Chocolate Truffle Cookies

What do you do when you find this in your pantry?

 
















You bake a batch of cookies, of course. (I'm still pondering when I actually bought these chocolate sprinkles. Hmmm...still pondering.) My neighbor Chris is moving back to India next week after a year here in the United States, and I wanted to bake him something to wish him a fond farewell. He's such a great guy, and I wish I would have spent more time getting to know him, but he promised to stay in touch, and I promised him that every batch of cookies I bake and blog are being "virtually" sent to him in Bombay.

All my best to you, Chris!!!

 

















Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, confectioners' sugar and cocoa until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract. Add flour; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll into 1-in. balls; dip in chocolate sprinkles. Place, sprinkled side up, 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yields about 30 cookies.

Creamy Potato Salad

It's Hockey Night in Marietta, Georgia tonight. Somehow, it just doesn't have the same ring to it as Hockey Night in Canada, eh? I'm going over to watch the Ducks/Red Wings game with my friend Kurt. I can already envision him clad in his Yzerman jersey and nervous about the game. (What do I care? My team lost in the first round.) In lieu of the cookies or brownies I usually take him, Kurt asked if I could bring "potato salad with no eggs in it" instead. Looks like we both adamantly agree on the fact that potato salad should 100% NOT have any hard-boiled eggs in it. (That's why egg salad was created, people.) I'll comment more later, but I wanted to blog the recipe and pictures while waiting for rush-hour traffic to end.

(I'm taking the remaining four-fifths of the Lemon Cheesecake Pie over with me, too. Along with some purple and green grapes for good measure. He's grilling the chicken and providing the beer for him and the bottled water for me. That's good enough for us both.)

Creamy Potato Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light Five-Star Recipes

2 lbs. small potatoes (I used Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1 (2 ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Green onion fan (optional)

Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces; place in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Combine potato, chopped green onions, and pimiento in a large bowl; toss gently.

Combine mayonnaise and next 9 ingredients; stir well. Add to potato mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. Garnish with a green onion fan, if desired.

Yields: 8 servings

 
 
 

Curried Turkey and Barley Casserole

I made this casserole this afternoon since I had time on my hands and since I was looking for anything else to do but ride my stationary bike or start cleaning out cabinets and packing boxes. Also, I wanted to use my casserole dish one last time before it makes its way to Goodwill next week (I'm donating a box of my cookware and bakeware before my move next month). From start to finish, this casserole takes almost two hours to prep, cook on the stovetop and finish baking in the oven, but the end result is worth the time involved. This is the best casserole I have made in a long time. The chewy barley, the flavorful curry powder (I used Penzey's Tandoori), the creamy sour cream and the boozy bite of the dry sherry make this casserole a real winner. Actually, I think a splash of dry sherry makes ANYTHING taste better...and this casserole is proof of that. The yield says four servings, but I'd say it more like six.

Curried Turkey and Barley Casserole

Source: Adapted from www.barleyfoods.org

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups cooked and cubed turkey
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry sherry
Salt and pepper, to taste

In medium saucepan with lid, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add pearl barley and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Melt butter in skillet. Add curry powder and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion mixture to cooked barley. Mix in turkey, almonds, sour cream and white wine. Season with salt and pepper and turn mixture into oiled 2-quart casserole or baking dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes in 350° F oven. Remove cover and bake 5 minutes longer.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I used shredded rotisserie chicken instead of turkey.

Pasta + Candy Bar Pie = Oh, my tummy aches!!!

I think I may fall asleep typing this post tonight. Between eating a big bowl of pasta for lunch/dinner today and eating a piece of Candy Bar Pie for dessert, I am miserably stuffed and currently have no plans to eat again until dinner at Brio with my neighbor/friend Colleen tomorrow night. (I say that now, but I'm sure a peach muffin will be appealing in the morning.) All I know at this point is that a long, heart-pumping and sweaty workout on the stationary bike is in order tomorrow morning. I'd like to burn at least 450-500 of the 5,000 or so calories I've eaten today. (I really hope I haven't eaten that much, but feeling the way I do right now, it wouldn't surprise me.)

I was in Florida when my brother Mike's (36th!) birthday rolled around last month, but I finally got around to making him a celebratory treat. I made the pie last night and let it chill overnight in the fridge. After tasting it, we both agree it was really good. However, Mike thought the Snickers miniatures were too hard and somewhat difficult to chew, and I thought it was just a bit over-the-top too rich and heavy. I did like the creaminess of the middle layer, though. Take my word...a small piece is all you need. I let the pie sit out on the counter for 20 minutes before cutting it, yet the miniatures on the bottom were somewhat difficult to cut through...not impossible to cut through, but I had to cut slowly and use a bit of force. If you plan to try this recipe, I would recommend using thinly sliced candy bar pieces instead and letting the pie sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cutting. If you decide to use miniatures, cut them in half instead of keeping them whole like I did. Use a warm sharp knife to cut the pie, too, or the top chocolate layer will crack as you cut the pie into pieces. Anyway, it's a really good recipe, but take it from me...this would be best served after a light lunch or dinner.

Candy Bar Pie

Source: Taste of Home

5 Snickers candy bars (2.07 ounces each), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked and cooled
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 T. whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place candy bar pieces in the pastry shell; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, sour cream and peanut butter; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into pastry shell. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.

In small heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat until smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Cut with a warm knife.

Yield: 8-10 servings

More notes: I used 24 Snickers miniatures to line the bottom of the baked pie shell. I also used 1/3-less-fat cream cheese and light sour cream. Make sure not to use that old Peter Pan peanut butter sitting in your pantry, though. I like my brother, so I used Skippy. I also used Guittard semisweet chocolate chips (my favorite chocolate chips). I baked this for the full 40 minutes and it set perfectly…smooth top surface and light brown crust.