Oreo Truffles

Oreo Cookies, Cream Cheese and Melted Chocolate = Oreo Truffles

A simple, fun and scrumptious treat to make for your family and friends.  I had these for the first time during Christmas when the mother of my daughters friend made them and kindly shared them with us.  Then, recently, I saw the recipe posted by The Naptime Chef on Babble.com.  I wanted to make a Valentine's Day treat for my family and co-workers and this was the perfect choice.  You bite into the chocolate candy coating and what do you get?  A truffle like center that is rich, soft and with an Oreo chocolate flavor. 

I made one batch with regular Oreo cookies and another batch with mint Oreos.  I coated the Oreo centers with white chocolate and regular chocolate.  I switched up the toppings: pink sugar and drizzled white chocolate.  I kept some of them plain chocolate as well.  The variations are endless.  Have fun and use your imagination.    

Oreo Truffles

Recipe inspired by The Naptime Chef

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese  (I used light cream cheese)

1 package Oreos (any flavor)  (I made one batch with mint, one batch with regular oreos)
4 ounces white chocolate, or semisweet chocolate, melted  (I used Ghirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Bar)

Directions

1. Place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese and pulse again until a sticky dough forms. Use your hands to form the dough into 1″ round balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place them in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Roll the chilled truffles in the chocolate until they are completely coated. If desired, add colored sugar before chocolate starts to dry or drizzle with different color chocolate. Place them back on the lined cookie sheet. Chill them in the refrigerator until they are set, about 1 more hour.

3. For a cute presentation, place in mini baking cups or candy liners.  Store in refrigerator.

Oreo Truffle with Chocolate Coating, drizzled with White Chocolate

Oreo Truffle with White Chocolate, sprinkled with Pink Sugar



Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Variations - you can make these Oreo Truffles all year round and match the sprinkles and mini baking cups to any holiday or celebration.  You can make some for Easter with pastel colors, 4th of July with a red, white and blue theme, Halloween you can do black, purple and orange. And of course for Christmas you can do red and green.  Have fun with these throughout the year!

Brushetta with Warm Tomatoes....."Have a Heart" with The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

Celebrate the month of February with Cooking Light recipes focusing on red foods.  Red foods are known to be heart healthy and full of vitamins/minerals.  Check out this article on Livestrong.com for the 10 Healthiest Red Foods. 

 This month, the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club has prepared a menu around red food.  We have some new members this month.  Welcome to Jerry from Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants and Roz from La Bella Vita.  We are happy to have others join in our monthly gathering of Cooking Light recipes.

I made the Appetizer this month and my red food was tomatoes.  This is a delicious starter to any meal.  Warmed grape tomatoes that have been marinated in a balsamic vinegar, basil and garlic mixture on top of some toasted french bread rubbed with some extra garlic.  Why are simple, fresh food and ingredients just so good?  

Click here for Brushetta with Warm Tomatoes printable recipe on Myrecipes.com.   

Now, let's take a look at the rest of the "Have a Heart" menu from the other Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club members.  Click on each of their blog links for all the details of their red food dish.

Jamie (me) - Mom's Cooking Club - Brushetta with Warm Tomatoes - recipe below

Sandi - Whistlestop Cafe Cooking - Orange and Fennel Salad with Red Onions

Mary Ann - Meet Me in the Kitchen - Granny Smith, Radish and Radicchio Salad

Val - More Than Burnt Toast - Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak w/Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Jerry - Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants - Roasted Sweet and Sour Beets, Carrots and Parsnips

Roz - La Bella Vita - Almond Jelly Roll with Raspberry Filling


Bruschetta with Warm Tomatoes

Recipe by Cooking Light, August 2004

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups grape, pear, or cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
4 (1-ounce) slices ciabatta or sourdough bread - I used Italian Bread and had enough tomato topping for approximately 7 slices
1 garlic clove, halved


Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients, and let stand 1 hour.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tomato mixture, and cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bread; cook 2 minutes on each side or until toasted. Rub 1 side of each toast piece with the cut sides of garlic clove halves. Serve tomato mixture over toast.

Note: I used Italian Bread and the recipe was enough for about 7 slices of bread. You can easily double and triple this recipe. I also heated my bread in a regular skillet instead of a grill pan. Either one works fine.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  While heating up the tomatoes, give them time to soften.  You will hear them pop as they warm up and the skin will break apart.  You want them to be in this stage before spreading on your toasted bread slices.

See the blog hop link below.  Feel free to link up any one of your red food posts.

Chicken Piccata

Hello everyone!  I have a fantastic chicken recipe for you today.  But, I need to take care of some giveaway business first.

Congratulations to the winner of the Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Breadcrumbs and Bottega Cookbook:

Cathy A. (comment #16 picked by Random.org)

**Please contact me Cathy with your address so I can pass on the information to MyBlogSpark who will send you your gift package.**

Don't you love when you make a meal and it tastes just as good (or better) than at a restaurant?  Well, for me, this was one of those meals.  This recipe came from the magazine, Cuisine at Home.  The chicken was tender and the lemon sauce gave this Chicken Piccata so much flavor.  I highly recommend you make this at home.  It has a few steps but it is not difficult to make.  Who needs to eat out when you can have a restaurant quality meal at home.  

Chicken Piccata

Recipe by Cuisine at Home, Complimentary issue

(Printable recipe)

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded into cutlets

salt and black pepper
all-purpose flour
nonstick spray
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. drained capers
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
fresh lemon slices
chopped fresh parsley


Directions

1.  Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.  Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat over medium-high.

2.  Saute cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side.  Flip cutlets over and saute the other side, covered, 1-2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a warmed platter; pour off fat from the pan.

3.  Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic.  Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

4.  Add broth, lemon juice, and capers.  Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute.  Transfer cutlets to warm plates.

5.  Finish sauce with butter and lemons.  Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets.

6.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Makes: 2 servings (2 chicken cutlets per person) or 4 servings (1 chicken cutlet per person)

Note:  To increase this recipe, use 3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded thin.  This will give you 6 - 8 chicken cutlets.  Double the remaining sauce ingredients so you have enough sauce for the extra chicken.    





Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Tips per Cuisine at Home Magazine - Making chicken cutlets from boneless chicken breasts:  Cut chicken in half lengthwise before pounding.  Cover chicken pieces in plastic wrap or place in storage/freezer bag.  Using the flat side of a mallet, pound with gentle, glancing taps.  Use firm, quick movements until the chicken is about 1/4-inch thick.  The uniform chicken cutlets will brown evenly, be moist and tender, as well as cook up quickly. 

Progesso Lemon Pepper Panko and Bottega Cookbook Giveaway

This Giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to the winner, Cathy A. (comment #16)

Please send me your address Cathy so your prize package can be sent to you.

 It's giveaway time!  The gift package includes a box of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs and an autographed copy of Chef Michael Chiarello's newest cookbook, Bottega.

Progresso's description of their Panko Bread Crumbs.......

"Whether frying, baking or broiling, this culinary superstar adds a flavorful crunch to create simple, savory recipes. Made from the soft, tender centers of the bread, Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko combines the perfect crunch with effortless flavor to give any dish that extra punch. The large, flaky crumb has a coarser texture than traditional bread crumbs, delivering a lighter, crunchier coating or topping."

Chef Chiarello is helping cooks everywhere use Progresso´s panko to make flavorful, flawless recipes including Crispy Seafood Salad, Mama Chiarello's Stuffed Eggplant and Turkey Scallopini and Squash Ravioli with Cranberry Brown Butter.

I have personally used Progresso's Panko Bread Crumbs on fish and chicken and I love the results.  I'm looking forward to trying their newest Lemon Pepper flavor. 

Disclosure:  General Mills provided me with the Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs information and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.  They have graciously provided me and one of my readers the cookbook/panko bread crumbs gift pack for the giveaway.  See how to enter giveaway below.  

  

To enter giveaway, please leave a comment telling me how you would use or what dish you would create with Progresso's Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs.  Giveaway closes Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 11:00pm CST.  Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announced on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011.  Thanks for entering!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Check out Chef Michael Chiarello's tips for cooking with panko bread crumbs here on the Progressofoods.com website. 

Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread......New Year, New Food with The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's a new year.  A new beginning.  A fresh start.  A chance to try new things. 

New Year / New Food:  That's the January theme for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  Every month, I join 4 other bloggers to create a themed menu based on Cooking Light recipes.  Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen chose the theme this month.  We had to pick a recipe with an ingredient or food item that we have never made before.  

There are many "first time" ingredients I could have chosen.  It was hard to choose because there are many things that I want to try.  I decided to make a beer batter bread with Fontina cheese.  I love cheese but have never had Fontina cheese.  I asked my deli to cut me a 4 oz. chunk of Fontina and I grated it at home.  Of course I had to try a piece.  It's salty, creamy and has a soft texture.  It was very good and I'm looking forward to using it in other recipes.

The Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread was a delicious savory bread.  It was easy to prepare.  No kneading dough required.  We loved the crunchy outer crust.  The onion, cheese and beer gave this bread such a great flavor.  I paired it with this Spicy Sausage Chili.  (another Cooking Light recipe)

What new things did the other Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club members cook up? 

Mary Ann (Meet Me in the Kitchen) - Farro Minestrone with Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Chestnuts

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes and Spinach

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) - Rosti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Jamie (me) - Onion Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Helene - (La Cuisine d'Helene) - could not join us this month but wanted to make Vanilla Caramel Flan

Click here for printable recipe on Myrecipes.com

Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Recipe by Cooking Light



Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion
3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (such as amber ale) -  I used Corona Light
Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter, melted and divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion, cheese, and beer; stir just until moist.

Spoon batter (batter will be thick) into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes; brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake an additional 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Fontina Cheese is a semi-soft cow's milk Italian cheese.  It is mild, creamy, with a somewhat nutty flavor and melts well.

Top 10 of 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes from 2010.  It was hard to choose my top ten but these are recipes that I have made several times throughout the year.  When I looked back at my posts from 2010, I realize that my food is not fancy at all.  It is comfort food.  It is simple and easy food.  It is good, delicious food.  It is me.

Thank you for everyone that has visited my blog this past year and has taken the time to leave me comments.  I truly appreciate all my visitors and all your kind words.  I'm looking forward to sharing more recipes in 2011.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Onion-Herb Focaccia

Spaghetti with Sausage and Simple Tomato Sauce

Lemon Chicken

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake



Beer Can Chicken





Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad



Herbed Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Orange Glazed Salmon

Mandel Bread

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Don't forget to go back and look at the recipes you made in 2010.  Put your "keeper" recipes in a binder so you can remember all your favorite ones.  Make them again in 2011.   

Cracked Sugar Cookies........12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies: Week 12

I had to include a sugar cookie on my last recipe for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  As much as I love cut out sugar cookies, it is very time consuming.  So, I went with an easy drop sugar cookie with a unique cracked top.  A little crunchy with a light sugary coating on the outside makes for a really good sugar cookie. 

Cracked Sugar Cookies

Recipe slightly adapted from Allrecipes & Savory Sweet Life

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Turbinado (coarse) sugar or granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or use parchment paper.

2. Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.

3. Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir.

4. Form dough into walnut size balls and roll in sugar of choice.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack.  

Note:  I rolled half the sugar cookie dough in coarse sugar and the other half in granulated sugar.  The ones with the coarse sugar had a little extra crunch to them.

It's been alot of fun participating in these cookie posts the last 12 weeks.  With the linky blog hop attached each week, I now have a ton of cookie recipes to try.  And so do you!  Check out the other cookies/treats I made the last 12 weeks:

Peanut Blossoms

Lime Meltaways

Black and White Cookies

Melting Moments

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Butterscotch Chip Spice Cookies

Cream Cheese Brownies

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Pretzel Peanut Bark

Mandel Bread

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Cracked Sugar Cookies

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Gift/Packaging Idea - These cookies are for Santa.  So, place on a cookie plate and leave out with a tall glass of milk.  Merry Christmas everyone!