Month: December 2017

Salted Caramel Fudge

Happy Holidays! This week, I finished my final exams and I’m officially in full holiday mode. I’m so ready for Christmas. It’s such a fun time of the year, filled with friends, family, traditions and sweet treats. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making fudge. Every Christmas, my mom and I made chocolate fudge and it’s a tradition that I have continued in my own home.

This year, I put a fun spin on our standard recipe and dreamed up this decadent Salted Caramel Fudge. Typically, my mom and I make The Original Fantasy Fudge recipe. To make my Salted Caramel Fudge, I simply melted down some caramel candies, added salt and swirled the melted salted caramel into the fudge mixture. Combined, the saltiness of the caramel balances out the rich sweetness of the chocolate. The two ingredients are a match made in heaven. I gifted this fudge to my co-workers and they loved it!

Print Recipe
 Salted Caramel Fudge
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9x13- inch pan with butter.
  2. Unwrap all of your caramels and set them aside.
  3. In a large pot, melt down the butter, add in 2/3 cup of evaporated milk, 3 cups of white sugar and stir together over medium heat. Continue stirring and bring the mixture to a full boil for 5 minutes. Do not stop stirring!
  4. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Add in the marshmallow fluff and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Set the fudge on the stove over low heat to keep it warm while you make the caramel sauce.
  5. To make the caramel sauce, microwave your caramels in a microwave safe bowl, following the directions on the bag. Once melted, add in ½ tsp of salt. Mix until combined.
  6. Pour the fudge into the greased 9x13 pan and then drizzle in the melted caramel, over top of the fudge. Using a fork, swirl the caramel throughout the fudge. Lastly, sprinkle the salted caramel fudge with some coarse ground salt for extra saltiness and a bit of flare! Let the fudge set for a couple of hours before cutting.
Recipe Notes

Note: If you refrigerate the fudge, the caramel will get hard and it eats like a praline. For a more chewy caramel, leave the fudge out on the counter at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past week has been insane. Not only have I been extremely busy, but I’m also trying to knock this awful cold. I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick, all I want to do is to chill in front of the TV and take a nap. Unfortunately, that’s not a choice for me this week. It’s my last week of classes and I have to wrap up all of my school work to turn in before the end of the semester. So I am continuing to push through and keep reminding myself that this time next week, I will be on winter break.

But what do we do when we are feeling stressed? Stress less and cook more. I took a mental health break the other night and baked some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I would argue that I’m actually a better baker than cook. Baking is how I got my start in the kitchen. There is something so therapeutic about baking and for me it’s the perfect stress reliever. Also, there is something so comforting about a chocolate chip cookie. It’s so familiar, simple and so delicious.

This is my signature chocolate chip cookie recipe, a cross between an oatmeal raisin cookie and a traditional chocolate chip cookie. I add cinnamon and just a little bit of oats, to give it a flavor similar to that of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Another great thing about these cookies is that they are so easy to make. This recipe can be easily prepared on a weeknight, with very little effort. The end result, warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies that will make you forget all of your troubles.

Print Recipe
 Chocolate Chip Cookies
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease the cookie sheet with butter.
  2. Using a mixer, cream ½ cup of salted butter (1 stick), ¾ cup of brown sugar and ¾ cup of white sugar together.
  3. Add 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, ¾ tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of salt and mix until combined.
  4. Add 2 cups of flour to the mixture, one at a time and mix in between so that flour doesn’t get all over the place.
  5. Lastly, add ¼ cup of quick oats and 1 bag (12 oz) of milk chocolate chips.
  6. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and place in the oven. For a softer cookie, bake for 12 minutes and for a firmer cookie bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Low-Carb Italian Zucchini Boats

I have a really busy week ahead of me. Between work and prepping for finals, this week is sure to be a doozy. Lucky for me, I have these delicious Low-carb Italian Zucchini Boats prepped and sitting in the fridge, so I can just easily pop them in the microwave to reheat.

I have to admit; historically I have never liked zucchini. Over the past year, when I was on my hard-core low-carb diet, I started experimenting with zucchini and it grew on me. Zucchini has several nutritional benefits. Not only is it low in carbs, but also it’s packed with antioxidants, vitamins and is great for your heart and digestive health.

This is probably one of my favorite zucchini recipes because it has all the same great flavors of lasagna, minus the pasta. It’s a healthier alternative that is sure to please your taste buds. These zucchinis are stuffed with ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, and marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and drizzled with alfredo sauce. This recipe can also be easily converted into a vegetarian dish by simply omitting the sausage. I recommend trying this recipe on a weekend. It’s very easy to prepare, but does involve multiple steps, so it does take a little bit of time.

Print Recipe
 Low-Carb Italian Zucchini Boats
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Spray a 9x13-baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Rinse and pat dry 4 zucchinis. Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and then slice them down the center lengthwise. Slightly score the inside of the zucchinis and then scoop out the centers using a spoon. Lay the zucchinis in the baking dish, skin side down so that the scooped area is exposed. Lightly sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.
  3. While the zucchinis are baking, prepare the meat sauce. First, chop 1 sweet yellow onion. Drizzle a skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil and brown 1 lb of Italian sausage with the onion on medium-high heat. Once sausage is browned and completely cooked, add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of oregano, a dash of crushed red pepper and 1 clove of minced garlic. Let the garlic sweat. Lastly, mix in one 24 oz jar of marinara sauce into the sausage and spice mixture.
  4. After baking for 15 minutes, remove the zucchinis from the oven. Stuff the zucchinis with ricotta cheese and then pour the meat sauce over top of the zucchinis. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and then drizzle the zucchinis with half a jar, approximately 8 oz of alfredo sauce. Return the zucchinis to a 400 degree F oven and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove and let cool before serving.