cream.  Cover bowl with glass plate and let sit for 5 minutes.

Whisk chocolate mixture until it is smooth and shiny, adding the flavored extract until combined. Press some plastic wrap directly over the surface of the chocolate and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Run hands and cookie scoop (or melon baller) under very cold water. Scoop out 12 balls of chocolate and roll them between cold wet hands. Put the topping of your choice on a plate or in shallow dish and roll truffles in desired toppings. Drop onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: The Taste Tester, adapted from Food Network Kitchens

The BEST Red Enchilada Sauce

Once you try this sauce, you are never going to buy canned enchilada sauce ever ever ever again. I'm not even exaggerating.

In fact, I went into my food storage to find some pistachios the other day, and out of the corner of my eye I spied a small can of store-bought enchilada sauce from way back in the day when that was what we used. For some reason it had ended up shoved behind all of our canned beans (I am guessing my husband hid it there after the first time we had this homemade sauce... sneaky sneaky).

Regardless of how that little can of enchilada sauce ended up where it was, I actually wept inside just thinking that for one last time I would actually have to use store-bought blandness before I could make the homemade goods again.

If you don't believe me the good news is that this recipe is very easy to make (it whips up in about 15 minutes). In other words, you have no excuse not to try this recipe. It is not a mild sauce (I give you fair warning) and it is actually quite spicy in my own opinion. It is so delicious and would work well in ANY of your favorite recipes that call for red enchilada sauce.

Don't have any favorite recipes that could use this yummy goodness? Well, lucky you! I have one coming your way this friday. It WILL end up on your favorites list, fo sho.

Red Enchilada Sauce

Recipe Source: Gimme Some Oven

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

2 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Let it cook for one minute. This will cook out the flour-y taste. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano) and the chicken broth gradually. Whisk to remove any lumps. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10-15 minutes. The sauce should get thick and bubbly.

Use immediately. Yield: 2 cups (in comparison to approximately 1 1/4 cups in a 10-ounce can of enchilada sauce) 

This enchilada sauce will last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Ali (the blogger who developed this recipe at Gimme Some Oven) also recommends substituting 1-2 tablespoons of chipotle powder for some of the chili powder if desired. I have never tried this but from what I have read chipotle powder will actually give it a sweeter taste (a little less spicy).

This week I am partying here!

Homemade Bread, Is There Anything Better?

Have I ever told you how much I love to blog? Well, if I haven't then I will do so now. I love having a food blog. As a stay at home mom it gives me a hobby, something I can do other than change dirty diapers, clean the house, take out the trash etc. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom. But it is really nice to connect with myself every so often and have a break from the utterly mundane. This blog helps me do that.

Blogging is not always easy however, and in recent months this blog has grown more. I expect that this growth will continue and as a result, you may see a lot of changes on the blog. For example, the design of the blog might change, I am trying to change host sites for my domain, I am going to start offering advertising for small businesses, etc. A lot of these changes are absolutely necessary because they are going to make my life ten times easier--- and as a mom, I need that.

 I just love how supportive all of my readers have been so far, so stick with me through the changes and be very patient with me and my lack of technical skills. I promise it will all be worth it.  I have a list of changes that need to happen and it is very long. None of it will be that final until the beginning of 2013. Thank you for your patience.

On the off-chance that you are upset about this news (haha), don't worry I have a solution. BREAD. Good bread makes everything better. Especially homemade bread fresh from the oven slathered with cinnamon honey butter. Is there anything more comforting?

I submit that there is not (with the exception of all things chocolate).

Today's make-ahead recipe is for overnight rolls, which I am assuming will come in handy this coming week. You see, the dough itself maybe takes 5-10 minutes to throw together. Once its done all you have to do is throw it in a bowl and stick it in the refrigerator overnight. In other words this recipe is very little work= small investment of time, big delicious totally-worth-it dividend.

To make your life easier on Thanksgiving Day, make the dough the night before. One and a half hours before you plan on serving your turkey and all it's fixins', shape the dough, let rise for 30-40 minutes, and bake. It's as easy as that.

Overnight Pull-Apart Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 egg , beaten
• 3 1/2- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I do one cup whole wheat)

Cooking Directions

1. In small saucepan combine milk, sugar, shortening, and salt; heat to lukewarm (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)*. 
2. In large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water**. Add egg and milk mixture. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough***. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently 2 to 3 minutes to make a smooth ball. (Knead in just enough remaining flour so dough is no longer sticky.) Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.
3. Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface; allow to rest 10 minutes.
4. To shape rolls, roll or pat dough to a 10x8-inch rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut in 2-1/2x1-inch strips. Lightly roll each strip and place in a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan, leaving about 1/2 inch between each roll. Cover and let rise until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and rolls sound hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan. Serve warm or cool. Makes about 32 small dinner rolls.

Tips for Making More Successful Rolls:

*If you heat your milk mixture past 110-115 degrees F, allow it to cool until it is back within this temperature range. If you don't you might risk killing your yeast, and dead yeast equals bread that won't rise. Gross.

**Once again make sure your water is warm, not hot. Hot water will kill your yeast. Also, help your yeast grow by adding one teaspoon of sugar in with the water and yeast during this step. Sugar gives the yeast something to feed on. Who doesn't love sugar?

***A soft dough is one of the biggest determining factors of a light, fluffly, heavenly roll. Some cooks are tempted to keep adding flour for some reason and their doughs just become hard and tough. Also gross. You want your dough to be slightly tacky (basically it will look sticky), but it will have formed a ball, and it should not stick to your hands when you touch it. Understand?
One last tip about bread making: Always remember that just like your mother-in-law, bread making is a lot less intimidating than you think it is. 

Recipe by Better Homes and Gardens

5 out of 5 stars

A word about the honey butter: some honey butter recipes also contain powdered sugar or marshmallow fluff. I have had these recipes before and they are good. However, there is something so beautiful about the simplicity of just using honey for the sweetness in honey butter. After all, it is called honey butter.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip until light and fluffy. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe by Ina Garten

5 out of 5 stars

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Green Bean Casserole, Real Food Style

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for this week's posts. Let me just try and put my enthusiasm into words...

I am really excited for this week's posts. Understand?

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I think it has to do with the fact that I get to cook a lot (which if you couldn't tell, I love to cook). 

So for this week's posts, I picked out three classic Thanksgiving recipes that I would love to share with you. 

Next week will be pretty similar, though I have not decided whether or not I will be posting on Thanksgiving Day (for Happy & Healthy Thursdays).

In the meantime, I thought we should discuss one of my many favorite Thanksgiving side dishes: Green Bean Casserole.

This stuff just tastes okay if you make French's original recipe (don't tell them I said that). Here is why: It uses canned green beans, canned "cream-of" soup, and canned crunchy onions. I imagine it is slightly easier to make it their way, but it tastes so much better made from scratch with real food. My version uses fresh (or frozen) green beans, a homemade mushroom bacon cream sauce, and fresh fried crunchy onion straws. Are you drooling yet?
Just trust me on this one. If you were asked to bring green bean casserole to dinner on Thanksgiving, do yourself and everyone else a favor and make it from scratch. It is so worth it.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound (16 ounces) fresh or frozen whole green beans
• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces

For Mushroom Cream Sauce:

• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

For Onion Strings:

• 1 1/2 white onions
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 scant tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• oil for frying

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a two quart casserole dish, preferrably with butter.
2. Steam green beans until they are fork tender. Drain and set aside (this step is only necessary if you are using fresh green beans).
3. Cook bacon in heavy dutch oven over medium high heat until crisp. Remove from pan leaving about two tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.
4. Saute sliced mushrooms, 1/2 an onion, and garlic in bacon grease until mushrooms are browned and onions are golden and translucent.
5. Add butter to pan and allow to melt. Stir flour into butter and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Slowly add in milk (keep stirring). Continue cooking over medium high heat until sauce has thickened. Stir in cream cheese, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Once cream cheese has melted, remove sauce from heat and add in prepared green beans and cooked bacon pieces. Mix well. 
8. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
9. In the meantime, slice onions for onion strings very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Let soak for at least ten minutes or up to one hour.
10. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
11. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
12. Grab a handful of onions and toss them in the flour mixture until completely coated. Shake off excess flour, and drop them carefully into the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove onto a paper towel lined plate as soon as they are golden brown.
13. Repeat until onions are gone.
14. When casserole has finished baking remove from oven and top with fresh fried onion strings.
15. Bake for an additional 3 minutes.
16. Let cool for 10 minutes (the sauce will thicken slightly upon standing). Serve warm.

Recipe by Amanda Jenks (onion strings portion of recipe from The Pioneer Woman)

5 out of 5 stars

To make this an easier dish to prepare on Thanksgiving day, make the green bean casserole from steps one through seven the night before and refrigerate in prepared pan. Make onion strings and bake on Thanksgiving day.

I am partying this week at:

Delicious Dishes