On the Hunt for a Good Fudgesicle Recipe

I'm sure I've mentioned that I watch my calories, but it's summer, it's hot, and now and then I need a cold treat. My local grocery store (in fact all my local grocery stores, and there are many of them) stopped carrying Popsicle brand Fudgesicles in the low-fat 60 calorie variety (I like those, because they fit my calorie requirements, they don't have artificial sweeteners and they're only the half-size, single pops, not the doubles). So, I was stuck.

I decided that it was time to make my own, so I am now on a hunt for the best recipe. I tried this one, and it was pretty good (I went a little too heavy on the vanilla, but I can adjust that).
http://www.food.com/recipe/fudge-popsicles-fudgesicles-272235

But I still want to try some others. Maybe this one:

These Nutella ones sound delicious, but I'm avoiding them for the same reason I avoid Nutella (lots of calories, and if I have it in the house, I'm not sure I have the will power to avoid eating more than I should). I'm still posting it in case someone else wants to try it.

Here's another variation of the fudge pop. This one uses semi-sweet chocolate chips in addition to cocoa powder. http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/creamy-fudgesicles/

And...one more: http://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2014/06/10/homemade-fudgesicles/

I used 3 ounce paper cups the first time and peeled the paper away, but that wasn't easy (the paper stuck), so I may have to invest in some silicone molds. I've heard that those are the easiest ones to use (the separation is easier). These have gotten good reviews, but they're a bit pricey and that's a bit of an odd shape. We'll see.

I do like the idea of being able to control the amount I put in the molds. 

Wish me luck!

Gummy Bears

If you haven't already heard, last week Hans Reigel, of gummy bear fame and the son of the founder of Haribo confectionery, passed away. I suppose candy isn't a major deal when we look at the big picture of life, but those little bears have provided lots of fun to children (and adults) everywhere. They've become an institution, so in honor of Hans Reigel, here are some gummy bear images.

This one, by Tau Zero, is titled Gummy Bears Shouldn't Try to Play Hacky Sack

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A giant gummy bear made of gummy bears

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A gummy bear layer cake

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This is from the Raspberri Cupcakes site, which has lots of gorgeous, fun, delicious recipes.

And then, of course, there's the world's largest gummy bear (not sure if this is in any way associated with Haribo, but it does exist and can be purchased at the Vat 19 website).

(The world's largest gummy bear, shown above, weighs 5 pounds, is 9.5 inches tall and has a 6,120 calorie count. Wow)! 

How to Make a Quick Watermelon Smoothie (in a big way)

I just returned home today from a week's vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine (the blog was set up to post ahead of time and I checked in to see comments), so I'm not quite on target yet for new posts. The video below is a week old and has many views already, so my apologies if you've seen it already, but it was intriguing enough that I wanted to post it.

I love odd stuff, and while I'm not sure I'll be doing it anytime soon, I do like the results.

Pre-Valentine's Chocolate

I just had oral surgery, so I'm on a soft diet for a few days. Not fun, but I can still have chocolate pudding.

This photo is actually of Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse (yum!) which I don't have the recipe to, but it looks so good and I love the Valentine's Day red. Sometimes looking is almost as good as eating.

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And for a quick microwave pudding (which got rave reviews on allrecipes.com), click here. 

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day just wouldn't be the same without conversation hearts. You can buy the commercial variety (below):

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...or, here's an Instructable on how to make your own.

Snoball Cookies by Olive Us

This fun little video of three sisters making snoball cookies made me smile.

I'm Hungry: Snoball Cookies from Olive Us on Vimeo.

Here's the link to the recipe from the Olive Us site.

If You Like M. C. Escher...

Many years ago my then boyfriend (now husband) gave me a book filled with M. C. Escher's work. I was fascinated, hooked, excited.

Jump to the here and now, and I still have that book, but it's been awhile since I've looked at it or even thought about Escher's genius. So today when I found an Instructable on how to make Escher cookies, I was fascinated all over again and went looking for Escher-inspired or Escher-like work or...images that were manipulated to have that Escher feel. (Note: I've included the links to the images below, because some of them came with explanations). (And I've included the video and link for the cookies at the end).

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This is a staircase at the University of Chicago. The angle it was taken at does give it that Escher aura.

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And, as promised above, here is the video of the cookies...

...and the link to the list of ingredients.

My New Passion: Baking Bread in 5 Minutes

I've always wanted to bake bread, but...I'm a bit of a lazy cook. I know that kneading bread is supposed to be therapeutic, but I'm not on a search for therapy. I want bread. Still, when I bought Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoë François I was skeptical. Very skeptical, despite the many positive reviews on Amazon.

Well, no more skepticism here. I've only just started, but my first two loaves of bread came out perfect (and fast). There's no kneading involved, and while the 5 minutes doesn't include resting time and baking time, it's pretty much the actual time spent working with the dough (quickly stirring together water, yeast, salt and flour and then later shaping it into a loaf). Also, since this dough makes enough for 4 1-pound loaves and is refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, loaves 2, 3 and 4 are even faster since the mixing has already been done.

National Cheese Pizza Day

Being from Chicago, I grew up eating pizza and I love it. All kinds of pizza. Thick. Thin. With green peppers, onions and mushrooms. But now and then, I just want a plain piece of cheese pizza. Delicious!

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Here's a quick video on how to make a 4-cheese pizza.

And the instructions that were beneath the YouTube video:

Four Cheese Pizza Recipe with Dough and Sauce From Scratch

Ingredients:

Dough:
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup 110 degree water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package yeast

Sauce:
14 oz. diced tomato
6 oz. tomato paste
1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Italian herb blend
4 cloves garlic chopped

Toppings:
4 oz. fresh mozzarella
4 oz. grated mozzarella
2 oz. grated asiago
2 oz. grated parmesan + 2 tablespoons for garnish

Preparation:

Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 package yeast to 1 cup 110 degree water
Wait 10 minutes until foamy

Add yeast mixture to flour olive oil and salt. Mix and knead 5 minutes.
Cover for 1 hour in coated bowl.
Knead 5 minutes.
Cut into half - this makes 2 - 16" pizzas
Roll into thin dough

Combine ingredients for sauce, simmer for 30 minutes and then cool to room temperature

Preheat oven to 550 degrees

Cover dough with sauce and cheese. Bake at 550 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes until cheese is bubbling

Remove, slice and garnish with parmesan cheese and dried Italian herbs.

Cooking an Omelette, Japanese Style

I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by these cooking videos (maybe for the same reason I like cooking shows on television. It's more fun to watch than to do it myself), but this is an interesting way to make an omelette. (As for the spelling, in the US, we drop the te at the end--as in omelet--but I'm sticking to the spelling on the video).

Junk Food That's Good for You - Kale Chips

I've been on a kale chip binge lately. Here's how to make them. (I streamlined this process a bit more than she did here by using spray oil--and I don't coat them. I just lightly spray the pan and lightly spray the kale.  Also, I sprinkle mine with a little Parmesan cheese before baking. You could use all kinds of seasonings. Play with it a little). These are delicious, healthy and low in calories. (Also, I use foil on the bottom of the pan, to make cleanup easier, but you can skip that part if you like).

Ribboned Asparagus Salad: a Work of Art

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to these cooking films by Tiger in a Jar. They're more art than film, almost like a dance with food. And while this one wasn't my favorite (the lighting seemed a bit off, perhaps intentionally?), there are so few of these films that I savored every second. I love the simplicity, the fact that making the dish becomes an event in itself. Enjoy!

My Kind of Recipe

I'm not much of a cook. Really. I'm more the "I cook so that we won't all starve to death" type. But sometimes, occasionally (rarely), when I have time and find something interesting to make, I enjoy the process. I think I would enjoy it more if there were videos like this for each recipe. (I may have mentioned this before, but if you click off the HD on these Vimeo videos, they seem to take less time to load and play).

How To Make Dill Deviled Eggs from Joshua Harding on Vimeo.

Dill deviled eggs, anyone?