Quick and easy desserts are slowly becoming my "thing". My two year old has turned three, and now we're going to school at the library three times a week. My husband is back working a normal human schedule, which means dinner at a set time each night. I just don't have the time to stand over an oven for two hours making homemade chocolate fudge. Luckily for me, I don't have to.
I discovered this recipe when I had a sudden craving for chocolate fudge on a weeknight, and no time to go the corn syrup route.
Ingredients:
1 can condensed sweetened milk
1 package milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla flavoring
In a medium saucepan, bring the condensed milk to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add in sugar, stir until dissolved. Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and smooth. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Chill 2 hours. Slice and enjoy!
Tips:
* You can use semi-sweet chips if you like a slightly more bitter flavor. I don't. The sweeter the better!
*Yes, you HAVE to stir the milk constantly, or it will burn. You don't necessarily have to make it simmer, but it does have to be hot enough to dissolve the sugar. Which brings me to my next point...
*Dissolve the sugar!!! It takes a few minutes, but if you don't, the fudge will be crunchy and grainy. Not tasty at all. To see if it is dissolved, take a metal spoon and dip it in. If you can see grains, it isn't done yet. If you still aren't sure, taste some. If you can feel grains in your mouth, it needs more time.
*Pouring this into an unlined pan is not going to work, even if you butter it so much that Mrs. Paula herself would lick it. I like parchment paper for anything that is hot. Wax paper works for cold foods, but not this fudge. When wax paper comes into contact with heat, even from food, the wax melts and makes your food taste like a candle.
*One note on vanilla: real vanilla extract is much stronger than imitation. This recipe uses real vanilla, so if you are using imitation, double it.
Good luck and good cooking!
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Goguma Mondoo
I was bored the other night, and perusing sites to find some more Korean recipes, when I came across a recipe for sweet potato donuts. "Yum! I love sweet potatoes!" I said to myself as I whipped up the recipe in my kitchen at eight in the evening.
They were terrible. I don't know if I did something wrong, or it's one of those "acquired taste" Korean dishes, but it was chewy, grainy, and way too doughy.
But I do love sweet potatoes (called goguma in Korean), and I did want something sweet. So today, I decided to get inventive and combined wonton wrappers and mashed sweet potato to make goguma mondoo. It turned out great!
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
24 wonton wrappers
butter/margarine
water
salt (optional)
Steam your sweet potato cubes, then mash well. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat, and melt enough butter to coat the bottom. Spoon about 1 tsp of sweet potato mixture into each wonton square. Using your finger, wet two sides of the wonton and fold into a triangle. Fry the wontons in the butter for two minutes on each side, or until they turn golden brown. If desired, sprinkle with a pinch of salt before serving warm.
Tips
*Brown sugar and white sugar are two different things. Though you can use regular white sugar for this recipe, be aware that it takes longer to melt and may produce a grainier texture.
*You may use more or less filling, depending on your taste. Less filling is less sweet, so it would work for savory uses, such as a side dish with a family dinner. More filling is more sweet, so it works best as a dessert.
*Don't fry these in oil, or deep fry them. The wontons get their flavor from whatever they are fried in. With oil, that just means a greasy taste and feel
*Basically anything can be fried in wontons and taste amazing. Just remember that you should plan on using ingredients that are already cooked if you want to take less time. Raw meats can be used in wontons (and make a dish called mondoo when cooked) but they take longer, and are more unpredictable. For this reason, I only use ground beef in my wontons for savory dishes. Pork and chicken are too risky for me.
Good luck and good cooking!
They were terrible. I don't know if I did something wrong, or it's one of those "acquired taste" Korean dishes, but it was chewy, grainy, and way too doughy.
But I do love sweet potatoes (called goguma in Korean), and I did want something sweet. So today, I decided to get inventive and combined wonton wrappers and mashed sweet potato to make goguma mondoo. It turned out great!
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
24 wonton wrappers
butter/margarine
water
salt (optional)
Steam your sweet potato cubes, then mash well. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat, and melt enough butter to coat the bottom. Spoon about 1 tsp of sweet potato mixture into each wonton square. Using your finger, wet two sides of the wonton and fold into a triangle. Fry the wontons in the butter for two minutes on each side, or until they turn golden brown. If desired, sprinkle with a pinch of salt before serving warm.
Tips
*Brown sugar and white sugar are two different things. Though you can use regular white sugar for this recipe, be aware that it takes longer to melt and may produce a grainier texture.
*You may use more or less filling, depending on your taste. Less filling is less sweet, so it would work for savory uses, such as a side dish with a family dinner. More filling is more sweet, so it works best as a dessert.
*Don't fry these in oil, or deep fry them. The wontons get their flavor from whatever they are fried in. With oil, that just means a greasy taste and feel
*Basically anything can be fried in wontons and taste amazing. Just remember that you should plan on using ingredients that are already cooked if you want to take less time. Raw meats can be used in wontons (and make a dish called mondoo when cooked) but they take longer, and are more unpredictable. For this reason, I only use ground beef in my wontons for savory dishes. Pork and chicken are too risky for me.
Good luck and good cooking!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Pineapple upside down cake
I don't measure often when I bake. After doing certain recipes for a long time, I just know what it should look like, and you will too. That being said, hopefully this recipe for one of my favorite cakes will work okay for you!
Ingredients:
2 cups self rising flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can sliced pineapple (including liquid)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
butter or margarine
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by using the butter to coat the bottom of the cake pan. Next, sprinkle a thin layer of brown sugar on top. Lay the pineapple slices on the brown sugar. Sprinkle on the remaining brown sugar. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Next, pour in the pineapple liquid, milk, vanilla, and egg. Stir well. Pour into pan and gently shake to remove air bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Tips:
*Brown sugar gets hard as a brick if you leave it in the refrigerator. To soften it, put some in a microwaveable dish and microwave for about 15 seconds.
*I grease my pan with shortening, but if you don't have it laying around, butter or margarine work fine.
*Use a large, rectangular pan. Pineapple upside down cake is not going to make a 2 layer cake.
*Like I said before, I'm estimating on the liquid. You also may get a different amount in your pineapple than I did. So if your cake mixture looks like cookie dough (too dry) add more milk. If it looks more like bread dough (too moist) add some flour.
*Shake the cake before you put it in the oven. If you don't, the air bubbles baking inside can cause the cake to fall. Since you don't use icing on this cake, you can't just fill it up with that to make it look even.
*Never open your oven door while baking a cake. The sudden rush of cool air can cause the cake to fall. My mom always told me to walk carefully when cooking, as running and hard footsteps make a cake fall as well. I have a toddler who never sits still, so I can call that myth busted.
Good luck and good cooking!
Ingredients:
2 cups self rising flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can sliced pineapple (including liquid)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
butter or margarine
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by using the butter to coat the bottom of the cake pan. Next, sprinkle a thin layer of brown sugar on top. Lay the pineapple slices on the brown sugar. Sprinkle on the remaining brown sugar. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Next, pour in the pineapple liquid, milk, vanilla, and egg. Stir well. Pour into pan and gently shake to remove air bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Tips:
*Brown sugar gets hard as a brick if you leave it in the refrigerator. To soften it, put some in a microwaveable dish and microwave for about 15 seconds.
*I grease my pan with shortening, but if you don't have it laying around, butter or margarine work fine.
*Use a large, rectangular pan. Pineapple upside down cake is not going to make a 2 layer cake.
*Like I said before, I'm estimating on the liquid. You also may get a different amount in your pineapple than I did. So if your cake mixture looks like cookie dough (too dry) add more milk. If it looks more like bread dough (too moist) add some flour.
*Shake the cake before you put it in the oven. If you don't, the air bubbles baking inside can cause the cake to fall. Since you don't use icing on this cake, you can't just fill it up with that to make it look even.
*Never open your oven door while baking a cake. The sudden rush of cool air can cause the cake to fall. My mom always told me to walk carefully when cooking, as running and hard footsteps make a cake fall as well. I have a toddler who never sits still, so I can call that myth busted.
Good luck and good cooking!
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