Homemade Dulce de Leche

I'm not sure why I've put this off for so long...

I saw a post on my favorite cupcake blog, Cupcake Project, where she made the simplest version of dulce de leche I have ever seen! And the best part? I didn't even have to stir!

All I needed:

1. One {or two} cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
2. Crockpot filled with Water

Yup - that's it! Well, and 8 hours!

I placed my can of condensed milk (with the paper wrapper removed) in my crockpot...completely covered the can with water...and turned it on low. 8 hours later, I woke up to this smooth, rich and creamy dulce de leche!

I have never had the homemade version and wasn't a big fan of store bought, but if I was going to trust anyone, it was going to be Steph from Cupcake Project. And, she was right! It's quite wonderful, actually...besides the incredible texture, the flavor is of caramel, only less sweet and creamier. My husband hit the nail on the head when he said it tastes like a Werther's Original.

I've been eating spoonfuls all morning long! ;) Have a happy Tuesday!

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Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Homemade Chicken Stock

It's stock day!

I typically use the equivalent of 3 store bought cartons of chicken stock each week, so making my own just makes more sense. {Plus I get about 4 cups of chicken I can throw into dishes or make chicken salad with during the week. Having cooked chicken on hand is such a time saver and I don't have to worry about any sodium or preservatives in the chicken this way!}

The first time I made stock, I couldn't believe how easy it really is! Here's my process:

First, I gather all my ingredients.

• Whole chicken, skin removed and cut in pieces.
• Whole onion, cut in half.
• 10 celery stalks, cut in half.
• 2 cups of carrots
• 4 cloves of garlic, skins removed.
• Thyme and Peppercorns, for flavor

I then throw everything into my stock pot and just cover it with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

*See this gunk?*

After about 5 minutes of simmering, I skim the top with a large spoon to remove all that. I return to do the same thing about every 20 minutes or so.

Let it simmer for 45 minutes, then take out the chicken pieces. Let them cool slightly {so the chicken can be handled} and remove most of the meat. I place mine in a plastic container and refrigerate until I'm ready to use it...if you're not sure all chicken will be used within the next 4 days or so, freeze it! It'll still be super easy to just throw into dishes! Good idea: Make a huge chicken pot pie or casserole for dinner - that tends to use up a lot of chicken at one time!

{Ahhh...the smell of simmering stock perfumes the house better than baking bread!}

Put the bones back into your simmering stock. Leave it alone {other than the occasional fat skimming} for 3 hours. When the stock has reached a rich, golden color and has reduced by half, it is done! Strain to separate the liquid from veg and bone. Let the stock cool...then pour into plastic containers. It can be refrigerated up to a week, or frozen for up the 3 months.

I think the little work required for stock is so worth it! Not only is it richer in flavor and color than what you can buy in the store, you also know exactly what's going into it...because YOU put it there! Another great thing about making your own is you can add ingredients not typically used to enhance flavor. Last week, I saved my rubbery asparagus ends and threw those in! You could do the same with cauliflower/broccoli stalks, mushrooms, parsnips, etc.

{See how much it has reduced! Yum!}

I hope you're enjoying your weekend! Yay for Stockday... {ahem} I mean Sunday! ;)

Perfect Chicken Salad

i.heart.chicken.salad.

There's nothing better on toasted bread...period.

While I was in culinary school, I interned under Chef Fred Amato - a known Italian chef in the Myrtle Beach area who decided after many years in the uber busy restaurant world to slow down a bit and open a small Italian deli. I was lucky enough to spend a year under his wing learning techniques and recipes he had perfected over time.

One of his more popular sandwiches was his chicken salad. I could literally make it in my sleep!! His recipe is BY FAR the most flavorful traditional chicken salad I've ever tasted - and I've had tons of chicken salad!

So, would you like for me to share? It's quite simple...and I bet you have everything in your fridge right now!

• 2 cups of shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
• Splash worcestershire sauce
• Splash hot sauce
• Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup-1 cup mayo
• Season salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste

Start by boiling your eggs - I use Martha Stewart's no fail plan: cover eggs with water in a pot, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, take pot off of burner and let sit for 15 minutes, put eggs in ice water bath to cool. And voila! Perfect hard boiled eggs {never a green ring} every time!

As far as the chicken goes, I only ever use one of two options - either a bought rotisserie chicken or a roasted chicken from my oven - and I always use both white and dark meat. We usually have leftovers from the night before's dinner, so I just use that. Shred the chicken in a large bowl. Add diced onion, celery and hard boiled egg and combine. Add worcestershire, hot sauce {I

like Siracha}, mustard and seasonings. Combine those ingredients.

I was super excited when Hellman's came out with an Olive Oil version of their mayo!! And, the best part is it tastes good...like I can't tell a difference! Plus, it's a great option for my family's health - what could be better!?! I say to have anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a full cup of mayo ready to go. I start with a 1/2 cup and just add more {one tbsp at a time} to the mixture until I've reached the perfect consistency. Remember, you can always add more, but once it's in there, you can't take away...so, be careful because there's nothing worse than soggy chicken salad!

Easy as pie, right? I like to let mine sit for at least an hour before serving, just so all the flavors can marinate together. Serve on toasted bread, a buttery croissant or your favorite bagel. You'll love it!

Can you believe we're only 1 1/2 days away from 2011? Ahh!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

English Toffee Pie

Gooey Butter Cake

Have you ever heard of this or tired to make one? I have not, that is until Christmas night after my son had passed out from playing so hard all day long. My husband and I were veggin' out with the Food Network on and Miss Paawla Dean {done in my very best southern belle accent} was working away on this cake.

There's not much in the sweets world that I haven't heard of, so it peaked my interest and I ran to the store for the few ingredients I didn't have on hand.

Click HERE if you'd like to see her recipe on foodnetwork.com. It's super easy with a short list of ingredients!

So first of all,

cake does not have a crust and my OCD not only made me half the batter and bake in two pie dishes, it also pushed me to change the name. I'm calling this English Toffee Pie! :)

Secondly,

this is SO easy! I literally had everything in my pantry other than the cake mix and it took me less time to get this pie made than it did for me to load the dishwasher when I was done!

Lastly,

this.pie.is.outrageously.scrumptious.

Like, I never want to stop tasting that taste or chewing that soft, buttery, gooey, chocolaty, salty, yummy, magical fabulousness!

If you hadn't had this, go try it now! Remember, we all have a few more days before we have to start our diets...so indulge one last time! This is sooooooooo worth it!

Gingerbread Marshmallows

Ohhh Emmm Geeee!

Have you tried Gingerbread Marshmallows? How can I describe them...looking for the perfect word... SCRUMDIDLYUMPTOUS should work! ;)

And, they really taste like gingerbread! I mean, I had to put them away in my pantry before I could stop eating them! {I have a major sweet tooth and N.O. self control!} For lunch today, I made a Twice Baked Stuffed Sweet Potato and replaced regular marshmallows with these. Sooo good!

Besides snacking on them alone and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, they would also be great in:

• Mexican Hot Chocolate
• Holiday Rice Crispy Treats and Fudge
• Topping for Sweet Potato or Carrot Casserole
• Sweet Potato Balls
• Frosting and Fondant for Cakes
• Cupcake or Cookie Toppers

They are also super cute - cut into little gingerbread men shapes! You could even decorate them with edible ink pens! I bought a bag last night and have planned quite a few recipes including

them! Mmmm mmmm!

Making Life A Little Sweeter

I have found something {a little something} that truly makes peeling myself out of the warm, cozy, king size bed COMPLETELY worth it...well, that is other than my son's cutie pie face! ;)

I decided one morning after seeing this tip on Food Network to spice my morning coffee with a little cinnamon - getting into the Christmas spirit, ya know! I just mixed about a teaspoon's worth of cinnamon right in with my coffee grounds before I brewed! {I was making 4 cups that morning...you may want to add more if you're making a larger pot} And, it was DE-lish! It adds a little spice, but more of a depth to the coffee flavor than anything.

This is my kind of math equation!

I have since made it one time without the cinnamon...let's just say I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back to a regular cup of joe! Small things like this is what makes life a little sweeter! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Jade

Stuffed Marshmallow Pops

Yes, you read that right...I made Mexican Hot Chocolate Stuffed Marshmallows!

My Bunco group has their annual Christmas Party this Saturday and although I was given the "main dish" card, I also planned to bring something cute and sweet. So, I wanted to do Coconut

Marsh Pops {or what I'm calling "Snowball Pops"} but I was worried about them being overwhelmingly sweet with the sugary marshmallows, white chocolate and coconut. The

more I thought, the more I wanted to stuff them...

Wanting to counter act the sweetness, I decided to go with a mixture of dark chocolate, balsamic

vinegar and cinnamon. After combining those with a little heavy whipping cream and melting it in a double broiler, I threw the batch into the fridge for about an hour or until hardened.

Here they are after I stuffed them...they kind of looked like stuffed mushrooms before I added the sucker stick, huh?

To prep the marshmallows, I took a sharp paring knife and carved out the center of each marshmallow. When the ganache had hardened, I scooped half a teaspoon out and molded it {quickly} into an oval shape with my fingers. I then stuffed the molded ganache into the hollowed marshmallow. When each had been stuffed, I placed a sucker stick into the center and refrigerated for 30 minutes.

When the ganache had re-hardened, I dipped each pop into melted white chocolate and rolled them in shredded coconut.

The results are UH-MAZING! The dark chocolate gave the pops a bitterness that paired perfectly with the super sweet marshmallows and the cinnamon gave them a warmth that's just right for the holidays! Although they are a little time consuming, they're so worth it! Not to mention, they would be a cah-ute Christmas gift for that person who's hard to buy for!

Jade

Sweet Potato Souffle Cupcake

As far back as I can remember, my favorite part of the holidays was the food...and my favorite part of dinner was Sweet Potato Souffle!

Ever since I started baking, this recipe has been in the back of my mind - I just kept telling myself I'd try it when I had a free day. Well, between orders and just life itself that day never came...until today, that is!

Sweet Potato Souffle Cupcake

This is a super light sweet potato cake with hints of cinnamon and brown sugar topped with a marshmallow meringue toasted under the broiler.

Can I just say "Mmmmmm Mmmm Mmmmmmmm!!!" If you like sweet potatoes, you'll LOVE this cupcake!

This flavor is perfect for the holidays! Order a dozen and let Sweet Street take a little stress away from your dinner preparations! Email orders to sweetstreetsc@aol.com.

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes

Apple Bread Pudding

~ New Recipe Alert ~So, I am completely and utterly in love with fall. Not only is the weather great, but the food is amazing! There's honestly nothing better than the scent of fall...I mean, can you think of one? Nah, didn't think so! ;)

I have been craving chili's, soups, stews - really anything and everything that screams fall! (Last week I made a pumpkin and apple bisque that was dEE-lish!!) But, this week I really wanted to do something sweet... and what's more mouthwatering than Bread Pudding?

Uh, maybe APPLE BREAD PUDDING!

Here's the recipe I came up with:
{Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe found here.}

6 cups or 1 loaf of Apple Fritter Bread, cubed
{I found this in my Walmart's bakery section, but cinnamon raisin bread would work just as well!}
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 cup of White Raisins
2 cups of Heavy Cream
1 cup of Milk (whichever % you have on hand)
1 cup of Apple Juice
4 Large Eggs
1 cup of Light Brown Sugar
2 tbsp of Unsalted Butter, melted
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp of Apple Pie Spice
1/2 tsp of Salt

Whipped Cream and Toasted Walnuts
{Toppings}

In a large bowl, beat eggs - add cream, milk, juice, sugar, vanilla, spices and salt - mix well - add bread, apples and raisins - pour into a greased baking dish and cover with plastic wrap - place in refrigerator until bread has soaked up most of liquid (30 mins- 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 350 - when it comes to temperature, remove plastic wrap and place your dish in the center of your oven - bake for 1 hour, or until the top is brown and the center has set.
{Remember, if you use your convection setting the baking time will need to decrease. I'd start checking after about 40 mins.}
Let the pudding cool for about 10 mins before serving. Top with a fresh dollop of whip cream and toasted walnuts.

This recipe is perfect for setting a fall mood at any dinner's end and is even elegant enough to serve at your holiday get-togethers!

{Tip: For a more Christmas feel, replace white raisins with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts with sugared pecans!!}

Happy Baking!

Jade Cahoon
Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes