Chocolate Fondue

Fondue is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It's easy, delicious and fun, and what doesn't taste better dipped in chocolate? I got this recipe from a friend and have literally made it dozens of times since.

Chocolate Fondue

1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tb. sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream

Combine chocolate chips, vanilla, and sugar in a medium bowl. In small bowl, heat whipping cream in microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until just barely boiling. Pour over chocolate chip mixture. Let stand for 1 minutes, then stir until chocolate is completely melted. Serve warm with dippers of your choice, such as:  strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, brownies, angel food cake cubes, etc.

Clam Chowder

My mom makes fantastic clam chowder, all of us (well, except for my little sister that is allergic to shellfish) love it every time she makes it. I finally learned how to make it on my own. I made a couple of adjustments based on a recipe I found on allrecipes (in italics, feel free to make them without if you want, they just add a little more depth of flavor) but otherwise it it really close to my mom's famous recipe. Enjoy!

Clam Chowder

6 slices bacon
3 cans minced clams (6.5 ounces each)
1 1/4 cups onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
3-4 cups potatoes, diced
6 Tb. butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tb. red wine vinegar

1. Cook bacon in large stockpot until crispy. Remove bacon, but do not drain. In same pan, add onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. Drain juice from clams over veggies and add water until veggies are just barely covered. Cook over medium heat until veggies are all tender. Do not drain water.
2. Meanwhile in large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly add half-and-half and stir continually until thick and smooth (mixture will be very thick). Add to veggie/clam juice/water mixture. Heat through, but do not boil. Crumble cooled bacon and add to soup along with clams (if the clams cook too much, they will get tough, so add them right before serving). Add seasoned salt, salt, black pepper and vinegar if desired. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Fried Rice

This is a great side dish to go along with Asian-style entrees (like this sticky chicken or these sweet and sour meatballs or these bacon-wrapped chicken and pineapple skewers or this orange chicken). It is also the perfect accompaniment for stir-fried vegetables and sweet-and-sour sauce (I know it might be weird, but I just love the sweet-and-sour sauce poured all over the rice). I make this all the time, sometimes with other entrees, sometimes just on it's own as a stand-alone meal. It's very easy to adapt to whatever meat (feel free to use ham instead of bacon or omit the meat entirely) or veggies you might have on hand. Here is my favorite version, but feel free to fiddle with it to make it how you like.

Fried Rice
serves 3-4

4 pieces bacon
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/3 cup frozen peas
3 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1-2 Tb. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside to cool and crumble.
2. Heat same skillet (without draining grease) to medium. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and cook for 3-4 more minutes, until veggies are translucent and peas are thawed.
3. Add rice and stir to break up and heat through.
4. In separate small bowl, beat egg. Pour over top of rice in skillet and continue stirring until egg is completely cooked through. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Nutella Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Have I mentioned that I have a love affair with Nutella? Whether on crepes, in stuffed french toast, in gelato, or in the world's most delicious frosting, I cannot get enough of it. So naturally, when I saw a recipe for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies on one of my favorite blogs (Annies Eats!) I immediately had to make them, but with Nutella instead of peanut butter. Thus, these were born. They are probably the most rich dessert I have ever made (and that is definitely saying something). You absolutely have to eat these with a tall glass of milk or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Indulgent. Easy. Delicious. Hope you enjoy!

Nutella Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Kitchenist


Brownies:
7 Tb. unsalted butter
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour

Cheesecake:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup Nutella
1 Tb. sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 8x8 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine butter and chocolate in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir well until completely melted. Whisk in all remaining brownie ingredients except flour. Stir until smooth and well blended. Gently stir in flour until just combined (do not over mix). Spread evenly in prepared pan.
3. Make the Nutella cheesecake filling by beating the cream cheese, Nutella, and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix until completely blended.
4. Drop spoonfuls of the Nutella filling over the brownies in pan. Swirl batter gently with a knife.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until the center is just set. Cool to room temperature and move to refrigerator. These are best after chilling for at least 12 hours.

Green Beans with Bacon and Mushrooms

I made this dish three times in less than two weeks...it really was that delicious. Simple ingredients, but together it tastes absolutely delicious. Corey was telling me about a dish his mom used to make with bacon and green beans, and that he really liked it. I took that idea and threw this together based on what we had and what sounded good to me. Corey liked it so much he gave it five stars (out of five. And yes, I really do make my husband rate the food I make every single time I cook. I'm probably crazy, but it lets me know how much he likes or dislikes something and whether I should make it again or not). Yes, Corey actually rated a vegetable five stars, which I didn't know was possible. I have a feeling this is going to be making a very regular appearance on our dinner table.

Green Beans with Bacon and Mushrooms
Serves 4-6 as a side dish...unless your name is Corey...then this will serve two :)

5 oz. bacon (about 5 slices), diced (uncooked)
1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and broken into pieces
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until nicely browned but not quite crispy, 5-7 minutes. Add green beans and onions. Cook until green beans are slightly tender, but still crisp (about 10 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Season with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

We had this breakfast casserole at a brunch after a baby blessing a couple of weeks ago. When Corey took his first bite he let out a big, contented sigh and said it was amazing. He then told me another 4+ times in the next 10 minutes how delicious it was. And then he did something totally unexpected. He went up to my friend's mom and asked her for the recipe, then immediately requested that I make it for dinner that night. No, I'm not joking.

This is easy and delicious, although it does take awhile to bake. But it is definitely worth it. This would be a great breakfast on Christmas morning, or any morning when you're going to be hanging around the house for awhile and will have enough time to wait for it to cook. This also makes great leftovers, so you could even bake it the night before and pop it in the oven the next morning for 15-30 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is warm and bubbly.

Breakfast Casserole
recipe from Julie Argyle

1 pkg. (24-26 oz.) frozen hash browns
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. deli ham, cubed (or breakfast sausage or bacon, cooked and crumbled...or a combination of the three)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread frozen hash browns evenly in the pan. Thinly slice butter and place evenly over the hash browns (or melt butter and pour over the top of the hash browns). Bake for 25 minutes.
2. Remove hash browns from oven and turn temperature down to 350 degrees. Top hash browns evenly with ham (or sausage/bacon/or a combo).
3. Mix eggs,milk, and salt until completely combined. Pour over hash browns and meat in prepared pan. Return to oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until set and eggs are completely cooked. Top evenly with cheese and return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Magic Bars

These are super easy and delicious, perfect for the holiday season! Plus, they are totally customizable. Don't like nuts? Add more chocolate chips instead. You can swap white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even toffee bits for some of the semi-sweet or butterscotch chips. Just make sure you have a nice tall glass of milk to enjoy with these because they are nice and rich!

Magic Bars
Adapted from Eagle Brand

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in medium bowl. Press evenly along bottom of prepared pan.
3. Heat sweetened condensed milk in small bowl in microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute, until melted slightly (this will make it easier to spread in the pan). Spread over graham cracker mixture. Top with coconut, chocolate and butterscotch chips, and nuts. Press firmly into pan.
4. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. (I think they are best after about 10 minutes, so they're still warm and gooey. Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream? To die for.)