Valentine's Day Candy Anytime

Valentine's Day is known for its'  lush boxes of chocolate cremes, caramels  and nuts.. They're wonderful to nibble on but there's that "Aww " moment when you run out.  Yet ,you can have them any time of the year.It all starts with a bag of chocolate chips.

Many home chefs balk at candy making and understandably why. It does require a candy thermometer  and it's tough to discern when the candy goes from the soft ball. to hard ball stage.It can also be dangerous because sugar burns can be serious enough for a visit to the ER.  Some recipes , though, don't require a lot or any cooking. Chocolate covered cherries is just mixing and blending.It's blending butter and corn syrup together , and then adding confectioner's sugar.It's kneaded until it becomes a kind of dough and then chilled. A teaspoon of it is wrapped around a maraschino cherry and then each is enrobed or dipped in either melted milk or dark chocolate. You could use chocolate confectioners; coating but the chips are also acceptable too. What about those luscious caramels? Those, too, can easily be whipped up in any home kitchen. You could make your own which would be a mix of butter, brown sugar cooked with corn syrup and condensed milk. If you're still leery about making it , buy caramel sauce, sea salt and again, chocolate chips,It's making chocolate cups first, then filling them with the sauce and salt , Afterwards, pour more melted chocolate on top as the cover.

The marriage of peanut butter and chocolate, light or dark is heavenly. Many love Buckeyes,, those peanut butter filled bonbons, named after the nuts from Ohio's state tree. Creamy can be used, but for more texture and fun, use the crunchy kind. The recipe involves mixing peanut butter, butter and , vanilla together as a paste. These are then rolled into marble-like balls to be chilled in the fridge. The coating is chocolate chips with shortening added to ensure a satiny, glossy finish. The balls are then dipped into this and left to harden until firm.  You can also chocolate dip nuts too, such as peanuts, or cashews as the candy companies do.The highlight of any candy box are the coconut cups. These are nothing more than molded haystacks, those tasty domes of toasted coconut and chocolate. It's just toasting shredded coconut on a cookie sheet for five to ten minutes in a 325 degree F oven . Melt the chips in the microwave or in a saucepan, then thoroughly blend. Instead of using a spoon to drop onto a greased cookie sheet. , spoon into a greased candy mold.Coconut can also be used in a coconut creme candy. It's mixing it with confectioner;s sugar and condensed milk to form a paste. As wth the other cremes, form into small marbles shaped balls and chilling for twenty minutes. They can be then dipped in melted milk or dark chocolate  mixed with shortening for glossiness.

You can have Valentine's Day candies all year round. Make the entire box or just the ones you love. Either way , it's a sweet treat not just reserved for the day of love but for every day.

Breakfast Of Love

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and .although, it's on a Tuesday, you still can create a romantic breakfast for too. It's a nice way to start the day and to chase away a chill winter morning. Just add love.

Eggs are always a good way to go. It's a plus if you have a heart shape egg mold to make a romantic  looking sunny side up egg. It can be served with buttered toast, but think lusher with an English muffin, croissant or even a sliced brioche. The last two would be wonderful to soak up that rich yolk. Another perfect egg dish for your valentine is Eggs Benedict. You can make the original with Canadian bacon but if you want some variety, try chopped chorizo or maple infused pork sausage. Vegetarians would enjoy the florentine version , made with spinach.If you feel the Hollandaise sauce may be too much - especially on a work day, skip it. You could sub in cheese for a breakfast sandwich. Omelets are another sweet way of celebrating the day. Try the original French style that has a  crepe-like texture and shape.It's more the execution than what's in it. It's taking one tablespoon of butter and melting it into an omelet pan or skillet. It's then mixing the eggs in the pan and folding the solidifying mass into the shape of a business envelope. Fill it with either savory or sweet. The best is with fine herbs, a mix of tarragon, chives, parsley, dill and tarragon.

Of course,Valentine's Day is always about the sweet -and sometimes naughty. What better way to say  "I love you" or "You're special" than a homemade waffle. This is an easy recipe. It's basically a cup and a half of flour mixed with baking powder , eggs and a cup and a half of milk.Fresh waffles are great but if you don;t have the time, there are always Eggos. These can be jazzed up with a bourbon or brandy laced maple syrup or a maple butter. This last is super easy to whip up. It's just mixing unsalted butter with maple syrup, brown sugar ,and pumpkin pie spices. Make it half an hour before you  toast  or make the waffles . It can also go on another sweet breakfast treat  - French toast. This too is simple to make, yet sinfully good. It's just dipping sliced bread into a mixture of eggs,  milk and some spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The best French toast comes from baguettes or Italian bread. These loaves yield nicely chewy and dense toast, perfect for syrup and butter. Heart shaped pancakes are another perfect dish to wake up to. Serve with sliced strawberries and strawberry syrup. You could even spell out your initials in chopped strawberries.

Start the day of love off with a breakfast your sweetheart will surely love. It can be Eggs Benedict or waffles , drenched with bourbon maple syrup. Anything served will end in sweet romance.

Snow Planning

Snow has a way of changing a home chef's plans.What was going to be a day of baking and decorating turned out to be a day of food shopping. Now, instead of testing doneness, it 's planning on what to make for a day in.

That's the problem with weather - any kind during any time of the year. Winter can be the most challenging. I thought I was going to spend the day filling cupcake papers with spice cake batter and melting chocolate for glaze. Instead, I was trolling the aisles of my local Stop & Shop looking for ingredients for two to three days worth of meals.Unfortunately,  there was not much to choose from. People panic when they hear the word snow and dreary news forecasts don't help the matter any. The store was lucky it still had the basics, eggs, milk and bread on the shelves.Home chefs  may still get these basics, but not necessarily what they want or usually buy. Settle for what's left over. If there's no white bread, then choose whole wheat or rye. Rolls and bagels can even stand in for the regular loaf. The family may even like the change.As for eggs., many love the white kind but the brown is just as good.If there are no eggs left, then buy the egg substitutes, They work for omelets  and, scrambled  recipes along with being OK for many recipes.If the store is out of milk, think evaporated. It's a little thicker than regular milk, resembling cream but it still can be used in coffee and tea.

Ironically, it's freezers that can be a home chef's best friend. If you want to have a varied diet during bad weather, then it pays to stock up. Chopped meat is always a good buy because it's versatile. It can be made into everything from hamburgers to chili.Also, buy hot dogs and chicken nuggets for the kids. They'll either be bored and whiny from staying in all day or super hungry from being outside all day.Have steaks and chops for the older kids to enjoy. Pantries should also filled to anticipate days in. Make sure there is plenty of versatile ingredients such as rice and pasta. Rice can go both savory and sweet.Use it for a nice side with chicken breasts or stir fries or as the next.base for a creamy, raisin studded pudding. As for the pasta store several different types. Make a pastina soup one day and a penne or spaghetti the next.Another must have are soup mixes. These feed a large crowd along with having a lot left over for the next day. They also have a more homemade taste than the canned kind, although these are good to have too , for an instant lunch. Baking ingredients are a must too. Nothing keeps the kids occupied than baking cookies or frosting cupcakes. Homemade cake is a nice end to a hearty meal too on a blustery night.

These are the days when there's always a threat of snow. Make sure the kitchen, freezer and pantry are well stocked to anticipate several days indoors. It'll save from experiencing any shortages later on.

A Hearty Loaf

Meat loaf is one of those winter comfort foods that can be tailored to everyone and anyone's tastes.It can be subtly flavored or highly spiced. It can made with a variety of meats and even non-meats. Best of all any novice home chef can make it with confidence and ease.

It was the subject of an article written by Kim Severson in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.. as she also celebrated a new cookbook,Meat Loaf In Every Oven Batali'sfrom Mom's To Mario BataliA . It's all about the meat loaf and was written by longtime Times and Food writer, Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauser. The idea came from Mr. Bruni as these friends gathered recipes from all home chefs such as Chuck Schumer and Mr. Bruni's mother, Leslie, The last is the Cadillac of meat loaf recipes.It's probably the recipe most of us grew up on - seasoned with onions and topped with tomato sauce. Other recipes have a definite Japanese and Chinese vibe along with an Arab vibe, thanks to switching out the beef for lamb and including harissa, the fiery chile paste from North Africa.  Their book also includes a chicken (!) one that  tastes like a buffalo wings with a hit of blue cheese dressing. Poultry actually is good for the dish, especially the dark meat.it's the perfect canvas for highlighting other flavors such as fennel or even eggplant, according to Ms. Steinhauser.

Home chef's can also make individual fried loafs. My great aunt, Manya Mary, my Nonna's older sister was known for hers. These could also be also be turned into meatballs which her Neopolitan husband loved (as many of you know, we're Piedmontese and have our own spin on it). It starts out with ground beef that's been hollowed by a spoon or thumb. and then each mini loaf or meatball gets a quarter of an hardboiled egg each along with an equally sized piece of mozzarella. A slice of  prosciutto is also added and them they're browned on all sides in olive oil. My prozia or great aunt served them with tomato sauce. If you don;t want them fried then, make them in mini loaf pans (Kohl's and Wal-Mart has these) and serve with a side of tomato sauce. Vegans can also get their loaves on  with the use of vegan meat crumbles from Morningstar Farms. Binding is important here because the soy doesn;t have the adherent fat that real meat has,Using egg or an egg substitute is crucial in creating a shape that will stick together and not fall apart when sliced.

Meat loaf is the ultimate winter comfort food. No matter how you make it, whether stuffed with cheese , egg and prosciutto or laced with harissa , it's still a cozy tasty , stomach warming slice. It's the perfect dish on a cold, snowy day.

My Orange Cranberry Loaf Day

As the world knows we had a monster blizzard today in northern New Jersey. It was a perfect day to -what else but bake. I had wanted to use my loaf pan and make a sweet bread. I turned to an old friend - Pillsbury.

This is an easy make. The mix only needs a cup of water, two eggs and two tablespoons of vegetable oil.I then beat it with my trusty wooden spoon about seventy to eighty strokes to create a well mixed batter.It was then poured  into a well greased (I used I Can't Believe It 's Not Butter) eight by four loaf pan,

and then set it into a 375 degree F oven for fifty minutes. It came out perfectly as you can see from the  top view.The sides rose well and it had the perfect center crack to it.

Another plus was the dense crumb, thick and rich , more like a pound cake than a bread. As you can see it was good with a fat slick of more I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

I like this  mix.It was easy and quick to use along with producing a cranberry and orange rich bread. The taste is phenomenal and the mix comes loaded with craisins  - dried cranberries.I definitely want to try their other flavors, such as their apple cinnamon, chocolate swirl, cinnamon, swirl and date breads. They make a nice breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.

That's what I did with my snow day. Anyone else do any fantastic baking or cooking? Let us know here at FP.

A New Writer

The New York Times Food section has a new writer. Yotam Ottalenghi has joined the staff and with him will undoubtedly come interesting and fun recipes. Today's article will be no different with his spins on dessert. He gives cooking and creating an exotic vibe - perfect for the multicultural and always exciting Food section.

Chef Ottolenghi is much more than a cook. He's an entrepreneur. Visit his website and be dazzled by what's sold there. There are handmade heart shaped lollipops, seaweed and lavoosh  a kind of Armenian bread. There is also  a whole section of recipes.from starters to vegetarian from desserts to savory. His is a website that's hard to leave. He is a Jerusalem-born chef who studied at the London based Le Cordon Bleu and started with the first Ottolenghi deli n Knightsbridge, His cooking and recipes are a combination of Middle eastern, Syrian, Israeli, Armenian Lebanese, Turkish and Iranian. His cookbooks, such as Jerusalem reflect this with its' recipes of life. Today his premiere article is all about desserts and they have a Middle Eastern vibe. He promises more and more recipes with ingredients such as tahini along with spices and lemons, staples of Eastern Mediterranean cooking.Save his will be for interesting desserts to give dinners a  real eye opening finish.

Today's recipes are different, and not your typical dessert ones. Chef Ottalenghi gives us a refreshing granita. Like many Middle eastern desserts,it has rose petals along with pomegranate seeds and Pom juice.Mint is added for a refreshing bite. It's cooking everything down into a syrup and then straining it. As with a coffee granita, the liquid is frozen for two to three hours.a fork is used to separate the clumps and then  it'refrozen for two more hours. It's then scraped again  with the fork times being dragged across the top. This process is repeated  until the liquid is frozen into separate crystals throughout  which will take an extra eight to ten hours.Another  exotic sweet is pastry nests with poached pears, feta and saffron cream. This is an exotic take on classic poached pears with the nests made from kataifi pastry. or shredded phylo dough, These are spaghetti like strands that nestle the fruit. The pear , itself, is poached with such spices as cardamon , cinnamon, star anise, and a pinch of saffron. The saffron is also  added to the cream made with feta and a mix of mascarpone cheese and heavy cream.Slivered pistachios are aprinkled on top for crunch and texture.

Chef Ottolenghi is going to be a fun and fascinating fixture at the Food section. He'll bring a new vibe to dessert making, infusing classic recipes with a Middle eastern vibe. It'll be not just delicious sweets but ones full of flavor too.

It's All Baloney

One of the classics of the American lunch scene is bologna or baloney.It's graced many a sandwich and has been on many a picnic. This also fed many an office worker  and school kid too over the decades.

Baloney or bologna is as many cold cuts, from, no surprise - Bologna Italy. It's derived from mortadella, the delicately flavored larded and pistachio-studded sausage. America bologna or baloney does not have this, instead it is finely ground pork, although now it can be made from beef,  and even chicken and turkey. There are also soy and venison versions too. It's distinctive flavor comes from a melange of such spices as black pepper, nutmeg, coriander, allspice and myrtle berries.Most Americans are used to eating German bologna or fleischwurst which only has garlic in to season it.There is a polony type, eaten in Britain and South Africa, which is made with a mix of beef and pork. The cold cut is big in Central and eastern Europe too, where it is called pariser and made with either, poultry , beef or pork. Not surprisingly, there is also a halal version made with turkey, chicken or ham. Home chefs can also get a ring version of bologna. This is a smaller ring and usually used in making hors d'ouevres. Many Yanks had their first taste thanks to Oscar Mayer, the famed meat company started by Oscar and his brother Gottfried in the late 1880;s Now they even have a jalapeno (!) baloney for some interesting eating.

Many love a simple baloney sandwich. Nothing beats it, fresh cut, from Boarshead or packaged from Oscar Mayer on a Kaiser roll that's been slathered with a good mustard.It's good on white bread, such as Pepperidge's Farms; but even better on their pumpernickel and rye.Of course, there is fried bologna which many people love Try slicing it into strips and then add barbecue sauce for a take on pulled pork. Serve on Hawaiian rolls with a side of pickles or cole slaw. You could also try it the way great Cajun chef, Emeril  Lagasse , baked with Dijon mustard and brown sugar. This involves a six and a half pound bologna ( the ones you see hanging in a deli or butcher shop) and baking it for five hours ,plastered with the sugar and mustard.These give it a nice crust and makes for a tasty sandwich after, which is what Chef Lagasse recommends.Bologna can be made at home, using chuck roast or ground beef along with liquid smoke, garlic, and onion powder. everything is gorund together with ice water and then formed into a log.Afterwards, it's wrapped in plastic wrap and put into the fridge for twenty-four hours. The wrap is then removed and baked in a 300 degree Farenheit oven for  half an hour. The heat is then reducue to 250 and slow baked for an additioonal two and half more hours.


Baloney or bologna is the classic cold cut.It's delicious any way , from fried , baked or just cold from the container. Slap it on a favorite bread or roll.,  Add  a lick of mayo or mustard, then enjoy, it in a tasty sandwich.