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Homemade Caramels

I was inspired over the Christmas holidays to try a candy recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Better Homes & Gardens Prizewinning Recipes. I chose the caramels because it's one of John's favorite candies and I wanted to make a candy that could be individually wrapped (to be cute). The only equipment I needed to purchase was a candy thermometer and a few basic ingredients. Caramels, for the most part, are pretty simple to make as long as you have lots of patience and don't take any shortcuts. The only change I made to the recipe was the addition of the sea salt sprinkled onto each caramel. I love the salty mixed with the sweet!

Caramels with Sea salt
1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Sea salt (for sprinkling on each caramel)

Line a 8x8x2 inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges.

In a 3 quart heavy sauce pan melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, half-and-half, and corn syrup; mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Continue boiling mixture at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently until the thermometer registers 248 degrees F (*firm ball stage - about 45 to 60 minutes). Be prepared to stand at the stove and stir for a long time!

Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer. Stir in vanilla. Quickly pour mixture into prepared pan. When firm, use foil to lift candy out of pan. Use a buttered knife to cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle each caramel with a few granuales of sea salt and then wrap pieces in wax paper.

Firm ball stage: Using a wooden spoon, remove a small amount of hot candy from pot and drop into bowl of cold water. When the candy is removed from the cold water and is firm enough to hold its shape but then quickly flattens, firm ball stage has been achieved.

Peanut Chicken with Cilantro Rice

This recipe came from my new crock pot cook book, a Christmas gift from my mom and Richard. Thank you Mom and Richard! The actual name of the recipe is "Thai Chicken", but I think my title is a little less generic. I also added cilantro to the rice and lime zest to the peanuts.

Peanut Chicken with Cilantro Rice
2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces with bone and skin
1 cup hot salsa (or mild)
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
Cooked Jasmine rice
large handful chopped cilantro, divided
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
zest of 1 lime

Place chicken pieces in a 4 quart crock pot. In a bowl, mix together salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and ginger. Pour over chicken.

Cover, cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours or HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until done.

Crush lime zest into the peanuts with a mortar and pestle (or with the back of a spoon) until the lime flavor is infused into the peanuts.

Cook rice according to package directions. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Serve chicken pieces with rice and sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Chicken Pad Thai

This was really delicious and lite, but slightly out of season. I went to 3 different grocery stores looking for bean sprouts and just could not find them. I finally remembered the Sunrise Mart, a Japanese grocery store a few blocks away and guess what...they had bean sprouts!

I did make one change to the recipe - I eliminated the 3 tbsp of fish sauce, which I think made the dish so much better! I added a little more lime juice, vinegar, and chile sauce to keep the sauce juicy.

Chicken Pad Thai
8 oz rice noodles
1/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
5 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Asian chile sauce
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup sliced green onion (about 3)
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

Place noodles in a large bowl. Add enough hot water (just off a boil) to cover them; let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

Combine peanuts and lime peel, gently crushing with back of spoon.

In a small bowl combine lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and chile sauce; stir until smooth. Set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir about 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl.

Add egg to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Turn egg with spatula and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more. Remove egg from skillet; chop and set aside.

In same skillet heat remaining 2 tbsp oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add drained noodles and the sprouts; stir fry for 2 minutes. Add vinegar mixture and chicken; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Divide noodle mixture among plates. Sprinkle each serving with egg, peanut topping, green onion, and cilantro.

Snow and "Stoup"

We had our first snow in NYC about nine days ago. It was really beautiful and also the perfect weather to try a new stew recipe. This one came from Rachel Ray's "Cooking 'Round the Clock" cookbook and was absolutely delicious!

Beef and Watercress Dumpling "Stoup"

2 lbs beef sirloin, cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

4 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

2 tbsp flour

1 cup dry red wine

1 tounded tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

1 quart beef broth

1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

salt and pepper

2 1/4 cup Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1 cup chopped watercress or mache

Pat the meat cubes dry with a paper towel.

Heat a large stock pot over high heat. Add oil, then meat in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Sear meat until caramelized, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a shallow dish and tent with aluminum foil. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add bacon to the pan and cook until edges are browned. Remove bacon and drain all but 1 tbsp of the fat from pot. Return bacon to pot along with onions, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, stir, and cook another minutes. Whisk in wine and mustard and scrape up pan drippings. Add broth. Cover and bring to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Stir in the watercress or mache.

Add meat back to the stock pot and settle it in so that it is covered with sauce. Add liquid smoke and season with salt and pepper. Drop large spoonfuls of dumpling mix onto the surface of the stew and cover the pan. Cook until dumplings are plump and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Billy's Bakery

John brought home some delicious Christmas treats the other night from Billy's Bakery. It was our first time to try this bakery and I have to say these cupcakes blow Magnolia cupcakes away! They were pretty fantastic. The cake was deliciously dense and the frosting was the perfect creamy texture. We now have a new favorite!

Vegetarian Bolognese - Celebrating the Fifth Taste, UMAMI

The latest issue of Cooking Light did a feature on umami, the fifth sense beyond sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Four recipes were presented to showcase umami and the Vegetarian Bolognese was one of them. It turned out delicious, but as a meat eater, I would definately choose traditional bolognese sauce to this. It was a very good, healthier alternative, though. An interesting aspect to this recipe is that it calls for a 2-inch piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind to cook with the sauce. It is removed at the end of cooking and infuses a delicious salty-cheesy flavor. According to Cooking Light, it's the simmering cheese rind that gives the deep, savory umami taste.

Vegetarian Bolognese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 (8 oz) pckg baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained
1 (2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
12 oz uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup shaved or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; saute 10 minutes. Add wine; simmer 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add 1/4 cup warm water and next four ingredients (through cheese rind). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes. Keep warm. Remove and discard cheese rind.

Cook pasta. Serve with sauce and top with shaved or grated cheese.

The recipe above is actually my variation on the original in Cooking Light. The original recipe calls for two types of mushrooms - 1/4 cup dried porcini, finely ground in a coffee grinder, and 8 ounces of cremini mushrooms instead of baby bellas. The recipe also calls for whole wheat penne pasta, but I used what I had on hand which was spaghetti.