Friday, February 25, 2011

Frozen hot chocolate

Sorry for the lack of deliciousness. Job hunting and the new dog have taken most of my time. I have so many new recipes and things that I want to blog about, but this will have to be the start....

For anyone who knows me, they obviously know that the summer and I don't mix. If you realize I live in Florida, you're probably tilting your head right about now. I love winter! I love the snow, I love the bitter cold temperatures, I love sledding, and most of all, I love hot chocolate. What I don't love is when it's over 100 degrees out and I'm drinking a beverage that's only a few degrees cooler than that, ick. So frozen hot chocolate on a hot summer day? Yes please.

Ingredients

    • 1 qt fat-free half & half
    • 1 box (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding and pie filling (4-serving size)
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
    • 2 Tbsp sugar
    • 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
    • Garnish: whipped cream and ground cinnamon

Insructions:

1. Have ready a 13 x 9-in. baking pan and eight glass 8-oz Irish coffee mugs or other 8-oz mugs.
2. Whisk half & half, pudding mix and cinnamon in a large bowl 2 minutes. Pour into baking pan; cover and freeze at least 3 hours, or until frozen hard.
3. About 20 minutes before serving: Beat cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Put coffee mugs in freezer. Remove mixture from freezer; leave at room temperature 15 minutes, or until it can be cut into large cubes. Place in food processor; pulse until smooth, scraping down sides occasionally. Divide among chilled mugs. Top with whipped cream; sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.


So, next time you're dying of the heat (and if you live in Florida, I guarantee that this week is already almost up to 90 degrees), try this recipe out and I promise you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Woman's Day Kitchen! The full recipe can be viewed here.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Panna Cotta


Being lactose intolerant, you'd expect me to steer clear of anything that even has the slightest trace of milk, but this isn't the case at all. I love any type of  milk-type item besides milk itself and ice cream. Macaroni and cheese is a nostalgic favorite, and tembleque is my favorite Spanish dessert. Which leads me into this recipe I found for Chocolate Panna Cotta. Now, I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but luckily, the chocolate is pretty much used for just aesthetics. The recipe is extremely easy to follow and the ingredients don't really call for much, they're all things that are easily picked up a local grocer.

The Panna Cotta recipe calls for:
1.5 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
4.5 cups heavy cream
good quality cocoa powder, 2 to 4 tablespoons
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
chocolate and white chocolate bars, for garnish

See? Nice and easy. I have yet to make this recipe myself, but as soon as I have the time or ability, you can be sure that I'll most likely eat everything I made by myself. ;)

The full recipe can be viewed at The Italian Dish