Cherry Garcia Truffles...

From back to front:

Cookie Dough Truffles in milk chocolate coating

Carrot Cake Truffles in white chocolate coating

Homemade Marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in crushed graham crackers

Cherry Garcia Truffles in dark chocolate coating

So I found that I love making truffles. They are so easy and I'm starting to get pretty good at it! Last year I made cookie dough truffles from a recipe that I got from Taste of Home magazine. It was so yummy and a serious hit! This year I decided that although it was pretty amazing, I needed to make it even better.

I decided that I love Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream and seeing as though it has been in the top 10 since it came out, a lot of other people must really like it too, right? Well, I took the perfect cookie truffle recipe and added some dried cherries and cherry flavoring, dunked them in dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate and OMG... it was awesome!!!

Here is the recipe:

Cherry Garcia Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, chopped
5-7 drops of cherry flavoring (not extract)

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, re-melt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

Note: I used a candy making kit to melt the chocolate so I didn't have to worry about it hardening, but last year I used a crockpot on high to melt and then put it on low to dip. This allowed me to dip all of the truffles without having to remelt the chocolate.

Craving Chocolate??

OK, so I decided to make a recipe my mom used to make many years ago. If you have a chocolate craving, this is the perfect fix! It's one of those pies that say to divide it into 16 pieces, and trust me, you can. It's that chocolatey!!

Chocolate Delite Pie - No Bake

2 pkg Baker’s Sweet Chocolate
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 8oz cool whip
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup milk
1 Chocolate pie crust

Put aside 3 squares of chocolate. Melt remaining chocolate with ¼ cup of milk. Beat in cream cheese, granulated sugar and remaining milk. Fold in cool whip and pour mixture into pie crust.

Shave the remaining chocolate squares over the top. Freeze for at least 1.5 hr. Serve.

I took this one out of the freezer to get a pic, so don't mind the little crystals... lol! It's perfect after about 10 minutes at room temperature... mmm mmm

If you end up trying it, let me know what you think!!

Holiday Cooking...

I've been reading blogs for a while now and I love find recipes on them that I can't wait to try! Well, for a few months now, I've seen all kinds of people posting about Red Velvet Truffles and I've really wanted to try them. I love love love making truffles, even though mine never ever come out as smooth and professional as all of the ones I've seen, but I have yet to find a box mix for a red velvet cake. I looked online for some scratch recipes, but to tell you the truth, that's where I get lazy! So I was thinking... What kind of cake would go well mixed with some cream cheese?! I actually figured out one morning, in the shower of all places!! LMAO. CARROT CAKE!!

I don't really like carrot cake, but my hubby LOVES it!! So much in fact, that one year I went to this special bakery and spent $27 on a carrot cake for his birthday... bad idea since we didn't even have a party and the cake had to weigh about 8 pounds... he ended up bringing it to work with him to share it... lol

So anyway, after looking at so many blogs with the recipe I kind of did my own. Some people used 12oz cream cheese, some 16oz, but all with red velvet... ok a few with chocolate. Here's what I came up with!! I hope someone else tries it and lets me know what they think. So far in the house, it's a hit!

Carrot Cake Truffles

1 box Carrot Cake mix
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup finely shredded carrots
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
1/2 cup water
16 oz cream cheese - softened
16 oz vanilla melts

Mix the carrot cake mix, pumpkin, and water together well. Then fold in the raisins and carrots. If your mix has the raisins and carrots, you don't have to add more (I buy the cheap mix and add my own). Bake it according to the directions on the box. If you would prefer, you can mix the cake the way it explains on the box (with the oil and eggs) but I always make my carrot cake this way, and have never had a complaint.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Then crumble into a big bowl. Add the cream cheese to the cake crumbles until completely blended. Then roll into 1 inch balls. Finally, melt the vanilla melts. I used a candy maker my mom had gotten me last year and it was so much easier. I can't do the double boiler thing, it always fails, so I had been doing the crock pot. It works but it's big!

Anyway, coat the carrot cake balls and allow to cool. Enjoy!! This is how a few of mine came out...

Cranberry time!

In New England cranberries are a big thing. There are bogs everywhere and there was even a Cranberry Festival a few weeks ago, only about 20 minutes away from our house. Actually, come to think of it, my grandfather has a cousin who owns a dairy farm, with a corn field and a cranberry bog... lol!! Like I said, it's a big thing!

Well, I am a cookbook addict and while at the festival I found a cute little 30pg cookbook, Crazed for Cranberries - Low Fat Recipes, and I had to have it so I could try the Cranberry Square Crisp. Then it just so happened that a vendor at the Fairhaven Marketplace this Sunday was selling fresh cranberries! Sweet, for a total of $5 I got the book and the berries and was ready to cook!!

Monday I whipped up a batch and OMG I thought it was really really good. My mom wasn't at all thrilled and Chef Hubby said that it would have been amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Well, of course, what doesn't?!

So Here it is:

Cranberry Square Crisp - serves 9

• 2 cups chopped fresh or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups sugar1 egg white
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 4 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• pinch of salt1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (I used vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9" square baking pan with nonstick oil. Mix cranberries, walnuts, and 1/2 cup sugar. Spread in baking pan. Mix together remaining cup of sugar and all other ingredients. Stir until smooth. Pour over cranberries. Bake 40 minutes or until top crust becomes light golden brown. Cool 30 minutes. Cut into 3" squares.

It was soo good! I hope you like it, if you try it!

At That Point...

I'm at the point where my baby is becoming a big kid and although I thought I was, I'm not quite ready for it.

Payton has been showing off her climbing skills and recently climbed out of her pack-n-play with ease. She's almost 21 months old and I know it's normal for the age, but Phoebe never escaped "confinement"... lol. This is entirely new to me. I switched Phoebe into her "big girl" bed when she was almost 2 yrs old, but that was because we were expecting Payton and I was not about to buy another convertible crib. Fortunately, the first was a gift from Chef Hubby's grandmother. I also, wanted to do it well before we were going to actually need it for the baby so Phoebe didn't think she was kicked out because of the baby (I know, she was, but she didn't have to know that!!)

Anyway, so back to Payton's big girl bed... Chef Hubby picked out the crib and it's beautiful and sophisticated BUT it's a 2 step bed. This means it converts simply from a crib to a full size bed. We recently ordered the conversion kit, because the crib had been discontinued and we had to contact the company, etc etc, but I wasn't ready to put her into a full size and risk her "cracking her skull". That's one of my favorite sayings, BTW. "Don't climb on that, you're going to crack your skull!!" or "Don't throw that, it's going to crack Payton's skull"... lol!! I think it's cute!

Can you tell I have the attention span of a flea today?! Sorry about that... So Payton slept in her bed and part of me was cheering inside!! Yay! All that's left now is the potty training and the baby stuff will be gone... yippee!!! But then a little part was sad. my baby girls are growing up. Phoebe is going into preschool this year... seriously! OMG!!

Phoebe is going to go to school and I won't be there to make sure she actually eats, or shares, or doesn't get her "skull cracked". I won't be able to kiss her boo boo if she falls. It's kind of scary and I never thought I would feel like this! I'm not the overprotective type. I have the high school kids babysit and my grandparents and my mom. Hubby and I are going to visit my brother for 5 days without the kids and I'm ok with that (mostly!). What is my problem?

Anyway, I'm gonna go hug em tight and figure out what we are going to do today. I already made two loaves of bread this morning so my house smells super yummy!! I made a Blueberry Banana Bread that I found in the Taste of Home magazine (you can never go wrong with these, even though they are $10!!) I have never bought one and not wanted to try at least half of the recipes!

I also made a loaf of Blueberry Streusel Bread. I used the blueberry muffin recipe from Mrs. Letourneau's blog. It looked yummy! Then I topped it with some crumbs that Chef Hubby had made.


I should get going and see if the girls are ok - they are being very very quiet... in my room. Never a good thing... lmao! I will post the recipe for the Blueberry Banana Bread as soon as I find out if it actually tastes good!!

"Quick and Easy Recipes"

OK ... so I have to share two of my very, very favorite recipes from my Campbell Soup cookbooks! These are awesome and super easy. I know everyone is trying to avoid processed foods right now, but hey soup is still better than a stuffed crust pizza, right?? And besides, this isn't a Campbell soup commercial, but most of their popular soups come in the "Healthy Request" option which means far less fat and significantly less sodium!

Here's my #1 Favorite - the first time I tried this, I made it three times that week because I LOVED it!! I've had it with potatoes, pasta, rice... pretty much anything!

Broccoli-Beef Stir-Fry
1 lb boneless beef sirloin
2 Tbsp water
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar
Salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder to taste for meat
Cooking spray

- Slice the beef across the grain into thin strips
- In a lightly sprayed, non-stick pan cook the beef until browned. I season it as soon as it's in the pan. Also, it may be easier to do half of the meat, remove, then the other half. If there is a lot of grease from your meat, drain it. Usually it's pretty dry, but it depends on the meat you use.
- Add the water, broccoli, ginger and garlic to the pan. Stir-fry until the broccoli is tender.
- Stir in the soup, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat until boiling, then return the meat to the pan.
- Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
- Serve over rice, pasta, or potatoes - Enjoy!!!

Shortcut Chicken Cordon Bleu
cooking spray
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can of Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (2oz)
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
4 cups cooked egg noodles

- In a sprayed medium skillet over medium-high heat add chicken. (I found this whole recipe easier when I cubed the chicken into 3/4 inch cubes). Cook until browned. I also seasoned this with salt and pepper as soon as I placed it in the pan. Set the chicken aside.
- Add soup, wine, water, cheese and ham. Heat to a boil, stirring often. Return chicken to the pan.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5mins, stirring occasionally. Serve with the pasta!

OK, with this one Chef Hubby and I were a little divided... he thought that I should have made twice the amount of sauce, but I thought it was just right. Try it and let me know what you think! I have 5 different Campbell Soup cookbooks and I love them all!! You can't find them just anywhere anymore. I found mine on ebay, but they do have a website. Check it out!

Sunday Brunch

OK, so we had Sunday brunch again today and let me just tell you, I am now a HUGE fan of egg bakes. I don't know what else to call them, but they are great!!

Chef Hubby whipped up a sweet and a savory one today... I am including the recipes, so feel free to try em, but please remember that he did work hard at creating these, so at least give him some credit - thanks!

Here's the sweet:

Choc-Banana Bread Pudding - 350 deg for approx 90 mins

3 ripe bananas
1 cup of chocolate chips
10 eggs
1.5 cups light cream
1tsp kosher salt
1 cup gran sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 cups cubed raisin bread

Whisk eggs, cream, bananas, vanilla, salt and sugar until well combined but will not be smooth. Tossed together in a bowl with bread and chocolate chips then spread evenly into a greased 9x13inch baking dish. Feel free to add some extra choco chips or raisins on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 90 mins. Check for doneness (kinda like a cake). Makes enough for ten people. Maybe more... but not today... hehe! It was sooo yummy! He served it with warmed maple syrup on the side, but no one even used that - it was good all on it's own.

And the savory:

Ham and Egg Bake - 350 deg for approx 90 mins

10 oz heirloom cherry tomatoes
1lb diced ham (a good one - not pressed, or in terms I know... "real ham")
12 eggs
1.5 cups light cream
1 tbsp kosher salt
Pepper to taste
1 tbsp of granulated garlic
Assorted fresh herbs, rosemary, oregano, sage… tbsp or so chopped - (tbsp total, not each)
4 cups cubed Italian bread

Whisk eggs, cream and herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs. Tossed together in a bowl with bread, ham and tomatoes until all the bread is coated. Then spread evenly into a greased 9x13inch baking dish bake at 350 degrees for about 90 mins. Check for doneness (kinda like a cake). Makes enough for ten people.

Like I said this was AWESOME! Everyone left very satisfied and looking forward to the next invite... hehe

We also served it with some fresh cut pineapple, sharlyn and cabasa melons. Those were yummy too! We have a specialty gourmet outlet a few blocks away and it's very tempting to try the produce and just about everything else they offer! They even have recipe samples and food tastings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Definitely not a let down - ever!

If you want to check out some of their products it's Sid Wainer and Sons, New Bedford, MA. Even the kids like going there. The one ingredient we make sure to never run out of is the Sweet Chili Sauce. Man, it kicks up marinades or can even stand on its own. Try a Sweet Chili Chicken nugget. We usually do it on a stick so it's a sate and makes a perfect appetizer. Marinade it for a few hours prior to cooking, and they will fly off the tray at any party - guaranteed!

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

I brought the same marinaded pork tenderloin to cookout this weekend and people keep asking me about the marinade, so I figured that I would post it for everyone! As I had mentioned my hubby is a chef, so I'm used to all the yummy stuff he creates and I'm kind of oblivious to the fact that some people aren't... lol!

We went a wholesale club and bought 6lbs of pork tenderloin (I think it can be used on any type of pork though). Henry peeled it so that it was free of all the fat and connective stuff. He then sliced it into medallions (pieces are about 1/2 thick).

Marinade Recipe:
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 C sweet chili sauce
1/4 C pear vinegar
black pepper to taste
1/4 c olive oil

He mixed it all up in a ziploc bag and then added the meat. He squished it around until everything was coated and put it back into the refridgerator for about 24 hrs. I guess that it's best to marinade for 12-36 hrs. So it can be done in advance.

We brought it to the cookout and grilled it up until it's done (160 degrees) or until tender - who the heck used a thermometer at a cookout, right?! The marinade makes it super tender and keeps it moist. For the brunch, I think he seared in a skillet, but you can also pop it in the oven. Because they are so thin I would think that 350 degrees for no more than 10 minutes would be fine.

If you try it, let me know what you think! I keep trying to get him to write a cookbook, but he's a little busy... says he'll get to it someday. Phoebe and I made some homemade oatmeal cookies. I got the recipe from the Quaker Oatmeal website, they are the Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. They were awesome!! I'll tell you all about that later. Have a great day!!

Sunday Brunch

So Sunday brunch went well. We had a light showing. Usually we are crammed around the table with the kids playing in the other room, but this time we waited until the last minute to call people to come. Those who were in attendance raved about the food though... it was yummy!!

Henry didn't come up with anything spectacular, but the usual good stuff rocked! We had scrambled eggs, homefries, marinaded pork tenderloin, two kinds of chicken sausage (one was feta and spinach, and another was onion, red pepper and parmasen cheese) and regular or pepper crusted bacon... mmmmm.

BUT... my dish stole the show! I made Monkey Bread. For anyone who's never had, you have to make it (with lots of people though so you aren't the only one consuming mass amounts of calories and fat!!) I was going to get a pic, but we started to eat it and forgot all about the pics... sorry.

Here is the recipe... I had found a few on the web, but I modified them and this is what I created!

Monkey Bread

3 cans of refridgerated cinnamon rolls
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
cooking spray

Grease a bunt pan well. Preheat your over to 350 degrees. Then open all of the cinnamon rolls and into 4-6 pieces (depends how big you want the bites). Mix the cinnamon and granulated sugar and roll the pieces in it. They don't have to be balls, they bake up all squeezed together anyway.

Stack all of the pieces into the bunt pan. Cut the butter into pieces and add the brown sugar. Microwave for 1min approximately. All the sugar should be melted into the butter. You may need to mix then zap for another 15 secs. Mix until completely combined then slowly pour over the goodness inside the pan, being sure to cover as much as you can.

Place in the oven for 45 mins. The top looks like it gets dried out, but once you flip it onto a plate all the sugars and syrups run down and coat it. It's fabulous... and very very hot initially! You may want to use a fork to take pieces off, at least initially. Enjoy!!!

We ended up spending most of the day lounging... ok, well Daddy mowed the lawn. The girls and I cleaned up and played. It was what a Sunday was supposed to be. We ended the day, by heading to the ice cream shop down the street. hmmm.... monkey bread and ice cream, I wonder how long I'm gonna have to walk to work that stuff off. I don't think I want to think about it.