TWD: Rewind.... Split Level Pudding

This week was a rewind recipe and I debated for a while about whether to make something I have already made and loved or to try a recipe I skipped. I finally decided to make something I skipped and started flipping through the book to find one that jumped out at me. This pudding won for two reasons. 1- I love pudding and homemade pudding is amazing. 2- I had all the ingredients I needed.

The pudding has chocolate ganache on the bottom and a creamy, delicious vanilla pudding on top. LOVED it!

One more week of TWD.... Crazy to think it is coming to an end!!!!!

Daring Bakers: Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies

We had two recipes this month for our Daring Baker challenge; Panna Cotta which means "cooked cream" in Italian and Chocolate Filled Florentine Cookies.

Both recipes were easy to make and didn't require a lot of time. The panna cotta was extremely quick. The gelatin is softened in milk and then heated with cream, honey, and sugar. Once heated, it is refrigerated for 6 hours until firm. Doesn't get much easier than that! I topped my panna cotta with fresh blueberries and thought it was delicious and very creamy.

The florentine cookies were also pretty quick to throw together. All the ingredients are mixed together on the stove. Once mixed, the cookies bake in the oven for about 6 minutes. After they have cooled, they are sandwiched together with chocolate. A yummy oatmeal cookie with chocolate... you can't beat that!

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.



Panna Cotta

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:

1.Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
2.Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).
3.Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.
4.Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.
5.Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.


Florentine Cookies

2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups quick oats
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups dark or milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.

To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl).

Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).

Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.

SMS: Easy Chocolate Mousse

Happy Valentine's Day! A delicious chocolate mousse is the perfect SMS recipe choice for today. Chocolate and Valentine's Day go hand in hand. It just isn't Valentine's Day without a little (or a lot!) of chocolate!

This mousse really was easy to make. Melt chocolate, whip eggs, whip cream, fold together. It really doesn't get much easier than that!




It was delicious and creamy and we all enjoyed it very much. Melissa Murphy suggests topping it with fresh berries, but I couldn't resist adding a bit more chocolate.

Thanks to Spike of Spike Bakes for hosting this week.

Also, please stop by and enter my giveaway HERE.

TWD: Rice Pudding

The selection for this week was Arborio Rice Pudding. Before making it, I was pretty sure that I didn't like rice pudding. But, I cut the recipe in half and decided to give it a go anyway. Hey, that's what TWD is about, right? Making me come out of my shell and make things that I normally wouldn't.

Well.... as I expected, I do not like rice pudding. But, at least it was a recipe that didn't waste much. I only had to use 1/4 cup of rice and a little over a cup of milk. No harm, no foul.

You can get the recipe at Les Gourmandises d'Isa (thanks for hosting this week!). If you like rice pudding, check out the blogroll. I'm sure that the many talented TWDers came up with some great pudding!

Roasted Vegetable Turkey Pinwheels & Mini Pumpkin Bites

I've got two delicious round foods for you! I didn't plan it that way, but I think it is kinda funny how both of these dishes are in the exact same pattern! :)

The pinwheels came from the August/September issue of Taste of Home. These were such a yummy lunch and a great way to get in veggies mid-day! The required a bit of planning, but it wasn't too bad. I roasted the veggies around 9 am and we ate the wraps at noon. I think the cream cheese filling would also be great as a dip!

The mini pumpkin bites are super quick and so good! I found the recipe on Sparkpeople over a year ago and I love them! Just mix together and pipe onto Nilla wafers. Or... for an even quicker treat, just dip the cookies straight into the bowl!

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Turkey Pinwheels
2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2" slices
1 large sweet yellow pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2" slices
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 TBSP olive oil
2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
8 tortillas (10"), room temperature
1 pound thinly sliced deli turkey
4 cups torn Bibb or Boston lettuce

Place squash, peppers, carrots, and garlic in a baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and tender, stirring once. Cool slightly.

Place the vegetables, cream cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until thickened.

Spread 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture on each tortilla; layer with turkey and lettuce. Roll up tightly; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Unwrap and cut each into 8 slices.
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Mini Pumpkin Bites

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup cool whip

1 cup vanilla pudding

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

Dash ground ginger

Nilla wafers

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Mix pudding, pumpkin, and spices. Fold in cool whip. Put mixture in a sandwich bag and clip the corner. Put cookies on a tray and squeeze pumpkin mixture on top. Chill in refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar.