Chocolate Fudge

2 3/4 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped, roasted nuts, optional 

Grease an 8 by 8-inch pan with butter. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, chocolate, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, half-and-half, and corn syrup. Over medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the cover and attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Cook until the thermometer reads 234 degrees F. Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter. Do not stir. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes or until it drops to 130 degrees F. Add vanilla and nuts, if desired, and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture becomes matte. Pour into the prepared pan. Let sit in cool dry area until firm. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.



Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-fudge-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Stew

• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 1 medium yellow onion $0.36
• 4 cloves garlic, minced $0.32
• 4 stalks (about half a bunch) celery $0.65
• ½ Tbsp ground cumin $0.10
• 1 tsp turmeric $0.10
• 1 tsp cinnamon $0.10
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
• 1 (19 oz.) can chickpeas $1.89*
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes $1.39
• ½ lb. frozen cauliflower florets $0.83
• 6 cups vegetable broth $0.63**
• 1 cup brown lentils $0.68
• 1 bay leaf $0.15

Instructions

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until softened. Dice the celery while the onions and garlic are sautéing, then add to the pot and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes more.
2. Add the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to the pot. Stir and cook the spices with the vegetables for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), chickpeas (rinsed and drained), and cauliflower florets (no need to thaw). Stir the pot until everything is well mixed.
4. Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf, turn the heat up to high, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the lentils. Stir and let it come back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the stew simmer on low, with the lid, for 30 minutes.
5. After simmering for 30 minutes, the lentils should be tender. Remove the bay leaf and give the stew a taste. Add salt if needed (this will depend on the type of vegetable broth used. I did not add any additional salt), then serve.

SIMPLE BLACK BEAN SOUP

• 1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/2 cups), rinsed
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 ripe avocado, chopped

Soak the beans overnight or 6 to 8 hours prior to cooking. Drain and rinse.

In a large pot, bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin and chipotle and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add drained beans and 10 cups water. Bring soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Remove 4 cups soup and carefully purée in a blender. Return purée to pot and stir in cilantro, nutritional yeast and lime juice. Spoon into bowls for serving and garnish with avocado.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/simple-black-bean-soup

One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

• 5 cups vegetable broth $0.60
• 1 lb. Fettuccine $1.00
• 1 small Vidalia onion $0.61
• 4 cloves garlic $0.32
• 1 12oz. jar roasted red peppers $2.49
• 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes $1.29
• ½ Tbsp dried basil $0.07
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (optional) $0.03
• Freshly cracked black pepper $0.05
• 4 oz. cream cheese (optional) $1.08

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the red peppers from the liquid in the jar and then slice them into thin strips.
2. In a large pot, combine the broth, onion, garlic, red pepper slices, diced tomatoes (with juice), basil, crushed red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir these ingredients to combine. Break the fettuccine in half, then add it to the pot, attempting to submerge the pieces as much as possible.
3. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. As soon as the pot reaches a full boil, give it a quick stir to loosen any pieces that may have stuck to the bottom, return the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
4. Let the pot simmer on medium low for 10-12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Return the lid as quickly as possible after each stir. After ten minutes, test the pasta to see if it is al dente. Once the pasta is tender, remove it from the heat. (If the pasta becomes too dry before it is tender, simply add a small amount of water and continue to simmer.)
5. Divide the cream cheese into tablespoon sized pieces, then add them to the pot. Stir the pasta until the cheese melts in and creates a smooth sauce (it will look lumpy at first, just keep stirring). Serve hot.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/06/one-pot-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/

Steak Carnita Meat in the Crockpot

• 
  
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin or smoked cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 lbs flank steak
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• Serving Options:
• Corn tortillas
• Shredded lettuce
• Grated cheese
• Tomato
• Sour cream
• Salsa

Mix all of the spice together in a small bowl for the spice rub. Rub the spices into each side of the steak, using all of the mixture.

Place the spice rubbed-steak in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on top of the steak. Cook for on low for 7 to 8 hours.

After the cooking time has lapsed, remove the steak from the crock pot and shred with two forks. Serve immediately or return to the crock pot for a few hours until you are ready to eat.

Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite topping. 

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

• 1cup butter
• 1 1⁄2cups sugar
• 2large eggs
• 2 3⁄4cups flour
• 2teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4teaspoon salt
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 3teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
6. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pan immediately.

http://www.food.com/recipe/soft-snickerdoodle-cookies-97496

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Bars with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Bars
• 2 1/2 cups (354g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp (5 oz) unsalted butter, softened slightly*
• 1 cup (215g) granulated sugar
• Seeds of 1 small vanilla bean
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) butter (I like to use 1/4 cup salted and 1/4 cup unsalted)
• Seeds of 1 small vanilla bean
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp half and half

Directions

• For the bars:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13" x 9" baking dish, set aside.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip together butter, sugar and vanilla bean seeds until pale and fluffy. Stir in egg then egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add dry mixture and mix just until combined.
• Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and gently press mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and bars are set, about 15 - 16 minutes. Cool completely, then frost and cut into squares.
• For the frosting:
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter with vanilla bean seeds until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, powdered sugar and half and half and mix until light an fluffy.
• *You want the butter to still be cool, this is so the dough isn't too warm and sticky to work with when pressing into the baking dish.

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/05/vanilla-bean-sugar-cookie-bars-with-vanilla-bean-frosting/

EASY AVOCADO EGG ROLLS

• 12 egg roll wrappers
• 3 avocados, halved, peeled and seeded
• ½ cup tomatoes, diced
• ⅓ cup diced onion
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• Juice of 1 lime
• 
  
• For the cilantro dipping sauce
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

1. To make the cilantro dipping sauce, combine cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno, mayonnaise, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
3. In a medium bowl, gently mash avocados using a fork. Gently toss in the diced onions, tomatoes cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
   
4. Working one at a time, place avocado mixture in the center of each wrapper. Bring the bottom edge of the wrapper tightly over the filling, folding in the sides. Continue rolling until the top of the wrapper is reached. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrapper with water, pressing to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers until your done.
   
5. Working in batches, gently place the egg rolls in the oil and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
6. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.Enjoy!

Chocolate Snowcaps

6 ounces dark chocolate, broken in small pieces, melted over hot water

3/4 cup AP flour

1/3 cup cocoa (I used Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 cup room temp butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup powdered sugar, or as needed

*Bake at 350 degrees F.  for about 12 minutes, depending on size 

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2013/12/chocolate-snowcaps-theres-snow-on-them.html?m=1

PICO DE GALLO GROUND BEEF QUESADILLAS

• 1lb ground beef
• ½ small onion,diced
• 2 small cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• Oil or Butter (for toasting))
• 2 cups Mozzarella or Mexican cheese blend
  
• Pico de gallo
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• ½ fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• About ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of ½ lime
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper 

1. Prepare the Pico:In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and Juice of ½ a lime. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until ready to use.
   
   Cooking the Beef:In a large skillet, cook onions over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden and soft; add garlic and cook for only 1 minute. Add ground beef, cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Stir in tomato paste, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.
   
2. Assembling Quesadillas:Heat another skillet to medium-low heat. Brush pan with butter or oil,Place large tortilla over pan. On one half on top of the tortilla, add a layer of ground beef and a layer of pico de gallo, sprinkle with cheese. With a spatula fold the half of the tortilla without the meat mixture over the half with the meat mixture and press down.Cook until the bottom has browned and the cheese has melted. Remove from the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
3. Step 3: Cut into wedges and serve with more pico, salsa, sour-cream, or guacamole.
4. (Makes 4 Servings)

http://gimmedelicious.com/2014/10/19/pico-de-gallo-ground-beef-quesadillas/

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

• 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice blend
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (from about 1 small onion)
• 1 cup diced carrots (from 2 medium)
• 1 cup diced celery (from 2 - 3 stalks)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (measured from 3 14.5 oz cans)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp lemon zest

• Prepare rice according to directions listed on package.
• Halfway through the rice cooking, in a separate large pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute until slightly tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot with lid and allow mixture to boil 12 - 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (rotating chicken to opposite side once during cooking for thicker chicken breasts - if they don't fully immerse in broth). Remove chicken and set aside on cutting board to cool 5 minutes then shred into small bite size pieces. Meanwhile reduce heat to low and add cooked rice. Add shredded chicken to soup.
• In a separate medium saucepan (I just rinsed and wiped out the rice pan), melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Then, while whisking vigorously, slowly pour milk into butter/flour mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens. Add milk mixture to soup mixture in pot and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until soup is thickened (at this point, you can simmer the soup for a longer period of time if you want the rice to soften more, just cover with lid first and stir occasionally. You can also add what's left in the remaining can of chicken broth). Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest and serve warm.
• http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/02/creamy-chicken-wild-rice-soup/

Fajitas

• 
  
• 
  
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Salt
• 2 Tbsp canola, safflower, peanut or grapeseed oil (a high smoke point oil)
• 1 large onion, sliced lengthwise (root to tip) into 1/4-inch strips
• 3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced into 1/4-inch strips

Marinade

• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Extras

• 8-12 flour tortillas
• Salsa
• Sliced avocado
• Sour cream

Chicken breasts come in different sizes. If you have chicken breasts that are around a half pound each or more, you will want to slice them in half horizontally, so that the center thickness is around 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick. (We do not recommend pounding the chicken breasts, doing so will not result in the right texture/consistency for fajitas.)

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a glass or plastic container. Add the chicken, mix well, cover and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat a large cast iron frying pan on high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of canola oil (or other high smoke point oil) to the pan. As soon as the oil begins to smoke, lay the chicken breast pieces in the pan.. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until you have a good sear. Once seared well on one side, turn the pieces over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until well seared on the second side.

Once seared on the second side, remove to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes. Here's a tip. Stack the seared chicken breasts and then cover them in foil. Together they will retain heat better as you cook the peppers and onions. If you want to test for doneness, cut into one piece with the tip of a sharp knife. It should be just done, if not, you can put it back in the hot pan for a minute or two. 

While the chicken is resting, cook the onions and peppers. Add another tablespoon of oil to the frying pan. Heat on high. As soon as the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers to the pan. Use a metal spatula to scrape up some of the browned bits from the chicken and stir to coat the onions and peppers with the oil and brown bits. Spread the onions and peppers in an even layer in the pan. Let them cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. You want them to sear with some blackening. Stir the vegetables and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Slice the chicken against the grain into strips. Serve at once with the peppers and onions, some warm tortillas, and sides of shredded cheese,salsa, guacamole,

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_fajitas/#ixzz3jg6jXqOt