A Nice, Fluffy Dessert

I had leftover whipping cream from making pie, so I had to find a recipe that didn't leave me with extra egg whites. However, it did leave me with lots of chocolate mousse. One thing I don't like about this recipe is after you beat the cream, you beat the egg whites. You have to make sure to wash the beaters and make sure they are 100% dry. Otherwise, the eggs won't form soft peaks. I would say do the egg whites first, but then they would deflate by the time you finish the cream. Or at least that's my theory.

I think I need this to get me through this week. The week before finals is always killer for me because my professors love making projects due this week instead of during finals week. Why? Don't know. It's been like that all four years. And I have to clean out my freezer before winter break. I have salmon, swordfish, beef, ground beef, and chicken plus frozen vegetables and Hot Pockets. Not to mention leftovers from Thanksgiving. Usually, I'm low on food. This week I have too much to eat! haha


Chocolate Mousse




7 oz dark chocolate
5 Tbsp butter
4 eggs, separated
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1. Melt chocolate and butter together until smooth. Add one egg yolk at a time, beating until well combined. Set aside.

2. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.

3. Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar; whip until mixture is thick and glossy (but still soft peaks).

4. Gently fold cream into chocolate mixture. Then fold in egg whites. Refrigerate at least three hours before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Source: Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2, 2003 p. 106

Tuesdays Thanksgiving With Dorie

This week's recipe was perfect for Thanksgiving. If you can't decide between pumpkin or pecan pie, this pie allows you to have both. I've had my fair share of pumpkin pie, but I don't think I can recall ever having pecan pie. With this recipe, I think I expected more of a sugary topping. Although the pie was good, I didn't think it was THAT great.

Mine fell apart when cutting it, but it was fine after being refrigerated. It might have been the crust. My dad decided to buy premade pie crusts, so I used one of those.

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie




Thanks to Vibi of La Casserole Carree for choosing this pie so close to Thanksgiving. You can find the recipe here.

Round 2 For Winning...

Disappointed you didn't win the first Hershey's basket from Marye of Baking Delights? You still have three more baskets to win. Check out this week's drawing, now with four chances to win!!

More Meat, Less Pasta

As a college student, I'm trying to make dinners that do not involve pasta or rice. Sure, there's nothing wrong with pasta or rice, but when you tend to eat it five times a week, it can be an unhealthy habit. This recipe for Buffalo Chicken Strips I have been making for quite some time. There are no measurements for it. You just see how much chicken you have and estimate how much hot sauce and breadcrumbs to put into each bowl. If you are not a fan of hot sauce, you can use ranch or bbq sauce. You can put spices into the breadcrumbs.

Buffalo Chicken Strips




Preheat oven to 375F. Line a cookie sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Cut chicken into thin strips. Fill one bowl with hot sauce and another bowl with breadcrumbs. Dip each strip into the sauce, then the breadcrumbs. Place onto sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.

Source: Somewhere online?

What Do You Think...

My dad send me a few pictures. Innocent or guilty?






You decide.

My Favorite Cookies...Ever!!

Ok so I made these cookies back in October. I would have lied, but I think the Jack-o-Lantern mug gives it away haha

I remember growing up, the grocery store would have pumpkin raisin cookies with orange icing. These were my favorite, even more than chocolate chip cookies. They were always expensive, so when they were on reduced-sale for being a few days old, my dad would buy a couple dozen. They've stopped going on sale, so we stopped buying them. I tried making a similar recipe a few years ago, but it wasn't as good. This year, I was browsing Tastespotting (who I hate because they are way too picky), and I found a marvelous cookie picture from Dishing Up Delights. The ones I had growing up were Pumpkin Raisin Cookies, but I decided to use this recipe as a base and make one half chocolate chip, the other half raisin.


Left - chocolate chip. Right - raisin

I skipped the orange icing because one - they didn't need them and two - cut out extra calories and sugar. Every little bit counts, no? Also, don't forget the baking soda mixture! Normally, you would mix the baking soda in with the dry ingredients. However, it says to dissolve it in milk and set aside. I was halfway scooping the dough onto the cookie sheets when I saw the milk on the counter. Oops! I hurried up and stirred it in. Did it make a difference? No clue.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip (or Raisin) Cookies




1 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup chips, 1/2 cup raisins)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease cookie sheets.

2. Dissolve baking soda in milk and set aside. In large bowl whisk together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and then. Stir in the baking soda mixture. Now is the time to split the dough in half if using both chocolate chips and raisins. Stir in chocolate chips and/or raisins. Spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until done.

Source: Dishing Up Delights

A Soup To Battle Winter

Snow is starting to hit good ol' Slippery Rock. Although not a lot of stayed on the ground, right now there is a thick flurry in the air. What better way to battle the cold than with a nice bowl of taco soup? And it's budget friendly and versatile. If you don't want meat, put in more veggies. If you love beans, put in a variety.

The one thing I may change next time is use beef (or vegetable) stock instead of plain water. Also, make sure you use a big enough skillet because I didn't have room to put in all the water. Oops haha

Taco Soup



1 lb. ground beef (I used maybe 1/4 lb.)
1 onion chopped (I just chopped until I had enough)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans (15 1/2 oz each) chili beans, undrained (I used 1 can black beans and rinsed them)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) corn, undrained (I used frozen)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown beef, garlic, and onion. Drain grease.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, spices, and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into bowls and top with cheese.

Makes six servings.

Source: Kraft Food and Family, Holiday 08/Winter 09 p. 15

Win Chocolate!!

Name one person who wouldn't want to win a basket full of Hershey stuff. Check out Marye's blog for more details on how to win.

Also, you know you do too much school work when you actually dream about it. Seriously, I was dreaming I was editing video. How nerdy is that? haha

I Hate Pittsburgh Sometimes...

Why is Pittsburgh so hard to navigate? This past weekend is the third time I got lost coming home. My dad told me when coming home, get on the Parkway. Parkway = 376, so I'm driving home, looking for the 376 sign. Nobody told me 376 turned into 279 on the way there, so technically I was looking for 279 which would later turn into 376. Ok so it was sorta outside the city. The second time I got lost, I was inside the city and couldn't figure out how to get back onto 376 because Pittsburgh does not post enough signs. And when I figured out I missed the turn, it took me about 10 minutes to make a U-turn because the city is not built like a grid. In other words, you can't go the next block down and turn around because you physically can't. Seriously, are other cities this complicated?

At least I was with my best friend, and she had Verizon Navigator. However, it does not work fast enough because we kept getting "Recalculating route...recalculating route...make the next legal U-turn." Thanks, Verizon, thanks. I somehow managed to get back home an entirely different way, all because I recognized Walgreens. That is the second time Walgreens saved me. The first time I got lost, I was coming home from my internship in Pittsburgh and took a detour because of construction on 376 (see a pattern here?). I was on the phone with my mom for directions because it was unexpected. She told me to go straight, but she failed to tell me there was a Y in the road and I should yield right then go straight. I somehow made it to an intersection with (a different) Walgreens and knew how to get home.

Moral of the story - pack these no-bake cookies because you will get lost coming home from Pittsburgh. You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! haha

No-Bake Cookies




2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa
5 1/3 Tbsp margarine
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick oats

Mix sugar, milk, cocoa, and margarine. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir in oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Freeze or refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Makes 3 dozen.

Source: Recipe Zaar

Liars Do Not Win

Did you know Michael Symon took over as host for Dinner: Impossible because Robert Irvine "exaggerated" about his credentials? Wow, and I loved Robert too.

Read the article here.

A Filling Breakfast

Yet another recipe I made back in October with my apples. This breakfast is time consuming because you have to brown the sausage, then shred the apples, then make the syrup and pancakes. I guess you could save time by having already-browned sausage, but you don't want to prepare the apples until you are ready to use them. I was impressed by the syrup. Normally, I don't eat toppings with my pancakes. This syrup, although optional, tastes good.

And today is the last day I register for classes, ever. None of them sound fun except maybe oceanography because we are going to the Bahamas for spring break. No video classes though because I took them all already :(

Yes, I voted. Stop asking me haha

Apple Sausage Pancakes with Cider Syrup



1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
2/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup shredded, peeled apples

Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter

1. In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain grease and set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Beat in egg, milk, and oil until just moistened. Fold in apples and sausage. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls into hot skillet or griddle. When the top bubbles and the bottom is brown, flip and cook until bottom is brown. Repeat until batter is gone.

3. Meanwhile, for syrup: combine sugar, cornstarch, and spices in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in cider and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Serve warm with pancakes.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Source: Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2001 p. 12

If Only I Had A Slice Now

Ok so really I baked this pie back in October after I went to an apple festival, but I love this picture so much, I couldn't let it sit on my laptop any longer. I used Roma apples, which are delicious on their own. This is considered French Apple Pie because there is a topping rather than another crust on top. I'm getting better at making homemade crusts. Now if I can just make it a circle so it actually fits the plate haha

French Apple Pie




Pastry for 1 crust pie
6 apples, peeled, cored, and slices (mine were more cubed than sliced)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place pie crust into 9-inch pie plate.

2. Combine sugar, flour, salt, zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Place half of apples in pie shell. Squeeze 1 Tbsp juice on top. Top with half of sugar mixture. Arrange the rest of the apples on top. Repeat with juice and sugar mixture. Dot with butter.

3. Blend together topping ingredients with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes.

Makes 1 pie.

Source: Long Grove Apple Haus Apple Cookbook, 1976 p.61

You Never Would Have Guessed...

I never realized this before until last Monday. It was the second day of me being sick, and I'm starving. Yet, I didn't feel like eating. So I'm laying on my bed, watching my tape of various Food Network shows I have taped. Then all of a sudden, I decided to make mashed potatoes two hours before work. I checked my potatoes. Two were rotten, two were not. Just to be safe, I peeled the non-rotten potatoes because although I examined the skins over and over, I didn't want to take a chance. Normally, I would've thrown them out because they were touching the rotten ones, but you don't understand. I had barely any food in the apartment for me to eat while sick.

Anyway, what I never realized was I had never made mashed potatoes before. My friend asked, never with your parents growing up? Nope, they made those packets where you add water/milk/whatever it calls for. I don't even understand it myself. I do not get my food passion from my parents. They never influenced me (except maybe to flavor my meats more!) They are the reason why I hate meatloaf and pork chops. Our palettes are so different. I get my eat-anything gene from my dad, but even then I eat some things he doesn't like, like catfish or curry. My mom pretty much hates everything I cook because she doesn't like strong flavors. My brother is picky too, but not as bad as my mom. As far as baking, my mom bakes from a box. My dad does make pie or anchovy balls (yes, we love anchovies!), but he buys pre-made crust or pre-made crescent dough. So how did I learn to cook? I've taken three cooking classes throughout middle and high school, but even then most of the stuff I know I taught myself via recipes or blogs. I did grow up admiring pictures (mainly desserts) in my mom's magazines, like Family Circle or Woman's Day.

So back to my mashed potatoes. I looked up a recipe on Recipe Zaar. I found one that was so good, it doesn't need gravy. Good, because I had no clue on how to make gravy haha

Mashed Potatoes



2 baking potatoes, cleaned (peeling is optional)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper

1. Cut potatoes into cubes. Boil potatoes and whole garlic cloves. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and put into a mixing bowl.

2. Add milk, cheese, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Either mash by hand or with a mixer until smooth.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Source: Recipe Zaar