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Hi all.... I've moved my blog to Wordpress.  You can find me at http://foodnluv.wordpress.com/.

Marshmallows

I love to try new recipes and a couple of years ago, I finally got the chance to try making homemade marshmallows.  I have never really been a fan of marshmallows until I tasted some that were homemade.  I was given some as a Christmas gift with some hot cocoa mix.  I was immediately hooked.  There is nothing like it.  The taste and texture is so light and yummy!

This year, I decided to once again make a batch.  I do have to say that it's a messy process but the outcome is well worth the mess!   I used this Recipe.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 pkg. gelatin
1/2 cup water
vanilla extract

1 cup light corn syrup
1-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
With a sieve, generously dust an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal baking dish with confectioners' sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.
Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares. Dust them with more confectioners' sugar.

 

WHAT'S FOR DINNER TONIGHT?

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

I love pork loin and tenderloin roasts. Tonight I wanted something a little different but easy enough that I could just put it in the oven and relax. Well, I found it with this. All I did was unwrap the pork and place it in my stoneware baking dish. I added a little olive oil to the bottom of the dish but now that I've seen the finished product, there would have been enough drippings from the bacon so next time I'll leave it out. I covered the pork with a blend of salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon and brown sugar. Then I wrapped the pork with bacon. The ENTIRE pork. I love bacon!!

Cook uncovered for 1 hour in a 325º oven. While the pork cooked, I made a marinade of brown sugar, cider vinegar, dry mustard and dijon mustard and cooked it over the stove until melted. When the hour was done, I poured the glaze over the pork and cooked it for another 30 minutes. When done, cover with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

I served this with roasted asparagus that I chopped and tossed with olive oil and garlic and baked at 400 for 15 minutes. I also served garlic mashed potatoes with the meal.



Corned Beef Hash Tacos

I love Mexican food, especially because I grew up in a home where there was always something good cooking on the stove.  My grandmother would cook every day and make delicious homemade food from her native country of Jalisco, Mexico.  I had my favorites and still make them today but sometimes I like to venture away and create my own twist on some of my favorite foods.

One of those dishes is tacos.  While I enjoy the soft tacos filled with carne, cilantro, onions and lime juice, I really love the crunchy fried tacos.  Traditionally filled with ground beef, shredded beef or chicken, I've never really been a fan of those fillings.  Many, many years ago, I started making my fried tacos with corn beef hash filling.  I can't even tell you how I came across this idea because I had never eaten corn beef hash before.  Maybe I was craving tacos and that's the only meat product we had in the house at the time (my dad used to eat it), I don't really remember.  I just know that because I like things with a crunchy texture, I cooked the can of corn beef until it was dark and crisp.  I made the tacos and fell in love with them.

When I was dating my husband who also comes from a home where traditional Mexican food was made and is pretty picky about his food, I made the tacos for him and he loved them.  Now these are the only tacos my kids want me to make at home.  They are so full of flavor and so, so good!

 

Peanut Butter Cups

 
I've gotten into the baking groove latley and have wandered into the world of candy making as well.  Every time I go to the grocery store, I end up throwing a couple of packages of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups into the basket at the check-out line.  The other day, I wondered how hard it would be to make my own and voila.....I found the solution. 

I knew the peanut butter center wasn't just peanut butter so I started researching the internet to see if there was a recipe.  I found one at bubblecrumb.com and tweaked it a little bit.  I love dark chocolate so I used that instead of the milk chocolate.  I think they turned out pretty good.

Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup Dark chocolate or milk chocolate melted
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt.

Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and refrigerate.  Melt chocolate in microwave for about 30 seconds or until just melted.

Pour a little chocolate into liners or mold until lightly coated with the chocolate and refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and form peanut butter mixture into small ball and press into chocolate liners.  Once all peanut butter has been pressed, cover with more melted chocolate.  Refrigerate another 20 minutes until chocolate has hardened.

Yummy Enchiladas!

One of the things I love most is enchiladas.  Not just any enchiladas but my enchiladas.  I guess that's because, I make them exactly like my grama used to make them.  I can remember being at her house (she babysat me, plus we lived on the street right behind hers, so I was always there) and she would make dinner for my mom, so she didn't have to cook after work.  For some reason, this was always one of my favorite meals. 
When I got older and would visit her, I would walk into her house and mention that I was craving her enchiladas and within minutes, she would be in the kitchen making up a batch.  I could eat 10 enchiladas in one sitting.  My grama would just shake her head and laugh.  They were so yummy!

Now, I make them for my family and friends and they are always a hit.  They are not your traditional enchiladas filled with meat.  These are filled with potatoes, peas, onions and cheese.   I always make extra so I can eat the next day.  I heat a cast iron skillet, pour in a little vegetable oil until hot then put the enchiladas in the skillet to heat up.  The cheese gets melted and the outside of the tortilla gets a little crisp.  They are the best!

To make enchiladas:

Prepare filling by chopping potatoes into very small cubes and cooking them in some vegetable oil until soft and crisp.  Add frozen peas and chopped onion and cook until soft and heated.

Grate cheese (I use Sharp Cheddar)


I use Las Palmas enchilada sauce.  Heat sauce in a small skillet until hot.  In another skillet, heat vegetable oil (about 1/4 cup) over medium low heat.  Take a corn tortilla and dip into enchilada sauce until completely coated, then carefully place into skillet with hot oil.  Fry for just a minute on each side until tortilla is soft and pliable.  Transfer onto a plate and continue with the rest of the tortillas until all are dipped in sauce and cooked in oil.

Once that's done, it's time to begin the filling process.  Spoon some potato filling in the center of the tortilla followed by grated cheese.  Roll and set on a cookie sheet or platter.  When all tortillas are filled and rolled, top them with grated cheese and heat in oven until cheese is melted. 

Early Autumn Stew

Finished Stew

My mom used to make stew when I was a kid and honestly, that must have been one of my least favorite meals.  I can remember the wonderful smell filling the house and me, in my room, imagining something really good for dinner.  When it was finally ready, I would run to the kitchen with anticipation, only to be disappointed at those chuncks of carrots, potatoes, celery and onion staring at me from the pot.  Ugh!  How I hated all those vegetables and that beefy soup.

Now that I am an adult, I'm still not a fan of stew. Not beef stew anyway.  I am however, in love with this recipe for hearty and delicious Early Autumn Stew made with pork, carrots, celery, onion and accented with the sweetness of apples and cranberries.  Oh this is the perfect meal on those chilly autumn nights.

We usually go apple picking every year and this is a great way to use all those apples that we bring home.  We didn't go this year but I still managed to get in a pot of stew.  My kids love it and it seems to be a big hit with all who have tried it.

This recipe was taken from Rachel Ray who cooked it on her show a few years back and I've been making it every year since.



Cubed Pork and flour

Dredge pork in flour seasoned with paprika

Sear pork in olive oil until browned and remove from pot

Add vegetables, apples and herbs and allspice to pot after meat is removed

Fresh thyme and bay leaf

Cook vegetables until tender

Deglaze the pan with apple cider then add chicken stock.

Simmer for 10 minutes

EARLY AUTUMN STEW

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed (you can have a butcher do this for you) and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, cut into 2-inch dice
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 McIntosh apples, peeled or unpeeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 2 pinches allspice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple cider
• 3-4 cups chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your stew)
• 1 loaf crusty bread

Serves 6

Preparation

Pre-heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with two tablespoons of EVOO, about two turns of the pan.

Place the pieces of tenderloin onto a sheet tray and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss with flour until well-coated.
Once ripples appear in the oil and it starts to very lightly smoke, add the pork to the pot and sear it until well-browned on all sides, 7-8 minutes (lots of brown bits will remain on the bottom of the pot). Remove the meat to a platter and reserve.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of EVOO to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the vegetables until they begin to tenderize, about 6-8 minutes then add in the apples, allspice and cranberries, and cook until the vegetables are quite tender, 3-5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the cider, scraping up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add in the chicken stock and toss the pork back into the hot tub. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pull out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the pot and discard them.
To serve, line the bottom of six bowls with chunks of bread. Ladle the stew on top of the bread and enjoy!