Oven Roasted Rabbit

Yes, I live in the North Georgia Mountains and rabbit used to be a staple food, along with squirrel and game birds. A store in Western North Carolina sells frozen rabbits which we always passed up until this week. Rabbit meat is leaner than chicken and pork, it also has a bland flavor like the white meat of chicken. It lends its self well to the seasonings and is quite a nice protein. Ready to try?

Roasted Rabbit

• 2.5 to 3 lb Rabbit
• 1/8 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Chicken Seasoning, (Weber's Beer Can Chicken Seasoning used in this recipe)

1. Thaw in fridge over night if the rabbit is frozen, drain and wash carcass clean. Preheat oven to 325°f. Line baking sheet or dish with parchment paper for easy cleaning. 
2. Coat meat thoroughly with olive oil and seasonings. Bake for twenty minutes then flip and baste with olive oil. Cook an additional twenty to thirty minutes depending on thickness. 
3. Check meat for a temp of 160°f and allow to set before cutting. Cut meat into portions, video below gives an idea on how to butcher the meat. Serve and enjoy.

Happy New Year (Traditions & Marshmallow Fondant)

In the south many celebrate the same traditions, in the mountains of the south we really celebrate tradition. On New Year's Day we eat hearty helpings of black eye peas cooked with a ham bone or bacon, greens (this year turnip greens with chopped turnips and a sprinkle of sugar), smoked country hog jowl, and a cake of cornbread. The old timers said peas represented good luck and the greens represented wealth in the coming new year. Our family has always celebrated this tasty tradition even though we know that food does not determine our future, unless it's that bacon with every meal rule that may decide a short yet tasty life; but, it's the good Lord who counsels our decisions in life.

 

I guess one of my New Year's Resolutions was to make fondant and to work with it; I accomplished my goal on the first day of 2013! I have been baking and decorating the monthly cumulative birthday cake for the members of our church  for the past few months. Each month I add more and more technique to my cake decorating arsenal and so far this has been the best experience. Fondant is not the tastiest, but it surely is fun to work with. With my first batch I made a few streamers and a cross, with lots of fondant left over to make more accessories for other cakes. Below is the tutorial on how to ake marshmallow fondant, which actually has a decent fresh taste.

 

Marshmallow Fondant

Yields 1 quart size baggie full

4 Cups Mini Marshmallows

4 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons Water

1 Teaspoon Flavoring (Optional)

Food Coloring Gel (Optional)

 

1. Place marshmallows into a microwave safe bowl, pour water over marshmallows (also add liquid flavoring at this time if you want.) Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, remove and stir. If lumps remain microwave at 10 second intervals stirring each time until all lumps are just blended.

2. Quickly combine powdered sugar with melted marshmallows using a very stiff metal spoon, this stuff gets tough. When you have incorporated most of the powdered sugar remove and place on a smooth surface covered liberally with powdered sugar, also powder your hands to prevent sticking. Knead the fondant until smooth.

3. When the fondant is smooth and well combined you can begin to add coloring and knead until blended.

4. Now it is ready to work with, work quickly to prevent cracks from forming.

 

*To store leftovers: wrap disks of fresh fondant in cling wrap, place into slider baggie, press the air out, and store up to a week.



 

I tried not to edit this picture too much to show the tacky surface of the fondant, just sprinkle with powdered sugar and presto.

 

Use a toothpick to add food coloring, start with a little then build (you can add, but it's hard to take away if you have no more white fondant left.)

 

Wilton Sky Blue Gel

 

How to Make Streamers

 

 

 

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This is an extra decoration for our church birthday cake, it's so pretty! The cookie cutter I used was on sale at Hobby Lobby, love that place!

 

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This is how the cake looked finished (I'm not showing a full view to protect the names on the cake.)

 

 

I also want to give a shout out to Hobby Lobby, it is not too often you see a business (including Chick-fil-a) stand up for it's morals (which happen to be Christan based :) ) I love going into a Hobby Lobby store and seeing a great environment with great deals to boot, I will support their efforts to refuse government infringement on their Christian faith. Here is a great article explaining what trouble they face, beginning today, from the American Thinker. 

As Christians we are to except persecution, such as what Christ suffered for our sins; but, when your own nation founded upon God's leading persecutes you.... you pray hard, really hard. I pray that our nation finds its way back to God before He calls us home and those who don't hear the message fall to the wayside (to a real place called hell.) Let us pray for our nation together that unity and peace in Christ's arms is found!!!

 

Peanut Butter Balls

This is a recipe you often see at Christmas time, but I make an amendment this be an all year round treat :) Peanut butter balls are sweet and savory morsels of awesomeness! You maybe able to tell that I love chocolate and peanut butter by this point.

When searching for recipe variations online I noticed that most called for some portion of butter to be added to the recipe, I recommend not using dairy butter; simply using Peter Pan creamy peanut butter adds enough moisture. We opt not to use butter because the fat separates from the mixture and seeps out of any holes or sealed weak spots in the chocolate coating. Our family recipe is super simple and delicious.

 

Simple Peanut Butter Balls

Makes Approximatley 150+

There is not an exact recipe for our treats, but we start out with:

1 Jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter (28 oz. jar)

2 Pounds of Powdered Sugar (1 Bag or 2 Boxes)

2 Containers of Chocolate Candy Coating or Almond Bark

1/2 Bag White Chocolate Chips (Optional)

 

1. Empty the entire jar of peanut butter into a large glass bowl, the heavy weight of the bowl helps it stay in place when mixing ingredients. Begin melting chocolate in double boiler.

2. Start with three cups of powdered sugar, incorporate into the peanut butter. Gradually add one cup of peanut butter until the dough is no longer sticky and has a firm texture. You will have to mix with your hands near the end of the process, when adding more sugar simple knead it in by hand.

3. Roll mix into tablespoon sized balls, place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Place the full tray into the freezer until firm, approximately 15 minutes.

4. Remove a small portion of the frozen peanut butter spheres from the freezer, dip into melted chocolate, and place on wax paper to set up. Do not remove all the spheres at once because they may become too soft to dip into melted chocolate.

5. When all spheres have been dipped into chocolate and hardened you can decorate them with melted white chocolate. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, set microwave to 50% power for 1 minute at a time and mix each time. Pour melted chocolate into resealable baggie and cut a very small portion of one corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over peanut butter balls for a decorative touch.

 

 

 

Caroling & Chocolate Covered Chips

Tonight our church went caroling and warmed up drinking hot cocoa then cooled back down by going to Dairy Queen (quite a conundrum, huh?) Since I'm cold and it's late I'll post a simple little gem I've been saving from when we had some chocolate left in the double boiler: chocolate covered chips. You'll notice from reading my recipe posts I'm on a salty-sweet kick now, well since always :) If you plan on melting any chocolate, grab a couple chips and wax paper.

Chocolate Covered Chips:
1 Bag Chips (Munchos were used for testing)
1/2 Bar Almond Bark Chocolate
Wax Paper

1. Melt your chocolate down in a double boiler or microwave of medium for 30 seconds at a time watching the chocolate carefully and stirring each time.
2. Dip one side of chips into chocolate allowing the excess to drip off the chip. Place on waxed paper. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Simple enough!?!

 

Yummy!

Moose Track Pretzels

When you get on Pinterest there is usually one pin that everyone is pinning, currently it is Rolo Pretzel Turtles. When I saw this pin over and over I decided to mix it up slightly by using walnuts instead of pecans, which were used with the Rolos pictured below, and create Moose Track Pretzels. I am on a big salty sweet crave right now, so a mixture of chocolate/peanut butter/pretzel would satisfy such a craving.

 

Moose Track Pretzels:

Will make approx. 60 treats

 

Ingredients:

1/4 Bag Square Pretzels (Snyder's of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels)

1 Bag Resealable Reese's Mini Cups (the smallest cups their are) 

1 Cup Honey Roasted Peanuts

 

Equipment:

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spread pretzels onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper, trust me you'll need the parchment, and organize anyway you like. Discard any broken pretzels, well by eating them.

3. Place mini peanut butter in the center of pretzels.

4. Place treats into preheated oven for approximately 3-5 minutes. When making rolo treats do not place them on the same baking sheet since rolos take longer to melt.

5. When the peanut butter cups are slightly melted to the point of being soft, place peanuts onto of the chocolates and press inward to spread out the melted candy and cover the pretzel.

6. Allow to cool completely, then they are ready to enjoy or give away as Christmas treats.

 

 

Rolos for walnut rolo treats.

What a waste of time unwrapping each candy when you can use unwrapped peanut butter cups!

 

 

Peanut butter cups are at the top, this is where I learned not to combine rolo with peanut butter cups.

 

Yummy! Enjoy!

 

 

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Barn Hop: Holiday Edition

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups



You see the commercial about how chocolate and peanut butter are the perfect pair: they're right! Chocolate adds a sweetness that nearly no one can turn down while peanut butter adds a toasty salty note, YUM! These cups make great Christmas gifts when bagged in cellophane bags and tied off with pretty ribbon.

 

Peanut Butter Cups

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (Peter Pan: Creamy)

1 Stick Butter, Melted

1 1/2 Bars Chocolate Almond Bark

Candy, Sprinkles, or Edible Glitter (Optional)

 

Instructions:

1. Fill a double boiler with water until it reaches the bottom of the insert pot. If you don't have a double boiler set a glass bowl on top of a pot with boiling water barely reaching the bowl to prevent pressure from pushing the bowl up. Set the heat to high until it reaches a boil, reduce to low and allow to simmer.

2. Mix powdered sugar, peanut butter, and melted butter. Mix until combined adding powdered sugar if the mix is much too sticky, light stickiness is okay. Set bowl into fridge for a few minutes until it is completely chilled.

3. Using a mini muffin pan pour about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into each cup. Lightly shake pan to even out the chocolate, filling in spaces with extra chocolate. Allow chocolate to set up and harden.

4. Remove chilled peanut butter mixture from fridge. Roll teaspoon sized balls out with palms and place onto a baking sheet. When all the mix is rolled out place the baking sheet into the fridge to re harden, this prevents the butter from melting completely when the hot chocolate is poured over.

5. Place re-hardened peanut butter ball onto chocolate in the muffin pans. Cover with chocolate until completely covered and level. Gently shift the pan back and forth to level the chocolate topping.

6. Optional- sprinkle small candies or sprinkles on to the melted tops of the cups.

7. Insert finished muffin pans into fridge to set the chocolate quickly.

8. When cups are completely hardened invert pan onto a counter top lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If a portion is exposed use a toothpick dipped into chocolate and dab chocolate to reseal. 

YUMMY!!!

 

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Barn Hop #91

 Farm Girl Friday

Clever Chicks Barn Hop #12

“I am entering this Homemade Peanut Butter Cups in the Creative Holiday Recipe Contest hosted by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups!“