Creamy chocolate frosting

No Taxing Recipes Today!!

For my sweetie's birthday, he wanted a dense chocolate cake with creamy chocolate frosting.  The perfect cake for him was to convert my chocolate muffin recipe (bake in a 9x13 pan for about 50 minutes), topped with this quick and easy creamy frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Melt the chocolate on medium power in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time. Microwave the milk until just warm. Combine the two and stir until smooth. Store in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally as it cools. Allow to come to room temperature before spreading.

Bok choy soup

I had some leftover sausage that I used in this stew, but if you'd like to make it a vegetarian delight, just leave out the sausage and switch to vegetable stock.  My amounts aren't exact since I sort of made it up as I went along.

Bok Choy Soup

Olive oil
Onion, chopped
Garlic, chopped
Sausage
Flour
White wine
Chicken or vegetable stock
Large can of crushed or diced tomatoes
Bok choy, chopped
Fresh thyme
Lemon juice

Cook the onion, garlic, and sausage in the olive oil in a Dutch oven until browned.  Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the meat and stir well.  Add the wine and scrape up all the brown bits.  Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add the bok choy and lower to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Garnish with fresh thyme and lemon juice.

Cha siu pork skewers

Best done on the grill, you can also do cha siu pork skewers in the oven in a broiling pan when your hankering comes in the middle of a New England snowstorm.  I like my original cha siu sauce a bit better, but this recipe from Hannaford's Fresh magazine isn't too bad.  I skipped the zucchini just because I'm not a huge fan.

Chocolate buckeyes

Buckeyes with peanut butter roll filling

Buckeyes with truffle filling

So simple, so fun, so good!  Decorate the tops or leave them plain.  I have made them two different ways, and each version has its fans.

Method one: Make a batch of Peanut Butter Roll.  This mixture comes out relatively stiff and needs only minimal freezing before dipping.  This is my personal favorite.

Method two: Make a batch of the truffle filling for Peanut Butter Plops.  This mixture is soft and needs substantial freezing before dipping.  It is the favorite of those who like a very soft center. 

Either way, make your filling, freeze, roll balls, use a toothpick and dip them into melted chocolate (link for notes on tempering chocolate).  Either smooth off the little mark on the top from the toothpick or stick a nut there to hide it.

Balsamic chicken with spinach

This meal can be put together really quickly if you chose to use couscous.  If you've got a bit more time, make quinoa or rice instead and let the chicken simmer in the sauce.

Balsamic Chicken with Spinach

Olive oil
1 lb chicken breast tenders
Salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 c chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) chopped tomatoes and juice
8 oz fresh baby spinach
Couscous, rice, or quinoa to serve over

In a heavy skillet, brown the chicken in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.  When chicken is just cooked through, add the garlic and stir for a minute.  Add the vinegar and broth, scraping up the browned bits.  Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer.  Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.  Remove the chicken and stir in the spinach, tossing it to wilt slightly.  Divide grain onto plates and top with the spinach mixture and the chicken.

Coconut milk vegetable curry

The sauce that this stew makes is so creamy that you'll swear there is cheese in it...until you taste it!

Basmati rice makes a tasty base to spoon this dish over, but we had quinoa instead for a change.  It's higher protein, so it seemed like a good choice.

Coconut Milk Vegetable Curry


1 can of coconut milk (about 14 oz)
1/4 c flour
2 T red curry paste or your favorite curry spice mix
Large onion, chopped

4 oz of small red potatoes, quartered
2 c butternut squash, chopped
1 head of cauliflower florets
1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Red bell pepper, chopped
1 c frozen peas
Basmati rice, quinoa, or couscous to serve over

In a slow cooker, whisk the coconut milk together with the flour and curry paste.  Add the vegetables except for the peas and turn to coat.  Cook on low for 6 hours or so until the vegetables are soft.  Stir in the peas and serve over grain or pasta.

Easiest Fudge Recipe Ev-ah

I'm not usually interested in making (or eating) food that uses a lot of processed ingredients, but when I tried this recipe, I was sold and decided to ignore that it uses marshmallows.  It is so much easier than any other cooked fudge recipe I've used, plus the texture is rich and creamy.  As a bonus, you can use any flavor of chocolate that you want...obviously I used dark.  Shock!

Fudge

2 c sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
1 3/4 c mini marshmallows
1/2 c butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
2 t vanilla
8 oz of chocolate, broken up or chopped

Butter an 8 x 8" glass baking pan well.

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan combine the sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallows, butter and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add in the vanilla and chocolate.  Stir with a spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely combined and smooth.  Pour into the buttered baking dish.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until firm.

 Here's the same recipe, using white chocolate and some molds.  The consistency is pretty soft, so I recommend not using a cheap plastic mold like I did.