How To: Gingerbread Roof

I attended the local Gingerbread Festival with my daughter's class. I have so many pictures, I thought I'd break it into a couple of posts. First up, roofing materials. Check out all the creative uses of candy for roofing materials. As per usual, click to biggify.



My favorite is the Big Red Gum roof. Which is yours and do you make gingerbread houses?

Don't forget to enter to win a free custom apron of your choice from Aprons by Amy. Winner drawn tomorrow. Please spread the word.

Technical Difficulties, Wardobe Malfunctions, The Usual

I was so excited to share this giveaway with you and then I went and blew the photos - meaning I took a bazillion and didn't realize until I was processing them that *ahem* there was a slight wardrobe, erm, complication. And then pretty much everything snowballed from there and I regret to inform you that the giveaway is rescheduled for next Monday.

But. BUT. You will love it. I promise.

And. AND. You will want to come back and enter. And enter. And enter. Because there will be multiple chances to win.

In the meantime, please to enjoy this clean eating cookie recipe review:

Almond Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate (from The Best of Clean Eating)
1 C. unsalted almond butter
3/4 c. sucanat
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
3 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Stir first five ingredients until well blended, then add chocolate chunks (I went easy on my family and used semi sweet chips) and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to rack and let cool for another 10 minutes. (It seems to keep cooking as it sits). Yield: 24 cookies.

This recipe received 4 thumbs up, and 2 "It's not my favorite" - I was one of the ones who really liked it. I ended up using salted (but definitely not sugared) organic almond butter and not adding any salt to the recipe. The sucanat gives it a nice texture and flavor. These are not fat free or low calorie by any means, but they are a pretty good option for when your sweet tooth comes calling. And if you can handle dark chocolate, they're high in anti-oxidants too.


Yum.

"Gingerbread" Houses

I say "gingerbread" because these are really graham cracker houses. Every year, I hit the candy aisle, load up with graham crackers and eggwhites so my Aunt can help the kids assemble their candy dreamhouses (she uses a unique burnt sugar method to hold them together - it's very much like edible hot glue). They get more imaginative every year. I just love to watch their creations unfold.

Here's Spielberg's:

Michelle's

Nicole's:

Ellie's (who had suprisingly little help beyond frosting placement):

Don't you just love the sugar puff shingles? And the well in the yard? And the pretzel fence? To the left is also a chocolate wafer "seesaw" with her and the neighbor boy (the red and green gumdrops) on it. Thanks Cocoa for the sugar cone tree idea!

Be sure to stop by Lara's to see what others are talking about - especially the cute aprons she made for Christmas.

The Perfect Chocolate Zucchini Cake!

This is the one, it's the winner - and I'm not even a cake person. It's a great way to use up all that zucchini, it is moist and the frosting is so yummy. Perfect with a scoop of ice cream, a glass of milk, or on its own. (Can you see my little munchkin's fingers just waiting to pounce?)

Zucchini Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
3 cups peeled, grated zucchini

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan or two 9 inch layer pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs, applesauce, and oil; mix well. Fold in the zucchini until it is evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Good thing the cake is pretty healthy, because the frosting more than makes up for it.

Chocolate Frosting (I think it might be The Barefoot Contessa's)
1 c. cream
2 tbsp corn syrup
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
20 oz. milk or bittersweet choc or a combo (I did a combo of semi and milk chocolate)
1-2 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks butter, cut into one tbsp pieces


Heat cream with corn syrup and salt on stove until simmering. Meanwhile, chop chocolate in food processor. With processor running add simmering cream slowly and process for one minute, until chocolate is melted. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and process again. Then, with processor running, add butter one piece at a time, waiting until the piece is incorporated before adding another. Cool until thick and spreadable. For a lighter, more buttercream-frosting, beat with an electric mixer before spreading.

This recipe is wonderful, but I did end up overheating my blender so you might want to use chocolate chips and a mixer instead. Pop on over to Rocks in my Dryer to see more Works for me Wednesday.

M&M Chex Mix

Cook yourself up some Holiday Cheer! This is a Chex Mix recipe you won't find just anywhere. Sweet and salty treats are our favorite around here.

This is what you need:
1 1/2 boxes of Rice Chex (or 3/4 each of Corn Chex and Rice Chex)
2 c dry roasted peanuts
2 c coconut (optional)
1 c or 2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 c light karo syrup
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 bag holiday M&Ms

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Chex, peanuts, and coconut. I like to make some with and without coconut (not everyone likes it as much as I do). Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, sugar. Stir constantly.
Once it comes to a rolling boil, set your timer for 2 minutes and keep stirring. Shorter than that, it won't set up; longer than that, the candy won't stick together.
Pour it into the Chex, peanut, and coconut mixture.
Stir, stir, stir. Let it cool a bit and then add the M&Ms. Hopefully, they won't melt. Enjoy!

Reindeer Fodder

Mmm mmm good! Even if you think this sounds terrible, you must make it and sample it - because you are wrong, it's delicious! The salty peanuts provide just the right counter balance to the sweetness of the chocolate. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:
3 1/2 C Captain Crunch (no berries) cereal (it's the only time I buy this)
3 1/2 C Rice Krispies
3 C Dry Roasted Peanuts
2 C miniature marshmallows
2 lbs white chocolate (or almond bark)

Stir the first four ingredients into a large mixing bowl.



Mix all together.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch chunks, and melt it in a double boiler or a heavy saucepan. Stir regularly.

Hard way to cut chocolateEasy way to cut chocolate

Pour chocolate over the other ingredients, and mix well.


Pour out in a thin-ish layer onto wax paper. Let harden and break into smaller pieces.

Hand-dipped Peanut Butter Chocolates

It just isn't Christmas without making these delicious treats. I learned how to make these when we moved to a rural town when Ty was two years old. It is not as hard as you might think.

Cream together:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
Add:
1 c. peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
Roll in balls, cool in fridge and dip in chocolate.

You'll need 1-2 lbs of chocolate. I like to buy Guittard Milk Chocolate by the pund during the holidays. Cut it into 1 inch chunks, melt and temper. Here's a link to Guittard's site with tips on how to properly temper your chocolate. I learned a few tricks and realized I had gotten lazy with my chocolate making.
I like to make these itty bitty chocolates, they're cute and you can just pop them into your mouth and there's no melty mess. You can use these dipping tools or a fork, but I prefer to have very clean hands and do it the old-fashioned way. One word of warning, do not get water in your chocolate - that would be disastrous. For best results, double dip your candies.

Check out Scribbit's Winter Bazaar for more Holiday craft ideas or pop by Summer's place for more Christmas treat recipes. If you missed last week, here's a recipe for Cathedral Windows

Cathedral Windows

I remember making this Cathedral Windows recipe with my Grandma B when I was in junior high. Now, I carry on the tradition with my family.

Cathedral Windows
2 pkg German Sweet Chocolate or
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cube butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 pkg. (10.5 ozs) colored mini marshmallows
1 c. coconut
1/2 c. nuts (optional)

Melt chocolate and margarine in double boiler or heavy saucepan. Cool slightly. Add egg and beat well. (I like to add the ege when the mixture is still hot. To avoid curdled, cooked egg, add a little chocolate gradually to the egg in a cup. Then whisk it into the pan with the chocolate). Add the powdered sugar; mix well. Fold in the marshmallows (and nuts, if desired).

Lay out a long strip of foil and sprinkle the coconut on it. Drop the chocolate mixture by spoonfuls and shape into a roll, wrap the foil around the roll and freeze.


When you unwrap it, it should like something like this. Slice and eat it, or keep in the freezer to use for your neighbor goodie plates.

To see other Winter crafting ideas, visit Scribbit's Winter Bazaar or my post about a fun Christmas tradition my kids can't wait for.

Zucchini is not an instrument of torture

Edited to ask for help/suggestions at the end.
Yep, it's that time of year again. The time when you must lock your car doors for fear of being 'gifted' somebody's surplus zucchini. Although we are usually on the receiving end, this year we get to be the zucchini donors - even though we only have one zucchini plant.

There are a number of creative things to do with this gargantuan green veggie.

I started my very first recipe collection when I was just 12 years old. This recipe is one I still use (& still have in my 12 year old scrawl). I have modified it somewhat by adding half a package of semi-sweet mini chips and baking the batter in these mini cake pans or in my mini loaf pans.



Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 c. zucchini, finely grated
3 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. chopped nuts (very optional)
1/2 pkg. semi sweet mini chips

Beat eggs until light & foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly, but well. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Mix until well blended. Pour into 2 loaf pans (greased and floured, of course) and bake for 1 hour at 350.

Use a plastic knife to separate the bread from the sides of the pan and place on cooling rack. Spread butter on top of each loaf while warm. My kids love a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the warm mini bundt cakes.

*If you decide to bake the mini loaves or mini bundt cakes, they only need 20-25 minutes.
(this same recipe made 8 mini loaves and 6 mini bundt cakes - yum!)
Any suggestions for how to make this recipe healthier? More waist-friendly?

Decadent Brownies

This is a recipe my sister used to make in Uruguay to introduce people to chocolate American-style. The only thing I added was 1/2 a bag of Reese's baking pieces (think very miniature pb cups). You'll definitely want a glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with these.

Stacy's Brownies
Mix all together in the following order:
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
2 eggs
1 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2-1 c. nuts (optional, of course)

Spread in a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Double this recipe to make a 9x13 pan of brownies. If you choose to add the baking pieces, stir them in just before baking.

Monster Cookies!

We absolutely love this recipe, it's like a granola bar in a cookie. Since there's nothing like sharing a good cookie, here you go (this is a half recipe and makes oodles or about 6 dozen cookies). Also consider yourself forewarned: You won't be able to eat just one.

MONSTER COOKIES

Cream together:
2 cubes butter, room temperature
2 C white sugar
1 lb or 2 1/2 C brown sugar, packed

Add in one at a time:
6 eggs
1 Tbsp light Karo syrup

Then mix in:
1 1/2 lbs peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (splurge on this ingredient beacuse it makes all the difference)
9 cups quick oats
4 tsp baking soda
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 small bag of plain M&Ms

I can usually mix all the ingredients, up until the pb is in, in my mixer then it's time to use the old elbow grease. Drop by spoonfuls or scoops onto cookie sheets. Cook for 8-9 minutes in a 350 oven. If they turn brown, they'll be very crunchy. If you love chewy cookies, just pull them at 8 or 9 minutes and let them cool on the sheet.

This recipe is perfect for freezing. Make a log of cookie dough, wrap it in wax paper, put it in a ziploc and freeze. Sometimes I freeze them into indiviual chunks of cookie dough on the tray and when they're hard I just toss them all in a bag. Enjoy!

Sweets for the Sweet

As promised: Chocolate Therapy

I like to work with imported Mercken's chocolate since it's so creamy, it costs about $8.10 per batch and I get 4 boxes per batch. It's a yummy splurge. We traditionally make them at Christmas time and for Valentine's Day.

You will need to gather the following:
jelly roll pan, wax paper (cut 4 inches longer than the pan), peppermint oil (not extract), 3 oven safe bowls with 10.5 ounces of chocolate in each one, spatula, sharp paring knife and a yard stick

Set the oven to the lowest setting (100 to 150 degrees) and place the bowls of chocolate inside to melt for about 20 minutes

Remove the first bowl and dab chocolate under each corner of the wax paper to secure it

Like so

Add 7 drops of peppermint oil to the melted chocolate

Then stir

Spoon chocolate onto waxed paper and working quickly, spread in an even layer

Remember, work quickly

As soon as you've spread it, grab each end of the pan and pound repeatedly on the counter top. (I have video of this if anyone wants to see it, it's the therapeutic part of the activity unless you count actually eating the chocolate, but its extremely noisy). This gets the little air bubbles out of the chocolate and smoothes out the layer. Let it set until it loses its shine, then repeat with the middle layer of chocolate. Add 7 drops of flavoring, stir, spoon it out on top of the first layer.

Quickly spread it out (notice in the right hand corner what happens if you push hard or work too slowly - the chocolate layers will blend) and pound, pound, pound!

Green layer has lost its shine and is ready for the final layer

Add 7 drops of peppermint oil and stir until smooth, pour over chocolate and spread smoothly and lightly with a spatula

Layer is spread and ready for pounding - go ahead, pound the tar right out of it.

All pounded out and almost ready for cutting

After marking your pan every 1 1/2 inches on the long sides and 1 3/8 inches along the short sides, use a T-square or yardstick to guide a sharp paring knife as you make your cuts. (You can begin cutting as soon as the chocolate loses its shine).

Admire your lovely straight lines, put on gloves and...

Package in cute little gift boxes

You can also use cookie cutters for a fun mint shape, but you might want to dip them in softened butter for an easier release.

To check out other craft ideas, see Scribbit's Winter Bazaar