Jealousy in a Cookie

Rocky Road ice cream hands down is one of my favorites.
Rocky road cookies, now those make ice cream jealous.
The only way to make them friends again would be to add a little ice cream INSIDE the cookies and make an ice cream sammie.
I left them enemies.

When I needed a chocolate fix yesterday I picked myself up, walked into the kitchen, opened my cupboards and started pulling out random ingredients.
I WILL EAT CHOCOLATE.
Oh, a little baggie of chippies (stuff a handful in my mouth), ohhhh lookie here, a few hazelnuts kickin around.  OH chocolate marshmallows, ok, Ive got it.
Hence the cookie.

I have an old recipe I like to use but I doctored it, added a few things to it and behold.....

Oh ya, chocolate craving fulfilled!

I'm Listening to:  Freebird - Lynard Skynyrd

Faux Pasta and a Meatless Dish

Meatless Monday.
If you're friends jumped off a bridge would you?
How bout you just try to make 1 meatless meal ANY day of the week....why does it have to be Monday?  Just because it rolls off the tongue?  Because it seems a lot of people out there do it too?
BAH, I have Mash Up Monday's - that rolls off your tongue too but that doesn't mean I think you all should make a creative mash up meal on Mondays.  (wait, maybe I do haha)

Can you tell I don't like to conform?  Maybe I should post this tomorrow since today is Monday? HA

Our farmers market season is back full swing, actually, its been on for just over a month or so now and we're back to "pick a veggie" week.  This is when I ask the fam what fruit or veggie we either haven't had, or hardly eat and I try to create a dish with it so we can fall in love with it all over again.
This past week it was eggplant!!
Our last eggplant dish was the parm.  It didn't wow the crowd, I took it off the rotation.  BUT THIS DID!

Eggplant Cannelloni!
No meat, no pasta.  That's right, I said it. 
Grab a knife and fork, dig in.....it has the texture of a pasta dish but its all veggie (well except the filling)

Enjoy!

I'm Listening to:  Sade - Smooth Operator (thanks Boho clan for the reminder)

Cream of 3 Mushroom Soup

I did it again.  I made a soup.
Only I didn't try it because of my detestation of mushrooms.  (that's the opposite of adoration).
However I adore my husband and he adores mushrooms as well as soup and so this recipe was prepared for him.  (aren't I the sweetest wife ever?)

It is a simple recipe as long as you have brandy (which I am sure you could substitute for red or white wine, maybe some whiskey even).  I suppose you could leave it out but I don't think you should, then again, what do I know, I didn't eat it.
Crazy enough there was a point in the cooking process where I WISHED my taste buds would erase themselves because my nostrils said MMMMM this smells like it would taste amazing! It didn't happen folks, no mushrooms nor soup crossed these lips, not this time, couldn't do it.

The recipe stems from one I found on the FoodNetwork site online and its creator was non other than BAMMMM, Emeril Lagasse.  I wish he still was on, I have fond memories of watching his shows.
There were a few substitutions, a few quantitative changes but otherwise followed.

From the reviews received, and not just from Mr. BM (I brought it to work and had the gals eat the rest of it up) this recipe is a winner, a keeper, a maker againer!

Try it out - you let me live through you on this one, tell me how you liked it!!

I'm listening to:  Payphone - Maroon 5 *because its catchy and I love a guy that sounds like a girl*

Smooth Like Butta - Only its Caramel

What do you have on your sundaes?
Me?  Caramel!! 
You'd think I would eat hot fudge since I am addicted to chocolate but there's this little part of me that secretly loves the caramel probably a little more.

At work the other day we had a visitor, the property manager - duh, duh, duhhhhhh.
Actually, he came in to talk cakes, I totally lie, he came in to talk about the air conditioning unit but then he saw we had made 350 + cupcakes for an event and we could tell he wanted to devour one so we let him.
Then he asked if we could make him a specialty cake.  Hook, line, sinker!
Um, that's what we do sir.  Cakes.
Until he asked for a Torta Mil Hojas (in his best Chilean accent)
Torta Millionaire what?
A traditional Chilean cake.  Layers of pastry smothered in layers of Dulce de Leche.  Those Chili people know their way into my heart!  Swoon!

Alright, not something we've done before so me, the R&D manager (nice title eh?  We came up with it to make me feel special) decided it should be tested out.
First thing's first, the dulce de leche. 
He didn't want it coming from a jar, so, this post is how you can make it at home with very little effort!

I'm Listening to: Got You (Where I Want You) - The Flys

It's Like Super 8 Up in Here!

Best thing about staying at some hotel/motels - waffle breakfast!
You know, shuffling downstairs in your jammies, hair all unkempt, with 30 other people you don't know, don't care to know and will never see again to line up to make your own breakfast.  Hot, crispy, waffles.
Pour, close, flip, wait for the beep! Hey, nice slippers!

So when we received a Cuisinart Breakfast Station as a wedding present this past weekend I nearly felt like I was back on the road, driving to Florida for the wedding all over again.  The wedding is over but this keeps my memories alive!
Pour, close, flip, wait for the beep - HOORAY!

They should make a song about waffles.  I already made up the dance, but only my kitchen walls got to see it.

Since I have never made waffles before I scoured the Google, asked for insights from my Facebook friends but ended up deciding on the Cuisinart recipe that came with the appliance since it was my first time.  My maiden test run was a success!  I didn't even have any goopiness out the sides (which I assumed I would).  I added a few things for extra flavor and used buttermilk but kept the proportions given.
I suppose next time I will read the entire directions so that I a) don't need to make 10 waffles for 2 people b) I make sure I have all my bowls set up and c) don't have to wait for my batter to be used.
This recipe is yeast based and therefore needed time to set up.  When you're hungry and want waffles this is not the recipe for you, you need to wait 1hr after you've prepared your batter before you start cookin but once you do, you've got crispy outside and fluffy inside goodness!

Enjoy!  We did!

I'm Listening to:
WAFFLE SONG!

Classic Belgium Waffles

1 1/2 c. water divided
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 c. + 2 tsp. sugar
3 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
8 tbsp. butter, melted then cooled
2 tsp. veg oil
2 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

Start by melting the butter and set aside to cool.
In a pot, heat 1/2 of the water (3/4c.) to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast with a touch of the sugar and let stand until the mixture foams, about 6-7 minutes.
Beat the 2 of the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside

In a bowl sift together flour, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl add the water/yeast mixture and the egg yolks along with 1 of the whites as well as the sugar and stir to blend.  Add the remaining water, milk, melted butter, oil and vanilla and stir until smooth.

Add the liquid to the dry and beat until smooth.

Fold in the remaining egg whites and let the batter stand for 1 hr., stirring every 15 minutes.

Preheat your waffle iron, pour about 1/4 c. into the centre and using a spatula even it out - I started with the little cup provided with my waffle iron but found that it wasn't quite enough so I guesstimated as I went along.
My machine beeps when ready - I hope yours does too!  About 3 minutes or so.
DONE!
We topped ours with a simple pear compote (brown sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg and pears boiled for a minute then simmered for 10 or so)