Truffles!

Truffles (a la Betty):

Okay cool, so I have the helm this time and Angie will be jutting in the the parentheses (He's misspelling everything). I am not! (Yes you are). Fine, moving on. The truffle was originally based on an old Betty Crocker classic recipe, which we tweaked a little. We splurged a little and spent fifty cents more on the "fancy" chocolate chips. Mainly because Angie wouldn't allow me to take the display coupon off the other ones... (it was embarrassing... and voided) Whatever... nobody reads those things! (although it was mounted to a piece of cardstock... highly unusual for a standard coupon-carrier). Once again, moving on.

For starters, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. I improvised one out of a Pyrex casserole dish and a pot. Some people like to do this with a standard pan on the stove... NOT a good idea. Having direct heat on the chocolate is possible but easy to burn.

The filling:

1 bag Giradelli's dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

4 Tbsp butter

Great, now it's melted. We also made tea.

(Note Adam's special Kermit mug and my Santa one...)

Then add the cream and butter and mix it all up! 

Stick it in the fridge until it's slightly thicker than the consistency of frosting... you know, the crummy kind you buy in stores in the tubs.

Placing ice under the chocolate mixture keeps it cold and allows for a longer scooping time (Adam's phrasing, not mine). Then, scoop out tiny balls of the filling in whatever way seems fitting onto a covered cookie sheet (we had some trouble making spherical shapes, but they taste the same). They're... rustic! Put them in the freezer to chill for a half hour or so.

For the outer shell:

Another bag of chocolate chips of equal size

2 Tbsp shortening

Melt them together!

Ready to dip!

If your truffles (like ours) aren't perfectly spherical, it's okay. Bring them out of the freezer and with cold hands (we recommend chilling them with Mr. Dee's shredded hashbrowns) roll the balls into more spherical shapes like you would with play-doh or clay. (word of warning: this does get sticky)

To dip (not pictured, as we were dipping and covered in chocolate... and haven't amassed enough funds to hire a third party photographer) ... or a tripod... we used toothpicks to pick up the frozen truffle guts and dip them in the shell mix. To add a decorative touch (or hide your misshapen truffle skills) sprinkle a little cocoa powder over the tops. With a sieve. (or cheese grater, as we do not own a sieve. Turns out cheese graters do the trick just fine.)

Let them sit in the fridge for a few minutes for the shell to harden. Then they're ready to eat! (These lasted all of ten minutes at my parents' house... they're that good!)

If you're feeling adventurous, or slightly wealthier than us, try adding flavored extracts (Raspberry is my favorite) to some of the filling. (Or SPRINKLES!) Cayenne pepper or habanero seeds add a bit of a kick  so feel free to give that a try as well (or don't... I vote don't). 

Have fun!

Butternut Squash Ravioli and Friends (or... and leftovers)

Aren't they beautiful? Wouldn't it be awesome if we invented these all by ourselves?

Well, we didn't. But it kind of was our take on a few existing recipes. 

*This post's parenthetical asides brought to you by Adam

The initial inspiration was the Farro and Butternut Squash dish from Minneapolis' Zelo (we went there on our 6 month anniversary!) that we fell madly in love with. Upon further internet-researching, we based our recipe on the lovely video-blog post from FoodWishes.com.

We began with intense mashed-potato style mashing of baked (microwaved) squash and cream cheese (it was supposed to be mascarpone cheese... but we're poor). And some some shredded parmesan cheese (we actually didn't scrimp on that).

Pretty! (Eh)

We also purchased copious amounts of both pot sticker and wonton wrappers... because honestly we didn't know the difference (turns out they're the same). The pot sticker ones are round and the wonton ones are square. Haphazardly we chose ROUND ravioli!

The process was basic: use water on your finger to moisten the edge of the wrapper (soften the dough so it sticks to itself), add a little bit of the filling (one teaspoon... no more), and seal it up securely! My earlier versions had a sad tendency to be overfilled and explosive... don't do that.

We also started a mix of bacon, garlic, onion (french cut) and olive oil. This is for the topping.

The above photo depicts our little bowl of ravioli (pre-boiled). Adam thought you would like to see it.

Into a boiling pot they go!!

They also go into a buttery frying pan (a skillet containing browned butter). For unknown reasons, this step is unavailable in photos. (Angie never took any pictures while I was doing all the work). I WAS PREPARING THE RAVIOLI! (or talking wedding plans with her soon to be sister in law)

Anyway. Then add the bacon mixture over the top. Sprinkle on some more cheese and some strange oil mixture (cinnamon and nutmeg infused canola oil) and serve!

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The Epilogue

We still had ridiculous amounts of wonton wrappers, due to my inability to choose between square and round options.

The solution: CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

They are surprisingly simple: heat up some oil, enclose some peppered cream cheese (or any other delightful mixture that I was denied) in a wonton wrapper. They're sealed the same way as our aforementioned ravioli. Dump them in the oil for a few seconds (place them in the oil, lest you obtain third degree burns), flip them, and eat! 

We found them to be most delicious accompanied by sparkling white grape juice.

Happy cooking!

The Super Small S'more (AKA "the dwarf smore")

Our inaugural post!

Do you ever get the sudden urge to recreate something awesome, but miniature? Well here is a prime example: the s'more. So what, we asked ourselves, goes into a miniature s'more?

Mini marshmallows, Golden Grahams, and chocolate chips, of course! The first step is melting the chocolate chips.

Then we experimented with different marshmallow-toasting methods. Direct torching with a lighter proved to be ineffective. We settled on stovetop-toasting.

Careful with this step... the marshmallows tend to burst into flame, we discovered. With a little expertise, though, they end up golden and puffy. Assemble and eat!