Rocky Road Bark

Melt chocolate gently for best results. If chocolate gets too hot, it may not set properly and will develop "bloom" (white streaks) on the surface when stored. Stirring chopped chocolate in a pan or bowl over hot, not simmering, water maintains an even, low temperature, resulting in glossy, firmly set chocolate. The setting time for the bark varies greatly according to the temperature of your home. Although we preferred the texture of the bark set at room temperature, you can set bark in the refrigerator if necessary.


Yield: Makes about 3 pounds


Preparation
1. Line a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking parchment; butter parchment. Chop

2 pounds milk chocolate and place with 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening in a heatproof bowl that will nest in a 3- to 4-quart pan. Heat 1 inch of water in the pan just until steaming. Remove from heat and place bowl over water (bowl shouldn't touch water). Stir occasionally just until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over pan.

2. Stir in 2 cups each mini marshmallows and coarsely chopped walnuts. Using a flexible spatula, scrape mixture onto buttered parchment and spread 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick (mixture should almost cover sheet). Sprinkle with 1 more cup each marshmallows and walnuts; gently press into chocolate.

3. Let stand at cool room temperature until completely firm, 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. Break or cut bark into pieces. Store airtight in a cool place up to 2 weeks.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000633408

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Yield: 10 cubes of hot chocolate (ice-cube-tray size)
(use 1 oz. hot chocolate on a stick per every 1 cup milk or cream)

Equipment:
Ziplock bags or piping bags
A double boiler or pan with a glass bowl that can sit over the simmering water
Some kind of chocolate mold, ice trays work great
Stir sticks or a bag of wooden craft sticks like I used (like these, available at any craft store)

Ingredients:
8 oz. chocolate (see note above), bittersweet, semisweet, milk, and white chocolate all work
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

I also have a few other special ingredients I like to add. If you take me out to lunch sometime maybe I’ll share.

6 cups milk and 2 cups heavy cream if you plan to enjoy these right away

Method
(read a whole post about melting chocolate, including how to melt in the microwave, here)


1.If your chocolate is in a block, chop it into even-sized meltable pieces. Simmer a couple inches of water in a pan, then turn down the heat so the water is below a simmer. I like to remove the pan from the heat, but if you keep it on, keep that water below a simmer. Place glass or stainless steel bowl over the top to make a double boiler. If the bowl touches the water it’s alright, as long as your water is mildly warm, not hot. Dump chocolate into the clean, dry bowl and stir as the chocolate melts. (If you are patient and let those chunks melt slowly, keeping them from getting over 90 degrees F or 88 degrees F for milk and white chocolate, the chocolate will stay “in temper” and will still be nice and pretty when it cools.)

2.Once the chocolate is 2/3 melted, with just some pieces of the chocolate unmelted, remove the bowl from the pan, dry the bottom with a towel and continue stirring until chocolate is fully melted. This is just one more step to keep the chocolate from getting too hot.

3.Add cocoa, sugar, and salt and continue to stir until combined. The chocolate will be thicker, as thick as frosting, but stir on. If it looks and feels grainy it’s possible you’ve accidentally gotten a drop of water in the mixture. If it has gotten water in it and has seized up, it will still taste alright, it just won’t be as pretty or smooth or melt quite as fast.

4.Scoop chocolate into a ziplock bag and clip off the corner.

5.Pipe the chocolate into your chocolate mold, tapping the mold on the counter to make sure all the chocolate settles into the mold. Add a stir stick and you’re done. The stir stick should stay upright without any trouble. If the chocolate bursts through the bag in places you don’t want it to, just put the whole thing in another bag. If the chocolate starts to get too thick to squeeze, just put the whole thing in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or so at half power.

6.Let the chocolate cool either at room temperature or in the fridge if you’re in a hurry. I find the chocolate pops out of the mold nicely if it’s been in the fridge. It’s okay to cool chocolate in the fridge, just don’t store it there, because chocolate soaks up the odors of other foods pretty quickly.

7.If you don’t like the look of the chocolate once it is removed from the mold, you can dip the cubes into a new batch of plain melted chocolate for a shinier finish (again, try to keep chocolate from heating over 90 degrees, or use candy melts, which don’t need to be in temper, they will stay shiny and pretty even if you go above 90 degrees). This also lets you add sprinkles or crushed candy or just lets you dip in fun patterns. I like dipping at an angle into a different color of chocolate.

8.In order to enjoy these, heat up any combo of milk, water, half and half, or cream. I like 6 cups milk with 2 cups heavy cream. One ounce of chocolate on a stick should be melted into one cup milk or cream. So a standard ice cube-tray block, which is 3/4 an ounce, should be melted into a mug with 3/4 cup milk or cream in it.

Troubleshooting: A few of you have had trouble with your chocolate seizing. Tiffany provided this great note to help out (thanks, Tiffany!), “if the chocolate begins to seize (since for some reason, both of my batches seized, I’m thinking it’s the humidity in the air where I am) you do not have to throw it out. Just put the bowl back over the hot water and add a little bit of vegetable oil (I used somewhere between a tsp and a tbsp) after stirring over a little heat, the chocolate will get smooth again. Also good to note, chocolate can seize if you add any cold ingredients.”

How to store it: Dark chocolate will keep in an airtight container for up to a year, milk and white chocolate for several months. Remember, don’t keep it in the fridge because it is really good at absorbing odors.


Variations: Try adding a pinch of your favorite spice. We tried adding a little extra punch by lining the outside with red hots. Very fun. You can also leave out the cocoa and sugar all together and replace it with 8 servings of your favorite packaged hot cocoa. Have you ever had so much fun? I love playing with chocolate.

http://www.giverslog.com/?p=3290

Sweet and Sassy Nuts

Ingredients:
1 large egg white
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon(s) ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
3 can(s) (10 to 11 ounces each) salted fancy mixed nuts


Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly-roll pans with vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg white until foamy. Add sugar, cumin, chipotle pepper, and cinnamon, and beat until well combined. Add nuts to egg-white mixture; with rubber spatula, stir until well coated.

3.Spread nut mixture evenly in prepared jelly-roll pans. Bake on 2 oven racks 20 to 25 minutes or until coating on nuts is golden-brown and dry, stirring once and rotating pans between upper and lower racks halfway through baking for even browning.

4.Cool nuts completely in pans on wire racks, at least 1 hour. With hands, break apart any large clusters of nuts when cool. Store cooled nuts in tightly sealed containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/sweet-sassy-nuts-holiday-gifts

Thanksgiving Early!

Check out 24 make ahead recipes for Thanksgiving from Delish! Go here to indulge in the goodness!

Tuna Salad

Ingredients:
2 can(s) (5 ounces each) chunk light tuna in water, drained
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded, about 1/2 cup
1/2 medium (4- to 6-ounce) red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup(s) light mayonnaise
3 tablespoon(s) nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
Pepper


Directions

1.In medium bowl, combine tuna, celery, carrot, red pepper, mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/healthy-tuna-salad-recipe

Orange and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
8 cup(s) mixed salad greens
1 cup(s) orange segments
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup(s) slivered red onion
1/2 cup(s) Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette


Directions

1.Toss greens, orange segments, avocado and onion in a salad bowl. Toss with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
1 cup(s) (packed) cilantro
1/2 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup(s) lime juice
1/4 cup(s) orange juice
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper
1 pinch(s) minced garlic


Directions

1.Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Herb Roasted Turkey

Ingredients:
1 (10-to-12 pound turkey) turkey
1/4 cup(s) fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and/or marjoram, divided
2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
Aromatics: , onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
3 cup(s) water, plus more as needed

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Directions

1.Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475°F.

2.Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.

3.Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. The turkey is done when the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone) registers 165°F.

4.Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. (If you're making Herbed Pan Gravy, start here.) Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/herb-roasted-turkey-recipe-8906

Candy Turkeys

Check out these awesome candy turkeys from Delish and MSN! Jump here to check them out!