Not So Fast Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge

I miss the baking season - When it's okay to cook lots of fattening food and swallow it down with jugs of alcohol. But with the addition of our baby boy in September (awww) I haven't had a lot of time to bake, and even less time to drink.

So when I saw a recipe that only took nine minutes to make, I couldn't pass it up. Maybe I could make some fudge and even enjoy a glass a wine before the baby wakes up!

I said maybe, didn't I?

I've been cooking long enough to know that recipes take a lot longer at home, where toddlers scream for chocolate chips and you forget to preheat the oven.

I still had to give this fudge recipe a chance. To make things fair, I got all my ingredients together before starting the clock. When it was all over, my toddler was covered in chocolate and 21 minutes had gone by. Not nine. Not even close.

Granted I took some pictures as I went along, and my toddler was chasing me around asking for more chocolate - Conditions that I'm sure were not present in the Cooking Light test kitchen. Even so, the fudge was easy to make, and I'm sure my co-workers will appreciate it when I bring it into work on Monday.

Working mom of two kids finds enough time to make fudge for her co-workers? I'll be a hero! I guess that's worth 21 minutes of my time.





Recipe from Cooking Light: Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge
- If you don't care about the dark chocolate, regular cocoa will work fine
- I'd cut the amount of vanilla in half
- For extra peanutiness, try using all natural peanut butter. I used Jiff, and it didn't really pack a punch
- Make sure you pour the chocolates when they're hot. Once they cool down, it's a lot harder to spread
- Finally, make sure you have wax paper so you don't have to ask the significant other to stop at the store on the way home from work

Nine minutes? I think not

But it was easy - Throw it in a bowl and microwave

First layer of dark chocolate

Evil child demanding more chocolate

Second layer of peanut butter

Chill and serve

Homemade Marshmallows: Easy, Cheap, and Sticky

Don't ask why I wanted to make marshmallows. Probably just to say I've done it. So on this Fourth of July weekend I made a big, beautiful batch of homemade marshmallows that will hopefully be consumed by my coworkers on Monday.

I have three ways to describe making marshmallows. Easy. Cheap. And Sticky. And yes, if you have a dirty mind you're probably giggling to yourself right now.

There are really only seven ingredients and that's if you include water. I had everything in my pantry, except for the gelatin. You'll need a stand mixer, or at the very least a hand mixer and a very patient husband/child/neighbor who will be willing to mix marshmallow creme for 10 minutes.

The recipes I saw also called for a candy thermometer, but I just winged it, cooking the sugars for about eight minutes until they turned from a cloudy white to a clear syrup. If you have a candy thermometer, then I doubt you need my advice on making homemade marshmallows.

I used a recipe from Alton Brown, and just a note, it does take about 4 hours for the marshmallows to set.

Now to the sticky part. If a recipe says to lightly oil a spatula, do it. Don't assume that drop of water on the counter is water - It's probably corn syrup. And if you've every used super glue, you know what happens when you try to use one hand to clean off the other. Same thing goes for marshmallow goo.

It's a good to have a wet paper towel on hand to quickly clean up sticky fingers, countertops, handles, etc. It took me a good 20 minutes to find the sticky spot in the floor that I kept stepping in.

After I made the marshmallows, I melted down some dark chocolate. I wanted to dip the marshmallows in the chocolate, but that quickly became too messy, so I decided to drizzle it on top. The chocolate made this desert. My husband, daughter and I ate about 10 before finally putting them away.

If you're looking to make something fun, or want to entertain the kids or impress the co-workers, homemade marshmallows are the way to go. You can add food coloring, or drizzle them with different types of chocolate. And if they come out looking like crap, then there's always the fire pit (I'm talking about Smores folks).

And maybe one day, just one day, you too will be able to tell people you've made homemade marshmallows.

Thank goodness for my trusty stand mixer. 

Marshmallows in the pan. Now we wait. 

I used a knife and a pizza cutter to slice them into squares. It's just like making bread, but instead of flour you're using powdered sugar and cornstarch. 

The kid has caught on by this point. She's not short, she's just trying to be sneaky. 

Yum. 

Pumpkin Creme Pies

So I've been off the radar for a while. Call it a late summer slump - The spring and summer produce is dwindling, but it's too early to start making winter stews and baking pies.

But I have the cooking bug again thanks to these yummy Pumpkin Creme Pies. A co-worker found them online and as soon as I saw them I knew I'd be back in the kitchen. I mean how can you resist! Yummy frosting sandwiched between sweet pumpkin cakes. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

First things first, these were really easy. I had nearly all the ingredients on hand was able to make four dozen pumpkin cream pies in a couple of hours.  That said, unless you're doing a bake sale you may want to cut the recipe in half. I mean, how many Pumpkin Creme Pies do you really need?

The original recipe called for cutting parchment paper up into squares. I skipped that step, but my had was sore by the time I was finished. I'm not sure if that was because I didn't cut up the paper or the fact that I made four dozen creme pies.

Everyone also wanted to know how I made the little swirly marks in the cake. As you'll see in the recipe, it just happens when you make the cake rounds with the frosting piping bag (or the Ziploc bag for all you non-foodies).

These pies were definitely a hit at home and at the office. If you refrigerate them, let them sit on the counter for a bit before eating. It's unbelievable how much better they are at room temperatures. Check out the link for the recipe below. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin Creme Pies, by The Deutsch Girl

Fresh & Simple Peach Crisp

I love having people over for dinner at the last minute. I can run to the store pick up a few things (and a few bottles of wine) and put a great meal on the table. Unfortunately the dessert can always be a little tricky - Anything homemade usually needs to be done in advance and I hate finishing off a nice meal with a box of supermarket cookies.

That's when I turn to the classic fruit bakes, and this one is no exception. It's easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. Getting the peaches off the pit was a bit of a pain, and if anyone knows a trick please let me know. 

Sorry I don't have a completed dish to show you - We were just having too much fun. This is what was left of my Fresh & Simple Peach Crisp. Wine and shot glasses are not included. 

Recipe is adapted from Texas Cowboy Cooking by Tom Perini

Ingredients:

5 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tbs cinnamon, divided in half

6 tbs of butter (about 3/4 of a stick), cut into pieces

3/4 cup of flour

3/4 cup of light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peaches in the bottom of an 8x8 square baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 tbs of cinnamon and lemon juice. In a bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and rest of cinnamon. I found it easiest to just mix and crumble with my hands. If the mix seems too dry and some more butter. Crumble on top of the fruit dish and bake for 30 minutes, turning the oven to broil for the last five minutes to crisp the top. 

Serve with ice cream if you're feeling really crazy.