salted carmel lava cakes

Eatsy: Salted Caramel Lava Cakes

Salted Caramel Lava Cakes 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and divided
6 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon large sea salt flakes (such as Maldon), plus more for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 1-inch square good quality sea salt caramels

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottoms of two 6-ounce ramekins with parchment paper. Next, butter the ramekins’ sides with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water), melt the chocolate and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter; stir until smooth. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool until it’s warm to the touch, and then mix in the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Fold in the flour and combine until the batter is smooth.

Equally divide the batter between the two ramekins. Next, gently nuzzle two caramels into the center of each ramekin, until the batter covers the caramels. Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and place in the oven to bake for 12-13 minutes. Invert the cakes onto plates and top with a sprinkling of sea salt and a dollop of whipped cream. Or serve with ice cream; that’d be good, too!

Cranberry Swiss Dip

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 -3 quart crock for this.  A 1 1/2-2 quart crock would work as well.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2/3-3/4 cups Jarlsberg cheese, grated (Swiss works, too)
• 2 Tbls orange juice
• zest of 1/2 a tangerine (orange or cutie would work, too)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tsps sugar

Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the crock.  Spread the grated Jarlsberg evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with orange juice and zest.  Sprinkle the cranberries on top and dust the cranberries with the sugar.  Cover and cook on high for about an hour, until the cheese is melted.  Stir and serve straight from the crock on the warm setting.  We served them with wheat thins.

Cinnamon ice cream

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream 2 eggs, beaten

1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.

2.

Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Crock Pot Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine or 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1
Cook ground round in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until borwn, stirring to crumble.
2
Add next 7 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 7 minutes or until onion is tender.
3
Place mixture in an electric slow cooker and stir in beans and tomatoes.
4
Cover with lid and cook on low heat setting for 4* hours.
5
Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.
6
This can also be done on the stove top: After adding beans and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partialy covered, 1 1/2 hours.
7
*I leave mine in the crockpot about 8 hours while I'm at work and it comes out fine.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/cooking-light-crock-pot-chili-137337?oc=linkback

Florentine Casserole

• 4 x 3 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pre-cooked, cut into cubes (rotisserie chicken works too)
• 1/2 box frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed to remove access liquid
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp flour (I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups no-salt added chicken broth
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese, blended to make smooth consistency
• 2/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (use small holes on grater)
• 1/2 pound whole grain pasta (I used brown rice spirals)
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a 9 x 11 baking dish with oil. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large pot, heat olive oil to medium-low and saute garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Add lemon juice, nutmeg, oregano & pepper. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat and add blended cottage cheese, spinach, chicken, Parmesan cheese & pasta. Stir to combine. Place in casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden & bubbly.

Quick Udon Noodle Miso Soup

Ingredients
1 cup water
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves or baby bok choy
12 ounces fresh udon noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained
5 scallions, diced
2 tablespoons white miso paste

Directions
Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms and spinach or bok choy. Simmer for 5 minutes or just until leaves start to wilt and mushrooms are transparent. Place cooked noodle and diced scallions in the pot. Turn the heat off and whisk in the miso paste until combined. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the soup:
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
• 3 c. chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
additional cheesy yum:
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.