Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bowl

For my client holiday party I wanted to make a yummy fun treat. For this event I decided to make a recipe that can be found in this months Rachel Ray magazine. The Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bowl is a visually stunning treat that the whole room with stop and talk about.

To make this you will need:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 bag (10oz.) marshmallows
11/3 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 tsp. salt
5 cups crisped rice cereal
Cooking Spray
1 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (packed light brown sugar
2 Cups heavy cream
1 tbsp. granulated suger
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped.




1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows, stir until melted, 5 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup peanut butter and 1/2 tsp. salt. Remove from the heat; stir in the cereal.

 

2. Cover the inside of a medium (3qt.) bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang. Coat the plastic and your fingers with cooking spray. Press the cereal mixture into the bowl cooking spray. Press the cereal mixture into the bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. In a double boiler, stir in chocolate over medium-high heat until melted, 5 minutes.

4. Pour the chocolate in to the cereal bowl; spread with a rubber spatula to coat the inside. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup peanut butter, the brown sugar and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup cream.

6. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 11/2 cups cream on medium speed until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly add the granulated sugar and vanilla; beat to soft peaks, 2 minute. Fold into the peanut butter mixture in 3 additions.

7. Pull up the plastic to transfer the cereal bowl to a platter; discard the plastic. spoon in the peanuts. have guests spoon cream onto plates and break off pieces of the bow. 

Tuxedo Olive Penguins!

These Tuxedo clad olive filled appetizers are a fun way to kick your holiday party up a notch! Versatile and trendy, you can accessorize them with pimento's, carrot bits and halved red grape tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 can (5-3/4 ounces) jumbo pitted ripe olives, drained
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Dash garlic powder
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 small pitted ripe olives
12 toothpicks with cellophane frilled tops
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos

Directions
Cut a slit from the top to bottom of 12 jumbo olives; set aside. In a bowl, combine the next six ingredients; mix well. Fill a small heavy-duty plastic bag with cream cheese mixture. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag; carefully pipe mixture into jumbo olives. Set aside. Cut a small triangle out of each carrot slice; press triangles into small olives for a beak. On a each notched carrot slice, position a jumbo olive so the white chest is lined up with the notch. Place the small olive, hole side down, over the jumbo olive so the beak, chest and feet are aligned. Carefully insert a toothpick through the top of head into body and carrot base. Wrap a pimiento around neck for a scarf. Yield: 1 dozen. Enjoy!

You can find this recipe on www.tasteofhome.com

The Importance of a Cooking Idol

Every person should have a cooking idol. This person should be someone you can relate to, seek  inspiration and guidance from, and feel comfortable with trying new foods with.  Rachael Ray was that cook for me. I enjoy her energy, cooking style, food knowledge, and products. Since my discovery of Rachael I have truly grow as a cook and expanded my willingness to try and experiment with foods. 

Over the past few months I have collected her products and really connected with the chef she is. I enjoy the complexity of her meals and the challenge of trying new things.  I must admit that Rachael has an amazing product line that I have really come to LOVE! Her products look young, work well, and come in great colors. Rachael is not the only cook I enjoy! Martha has great ideas and knows her shit. I have to say that her show Martha Stewart's Cooking School is a great program that allows a person to learn and feel comfortable with cooking.  I have also come to respect Lidia Bastianich, her cooking show has great recipes and provides wonderful step-by-step directions for her meals. 

The photo above is Green Pastitsio from Rachael Ray's new cook book My Year in Meals. This cookbook is an outline of foods that Rachael made over the course of a year. I know... I called bullshit to! But, she did a great job faking it. Her cookbook has over 500 recipes and is a smart book, so the reader can read, watch, listen, and learn. But the book really hits everyday of the week and supplies recipes for each of them. 

To make Rachael's Green Pastitsio: 

Salt & Pepper

1 pound ziti or long, hollow pasta tubes 

1/4 cup Evoo

6 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped 

1 large or 2 medium bunches swiss chard, stemmed, leaves chopped 

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill  

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup shredded Kasseri cheese 

1 cup crumbled Greek feta

1 cup freshly shredded or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Preheat the oven to 375 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sat the water and undercook the pasta by about 2 minutes

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large skillet, heat the Evoo (4 turns of the pan). Over medium-high heat . Add the garlic and onions, soften a few minutes, then stir in the card to wilt. Add the scallions, dill mint, parsley, and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep the greens warm. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the butter over medium to medium-high heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the four and stir 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Cook until the sauce is thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the cooking pot. Add the cooked greens, kasseri, feta, and Parm and toss to combine; taste and adjust seasoning. Place half of the pasta mixture and the remming sauce. Bake until deeply golden up on the top and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool and serve.