Chocolate Filled Puff Pastry

 Any easy dessert or snack to make.  You just have to have puff pastry thawed and ready to use.

Chocolate Filled Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bar, (113 grams)
• 1 T. sliced almonds, (4 grams)
• 1 egg, beaten
• powdered sugar, for dusting the top

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold your sheet of puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Place the chocolate bar directly in the center of the puff pastry sheet, with the short sides of the chocolate bar facing you.
2. Use a sharp knife to make 4 cuts in the puff pastry where each of the chocolate bar corners are.  The cuts should be made from the edge of the pastry to the very corners of the chocolate bars.
3. Starting at one long side of the chocolate bar, make diagonal cuts from the top of the puff pastry to the bottom.  You'll want to end up with 7 flaps/strips of puff pastry hanging from the center where the chocolate bar sits.  Repeat this step for the opposite side.
4. Discard the 4 awkward pieces of puff pastry that are on each of the corners of the puff pastry sheet. Now grab hold of one flap of puff pastry and stretch to elongate a bit. Stretch the flap onto the actual chocolate bar. Repeat this for the opposite short end too.
5. Now the braiding begins.  Grab hold of one strip  from either side of the chocolate bar and cross it over the chocolate bar. Grab a strip of puff pastry from the opposite side and cross that over.  Continue to criss cross until you reach the bottom.  Pinch the last strip so it doesn't unravel when it bakes.
6. Brush the entire braid with your beaten egg. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, then bake for approximately 20 minutes, until deep golden throughout.  
7. Dust with powdered sugar after it is cool.

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

 Another good recipe I found one morning in the mail. (I get lots of recipes everyday, most get deleted, some I try). This was pretty easy to make, just get everything ready before you start. 

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. uncooked pasta (I used orecchiette, but a flat pasta like fettuccine would work too)
• 11 oz. Italian sausage ( I used 3 sausages from a 5 pack of mild sausages)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. flour
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream 
• 1 1/2 cups (loosely packed) fresh baby spinach
• Small handful fresh basil torn/chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

Direction:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile take the sausages out of their casings and crumble the meat into a skillet.  Saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's nicely browned on the outside.
3. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.  If there is a lot of fat, discard most of it.
4. Add the garlic, chicken broth, Dijon mustard, flour, and lemon juice to the pan.  Stir until well combined (be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan) and let it bubble for a minute or two.
5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cream to the pan.  Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the sausage back into the pan.  Cook for another few minutes until the sauce has thickened up a bit.
7. Stir in the spinach and basil. Let it cook for a minute or so until it wilts. Give the sauce a taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
8. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce.  Serve immediately with some freshly grated parmesan if desired.

Pea-nutty Green Salad

This is an easy pea salad with peanuts.  

Pea-nutty Green Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 10 oz, bag of frozen peas
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Rinse peas in hot water and drain.  Do not cook.
2. In large serving bowl mix all the ingredients and serve.

Bonus:  Add one-half package of Original Ranch Dressing mix to the mayonnaise for an added taste sensation. Also you can substitute cashews, macadamias or sunflower seed for the peanuts.

 

Heavenly Hot Fudge Sauce

 When I was a growing up and living at home, we would make homemade ice cream 2 or 3 times a year.  It was always a treat, but the biggest part of the treat was the hot fudge topping my mom would make.  I remember helping her with it when I got older.  But I never got the recipe from her.  Recently I found a similar recipe in a cookbook.  It seemed to be the same as the one she would make.  And it is delicious.

Heavenly Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate 
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 large can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Melt butter and chocolate in top of a double boiler, or over very low heat. 
2.  Stir in the sugar in 1/2 cup  at a time blending well each time.  Add salt.  
3. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Continue stirring and cook about 8 minutes. 
4.  Remove from heat - add vanilla.

Makes 1 quart.

This will store well in the refrigerator and can be used directly from the container.