Tag Archives: Cooking

Jan5

Mexican Hot Chocolate

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Welcome warmth on a chilly day, and if you are in the US, that’s just about everywhere this weekend. Easy to make and oh so good!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Serves: 6 Edit
Yields: 1 litre (1¾ pint)

Ingredients

1 litre (1¾ pint) semi-skimmed milk
(75g (3oz)) cocoa powder
75g (3oz) caster sugar
½-1tsp ground cinnamon
2 large pinches cayenne pepper

Method

Gently heat semi-skimmed milk until nearly boiling. In a bowl, mix cocoa powder, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add a little of the milk, mix until smooth, then put into pan, stirring, to reheat.

Top with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.

Jan4

Dream Treat Part Deux

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So nice, I thought I’d do it twice. For my #chocolate lovers, this is for you. It may not work for any #chocolate lover wannabe’s. Believe me, the CHOCOLATE GODS will know if you’re faking… Enjoy!

Iced Chocolate Bar Cake

Preparation time : 20 minutes Freezing time : 12 hours

Ingredients

1 tin NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2½ cups whipped cream
2 bars KIT KAT® CHUNKY
1½ tablespoons NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

Preparation

Combine NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk and whipped cream in an electric mixer. Beat until thick and creamy.

Pour half of the mixture into foil lined 9in x 5in loaf pan. Place KIT KAT® CHUNKY bars in the middle and freeze for ½ an hour.

Add NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee to the remaining cream mixture and mix until combined.

Take out the cake from the freezer. Spoon over the NESCAFÉ mixture, cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hours until set.

Cut into slices to serve.

Jan3

Dream Treat

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MAHO HALWA Recipe

MAHO HALWA

Cooking time : 45 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup butter or 60 g
2 tins NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk or 790 g
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon saffron filament

Preparation

Melt Butter in a deep saucepan, add 2 tins NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk , and Cardamom Powder and cook over medium heat with constant stirring until color has become golden brown but not burnt. About 40 minutes.

Once the Halwa hold together and have a stretchy consistency, stir in Saffron Strands and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before pouring into desired mold to fully cool.

Cut into shape and serve.

Dec31

Dream Treat

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Chocolate Hazelnut Zucchini Cupcakes (2)

Chocolate Hazelnut (Zucchini) Cupcakes

These cupcakes are moist and fudgy, but still light. And, they aren’t overly sweet, which means that there’s plenty of ways you could take them to that next level of decadence and still not be going completely nuts on sugar. You could fold in some dark chocolate chips or chunks before baking. I topped them with my whipped dark chocolate frosting using bittersweet chocolate. You could use a pastry syringe and fill with chocolate hazelnut “nutella” spread and use this “nutella” as a frosting. You could drizzle with a chocolate drizzle like in this recipe. You could do all of the above for a special, special treat.

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
• 2 large (or 3 medium) zucchini, grated (about 3 cups grated)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup Muscovado Sugar (or substitute Sucanat)
• 1/4 cup Palm Shortening (or substitute unsalted butter, ghee or lard)
• 1/3 cup Tapioca Flour (this is the same thing as Tapioca Starch)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• ½ tsp Salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, use Silicone Muffin Cups.or bake in a silicone muffin pan.
2. Grind hazelnuts in a Food Processor or Magic Bullet until they are super fine and almost turning into hazelnut butter..
3. Finely grate zucchini (you could even process in a food processor).
4. Combine ground ground hazelnuts, grated zucchini and the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. The batter is quite runny. That’s okay–that’s why these cupcakes are so fudgy.
5. As an alternative you can combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.
6. Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before icing or serving. Enjoy!

Dec16

DREAM TREAT

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No Bake Cookies

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Ingredients

1/4 cup Cocoa
2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Quick Cooking Oats

Directions
Boil: Cocoa sugar and milk for 1-2 minutes. Add peanut butter and vanilla over low heat. Take off stove. Pour over quick oats and mix. Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet and cool.

Dec11

The Accidental Vegetarian

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I recently discovered that there is an actual term for my sometimes insatiable cravings for vegetables, even preferring them over meat.  During my travels, I have opted for the vegetables on many occasions and continue to prefer them when I return home.  Meat seems to become less of an anchor for my meals these days and I go days without eating any at all.

According to Ask.com, that makes me a “flexitarian.”  What, exactly, does flexitarian mean? “Flexitarian” is used to describe a diet or a person who eats a “mostly” vegetarian diet, occasionally including meat. But what exactly does this mean? Does it mean once a week or once a day? It’s really up to you, as there is no standard agreement or definition, though perhaps someday there will be.

What I will admit is that I still love great barbeque, especially at “Bennie J’s Smoke Pit” in Huntsville, TX.  If you are ever traveling on Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas, it’s worth the detour.    Bennie J's Smoke Pit

Dec10

TenaciousM “Chocolate on Steroids”

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This Coca-Cola Cake is simply one of the best sheet cake recipes on earth. The magical brew of carbonated cola is the secret to the tender texture.

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Coca-Cola
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • Coca-Cola Frosting
  • Garnish: 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

  1. Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk; set aside.
  2. Beat butter at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat at low speed until blended.
  3. Combine flour, cocoa, and soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with cola mixture; begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended.
  4. Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Pour Coca-Cola frosting over warm cake; garnish, if desired.
  5. Note: Don’t make the frosting ahead–you need to pour it over the cake shortly after baking.

From Southern Living