Butterscotch Fondue

What is your take on fondue? Are you a fondue connoisseur? Or maybe you have never tried fondue? My oldest daughter says, "Fondue is fun." The youngest kids take after their Dad and love dips. Fondue is like a dip but with long forks. They thought it was pretty cool.

Growing up, we didn't snack a lot. So, I don't remember having fondue. I remember large dinners always with vegetables. However, my sister is hip since she has a fondue pot with the little forks. One time, my oldest asked me what I wanted as a present and I said how about a fondue set. So, I have the cool, long stemmed fondue forks which are color coded. Now if you need entertainment, you should watch seven and eight year olds use the forks. I will say my youngest children didn't give up even when they lost half of their food in the depths of the pot. I guess they wanted to make sure their food was cover nicely. Spoons work very nicely to retrieve the missing food pieces.

I really liked this recipe. I usually do not use a crock pot but I thought the kids would enjoy this recipe especially since we were snowed inside. The kids would agree. I will say the original recipe called for corn syrup and I substituted agave nectar (syrup) instead. I also halved the recipe.

Butterscotch Fondue Recipe
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cups agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
Items to dip like strawberries, apple slices, cookies, cake, etc.

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, agave  nectar, and vanilla.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
3. Whisk in the milk and continue to cook on low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. 
4. Serve with desired dipping items. 

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Did you already know........
-Originated in Switzerland in the 1800s as a way to eat harden cheese in the winter months.
-The fondue pot is called a Caquelon which is the French word for pot.
-Fondue parties were very popular beginning in the 1950s.

Days that start with a T

I make sure my children do not go hungry but sometimes I do joke with them about not feeding them. They do not even take me serious. However, my niece was over one day and said, "Aunt Jen, I am hungry." As she followed me into the kitchen, I said to her, "Oh sweetie, we don't eat on days that begin with T." She looked at me like I was serious and didn't know how to respond. My children informed her I was just joking. Don't worry I did give her something to eat and I went a step further. I even provided her with a drink. See, I try to be a good Aunt. 

My sister told me she tells her daughter that they don't eat on days that end with y but her daughter knew she wasn't serious since that would be everyday.

I decided to try this soup. I will disclose that we like kale. We really liked it. Since a couple of us have a cold, I think it was a good choice. I used a sweet Italian chicken sausage. Next time, I think I will fry the sausage first to make it a little crispy and leave some to use as a garnish for the soup.

Sausage and Kale Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
5 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cans of chicken broth, reduced sodium
1/2 bunch of kale, stemmed and shredded
12 oz. smoked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes stirring.
3. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes, cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the potatoes and chicken broth.
5. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat. 
6. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
7. Add the kale and sausage.
8. Simmer until the kale is wilted about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Did you already know........
-Kale is a form of cabbage.
-Kale is a good source of Vitamin A, C, and K.
-Kale has about 33 calories for 1 cup.

Breadsticks to garlic knots

Isn't it funny how you can change an appearance of something and it becomes fancy? For an example, you can make pasta with macaroni noodles or Campanelle noodles. You can make breadsticks or more impressive garlic knots. Please feel free to continue my examples.

I asked my husband if he wanted breadsticks or would he prefer garlic knots. He replied garlic knots. The only difference between the two in this recipe is the shape. I have made this recipe before and always made breadsticks. I have no idea how Olive Garden or any other restaurant can get their breadsticks the same size. Even if I used a food scale, my bread sticks still would look different. I don't have time or patience for everything to be a duplicated copy but I was surprised how different each breadstick turned out. My breadsticks are like snowflakes with no two alike. My dough would shrink on some and others would be too skinny. I will never be hired at a breadstick factory. My oldest informed me that restaurants cheat with trays. Now, I have learned the secret of life.

The nice thing about garlic knots are it isn't so obvious the knots aren't exactly alike. The other thing I notices is with the breadsticks the kids want more. "What do you mean Mom there are no more? At the Olive Garden, we can always get more." (My kids really did expect me to have an unlimited supply.) With garlic knots, I can make the knots smaller and twice as many to serve. I did not double the recipe but for some reason my supply did not run out.

Garlic Knots from the Olive Garden Breadsticks
 1 1/2 cups hot water (not too hot to be uncomfortable to touch)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, softened
4 to 5 cups of flour
1 Tbsp yeast
3 Tbsp butter, melted
sea salt for topping
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. With the paddle attachment, add the hot water with the sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the salt and softened butter.
3. Add 2 cups of flour and mix the ingredients on low. 
4. Add the yeast and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough scrapes the sides of the mixing bowl clean.
5. On medium speed, mix the dough for 5 minutes.
6. Spray a clean working area, a sharp knife, 2 cookie sheet and your hands with cooking spray.
7. Turn the dough onto the working area and roll the dough into a long log. 
8.  Cut the dough with the knife into 24 pieces.
9. Roll the dough into long rope then loop the dough up and tie it into a knot just like a knot in a shoelace.
10. Place the knots onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
11. Place the cookie sheet into the cold oven.
12. Turn the oven to 170 degrees F and allow the dough to rise for 15 minutes or double in size.
13. Remove the dough from the oven and brush with 1 1/2 Tbsp of the melted butter and sprinkle with the sea salt.
14. Return the cookie sheets to the oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees F.
15. Once the oven is at 400 degrees F cook the garlic knots for 7 minutes. Switch the cookie sheets from top to bottom so both pans will cook evenly.
16. Cook the garlic knots for another 7 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.
17. While the garlic knots are continuously baking, mix the remaining melted butter with 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
18. Remove the golden brown garlic knots from the oven.
19. Brush the garlic knots with the garlic butter.

Recipe adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up! and originally from The Food Network Magazine.

Did you already know...........
-There are more than 750 Olive Garden restaurants.
-Olive Garden belongs to the Darden Restaurants company.
-Darden Restaurants are one of the largest casual dining restaurant company consisting of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, Smokey Bones BBQ, etc.
-The Darden Restaurants contribute to the Darden harvest. The restaurants contribute their surplus food to help local food banks.

Superhero

Do you have a favorite Superhero? Superman is my husband's favorite. we have the collection of Smallville on DVD, all the seasons of Smallville. We have many Superman movies even Superman Returns. My youngest daughter's favorite Superhero is Supergirl. She is a Daddy's girl! My son's favorite is Spider-man (which is why our dog is named Parker). My oldest daughter says her favorite is Wolverine. Can you tell who my favorite Superhero is?

I saw this recipe for a pudding drink and I figured I would try it. My oldest did not like it since she isn't a big fan of pudding. My two little ones loved it. Since they are such a fan of this drink, I figured I would post it. I am going to post the original recipe but I used vanilla pudding. 

 White Hot Chocolate Drink

1 1/2 Tbsp white chocolate flavor instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cup milk
Toppings if desired: whip cream, crushed peppermint candies, or chocolate

Directions:

1. Mix the milk and pudding mix in a microwavable mug.
2. Microwave for 1 minute on high.
3. Top with the desired toppings. 

Recipe adapted from Disney Family Fun.

Did you already know........
-Wolverine and Spider-man are from Marvel comics.
-Superman and Wonder Woman are from DC comics.
-Superman was first published in 1983.

Sore Back

My husband said his back hurt so our two youngest children volunteered to message it. So, my husband laid down to see if it would help. My son squeezed the back of his neck like he was chocking my husband. Then my son and youngest daughter karate chopped his back. Just in case my husband wasn't in enough pain at this point, they pushed their elbows into my poor husband's back. My son asked, "Doesn't this feel good, Daddy?"  Lesson learned: if you want your back to feel better, do not allow my two young children to help you out. Days later he is still recovering! My husband is so thoughtful that he volunteered for them to do my back next. I ran away.

I asked my son what kind of birthday cupcakes would he like. He said he wanted Power Rangers. I said not what type of decorations but what type of flavor did he want. He thought about it and told me he wanted banana. How many little kids ask for banana cake? I make banana bread all the time but I have never made banana cake before. I figured Martha Stewart would have a recipe for a banana cake. I am glad I trusted my instincts because these cupcakes are great. The cupcakes have a subtle banana taste. To top the cupcakes, I used a buttercream recipe found in my now favorite book The Pastry Queen. 

Banana Cake
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
5. Add 1 egg at a time incorporating well.
6. Add the bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
7. Slowly, add about 1 cup of the flour mixture at a time and incorporate well. Continue to add the flour mixture until all combined.
8. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.
9. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
10. Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before frosting. 

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart. There is a link for a caramel buttercream recipe which I have not tried.

Did you already know..........
-Bananas are harvested everyday of the year.
-Bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S.
-The Cavendish banana is the typical banana eaten in the U.S.
-Other types of bananas are Goldfinger, Latundan, Red bananas.