surprise filled chocolate eggs

i have always loved

those giant chocolate eggs

from italy

this time of year

they line the shelves

of my local

italian market

large and hollow

a handful

of small candies tossed in

the cavernous hole

wrapped in bright mylar paper

easter basket ready

the real joy

is breaking through

the chocolate shell

to see what goodies lay within

this year

i am giving the easter bunny

a 

helping hand

 extra special chocolate

 filled with

toys and jewels

hand chosen

for each recipient

this one

for a little girl

 a milk chocolate shell

molded of tempered chocolate

                                   

dusted with pink luster

in a nest of grass

and...

this one

sealed shut

because 

it has a very special

surprise

for a lucky

young woman

made of bittersweet chocolate

and

dusted in blue

 
  imagine the 

joy

and

surprise

when

these beautiful eggs

are cracked open

trinkets

toys

and

jewels

tumbling

out

a happy easter indeed

if you want more details on how to make these

leave a comment

or

drop me a line at

fudgerippleblog(at)gmail(dot)com

*it is hard to tell, but these eggs are well over 12"...but this works with smaller eggs as well

i'm posting this over at

antelope guisado

once a year

hubster indulges 

in a good ol' fashioned

boys on the hunt, Hunt

the kind where they

pack in meals

stoke a fire for warmth

group lug fresh kill

and

walk for hours, in wet woods

apparently

it is a bonding experience

i am happy my husband hunts

what makes me more happy?

he doesn't care to have me by his side

we have a deal

he field dresses whatever he takes down

i will

butcher

&

cook 

it

i find antelope to be mild

extremely lean

and 

quite delicious
perfect
for this spicy
chili-esque
stew

antelope guisado

(printable recipe)

1 Tbs olive oil

2lbs antelope meat--in 1" cubes

1 small white onion--chopped

1 red jalapeno--finely chopped

1 green jalapeno--finely chopped

1 pasilla chile--chopped

3 cloves garlic--coarsely chopped

1 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 bottle lager (or your favorite beer)

14oz can whole peeled tomatoes

preheat oven to 350F.  heat dutch oven over medium heat. add olive oil and onions.  cook onions until they begin to brown on the edges.  add the meat and saute until beginning to brown.  toss in the green jalapeno, red jalapeno, pasilla, and garlic. give it a good stir.  add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes more.  add the beer and tomatoes, give another good stir.  cover, remove from heat and place in the oven for about 2 hours.  take a look at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure all the liquid has not evaporated. if it has, add a bit of water.  you want the guisado to be a bit loose, but not soupy

serve with tortillas, a bit of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro
*this would be equally good with lamb, beef or pork

roasted radish & bacon tartine

not so long ago

i roasted radish

for a delicious

albeit a matter of taste

salad

(recipe here)

i loved

hubster did not

i wondered

how a veggie lovin' girl

and a

meat & meat lovin' guy

could

agree on radish

a radish referendum, if you will

here it is

radish

mellowed by roasting

spiced with a sauce of its greens

open face

layered on

a toasted whole-grain raft

joined by

bacon and soft goat cheese

roasted radish and bacon tartine

 

st. joseph's day {re-post}

listen

i know the 17th was a big day

for the irish

and the color green

and
corned beef and cabbage

and
shamrock shakes

but hear me and hear me now

today

is the day 

everyone should cheer

pull out your italian flag

fire up the stove 

pull out all your big pots

open a bottle of wine

yell 

prego, prego

at the top of your lungs

and you will be ready

for

st. joseph's day

or

as it is called in our house

the feast

of

san giussep

and here is the best part

not only is there amazing food

at the St. Joseph Table

there are desserts

amazing

delicious

desserts

the best being

zeppole

which we only eat

this time of year

and the other best

are

cannolli

which i eat 

all too often

and another best is

pasta chote

which is not how they are spelled
but
how it sounds
in a
 complete and total dialect

i think may actually be

pasta croce

but i don't know

because this is what we call it

and when i say we

i mean everyone i have ever known

who has ordered, made, or eaten

pasta chote

and today

as my offering to you

and your st. joseph's table

i pass to you

the secret

to fabulous italian pastries

find a really good

italian bakery

and spend your time

making friends

**this post is not fresh, but the pastry we will be eating today is!**

Joy the Baker {cookbook review}

last month
an advance copy
of

joy the baker's new cookbook

arrived in the post

all
colorful and cheery
from the first visual
you know
who.joy. is.

i began to wonder
did she change her name
to meet her personality?
or is it just
a
wonderful coinkydink?

joy the baker cookbook
is
a great big
bubblegum pink
smiley face

only joy
can present
food
which
 on the surface
looks like stuff your face
after a brutal break-up
food
(chocolate hazelnut spread w/orange cream cheese grilled sandwiches)
in such a way
that you think

oh!

this would be a great treat
for a girlfriend's brunch
(buttermilk skillet cake with walnut praline topping)

or

grams 90th
(araby spice cake with lemon glaze)


or

an rainy afternoon, never get out of your pjs
all alone-comfy couch
 bridget jones double-feature
(single girl melty chocolate cake--chased by  parmesan seaweed popcorn
and maybe?--a  pineapple malted milkshake for the final act)

please don't misunderstand
this is not all fun and games

the recipes
are
 carefully crafted

wholesome ingredients
like flax seed and honey
weave into puds as casually
 as
well worn kickers at a rodeo
making it almost possible
to
say
not only is it good
it is good for ya'
without the accompanying
smirk and snicker

i have done a bit of baking with joy
flax seed crackers

baked coffee cake french toast

and

whole wheat honey and goat cheese drop biscuits

my smattered copy
sports plenty more
earmarked pages

definite, definite
wanna trys

chili cheese fries
dark chocolate and anise biscotti
chocolate and salty peanut butter ice cream
toasted coconut dutch baby
and
vegan pumpkin pecan bread

this book
like joy
is
charming

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

baked coffee cake french toast {joy the baker}

i'm a topping kinda gal

muffin tops

frosting

crumble

make me weak 

in the willpower

when i saw this french toast

with 

brown sugar crumble

in

joy the baker's new cookbook

i gathered the ingredients

and

whipped it up

admittedly

i halved the recipe

because of the willpower thing

whoa

this is good

pure comfort food

fully-amped

baked coffee cake french toast

from

 joy the baker cookbook

for the french toast

1 Tbs unsalted butter

10 slices stale white or whole wheat sandwich bread

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

for the topping

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

powdered sugar for garnish

to make the french toast: melt butter in an8-inch cast-iron (or any oven friendly) skillet.  coat the entire pan, including the sides of the skillet with melted butter.  remove from heat.  Slice the bread diagonally. fan and stack the bread atop the melted butter, cut side down, point side up.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk,  buttermilk, sugar and vanilla.  once well incorporated, pour the custard over the bread slices into the skillet.  gently press the bread slices into the custard to coat; bread slices will not completely submerged in the egg mixture.

cover the skillet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.  

just before you are read to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F.  to make the topping: whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in pea-sized lumps.  remove the soaked bread from the refrigerator and sprinkle with crumb topping.

bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the custard has set and the bread tops are toasted.  allow to cool for 15 minutes.  sift powdered sugar over the top of the toast and scoop into bowls to serve.  serve with fresh berries if you'd like.  this dish is best served the day it is made.

**my notes: obviously i didn't make this in a skillet.  i used about 1 1/2 slices of bread per mug, and tore them into large pieces.  i fully submerged in the custard and then topped with the crumble.  i knew they were done when they began to souffle and the crumble was crisp.  i also used 2% milk and reduced the sugar just a little because i heaped on the topping. lastly, i threw in a bit of nutmeg, because i love it.  

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef