Crustless Cranberry Pie

Crustless Cranberry Pie

as requested!!!

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cranberries (frozen or refrigerated)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 or 2 teaspoon almond extract (I lean toward 2 tsp - your preference!)

Your favorite streusel crumb topping (I do 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and up to 1/2 cup of cold butter cut in)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 inch pie pan.
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts, and toss to coat. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, top with streusel topping.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until a wooden

pick inserted near the center comes out clean!

The recipe I made yesterday didn't come out as high as usual because I was running late and took it out too early. It's may not be tall - but it's tall on flavor and seriously wonderful.

**adapted from AllRecipes.com

Keep Calm and Carry

I made this today. It describes exactly how I feel about the 2nd Amendment!

Andy Reid Parody

Don't know HOW I missed this...but I LOVE IT!!

Gum Drop Fudge

Gum Drop Fudge

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds white candy coating, coarsely chopped (or white chocolate bars/chips - the better quailty, the better the melt)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped gumdrops ( I use Red & Green Swedish Fish cut up for Christmas)

Directions

Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; set aside. In a heavy saucepan,
combine the candy coating, milk and salt. Cook and stir over low
heat until candy coating is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in
vanilla and gumdrops.

Spread into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Using
foil, remove fudge from the pan; cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an
airtight container at room temperature. Yield: about 3 pounds.
(adapted from Taste of Home)

Candy Cane Marshmallow Fudge

 Candy Cane Marshmallow Fudge

1-1/2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup butter, softened, divided

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

12 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, chopped (or a package of white chocolate chips). The better the white chocolate brand the easier it is to melt.

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow cream (use name brand)

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Line a 9-in. square pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, sour cream and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil; cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage), about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in white chocolate and marshmallow creme until melted. Fold in peppermint candy and extract. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until firm.

Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 pounds

Elf On The Shelf Shenanigans

Nutella Covered Bacon, Nutella Wontons, & Nutella Caramelized Banana Bread

A wonderful person posted a fabulous post about top 10 ways to use Nutella on my facebook page. Of course, they all looked FABULOUS - but these were my favorite! I posted the recipes here so you don't have to do the searching - you'll find the link to the full article at the end of this post! 

Nutella Sweet & Spicy Bacon and garnished with fleur del sel

What you’ll need:
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 pieces – thick sliced bacon
3 tablespoons Nutella
fleur de sel

What to do:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Into a small bowl mix: sugar, chili powder and black pepper. Set aside.

2. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange bacon sliced onto baking sheet making sure slices do not overlap. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. CAREFULLY flip bacon slices and sprinkle sugar/pepper mixture onto slices. Return to oven and bake for an additional 8 minutes.

3. Transfer bacon slices to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

4. When bacon has cooled, place Nutella into a small bowl and microwave for approximately 15-20 seconds to allow to soften. Transfer bacon slices to a piece of parchment paper that sits a top a plate. Using a silicon brush or icing spatula gently spread Nutella onto each bacon slice. Place plate into refrigerator and allow Nutella to coat/harden.

5. Once coating is firm to the touch sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Buon Appetito! Via Bellalimento - website here: 

Nutella Caramelized Banana  

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 banana (peeled and sliced)
1 or 2 slices of bread
2 tablespoons Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)

Directions:
1. Melt the butter and sugar in a pan.
2. Add the bananas and cook until golden brown and caramelized on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.
3. Assemble sandwich.

Via Closet Cooking - website  here

Fried Nutella Wontons 

24 won ton wrappers

Nutella

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar for garnish

Heat 4 cups of vegetable oil in a pot to 350 degrees. Make an egg wash using the water and the one egg by placing in a small bowl, and mixing well. Brush egg wash along two sides of the wonton and place about 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella into the center of the wonton wrapper. Seal wonton wrapper by folding the the sides together. Place a few into the into oil, don't crowd the pan; allow to brown on one side, gently turn over. Should take about 30-45 seconds on each side. When browned remove from oil and sprinkle with either cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

Top Ten Nutella Treats Click Here 

Candy Cane Brownies

(
Candy Cane Brownies


Ingredients
Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies (or Oreos or whatever your favorite flavor hard chocolate cookie)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee (or not!)

Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
                                                                                     8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
                                                                                     2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Glaze:
4 ounces dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons  butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Directions
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish, covering  bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

For the filling: Meanwhile, heat the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl at 75-percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Blend the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until the filling puffs slightly around the edges but is still a bit wobbly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 75-percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread the glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, and then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Store the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cook's Note: To crush the candy canes, remove the wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll over and break up the candy into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.

The orignal recipe can be found here: The FoodNetwork. I made some changes to make it a bit easier.

Policeman Shot: Daniel Faulkner - Actual 911 Clips. RIP.

Daniel Faulkner was murdered this day in 1981. This music video below  has clips of the actual police radio traffic during the call; it's eerie. Liberals praise & defend Mumia & have made a hero out of him. I get furious over very few things these days - but that injustice is high on my list.

Oh Yeah: Fuck you Ben & Jerry's, Ed Fucking Asner, And Susan Fugly Sarandon, among the big mouthed celebrities who have never bothered to educate themselves on the crime. 

If you haven't seen the movie "Barrel of a Gun" by Tigre Hill - it's a must watch. It's fascinating and shocking - and very scary how easily people buy into propaganda. It hasn't been released yet (we were fortunate to watch a screening of it and meet Tigre) but if you follow them on Facebook, you'll be notified when the DVD comes out. 

It's all about the spin. And while Officer Faulkner has been encased in a grave for 31 years - Mumia Abu Jamal has been propelled to Hero status by a bunch of celebrities who claim to be so compassionate yet remain happily ensconced in their mansions with maids, butlers, nannies, and personal assistants.