chocolate, monkey's and Chili pepper oh my!

ALL MOOOOVED! No internet yet. The place is a mess BUT the kitchen has already been chrisened(sp?). Over the weekend I made the following:

-chocolate mint thins
-chocolate mint fudge
-chili pepper chocoalte bark
-Monkey Bread via The Pioneer Woman (the woman is a goddess!)

I know that seems like a lot but it wasn't really.

Chili pepper Bark

Wax paper
1 baking sheet pan
1-2 bags of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 tsps of cayanne pepper
sea salt

Cover baking sheet in wax paper and set aside. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips stirring frequently. Once Completely melted, add pepper. Stir to combine. Pour chocolate onto wax paper and spread out evenly. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to set either at room temp or in fridge. Once set break into pieces. Voila!

The contrast of salt, sweet and spicy is strangly delicious! I don't like spicy a lot but I like this chocolate! Yum. Give it a whirl and see peoples faces go WHOA!

Adapted from ifood.tv

Mint chocoalte thins

1 bag of dark chocolate mint chips (yes the do exist)
1 squeeze bottle (for like hot fudge or sauces, etc)
wax paper
1(or 2) baking sheets

Lay wax paper on baking sheet and set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Once melted, CAREFULLY pour chocolate into squeeze bottle. On your wax paper, squeeze about a nickle to quarter size (depending on how big you want your thins to be) of the chocolate out. Continue doing so until there is no chocolate left. This will make a TON of mints. Allow to set either in Fridge or on your counter until solid. Store in a airtight container in freezer or fridge. I like the freezer.

Use them as dessert toppers, snacks, little gifts, etc. They are so easy and beat the store bought mints.

Moneky Bread

4 mini cans of buttermilk biscuts
1/2 c. Brown Sugar (or more, yeah baby)
1 C. (2 sticks) of butter (sweet nectar of life)
1 Bundt Cake Pan
1 C. sugar
2-3 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Open up all 4 cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit in half (they tiny biscuits).

Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon in a zip lock bag. Gallon size. The more cinnamon flavor you like the more you add. I think I O.D.'d on cinnamon but who cares? Drop all of the biscuit pieces into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Seal bag and shake it like a polarid picture! That is shake the bag to break up the stuck together nuggets and get them allll nice and covered. Once coated, spread the nuggets in bundt pan evenly.

Now you have two choices here. You can A) let it sit over night like I did or B) bake it now. Either choice you make, DO NOT skip the following step!

On a side note, can any one say the word bundt pan and NOT think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is a deep dark brown. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Place plate on top of pan (using protective gear to save your poor patties!) Flip the pan and plate over and remove pan. and Voila! Yum yum Time! Because of the hot sugar please use a fork at first. Once the bread is cool enough, USE THOSE FINGERS! WOO!

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Now because I suck (and my hungry coworkers) I haven't been able to get a good picture of ANYTHING i've baked! But I promiss i will be better! Now that there is light in my kitchen I will be able to get good pics! That is all for now! TATA!

Butter

There is nothing better than butter. There really isn't. Buttre makes everything so much better. I think it's the fat in it. but who cares butter..nomy nomy!


Maple Cinnamon Butter for those of us who can't afford real maple syrup

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/4-1/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp-1/2 tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)
1 tsp Maple extract (or to taste)

put all ingredients into bowl and beat with mixer on slow-med spead until smooth. If it looks curdy just add a tsp of butter at a time until smooth. Usually if its curdy looking...you're using margarine.

Uses:
Bread(duh)
As a glaze-to make it a glaze just add a 2 tbsps more condensed milk and put in microwave for 10 seconds
Pancakes-put a little in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 10-15 seconds, stir and drizzle over pancakes
Waffles

Ok The Messy Baker will FINALLY be moving! Not onthe web, but physically. I will at last have a decent kitchen to cook and bake in! I'm so excited!!!!!!!!

What a Fudged up weekend!

So I made MORE fudge. Peanut butter fudge, white chocolate peanut butter fudge with dark chocolate drizzle AND white chocolate with butter toffee peanuts and dark chocolate swirl. Unfortunatley I only grabbed this picture. I may have gotten more on my other camera but this was it on my phone :(. I've got to get more batteries!

I've come to worship the appliance that is the crock pot. So far I've made a chili, a chicken noodle soup with shirtaki tofu noodles, AND shredded chicken for tacos! It's all in my freezer now. I just started throwing stuff in the pot over the chicken. Results so far have been fabu! And yes, I forgot to take pictures! STUPID ME! Maybe once I thaw it out I'll take pictures though it won't be the same :(.

I've come to embrace the crock pot. All hail it's mighty power!!!

Oh Fudge!!

Ok so as of late making fudge has made me happy. I have found white chocolate is my favorite though. Man I love white chocolate. So i came up with THREE new treats! yeah I'm broke and making fudge..something doesn't add up.

My first treat, was something I'd been thinking up for a while. NOw I didn't come out perfect so i have some tweaking to do but here it is basicly. A three layer chocolate fudge and peanut butter fudge rice krispy treat.

Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining it with either wax paper or tin foil. Set asside and being layers as follows.

Layer 1- Peanut Butter Fudge ( i need to half it i think)

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter-any kind will do
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (i actually forgot this step and it came out fine)

Put butter and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl or double boiler. microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove and stir. Place back in microwave and microwave for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract (preferably with a wooden spoon) until mixed thoroughly. Place in an 8X8 glass dish or metal pan lined with waxed paper or foil.

Source : Recipezaar

NOw at this point it also says to place in fridge for 2 hours. I did not for this next reason!

Layer 2-Rice Krispies treat

Who doesn't know this recipe? But for safe keeping here it be:

3 Tbsp. butter
10 oz. (1 bag) marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal


In a 3-quart saucepan, heat butter and marshmallows over medium heat until melted.
Remove from heat, and immediately stir in the cereal, using the prepared spatula.
Spread into the prepared pan. Flatten gently with the spatula. Let cool and harden completely. Cut into squares.

Source: about.com

In this case the prepared pan is the one with peanut butter fudge in it.

Layer 3-Fudge-ridiculously easy fudge at that

16 oz. (450 g) chocolate chips
4 Tbs. (57 g) butter
14 oz. (396 g) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
nuts (optional)

Throw the butter and chocolate chips into a medium metal bowl or double boiler. Pour the sweetened condensed milk on top. Fill a small pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmering. Do not let top pan of double boiler or metal bowl touch water. After a few minutes over the heat, start mixing the melting chocolate together with the melting butter. Now you can constantly stir it like I do OR you can let it heat then mix alternatly. Once melted remove from heat.

Adapted from: Cooking for Engineers
Pour this fudge over the rice krispy treats.

Allow to chill in fridge for at least 2 hours or until set.

Once set cut in to small squares. I emphasize small because it will be a rich treat. and TADAAA.


The above fudge recipe is so stinkin easy and simply I used it for two of the other treats.

First:

Peanut butter Chocolate Fudge Rice Krispy thingies!

4 tbsp butter or maragrine
12 oz bag semi sweet chips
10 oz bag of peanut butter chips
1 can condensed milk
Approx 4-5 cups rice crispies
1/2 c. walnuts

Place rice kripsies in medium bowl and set aside. Put butter, chips, and milk into bowl over water or double boiler. Melt, stir, blah blah. Spread walnuts onto bottom of a foil lined 9 x 13 baking dish. or if you want thinker bars 9x9. Pour 3/4 of melted fudge into pan, spread out evenly. Take other fourth of fudge and pour it over rice cripies. Stir and mix until all cereal is covered. Spread out fudgey cripies over still warm and melted fudge in pan. Chill, cut, enjoy. Kinda tastes like a candy bar.

Ok LAST treat. I love white chocolate..nom nom.

White choclate Butter Toffee Fudge

11 oz bag white chocolate chips
1/3 condensed milk (i love this stuff)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. chopped and/or whole butter toffee peanuts

Line a 8x8 pan with tin foil. Throw the butter and chocolate chips into a medium metal bowl or double boiler. Pour the sweetened condensed milk on top. Fill a small pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmering. Do not let top pan of double boiler or metal bowl touch water. After a few minutes over the heat, start mixing the melting chocolate together with the melting butter. Now you can constantly stir it like I do OR you can let it heat then mix alternatly. Add nuts. Stir until combined.

Pour into prepared pan. Chill, cut, drool, enjoy.

And that has been my fudge making adventure. Next post: Tales from the crock pot! Yup I start making REAL food. Now I am going to go enjoy my time with my best friend while she is still in town!! WEEE. I will post my crappy pictures tomorrow.

Turtle Turtle!!

The Kitchen Store is...amazing....A friend and I went in there and spent a good 30 minutes looking around. I left with a cookie scoop(AT LAST), a citrus squeezer, three spatulas and..a two foot extending fork. Why the fork you ask? because I wanted it and it's fun to poke people with!!!

THEN I went to walmart and spent a little money on baking goods....I know I know I said I wasn't going to but hey! I had three new spatuals to break in!

So what do you do when its about midnight, you aren't tired and you just purchased candy making ingredients for no reason? You make....Turtles.

Ok so I don't know what possessed me but I made Turtles or pecan danties. I have no reason to make them except for the fact...I wanted to make them and I could. I think the caramel came out a liiiittle to hard for them but oh well. My dad loves pecan danties. *shrug* we shall see if he likes mine.

I also played a bit and made them with white chocolate instead of semi sweet and also butterscotch (melted chips) instead of caramel. They came out really good!!! Thank you Annie's Eats yet again for providing the caramel recipe!!! You rock!!! The rest..well yeah

Pecan Danties or Turtles

( I apologize for the crappy pictures but they're from my phone)

4 squares of almond bark (white or regular), melted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 bag of pecans, chopped OR pecan pieces (which is what I had)

Step 1: Make the Caramel

Caramel Recipe Thank you Annie!

Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, mix in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. When mixture reaches a boil, let the mixture continue to boil for 5 more minutes without stirring. Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. (And I just discovered where my caramel went hard......*feels like a moron*)

To assemble danties:

Place pecan pieces in little piles on parchment paper. Slowly pour some caramel over the pecans until mostly covered. Allow to set for about 10 minutes.

While you wait, melt the chocolate. Using a double boiler (best invention ever) or your microwave, melt the chocolate with low heat so as not to burn it and or harden it. If it gets hard and siezes up, remove from heat and add a tablespoon of warm water at a time and whisk until smooth again (William Sonoma is a genius!!).

Once melted, use a spoon and poor some of the melted chocolate over the caramel pecans. You can then either put them in the refrigerator to set or just leave them on your counter to set.

Now you can make the chocolate a fudgey chocolate or just melted chocolate like I did. Fudge tends to melt on your fingers faster.

Oh what would a post from me be without the mess?

PS Those oatmeal balls I made last night- HUGE success. THEY LOOOOOVED THEM! So I knwo what I will be making again. I mean I over heard this from a coworker: "Yeah she made them. That girl can cook!" *blushes* hehe I try.

Of Chocolate and Oatmeal!

SO Ive been slacking in the cookie baking department for my coworkers. Granted I do it because of personal reasons like lack of funds. But my coworkers have been amazing lately and I wanted to make them something. My cabinets are bare and because I plan on moving soon I'm not buying any baking stuff ( I whimper as I pass the aisle in the grocery store). So i looked around my kitchen...instant oatmeal, leftover melting chocolate, fondant, corn syrup, molassas....not much.

SO i melted the almond bark (half a big block) in my fabulous double boiler, and poured it over about 6 of the packages of maple and brown sugar oatmeal...rolled it into a ball, chilled it...omg. Yumyum.

I then repeated this step with dark chocolate chips and 3 packages of cinnamons swirl oatmeal. and then again with 2 oz white chocoalte and 3 packages of maple and brown sugar. granted the white chocolate ones didn't come out just right due to me adding a liiiittle too much water to the chocolate. but they are still yummy. They were a mix of a bonbon, a cookie and a ball. Hopefully my coworkers will like it because 1) it's food 2) that food is chocolate.

Instant Oatmeal BonBon's

5-6 packages (more or less depending on how chocolate-y or how oatmeal-y you want your bonbon) of instant oatmeal, any flavor I suppose

1/2 of large block of almond bark, or 4-5 oz. white chocolate, dark chocolate, whatever chocolate

1 tbsp of butter

warm water

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour oatmeal into medium bowl. Set aside. In microwave or double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. It will get clumpy, so whisk in 1 to 2 tbsp water and whisk smooth. Pour melted chocolate over oatmeal. Stir until all is combined. Allow to cool for a few minutes. With your hands, shape "dough" into 1" balls and set on parchment paper. Place balls in fridge until set.

These would probably make a great gift too. Best part is: Not much of a mess! SO no messy kitchen tonight! YAY!

Now it's time for my chocolate filled belly and me to go to bed.

Change of Heart haha

Ok I changed my mind:

Beer Bread

3 C. self rising flour (very important it's self rising)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 bottle or can of 12oz beer
1/4 c. melted butter or margarine

Prehead oven to 350.

in large bowl, mix flour and sugar. Slowly add beer and stir. Mixture will start to get sticky and gooey. Mix completely and pour (or plop as I do) dough into greased bread pan or pie pan. Pour 1/4 c. melted butter on top of dough. Bake in oven for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. Mines evil so I go for 60.

THis bread is BEST right out of the oven with just butter. Or even flavored butters. Or even just jam or honey. Or just pick at the crunchy crust.