Zesty Cook » cream

Simple Brown Sugar Fudge

zesty — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:23 +0000

WOW! I am exhausted! That is official. I just thought I would share that with you before we get on to a very exciting post. If you are watching your waist line you may want to browse off this post but don’t leave zesty entirely. As the holiday baking has begun I wanted to share with you yesterday’s results of some yummy brown sugar fudge. You do not need anything fancy to pull this dish off – just a few simple ingredients and a bit of time.

As you will see in the zesty tip down below, you do not even need a candy thermometer. There should be lots of fun more holiday baking recipes to come and if anyone wants to see something in particular just holler at me and let me know.

Ingredients

3 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
3/4 Cup Evaporated milk
2/3 Cup White Sugar
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup of crushed peanuts (optional)

Method

Combine all ingredients except the peanuts in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 238°F on thermometer (this will take about 30 minutes).
Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stir in the peanuts and beat until fudge is thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Spread evenly in an un greased 8-inch square baking pan.
Gently score the tops of the fudge in the sizes you want to cut.
Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes.

Zesty Tip: If you do not have a candy thermometer – you can place a teaspoon of mixture dropped into a small bowl of cold water holds a soft ball when pressed between your fingers to determine that it is complete.

So there you have it! I think you will enjoy this combination if you like fudge. I myself prefer it without peanuts but they do give it a little crunch and flavor. I am just going to head out to the grocery store and then to the house. I hope you have a great day! Hard to believe tomorrow is Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Tantalizing Beef Mushroom Pastry

zesty — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:00:02 +0000

Happy Thursday! This week is flying by and I am loving it! Today I want to share with you somewhat of a “thought up dish” in a way to incorporate beef as well as the “finger type” food at the same time.

I chose the mushroom beef pastry as it seemed like something that would be easy to eat and relatively easy to prepare. I created the filling the night before and then just warmed it through in a skillet before filling the pastry. I chose to use pre-made puff pastry and cut the slices relatively small so the pastries were manageable without the use of a fork and knife.

These were a really big hit with the group as I served them warm and let them dollop their own sour cream. Find the skinny on how to make these tantalizing beef mushroom pastries below.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Cups sirloin tip roast (cooked in the slow cooker and pulled apart)
2 Cups mixed mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 Tbsp. rosemary
1/4 Cup buttermilk
1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high.
Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, add beef pieces and dried rosemary and cook for 4 minutes.
Add buttermilk and let simmer for 5 minutes.
On a lightly floured work surface and using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the pieces fairly small.
Dividing evenly, mound mixture in the middle leaving room around the edges and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Lightly brush border with water and place another piece of pastry over filling, and press edges firmly to seal.
With a paring knife, cut 3 to 4 small slits in the top of each turnover.
Bake until golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let cool and serve turnovers with sour cream.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Slow cooking the beef adds so much dimension and texture in this dish. Prepping both the beef and all the mushrooms before hand can save a lot of time in making the filling. It literally can be a 10 minute job. As for the filling make sure the consistency is not too loose/runny as you do not want to make the pastry soggy.

Question of the day: Is the state of the economy affecting the way you buy groceries? I will have an interesting post and poll for next week regarding this topic.

Foodie News: Megan is having a very cool giveaway for some personal baking tags

I hope you have a great Thursday! I look forward as always to your comments.

Take care

zesty

5 Minute Sauteed Spinach

zesty — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:00:17 +0000

Monday is back! I hope you had a great weekend. I had a busy yet productive couple days. I was able to complete some tasks that have been on the to do list for a very long time. As well, I spent some quality time with the family which is always great.

Todays recipe is killer easy and super tasty – well if you like spinach of course. I am a huge fan of spinach so when I make this dish, there is rarely any leftovers. This recipe also allows you to be flexible - use what ingredients you have on hand, mix and match flavors and enjoy the freshness.

Sauteed Spinach

A 5 minute side dish packed with flavor. Give this a try – you will be very glad you did!

Ingredients

4 cups spinach
1/4 cup low fat cream
2 cloves garlic crushed and made into paste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Handful of chopped fresh basil
Salt

Method

Preheat pan and add olive oil.
Add spinach and allow to wilt down. Stirring for 1 minute.
Add garlic, cayenne, black pepper. Stir for 2 minutes.
Add low fat cream -stir and leave until bubbly.
Top with pine nuts, green onion and fresh basil.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To make garlic paste, add a bit of salt to your cutting board and crush the clove of garlic on top. Then using your knife smear the garlic back and forth into the salt mixture. The salt will help form a paste by breaking down the garlic and you are ready to go.

So there you have it. A simple dish packed with flavor that goes great with pretty much anything. You can also toss some protein in there and have it as a main dish. I hope you enjoy the spinach!

So as many of you know and for those who don’t, my goal for zestycook is to offer readers simple, quick and tasty recipes that can be made with regular ingredients. In the near future I am putting together a “THINK ZESTY” brochure/page that will help you with tips and tricks on how to be more efficient and healthy in the kitchen.

For me, I find it hardest to eat healthy on the weekend. Do you have a time of the week where you get in a rut and tend to order in or go for fast food? Let me know – I hope I’m not the only one!

Have a great Monday and don’t forget to get your name in for the giveaway. Link back to it on your blog for an extra entry or subscribe to zesty.

Take care

zesty