Simply Sweet

Tomorrow is Valentines day. As a single gal this day can either be depressing or just like every other day. I opt for every other day. However, that doesn't mean you can't indulge a little. Something that is very cliché for Valentines day is chocolate cover strawberries. It's simple and sweet with a healthy benefit.

Recipe

Prep-time:10mins

Servings: as many as you would like

Ingredients

Strawberries

Melting chocolate

I used Milk Chocolate and just followed the directions on the package.

Wash and dry the strawberries before dipping in melted chocolate. Dip into chocolate and place on parchment paper to cool.

Let cool for five minutes and enjoy!

With left over place in container in the fridge and enjoy for a few days!

Some'mores memories

Growing up it was tradition in our family to go camping. Most of these outing where usually circulated around Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or church events that either me or my brother where involved with. Camping was also a cheaper vacation for my parents, who wanted to provide the luxury of adventure for us growing up, but lived on a tight budget.

When one thinks of camping there are many things that come to mind; bugs, stars, hot dogs on a stick and camp fires, for example. But for me the best memory was that of burning marshmallows and the delicious treat of s'mores afterwards. Honestly watching those little white balls of fluff go up in flames was exciting and I would usually go through two or three marshmallows before actually making a s'more because of the thrill of watching it burn.

Here's a little secret, I used to pretend I didn't know how to cook them just to watch it burn. I think my parents caught on to that by the time I was in my teens though, cause it resulted in many "STOP IT" comments coming my way.

With the snow falling and the wind hallowing I wanted to bring myself into a happy warm place, one where I could at least mentally be comfortable. However, I didn't have a camp fire to bring these memories back to life. So I devised a recipe (thanks to some Pinterest searching and recipe modification) that came close enough.

S'mores Pie, full of marshmallow gooiness and chocolaty deliciousness. The whole thing was more of an experiment, hoping it would turn into something somewhat edible, but was prepared for more of a laugh. In the end I got a flaming review of excellence and yet another dessert recipe for the books.

Recipe

Prep time: 5-10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

 

Crust:

1 package of plain graham crackers (there are usually two in a box) crumbled

1 stick of softened butter

1 tps of Vanilla extract

3/4 Tbsp of baking soda

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 egg

Filling:

1/2 package of large marshmallows

1 bag of chocolate (I used the melting candy found at a local craft store)

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

Greece pie pan (I used a cake pan).

 

Take the graham crackers and crush them into crumbs. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and vanilla . Once the dry ingredients is mixed well add the softened butter and egg. The mixture will become pasty and thick.

 

Spoon out into bottom of the pan, using a fork to spread evenly, leaving enough mixture to dab on top of pie.

 

Once you have the crust in the pan, lay out the chocolate wafers in any pattern you would like. I didn't have marshmallow fluff available so I melted marshmallows in the microwave and spread on top of the first layer of chocolate.

 

(To melt marshmallows, place in microwave safe bowl for 15 seconds or until they start to expand.)

 

Once you have the marshmallow down add another layer of chocolate wafers and then take whatever is left of you crust mixture and dab on top.

 

Place in oven for 20 minutes until golden.

 

Let cool and enjoy!

Fettuccin' me

Fettuccin' Me

There are a few things a girl needs as staples in her life. An amazing best friend, a little black dress, a comfortable pair of heels, her favorite lip stick (gloss or balm will do), a good book or movie and a stack of recipes sitting around for those spontaneous moments where you want to show that special someone you can cook.
They always say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You can ask any and all of my ex's how well I cook, as for most of them this is how they landed in my lap. From desserts to main dishes, learning their favorites was always a fun pass time. For instance, I have an ex who's favorite is good old southern cooking or another who is utterly in love with cheese cake. Learning those little things not only expanded my cooking, but landed me with a second or third date. Not all of which where bad, horrible or down right what the heck was I thinking.

As a matter of fact, there are a few in there that land on my "smile every time I make their dish" list. I don't name the dishes after my past, I name them after the experiences and stories that come into my head when cooking.

I call this dish Fettuccin' me, because after all that's what the whole dating world is about. Fetching ourselves someone who can put up with every quirky habit, know our past horrors and still at the end of the day want to come over "just because."

This is a simple dish, one that you can modify to whatever you have in your fridge or cabinets at the time. I just so happen to have tomato's, broccoli and left over chicken sitting in the fridge, but you can use whatever you have if you don't have the above. (A good alternative to the chicken would be shrimp.)

Here's a little spin on Fettuccine Alfredo.

Recipe

Prep time: 5-10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-6

Ingredients:

 

1 box of pasta

1 jar of Alfredo sauce

1 cut roman tomato

1 head of broccoli

Pinch of black pepper

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 chicken breast (or thighs)

 

 

If your chicken is not cooked, cook to desired tenderness.

 

Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling add noodles and let simmer.

 

Chop the tomato and broccoli into desired size, I choose quarters for the tomato.

 

In a separate skillet add together the Alfredo sauce, tomato, broccoli and cooked chicken. Stir at intervals. Once the sauce starts to boil add a pinch of black pepper and the Parmesan cheese and let sit until pasta is done.

 

Once the pasta is to desired tenderness drain, here is where you can decide to either add the pasta directly to the sauce mixture or let your guinea pigs opt for their desired amount of sauce.

 

I choose to let the guinea pigs decide.