Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

This is my very favorite hummus. And it's really easy!

You will need:

• 1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• about 3/4 cup roasted red peppers

Put everything in the blender and blend! To make pita chips, cut each piece of pita bread into six triangle-shaped pieces and toast in the toaster oven for about five minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens. Instead of 'cooking oil,' though, I use a mixture of butter and coconut oil, or just butter. These cookies are really fun and really chocolatey.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup butter (or 3/8 cup butter & 1/8 cup coconut oil)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, granulated sugar, melted chocolate, butter/oil, baking powder, and vanilla extract. I have never actually used melted chocolate in this recipe. I have always substituted cocoa powder and butter for it. But next time, I will try it. :) Beat these ingredients on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in the flour. If you can't use the mixer to beat in all of the flour, use a wooden spoon to combine the rest in. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours or until the dough is easy to handle.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet. Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in powdered sugar to coat them generously. Place the balls 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet.
3. Bake the cookies about 10 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops are dry. Do not overbake. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool. Should make about 36 cookies. If you want more cookies, you can shape the dough into 1/2-inch balls and bake them for about 8 minutes. This will give you about 72 cookies.

Chocolate Roll Cake

Also known as "The Birthday Cake" to a friend and myself, this is a really fun chocolate cake that looks festive. The recipe for it came from a KitchenAid cookbook: KitchenAid: Great Baking and More, and my friend's mom used to make it for her every birthday while she was living at home. The KitchenAid stand mixer comes in really handy for this one.

Cake Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Whipped Cream Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp sugar

1. Whip egg yolks on speed 8 (that's high) until they are light and lemon-colored, about 2 minutes. Continuing on speed 8, gradually sprinkle in 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 2 more minutes. Remove the mixture from the bowl and set aside.
2. Whip egg whites in clean mixer bowl on speed 8 until the whites begin to hold shape. Continuing on speed 8, gradually sprinkle in remaining sugar, whipping until stiff but not dry.
3. Fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites. I still don't totally have that folding thing down. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder together. Fold into egg mixture.
4. Line a 10-1/2 x 15-1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper and grease. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately turn onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove wax paper, and roll cake and towel together. Cool completely.
5. To make whipped cream filling, whip cream and vanilla extract on speed 8 until it begins to thicken. Gradually sprinkle in sugar, and whip until it's stiff.
6. When the cake has cooled, unroll it and spread it with whipped cream filling. Reroll the cake and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar (or more whipped cream filling :)).

Truffles!

Easy to make, and very rewarding!

Basic Ingredients:

• 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional Alternative Flavorings (substitue for vanilla extract):

• 1-2 Tbsp amaretto
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 bunch mint leaves, stems removed, chopped, about 1 cup
• 1 cinnamon stick & 2 cardamom pods
• 2-3 drops essential oil (such as lavender or mandarin orange)

Truffle Coating Ideas:

• dark cocoa powder
• finely chopped nuts
• large-grain salt & sugar
• dipping chocolate

Heat whipping cream in double-boiler. Alternatively, if you don't have a double-boiler, bring whipping cream to a very low simmer in a saucepan. If you are using a flavoring other than vanilla extract, add it to the cream. If you are using a solid flavoring, such as the mint leaves or cinnamon & cardamom, remove the cream from the heat after it simmers, and let it steep for an hour. Strain the solid ingredients out, and return the cream to a low simmer.

Add the chocolate and vanilla extract to the double-boiler, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to cool, and refrigerate the mixture for two hours.

After refrigerating, roll out teaspoon-sized balls from the mixture. I did this by using a small melon-baller and then rolling the balls in my hand to make them round. If you do this, try to hold them for as little time as possible, because they will begin to melt. Put all of the truffle balls on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and chill overnight (overnight is ideal, but I was only able to chill them for a couple of hours, because I was pressed for time, and it worked okay).

Take them out and roll them in your cocoa powder, nuts, or salt/sugar, or dip them in your melted dipping chocolate. My favorite combination was dark chocolate (vanilla extract only) truffles coated in salt and sugar. Sooo good! This recipe should make between 30 and 40 truffles.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Just the Way I Like Them

For the longest time, my chocolate chip cookies would flatten out and be too crunchy. I have always liked those soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies that you can buy at some places, but I don't like some of the ingredients they use. I decided that I needed to embark on a quest for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that produced the results that I like best. I experimented for a while with different little changes to see what I could come up with. This recipe is the closest thing I have to 'my own recipe', and I'm a little proud of it. The cookies turn out pretty, they have a slightly crunchy crust, and they are soft and chewy on the inside. I know that everyone has a different idea of a perfect chocolate chip cookie, but I have finally found mine!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter (at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Beat butter and coconut oil on high speed until blended (about 30 seconds). Add the next four dry ingredients and beat until well-blended. You can substitute a gluten-free flour here if you want. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until everything is well-combined. Mix in flour. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour (I think this is a real key).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put rounded, large walnut-sized, drops of dough on ungreased insulated cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 9 minutes, until they are brownish on the outside. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes outside the oven before transferring them to a cooling rack. This recipe should make around 44 cookies.

Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (with Gluten-Free Alternative)

These cupcakes are REALLY GOOD! And I'm pretty picky about chocolate cake. I love the ganache on top, and I could (and have) just eat it by the spoonful. This recipe is adapted from a Julia Child cookbook, but she uses espresso in the cake. To make a gluten-free flour alternative, mix 1 part tapioca flour, 2 parts potato flour, and 6 parts rice flour (by weight). You can then just substitute it straight for the bread flour.

Cupcakes:

• 7 oz. dark chocolate
• 3 oz. butter
• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt the dark chocolate with the butter in a double boiler. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With a mixer in another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar for about two minutes, until the mixture has tripled in volume. Slowly drizzle the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisking it while drizzling until they are mostly combined. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. (I still haven't really gotten the art of folding down yet.) Pour the batter into about 18 cupcake liners and bake for about 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 oz. dark chocolate

Melt melt chocolate with other ingredients in a double boiler. Cool at room temperature for an hour or two. Just kidding, who has the patience for this?? You can put the pot from the double boiler in a bowl of ice water to cool it off way faster. Stir it while it's cooling. Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread the ganache on, and try not to eat them all in one night!

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe comes straight from Emeril on the Food Network website. I pretty much stick to the original recipe on this one. I start craving this soup once fall arrives, and it never fails me. I made it a month or so ago, but it's taken me while to get around to posting.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, about 2 lbs.
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-1/2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp finely minced jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash, and cut it into 1-inch pieces. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute and then add squash, jalapeno pepper, and veggie stock (okay, Emeril calls for chicken stock). Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender (I LOVE my immersion blender) or transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Return to the heat; add the cream and adjust the seasonings. He calls for topping it off with a shrimp salsa here, but I skip that. Yum!