It’s My Life, It’s My Nutella, I Ain’t Gonna Live Forever

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Costco had Nutella on sale.  They sell them in 2 packs.  67 oz of chocolatey, hazelnutty, I need some in my mouth right now by the spoonful, nectar of the Gods.  In my NUTELLA ON SALE induced daze, somehow a few of the containers found their way into my shopping cart.  Since they are in my care now, I can’t just let them collect dust and sit in darkness in my pantry.

Some of you may have noticed, but I do many of my food experiments when I have company over.  It’s obviously a risk since my guests are expecting to be fed good stuff, not WTF food flops.  Good thing there are many restaurants nearby.

I had some friends over for a girl’s crafts day.  I decided to try a new Nutella concoction since MOST of my friends love Nutella.  My one friend who shall not be named doesn’t like Nutella, and we think she’s a freak of nature.  Lets see if she’ll read this post.  I made a Nutella Tuxedo Mousse Cheesecake.  It sounds fancy, but it’s a pretty straightforward recipe, and it is a no bake cheesecake.

I started with the Oreo crust.  I got my 10 inch springform pan.  If I was not too concerned about presentation, I would use a 9×13 baking dish, a pie pan, a regular cake pan, etc.  However, I don’t want to dig out messy scoops of crumbs and gooey cheesecake.  So, this here is my springform pan.

For those of you who are not familiar with a springform pan, this is why it is a special tool.  Once the wall of the pan is removed, the cake can be easily cut and served.

I got 2 sleeves of Oreos and butter.

I debated hauling my heavy ass food processor out from the cabinet.  But it’s so bulky and heavy, and then I’d have to wash all these parts.  So I ended up using the rolling pin and ziplock bag approach.  I pounded my life’s frustrations out on those Oreos, but my laziness won over, so my Oreo crumbs were pretty chunky.  It still tasted great, just personal preference if you want a very fine crumbed crust, or more of a chunky cookie crust.

I mixed the cookie crumbs and the melted butter directly in the pan, and I spread the mixture evenly.  Fewer dishes are always a bonus.  Bake at 350ºF for 8 minutes.  I know I said the cheesecake was no bake, and technically the cheesecake part did not require baking.  You can certainly make a no bake crust, but I prefer the crunchier texture of a baked cookie crust.  Let the crust cool before pouring in the cheesecake filling.

So I mentioned before that one of my goals is to use as few dishes as possible.  I busted out my stand mixer for the next 3 parts of the cheesecake, but I did not wash the mixing bowl until I finished everything.  Why waste time and water washing that big bowl when it is not necessary?

First I made the whipped cream that will garnish and enhance the cheesecake eating experience.  This is 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar.  So much tastier and wholesome than the stuff you buy from the freezer section at the grocery store.  Just start mixing on low speed so the cream doesn’t splatter everywhere.  Make your way to high speed, and whip until you get stiff peaks.

After the whipped cream is put into another container and stored in the fridge, time for the first layer of cheesecake.  I whipped another cup of heavy whipping cream with sugar and vanilla extract.  I set that aside in the fridge while I mixed the cream cheese mixture.  I mixed 2 blocks of regular fat cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature.  After the cream cheese mixture was smooth and creamy, fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture onto the cooled crust.  Notice I placed the springform pan on a pizza pan.  It’s not that I don’t trust my springform pan…ok I don’t fully trust my springform pan.  It serves its purpose, but I have visions of the pan falling apart from the weight of the cake, and a floor covered with mush.

Ok so this is the same picture I used earlier, but it’s just to show that I whipped 2 more cups of heavy whipping cream with vanilla extract and sugar.  Set that aside in the fridge.

Mix 1.5 cups of Nutella with 1 block of cream cheeese, sugar, and vanilla (I eyeballed the amount of Nutella I used.  It was approximately 1.5 cups, but it may have been a little more.)  Mix until everything is incorporated and smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the Nutella mixture on top of the cheesecake layer.  Cover the pan with some plastic wrap or foil, and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until the cheesecake firms up.

I had a container of strawberries that I froze earlier in the year.  It was approximately 4.5 cups of strawberries.  I thawed it out until it wasn’t a solid block anymore, then I put it in a small saucepan with turbinado sugar and vanilla extract.  There is plenty of water in the strawberries, so no need to add water.

I let it come to a boil, then turned the heat to medium/low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.

After it cooled down, I used a stick blender to turn it into sauce.  My squeeze bottle was the perfect size for the amount of sauce made.  That is a mini silicone funnel.  I got it for pouring bulk spices into smaller jars, but it is also useful for pouring sauces.

After a night in the fridge, I unlatched the pan, and gently wiggled the pan over the cheesecake.

To serve, I drizzled strawberry sauce on the plate, and topped the slice of cheesecake with whipped cream and a Ferrero Rocher.  Whaaaaat, fancy dessert in the comfort of your own home.

Nutella Tuxedo Mousse Cheesecake

Oreo Crust
Ingredients
– 2 sleeves of Oreos (26 cookies)
– 4-5 tbs of unsalted butter (melted)

Directions
Crush the Oreos in whatever manner you desire.  Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a 10 inch springform pan.  Add a little more melted butter if the crumbs are too dry and won’t form a crust.  Press the mixture evenly to make a crust.  Bake at 350ºF for about 8 minutes.  Let the crust cool before pouring the cheesecake in.

Whipped Cream
Ingredients
– 2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 2 tbs sugar
– 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
– Pour everything into the mixing bowl.  Start on low speed, and gradually increase to high speed.  Whip the mixture until stiff peaks form.  Refrigerate the whipped cream until ready to use.

Cheesecake Mousse
Ingredients
– 2 8oz blocks of regular fat cream cheese (room temperature)
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 tbs vanilla extract
– 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbs sugar

Directions
– Whip the 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbs powdered sugar into whipped cream.  Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
– Mix the cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 tbs of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
– Gently fold the whipped cream in until everything is incorporated and fluffy.
– Pour the mixture onto the cooled crust.

Nutella Cheesecake Mousse
Ingredients
– 1.5 cups Nutella
– 1 8oz block of regular fat cream cheese
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 1 tbs vanilla extract
– 2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 tbs sugar

Directions
– Whip the 2 cups of heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla, and 2 tbs sugar into whipped cream.  Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
-Mix the Nutella, cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 tbs of vanilla until smooth and creamy.
-Gently fold the whipped cream in until everything is incorporated and fluffy.  Note that the mixture will be a light brown color.  If you want a darker more dramatic brown, you can add a little cocoa powder or espresso powder into the mixture.  This will change the flavor though, so beware.
– Pour the Nutella mixture over the white cream cheese layer.
– Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate a few hours or overnight until the cheesecake firms.

Strawberry sauce
Ingredients
– About 4.5 cups sliced strawberries (frozen and thawed, or fresh)
– 1/3 cup sugar (I used turbinado)
– 1 tsp vanilla

Directions
– Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat to medium/low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
– Once the strawberries cool a little, smash the strawberries into sauce with whatever method you choose.
– For easy pouring, use a squeeze bottle.

It’s the Final Countdown…to Christmas

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Every year, from Halloween to New Year, life is a whirlwind of activities, events and marathon eating on repeat.  With a kid, our schedules are even more packed.  You parents know what I’m talking about.  Our kids have more active social lives than we do.  I have a backlog of things that I want to share, but unfortunately, I just don’t have time right now.

Over the last month, I was away for a week because we surprised our daughter with a trip to Disney World.  That was an awesome experience by the way.  After we returned, I had to get ready for Thanksgiving festivities.  In between all the craziness, I was cranking out a huge project every moment I could spare.  And by huge, I mean physically, and also the magnitude of the details involved and time spent on it.

I wanted to make my daughter an Advent calendar.  Not just any Advent calendar that’s slapped together in an hour.  If I was going to put my time, effort, and money into this project, then it was going to be beautiful and freaking heirloom material.  Go big or go home.  And f’ing big I went.

Most people with lives would not spend 12748 hours on this project.  As my husband can tell you, I spent nearly every free moment cutting, sewing, and gluing.  Want dinner?  Eat some peanuts and string cheese.  Laundry?  Yeah…I’ve already done 6 loads since yesterday, and I probably have 2 more left.  This project can be made a lot faster if you skip most of the sewing, and just hot glue everything together.  Also, if you are not interested in a huge 4’x3′ calendar, the ornaments themselves would give your Christmas tree a really sweet and homey touch.  Most of the ornaments are only one sided though.  If I had 2 more weeks than I would have made them double sided.

Use very sharp scissors.  My scissors were recently sharpened before I started this project.  Now, my scissors are in desperate need of another sharpening.  I could tell when they started to dull because they would snip off more than I intended, and the cuts were not as clean.

You can find step by step instructions on how to make the calendar here.  The ornaments are split into part 1 and part 2.  Scroll down and you can see closeups of the ornaments since it is hard to see the details on the tree photo.

Before December 1st

On December 25th

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Nativity scene on the tree trunk

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Bell

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Candle

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Candy Cane

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Church

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Cup

Dove

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Drum

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Gingerbread Man

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Santa Hat

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Heart

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Holly

Lamb

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Mitten

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Ornament

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Poinsettia

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Present

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Reindeer

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Sleigh

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Snowflake

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Snowman

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Star

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Stocking

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Christmas Tree

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Wreath

O Christmas Tree

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These are the steps I took to make the banner and tree of the Advent calendar.  I actually did not mean for the calendar to be so large.  But, by the time I realized how big the finished product would be, it was too late to go back.  The entire banner is approximately 4’x3′.  You can certainly scale it down if you don’t have the wall space for this monstrosity.  Go here and here to see how to make the ornaments.

I got a yard of green felt from Joann’s.  A yard is 3 feet.  The width of the felt is 72″, so I had a lot of green felt.

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I folded the piece in half.

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I cut a triangle.  Here, my scissors are at their peak performance.

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Bam, huge ass tree.

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Some time lapsed between the tree cutting and the next step, for it is now night.  I cut out 24 pieces of paper that measured 4″x4″.  The plan was for each ornament to be smaller than 4″x4″.  I laid them out on the tree to make sure there would be enough space for everything.

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I trimmed the tree until it resembled a gigantic pile of green poop.

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I found these cute snowflake buttons at the store.  They will serve as knobs for the ornament loops.

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I used pins to first figure out where I wanted the buttons placed.

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Here is the tree after I sewed on the buttons.  I also used green DMC pearl cotton thread to whipstitch the tree.  I wanted a thicker thread so the stitches would stand out, and it also took a lot less time than messing with regular thread.  I was originally going to paint numbers on the calendar using stencils.  But after a few failed practice runs on scraps, I decided that it was too risky, and I would probably screw up.  And then I would be super pissed off and probably tear the tree apart with my bare hands and teeth.

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For the tree trunk, I used two entire sheets of brown felt, and whipstitched the sides with brown DMC pearl cotton thread.  I forgot to take a picture, but I sewed pieces of velcro onto both sheets of felt.  It’s hard to explain here, but keep scrolling, and you’ll see why.

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These are the pieces of the Virgin Mary.

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Here are the pieces of the baby Jesus.

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Here are the pieces of Joseph.

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I know the stitches on the velcro look like shit.  I hate sewing velcro, the thread always gets caught in the teeth of the velcro.  Anyways, the velcro part won’t be seen anyways, so whatever.  So the plan is to glue the nativity scene onto one sheet of felt.  The other sheet will cover up the scene until December 25th.

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I have here a yard of white felt and two yards of a holiday theme cotton fabric.  I cut them down to the size I wanted.

I got two dowels that were 48″ long and 3/4″ round.  My husband helped me trim the dowels and drilled a hole into each end of one of the dowels.  They need to be big enough to thread a ribbon through.

My husband bought me a sewing machine for Mother’s Day, but I haven’t made the time to learn how to use it yet.  He on the other hand, knows how to use a sewing machine, thanks to home ec class back in the day.  He helped me sew the felt and holiday fabric together.  He folded the ends of the banner and sewed across the fold to make a hole to insert the dowels.

I had my husband sew a strip of white felt across the back of the banner.  This will be a pouch to hold the ornaments.  Aha, genius huh?

At this point, I stopped taking pictures because it was really late and I just wanted to hurry and finish the blasted project.  I used hot glue to first glue the tree trunk that had the nativity scene.  Then I hot glued the tree in place.  BUT make sure the bottom of the tree covers up the top of the trunk where the ugly velcro stitches are.  Also leave the bottom of the tree unglued so you have access to the velcro and can do the big reveal on the 25th.

I threaded a red ribbon through the holes in the dowels and knotted the ends.  I also hot glued strips of holiday ribbon across the banner.

Aaaaah!  It is done.

Rockin’ Around the Advent Tree

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Here is part 1 of the instructions on how to make the tree ornaments for the Advent calendar.  Part 2 can be found here.  Most of them were pretty straightforward and simple to make.  Like I mentioned before, most of my time was spent on the sewing.  I really need to learn how to use my sewing machine.

BELL

Scissors, red ribbon, thin gold ribbon, 2 yellow felt bell shapes, gold balloon sequin, gold thread, hot glue

Cut 5″ of the thin gold ribbon and tie it into a loop. Glue the loop to the top of the bell. Whip stitch the bottoms of each bell. Hot glue the balloon sequin to one of the bells.

Whip stitch the rest of the bell together. Hot glue the bottom of the bell together.

Make a bow with the red ribbon and glue the ribbon to the bell. I decided to add more sparkles to the bell.

CANDY CANE

Thin gold ribbon, white and red ribbon, 2 white candy cane shapes, white thread, scissors, hot glue

I glued the gold loop to the top of the candy cane. Then I whip stitched the two candy canes together.

Glue the red and white ribbon around the candy cane.

CHURCH

Gold ribbon, brown thread, gold thread, 5″ thin gold loop, brown pipe cleaner twisted into a cross, dark brown door shape, star sequin, 2 light brown church shapes, scissors, hot glue

Glue the pipe cleaner cross and the gold loop to the top of the church. Use the gold thread to whip stitch the 2 church shapes together.

Whip stitch the door with the brown thread, then glue the door to the church. Glue gold ribbon to the roofs of the church. The star sequin was too big to fit on the church, so I got a smaller circle sequin instead.

CUP

Gold ribbon, white thread, 2 cup shapes, 2 cup handle shapes, thin gold ribbon, flower sequins, scissors, hot glue

Whip stitch the 2 cup handles. Whipstitch the cups together, but leave the top unsewn. Also leave 2 holes to insert the handle.

Glue the gold loop to the top corner of the cup. Glue the handle into the holes.

Glue the gold ribbon across the top of the cup, then glue the tops shut. Glue the flower sequins to the cup.

DOVE

Thin gold ribbon, 4 wing shapes, 2 body shapes, 2 beads for eyes, rhinestones, gold thread, hot glue, scissors

Sew an eye on each side of the body.  Glue the gold ribbon to the body, whipstitch the body shapes together, and whipstitch the wings.

Hot glue one wing to each side of the body.  This is a two-sided ornament.

Hot glue the rhinestones to the wings.

DRUM

Thin gold ribbon, scissors, brown thread, blue thread, 2 drum shapes, blue felt strip, white drum top, sequins, hot glue

I whip stitched the drum top and the blue strip, then I glued them to the drum. I glued the gold loop to the corned of the drum.

I threaded the thin gold thread through the drum.

Make the M shape with the gold thread, and tie off the ends.

Finish by whip stitching both drum pieces together. Then glue the sequins to the ends of the gold thread.

GINGERBREAD MAN

Hot glue, brown thread, white ribbon, thin gold ribbon, scissors, 2 gingerbread shapes, 2 white beads, red felt mouth shape, 2 green flower beads

Glue the gold loop to the top of the gingerbread man. Sew on the white bead eyes, glue the mouth shape, and sew on the flower beads.

Sew the 2 gingerbread man shapes together. Glue the white ribbon to his arms, legs, and waist.

SANTA HAT

Red Santa hat shapes, red thread, white ribbon, white pompom, thin gold ribbon, scissors, hot glue

Glue the gold loop to the top of the hat. Whip stitch the 2 hat pieces together, but leave the bottom open.

Glue the white ribbon across the bottom of the hat, and glue the pompom to the hat tip. Glue the bottom of the hat shut.

HEART

Rhinestones, silver thread, 2 heart shapes, hot glue, thin gold ribbon, scissors

Glue the gold loop to the top of the heart. Whip stitch the 2 hearts together.

I decided to add a smaller pink heart. No whip stitch necessary since the edges will be covered with rhinestones

I glued the rhinestones around the pink heart, and in the center.

HOLLY

Gold ribbon, scissors, green thread, hot glue, holly shapes, red sequins, thin gold ribbon

I glued the ends of a little piece of gold ribbon together.

I tied a piece of thin gold ribbon around the middle of the ribbon.

Easy gold bow.

Whip stitch the holly leaves together.

I decided to add a third leaf. I glued the 3 leaves together, glued the thin gold loop to the top. Then I glued the bow and sequins on.

LAMB

Nude thread, white thread, black thread, pink thread, 4 ear shapes, 2 inner ear shapes, 2 fluffy lamb shapes, 4 leg shapes, 1 face shape, 2 eye shapes, 1 nose shape, thin gold ribbon, scissors, hot glue

Whip stitch the ears together, the pink inner ears, the face, and the black legs together.

Glue the pink inner ears to the nude ears. Glue the eyes and nose to the face. Sew the mouth and outline the nose.

Glue the gold loop to the top of the lamb. Whip stitch the lamb together, but leave a little hole for the legs.

Glue on the face, ears, and legs.

MITTEN

Hot glue, plaid ribbon, blue thread, scissors, 2 mitten shapes, thin gold thread, snowflake sequin

Glue the gold loop to the top of the mitten. Whip stitch the mitten except for the bottom.

Glue the plaid ribbon around the bottom, and then glue the opening shut. Glue the snowflake sequin to the mitten.

ORNAMENT

Hot glue, silver ribbon, 2 ball ornament shapes, sequins, silver thread, scissors

Glue the gold loop to the top of the ornament. Whip stitch the ornament.

Glue the silver ribbon and sequins on.

Advent calendar tree ornaments part 2

Still Rockin’ Around the Advent Tree

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This is part 2 of the Advent calendar ornaments.  You can find the tree instructions here and instructions for the other 12 ornaments here.

POINSETTIA

Scissors, leaves, 10 red petal shapes, pearls beads, red thread, thin gold ribbon, hot glue

Whip stitch the petals together.

Sew a pearl to the petal

Sew the petals together.

Notice that the flower is still very floppy.

Cut 2 small green squares.

Glue the leaves to a green square.

Cover the stems with the other green square.

Glue the gold loop to a petal. Glue the green squares with leaves to the back of the flower. This will also provide support to the floppy flower. The center needed something extra, so I glued a flower bead and a pearl.

CANDLE

White and red ribbon, white thread, leaves, 2 white candle shapes. 2 flame shapes, small poinsettia, thin gold ribbon, scissors, hot glue

Glue the gold loop to the corner of the candle. Whip stitch the candle and the flame shapes.

Glue the red and white ribbon around the candle.

Glue a tiny piece of gold ribbon to be the wick. Glue the flame to the wick and candle. Glue the small poinsettia to the bottom of the candle.

PRESENT

Scissors, 2 rectangles, blue thread, snowflake ribbon, thin gold ribbon, hot glue

Glue the gold loop to the corner of the present. Whip stitch the present together.

Glue the snowflake ribbon to the present.

Cut out 5 small pieces of ribbon.

Sew the piece into a loop.

Attach the next loop so they slightly overlap.

Attach all the loops to make a flat gift bow. It will be a little loose. But they will be glued to the present, so no worries.

Glue a rhinestone to the middle of the bow, and glue the bow to the present.

REINDEER

Red thread, brown thread, black thread, thin gold ribbon, 4 ear shapes, 2 head shapes, 2 eyes, 2 eye balls, 1 red nose, brown pipe cleaner, scissors, hot glue

Cut the pipe cleaner in half, and twist them into 2 antlers. Whip stitch the ears together. Glue the eyes and nose to the head. Sew on the mouth.

Sew the 2 heads together, but leave a hole on the top for the gold loop and the antlers.

Glue on the antlers and the gold loop.

SLEIGH

Hot glue, thin gold ribbon, red thread, green thread, 2 red sleigh shapes, green sleigh bottoms (skis? rails? whatever), scissors

Whip stitch the green sleigh bottom parts. When sewing the long rail, leave the middle open to attach the little legs.

Glue the legs into the long rail.

Glue the gold loop to the front of the sleigh. Whip stitch the sleigh, but leave a hole on the bottom for the legs.

Glue on the legs, and also a few sequins to give it more bling.

SNOWFLAKE
This snowflake gave me a hell of a time.  It pissed me off, even though it was my own stupid fault.

Scissors, white thread, blue thread, snowflake points, hot glue

I whip stitched the points together.

So in between the last photo and this photo, what you don’t see is me assembling the entire snowflake and all pleased with my work. And then I realize that I made a star, not a snowflake. Stupid me forgot that a snowflake has 6 points, not 5. So I carefully tore apart the whole snowflake to redo it. Here, you can see the 5 finished points and the last point that needs to be sewn and bling’d.

I have 2 small white squares glued together. Then I glued each snowflake point to the square.

Snowflake, take 2

SNOWMAN

Scissors, hot glue, 4 mitten shapes, 2 black beads, 2 hat shapes, small white pompom, 2 medium snowball shapes, 2 large snowball shapes, 1 flower button, 2 carrot shapes, red thread, black thread, orange thread, white thread, light green thread, dark green thread

Glue the thin gold loop to the top of the hat, and whip stitch the hat together. Sew the black bead eyeballs to a medium snowball. Sew the flower button to the large snowball. Whip stitch the mittens and nose together.

Glue the pompom to the top of the hat. Glue the carrot nose and a mouth to the head. Whip stitch the medium snowballs and the large snowballs together.

Glue the hat to the head, and mittens to the body.

STAR

Gold thread, thin gold ribbon, 2 large star shapes, 2 smaller star shapes, scissors, hot glue

Glue the gold loop to the tip of the large star. Whip stitch the large star and the smaller star.

Glue the smaller star behind the large star. I added some bling to the center.

STOCKING

Polka dotted ribbon, thin gold ribbon, 2 stocking shapes, 2 heel shapes, 2 toe shapes, sequins, scissors, hot glue

Whip stitch the heel shapes and the toe shapes. Glue them to the stocking. This is a double sided ornament.

Glue the gold loop to the corner of the stocking. Whip stitch the stocking together, but leave the top open.

Glue the ribbon across the top of the stocking. Glue the opening together.

CHRISTMAS TREE

2 tree shapes, 2 trunks, sequins, green thread, brown thread, scissors, hot glue, thin gold ribbon

Whip stitch the trunk together. Glue the gold loop to the top of the tree, and whip stitch the tree together. Leave a hole on the bottom for the trunk.

Glue the trunk into the bottom of the tree. Glue sequins to decorate the tree.

CHRISTMAS WREATH

2 green donuts, thin gold ribbon, sequins, green thread, scissors, hot glue

Glue the gold loop to the circle. Whip stitch the donuts together.

Decorate the wreath with sequins.

Wah, So Full of Waffles

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Now that Thanksgiving is over, is this a familiar sight in your fridge?  I love leftovers.  It means a few less meals to prepare over the week, and more time to do other things like showing my daughter how to play Mario Bros.  Eating the same thing for a few meals is fine, but I prefer some variety.

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Leftover garlic and herb boursin cheese mashed potatoes and creamy cheesy bacon brussels sprouts

For a while now, I’ve seen recipes for making leftover waffles.  I happen to have a double waffle maker which gets used maybe once a year.  It’s a great waffle maker, but we just don’t have the time to make waffles.  And it happens to be Black Friday, but I refuse to do battle out on the roads and in the stores.  Instead, I decided to experiment with my waffle maker, which turned out to be a mashing success.  Haha get it?  Mashing success…..  Ok anyways.

I took inspiration from a Serious Eats waffled mashed potatoes recipe.

I mixed together two eggs, oil, and milk.

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Then I mixed in leftover mashed potatoes and my creamy cheesy bacon brussels sprouts.  I chopped up the brussels sprouts into smaller pieces first.

This recipe should work with other leftovers too.  If you don’t have cheesy bacon brussels sprouts, try using other leftovers like chopped up green beans, corn, chopped up ham, etc.  OOOOR another good idea.  Use candied mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry chutney, toasted nuts, etc to make a sweet leftover waffle.  Mmmm.

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In a separate bowl, I mixed together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

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Then I gently folded the flour mixture into the wet mixture.

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While I was making the batter, I preheated the waffle maker.  My waffle maker has an adjustable temperature dial that goes from 1-6, so I set my dial to 4.  I sprayed some nonstick cooking spray onto both sides of the iron.  Then I plopped about 1/3 cup of the batter onto each section of the waffle maker.  My waffle maker will beep at me when the waffles are ready, so I didn’t have to worry about setting a timer.  It took about 6 minutes for my waffles to cook.  Depending on the waffle maker you are using, you may have to adjust the cooking time.

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Waaaaah!  Waffles that are not sweet!  This is one of the best looking leftover dishes I’ve ever seen.  Needless to say, it also tasted really good.  Golden brown and crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside.

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I dressed my waffle up with a slice of leftover roasted beef tenderloin and red wine and shallot sauce.  I will have to post the recipe for the beef tenderloin soon, it was really freaking good.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Waffles
Ingredients
(Makes 4 waffles)
– 2 cups mashed potatoes
– 2 cups cheesy bacon brussels sprouts
– 2 eggs
– 2 tbs oil
– 1/3 cup milk
– 1/2 cup flour
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp baking soda
– salt and pepper

Directions
– Preheat your waffle maker.  I turned the temperature to medium high.  Spray both sides of the iron with nonstick spray.
– Chop up the cheesy bacon brussels sprouts or whatever leftovers you have into smaller pieces.
– Mix the eggs, oil, and milk in a bowl.  Add the mashed potatoes and cheesy bacon brussels sprouts.
– In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.
– Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
– Once the waffle maker is preheated, pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto each section of the iron.  My waffle maker automatically beeps once the waffle is cooked.  If you do not have this nifty option, it took about 5-6 minutes to cook.  You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on your waffle maker.

I Have an Apple, I Have a Rose, Uh! Apple Rose!

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I went to a farm a few weeks ago with my family, and we picked a lot of apples.  By a lot, I mean almost 20 lbs of apples.  The farm had 8 varieties of apples when we were there, and we got a little caught up in the moment.  The only person who eats apples in my house is my 5 year old daughter, and it literally takes her 2-3 days to finish one apple.  The apples have been taking up an entire drawer in my fridge for some time now.  A few of them were getting wrinkled so I made a big batch of apple sauce to freeze.  My daughter has wanted pie for a while now, but instead of making a regular apple pie, I decided to get a little fancy.  Several baked apple rose videos and posts have been circulating, and I’ve always wanted to try it out.  And what do you know, a box of puff pastry has been taking up space in my freezer.

I used the entire box of puff pastry.  Each sheet makes 6 pastries, so I made 12 total.  I used around 4 medium sized apples.  Leave the peel on since that is part of the visual appeal of the apple rose.  Too bad I didn’t have any red apples or the apple roses would have looked even more stunning.  I washed and cut the apples in half.

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I sliced them thinly into 1/8″ slices.  Feel free to use a mandolin if you have one.  I didn’t bother coring the apple first.  After I finished slicing, I cut out any seeds and hard bits to avoid wasting any of the apple.

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I put the slices into a microwave safe bowl with water and the juice of one lemon.  Then I microwaved it all for about 4-5 minutes, until the apple slices turned floppy.

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I melted half a stick of butter.  I did not measure how much Nutella I used, but it was around 1/4-1/3 cup.  I also forgot to measure how much cinnamon sugar I used, but it was also around  1/4-1/3 cups of sugar and a few shakes of cinnamon.  Obviously, you can use more cinnamon sugar and Nutella if you want.

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I used a little of the melted butter to grease the muffin tin.  Then I sprinkled sugar over the butter.

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This is the first sheet of puff pastry on my silicon baking mat.

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I sprinkled a little flour over the dough, and stretched it out with my rolling pin.  I rolled it until it was approximately 12″ wide.

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I used a pizza cutter to slice 2″ strips.  If you are a neat freak and trim off the edges to make it prettier, do not throw away the scraps.  Make a random crisp with it, but don’t toss it!

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I used a spoon to slather the melted butter over the pastry.  I used up all the butter on this sheet, because I didn’t need butter for the second one.  You’ll see.  I sprinkled cinnamon sugar over the butter.  You can be as heavy with the cinnamon sugar as you want.  The more you use, the gooier and sweeter the pastry will be.  I went light since this was my first time making it.

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Pat the apple slices dry and overlap them in a line along half of the dough strip.

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Fold the other half of the dough over the apples.

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Roll the apples and dough up.

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Put the apple roses into the muffin tin.

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For the second sheet of puff pastry, I smeared Nutella over them.  I read recipes using preserves, and that sounds like a delicious idea too.  But I happened to have Nutella on hand, and no preserves.

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Roll your Nutella apple roses.

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Bake these at 375°F for 40-45 minutes.

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Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before pulling them out of the tin.  I used a butter knife to dislodge them, and then tongs to pick them up.

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Apple rose with powdered sugar.

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Apple rose with a big dollop of home made whipped cream and cinnamon.

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Apple Rose
Ingredients
– 4 medium sized apples
– 1 box of puff pastry
– 1 lemon
– half a stick of butter
– 1/4-1/3 cup Nutella
– 1/4-1/3 cup sugar
– cinnamon

Directions
– Slice the apples thinly into 1/8″ slices.  Leave the peel on.  Place the slices into water mixed with lemon juice.  Microwave the bowl for 4-5 minutes or until the apples turn floppy.
– Melt the butter and use a little of it to grease the muffin tin.  Save the rest.  Sprinkle sugar over the butter in the tin.
– Mix the sugar with a few shakes of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar.
– If your lump of Nutella is hard to spread, microwave it for 30 seconds or until it softens.
– Roll the first sheet of pastry dough out until it stretches to about 12″ wide.  Cut 2″ strips.  Spread the rest of the butter over the strips, and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter.
– Pat the apple slices dry, and then overlap them in a line across half of a dough strip.  Fold the other half over the apples.  Roll the strip up into a rose.  Put the roses into the muffin tin.  Continue with the other 5 strips.
– Roll the second sheet of pastry dough out and stretch it to about 12″ wide.  Cut 2″ strips.  Spread the Nutella over the strips.
– Pat the apple slices dry, and overlap them in a line across half of a dough strip.  Fold the other half over the apples.  Roll the strip into a rose.  Put the rose into the muffin tine and continue with the other 5 strips.
– Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes until the pastries brown.  Let them cool slightly before removing them.

Forget Chicken Soup, My Soul Needs Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

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Are you stressed out and in need of comfort food?  Don’t turn to junky food that will make you feel even more crappy after you gorge yourself in your already crappy state of mind.  Nourish your body, mind, and soul with this simple and comforting one pan meal.  While your food is roasting in the oven, drink some hot tea or a bottle of wine.  Whatever helps you relax.  Life isn’t going to pause or rewind, but you can recharge and get ready to tackle whatever obstacles you encounter.

Wash, trim and cut brussels sprouts in half.  Cut an onion into chunks, roughly the same size as the brussels sprouts.  Pour a little oil and seasoning on the vegetables and give it a stir.  I used a lemon pepper blend, but use whatever you have.  For example, salt and freshly ground pepper is perfect.  No need for a separate bowl for the mixing, just do everything on the pan.  I did not use a silicon baking mat or foil to line the pan.  The brussels sprouts get a better crispy char if they are touching the pan.

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Cut up a pack of thick cut bacon.  I love bacon.  It comforts me.  I’m not going for a taste of bacon.  I’m going for a freaking meal of bacon.  I did cut off any larger pieces of fat.  I didn’t want my vegetables to be swimming in bacon grease.  Mix the bacon chunks in with the vegetables.  Put the pan into a preheated oven at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.  Stir the mixture up every 10-15 minutes, so more pieces get a chance to brown and crisp up.  After I took the pan out of the oven, I squeezed half a lemon over the mixture and gave it a good stir.

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I topped my pile of comfort with some shredded parmigiano-reggiano and toasted sunflower seeds.  If you’ve never had good brussels sprouts, give this a try.  Roasting it makes the outside crispy, while the inside turns creamy and sweet.  And the bacon.  What can I say.  It’s bacon.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Ingredients
– 2 lbs of brussels sprouts
– 1 pack of thick cut bacon
– 1 onion
– seasoning
– half a lemon
– shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)
– toasted sunflower seeds (optional)

Directions
– Wash, trim, and cut the brussels sprouts in half
– Cut the onion into pieces roughly the same size as the brussels sprouts
– Mix the brussels sprouts and onion on a baking pan with oil and seasoning.
– Cut the bacon into pieces roughly the same size as the vegetables.  Trim off any large pieces of fat from the bacon.  Add the bacon to the pan and give it a stir.
– Roast at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.  Stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes. 
– Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixture when it finishes cooking.  Mix it up.
– Top the dish with cheese and sunflower seeds if you want to get a little fancy.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Spiced Chai Go Down, In a Most Delightful Way

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Ever since I was little, I’ve known about Afternoon Tea through books and tv shows.  I know now that historically, there was more to tea time than the fancy parties depicted in fiction.  But to a young girl, images of getting dressed up to sip tea and nibble on scones with clotted cream were fascinating.  By the way, my Scottish friend insists that the proper pronunciation of scone is “skon”, like the word gone.

I love tea.  I’m not a tea snob, but I do enjoy collecting various teas and trying out unusual blends.  My experience with tea is mostly limited to having it with dim sum, drinking bubble tea and spitting large tapioca balls at friends, and having it hot or iced in the comfort of my own home.

I’ve read about various places in the area that offer the Afternoon Tea experience, but I only recently got to try it myself.  I went to Serenity Tearoom with a few girl friends over the weekend.  Obviously, this is just my one experience at this one tearoom, but if you are interested in Afternoon Tea, this should give you an idea of what to expect.

The establishment was located in the hustle and bustle of downtown, but once inside, the atmosphere was relaxed, and as the name implies, serene.  There were several groups seated, and there was chatter and laughter, but it wasn’t terribly noisy.  Except for our table.  We were the rough and rowdy country peons posing as sophisticated and genteel ladies.  Good thing we were seated in an area that was away from most of the other guests.

Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, and she didn’t seem the least bit put off by our silliness.  She probably had a laugh with the other staff about how ridiculous and goofy we were.

Serenity Tearoom offers 70 different teas, and you can also buy the teas at their retail shop.  We each selected a tea to try, and we had the choice of having it hot or iced.  We had our own pots of tea, and once a pot was finished, a different tea could be selected.  This was extremely exciting to us.  We had high ambitions of trying an entire page of the tea menu, but alas, our stomachs and bladders failed us.  We only managed to suck down eight pots of tea.  Not too shabby, but we’ll have to do better next time.

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Our first round of tea from top left clockwise: vanilla rooibos, jasmine tea, caramel black tea, and Serenity’s herbal blend (mango, strawberry, and kiwi)

We picked the most basic tea option, which as you can see in the pictures, was still a fancy and substantial spread.  We were all pretty hungry when we arrived, but we left absolutely stuffed, and with leftovers.  Those endless pots of tea really got us good.  The menu also had two other options that included additional food items, and an a la carte menu.

Once we got our tea, we were served our beautifully presented sweet and savory treats.  Everything was tasty.  I was especially impressed with the scones.  The only scones I’ve had were the pre-made boxed ones from the grocery store, which were more like hard and dry albeit tasty cookies.  These freshly made scones were crusty on the outside and fluffy and warm on the inside.  I wasn’t a big fan of the cucumber sandwiches.  The cucumbers were tossed in a vinaigrette, so they were a little tart.  I like cucumber salad, just not in between pieces of bread.

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Top tier: chocolate covered strawberries, fruit tarts with passion fruit cream, fruit tarts with regular cream, and snickerdoodles. Middle tier: apple cinnamon scones, golden raisin scones, and cranberry bread. Bottom tier: warm feta cheese tarts, egg salad with chive sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, and chicken salad puff pastry squares

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Ham, bacon, tomato, and arugula sandwiches

Since there were four of us, we strategized before ordering, and each selected a different flavor curd and jam.  That way we could sample everything.

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Clotted cream surrounded by lemon curd, key lime curd, passion fruit curd, apple cinnamon curd, and mixed fruit jam

Here is my fancy set up.  In reality, once the photo was taken, there was a lot of grabbing, crumbs on cheeks, sticky fingers, and ravenous chewing sounds involved… and numerous trips to the bathroom.

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All in all, it was a really pleasant afternoon.  If you are daunted by the idea that tea time is for stuffy, stuck up people…well we had a blast.  If any other guests thought we weren’t fitting into the tea time image, we sure as hell didn’t notice or care.

We also learned an important lesson.  There were supposed to be five of us, but one of our friends could not make it.  We did not call the restaurant beforehand, and turns out they have a 48 hour cancellation policy.  We had to pay for the 5th person, and either pack up that food share, or eat it there.  We decided to eat it there, but even without the extra food, we would have been quite full.  Towards the end, we were all doing the “you eat that, I already ate this” before packing up the rest of the food.

Cake Me Up Before You Go Ghoooost?!

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My daughter’s birthday is on Sunday, but we won’t be able to celebrate with her because we are attending a wedding.  My parents will be watching her, and my mom decided to throw her a party.  She invited some of her friends and their grandchildren for a birthday shindig.  My mom is pretty excited, it’s cute.  She asked me to bake a cake, and since I have a ton of decorations and candy left from our Halloween Oreos, obviously I am going with a Halloween cake.

I decided to buy a cake mix, and add a few touches to make it taste more homey, like I did with my mocha layer cake.  I am not fond of store bought frosting, so I decided to make my own buttercream frosting.  This was also a good chance to redeem myself from my frosting fiasco when I made my mocha cake.

Zoe picked out a rainbow cake mix from Target.  I mean, come on.  It’s a rainbow cake.  It is way cooler than a plain old chocolate or vanilla cake.  I followed the cake mix directions to make a 9×13 sheet cake.  I used some of Rachael Ray’s advice to make the cake mix better.  Since the cake mix only wanted egg whites, I added a tablespoon of melted butter for each missing egg yolk.  I substituted milk for the water, and melted butter for the vegetable oil.  I also added a big splash of vanilla extract.

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The cake mix came with food coloring and instructions on how to mix the colors.  This was an exciting cake to make.

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I poured in the different colored batters and swirled a butter knife around a few times.  After the cake finished baking, I let it cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack.

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I had to resist the urge to cut the cake to see what the inside looked like.  I suppose I could have cut it and glued the pieces together with frosting…but that would have been unnecessary trouble.  The cake is on my cake carrier by the way, since I will be transporting the cake.

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I found an easy and tasty chocolate buttercream frosting recipe from Divas Can Cook.  I followed the recipe fairly closely.  The key word for this frosting is FLUFFY.  It’s so fluffy I’m gonna diiie!

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I sifted the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar.  I don’t have a fancy sifter, I just use a mesh strainer.  See those big lumps of cocoa?  Sifting gets rid of those lumps and makes the powder fluffy and soft.  Use the same bowl for the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.  No need to dirty another bowl.

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Here is my butter and heavy cream.  Make sure to take the butter out of the fridge for a couple of hours until it warms up.  Don’t use the microwave to warm it up.  Mix until the butter turns into a smooth and fluffy pile.

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Here is my chocolate butter, which sounds really delicious spread on a warm croissant.

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Here is my chocolate frosting.  When you first mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, start on low speed or else you will have a blast of powder choking your eyes, nose, and throat.  Work your way to medium/high to high speed and keep going until the mixture changes from a dark colored, shiny, clumpy brown blob to a light brown, matte colored, smooth and fluffy brown frosting.

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I frosted my cake.  I realize I did a really messy job frosting.  There is a reason.

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I got these cute bone and gravestone molds on sale.  I melted a little white candy for the bones, and then I mixed some white and black candy together to make gray for the gravestones.

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I used my mortar and pestle to smash up a few Oreos to make dirt.  Sure, I could use my food processor, but that thing is so heavy and in too many pieces, and just total overkill for a few Oreos.  If you don’t have an alchemist’s tools, you can also use your fists and crush them like a worm.

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Now it’s really fun time.  This reminds me of building a gingerbread house, except it takes place in a graveyard, with worms, and dirt, and creepy things…  A couple of my Halloween Oreos came to hang out at the graveyard too.

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First I made the graveyard.  I stuck the gravestones into the frosting and cake, then I made Oreo dirt mounds.  Some gummy worms and bones up the creepy factor.

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I made an M&M path.

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Pumpkin patch in the corner, and spooky Oreo buddies out and about.

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I made a candy corn and M&M fence around the graveyard and pumpkin patch.  Then I added some finishing touches.  I sprinkled black sugar crystals all over the cake.  I sprinkled some green sugar crystals over the pumpkin patch.  I spread worms, candy ghosts, and candy leaves and acorns everywhere.  Good luck to my mom with cutting the cake.

This is so freaking cute.  Patting myself on the back here.

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Close ups for your viewing pleasure.

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting adapted from Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
– 2 sticks of unsalted butter
– 1 tbs heavy cream
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
– 1/2 cup cocoa powder
– 2.5 cups powdered sugar
– pinch of salt

Directions
– Let the butter warm up at room temperature until it is soft.
– Melt the chocolate chips and let it cool down.
– Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
– Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the heavy cream and mix it some more.
– Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.
– Slowly mix in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt.  Start on low speed and work your way to medium high to high speed.  Keep mixing until the mixture turns from dark brown and shiny to light brown, matte colored, and fluffy.