Truffles. The chocolate kind.

Today, I attempted to make truffles.  The attempt was successful, and the results, well, see for yourself:

They are so richgooeychocolateydelicious!  So, I'm going to share the recipe.  I looked at a few, but didn't really like any of them, so I made my own.

Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

• 10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate* (I used the baking chocolate that is broken up into 1 oz. pieces.  Otherwise, break or cut it into pieces.)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 5 tbsp. butter, cut up
• 5-6 tbsp. amaretto liqueur (I used DeKuyper's)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl

 In a saucepan, heat chocolate, butter, and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate and butter are melted.  Remove from heat and add amaretto.  Stir with a whisk until mixture is smooth and creamy.  Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for about 2-2 1/2 hours, until mixture is stiff enough to mold into balls.  Scoop out mixture 1 tbsp. at a time (I have a 1 tbsp ice cream-type scoop) and  form into a ball.  Put it in the bowl of cocoa powder, and roll it until the whole thing is coated.  Place on parchment paper or in mini cupcake paper.  Repeat for all the rest.  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  (They're better after being refrigerated for an hour or so.)  Commence with the face-stuffage.  xD  Peace out!

*These are very rich and dark-chocolaty.  If you prefer sweeter, you can use 7 oz. semi-sweet and 3 oz. milk chocolate.

Another Recipe Break!

I'm feeling blah today, and there's not much new to report, so here's another of my favorite recipes.

Modified Cottage Pie

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can baby carrots / 1/2 bag frozen carrots*
• 1 can young peas / 1/2 bag frozen peas*
• Approx. 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Approx. 2-2 1/2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 package instant mashed potatoes

 *You can substitute a whole bag of frozen carrots and peas.

Brown ground beef in large skillet (a sauté pan works wonderfully).  Drain.  Add carrots and peas.  If using canned, drain half of the liquid.  If using frozen, add about 1/2 cup of water.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Pour into 2 qt. deep-dish casserole.  Make instant mashed potatoes, according to package instructions.  Spoon potatoes over top of meat mixture, and use a fork to make peaks in the potatoes.  Add a few pats of butter to the top of the potatoes.  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, of until potato peaks are golden brown.

Macaroni or lasagne?

So there's this dish I love to make.  It's got macaroni noodles and lots of cheese, but it's also got ricotta cheese, and I like to put marinara sauce on it.  So, here's the recipe (sort of.  No measurements, just approximations.)

• Macaroni noodles
• Ricotta cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Ground beef (optional)
• Marinara sauce (optional)

Brown the ground beef, if you're using it.  Cook the macaroni noodles and drain.  Put noodles in a deep casserole dish.  Add parmesan and ricotta cheese and mix well.  Add ground beef, if desired, and mix again.  Put a layer of mozzarella cheese on top.  Cook about 35-40 minutes at 350° F.  Top with marinara sauce, if desired. 

It's yummy.  Trust me.  Peace out!

Recipe Break!

Herb Chicken with Potatoes

1 whole cut-up chicken (or package of breasts)

1/2 cup Olive oil

Rosemary

Basil

Thyme

Sage

8-10 Red potatoes

Preheat oven to 350°.  Wash chicken, and place it in a baking dish.  Cut potatoes into fourths, and place in baking dish, surrounding chicken.  In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix olive oil and herbs.  Brush oil mixture over chicken and potatoes.  Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.  

This is a fairly simple meal, but my family loves it.  It's good served with green beans and dinner rolls or croissants.  Enjoy!

This recipe break has been brought to you by:  the cows.  Eet Mor Chikin.