Recipe: Corinne's Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Corinne's Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Corinne posted this in her Facebook stream. Looks like it is tasty!

She says:

If you need a last-minute gift for someone who likes Mexican hot chocolate, try this spicy hot chocolate mix: in a bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-1/2 cups dark cocoa powder, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 TBS sea salt, 2 TBS corn starch, 1 TBS cinnamon, 1 TBS cayenne pepper.

Food process the mixture in small batches. Put in a jar with clever homemade label. To prepare, put 1/3 cup mix in a mug and combine with boiling water or hot milk. Delish, and kids can make!

Recipe: Coconut Chews

I had been looking for a recipe for this cookie for while and recently found this recipe in the Denver Post. Just made them for the Christmas season and they were yum.

Coconut Chews

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 lb. sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions
375 degree oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium till light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and scrape the bowl. Add the flour and baking soda and mix until combined. Fold in the coconut by hand. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they spread out and turn golden around the edges.

Once Upon a Time by Axel, 1st Grade

Once upon a time
there was a elephant
ho did not know
how to talk.
He met a
pussumm the
pussumm said
do you know
how to talk
the elephant
shok his head
I will teach
you how to talk. He
lernd how
to talk
then he
new how
to talk to
all the
animal's
in the
word

(faithfully transcribed by Mommy)

Fig and Goat Cheese Chicken

4 oz goat cheese
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp fresh minced garlic
3 pears, cored and cut in half
fig preserves
6 boneless, skinles chicken breast halves
salt
pepper

Mix goat cheese, thyme and garlic until blended. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of goat cheese mixture into center of each pear half.

Spread fig preserves onto 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Place chicken breasts over fig preserves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place filled pear half cut side down over each chicken breast and drizzle with additional fig preserves. Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, basting as needed, for 30 - 40 minutes until chicken breasts are done.

Cut chicken breasts and pear in half to serve. Spoon sauce over pears. Garnish with diced figs and thyme sprigs if desired.

Adapted from Cost Magazine Recipe - September 2011.

Recipe: Fish Soup

I made this for dinner tonight with a bunch of tilapia from Costco and it was very yummy!


6 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped in thin circles
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Tabasco to taste (optional)
1/4 tsp thyme
1 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes (I used low sodium, organic), with juice
2 tsp of tomato paste
8 ounces of clam juice (1 bottle)
2/3 cup white wine
1-1/2 cup of vegetable stock
12 oz fish fillets (I used tilapia but you could use other white fish such as halibut, cod, etc), cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy pan, add onion, garlic, celery and carrots and then sauté for a few minutes. Add parsley and other herbs and stir for additional two minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook two minutes more. Then, add clam juice, white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through; this will take less than 10 minutes.Salt and pepper to taste. We served with bread and cheese. 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		175.3
Total Fat		7.8 g
	Saturated Fat	1.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.0 g
Cholesterol		27.5 mg
Sodium		608.6 mg
Potassium		425.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		7.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.0 g
	Sugars	2.9 g
Protein		15.1 g

Recipe: Homemade Fudgesicles (and Orangesicles)

Homemade Fudgesicles (and Orangesicles - see below)

They really are creamy!

1/2 cup sugar
2 - 2.5 TBS cocoa powder
3 TBS cornstarch
2-1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBS butter

Directions - in small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and half and half. (I like a bit more cocoa powder so added 2-1/2 TBS, but don't over do it or they will be bitter.) Cook on medium till thick, stirring constantly (can burn easily). This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter and stir till well mixed. Place in molds and freeze until firm. I use silicone molds or just Dixie sticks and then stick in popsicle sticks when partially frozen (I use a timer so I don't forget). Note: I bought a half gallon of organic half and half at Costco so it was inexpensive, and have been making a lot of "cream" based popsicles.

Update July 2012:
This summer, Clémence and I fiddled with this recipe to use it as a base to make homemade Orangesicles or Dreamsicles. Use the recipe above, but modify as follows:

Omit the cocoa powder
Reduce half and half to 2-1/4 cups
Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate to mixture after thickened most of the way; rethicken a bit after adding.
Otherwise, proceed as above.

January 2011 Photos

Eve skiing Corkscrew (go, Mommy!)

Wow - that's some exciting sledding!

Luka climbing in Boulder

Axel's 100th Day of School Project

Axel ski racing (GS)

Luka ski racing (GS)

Axel with his skiing ribbons