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Got a guilty food pleasure? Something you like to eat, but are hesitant to admit it for whatever reason.
I have a few GFPs, but the one I’m willing to confess today is my secret love of Cherry Blossoms (a Hershey product).
I say ’secret’ because anyone who knows me knows I appreciate good quality chocolate.
A Cherry Blossom is chocolate candy. It’s really not supposed to be something a true chocoholic indulges in (or in this case, admits to indulging in!).
But there’s something about the texture and taste of this chocolate, coconut and chopped peanut shell with its maraschino cherry and oozing cherry syrup centre that just works for me. The little yellow box with its foil-wrapped contents rather resembles a little gift. Maybe that’s part of its allure!
Here – see what I mean……
It’s not that I eat a ton of these chunky, flat-bottomed chocolate mounds.
Once in a while I pick one up when I see them at the grocery store checkout. I tend to eat this treat quickly, partly because otherwise its oozing centre makes for sticky fingers, and tell-tale stains on one’s clothing. And, probably also to hide the evidence that my love of chocolate isn’t exclusively for higher-end brands.
By the way, Cherry Blossoms are a Canadian candy. If you don’t live in Canada, you can order this treat and other foods from Canadian Favourites, an online company that sells specialty Canuck foods.
So there. I’ve confessed a guilty food pleasure. What’s yours?
Got fruit flies buzzing about your kitchen? Although they seem to come out of nowhere, in fact they breed in moist environments such as ripe or rotting fruits or vegetables, damp dish cloths, and juice spills. The kitchen is usually the hot spot for fruit fly activity.
Here are some ways to prevent an infestation.
What should you do if you already have them?
My friend Carol recently shared a method she’d learned for getting rid of the pesky critters. You get them drunk……and then they drown! What a way to go!
Here’s what you do……
Pour a small amount of red wine in a little bowl. Into that put a bit of dish soap. Set out the bowl. Now wait. The fruit flies will be attracted by the scent of the wine, but when they alight on it to partake, they’ll stick to the detergent in the wine. And drown. (I’m not usually one to wish ill on anyone, but in this case……YES!!)
Check out this link for additional ways to get rid of fruit flies, more tips on preventing them in the first place, and an lovely enlarged image of the insect. (The latter may drive you to drink!)
I think Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream may be the best ice cream I’ve made so far.
If you like Nutella and ice cream, I’m quite sure you’ll like this ice cream too! Seriously. Who wouldn’t??
It’s so easy to make, and it just sings with chocolate hazelnut flavour. It’s texture is more creamy than other ice creams I’ve made. I often find that “ripening” homemade ice cream in the freezer tends to make it harden to an extreme and form large crystals that make for a really granular texture in your mouth. I’ve had this Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream in the freezer for almost 3 days now, and although there’s not much left, what there is is firm, but scoop-able.
So here’s the recipe:
Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream
(Makes 8 cups/2 L)
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream (35%)
2 cups (500 mL) homogenized milk (3.5%)
1 cup (500 mL) chocolate hazelnut spread
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped dark chocolate* (optional)
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped hazelnuts (optional)
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer.
In a large bowl, combine hazelnut spread and sugar; stir until smooth. Whisk 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the cream mixture into the sugar mixture; whisk until blended. Whisk in remaining cream mixture until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled or overnight.
Stir cream mixture. Transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions, adding chopped chocolate and hazelnuts a few minutes before the ice cream has finished churning.
Recipe Source: 125 Best Ice Cream Recipes by Marilyn Linton and Tanya Linton, Robert Rose Inc., 2003
Tips:
* If you’re adding chopped chocolate, use a good-quality brand. I used Lindt Madagascar (65%) dark chocolate.
* I have a Cuisinart Flavor Duo (two 1 L/1 quart buckets) ice cream maker. This recipe filled both buckets. The mixture had chilled overnight so only took 15 to 18 minutes to process to a soft creamy consistency.
* The recipe can be halved if you can only make 1 L (1 quart) of ice cream at a time.
* If desired, splash a serving of the finished ice cream with hazelnut liqueur and a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts (instead of adding the hazelnuts to the ice cream).
