Homemade Caramels

My mom likes to send a lot of goody boxes my way of things that she picks up while garage sale shopping, and I love to return the favor by using the things she sends me and having a good story to go along with it, which is the case with these caramels. She sent along an old candy thermometer and I was determined to put it to use so when I came across Ina's recipe for caramels in the December issue of Food Network Magazine, I was so excited to try it out and asked Tim to help me out...

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/12 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Line a 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches to overhang, and brush lightly with veggie oil.

2. In a deep saucepan, combine water, the sugar, and the corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium high heat but don't stir, just swirl the pan. Boil it until it's golden brown.

3. While the sugar mixture is boiling, bring the cream, butter, and salt to a simmer over medium heat in a small pot. Once simmering, remove from heat.

4. When sugar has turned golden brown, remove from heat and slowly add the cream mixture to it. It will bubble up so be careful and go slow. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium low for 10 minutes until candy thermometer reads 248 degrees. (We found we needed to increase the burner temp. to medium in order to get to this temp. This is also when Tim added half the bottle of vanilla, instead of 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla)

5. Carefully pour the hot caramel into the pan (which I put two hot pads under) and refrigerate a few hours until firm. (This is when Tim and I got into an argument over if to put the hot pan into the fridge right away or not. He made me wait an hour)

6. When caramel is cold and set, remove from pan and cut square in half. Roll up tightly creating two 8 inch long logs. Using a sharp knife, cut the caramels into bite sized pieces and wrap them in parchment paper. Store and serve chilled.

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this recipe and although it was a little bit intimidating, I used my old pots just in case I really messed it up, it was fairly easy and the results are delicious! I am planning on using this and some bread recipes for gift baskets this year at Christmas, but without Tim's help next time :)

Fancy Grilled Cheese

Meaty Mummy

I found this recipe in a special Pillsbury booklet for Halloween a few years ago and it has been a hit at every party and we have even made it at other times, and left off the "face". Make sure you remember to use paper or grease the cookie sheet really well, because it will stick!

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated pizza crust
• turkey lunch meat
• ham lunch meat
• sliced provolone cheese
• rondele or similar cheese spread
• egg
• parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease. Roll out pizza dough and create a trapezoid so that one end, the head, is wider than the bottom.

2. Spread rondele down the middle of the crust, leaving about 2 inches on either side. Layer meat and top with provolone cheese.

3. Starting from the top, leave a 3 inch wide space for the face to be looking thru, and begin making diagonal cuts from the edge of the meat, to the edge of the pizza crust. Continue until you reach the bottom.

4. Carefully start at the "neck" and criss-cross pieces creating a braided effect that looks like mummy cloth wrapping. When you get to the end, tuck crust under. At the "head" tuck crust around as in picture above.

5. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown. Add olives for eyes.

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this fun and easy recipe which can be varied in many ways. You can choose any type of lunch meat or cheese that you want, even making it a pizza mummy, and serve it with an assortment of dipping sauces. As you can see we finished it off, but I guess we were weirded out by the thought of eating the head!

Crunchy Mummies

These are so simple to make and although it looks weird to have lunch meat with celery, it tastes really yummy and I hate green vegetables. This recipe came from another Halloween recipe book and can be adapted for any time, by leaving off the eyes and just laying down the ham in strips. A few years ago, I took this to a Thanksgiving dinner and they were eaten up very quickly.

Ingredients:

• celery
• vegetable flavor cream cheese spread
• ham
• raisins

1. Clean and cut your celery into 4 inch long sticks. (I also slice a little off of the back so that they will not roll off of the tray and lay flat)

2. Spread cream cheese down the middle of each stick.

3. Cut ham into thin strips and carefully criss-cross meat to create a mummy wrap effect.

4. Cut raisins in half and place them as eyes at the top of the celery stick. (Kitchen scissors worked well for this)

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this exciting twist on plain celery sticks and the combination of crunchy, sweet, and salty makes me want to try more green vegetables! Oh, the horror!

Meatball Crawler

This was another special Halloween recipe from a Pillsbury book, but can be made into a fun Friday night meal for the kiddos. All you have to do is throw it together and bake it. Of course, you can decorate in a million different ways, including "painting" it with ketchup and mustard, adding shoestring potato legs, or even giving it a pickle tongue!

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated biscuits; the layered kind
• 16-20 frozen meatballs; thawed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment or grease.

2. Carefully separate the biscuits in half.

3. Place a thawed meatball in the center of the biscuit and fold around and seal inside. Place seam side down on cookie sheet and continue with remaining biscuits and meatballs creating a snack lie shape. (Make sure that each ball is touching so they back together and have to be pulled apart)

4. Bake until golden brown. Serve with ketchup and mustard.

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this fun Halloween recipe that has endless possibilities to it.

Hot Pizza Dip

Okay, so you are going to have to use your imagination for this dish's picture, because as you can tell, we all but licked the dish clean it was that amazing! I found this recipe in a Pampered Chef cookbook called "All the Best" and decided to try it out for our Halloween Super Scary Supper. It is served hot and bubbling along with sliced french bread for dipping, or spooning.

Ingredients:

• 1 package cream cheese (softened)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can pizza sauce
• toasted bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl combine cream cheese and seasoning, spread in bottom of oven proof bakeware.

2. In small bowl combine both cheeses. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Top with pizza sauce, spreading evenly. Top with remaining cheese mixture.

3. Bake 15-20 mins. until bubbly. Serve with toasted bread slices.

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this dish the next time you entertain, or just to serve up as a yummy snack for your family. It is quick and easy and very tasty. I followed the recipe very closely, but feel free to try and add other toppings such as green peppers or olives and see what happens. I promise this dip does not disappoint.

Easy Tortellini Soup

This recipe was made for another MOMS Club event and is great for these fall nights and super easy to make. My mom makes a great tortellini soup, but I decided to try a different recipe that I found online at Grouprecipes.com. Although not a lot of people were able to make it to the event, a soup recipe swap, Tim was very happy because it meant he got to eat more of it. I also liked this recipe because being a "particular" eater, I could leave behind the tomatoes, and it was still hearty enough to fill me up.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes, no drain
• 1 can condensed french onion soup, or cream of mushroom
• 1 9oz package frozen green beans
• 1 9oz package thawed cheese tortellini
• 1 medium onion
• 1t dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and drain. (I added one medium onion, diced, and a tablespoon of garlic to this process for added flavor)

2. In a large soup pot combine rest of ingredients except for tortellini. (I used the cream of mushroom soup since I had that in my pantry and it made it a little bit creamier)

3. Bring to a boil, then add tortellini and boil approx. 5 mins. until tender. (I used frozen tortellini, then put it into my crock pot and kept it on low about an hour, just until tender. It kept of warm all day until dinner time, but by then was a little "mushy")

REALITY: For as simple as it is, I would RECOMMEND trying this recipe, especially because I think the kiddos would eat it, or at least pick out the pasta which is exactly what Ahnnie did. I am hoping to try even more soup recipes as the night gets chillier. Hmmm, chili?

Kitchen Re-opens!

Sorry recipe fans, but for the past month the Hess family kitchen has only produced hum-drum frozen, canned, or sandwich-based meals. But every good chef needs a little break and throwing in two trips across the country has helped apease the fast food beast that lives inside me and so it's back to trying out new recipes!

Kitchen Gadget: Pocket Pie Mold

Okay, so I am not usually a sucker for kitchen gadgets, but this one looked so awesome that I just had to try it out. It's a lattice pocket pie mold from Williams and Sonoma and retails for about 10 dollars. I cheated a little bit and bought pre-made pie dough, but it makes life so much simpler and we got the eat the pies that much quicker.

You simply use each side pictured above, and cut out two pieces of each side from the dough. One crust will give you two pies. Then turn the gadget over and place the non-lattice side on the bottom, fill with your favorite canned pie filling, and put the lattice piece on top. How easy is that!

It's kind of ironic that I bought this because I am not a huge pie fan, but I think this will make a spectacular dessert presentation the next time we have company. I'm picturing apple pie filling with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. What time can you be here?!

Banana Bread

A few years ago we were helping a friend move and as she was cleaning out her freezer, I saw several brown and very shriveled bananas in the back. I asked her what she was saving those for and she told me that when they had bananas that were too ripe, she'd throw them in the freezer and when she had enough stock piled, would make homemade banana bread. I have always made "box-made" banana bread, so after hoarding enough bananas of my own, I decided to try to make a loaf from scratch. I got this recipe from The Food Network's website and of course had to add some of my own touches...mainly chocolate!

WARNING: The frozen bananas are totally gross once they are thawed, not in taste, but definitely in texture. And may I remind you Ahnnie had a very runny nose while I tried out this recipe...gross.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 Tablespoons room temp. butter (one stick)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:

• 8 oz. chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. (I then sprinkled the pan with sugar so that it made a little caramelized crust on the bread)

2. Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. ( I would add another 1/2 to whole teaspoon of cinn. It was not very cinnamon-y) In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears. (Gently fold in optional ingredients. Ina recommends mixing chips and nuts in plain flour first, then adding them to the batter so that they don't "sink" to the bottom)

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean. (It will turn very dark brown, but don't panic, just keep testing with toothpick) Cool in pan 10 mins. then remove from pan and cool completely.

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND WITH EXCEPTIONS this recipe. The exceptions being the frozen bananas; they kind of disintegrated into the dough so there were no visible banana chunks. I would also add more banana and more cinnamon to enhance the overall flavor. But the chocolate chips were a great addition and to my surprise, we have almost eaten the whole loaf!

Weeknight Meal: Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

"Wait, everyone stop eating! I forgot to take a picture!" This is what I yelled out at the dinner table as everyone was chowing down on the delicious and very easy recipe. Good thing Tim hadn't eaten all of his "spicy" portions yet, but they didn't last in that pan very long. This is another All You magazine recipe from the July issue and can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup Pace picante sauce
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 6 flour (6 inch) tortillas
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced
  

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

2. Stir in 1 cup picante sauce mixture from above, chicken and cheese in a large bowl. (To make life even easier I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store so all I had to do was take off the meat and saved the extra for a different recipe)

3. Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. (I let the tortillas sit at room temp. so that they wouldn't tear) Roll up the tortillas and place seam side up in 2 qt. shallow baking dish. (I used toothpicks to hold them closed until I could get the sauce on them in the next step) Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over filled tortillas. Cover baking dish with foil. (Can refrigerate at this point)

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with tomato and onion. (Made Tim's spicy by adding jalapenos inside and as topping)

REALITY: I would RECOMMEND this recipe to anyone who likes easy Mexican food. I am not a big fan of tomatoes and onions, and even I enjoyed this meal because you can barely see them inside. Yes, I'm one of those if I see it, I won't eat it type of people. I'll bet that this recipe would also freeze well. The portions are kind of small, so double it if you want leftovers.

Best Chocolate Cake in the Universe

Yes, the "best" in the universe, and that is not an understatement. Just look at the picture above as proof of its unyielding powers of chocolate seduction. Even my chocolate hating husband has eaten three pieces today, and all three were for breakfast. It is a very dense cake and super moist. I got the recipe from a Betty Crocker cake recipe booklet, but unfortunately Ahnnie ripped off the cover awhile ago, and it hasn't been recovered.

Ingredients:

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 container sour cream (16 oz)
• 1 box chocolate instant pudding (4 serving size)
• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz)

Glaze:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 cups fluted tube cake pan with baking spray. (Be generous so it doesn't stick) In large bowl combine cake mix, chocolate milk, butter, eggs, sour cream, and dry pudding and mix with spoon until well blended. It will be very thick! Stir in bag of chocolate chips. Spoon into pan.

2. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. (It will also look wet, but be dry to the touch when done) Cool in pan 10 mins. Place on cooling rake or heatproof plate, turn pan over and remove pan. Cool completely.

3. In 1 quart saucepan, heat glaze ingredients over low, stirring frequently until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle over cake and store loosely at room temperature.

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe to anyone who is a chocolate lover. It was very easy to make and a huge hit with the whole family. Mom and dad were here to help us eat it. But now that they are gone, who will help eat the rest?

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Have I already mentioned that I love my crock pot? Well, for this meal, I wanted something quick and easy because my parents were driving down to help put Ahnnie's playground together and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after they first arrived from their very long 9 hour car ride. This is another recipe from Fix-It and Forget-It and is very basic so I added a few "extras" to spice it up.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups raw potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 lb. cooked ham, cubed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Layer potatoes, onion, 1 tsp. salt, and ham into slow cooker. (I usually add a little bit extra ham)

2. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in four and 1 tsp. salt. Cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour over potato-ham mixture, stirring lightly. (Again, I add a little bit extra cheese and this step goes faster if you cook it at a medium high heat, just be careful not to burn it)

3. Cover. Cook on low 6-7 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

(Tim requested the extra toppings which made this even better. We added chopped green onions, bacon, and sour cream and served it with a cheddar biscuit)

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe. It is quick and easy and very hearty. My dad even went back for seconds, which rarely happens. One quick tip though is to turn off your crock pot the last 30 mins of cook time and open the lid a little bit to help the sauce thicken up.

Weeknight Meal: Hungarian Goulash

What makes this meal a week night meal, is that it is cooked in possibly one of the best inventions ever made...the crock pot. It is so easy to toss together in the morning, and then pull out tender flavorful beef chunks 8 hours later. I got it from the book "Fix-It and Forget-It" and have made it several times.

I used homemade German spatzle as its base, but you can top anything you might have in your pantry such as egg noodles, or go even easier and pour it over instant mashed potatoes. Voila!

And no, I didn't eat the green beans...I took the picture and then scrapped them onto Tim's plate. Tee-hee!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs. beef stew meat
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 10 3/4 oz. can of tomato soup
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Mix meat, onion powder, garlic powder, and flower in slow cooker until meat is well coated. (I didn't have paprika in my pantry so I substituted with chili powder and it gave it a little bite)

2. Add remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Stir well. (I added a whole diced onion as well)

3. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours or High 4-5 hours.

4. Add sour cream 30 mins. before serving. (It gives it this tang and makes it really smooth)

5. Serve over warm noodles.

REALITY: I would highly RECOMMEND this recipe, especially in the colder months and it is so versatile that you can add a lot to it like potatoes, tomatoes, green pepper...

Taffy Apple Pizza

Alright, who doesn't like pizza?! This dessert pizza recipe came from a Pampered Chef cookbook called "All the Best" and was really easy to make. The crust can be made in advance which is what I did when I made this for a pot luck event.

Ingredients:

• 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 medium granny smith apples
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press cookie dough evenly into greased 10 inch round spring form pan. Bake 15 mins or so until light golden brown all over and cookie is cooked through. Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove outside spring form. (I left it on the base for easier cutting and baked it up the night before so all I had to do in the morning was assemble)

2. Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla in small bowl and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie. (There will be plenty of leftover spread unless you want it really thick on your crust. I used the extra to dip graham crackers or sliced apples in)

3. Peel, core and slice apples. Cut in half and arrange evenly over cream cheese mixture.(Soaking the apple slices in lemon water will keep them from turning brown; pat dry)

4. Microwave ice cream topping 10-15 seconds to thin it out and drizzle over apples. Chop peanuts and sprinkle over apples. (I cut it into slice ahead of time and it was much easier releasing from the base of the spring form pan, than trying to pry it off as a full "pizza". I also didn't have peanuts in my pantry so I crumbled Nutter Butter cookies on top instead)

REALITY: I would definitely RECOMMEND this recipe to others. It is sweet and salty and reminds me of a caramel apple. I would suggest keeping it cold so that the apples don't get soft and the cookie crust tends to get soggy as well, but hopefully it will get eaten up quickly because it is that good!

Coconut Cream Soup/Pie

For my first entry I will tell the tale of a wife, eager to please her overworked husband, by creating his favorite dessert...coconut cream pie. I found the recipe in the July edition of All You magazine which is a great source for coupons and general housekeeping ideas. It was originally a double coconut cream pie, but coconut can be expensive and I had a pie crust in the freezer so I made a substitution.

Ingredients:

• One nine inch refrigerated pie crust (baked)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups sweetened coconut
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Additional coconut for toasting, garnish

1. Bake pie shell as package directs.

2. In bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Warm milk in pan over medium heat until nearly simmering. (I just waited for it to start steaming) Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to coat back of spoon, about 5 mins. (My first attempt I did not cook this mixture long enough so make sure it is good and thick) Remove from heat, stir in remaining two cups coconut and 2 Tbsp. butter; let stand 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Pour custard into crust. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface of custard and chill completely, about 1 1/2 hours. (I didn't chill it long enough so be sure to give it time to chill and firm up, see pic)

3. Using electric mixer, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard, swirling decoratively. Chill another 30 mins. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. (I tried to take a short cut and use canned whipped topping and it fell flat and turned runny, aiding in the "soup effect". Definitely recommend making fresh whipped cream)

REALITY: I found this recipe challenging, especially because I had never made a custard from scratch before, and could not seem to get the correct consistency. Perhaps with more practice I could get it right. Although it did taste good and looked beautiful until I cut into it, I would NOT RECOMMEND this recipe.

Welcome to Recipe Reality!

Dear Readers, welcome to my new project! This blog is designed to help offer new recipes including pictures, helpful hints, and where I found them, so that the next time you are wondering what to take to that pot luck at work or what you can make for a quick weeknight meal, you can check here first and hopefully get some ideas.

I have recently gotten very excited about cooking and can safely say am addicted to the Food Network. Ahnika can easily recognize Ina and Giada, however it should be revealed that I about the pickiest eater out there and compare my taste preferences to that of my 17 month old...hot dogs and pizza. So my hope is that this project also gets me to try new things and eat those gross things otherwise known as "vegetables". Perhaps as time goes on and it evolves, readers can suggest new recipes to try and I can post the results. Join me on this journey and we'll see what we can "cook up" together!