Frozen Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallows

During this hot summer, I was suddenly craving chocolate. As great as chocolate is it did not feel too season appropriate at the moment. I did not have any ice cream on hand, so that would not work, and hot chocolate or anything of the sort obviously would not work. Then I thought, what if I made “cold chocolate”? In the next few minutes, I created probably the best drink I have ever had. Here’s the recipe! Enjoy :D

Note: The photo really does not do the taste of this drink justice.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tbsp your favorite hot cocoa mix (I used Godiva)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 c. Semi-Sweet chocolate chips

12 oz. Evaporated Milk

4 ½ c. ice

Whipped Cream

Mini Marshmallows

Directions:

1. Whisk together sugar and cocoa mix and add butter to the top of a double boiler over gently boiling water. 

2. Stir often until it turns into a smooth paste.

3. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips.

4. Stir in ½ c. evaporated milk until smooth and cool to room temperature.

5. Pour the cooled mixture, remaining evaporated milk, and ice into a blender.

6. Blend until smooth.

7. Pour into your favorite mug or glass.

8. Top with whipped cream (See below to make your own whipped cream).

9. Stick a few marshmallows on top.

10. If you have a blow torch, roast the tops of the marshmallows a tiny bit until brown.

11. Enjoy!

If you do not have whipped cream on hand, you can make it yourself! J

Just whip about ½ c. of heavy cream (however much you need) in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add in about 1-2 tsp of sugar and ½ tsp vanilla extract. These two additions are all to taste. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.

I highly suggest you all try this recipe, even if it’s the middle of winter! You will not regret it.  

Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden

I have always loved the Zuppa Toscana soup from Olive Garden. However, Olive Garden is not particularly cheap, I only got to have this soup maybe a few times a year at best. But now, after modifying a few recipes I found online, I can finally make it at home. And it is so easy! Here it is:






Ingredients:

1lb Italian Sausage

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

½ c. sherry wine

3 potatoes, diced (1 inch cubes)

2 cups of kale, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1.5 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Remove the casings of the Italian sausages and place the meat into a large Dutch oven pot.

2. Turn the heat up to medium-high and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausages so that they become crumbly as they cook.

3. Remove the sausage from the pot, leaving the oil behind.

4. Add in the diced onion and cook on medium-low heat until translucent.

5. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook briefly, being careful not to burn them (about 1 minute).

6. Pour in the sherry wine and deglaze the pan.

7. Add the sausage, kale, potatoes, chicken broth, and water, stir to evenly distribute the soup components, and turn the heat up to medium-high.

8. Wait for the soup to boil and then reduce the heat down to medium to simmer for 20 minutes.

9. Add in the heavy cream slowly while stirring the soup.

10. Let the soup cook for about another minute to warm up the heavy cream.

11. Adjust with salt and pepper.

12. Serve and Enjoy! :D

When I made this soup, I used hot Italian sausage, so I left out the red pepper flakes. However, if you are using regular Italian sausages that are not at all spicy, I highly suggest you add the red pepper flakes to give it that extra kick. Furthermore, note that you can use white wine instead of sherry wine. The amount of potatoes is also adjustable. My brother loves potatoes, so I used 4 instead of 3 once. It did not affect the taste of the soup too much, but there sure was a lot of potato in that soup. For me, 3 potatoes was perfect.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the soup! J

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Just a while ago, I discovered my, now, go-to recipe for dessert. Not only does it taste heavenly, but it is also extremely fun to make. The tanginess of the cheesecake contrasted with the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookie dough gives these bars just the kick they need to be absolutely irresistible and addicting.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1.5 graham cracker crumbs

5 tbsp butter

Cookie Dough:

5 tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz.), room temp.

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp shortening

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F

Crust:

1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil or parchment paper and grease it lightly.

2. In a bowl, melt the butter and mix in the graham cracker crumbs. It should have a sand-like consistency.
3. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the lined pan using your hands or a flat-bottomed cup.
4. Bake for 6 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven to cool as you are preparing the rest of the cheesecake

Cookie Dough:
1. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
2. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.
3. Add the flour and fold in until just combined.
4. Briefly stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Store it in the refrigerator as you are preparing the cheesecake mixture.

Cheesecake:
1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until just incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the cooled crust and distribute evenly.
4. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and, using your hands, crumble it on top of the cheesecake mixture.
5. Gently pat the cookie dough to even out the surface.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until set.
7. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Place it in the refrigerator when cooled and let it chill for several hours so the cheesecake is fully hardened.
8. Remove it from the pan and cut it into 16 pieces (you may also cut it into 32 bite-sized pieces).

Chocolate Topping:
1. Combine the shortening and chocolate chips and microwave at 20 second intervals until half melted.
2. Continuously whisk the mixture until the rest of the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Microwave it briefly again to melt further if necessary.
3. Drizzle over the bars to finish.

Notes: You can substitute butter for shortening in the chocolate topping. I also suggest drizzling the chocolate over the cheesecake after you cut it. If the chocolate hardens and then you cut it, it will crack and break. For easy cleanup, you can cut the cheesecake on a cutting board covered by the original parchment paper or foil. Then, drizzle on the chocolate and transfer the bars to a serving plate. This saves you the hassle of cleaning crumbs and/or chocolate drippings off of the cutting board.

Enjoy! 

Spicy Fried Rice

I am not the biggest fan of eating plain white rice, let alone leftover white rice, so this recipe does wonders, as I now no longer complain about having leftover white rice. The best part is that it is so easy to make and the ingredients are commonly found in the kitchen. However, while you can adjust stuff like soy sauce and Sriracha sauce, it is important to know that if you leave out bacon, it really is not the same. It will still taste good, but it will take away a great deal from the different flavors and it will no longer be as fulfilling. 

Anyways, here is the recipe. Note that I do not handle spicy food well, so if you can, I would advise you to add more. You can of course always add more to the finished product. My cousin loves spicy food, so he basically drizzles it on top as if it were a salad dressing.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups leftover rice (preferably cold and a day old)
1 tbsp melted unsalted butter
4 pieces of bacon (chopped)
½ white onion (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce (you can use another hot sauce if you want)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ -1 tbsp soy sauce
3 eggs

Directions:
1. Mix rice with melted butter and set aside
2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and water. If the sugar does not fully dissolve, heat the mixture slightly. Stir in Sriracha sauce, mix until smooth, and set aside.
3. In a skillet under medium high heat, fry the bacon until browned and crisp (6-8 min.). Remove and place on paper towel-lined plate to set aside
4. Drain bacon fat, leaving 1-2 tbsp in the skillet. Cook onion until soft (5 min.)
5. Stir in garlic and sauté (1 min.). Make sure it does not burn.
6. Add rice and Sriracha mixture and mix well. Stirfry until rice is crisp or brown (3-5 min.)
7. Crack the eggs over the rice and stir to scramble throughout the mixture (2-3 min.)
8. Stir in bacon
9. Add soy sauce and sesame oil. You can adjust the soy sauce to taste.

Enjoy!

Samoa M&M Blondies

This must be one of the easiest things I have ever made, but at the same time, it is probably one of the most fattening and unhealthiest desserts I have ever eaten, seen, or heard of. The amount of sugar and butter I had to use was ridiculous, at least if you compare it to everything else I have made in the past. So I had to hold back my laughter when my mother bit into one and commented "Hm, I like it - it's not too sweet."
Aside from the health aspects of this dish, it is really good and super easy to make. In fact, I would definitely make these again. The best part is, most of the ingredients are those you would have on hand anyways, so it is a quick dessert. Here it is:


Ingredients:
10 tbsp butter (1 stick + 2 tbsp)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
3-6 oz. m&m's


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Heat the butter in a saucepan until it is slightly brown and produces a nutty smell. Be careful not to burn it
3. In a bowl, mix in the two sugars, vanilla, and salt. When you add the egg, be sure to continuously whisk or mix to make sure you do not scramble the egg. 
4. Incorporate flour. DO NOT over mix it - or else it will get tough.
5. Mix in coconut and m&m's. If you do not have coconut on hand, you can leave it out. However, this will take away from the flavor (of course, no more coconut flavor), and a bit from the texture. The coconut gives these blondies some stickiness. You can also adjust the amount of m&m's you want to put in. I put in 3oz.
6. Line a square pan (8x8 or 9x9) with foil
7. Smooth the batter out in pan. 
8. Bake for 25-30min.
9. Cool completely, cut, and serve. 


When it was taken out of the oven, the surface was harder than I expected, but the inside was soft. After it cooled, the blondies were just perfectly chewy. 
Also, I strongly recommend cooling them. I got impatient and cut them once without cooling them and the edges crumbled a bit. After I cooled them so that they were just slightly warm to the touch, they cut perfectly. It would probably be better if you cool them all the way, but being the impatient one, I could not resist. Enjoy!