Toasted Hazelnut Chocolate Milk and Chocolate Hazelnut Balls

  It's the most wonderful time of year! Fall colors, crisp air and football!  Only I live in the bay area and, though it is now October, it is over 88 degrees and our summer is finally here. How am I supposed to enjoy my long awaited summer, when I am dying for it to be fall? It's the same thing with Christmas... it is still warm and sunny when christmas carols are playing on the radio and I am trying to get names crossed off my gift lists. As a transplanted Washingtonian, it's been hard for me to adjust to the holiday season with these fall and winter temperatures. The only way I can satisfy my longing for fall is through food these days!  Miso Delicata Squash Salad for dinner and Toasted Hazelnut Chocolate Milk for dessert!  

As I have said, I like fast, easy and foolproof recipes... this one started out that way, but ended up requiring some improvising on my part after things went wrong. My recipe is taken from Smitten Kitchen and the adaption only takes place in the technique... but you will see below... it got messy, but then yummy... so keep reading! 

Ingredients

2 Cups of Hazelnuts

1 /14 Cups of Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I ended up using bittersweet)

3 1/2 Cups of Water, plus more for soaking

Note: The hazelnuts need to soak in a bowl of water overnight

Cheat Note: I bought toasted hazelnuts so that I could skip that step. I have no idea if that takes away from the intensity of the flavor.

If you are like me, and can't seem to toast nuts without burning them every time, then buy the ones that are pre toasted and skip to the next step. If you are toasting your own hazelnuts, then heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook the nuts for roughly 15 minuets, turning them a couple times so they don't burn (See, theoretically, I know how to not burn them, but I have a very short attention span). They will have a light golden brown color when they are done. 

After you have soaked the hazelnuts overnight, rinse them off in a strainer and transfer them to your blender or food processor. 

A blender is better if you have a strong one because you need to add quite a bit of water. 

 Blend, then if you have cheesecloth, lay it over a bowl and let the liquid strain through into a bow… I used a lint free drying towel. 

You may have to stir the ground up hazelnuts around to get all the liquid to soak through

Squeeze out as much of the milk as you can

Now you have the milk… you just need to add the chocolate!

Melt the chocolate either over a stove like I did here or in the microwave… I find that the stove is much better because it is harder to overcook the chocolate. To do this method, heat water in a pot, place a bowl with the chocolate on top of the pot and stir constantly. Make sure that the bowl of chocolate doesn't touch the water below. 

Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the pot once almost all of the chocolate chunks have melted. This will keep it from overcooking. Continue to stir the chocolate until it has all melted. All good? Great! Next is the tricky part, the part I completely failed and I don't know why, but here is what Smitten says to do…

"Add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time to the chocolate and stir it in".  I did this and my chocolate began hardening after about 3 teaspoons, so something went wrong, somewhere...

No one was going to be able to drink that…

Remember me saying I like easy, fool-proof recipes?  Frustrated, I tried again, with the bittersweet chocolate this time… and the same results… grrrr… I wanted hazelnut chocolate milk and now what I had was hazelnut milk and two large balls of chocolate… not bad, but not what I was going for.

THEN inspiration hit and I threw the milk and the bittersweet ball into the blender!

Desired results achieved!!! And let me say, it is fabulous in coffee!  Side note: it hardens in the refrigerator to the consistency of pudding… melts easily in coffee or is great over ice cream! 

 I was then left with the conundrum of what to do with the extra chocolate ball. Obviously I couldn't throw it away...

Hazelnut coated chocolate balls? Why not?  

I spread the hazelnut meat out on parchment paper and stuck it in the oven at 200 to dry it. I don't remember how long this took because I was just winging it. Probably 20 min, but I stirred it frequently and checked it very often (remember... I burn nuts). While they were drying, I rolled the chocolate into balls and melted a small bowl of butter.  Once the hazelnut pieces were dry and cooled off (you don't want to melt your chocolate balls),  I dunked the chocolate balls into the butter and rolled them in the hazelnuts. You can then sprinkle with powdered sugar… if you definitely want diabetes… 

Independence Day 2014

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday. Our lives have been pretty chaotic since with family, weddings, and travel, but I had to get this post up. Not only did we have a great time with our friends and family, but we made one pretty amazing breakfast that you will want to try the next time you feel like getting diabetes. It certainly wasn't healthy, but if you love cinnamon rolls like I do, you will make exceptions to your healthy diet now and again. 

Jemma's Dress Gap Baby

Jemma's Bow Headbands

Chambray Shirt

Burnt Red Skirt

Michael Kors Bag Similar

We were so excited to have Jed's parents, and Tanya & Nate come into town on Thursday evening. I love any kind of holiday because it means our house is filled with people, food, and constant activity!  It's so invigorating!

Auntie Tanya got some slobbery kisses

One of the best things about living in sunny California is the dependable weather!  To me, the perfect 4th of July involves being surrounded by close friends and family, BBQing, and playing in the great outdoors!  In this family, the holidays aren't just limited to one day, but the whole weekend, which means tons of big and delicious meals. Nothing better than getting some exercise before all the over indulging begins!

Well...some of us got sleepy during the hike

And what would the 4th be without the great old american past time...baseball in the park!  I love traditions! 

Watching daddy play baseball

After, we headed into Marin for BBQ and fireworks!

Recognize our shirts? Made these yesterday!  See link

Jemma's little outfit on Sunday was so sweet! I love monogram bloomers, though this wasn't my favorite font (my bad), they still are simply adorable.

Custom Bloomers here

My precious long legged little girl

Jemma's little dress

Ok, not sure how Recipe Girl was able to make such beautiful pancakes, because this was deffinitly a "fail" as far as aesthetics goes, but let me tell you something... it most certainly was not a fail as far as taste goes!  If you are even considering making these, DO IT!  They were delicious and tasted just like cinnamon rolls!  We added fruit and sausage on the side.

Sarah in the kitchen

Apparently making swirls is harder than it looks

Not so pretty, but oh so tasty

The strawberries make it seem healthy

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Recipe from Recipe Girl

CINNAMON FILLING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Prepare the cinnamon swirl filling: In a medium sized bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a zip baggie and set it aside (see *Tips below).

Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until just melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside.

Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl. Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. If you want to make the pancakes look pretty after they are cooked, go back and fill in the swirls with more of the cinnamon filling.

Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze and some fresh fruit.

Tips from Recipe Girl:

*Quick and easy tip: Use a boxed pancake mix as the base for this recipe.

*Tips for the cinnamon filling: Before swirling, open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated from the sugar. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of a tube of toothpaste, which will happen if you leave it at room temperature for several minutes. Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny to make a solid swirl.

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!

Homemade Baby Food

I am not a complete health nut, since having Jemma 10 months ago, I pretty much crave donuts on a daily basis. However, I have been trying to keep my little family filled up on healthy meals. As a nurse, I have seen numerous cases of childhood obesity and diabetes; the majority of which are brought on by high carb foods and sugary snacks, provided by the parents. These children have an over-developed "sweet tooth" due to these foods being eaten too frequently. Our impact on our child's food preferences and habits starts as soon as we begin giving them solids. Babies are born with a fully developed sense of taste just ready to be shaped. As soon as we start feeding our babies solid foods, we are impacting their taste development. Studies show that "Infants developing a sweet preference may “pattern” their eating habits for later in the toddler years for sugar and fat intake." The types of foods we chose to give our kids now, will influence their food preferences, weight, and overall health. 

Many parents give their babies apple juice in their bottles. Thankfully, this is less common as more and more doctors are warning against it. High intake of sweets can lead, not only to obesity and diabetes, but also dental carries, even if the baby has no teeth at the time they are drinking the juice. 

Sugar content wasn't the only reason that I decided to make my own baby food...have you tasted it?  Most of it is disgusting!

When I first thought about making my own baby food, I thought it would be way too much work, or take too much time. But it doesnt. It is so easy and I typically make a 2 week supply each time. I found this wonderful little system by Infantino on Amazon for under $18.  Infantino says that food can be stored for up to 2 months in the freezer and up to 48 hours in the fridge. This means you could make a 2 month supply each time! It comes with only 10 food pouches (hence my 2 week food supply) but you can buy more bags and stretch out the time between making the food. The Infantino bags technically are not reusable but I haven't had any problem washing them out in the sink. I usually also run them through the dishwasher to sterilize them. 

I often include a boiled chicken breast as it is a great source of protein which baby girl needs more now that she is nursing less. I also always have cooked sweet potatoes around for snacking on so they are easy to include as well. When attempting to make baby food for the first time, keep it simple. If your baby doesn't like the taste after a couple of tries, then add another carrot or a few strawberries to sweeten it a little bit. Natural sugars are easier for our bodies to utilize and digest.

Homemade Baby Food

1 Chicken Breast

1 Cooked Sweet Potato (bake at 390 for about 50 min depending on size)

3 Cooked Carrots

1/2 C Cooked Squash

1/2 Avocado

A handful of Spinach

Plus any other veggies you want to try

These are rough measurements. Think of them more as guidelines.  Cut each ingredient up and add them to your blender. Add water a cup at a time until you have blended everything to the consistency of apple sauce. If you were working with warm ingredients, then let it cool before you bag them. 

Tips & Tricks

Slide pouch into stand, then roll up the food pouch from the base to squeeze the air out before pouring the food into the tube. This will help reduce the amount of food that comes back out when you unscrew the tube

Getting children to eat healthy foods will always be a battle. However, as their role models we can determine how big or small that battle is by what foods we keep in our homes, what we eat ourselves, and how creative we are with our recipes. If the food tastes good, they will eat it!!! 

His First Father's Day

Yes, I do realize it has been weeks since Father's Day came and went, but I had to get this recipe out there. It's that good. And unbelievably easy. Which is basically all I require. As a new momma, I don't have a ton of time to cook...well, that's not true. While I consider myself to be somewhat of a "foodie"(thanks to my foodie husband), I don't love to cook. 

That being said, when I cook for a special occasion, I want it to be amazing....foodie husband, remember? Plus, this was his first Father's Day. It needed to be special.

 I don't even remember what I typed into my Pinterest search engine but somehow one of the first things I saw was a linked photo to Jenny Hobick's "Homemade Truffle Fries." The "foodie" in me was curious, while having major reservations about how long it would take to prep and make these fries. 

Once I opened up her page however, I was surprised to read that she used Frozen Fries!!! Now, even I was having doubts, but I pinned it and continued reading and found two other dishes she had served for a truly elegant dinner party. Cabernet & Thyme Mushrooms arranged beautifully around a Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin. I couldn't have been more pleased to see that not only had she chosen recipes that were mostly hands off, but she had even been so kind as to provide a timeline for cooking everything! It all seemed too easy. As we were hoping to eat around 6pm, I started the mushrooms at 2pm in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It took roughly 5 min to prep, allowing me plenty of play time with my family. 

Once 5pm rolled around, I started on the tenderloin. I had planned on it needing about 30 min of cook time, but had gotten about 2lbs of the pretty thick beef cuts and it ended up taking about 40 min to cook to medium rare. Since I had only gotten two cuts and not the whole chunk, I wasn't sure what to do with Jenny's instructions about tying it tight with twine. I also didn't have cooking twine, just some rough craft twine that was fraying. However, I was not to be deterred, so I forged ahead and burnt off those frays as best I could, then I tied those two pieces together! I have no idea what purpose it served, but oh my word, it was the best tenderloin I have ever had.

The fries came last. I drizzled Truffle Oil on the pan, then on the frozen fries and popped them in with the other ingredients. Then I drizzled again when they came out. They may have been a little heavy on the Truffle flavor, and next time I would just drizzle the oil on the pan, mix the fries around, cook, and then drizzle for a second time once they came out. Regardless, they were paired perfectly with the tenderloin and mushrooms, had a wonderful flavor of their own...and definitely did not taste frozen. Fooled that foodie husband, I did!  

And, since dinner was turning out to be so easy, leaving me with so much free time, I decided to include a little appetizer!  Peaches, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil with a little basalmic vinegar drizzled on top. There is a lot of drizzling required on this meal!  

Trader Joe's came through with dessert! 

Anyone else put together the perfect meal recently?