Friday Favorites: Five recipes I can't WAIT to try this fall!
September 09, 2011As I mentioned on my last Friday Favorites, I cannot WAIT to sit on our back porch with a blanket, a good book and some hot chocolate. I could do it the easy way and just whip up some Swiss Miss packaged hot chocolate. OR, I could do it the fun & old-fashioned way: on the stovetop. I've been on the look-out for an old kettle to keep on the stove anyway, so that would be a perfect way to make it, too. Fun! When I want to find a good, southern, easy-to-make recipe, I go straight to my friend Christy Jordan's web site, Southern Plate. Actually, I've never met her in my life, but I feel like I could know her and like her from her blogs/recipes she posts. Anyway, I found the perfect-sounding recipe for old fashioned stovetop hot chocolate. Here it is if you want to try it:
Old Fashioned Stovetop Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Marshmallows
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa & 1/2 cup milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and heat; do not boil. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Serve hot, with marshmallows. Makes six servings.
If this tastes anything like Starbucks' sweet creamy hot chocolate, good luck getting it away from me. Speaking of Starbucks, ever wonder how they make their famous, seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte? Well, someone claims to have the recipe for it and was happy to post it for the rest of us to see:
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients:
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp canned pumpkin or 1 tsp Torani Pumpkin Spice syrup
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup espresso
In saucepan, combine milk, pumpkin (or syrup) and sugar; cook on medium heat, stirring until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla & spice. Transfer to blender to process for 15 seconds until foamy OR just use a wire whisk to stir really well until foamy. Pour into large mug or two mugs. Add espresso on top. Optional: Top w/ whipped cream & sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or cinnamon on top. YUM~
To me, you can't go wrong with cinnamon during the fall. It gives pies, lattes, cookies, etc. that cool autumn feel and makes you just want to curl up in front of a fireplace in a rocking chair with a blanket. These cinnamon bites I ran across look like some doozies! And talk about easy to make!
Cinnamon Bites
Ingredients:- 1 can of biscuits
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 stick butter
- 4 tbsp butter (glaze)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (glaze)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract (glaze)
- 3 to 6 tbsp hot water (glaze)
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cinnamon & sugar in a large freezer bag. Cut biscuits into bite size pieces. Drop them inside the bag a few at a time to coat. Place the coated pieces in an ungreased cake pan. Pour leftover sugar mix over the biscuit pieces & drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 15 min. or until golden brown.
In the meantime, you can be making the glaze: Mix melted butter, powdered sugar & vanilla. Add hot water 1 tbsp at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over biscuit pieces before serving, or dip biscuit pieces in them.
This is making me hungry...
Okay, back to hot chocolate (I know, it's a little unorganized :) ), but this one is just a mix that you can keep stashed away for when you are ready to warm it up! It would also make an excellent Christmas gift (partly because it's so cheap to make :) ). Those who usually get gifts from me & Corey can probably expect to get a bag of this mix and maybe some of my chocolate-drizzled peanut butter fudge or cinnabun fudge. :)
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients:
- 1 box instant powdered milk (the size that makes 8 quarts)
- 1 - 6 oz. jar powdered coffee creamer
- 1 - 2 pound box Nesquik or other powdered chocolate milk mix
- 1 pound powdered sugar
(Notice how big these helpings are? It makes 45 - 1/3 cup servings!)
Mix all ingredients together in a large container. Store in sealed container until ready to use. To make hot cocoa, fill mug 1/3 full with mix & add hot water & stir. (When I first read this I thought, "Wouldn't it be better & creamier to use milk?" But remember, there's powdered milk in the mix already.) Here is a cute gift idea: Place 1/3 cup mix into sandwich size ziploc bag. Fold over & tape, so that mix is only using 1/2 of bag. Add ten marshmallows, two Hershey's kisses, and a small candy cane to other side of bag. Place in clear party treat bag and fold over. Staple a poem and/or recipe to it. Voila! Stocking stuffer!
And what is fall without some football food too?! I am seriously excited about these stuffed pizza sticks!
Stuffed Pizza Sticks
Ingredients: - 1 loaf frozen bread dough (Rhode's)
- 1 jar pizza sauce
- 1 3/4 cups mozzarella
- Your favorite pizza toppings. I am going to use jalapeños, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon & pepperonis.
Thaw bread dough completely. Roll out on floured surface until it is a rectangle approx. 14"x9" (doesn't have to be exact). Spread 1/3 to 1/2 cups pizza sauce on dough. Sprinkle with pizza toppings and cheese. Wet the edges & fold up sides and ends to seal into a loaf. Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish & lightly spray top of loaf with cooking spray. Cover with cling wrap & place in warm place to allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled. Remove plastic wrap & place in 350° oven for 25 - 30 min, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then slice in 1 1/2 inch segments & serve with the remaining pizza sauce (or if you're like me, you want yours with Ranch dressing!)
Is your stomach growling at you yet? :) Once I try these, I'll move them over to my Recipes page so if you want to try them, you'll know where they are. As soon as I get an espresso machine, I will be trying to make the pumpkin spice latte myself as opposed to paying $4 for one :) If you try any of these first, let me know how they are! Happy Friday!
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