The Christmas Collection: Peanut Butter Balls and Coconut Bon-Bons

These may be my two favorite Christmasy recipes. That is because they BOTH involve chocolate. My grandma, we call her "Mamaw", lives in Tennessee and used to make these for us every year at Christmas. :) And not only would these be great at Christmas, but also for a New Year's party or anytime.

--Quick Note: When making candy, I always sift the powdered sugar, just so that the candy will come out smooth and without lumps, but it's totally up to you. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Balls
Yields: Around 2 dozen

1 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Chocolate for dipping, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, melted

Melt the peanut butter and butter together in the microwave. Add the powdered sugar in small additions. Mix thoroughly, you do not want streaks of sugar. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Once firm, roll into small balls and then refrigerate again until hard. Now dip the balls gently in the chocolate and cover completely. Allow them to set on baking paper or a clean counter. Store in the fridge for, at most, 1 week.

Coconut Bon-Bons
Yields: Around 2 dozen

7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated coconut
White chocolate, for dipping, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. You may need a little more powdered sugar to get a sticky, smooth consistency. Add the coconut and mix well. Form small balls and refrigerate until firm. Dip the balls gently in the chocolate, covering completely, and allow them to set on baking paper or a clean counter. Store in the fridge for, at most, 1 week.

The Christmas Collection: Banana Nut Bread and Peppermint Bark

In my opinion, the Christmas season is pretty much the best time of the year. So this year I've decided to blog my family's favorite Christmas treats! I call it The Christmas Collection. I hope you guys will try some of these recipes and let me know what you think. Hopefully by Christmas I'll have five or six recipes posted. So stay tuned as the baking and confectionery making begins, and Merry Christmas!

Banana Nut Bread
 Yields: 1 loaf
 
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 sour cream or greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups white flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, pecans, or similar nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. In a food processor, blend the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Next, in a mixing bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter to the bowl and beat with a hand mixer until blended, about 30 seconds. Now add the banana mixture in three batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Gently fold in the nuts. (Optional: Before baking, you can also sprinkle additional nuts over the top of the batter.) Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour. When done, the bread will be lightly browned and bounce back when touched. Cool and enjoy!

This next one is the easiest Christmas candy recipe ever! With only two ingredients, this recipe hardly takes 15 minutes to make.

Peppermint Bark
 Yields: About 10 servings

About 1 pound of white chocolate
Candy Canes or Peppermint disks, crushed (enough to sprinkle over a 9x9 or8x8 pan of chocolate)

Melt the white chocolate in 20 second increments in the microwave. Cover a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with aluminum foil or baking paper (optional). Pour the chocolate onto the pan and even it out. Sprinkle the peppermint candy over the chocolate according to your taste. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set. Break into shards and serve.

Variations:  
-You could also use milk or dark chocolate in place of white.
-You could substitute peppermint candy for sprinkles or other hard candies. 

Mein busy visy hun, hun, hun!

Okay, first of all you are wondering what in the world the title means. Now you're like, "Oh, okay, he's gonna explain it." Yes, I will explain. A Bollywood (Hindi) movie was recently released here called "English Vinglish". It is about an Indian lady who visited New York City for her niece's wedding, and while she was there, she learned English. We really enjoyed the movie because we could relate to the language problems she had, and the culture shock. :) One of the songs talked about her busy New York lifestyle while she was there. This phrase essentially means, "I'm so busy, busy, busy!" Lately, that has been us! Hopefully now things will settle down and we can have a calm, quiet Christmas...but then again...I doubt it. :)

One of the really cool things about the movie is that the airport scenes in the movie were shot at the Pune Airport, in the city where I live. They needed expats (foreigners) to be extras in the airport because they wanted to make it look like JFK. Lots of my friends are in the movie, and I wanted to go, but the horse show where we ride was going on and I couldn't go. Anyway, there was a premiere for the extras and their friends/family, and I got to go. We were like, "LOOOOK! There's you! There's you again!", and so on. I think the movie will be available on iTunes soon,  (I'll let you know) and I recommend that you at least rent it, as long as iTunes movies have subtitles that is! I'll check on that too. :)

So stay tuned for some new recipes, and maybe even some Christmasy (if that's a word) ones!

A Mediterranean Feast, and Candy Corn Cookies!

I've had a couple requests so far, and one has been for chicken, and the other was for flat breads. The first thing I could think about was herbs, feta cheese, and olives. Mediterranean was on my mind and I was determined to do it. The subtle yet bold flavors that are contained in this cuisine are always light and fresh. For my feast I made Grilled Mediterranean Chicken, Greek Salad, and Pita Bread. But since its close to Halloween, and my family loves desserts, I also made sugar cookies that look just like candy corns. You'll have to see the picture, and they are so easy! Now, to the recipes...

 Mediterranean Chicken
Yields: 4 to 6 servings

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 or 4 bay leaves, dried or fresh, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil (about two tablespoons)
2 pounds of chicken (I used leg quarters, but breast meat would do nicely as well)

In a large bowl, mash all of the herbs and spices together, and then start adding the olive oil. You will need about two tablespoons, but keep adding the oil until you have a loose paste. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat all of the chicken. Marinate for about 6 hours or overnight. Marinating is optional, but it deepens the flavors. Once ready to cook, grill the chicken for about 20 minutes on each side for bone-in or 8 minutes on each side for boneless. Check the inside with a knife before removing from the grill. If you don't have a grill, the chicken can also be baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius for about another 20 minutes. Check with a knife when done. Another option is cooking the chicken in a pan. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes on each side for bone-in, or 6 minutes on each side for boneless. Serve with lemon wedges.

 Greek Salad
Yields: 5 servings

For the salad:
1 head of iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut into rings
1/2 cup olives
150 grams (6 ounces) of feta cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:
6 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Wash the salad and place in a large bowl. Dress the salad, but be careful: you may not need all of the dressing! Toss the salad and dump into a serving bowl. Enjoy!

Pita bread
Yields: 12

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon castor sugar
3 cups flour (any combination of white and wheat, I used 1 cup wheat and 2 cups white)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup lukewarm water

Dissolve the yeast and sugar into the 1/2 cup of warm water. Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the middle of the flour. Once the water is very frothy (about 10 minutes), pour it into the depression in the flour mixture. While stirring, slowly add the cup of lukewarm water. Dump the dough out and knead it for about 10 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, and very lightly coat the bread with oil as well. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 degrees Celsius. Put the rack as low as possible.  When doubled, roll the dough out into a rope and cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 5 to 6 inches wide. Bake on a greased pan for 4 minutes on the first side, and when it puffs up, flip it. Bake for 2 more minutes. Spread a little butter on each one once baked to keep them soft. Repeat with each pita. Enjoy with grilled meat, or as a wrap.

Candy Corn Slice and Bake Cookies
Yields: About 3 dozen cookies

3 cups white flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup castor sugar
5 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Food coloring

 Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Beat sugar, oil, and butter on high with a hand mixer until smooth in another bowl. Add eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Dump the cookie dough out, and shape it into a triangle. Cut lines where the colors would meet on an actual candy corn. You should have three pieces of dough. Color each one accordingly: the smallest portion leave white, the middle portion color orange, and the other portion color yellow. Freeze the dough for about 8 minutes before proceeding.  Roll each piece, starting with the yellow, into a log. Flatten it out and place on a cutting board. Repeat with the orange, and then with the white. Pile the dough on top of each other to form a slope. Shape the dough into a elongated pyramid shape, and refrigerate for about 12 minutes. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place on a baking sheet. You can reshape the dough a little once cut to be more like a triangle if needed. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Enjoy with a big cup of coffee and a good book!  

Fifteen and Rockin' It

First of all, thank you to everyone, which is pretty much all of you, who helped make my birthday special. Some of you posted on Facebook, texted me, or met up with me. You guys are so cool! Celebrating my birthday here in India helped me to remember that God has given me so many new friends, which have become just like family. One of my friends, before we left the US, gave our family a wooden plaque that reads "Friends are the family you find along the way." That is so true. Everyone who is a believer is in my family too, which is pretty awesome if you think about it. Even though I wish I could've celebrated with my biological family too, I had a truly wonderful time, and now I am OFFICIALLY 15 years and 1 day old. :)

For my birthday, I made a three layer cake. This was a white cake with a chocolate ganache and Reese cup filling frosted with buttercream icing. I also made homemade chocolate ice cream to go with it, but we ended up eating the ice cream the night before my birthday. My dad couldn't wait. I couldn't wait either. On my birthday, for brunch, I made Quiche Lorraine and Balsamic Vinaigrette dressed salad greens and Raspberry Iced Tea. (The name of the tea is capitalized because that's how good it was.) Then I did a little birthday shopping with my birthday money that was kind of burning a hole in my pocket. BUT I only spent a little, and I saved the rest. Maggie was very proud of me. (She is the queen of saving money!) After desserts and coffee with some of my youngish friends, I went over to our friends-that-have-become-family's house and hung out for a little while before we went to dinner. Now I usually try to be culturally appropriate and not like eat a ton of meat or talk about it that much but that night, I had BBQ ribs. They were amazing. And the potatoes were amazing. And some of Maggie's curly fries were amazing. And the company was amazing. The whole night was wonderful. I went home and went to bed around midnight, after staying up 'till midnight the night before as well. (That cake wasn't gonna frost itself!) I had a blast cooking for my birthday, but now the question of Thanksgiving has come up. And especially the question of the turkey. Do you roast it, fry it, bake it, boil it, steam it, or grill it? That is a question for another day I think. 

Lemon Icebox Pie

I hope you guys are enjoying my blog. I love suggestions, so if you want me to find a great recipe for something, let me know! Every recipe on my blog is one that I've made and really liked. These recipes are the best of the best. Oh, and when I talk about castor sugar, that is just the regular sugar in America. In India, the normal sugar isn't as refined, meaning each piece of sugar is bigger. So castor sugar is just another name for finely ground sugar. That is what I use for baking. Now, onto our Lemon Icebox Pie...

Meringue is one of those love it or hate it things. Meringue is really easy to scrape off if you don't care for it. I really like it, but mom doesn't really care for it. So when I make a pie that calls for meringue, I make it. One such recipe that has meringue on it and is a very easy one is called Lemon Icebox Pie. It's called "Icebox" pie because it's served straight out of the refrigerator. Some people use freshly squeezed lemon juice, but it just creates an opportunity for pulp and seeds to make their way into our pie, and no one wants that. I made a Ritz cracker crust for this pie, but you could use a store-bought crust or a traditional flour and butter crust. The recipes for each component of the pie are as follows:

Ritz Cracker Crust

Yields: One 9 inch pie crust

1 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons castor sugar 

1/3 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Toss all of the ingredients with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Press into a 9 inch pie plate and bake for about 10 minutes, until hard. Cool completely before using. 

Lemon Icebox Pie filling:

3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue) 

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 14 ounce/400 gram can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Combine milk and juice in a medium sized bowl, and then beat in egg yolks. Pour into a cooled crust and set aside. 

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter 

1/4 cup of castor sugar

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Then begin adding sugar in small amounts. Beat until stiff. Spread carefully and slowly on the filling. Seal to the edge of the crust. Bake the pie for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the meringue is lightly browned. After baking, let the pie cool, and then refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until cold. 

I hope you enjoy the pie, and be sure to check back soon for recipes to create your very own Mediterranean feast!   

German Soft Pretzels

A couple of weeks ago, my mom told me that we would need to prepare a report on a country for our homeschool co-op. Immediately I knew that I would do Germany. I've always wanted to visit Germany and I have thought of their culture as fresh, upcoming, and exciting. So as I was preparing my report, I came across this recipe for German soft pretzels. It's originally Alton Brown's recipe, with a few tweaks. I made these and took them to the co-op and everyone loved them. Hope you like them too!

German Soft Pretzels
Yield: 8 large pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Oil, for bowl

10 cups water
2/3 cup baking powder

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or Sea Salt

Combine warm water (1 1/2 cups) with sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir gently. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam. Using a mixer with the dough hooks, mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes and then on medium speed for 4 minutes until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is sticky. Take another bowl and oil it well. Place the dough in it and put the bowl in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. In the meantime, pour the water (10 cups) into a large pot and add the baking soda, and bring to a rolling boil once the pretzels have been shaped. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit or 230 degrees Celsius. Dump the dough out onto a greased workspace and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it into a thin log that is 24 inches long. Make a U shape, then cross the ends over and twist the dough. Press the dough down at the bottom of the pretzel. Place each pretzel, one at a time, in the boiling water for 15 seconds on each side. Then place on a baking paper-lined pan, or a very well greased pan. Beat together the egg yolk and water (1 tablespoon) and brush it on each pretzel to ensure golden color. Then sprinkle each pretzel with salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for at least 5 minutes.

I really like to enjoy them with a little honey mustard. You could also put cinnamon sugar on top instead of salt before baking, just be careful not to let the sugar burn. These are really nice and chewy, and they make a great snack, breakfast, or lunch.