A Real Christmas Gift!

For 4 years now I have made homemade truffles and given them out at Christmas gifts to family and friends. I think the first year I made one batch...this past Christmas I made approximately 175 truffles. Many people have asked me for the recipe because they simply can not get enough of them...so here it is! This is my basic recipe..make sure good quality chocolate such as Ghiradelli. After I roll the truffles, I dip them in chocolate and drizzle them with colored chocolate. I use Wilton's Candy Melts to dip them, which you can get at Michaels. Don't worry this isn't a replacement for your Christmas gifts from us...I still plan on making them each Christmas and I might experiment with an assortment of truffle flavors! ENJOY!





Chocolate Espresso Truffles


2 pound semisweet chocolate
1/2 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa


Coarsely chop both chocolates and set aside. Heat the cream and instant coffee in a large saucepan, stirring to blend. When bubbles start to form along the edge of the pan, remove from heat. Scatter the chocolate over the cream, stirring gently until melted. Set aside for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the liqueur and vanilla. Stir gently, just until evenly blended. Scrape the chocolate into a shallow bowl. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 1 week. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, scoop up enough chocolate to make balls 1 inch in diameter. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll the balls in the cocoa, shaking off the excess, then transfer to wax paper until ready to serve. Best when served at room temperature.


Yield: Makes about 4 dozen truffles


NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 70(71% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 3g); PROTEIN 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; CALCIUM 7mg; SODIUM 3mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 7g; IRON 1mg

Traditional New Year's Dinner...

I have never made New Years Dinner until this year. Being home was so nice and relaxing and we started it off right with all the luck, money and health! I marniated a pork lion overnight in a homemade jamaican jerk. Don't let the haberno peppers scare you...they give it a wonderful flavor. We used 2 peppers and it was barely hot. While I was cutting up the pepper, Ben got a little experimentative and tasted a tiny peice. It literally burnt his lip...just wear glovers while cutting them up and make sure to wash your hands after handling them. Additionally, I made homemade fresh collard greens, Hoppin' John and mini corn muffins. But, who could forget the best part...dessert...Black and White Pound Cake. It was super simple and beautiful cut with the chocolate and vanilla swirl.

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderlion (Cooking Light)

2 cups coarsely chopped green onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
1 (1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray

Place first 15 ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves, laying each side flat. Slice each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open flat. Combine pork and green onion mixture in a dish or large zip-top plastic bag. Cover or seal; marinate in refrigerator 3 to 24 hours. Remove pork from dish or bag; discard remaining marinade.

Prepare grill.

Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Hoppin John!

Apparently this is a very traditional southern dish. It's very simple and easy to make...with rice, black eyed peas, onions and green peppers, it offers a little bit of everything.

Hoppin John (Paula Deen)
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
Garlic powder
2 cups black-eye peas, cooked
2 cups cooked rice
House Seasoning, recipe follows
8 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic powder, to taste, and cook for 5 minutes. Add peas and rice and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook; this dish is best if the bell pepper and onion still have a crunch to them.
Add House Seasoning, to taste. Garnish each serving with sprig of parsley.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Southern Collards = MONEY!

I definitely wanted to make fresh homemade collards for New Years, but all the recipes I could find had a ham hock. I wasn't too interested in investing that much time to make them. I found this recipe in my Southern Living magazine and they were amazing. Ben didn't like them that much, but then again he doesn't really like any greens. They were the perfect balance between sweet and vinagery.

Collard Greens with Red Onions (Southern Living)

3 (16-oz.) packages fresh collard greens
2 medium-size red onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Trim and discard thick stems from bottom of collard green leaves. Thoroughly wash collard greens.
Sauté onions in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Add broth and next 4 ingredients.
Gradually add collards to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or just until wilted. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour or until tender.

Poundcake...the best of both worlds

This pound cake recipe came from a new cookbook I got for Christmas...Cooking Light's All Time Favorites. It's really simple to make...the chocolate batter has added chocolate syrup and baking soda to give the marbled effect. Dust it with powdered sugar and drizzle with chocolate syrup for a light, but decadent dessert.

Black & White Pound Cake (Cooking Light)

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

3/4 cup chocolate syrup

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with breadcrumbs.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Beat the butter in a large bowl at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and vanilla, beating until well-blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Spoon two-thirds of batter (about 4 cups) into prepared pan. Add syrup and baking soda to remaining batter in bowl, stirring just until blended; spoon on top of batter.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Sift cocoa over top of cake.