Chocolate Pudding

I know we have a recipe for this in the cookbook, but I ran out of eggs a few months ago while I had a serious hankering for this, so I altered that recipe to be just cornstarch thickened. I ended up liking it even better, so I thought I would share.

Chocolate Pudding

3 C. milk, divided
3/4 C. sugar (I thought it was too sweet, so I will use 1/2 C. next time, and let you know how it goes.)
1/4 C. cocoa
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small bowl combine 1 C. milk, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt, whisk and set aside. Put remaining 2 C. milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, once boiling add chocolate mixture, and reduce heat to medium low, simmer until it thickens. Once thickened remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stir well. portion into bowls, and enjoy!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

This is the kind of vegetarian meal you can make your family and your husband will be asking for seconds before he realizes there isn't any meat in it! It is a little bit time consuming the first time you make it, but so worth your while! It gets faster to make every time I make it. Now when I am going to make it I double everything for the potatoes and stuffing and stick the extra 9x13 pan in the freezer. It doesn't take any more time and you have a fast delicious meal another night. My newlywed sister makes a single batch and puts it in two 8x8 pans, freezing one since there are just two of them.

Start with the potatoes:
6-10 potatoes (depends on type you're using- 6 russet or 10 red)
1 stalk celery with leaves
1 bay leaf
1 large clove garlic
3 Tb. butter
1/4 C. raw or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Peel potatoes and place in large pot of cold water. Add celery, bay leaf, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

While the potatoes are cooking prepare the stuffing:
1/2 C. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (white suggested)
1 C. celery, finely chopped (I often do 1/2 C. celery, 1/2 carrot)
1/4 C. scallions, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped (if I don't have one, I skip it)
8 cups whole-grain bread cubes (cut 1/2 inch), stale or slightly toasted (I love sourdough)
2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. celery seed (I've skipped this before too)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 Tb. fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. or cube vegetable bouillon
2 C. boiling water

This is the meal when you really want to bust out your food chopper or food processor to save time. In a large heavy sauce pan, melt butter. Add onion, shallot, celery, and scallions. Saute until vegetables begin to soften. Add bread cubes and seasonings. Mix well. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Add to stuffing and mix well. Steam covered, over very low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. **I choose not to steam mine, because I like my stuffing crispier. I cut the water down to 1 cup, dissolve the bouillon, mix it in well and put it right in my 9x13 pan.

Prepare mashed potatoes. In a small skillet (or your microwave), melt butter and add cream. Heat until hot, but do not boil. Remove bay leaf and garlic, and place in food processor. Remove celery if mashing by hand or with beaters. Add butter-cream mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and whip thoroughly. **Sometimes I just throw the butter and cream in cold.

Put stuffing in pan and top with mashed potatoes. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes have formed a golden crust.

While the pie is baking make the gravy:
2 Tb. butter
1 shallot, minced (or substitute more scallions)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I use my egg slicer)
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1 1/2 C. water
1 tsp. or cube bouillon
2-4 Tb. raw or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

In the pan you made the stuffing, melt 2 Tb. butter. Add shallot and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft and have released a dark brown juice. Remove mushrooms from pan with slotted spoon. Remove juice and reserve. In the pan melt 2 Tb. butter. Add flour and stir with whisk to combine. Add mushroom liquid and continue stirring as gravy thickens. Slowly add water, stirring continually, and add bouillon and dissolve. Add cream, salt, and garlic. At this point mushrooms may be added to gravy or served on the side.

Belgian Liege Waffles

Please make these. Please!

It really is so important that is deserved some italics. I was at the farmer's market a couple of weeks ago buying some birthday gifts. (Hand lettered quotes, sinceyouwondered) I was with Brittany and she mentioned that the waffle stand there sells amazingly delicious waffles. She was explaining why they are better than regular waffles. It went something like this "They are a dough not a batter, and they have caramelized sugar on them". Say no more I have to buy one.
 OH MY! I was trying to figure out ways to convince the waffle makers to take me in, and feed me waffles for the rest of my life. When the sugar coma wore off I came to my senses and realized I would just have to learn to make them at home. Liege waffles are incredible, and a totally different beast than the waffles we usually eat. Think a brioche/croissant with sugar caramelized all over while it cooks, and you are close.
I feel a new General Conference tradition in the making.

** This recipe does come with a warning. It makes your waffle iron a mess. It's worth it.

Liege waffles (original recipe)

2 tsp. yeast
1/3 C. warm water
2 Tb. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 C. flour
3 eggs
1 C. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional) I left this out.
1 C. Belgian pearl sugar, or sugar cubes crushed until pea size, or smaller

Mix the yeast, sugar, warm water, and salt in your Bosch (mixer) bowl, and let it develop for 15 minutes.
Add melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon (if using) and mix. Add in flour, and mix to combine. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. When the last egg is mixed in, set it aside and allow it to rise until doubled. The dough will be very thick, and sticky. No worries.
When it has doubled you are ready for the fun part. Turn on your waffle iron, I cooked mine at 3 1/2 for our Waring Pro. Fold the sugar into the dough, and then allow it to rest for 10 minutes. When the rest is over and your iron is hot put 2-3 inch balls of dough into your iron.
Enjoy with powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit, Nutella, or eat them plain. Yum!

Ice Cream "Cake"

1 (18-oz.) package Oreos

1 (½-gallon) vanilla ice cream (must be a ½ gallon)

1 jar Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge (or make your own hot fudge using the recipe below)

1 jar Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel

1 tub Cool Whip, thawed (or 1 cup heavy cream, whipped and sweetened)

Remove the ice cream from freezer to soften for 15 minutes while you crush the entire package of Oreos until they resemble coarse crumbs.  Place 2/3-3/4 of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9X13 pan.  Reserve remaining 1/4-1/3 Oreo crumbs.  Carefully spoon the ice cream onto the top of the Oreo crumbs.  Smooth the top of the ice cream.  Heat the hot fudge and caramel, and drizzle desired amounts on top of ice cream (I usually use about 1/3 cup of each topping).  Place cake in freezer for a couple hours, or until ice cream and toppings are frozen.  Remove from freezer and spread Cool Whip or whipped cream over top of cake.  Sprinkle remaining Oreo crumbs over Cool Whip, and return to freezer until frozen and ready to serve.

Note:  If you’d like to decorate the cake with decorator gel icing, then do not garnish with remaining Oreo crumbs.  Return to freezer after spreading Cool Whip.  When Cool Whip is firm, remove from freezer and decorate.  Return to freezer until ready to serve.

Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

¼ C. butter

9 Tbsp. cocoa

Dash salt

2 C. sugar

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add cocoa and salt; mix well.  Stir in sugar, and then add evaporated milk.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a fork.  Continue to boil and stir for 7-10 minutes until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Serve warm over ice cream.