Chocolate Truffle Cake

Winter is "birthday/anniversary season" in our house.  It starts at the end of November, when Abby's birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving.  Our wedding anniversary is in mid December and my birthday is on Christmas.  Then we have daughters' birthdays just after New Year, on Valentine's Day and on the 2nd of March.  Bruce's birthday is mid-February and both of my parents birthdays, plus both of his siblings have birthdays in there as well.  So along with the REGULARLY SCHEDULED BIG HOLIDAYS,
we celebrate all of our birthdays from the end of November until March 2nd.  So I am posting dessert recipes as you all begin your New Year Resolutions to eat more healthy.  Sorry!!!  Save this for when you are not eating as healthy; like your summer birthday.

We get tired of birthday cake (really any sweets after the long holiday season) so I have fruit tart.  Some of us choose just ice cream and some pie.  Rachel chose to celebrate her birthday with this rich (once a year) Chocolate Truffle Cake.  It really is just a flourless cake.
It's easy to make and has only 5 ingredients; 6 if you count the raspberry sauce.

Don't skip the pan preparation or your cake will not come out......EVER.  I lent a pan once to a friend to make this cake and she returned it with dimples and dents all over the bottom of the pan after trying to bang the cake out with knife handles and who knows what else.  She never did get the cake out in one piece and I had to throw the pan away.  It was pretty amazing looking but so out of shape it was unusable.

I like to strain my eggs after beating them to remove the chalazae ( the little twisty white things that center the yolk in the shell).  They will ruin the smooth texture of the cake but you can leave them in if you want.

Your batter will be grainy at first ( like a brownie ) but keep whisking and the sugar will melt and 

the batter will become smooth like this after a bit.

Pour your batter into the pan and smooth the top.  I like to give the pan a few "whacks" on the counter to bring any air bubbles up to the surface before baking.  

Excuse the poor lighting.  It was dark!!! All of my photos need some better lighting.  You can put a candle in it for "The Birthday" (and you might want to center your cake a bit better than I did.

I serve this with a sauce made from my homegrown raspberries (albeit frozen at this time of year) and some unsweetened whipped cream.

You'll only need a small piece.  This is rich, flourless cake!

Chocolate Truffle Cake

8 ounces of dark sweet or semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup of butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoons

1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

5 eggs, beaten until foamy

Ganache:

12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup of heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Prepare an 8-inch cake pan.  Out of parchment paper, draw and cut a circle for the bottom of the pan.  Measure the sides of the pan and cut strips to completely cover the sides of the pan plus 1 inch for overlap.  Butter the bottom and sides of the pan lightly.  Push the strips against the side of the pan, overlapping the ends slightly.  Push the circle into the bottom and smooth it out.  Make sure the parchment strips and circle completely line the pan.

Cake:

Melt the chocolate and stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat and cool for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the butter, bit by bit; beat with a wire whisk until smooth and incorporated.  Add the sugar, beating 1 minute with the wire whisk.  Add the eggs and beat until the batter is well mixed.  Pour into the pan and set the pan into a slightly larger pan.  Pour hot water into the larger pan so it is about 1 inch deep. 

Bake for about 1 ½ hours until the cake is cooked through.  Cool for 1 hour.  The cake should fall in the middle. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Ganache:

Boil the cream and take it the pan off the heat.  Add the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted.  Refrigerate it until it is spreadable.  I do this while the cake is cooling. 

Invert the cake onto a plate and remove the parchment.

Spread the ganache on top and sides of the cake and refrigerate it until serving.

Take the cake out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving and put a pool of raspberry sauce under a slice of drizzle some on top of a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

Raspberry sauce (optional):

Put about 4 cups of raspberries (fresh or frozen) into a pan.  Add about ¼ cup of water.  Heat until boiling.  Cook for a few minutes and then strain through a mesh strainer, pushing the pulp through but leaving the seeds in the strainer. Discard seeds and add sugar as desired.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*This sauce is great over any cake and even poured over fresh fruit.  I serve it over breakfast grapefruit.

Merry Christmas!

I have not blogged for a long while.
I have a good excuse.
I've been busy.

I can't post photos of it all, because I'd hate to give away all the Christmas surprises.

But my fingers have been flying; I have callouses to prove it.

Here are a few of the things I've been doing:

 Bleaching "once green" bottle brush trees.

 Nougat or Big Hunk...

Sadly, our last remaining large maple on our parkway had to be cut down.  The trees on our street date back to the 1930's and they are just dying.  You may remember a few years ago when a tree on our parking strip broke off at the trunk in a windstorm and buried two of our girls' cars that were parked under it.
The remaining tree had to go.  It was a sad day for us.

Next spring, we'll be planting new ones.
Can you believe it was the middle of December in this photo, taken last week from the front door?  The temperature hit the high 60's.
Where is our snow?????

Lemon Meringue Pavlovas

Remember that Lemon Curd?  It's the filling in this dessert.

Have you ever eaten a Pavlova?  It's generally accepted that this dessert was invented when a famous Russian ballerina named Anna Pavlova visited New Zealand on a worldwide tour in the late 1920's, (although Australia claims it was invented in their country). It's basically a meringue base with whipped cream and fresh fruit on top.  The filling is put in a day or so early to give it time to soak into the meringue.  The Pavlova is soft and "pillow-y" when served instead of crunchy.  It's a little piece of heaven in my book.

Quite a few years ago, I had to serve luncheon to a very  large group of church women and I was given a tight budge to work with. What dessert do you serve to 90 women when you're on a budget?
It was Easter and eggs were on sale in all of the markets so I decided to make Pavlova.  But Pavlova only uses egg whites and you have egg yolks left over.  With 90 servings, I had A LOT of yolks left over, and what would I do with that many yolks?  So I made lemon curd and made it into a mousse with a smaller amount of whipping cream folded into the curd.

 I stretched that budget quite a bit farther because I needed less whipped cream to fill the meringues.  They turned out delicious!  I served them with a berry sauce made with frozen berries because fresh fruit wasn't in my budget.  I had many, many requests for the recipe.

I made these for a dinner party last week and topped them with fresh berries.  I layered the cream and curd rather than folding it together.  Either technique works and both the sauce or the fresh fruit are equally delicious.
You can also pipe the meringue into one big circle and cut individual wedges but I like to make personal meringues.  The components can be done ahead of time too, which makes these perfect for a crowd.

I think Ms. Pavlova would approve.

  Pipe one circle like this...And then pipe one circle around the outside of this circle to make a cup.

 After baking.

 These meringues can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.

Personal Lemon Meringue Pavlovas with Berry Sauce

                                                                  

                                                                             Bonnie Barker

Meringues:

6 egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartar

1 1/4 cups of white sugar

Preheat oven to 250° F.  
     Whip egg whites on high speed until foamy.  Add cream of tartar and mix well.  Add sugar, 1 Tab. at a time (if you add the sugar to quickly, the weight of it will deflate your meringue).  Once the sugar is incorporated, continue to whip until the egg whites are shiny and hold a very stiff peak.

     Place the meringue in a pastry bag and pipe eight 4 inch circles (I piped 3 1/4 inch).  I draw the circles upside down on parchment paper and then turn it over and pipe the meringues.  

     Bake for 1-2 hours until the meringues are dry and crunchy.  Turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven.

 

Makes 8 4-inch meringues

Lemon Curd:

2 cups sugar

12 eggs yolks

 1 cup lemon juice

 2 tablespoons lemon zest

½ cup(1 stick) butter, cut in pieces

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Wash and zest lemons.  Extract lemon juice.  In a heavy-bottomed, non aluminum pan, stir egg yolks with sugar. Whisk in lemon juice.  Cook on medium-low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and whisk in butter.  Strain through a chinois.  Add lemon zest. 
Cover surface with plastic wrap. 
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 
Can be kept in fridge up to 3 weeks. 

This curd is great to spoon over angel food cake, pound cake, or scones.  Experiment with combinations of fresh citrus juice for variety (do not use bottled lemon juice).  It will keep for up to a week in your refrigerator.

*To make this into the Mousse you will use for the desert you will need:

 1 c. heavy whipping cream

Whip the cream until it is very stiff.  Take about 1/3 cup of cream and carefully fold it into the curd.  Add this to the cream and fold in to lighten the mixture.  Now fold the rest of the cream into the lemon curd being careful not to stir and deflate the cream.

Mixed berry sauce:

1 Tab. butter

3 c. berries

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (I grate my own but powdered is fine)

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

     Heat the butter in a large pan until bubbling.  Add the berries and sauté" until they start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add sugar and juice and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Add spices and mix.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Refrigerate.

To assemble:

Place a small dab of curd on the bottom of the meringue to stick it to the bottom of the plate.  It will slide around the plate if you don't. 

Spoon lemon curd into the meringue and drizzle berry sauce over. 

You may want to spoon a small scoop of whipped cream on top and garnish the whole thing with some fresh berries.

You can also pipe one large circle of meringue and cut it into wedges to serve.

Sloppy Joes...or the best comfort food for a crowd.

B's favorite sandwich is a Sloppy Joe that I have been making our whole married life.  It's one of the two few good recipes I brought into our marriage.  I am not kidding; I was a terrible cook.

This recipe has a family connection. When I was very young, our church had a "round-the-block" parade every July, the anniversary month of the date our pioneer ancestors migrated to our state.  The children dressed like pioneers and decorated their little red wagons like covered wagons.  Some of us festooned our bicycles with crepe paper streamers and put playing cards on our spokes and we walked and rode "around the block".  We were little after all and couldn't walk very far.  Neighbors came out to their yards to cheer and clap (they were nice to little kids).  Afterwards, we gathered on the church lawn and had lunch, which was always Sloppy Joes, homemade root beer, and popcorn balls.  There must have been other food items served but those were the my favorites. This recipe has been an extended family favorite ever since.  I posted a photo on the blog here, but didn't give you the recipe.  And you need the recipe...trust me.

Once a month I'm in charge of feeding several hundred young single adults after our Sunday services. B requested this meal.   It can be a challenge to make something good to eat for that large of a crowd.  We feed between 150 to 190 people each month.  I also try to make something that can be "stretched" into extra portions if necessary and this recipe is perfect for a crowd and can be portioned easily.
These Sloppy Joes were a hit at the Mingle.  We served second helpings and even quite a few thirds.

You'll see that this recipe has a version that feeds 80 people.  I told you it's original to the Parade.
For my family I make the small version but for the mingle I doubled the 80 serving version to feed 160 people.  You choose the size that's right for your gathering.  You can see what 160 servings looks like below.  The black soup pot is a 10 quart size.

As with many recipes, this one is best made ahead to give the flavors a chance to "meld".  It freezes well too.

Round-the-block Parade Sloppy Joes

For 16 buns:                                                                 

2 pounds ofground beef                                                             

2 medium onions                                         

1½ cups of ketchup                                                      

1 teaspoon of granulated sugar                                                          

½ teaspoon of curry powder                                                       

½ teaspoon of chili powder                                                         

2 bay leaves                                                          

1 cup of tomato juice

For 80 buns:

10 pounds of ground beef
10 medium onions

7 ½ cups of ketchup

5 teaspoons of granulated sugar

2 ½ teaspoons of curry powder

2 ½ teaspoons of chili powder

4 bay leaves

5 cups of tomato juice

Brown hamburger and drain grease.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large heavy pan.

Simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring and checking mixture occasionally to make sure that the pot doesn’t boil dry.

Serve on buns.

This freezes well.  It is actually better if made one day ahead and refrigerated and reheated.

We just returned from a week long road trip to San Francisco and Carmel, California. We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant in the city that we frequented years ago when we lived in a nearby neighborhood.  It was as good as we remembered, after all it's been there for 30 years and in San Francisco that makes it a dinosaur.  Restaurants don't stay open that long in SF if they're not good.  But Italian food is rich and heavy so the next night in Carmel, we ordered lighter fare.

The fish restaurant was fantastic.  My dungenous crab salad was fresh and light and delicious, but the real winner was a spinach side dish served underneath the grilled Diver's scallops Bruce ordered.  

This is my recreation of the greens and it was every bit as good as the restaurants.  We ate it immediately; we did dish it into bowls but ate it at the stove.  We didn't even wait for the main course.

This will become a staple in our house.  I have a vegetarian friend coming to dinner next week and I wanted to do a trial run on the vegetarian version, so I omitted the bacon and used vegetable broth instead of chicken.  I didn't miss them one bit.  The fact that this dish is so healthy and and good for me is just the icing on the cake.  I think I'll be serving this over warm quinoa at some point.  It was filling enough for a meatless main course.

Sautéed Greens with Cannellini Beans and Bacon 

2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 slices of bacon cut into 1-inch chunks (optional)

1 cup of diced yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

¼ teaspoon of dried crushed red pepper

1 large bunch of greens (spinach, kale, mustard greens, or broccoli rabe, about 1     lb.), stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips;

          about 10 cups packed greens in total.

1 cup (or more as needed) vegetable or chicken broth

1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans (white kidneys) rinsed slightly, and drained

1 cup of diced fresh tomato

1 teaspoon of Sherry wine vinegar, or more to taste

1 Tablespoon of soft butter or extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a non stick pan.  Add the bacon if using, and render the fat.  Reserve the crisp bacon pieces and set aside.

Add the onion to the fat and let it sweat over low heat until onions are translucent.  Add the garlic slices and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Do not brown the garlic or it will become bitter.

Add the greens by the handful, letting them wilt down before adding more, so you can get them all in the pan.  Toss them to coat with the oil.

Add some of the broth, cover and simmer until the greens are tender.  If using spinach along with other greens, add the toughest greens first.  Let them cook down a bit before adding the spinach, which will cook quickly.  Add more broth as necessary to the pan.  Cook 1 to 10 minutes, depending on the greens.  When greens are tender, add the beans and tomato.  Simmer until the tomatoes and beans are heated through and the liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Be careful not to break up the beans while stirring.  Add the bacon lardoons back into the vegetables if using and stir in the vinegar.  Add more vinegar if desired.  Remove from heat and put the butter or oil (if using) into the pan and toss it to coat the vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.

You can omit the bacon, and the oil or butter finish for a healthier dish.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Maddox Ranch Rolls Revisited

You might remember this post about Maddox Ranch Rolls.  I first made them a while back.  I assumed when I got the recipe that it was adjusted for my altitude since Maddox is in my area.  They weren't.  They were a bit heavy. I have tweaked the recipe for my altitude a bit since I first posted the recipe and now they are light and fluffy.  We LOVE these rolls.  They are batter rolls so they're best eaten the day they are baked.

These rolls are easy and quick and you need to bake some of these for your Christmas dinner.

Oh... and I suggest you try some before the big dinner.  Maybe today.  You won't be sorry and your family and guests will thank you too.  I like to serve them with raspberry or strawberry butter or honey.

I live at 4,300 feet above sea level so this recipe works for me.
If you live at sea level or below 2,000 feet in altitude, click here to get the low altitude recipe from my original post. If you live at a higher altitude, click here to be taken to a post I did on high altitude baking adjustments.

Maddox Style Ranch Rolls

1 Tablespoon, plus 1 Teaspoon of active dry yeast

1/3 cup, plus 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

½ cup warm water

2 cups of whole milk

4 ounces of unsalted butter, cubed

1 Tablespoon of kosher salt

3 large or extra large eggs

5 ½ to 6 cups of all-purpose or  bread flour

Set up a mixing bowl with a dough hook attached.

Warm the milk (do not boil).  Add the cubed butter to the milk and stir and let it melt.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Put the warm water (about 104 degrees F.) into the mixer bowl.  Sprinkle the granulated yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the water and stir lightly.  Let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the eggs to break them up.  Add the remaining sugar and blend.

Add the salt to the bowl.

Add the milk mixture and the egg mixture to the mixing bowl.  Mix slightly. 

Sprinkle the flour into the mixture in the mixing bowl one cup at a time slowly.

Let the mixture work and knead the flour.  When the previous cup is almost smooth, add another cup.  When you have added 5 cups of flour, assess the “wetness” of the dough.  Depending on the humidity in your kitchen and air, more or less flour will be needed.  Continue to add the last bit of flour, 1 spoonful at a time until the dough just begins to pull away from the mixing bowl.

Heat your oven to 375 º F. Generously grease or spray the muffin tins with shortening, butter, or quick release spray.

Remove the dough and scoop into muffin tins.  Let the rolls raise for another 10-15 minutes until doubled in size. 

Bake until the rolls are golden brown, about 12 minutes.  Let cool on a rack.

This recipe made about 28 large rolls.  Serve with honey butter or raspberry butter.

TIPS: 

I live at 4,300 ft. above sea level.  This is adjusted for my altitude.  The original recipe can be found here.  Use that recipe if you live at sea level or up to 2,000 ft. above sea level.

See City Home/Country Home for more tips on baking at high altitudes.

My friend Si, at A Bountiful Kitchen also did a post on her version of these rolls.  You might want to visit her and check out her great food blog.

Au Gratin Potatoes...the ultimate comfort food.

It's frigid and cold outside.  So cold your breath freezes before your face.  Time for some warm, gooey, comfort food.   In my "neck of the woods" these are commonly referred to as "funeral potatoes" because they are often served after funerals to the grieving family.  You would know these as a version of Au Gratin potatoes. 

It's the time of year for parties and this recipe is a winner.  It's rich and creamy...just like your grandma made for Christmas dinner (if you were lucky).  Now we don't indulge in this kind of food very often but it's Christmas, so here we go.

We threw a church party for 150 of our closest Young Single Adult friends so I made a roasting pan full.  Every bit got eaten, no surprise.  Here it is prior to baking.

And here's the pan I made for my freezer. 

I like to line a glass baking pan with foil, fill it with a ready to bake casserole, freeze the pan until the contents are solid, and then remove the packet from the glass pan.  Next, I wrap the whole frozen block with several layers of plastic and foil to avoid "freezer burn" and I store the labeled frozen block in my freezer.  When I need the item for a surprise dinner, I just unwrap the outer layers and pop the foil into the same pan and bake.

 The block takes up less room in my freezer and frees up my glass pan for using in the interim.  I often double a recipe and freeze half so I have a frozen item on hand for a busy day.

 Just look at the golden brown, crunchy, buttery topping after baking.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

 

Go on...indulge after all it's the holidays.

Au Gratin Potatoes

 6 cups of diced potatoes

1-10 ounce can of cream of chicken soup

4 ounces of butter, melted

½ cup of milk

1 cup of sour cream

2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup of sweet onion, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup of Panko (Japanese bread flakes) bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons of melted butter for topping

Wash and peel potatoes.  Bake at 350º F. for 45-60 minutes until they are cooked through.  Cool and dice them.  You may substitute frozen diced potatoes if desired. 

Combine the soup, 4 ounces of butter, sour cream, milk, cheese, and onion.  Season if needed.

Mix well.  Add the potatoes and stir to combine.

Place the mixture in a 9x13-inch baking pan or a 2-3 quart casserole dish.

Mix the 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and the Panko bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the crumbs over the potatoes.

Heat the oven to 350º F.  Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and browned. 

Chocolate Cheesecake

We had 3 of our daughters and 3 friends home Sunday afternoon.  We watched this together and then had a lovely dinner.  While the pulled pork was in the oven there was a little time for recreation.

When Rachel was living in Jerusalem she learned to slack line.  She bought her own gear after she returned to the U.S.  She's been concentrating on her schooling but she's quite impressive on that slack line.

This is how you teach someone to slack line.  Brooke's doing pretty well for her first attempt.  It's a bit like gymnastics...you need a spotter.

 And then she was all alone on the line.  Thank goodness that line is just a little way off the ground.

After all that hard work, chocolate cheesecake was the reward.

And what a reward it was.  This was a new recipe for me and it's a keeper; the best chocolate cheesecake I've ever made.  You can find the recipe here.  A very tiny sliver of a portion is all you need.  It's rich!  Do you like the "fancy china"?  No one could wait for me to bring out the better plates.  My tip for you...cut the slices with a piece of dental floss.  Nice straight cuts.   I keep a dedicated box of floss in my pastry drawer in the kitchen.

It tasted divine even on the paper plates.  Imagine how pretty it would look on nicer ones. 

The ganache on the top was divine, by the way. It got a bit smudges from the aluminum foil that was covering it while it chilled in the refrigerator but no one complained.   Everyone went home with a "doggie bag (or plate in this case)" with an extra slice of cheesecake for later.

The rest of the cake went into the freezer.  I'll probably need to hide it way in the back.  Out of sight...out of mind.  At least for a few weeks.

Homemade Marshmallows

There are so many things you can do with home-made marshmallows.

To make your own, all you need is sugar, water, corn syrup, unflavored gelatin and some flavoring.  I used vanilla in this batch, but mint, orange, cinnamon, almond...the possibilities are endless.  Add some food coloring or colored sugar for seasonal variety.

 

 

Homemade marshmallows are easy to make.  The only specialized equipment you need is a candy thermometer.  A stand mixer comes in handy but not absolutely necessary.

Pack some up as holiday gifts or as favors for a party.  Dip apples as a change from the usual caramel dipped variety.  Put them in gift sacks...I did up a sack to make S'Mores and one with sticks included for roasting.  Include a cute seasonal mug and some Winter Warm Up mix along with fresh Mallows for your favorite teacher.  Dip them in chocolate for your candy try.  After they are cooled, involve your children in rolling them in colored sugars or cutting them into fun shapes with cookie cutters.  You can even pipe this mixture into shapes like bunnies and chickens (think Peeps).

Try them and see just how easy and fun they are to make and eat.

Marshmallows

Parchment paper

Quick Release Spray (Pam)

3 cups granulated sugar

1 ¼ C. light corn syrup

4 envelopes (1/4 oz. each) unflavored gelatin

1½ C. water (divide into 2- ¾ C. portions)

¼ tsp. pure peppermint extract or vanillaPinch of salt

Chocolate for dipping (if desired)

Powdered sugar for coating pieces

Spray a half sheet pan (can use a 9 x 13 inch, but your candy will be larger) with quick – release spray. Line with parchment paper and spray it as well.

Stir the gelatin in ¾ C. of cold water. Set aside to bloom (soften) while cooking the sugar mixture.

In a heavy saucepan, place the sugar, corn syrup, remaining ¾ C. water, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reaches *240° F (or softball stage). Put gelatin in a mixing bowl. Pour the sugar mixture over the gelatin and beat on high for 15 minutes, until the volume has increased significantly. Add the flavoring during the last minute of beating.

Pour the candy into the prepared pan and let the candy set for at least 12 hours to dry. Turn onto a powdered sugar covered surface. Cut into squares with a clean hot knife, a pizza cutter, or dental floss. Roll in powdered sugar to keep from sticking. Marshmallows can be dipped into melted chocolate or rolled in sparkling colored sugar. Aggressively tap off excess powdered sugar before dipping.

*Adjust your temperature for altitudes above sea level ( I cook until the temperature reaches 230°F as water boils at 202°F instead of 212° F here ).  Do a water boil test to tell what your boiling point is before you start.

• I like to cut my marshmallows with a pizza cutter sprayed with Pam. 
•  Package up your mallows with some clean sticks for roasting. I use pruned shoots from my apple tree (make sure they are not sprayed with any chemicals). 
•  Include a chocolate bar and some graham crackers with your mallows and sticks for S'mores.
• Add flavored oils and spices for holidays. Apple Pie or Pumpkin pie spices are good. Ground Cinnamon or any flavored oils, such as peppermint.
• Food coloring can be added with the vanilla for colored mallows.
• Spray cookie cutters with Pam and cut out shapes. Your children will have fun with this.
• Put some hot chocolate mix into a cute container. Include a scoop tied around the neck of the jar to measure out a single portion, as well as the recipe for the chocolate mix.
• Make up a gift basket that includes hot chocolate mix, marshmallows and mugs.

Premium Cocoa Mix (or Witches Brew on Halloween)

Many years ago (my recipe says 1986), my friend Marjorie shared this recipe in a church cookbook. 

We moved to San Francisco and I left the book boxed up in storage.  One misty, chilly, foggy day, nothing but a steaming cup of hot chocolate would suffice.  When I couldn't find the recipe, and since no other hot chocolate compares to this one, I called Marjorie Long Distance to request the recipe.  She was a bit surprised but kindly repeated the recipe over the phone.  26 years later, it's still our favorite cocoa.

For a church meeting this month, I shared the recipe and served the cocoa as our refreshment.  I calculated the cost of one serving of premium cocoa mix from the market compared to the cost of this recipe.  The home made mix was about half the cost per serving.   It tastes just as good (some ladies declared it even better than premium cocoa). 

Package it up in a cute container and give as a neighbor or teacher gift.  I've made fabric bags, used antique canisters, and even canning jars over the years.  Include a seasonal mug or two.  Tie a sprig of holiday greenery and a pretty ribbon on it and be sure to include the recipe for the mix.  They'll want to replenish their supply when the container is empty.  Some years I've included my homemade marshmallows in the package.  Embellish the mallows with seasonal sugar, colors, and flavoring.  That recipe is coming soon.

Brew up a pot of coca this Halloween.  It'll be a hit with party guests and Trick-or Treaters.

Winter Warm Up

2 cups of instant (dried) milk

¾ cup of Non-Dairy Creamer (such as Coffee Mate)

¾ cup of sifted cocoa

¾ cup of granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 10 servings.

To make one serving: Mix 6 oz. of hot water with 1/3 cup of mix.