Delectable Tuesday Blog Hop 9/6 - Brownie Biscotti

Chocolate!! Need I say more?


Brownie Biscotti

1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unblanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DRIZZLE:
1/2 cup white baking chips
1-1/2 teaspoons shortening

In a large bowl, combine the butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture just until combined (dough will be crumbly). Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead in almonds and chocolate chips. Divide dough in half.
On an ungreased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 12-in. x 3-in. log, leaving 3 in. between the logs. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until set and tops are cracked. Cool for 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 1/2-in. slices. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and dry. Remove to wire racks to cool.
For drizzle, in a microwave, melt vanilla chips and shortening at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over biscotti.


For more great recipes visit Hearth and Soul, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.




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Delectable Tuesday Blog Hop 8/30 - Fruity Fun Skewers

Has school started were you are? Our homeschool is going to start next week and although I do not have to pack lunches for the kids we do need quick fun lunches during the school week.

This recipe is fun, easy and healthy. Best of all the kids can put them together with just a little bit of help. Add a quick sandwich or wrap and lunch is ready!


Fruity Fun Skewers

5 large strawberries, halved
1/4 cantaloupe, cut into balls or cubes
2 bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
1 apple, cut into chunks
20 skewers

Kiwis, Grapes, Pineapples and Blueberries are all also great choices.

Thread the strawberries, cantaloupe, banana and apple pieces alternately onto skewers, placing at least 2 pieces of fruit on each skewer. Arrange the fruit skewers decoratively on a serving platter.


For more great recipes visit Hearth and Soul, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.




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Crafty Friday 8/12 - Elephant Ears

The County Fair is coming!!

In true county fair style we have 4-H projects galore floating around the house. Not all of them are complete though. Tomorrow will be the mad project dash. Even waiting until the last minute, I'm really proud of my kids for going a little out of the norm and making knitted and crocheted items as well as baking homemade granola and cheese bread. Now knitted projects may not seem that abnormal to you, but we went around and counted every single project in that category last year and there were six including one made by the older daughter.

Now 4-H may be the reason we are at the fair, but what visit to the fair is complete without an elephant ear?


We always stop and get one or two to share. Ours are always topped with cinnamon-sugar, but I've heard that this is more of a regional thing. Is that true? I'd love to know.

Inevitably I start craving these in January when the snow is piled up and the cold winds are blowing. There are no fairs around then though so the next best thing is making my own. I know that these are one of those things that the atmosphere of the fair just makes them better, but hey.....they are still good.

And not a single word on how bad they are for me. I already know and I don't care.


Elephant Ears

1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3/8 cup shortening
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart oil for frying
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons white sugar

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and shortening. Heat until shortening melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm, about 110*F. Sprinkle in yeast and let sit until foamy. Transfer mixture to large bowl, and stir in flour to make a dough. Knead until smooth, cover and let rise 30 minutes. In a large heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375*F. Roll out 1 to 2 inch balls of dough into thin sheets. Fry sheets 1 to 2 minutes on a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels. Combine cinnamon and 6 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle over warm pastries. Serve.


So what have you been up to this week?

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Delectable Tuesday Blog Hop 6/21 - Peanut Butter Popcorn

Happy first day of summer! I'm loving the weather!

I've been in a comfort food mood lately and I'm not sure why. Normally summer time is when I experiment with new recipes and Fall is for comfort food. I seem a bit mixed up right now.

So in honor of comfort food I am going to share with you a very yummy snack....Peanut Butter Popcorn. It's a nice alternative to caramel corn. Yum!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn or 16 cups popped popcorn (approx. 2 bags of microwavable popcorn)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pop corn and remove any unpopped kernels. Place in a really large bowl or roasting pan.

In a heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey and corn syrup. Bring mixture to boiling, continue boiling for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Immediately pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Serve warm or a room temperature.

For more great recipes visit Hearth and Soul, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.




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Recipe of the Week -- Barbecue Snack Mix

I've been in a snack mix mood lately. With all the farmer's markets and such we've been doing, I always have to make sure that I have snacks and drinks for the kids. They've been eating a lot of trail mix, granola and crackers, but I just remembered this recipe. It's always a hit when I make it and it's super easy to make.

Now, this recipe is technically not mine. It's straight from the Chex mix box, but it's really good and a little different than other chex mixes.

Barbecue Snack Mix

3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
1 1/2 cups pretzel twists
1 1/2 cups bite size cheese crackers
3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 tbls. vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a large bowl, mix cereals, pretzels, crackers and peanuts. In a small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients; pour over cereal mixture, stirring evenly until everything is coated. Pour snack mix into a 9x13 baking dish lined with foil. Bake at 250* for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread on wax paper to cool.


For more great recipes visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.

Recipe of the week -- Honey Nut Granola

I never really thought I was a granola person, but now I am a believer!

My granola journey started as an idea of something to sell at the farmer's market. I see gourmet granola everywhere for $4-$6 for 8 oz. and it seems to sell. I go to these little Mom & Pop places and people are buying it. Of course my first thought was "I can make that sooooo much cheaper". Um.....not really I discovered.

There is a reason that that gourmet granola is so expensive. These ingredients are not cheap. If I buy in bulk they are a little better, but still......

I wanted to make sure that I was at least covering my cost and at best making a profit. I actually took the time to weigh every ingredient as it went in and figure my cost per batch. I know....I'm such a nerd :o). I discovered each batch cost me $5.70. That was the cost of the actual ingredients by how much was used. I didn't dare add up the cost of everything I spent because you can't just buy 1 tsp. of vanilla or 1 cup almonds. You have to buy them in larger quantities. I think I actually bought enough for maybe 4 batches or so.

The whole point of this is that I am in love with granola now and although it's expensive, it's still cheaper to make at home.

Honey Nut Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300*F. In a large bowl, stir oats, nuts and sunflower seeds together. In a separate bowl, mix together oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Add to dry ingredients; mix well. Spread mixture onto two ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven, for 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and continue baking until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing.

For more great recipes visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.