California and Christmas Candies

Merry almost Christmas everyone!!!! I love this season!

Mark and I decided that we were going to fly out to CA and surprise his family as an early Christmas present this year! It has been so much fun :) We made Christmas candies and cookies with his mom while his sister was at school. Tonight we're going to see his day and brother! Such a fun time.

Here are a couple of the recipes that we are using today... due to family awesome-ness, unfortunately I wont be giving out certain recipes, who knows, maybe I'll make some for one of you lucky winners.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge:

1 cup                             coconut milk

½ cup                            sugar

3 cups                           dairy free chocolate chips

1 teaspoon                     pure vanilla extract

Pinch                             kosher salt

1 cup                             peanut butter

1 cup                             marshmellows

Bring the coconut milk and sugar to a boil and stir constantly for 10 minutes. Reduce by about half and remove from the heat.

Add remaining ingredients and stir until well incorporated.

Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and shake until the fudge is spread evenly and bang the pan flat on the table a couple times to ensure that there are no trapped air bubbles.

Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Once the fudge seems to be set, remove it from the pan using the overhanging sheets of parchment paper and slice it with a large wet knife into 16 pieces.

Serve chilled.

We crushed up peppermint candies and sprinkled it on top of the fudge. Yummm

Persimmon Cookies with Maple Glaze:

½ cup           Shortening

1 cup             Sugar

1 each           Egg

1 cup             Persimmon Pulp

1 cup             Flour

½ tsp             Baking Powder

½ tsp             Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp           “Pumpkin Pie” Spice

½ tsp             Salt

½ cup             Raisins

½ cup             Chopped Walnuts

1.   Preheat oven to 325

2.   Cream the sugar and shortening.

3.   Add the egg and Persimmon Pulp and mix until well incorporated

4.   In a separate bowl combine flour, powder, soda, spices and salt. Add mixture to bowl and mix well. Don’t over beat

5.   Fold in the raisins and walnuts.

6.   Drop tablespoon size dollops on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Maple Glaze:

1 tbls         Maple syrup

1 cup         Powder sugar

¼ cup        Almond milk

-Mix well all ingredients. 

 

This is just a couple of the yummy yummy recipes we made today. I had never had persimmon before and can I just tell you, that is some delicious fruit!!!

Enjoy Family

This Crazy Life and a Slice of Banana Bread

Hello! It has been too long, I apologize, let me introduce you to my crazy life :) Hola! Here is a quick recap of what has happened over these last several weeks since I have last talked to y'all...

The hubs and I moved back to Colorado due to some unforseen changes in our life. We lost one of our cars and the jobs weren't going to match up in when he would need the ONE car and when I would need it. Plus unfortunately, New York state does not have the best public transportation in the world either. The city is one thing, upper state is a whole other issue. So since we weren't going to be able to fork out the cash to buy a new car and we really were ready for a change in scenery we decided to move to Colorado. It is so good to be back in my home state!

Fortunately for us the hubs got a job the first week he was out here and mine came only 2 days after his. Thank you Lord! So we are busy being young and crazy. Since we've been back it has snowed once, like an ince MAYBE :/ and we have been able to see some family and some friends! It has been great :) We are plugged into a church and enjoying building relationships there!

I have so many fun and some challenging projects that this new year is going to bring! First up on the list is making a new head board! I can't wait to start that project. Our bed has been through H-E- double hockey sticks and back. So we have a metal frame and then I'm going to make a free standing head board and call it wonderful! I started baking again and I can't wait to start making the meals. When the hubs doesn't have to work he dominates the kitchen, blessing and a curse! Blessing because honestly who wouldn't want their husband to cook Amaze-balls food for them every night, and yet a curse because to blog about cooking you have to be able to cook lol. Oh if this is the only issue I ever have I am blessed!

But I was fortunate to be able to make some yummy banana bread the other night! I am trying out several banana bread recipes to see which one I like the best, so don't be surprised if you see more than one blog about banana bread! Here is the recipe and guidelines for the one I just made:

4 each                             SUPER ripe bananas (I let mine ripen for almost 2 weeks)

2 cups                             Flour

1 cup                              Sugar (or 1/2 c brown and 1/2 c white sugar)

2 each                             Large Eggs

1 tablespoon                   Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon                      Baking soda

1 teaspoon                      Baking powder

2-3 tablespoons              Almond milk

8 tablespoons                 Earth Balance spread

Set your oven to 350 degrees

Start by creaming the sugar and Earth Balance spread in a mixer. You want it to have a light texture to it. Make sure you don't beat it too much :) After you've creamed those ingredients, mix the mashed bananas and cinnamon together. Add one egg at a time to the creamed ingredients and mix well each one well. Add the banana mixture and almond milk. Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Also through a pinch of kosher salt into the mix, yummy. Add everything into the bow and mix just until the dry ingredients are mixed in.

Spray a bread loaf pan down or rub it with oil. Turn your oven down to 325 and bake the loaf for and hour. Check it and make sure nothing comes out on your tooth pick when you stick it in the middle. If there is some gunk on it bake it for another 15 minutes and check it again. Once it comes out clean set the entire loaf pan on a cooling rack for around 15 minutes. Take the loaf out of the pan after the 15 minutes and enjoy!

My favorite way to eat banana bread is fresh out of the oven with a good thick layer of butter on it. Unfortunatley the hubs doesn't get to experience this good and glorious way of eating banana bread! 

Enjoy Family! Good to be back with y'all again!