This and that

Monday, October 22, 2012

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

This past weekend, my brother and family came to visit and I was able to cook with my niece. It was so much fun. I was able to teach my niece how my mom taught me to make fudge and how she showed me what a soft boil stage was and when the fudge was ready. She did this by dropping a small amount of the candy into cold water and move it around with her finger, if it made a small ball then it was ready. I still use this method, although I do have a candy thermometer. As my mother passed away many years ago, and this was a way that my niece could learn something about her grandmother. My niece also loves to cook, so hopefully in the near future I will be able to cook and bake with her more.

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

adapted from Pumpkin Bliss Fudge Dawn's Divine Delight

2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

4 oz white chocolate ( I used Ghiradelli Vanilla Dream, approx 1 and 1/4 bar)

1 bag Hershey Pumpkin Spice Kisses

1 7 oz marshmallow creme (1 used 1 cup homemade marshmallow creme RECIPE)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - (I forgot to put this in...but my white chocolate has vanilla)

Butter a 9x13 pan or place tin foil in it. Unwrap kisses and chop up chocolate.
Place sugars, butter, milk, pumpkin puree in a saucepan cook over medium heat until sugars are dissolved. Then continue this until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. Boil until the mixture is in a soft- ball stage, approximately 234 degrees on the candy thermometer.
Take off heat and add chocolate,and marshmallow creme and mix until well mixed and smooth. Stir in vanilla (if you are using) and mix well
Pour into your prepared 9x13 pan. The fudge is already setting at this stage and place in refrigerator to set.

*I took mine out in an hour and was able to cut it and serve it. (my company was leaving and I wanted my helpers to be able to taste it). The fudge was still a bit warm on the bottom but cut easily and stayed in pieces while we ate it. So smooth and delicious. I w it. It is so smooth and a wonderful pumpkin flavor. My brother told me we could come for Christmas as long as we brought this with us. So glad that I bought many bags of pumpkin spice kisses!

the process in fudge making.... with the help of my nieces!
They were so much help.

and one last picture because it is oh so yummy!

Linked up here: Mix it up Mondays, Sunday Sweet Confessions Link Party,Manic Mondays, Wednesday Extravaganza

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Foodie Friend Friday - October 18,2012

Not sure where the time went this week, but it is already Thursday evening and I am just writing this post up.... But it is Thursday and that means...

Party Time

with

Foodie Friends Friday

This week we are having our

Foodie Friends Freaky Fright Day!

Great Bloggers!

Great Recipes!

Great Giveaway!

This week 12 Randomly Selected

winners will win a sponsored gift..

Yes, I said 12 isn't that great

But First let's look at last week's party

Sponsor Gift Winners

Voted Top 3

Who Needs A Cape - cheapo-pumpkin spice latte
Who Needs A Cape - Easy Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Who Needs A Cape - Pumpkin Pancake Palooza

Most Clicks

Cozycakes Cottages - Chocolate Snack Cake with Biscoff Buttercream
Cozycakes Cottages - Apple Filled Pull-Apart Bread
Busy Vegetarian Mom - Hashbrown Crusted Quiche

Host Favorite

Dawn's Divine Delight for her Pumpkin Bliss Fudge

I love her fudge and my plans are to make it tomorrow so will show a picture then.

Please pick up your button here or
from Foodie Friends Friday

Before we go to the party

I want to put a plug in for our e-magazine

It has a little bit of everything.

Daily Dish With Foodie Friends Friday

Now this week's party... What we are waiting for

Members:

Remember each recipe link goes to each of the member's blog

Foodie Friends Friday http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn's View http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com

Cindy at Cindys Recipes and Writings  http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com

Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com

Cynthia at Feeding Big  http://www.feedingbig.blogspot.com

Jodie at Binomial Baker http://www.binomialbaker.blogspot.com

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade http://www.spatulasonparade.blogspot.com

Angie at A lil Country Sugar http://www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com

HungryLittleGirl http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:
We would sure like it if you would remember to link back your recipe to
Foodie Friends Friday
and
the host that you linked up with...
If you link up with my blog, please leave me a message as I would like to be able to thank you!

Now onto the Party:

Monday, October 15, 2012

Exciting News!

As you know a few months ago I joined a group called Foodie Friends Friday and each week we have hosted a Linky Party. These parties have been a great success and we have decided to expand. Under the lead of Tracy from Busy Vegetarian Momma we have started a new chapter in our group called Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish. Not only will you find recipes here but you will find information on health and wellness, home and garden, product reviews, fun in the kitchen, kitchen crafts and a whole lot more.

Myself, along with 10 other bloggers will be dishing up a post at least twice daily to bring to. There will be guest post of some of your favorite bloggers, both those that have blogged for a long time and ones that have just started. This will be a one stop place for any type of "foodie" news and you can even shop... we will bring things from Amazon that we think are neat or we can't go without. What more can you ask for, come and visit us. Stop in have some coffee or tea and browse through our pages.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

There are many recipes out there for pumpkin spice latte.

This one has something special in it.... A pumpkin spice kiss.

It also has the wonderful flavour of Don Tomas Coffee.

It just makes it a little more special.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

5 oz evaporated milk

1 tbsp condensed milk

2 tbsp pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1 pumpkin spice Hershey kiss

1 cup strong coffee ( I used Don Tomas Coffee)

cool whip or whipped cream (optional)

nutmeg to sprinkle on top (optional)

Place evaporated milk, condensed milk, pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice in small pot. Whisk and heat over medium heat until milk becomes frothy. I whisk the milk the whole time. In coffee cup place a pumpkin spice hershey kiss, add milk mixture and hot coffee until cup is filled. Whisk again to melt the pumpkin spice hershey kiss. Add cool whip or whipped cream if desired and sprinkle with nutmeg. Enjoy!

* If the pumpkin spice Hershey kiss doesn't melt completely.. that is ok, It tastes good at the end of your coffee.

I was given a sample of Don Tomas Coffee along with other members of Foodie Friends Friday to review. As I don't drink that much coffee anymore I decided to make a speciality coffee and this is what I came up with. I was pleasantly surprised of the robust taste that Don Tomas Coffee has and I made the coffee very strong to put into this drink. I find that many coffees if you make them strong, they are bitter but not this one. It has a great flavour and wonderful taste. I will be doing a more thorough review of this coffee when Foodie Friends Friday has their Coffee Party on November 16th. My plans are also to do some baking with this coffee and I am also going to have guest over, so that I can serve it and get more reviews.

Links Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Foodie Friends Friday, Tasty Thursdays, Sweet Confession Sunday Link Party

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Eggplant Lasagna - YEAH or NAY

If you have been following me here on my blog or on facebook... you have heard that we planted eggplants this year and they GREW! We only planted 2 plants but they were plentiful and eggplants is something that you can't giveaway to everyone.

I like eggplants but my husband isn't that keen... although he will eat some of what I make. I have been trying to come up with new recipes to use them up...
I might have to do some more working on this recipe... It had lots of flavour, but I am not sure about the eggplant... I am thinking I should have cooked it just a little bit before I put it into the lasagna as it still was a little bit tough. If anyone has any suggestions, please, please leave me a comment.

Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

3 small eggplants - sliced in thin slices

salt

1/3 cup onions diced

1 lb ground turkey - you could also use ground beef you like

1 garlic clove diced

1 jar pasta sauce or marinara sauce - 15 oz

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1 15 oz ricotta cheese

1 tbsp parsley

1 egg

2 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded

parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice eggplants and sprinkle salt on them and let sit while turkey mixture is cooking. Prior to using, rinse off salt and dry eggplant slices.

In saucepan, cook ground turkey until no longer pink, add onions and garlic and cook until both are translucence. Add pasta or marinara sauce and italian seasoning. Continue to cook for approximately 10 minutes. In separate bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg and parsley.

Start layering lasagna, first with turkey mixture, eggplant slices, ricotta cheese mixture and then mozzarella cheese. Continue to layer for 2 -3 layers, depending on your sauce. I like to end with meat mixture and mozzarella. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 1 hour in 350 degree oven.

* my layers are meat mixture, eggplant, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, meat mixture, eggplant, ricotta cheese, meat mixture, mozzarella cheese and then parmesan cheese.

* the first time I ate it, my lasagna was more like a soup as there was a lot of liquid, after serving it I tried to get rid of some of the liquid and put it in the refrigerator.. The second time we ate it, the lasagna looked like lasagna and had no extra liquid in it. I am not sure if cooking the eggplants in the oven for 20 minutes would help this or not. I think the next time I make it I will try that.

Ingredients. I received the Mia's Kitchen Bistro Marinara from my
September Foodie PenPal

Getting ready for my layering

ready to go in the oven

Doesn't look much like lasagna but tastes very good.

Looks more like a lasagna the second time we ate it.

For me the eggplant lasagna was a YEAH! I really enjoyed it even though the first time I ate it looked more like a soup or sauce and the eggplants had to be cut by a knife. My husband thoughts were not quite a NAY but not sure if he will eat it again.. he did have it the second time but I ate it totally 3 times :). So for you is it YEAH or NAY!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Foodie Friends Friday ~ October 11/12

Another Week,

Another Recipe

and

Great Recipes we have here on Foodie Friends Friday

Last week had 152 recipes linked

everything that you need at one stop

So come and join us again this week for another terrific party!

We also have another

Great Giveaway! and open International as prize is emailed !

But first week need to take a look at last weeks winners:

Host Favorite... Honey ButterFinger Bites

If you follow my blog, you know that I pick one recipe to be my host favorite and I try to make it before the next Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party. Last week, I found Honey-Butter Finger Bites from The Nerdy Farm Wife. I am not sure if I have ever eaten butterfingers as I can't remember and I am sure that isn't possible for me not to have tried them as I have eaten every type of candy there is.... but I don't remember what they taste like. But this recipe intrigued me and it only had 3 ingredients. I also love Nerdy Farm Wife's picture of them with the fallen leaves... So great.
The only thing about this recipe that I needed to change was the peanut butter. We have a peanut sensitivity in the house, so I try very hard to stay away from it, so I decided that biscoff would work great and I also had some nutella. That is what I am going to try and both worked. The biscoff bites were soft and chewy... just how I liked them and the nutella were harder... they also were good and I didn't put chocolate on the nutella ones.

Honey Biscoff/Nutella Butterfinger Bites

Honey Biscoff/Nutella Butterfinger Bites

adapted from The Nerdy Farm Wife

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup peanut butter - I used crunchy biscoff in one recipe and nutella in another

chocolate chips for coating - I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate

Place honey in saucepan and bring to a soft boil stage, (around 275 degrees). Remove from heat and add either biscoff or nutella and stir for a few minutes. Pour in pan that is covered with parchment paper. Place in refrigerator to harden. I took mine out after about 15 minutes to score so that it will be easier to cut when they hardened. Once hard, bring out of fridge and break or cut into pieces. Dip in melted chocolate and place back on pan covered with parchment paper and return to fridge to harden again.

I didn't dip the bites that I made with the nutella as I thought the chocolate in the nutella was enough. The ones that I made with biscoff were softer than the ones that I made with nutella.