Posted by Jennifer on May 15, 2005

White Trash
Categories: Desserts & Snacks , Guest

Woo! A celebrity-guest recipe!

"When the Santa season comes to town, folks always ask me to share my Holiday food traditions. Well, to tell you the truth, I don�t trade too much on traditions but I never let a Yuletide slide without cranking out a bushel or two of this ridiculously addictive confection. I�m not about to claim authorship over this recipe because it�s been around, in one guise or another, for a decade or two.

"By the way, this isn�t so much a recipe as a series of guidelines."

Ingredients

2 (two) 11-ounce bags of white chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli but that�s just me. And yes, I know that there�s not really any such thing as white chocolate � it�s �white confectioner�s coating� - but come on � who doesn�t really just call it white chocolate?)
3½ cups Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex (small box)
3 cups Corn Chex (ditto)
1 pound plain M&Ms
2½ cups mixed nuts (salted; no peanuts)
2 cups small pretzels (Eagle Snacks work well)

Directions

• Get a really big metal bowl and place it over a large sauce pan/pot containing about an inch of water. Put this over medium heat.
  
• Dump in the chips in the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula (every now and then) until they�ve melted smooth. You can walk away from time to time but be careful not to let the water get too hot or the cocoa butter will bog.
  
• Dump everything else in the bowl and fold over and over until the hunks and chunks are well coated.
  
• Spread the mess out on parchment paper or freezer paper and set in a cool place until it sets solid, then break it into pieces and seal in tins.

"Dole this stuff out carefully. It is highly habit forming.

"Happy Holidays, kids."

Recipe from celebrity guest Alton Brown

Posted by Golfwidow on December 11, 2004

Fried Mochi
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients

• One 16oz. box of Mochiko (Sweet Rice Flour) Looks like this.
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• Water
• (Optional) 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Oil (for frying)
• Kinako (Soy bean flour) Looks like this.
• Sugar to taste

Ingredients

1. Set aside a small amount of mochiko (a small handful).
2. In a large bowl, mix the remaining mochiko and granulated sugar (and salt) until well blended. Stir in just enough water (and vanilla) so that it forms a dough.
3. Roll the dough into small balls (about the size of a golf ball), using the mochiko (from #1) to keep them from sticking.
4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.
5. When you add the mochi balls to the oil, smash them down flat. Fry on both sides until slightly crispy (they won't brown). Drain.
6. Mix kinako and sugar, sprinkle (A LOT!) over the fried mochi. Serve hot.

Makes a whole lotta bunch.

You can also nix the kinako mixture and go with a dipping sauce of shoyu (soy sauce) and sugar... But seriously, the kinako is WAY better.

Posted by Jennifer on January 9, 2004

Jack's Balls
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients

One pound cake, crushed into coarse crumbs*
1 cup graham cracker crumbs or 1 cup finely ground nuts, any variety
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels (optional)
1 can sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 shot Gentleman Jack whiskey
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup confectioner's sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder

Directions

• Combine pound cake, graham cracker crumbs, and optional chocolate morsels in a large mixing bowl till well distributed.
  
• Combine condensed milk, vanilla extract, and whiskey, then add to crumb mixture. Use your hands to make sure all the crumbs are saturated.
  
• Refrigerate dough for at least one hour to allow the liquid to absorb into the crumbs.
  
• Sift nutmeg, confectioner's sugar, and cocoa together into a shallow bowl or a plastic food storage bag.
  
• Apply a small amount of the butter to the palms of your hands, then, one heaping teaspoonful at a time, roll the dough into smooth balls, then pop each ball into the cocoa mixture till dusted all over. Repeat till dough is used up. Apply more butter to your hands as needed.
  
• (Alternative: Use the back of a spoon to press the dough into a square buttered baking dish. Dust the top lightly with the cocoa mixture. Refrigerate another hour or until set, then cut into squares. Refer to this alternative as "Jack Squares", which is less embarrassing than Jack's Balls.)

Makes about three dozen balls or sixteen good-sized squares.

* Pound cake is ridiculously easy to make, so if you're making some anyway, make two, serve one, and use the other one for this recipe. If you don't bake, go ahead and substitute store-bought or bakery pound cake. I'll never tell.

Posted by Golfwidow on December 14, 2003

Pumpkin Crunch
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

You will need:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 C. sugar (or Splenda)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. Pecans (or more)
1 C. butter, melted
whipped topping, if you are so inclined.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour into the pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle with melted butter to cover. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool. Serve chilled. Top with whipped topping, if you like that stuff.

Better than pumpkin pie! In fact, I don't even LIKE pumpkin pie but I like this.

(I found this recipe on an egg carton when I was a little kid. It's really easy to throw together.)

Posted by Jennifer on November 2, 2003

Brownie Bliss
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Brownies:

1/2 C. margarine (1 stick)
1 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. can of chocolate syrup
1 C. + 1 tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. chopped nuts, any kind

Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and syrup. Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a little at a time. Stir it all up thoroughly. Add the nuts.

Pour evenly into well-buttered 10X15 pan. Spread it out evenly. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until slight imrint remains when touched lightly with finger. Brownies never look done, so be sure you test them. Cool pan on rack. Then frost.

Frosting:

6 tbs. margarine
6 tbs. milk
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla.

Mix margarine, milk, and sugar in pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes. Add chocolate chips and stir until mixture thickens slightly. Cool. Add vanilla, and spread on warm brownies. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

I loved these. Sigh.

Posted by Jennifer on October 29, 2003

White Chocolate Popcorn Balls
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients:
8 ounces of white chocolate, melted
1/2 cup of popcorn kernels
sprinkles

Directions:

1. Pop the popcorn, preferably in an air popper.
   
2. Melt the white chocolate.
   
3. Mix the two together in a big bowl, until the popcorn starts to stick to itself and is well coated.
   
4. Line a muffin tin with plastic cling wrap, and drop spoonfuls of popcorn/chocolate into each cup.
   
5. Add sprinkles and push down on the popcorn to give a little extra forceable mushing.
   
6. After the chocolate cools, the popcorn balls should set. Wrap each up in decorative cellophane or colored plastic wrap.

Posted by Brennifer on October 25, 2003

Ghoooooosts!
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
6 cups miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 cups crispy rice cereal
8 ounces white chocolate
small chocolate chips

Directions

1. In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in marshmallows until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract.
   
2. Scrape into large bowl; stir in cereal until coated.
   
3. Set bowl over saucepan of boiling water. Using rubber gloves, take a handful of cereal mixture and sculpt into a ghost shape, about three or four inches tall.
   
4. Let stand on wax paper for about 30 minutes or until firm.
   
5. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler (or in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.)
   
6. Use a fork to drip white chocolate over the rice crispy squares to create the white "ghoul-like" outer coating.
   
7. Use two chocolate chips to stick into the ghost head for eyes.
   

Posted by Brennifer on September 28, 2003

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping
Categories: Desserts & Snacks , Guest

From Beata!

Crust ingredients:
1 � cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
� cup light brown sugar
� cup granulated sugar
� teaspoon ground red chile powder
pinch ground cloves
� stick unsalted butter, melted.

Filling ingredients:
1 can solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
2 � teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
� teaspoon salt
� cup firmly packed brown sugar
3, 8-oz packages of Philly cream cheese, at room temperature
� cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon

Topping ingredients:
2 cups of sour cream
� cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon

Directions:

1. Combine all crust ingredients in a bowl and then press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch nonstick springform pan. Chill the crust at least an hour (you can do this the day ahead).
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
   
3. In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, spices and brown sugar. In another, larger bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar, beat in the cornstarch, vanilla and bourbon. Then mix in the pumpkin mixture.
4. Pour filling into crust and bake in the middle of the oven for 50-55 minutes or until the center is just set (it will still be a little wobbly overall, and should not be browned.)
   
5. Let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

6. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar and bourbon.
   
7. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the cheesecake and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight.
   
8. Serve with barely sweetened whip cream.
   

Posted by Jennifer on September 25, 2003

Zucchini Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients
Cake:

• 2 Cups flour
  
• 2 Cups sugar
  
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 2 Cups zucchini, grated
  
• 1 Cup oil
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
  
• 1 Cup chopped walnuts

• 3 ounces of softened cream cheese
  
• 1/3 Cup butter
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 3 Cups sifted confectioner's sugar
  
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk

1. Grease and flour a 13x9x2 inch pan.
   
2. Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
   
3. Add eggs, zucchini, oil, and vanilla. Beat on low speed till combined, beat one minute on medium.
   
4. Stir in walnuts. Pour into pan.
   
5. Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
   
6. For frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla till combined.
   
7. Beat in sifted powdered sugar till smooth.
   
8. Add milk for fluffiness.
   
9. Spread on cooled cake.

Posted by Brennifer on August 27, 2003

New York Style Cheesecake
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients
Cheesecake part:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  
• ¼ Cup sugar
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• ½ Cup sour cream

• 2/3 Cup graham cracker crust
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

1. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smoth.
   
2. Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon rind, and cornstarch.
   
3. Stir in sour cream until well blended.
   
4. For crust: Mix all ingredients together, press into bottom and ¾ up the side of a springform pan.
   
5. Pour cream cheese mixture into crust.
   
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
   
7. Allow to cool in the oven for 45 minutes, with oven door open.
   
8. Top with anything you like.

Posted by Brennifer on August 27, 2003

My Grammy's Molasses Cookies
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients

• ¾ Cup shortening. (Crisco.)
  
• 1 Cup brown sugar.
  
• 1 egg.
  
• ¼ Cup Molasses.
  
• 2 ½ Cup flour.
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda.
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt.
  
• ½ teaspoon cloves.
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger

1. Mix all ingredients together.
   
2. Chill dough.
   
3. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts.
   
4. Dip the tops of the dough into sugar.
   
5. Place on a greashed cookie sheet, sprinkle with water.
6. Grandma didn't apparently leave a time and temperature on her recipe card. Sigh. Okay, well, I'm going to guess 350 degrees for 10 minutes. I haven't made these cookies in an ass long time, but they're good, okay? Just watch the oven on the first batch and make sure they don't burn. Then come back here and tell me exactly how long.

Posted by Brennifer on August 27, 2003

Chocolate Peanut-butter Fudge
Categories: Desserts & Snacks , Guest

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
dash salt
1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla
Heaping tablespoon of peanut butter
Half stick butter

What to do, what to do:

1. Mix first four ingredients together and bring to a hard boil. Then turn
   heat down to simmer and let it just barely bubble for about a half hour.
   Stir it a lot, and scrape the sides when you do.
   
2. After a half hour, start testing it at two or three minute intervals. Test
   it by dropping a drop in a cup of cold water. When the drop stays a solid
   round ball all the way down to the bottom of the cup, it's ready. (This is
   called a medium hard-ball stage. )
   Or, you can cheat and use a candy thermometer. Softie.
   
3. Remove from heat and dump in the vanilla, butter, and peanut butter. Start
   beating it with a wisk or large spoon as hard as you can, until it loses its
   sheen; this will take about fifteen minutes.
   
4. Dump into buttered plate and let it set up.
   

Any kind of boiled candy actually does better in the winter. Humidity will
prevent it from getting hard. This is why pioneers made taffy and fudge,
etc, on winter evenings. But if your kitchen is air-conditioned, fudge will
do fine in any season. If your kitchen is really chilly, it won't need to
cook quite as long or be stirred quite as long.

This fudge is the best. It'll wear out your arms but it's worth it.
Besides, you work off the calories by the effort it takes to get it ready to
eat.

I used to make this fudge when I was so young that I had to stand on a
kitchen chair to reach the stove. Can you imagine letting a little kid do
that nowadays? Because this stuff is BOILING.

By the way, if you leave out the cocoa, you'll have peanut butter fudge.
And if you leave out the peanut butter, you'll have chocolate fudge. And
they're all really good.

- From Daisy

Posted by Jennifer on June 5, 2003

Snicker-doodley-ooodley-oodle!
Categories: Desserts & Snacks

Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup softened stick margarine or unsalted butter
¼ cup shortening
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°.
   
2. Mix ¾ cup sugar, the margarine or butter, shortening, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Chill dough for 10 minutes.
   
3. Shape dough into 1-¼ inch balls. Mix the remaining 1/8 cup of sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
   
4. Bake 8-10 minutes or 'til set. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.