Chocolate and Coffee Beans February 6, 2008

I found myself this morning standing in my kitchen with what I thought was a package of ground coffee when I left the store. In all actuality it was coffee beans instead. Some how I picked up the wrong thing.(nothing new) Not wanting to trek back to the store for a return I decided to be creative and use these beans in some other way so they wouldn’t go to waste. Since Valentines Day is soon coming I thought the best way to use these were to make some chocolate covered coffee beans to hand out to friends and family. Since I know there are thousands of coffee lovers out there I wanted to share my idea and the recipe with everyone so that you can make your own Valentine treats as well. Let me know how yours turns out too!

Recipe #1

• 1/3 cup roasted coffee beans
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until liquid and smooth. Drop in a handful of beans, and stir them around. Scoop them out with a spoon, and set them out on waxed paper. Keep them separate. Continue until all the beans are covered. They will harden overnight, or if you are in a hurry, you can freeze them for about half an hour. Once hard, they won’t stick together and can be stored in any air-tight container.

Recipe #2

• 1 cup roasted coffee beans
• 4 oz chocolate pieces
• 3 tbs cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate and cover the beans, using the technique in Recipe #1. Let them harden a little, but not completely. Roll the chocolate beans in the cocoa powder, and then let them finish hardening.

Smart Fettuccine Alfredo February 4, 2008

I have to admit that I love Mondays on Yahoo. Their weekly meal suggestions for each week always include some very delicious looking recipes. This weeks menu had one in-particular that caught my eye courtesy of Kraft. Just the accompanying picture of the Smart Fettuccine Alfredo had me salivating and in the mood for some Italian. I’ve made my fair share of fettuccine but never any that looked this delicious and I’m anxious to try this one out.

Ingredients

1. 8 ounces fettuccine, uncooked
2. 1 1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3. 4 teaspoons flour
4. 1/3 cup PHILADELPHIA Light Cream Cheese Spread
5. 3 tablespoons KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7. 1/8 teaspoon pepper
8. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cooking Directions

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, combine broth and flour in medium saucepan. Stir in cream cheese spread, 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese, the nutmeg and pepper; cook 2 min., stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture boils and thickens.
3. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Putting Off A Trip To The Grocery February 4, 2008

Sigh! I have so many recipes I have came across that I am just dying to try out right now, but every time I think about going to the grocery store to gather the needed ingredients I suddenly find something else that requires my time. As much as I love cooking you would honestly think I would be ecstatic at a trip to the grocery, but lately I have just dreaded it because of all the people crowded in and around the place. My plan of action for this problem is to set down and make a list of everything needed in the house right now (this is going to be a long list) and this Friday I am going to go over to a town about 16 miles from here to some new stores I haven’t visited and have one big fun filled day of grocery shopping. YAY! Next week should be a full week of new recipes to post about. I’m so excited to try some of these new ones out!

Cooking Through The New Year February 1, 2008

One of my resolutions for the new year was to start blogging again. I have been away for far to long and I truly have missed it. As I was contemplating on what this new blog should be about the obvious nearly hit me in the face…..literally! I’m always in the kitchen or online reviewing cookbooks and recipes, so why not share my cooking trials and funny stories with others passionate about the same thing? I do hope this turns into a wonderful place where amateur cooks from everywhere can come for tips, tricks, ideas and a few laughs along the way. Please visit often for the latest from my little country kitchen and don’t forget to send me any recipe suggestions you would like to see featured here.