Easiest Ever Oreo Truffles

I had these little delights for the first time years ago at a party.   A friend mentioned she had brought these three ingredient Oreo truffles and that they were absolutely addictive.  Like crack, but you know, more caloric….and a bit more socially acceptable.  I can be a bit of a food snob, so I wanted to be cynical but I had had a couple of drinks, so in all honesty, she had me at Oreo.   Anyway, several years later, they are still one of my go-to party foods.  I think it is humanly impossible not to like these little 2 bite delights.   Plus, did I mention that they’re three ingredients?  Or four?  Or five possibly depending on how fancy you want to get?  But, who’s counting when they’re this good! 

Seriously though, they are three ingredients.  The only other things to buy would be sprinkles or some other nonsense with which to decorate them.  I really think that’s gilding the lily to be honest, but to each his own.  They do look awfully festive with some red and green sugar crystals perched atop the little spheres of goodness at Christmastime.  You can also expand your ingredient list (ever so slightly) by doing white and dark chocolate coatings.  It makes for a nice platter, but honestly, once your guests taste them, nobody will remember what the platter looked like; it will be completely empty!  

Okay, these are also super easy to make.  Seriously, like REALLY easy.  My nine year old and seven year old made the last batch while I supervised from the next room and focused more on an episode of Housewives and a big glass of “mommy juice” (you might call it wine).  I know, Parent of the Year!  I’m sure my kids had way more fun making these than I would have and they truly are that easy, so here goes.  Get out your shopping list and pen:

1 package of Oreos

1 8oz block of cream cheese

1 bag of chocolate chips

That’s it.  I am not kidding.  I know, right? 

Okay, there are a few recommendations I’ll share.  First, about the Oreos.  No Double stuff, reduced fat (what is that even about anyway?), or flavored.  Go with the classic here and get the regular old original Oreos for the correct creamy filling to chocolate cookie ratio.  When I say a package, I mean the regular size with like three rows and about 18 cookies in each row.  Next, for the cream cheese, please don’t even think about getting fat free or reduced fat or any other such nonsense, because really, why would you?  You’re going to mix these with Oreos for Christ’s sake, so let’s not pretend this is health food.  You need the texture of the original cream cheese for this to work out right.  Lastly, for the chocolate chips, you do have some options.  I prefer the white chocolate, but as I said, you can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet or all three to make a festive platter.  Go wild! 

Here’s how the magic comes together. 

1)   Crush your Oreos.  It’s best to do this in a food processor, but if you don’t have one, don’t sweat it.  You can go old school with a large Ziploc bag and a rolling pin (or if you’re me, an empty wine bottle).  If you do use the food processor, it’s best to do these in three separate smaller batches so they turn into fine crumbs.  You want to really crush the heck out of these Oreos so you end up with a mound of tiny cookie crumbs.  The creamy filling that started out in the cookies, now coats the crumbs and makes them a little sweet and helps them to stick together.  Dump them into a bowl, and …

2)   Add the cream cheese.  Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?  See, so simple. You just mix the cream cheese with the sticky cookie crumbs until everything comes together in one large ball.  I like to use my hands, because that’s how I roll, but you can use a spatula if you prefer.  The mixture will be really dark and nearly irresistible at this point, but try to contain yourself.

3)   Roll the Oreo and cream cheese goodness into little balls. Use a small spoon to chunk off tablespoon (or smaller) sized bits and roll these between your hands into small balls (smaller than golf balls).  Place these on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  When you’re done, try not to lick your hands.  Right! Then, put the cookie sheet in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to chill.  Wash up – especially your face; you probably have cookie crumbs all around your mouth by now.

4)   Dip the balls into the melted chocolate.  First, melt the chocolate in the microwave at 70% power, being sure not to overdo it.  Take it out every 20 seconds or so and stir.  Once it is melted, dip each ball into the chocolate and use a skewer to hold the truffle.  A second skewer or small spoon is handy for getting off any excess chocolate coating.  I like to do some white chocolate and some dark, so I do the white first, and then re-chill the remaining truffle balls, while I’m washing up and melting the dark chocolate.  You can allow these to cool in mini muffin cups (putting them in a mini muffin tin really helps them hold their shape), or you can just do it on waxed paper.  Either way, once you’re done dipping, put the whole thing back in the fridge until you are ready to serve, or at least long enough to thoroughly set and chill. 

If you want to use sprinkles, or colored sugar or something like that to decorate the truffles, do that while the chocolate coating is still warm so it will stick.  These look great just plain, but they are gorgeous when spruced up a bit (especially the white ones). 

Try to show some willpower, and save some for the party.  Because of the cream cheese, these need to be stored in the fridge, but will stay fresh for at least a week after they’re made.  As if!  Personally, I’ve never seen any make it past the 24 hour mark, but maybe you’ll fare better than I did!  Enjoy!   

Chili Cook-Off Winning Recipe

Some friends held their annual chili cook-off recently and I know the heat would be on!  There is some fierce competition in our hood for the yearly bragging rights and highly-coveted trophy.  I was fraught with questions about what type of chili to bring?  Turkey and black bean chili?  Perhaps too healthy a choice for the male voters.  Pork chili verde possibly? Hmm….not sure how many foodies will be there….White Chicken chili?  Is that even chili, really?  Plus, I already made that last week.  I decided to go with a traditional beef and bean chili, kicked up a couple of notches with some bold spices, complex heat, and a few surprise ingredients.  I wanted to be sure it wasn’t wimpy, girly chili – I did want some heat!  But, I also wanted a really rich and complex flavor profile that was not just about making people sweat when they ate it. A few purists may question some of my ingredient choices, I know.  Cinnamon?  Cocoa?  Ketchup, come on?  Trust me that they’re all there for a reason and really give a nice well-rounded flavor and amazing balance to the end product.

I have to admit that I so did not use a recipe, so any amounts here are really more of a guess, but in my humble opinion, chili should not be about carefully-measured teaspoons and cup measures anyway.  It should be about passion, heat, and the fun of adding a pinch of this and a handful of that while you sip on an adult beverage.  So, here goes.  Grab a couple of beers and put on a football game, or in my case, a Project Runway marathon, because this dish is best simmered for a long while.  Serve with some sour cream, grated cheese and cornbread for a great cold day meal!  Enjoy the leftovers on a dog, with pasta or over a baked potato – go crazy with it!  It makes a big batch and freezes pretty well!

While this looks like a LONG list of ingredients, relax!  You probably already have most of it in your pantry and if not, leaving out a thing or town will just make it your own.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground chuck or other high quality ground beef

1 lb. mild Italian sausage, removed from casing

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded, de-ribbed and chopped

1 poblano pepper, roasted and seeded and chopped* (I use frozen pre-cut)

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 chipotle pepper, chopped with 1 Tbsp of the adobe sauce it comes in** (canned)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Ancho Chili powder (or New Mexican style if you can’t find Ancho variety)

3 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Paprika

2 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

1 ½ Tbsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp ground Coriander

2 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp dried Dill

1 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp tomato paste (I like the kind in the tube)

1 bottle of beer (preferably lager or pilsner) 

3 shakes Worcestershire

5 shakes Tabasco

1 can reduced sodium beef broth

¼ cup ketchup (trust me on this!)

1 can plain diced tomatoes

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic

1 can of reduced sodium chicken broth

1 can of kidney beans, drained

1 can of black beans, drained

1 can of pinto beans

1 handful of chopped cilantro (optional)

Preparation

Use a large stockpot or dutch oven and first, brown the ground beef and sausage together on medium high heat.   Don’t stir it too much – you really want it to get good and browned and if it sticks to the bottom a bit, so be it!  Use this time to chop up your onion, garlic and jalapeno.  When the meat is well browned and cooked through, spoon off a bit of the excess fat and discard.  You do want to keep some fat in the pan however.  Add the chopped veggies now and stir occasionally until they’re softened.  Next, add the chopped roasted poblano pepper (you can buy these frozen, already chopped or pick one up and roast it yourself on the grill or over a gas burner).  Now, add ALL the spices and the brown sugar.  You want to be sure to do it now, so they have the chance to toast in the pan with the meat and aromatics before you add the liquid.  Now, you want to start adding liquids.  First, add the tomato paste and the Worcestershire sauce, stirring as you go.  Next, add the beer and stir, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom.     Add the beef broth, ketchup, hot sauce, and the can of plain diced tomatoes, along with any juices in the can.  Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and cover.  Simmer for about 25 minutes.  Remove the lid and allow to continue simmering for at least 10 minutes without the lid.  This will evaporate some of the liquid and thicken the chili.  In a blender or food processor, puree the can of roasted tomatoes and chicken broth until well blended.  Add this to the chili and continue simmering, adding all the beans, rinsed and drained.  If your chili is a little thick now, simmer with the lid on for the next 15-20 minutes.  If it is too thin, simmer without the lid.  Check for seasoning and add additional salt, hot sauce or other spices as needed.  Chop a handful of fresh cilantro and add that a few minutes before serving.

This is a great bowl of red with cornbread and its also good ladled over a baked potato or spaghetti.  My hubby says it would make a mean chili pie, so we may have that in our future!

It’s even better the second day so try not to over-indulge on your first pass!  Enjoy!  

* Wegman's and Harris Teeter both sell frozen chopped fire-roasted poblano peppers.  They are a great freezer staple to have on hand.  In the early fall, you will often find fresh roasted hatch peppers which are a wonderful sub-on for the poblanos.  Otherwise, buy a fresh poblano pepper or two and quick fire-roast in on the grill or using a gas burner or in the oven.  Remove the blistered skin and the seeds and chop to use.  In a pinch, a small can of mild green chiles will do, but it will not have the same heat or deep smoky flavor.

** Chipotle in Adobo sauce is found in the Latin section of most supermarkets and is a pantry must-have.  They pack a punch so use sparingly!  I typically use one pepper, diced fine with a bit of the sauce and freeze the rest.  Pureed, it makes a terrific marinade component for steak or for use in future chili dishes or salsas.

   

Autumn Butternut Squash, Carrot and Apple Bisque

Autumn Butternut Squash, Carrot and Apple Bisque

I needed a little comfort food today.  After a weekend of beer and wine tasting, festival food and other assorted sins, the warmth and comfort of a vegetable-rich soup seemed like the perfect Sunday meal.  I make many version of squash or pumpkin soup throughout the fall and winter, but decided to keep it simple today and take advantage of some delicious fresh apple cider procured at the pumpkin patch yesterday.  Outside of chopping and peeling the squash, my seven-year old did most of the work on this today, so no need to be intimidated!  The whole thing came together in less than 45 minutes and it made a great Sunday meal with a grilled ham and brie sandwich and a glass of Riesling.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, whole (or one package fresh peeled and cubed squash)

1 onion

3 whole carrots

1 sweet onion

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 ½ cups apple cider

4-5 cups vegetable broth (you could use chicken if preferred)

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground coriander

½ cup cream

First, peel, seed and dice the butternut squash into 1 ½” chunks.  Warm the olive oil in a large stock pan or dutch oven and add the squash.  Do not stir or salt at this time, as keeping it still for a few moments will allow the squash to start to caramelize.  While that is cooking, peel and chop the carrots, onions, and apples and add them into the pot with the squash.  Stir once and continue to allow everything to cook, until the carrots and squash are gently caramelized.  Now, add about one teaspoon of salt and some pepper, as well as the other spices.  Stir a bit – you want to toast the spices before adding liquid into the equation.

Next add the cider and be sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the broth and the bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cover, allowing to simmer for at least 25 minutes.

Remove the lid and test to ensure that the carrots and squash are nice and soft.  Remove the bay leaves and discard and then,  use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot or puree in a blender in small batches.  Now add the cream and taste, seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or spices as desired.    Yum yum – you are ready to enjoy a steaming, fragrant bowl of fall in a bowl!

Sunny Side Up Breakfast Tacos with Salsa Verde

Breakfast Tacos

Ole!  I wanted to kick up breakfast a bit for my brunch guests on Cinco de Mayo and thought these breakfast tacos would be just the ticket!  You can make the salsa ahead of time, and be sure to use good quality sausage and, if at all possible, local fresh eggs.  It will make a big difference!  I set this up like a bar, and allowed guests to choose the own toppings.  I served the warm tortillas topped with a freshly fried egg and then let the taco-making begin!  This was a delicious brunch with some lemon poppy seed mini muffins, a yogurt, fruit and granola parfait, hot coffee, and sunny mimosas!  

Taco Fixings:

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Grated or crumbled cheese

Spicy Black Beans (see below)

Salsa Verde (see below)

Cooked crumbled Chorizo (or other spice sausage)

Hot Sauce

Other Ingredients:

Small corn tortillas

Eggs

Butter or Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

The first thing you want to do is make the salsa, which you can certainly do in advance.  There is also great salsa verde available in the market if you want to keep it simple, but if you have a blender and access to fresh tomatillos, this is so quick and easy, that it’s worth the small amount of extra effort.  After you’ve made the salsa, cook the sausage and then heat up the spicy beans.  Cook the eggs and warm the tortillas to order, just before serving.  Fry the eggs on medium high heat in a little bit of olive oil or butter.  Salt and pepper well and please, leave the yolks runny – that is the best part of the taco!  You can warm the tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel in the microwave.

Spicy Black Beans

1 can Black beans

1 tsp cumin

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash hot sauce

½ tsp granulated garlic

½ tsp salt

Simmer all ingredients together, including the liquid from the can until warm.  Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl for serving with the tacos.

Salsa Verde

4 tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 jalapeno pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 lime

2 garlic cloves

½ tsp kosher salt

2 tsp water

Cut the cleaned tomatillos into wedges, peel the garlic and remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno.  Place all of this in a blender with the salt and juice and zest from the lime.  Blend until fairly smooth and set aside in a bowl to enjoy with the tacos.  This is also great as a dip for chips, or as a sauce for roasted chicken, grilled flank steak, or pork tenderloin.

Black Eyed Peas and Rice (For Lazy People!)

Any Southerner worth their salt knows that you simply must ring in the new year each and every year with a steaming bowl of Hoppin’ John, otherwise known as Black Eyed Peas and Rice.  It’s bad luck to eat anything else but the southern delicacy with a healthy dose of hot sauce and some cornbread slathered with butter.  Traditional Hoppin’ John is made with the bone of the Holiday Ham, and is probably about as good a choice as I can think of to ring in the new year.  It uses up the leftover ham, it is packed with fiber, and has just enough complex carbs to soak up any New Year’s Eve sins!  Plus, it is very affordable and a great contrast to the over-indulgent holiday foods we’ve all gouged ourselves on by the time New Year’s rolls around.

I grew up in a “split” household, meaning my mom was a Yankee (hailing from the great state of Pennsylvania), and my father came from L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama to you Northerners).  Mom’s New Year’s tradition was pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes (which by the way is also a pretty good post-holiday choice for the same reasons!).  We rotated our annual traditions and had the succulent pork and briny kraut in odd-numbered years and celebrated my father’s traditional Hoppin’ John in even years.  While I enjoy both, it was the simple beans and rice that I craved today on this cold and grey Sunday.  Somehow, I missed doing either this year and maybe that explains the run of bad luck I’ve had in these first few months of 2013? (Note the cast on my leg at this point!)  

I decided to throw together some beans and rice for my family today, but honestly, did not have the forethought to soak the dried beans or cook all day.  So, here is my cheater’s version.  It is fairly quick. Ridiculously inexpensive, hearty, and so delicious; I’m writing this at 3 pm and my deal hubby has already had 3 bowls!  Don’t get yourself all worked up if you don’t have all the ingredients.  You can substitute ham or bacon for the turkey legs, leave out the thyme and/or bay leaves, and you could probably skip the celery.  This is a totally low-stress dish – have fun with it and make it your own!   

Here’s how mine came together:

2 smoked turkey legs

2 stalks of celery with tops

2 carrots

2 small or 1 large onion

4 cloves of garlic

4 sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

8-10 whole peppercorns

1 48 oz. container of low-sodium chicken broth

About 4 cups of water

1 tsp hot sauce

1/3 cup ketchup (I know, weird right? Trust me on this!)

3 cans of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 cup of long grain uncooked white rice

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Chop the onion, carrots and celery into good-sized chunks and throw them in a large dutch oven or stock pot with the turkey legs, sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic cloves. Pour in the chicken broth and add enough water to cover everything.   Stir in the hot sauce and ketchup.  This amount of hot sauce will not make the soup very spicy – you can always season to taste later, but it will add some nice vinegary complexity and a touch of heat and flavor to the soup.  I am normally not a huge ketchup fan, but it is the perfect condiment to add to this broth as it imparts a great color, body, sweetness, acidity, and spice to the broth.  It really does give it a complex flavor that you cannot get from adding diced tomatoes or tomato paste.

Heat the soup over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to medium low and cover.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Remove the cover and raise heat to medium and simmer for another 20 minutes, allowing the broth to reduce a bit and the flavors to concentrate.

Remove from the heat and strain the broth through a colander, removing all of the cooked veggies, herbs and turkey legs.  Return the broth only to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the uncooked rice, and reduce the heat to low.   Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.  While this is cooking, toss away all the mushy veggies and herbs, keeping the turkey legs.  You were really just using all that other stuff to flavor the rich broth. 

Using a small knife, remove all the meat from the legs, being sure to separate it well from the tendons and tough skin.  This should yield about 2 cups of turkey meat, which you’ll want to cut into very small pieces.

Remove the cover from the large pot and stir the soup, which now will have the cooked rice in it.  You’ll notice that the broth will have nicely thickened at this point from the starch released in cooking the rice.   Add the cut-up or shredded turkey meat, and the three cans of drained/rinsed beans and return heat to medium, simmering uncovered for about five minutes before serving.  Add the sliced green onions just before serving and season to taste with salt, pepper, and more hot sauce as needed.  The soup is now quite thick and really more of a stew.  If needed, add a bit more chicken broth or water if you like a broth-ier version.  

This whole dish comes together in about an hour and a quarter, and will keep your belly warm, and your year lucky!  The flavor is even better the second day on this one and it freezes pretty well too.  You don’t need to serve anything else with this dish, except a nice slab of cornbread smeared with butter (not the sweet cornbread, but the southern-style savory version), and a glass of sweet tea or a cold beer!  Enjoy!

Spicy Winter Stew with Pork, Apples and Root Vegetables

Oh my, is it ever cold outside today!  Spring may be heading our way but you would never know it by the temperature outside.  When winter darkens my door, I start to crave warm, spicy, comfort food.  My butcher had some affordable pork shoulder cubes available this week which inspired this dish.  However, you could definitely substitute lamb, veal or even turkey tenderloin in this stew-like braised dish.  Cooking this meal warmed my home and my heart all day and it made the house smell heavenly!  I used the root vegetables I had on hand but you could leave a couple of these out if you don’t prefer them or don’t have access to them, and could add others as you wish.  Think of the recipe as a guidebook and then, go ahead and point with your own palette!

1 ½ lbs. pork stew meat (or alternate protein as per your preference)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks

½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

2 apples, cored, and cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

6 sprigs of thyme

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (omit if you prefer a milder version)

1 cup white wine, beer, or hard cider

1 cup apple cider (not fermented)

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

cilantro, chopped

zest of one orange

The technique for this dish is really the same as for any stew.  First you season and brown the protein, then you add the aromatics, vegetables and spices, then deglaze the pan with some liquid, and simmer for a good long while.

So, let’s get to it.  First season your pork liberally with salt and pepper.  Allow to rest at room temperature while you chop your garlic, ginger and vegetables.  Heat your oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven or stockpot and add the cubed stew meat.  Really allow the meat to brown well, turning every few minutes.  If it sticks to the bottom a bit, that is totally fine.  Use tongs to remove the meat and set aside on a large plate.  You can skip this step if you like, but the pan get a bit crowded with the meat and veggies in it and it is a little more challenging to get the vegetables to caramelize the way they should. 

Next, add the onions to the pot first and stir a little.  Now add the carrots and parsnips and allow them to caramelize a little, cooking for about 4 minutes.  Add the butternut squash, apples, ginger, garlic and sprigs of thyme and continue to cook for a few minutes.  Next, add all your spices.  By doing this before you add the liquid, you’ll toast the spices and bring out their best notes.  Now, return your pork and any released juices back to the pan and stir.  Finally, deglaze the pan with the wine, beer or hard cider.  Deglazing is just a fancy word for adding liquid to a dry sauté.  When you do this, you can stir and release all the lovely brown bits form the bottom of the pan, imparting wonderful flavor into the dish.  So, add the alcohol of your choice first and stir to release anything stuck to the bottom.  Then add the fresh (not hard) cider and stir.  Finally, add enough chicken broth to cover all the meat and veggies about 2/3 of the way up.  You can omit the alcohol and double the amount of fresh cider or use apple juice if you prefer.    Now, add in the dried fruit and allow the stew to come to a boil.  Once it does, lower the heat to low and cover, cooking covered over very low heat for 45 minutes to an hour.  Your kitchen will start to smell divine!  Remove the lid and stir once or twice, and then go do something fun for an hour, while you allow the dish to continue simmering over medium-low heat, uncovered, on the stove.  This will allow much of the liquid to evaporate and bring great concentration of flavor and thickness to the remaining “gravy”.  You are almost ready to serve!  If you see the thyme sprigs, remove them.  Most of the flavorful little leaves have made their way into the stew at this point, and you can just fish out the empty “branches” and throw them away.   

Keep the heat at medium or medium low and add the drained and rinsed chick peas, allowing them to simmer in the stew and warm up.  Taste it now and add additional salt and pepper as you desire.  Just before you are ready to serve, top the dish with chopped cilantro to taste, and the zest of one orange.

I served this with simple couscous, which I cooked as directed with one half chicken broth and half water.    I added some golden raisins and toasted pine nuts just before serving.  It was a wonderful, warming meal that my whole family devoured, but it was also exotic and flavorful enough to serve to company.  You could round this out with a simple salad of frissee, radicchio, orange segments and crumbled goat cheese, dressed with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and orange juice.  This meal pairs beautifully with an off-dry white wine like a Riesling, Pinot Gris, or Alsacian-style white.  It would also be great with hard cider, or a fruity lager.

This dish offers the warm embrace of home, but also some exotic spices, making it super comforting.  It uses root vegetables which are in season and at peak flavor in the fall and winter months and as a result, offers tons of fiber, and vitamins, and packs a whole lot of flavor with very little fat.  Bon Appetit!