I’ve made this goodie a couple of times now and it’s always a hit. It’s not that difficult but it really impresses the guests. It’s a light and airy treat that goes well with all of those heavy holiday goodies.

Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks

4 large egg whites at room temperature

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. superfine granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1.5 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 225 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn the speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Place the meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached. (First few times I did the old Ziploc bag trick and they came out just as nice) Pipe bite sized “kiss” shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven. Bake for one hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Holding each meringue by the peak dip the bases into chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature. Do not put in the fridge. Once set, store in an airtight container.

Source: Tyler Florence, Foodnetwork

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog and I have good reason. We are expecting our first child this Spring.  (For all of those curious I’m 22 weeks and we’re not finding out the sex of the baby) To say I haven’t been up to cooking, or eating , is an understatement We are also still living in a temporary apartment while Alan builds our home. Combine the fact that I have no desire to cook, with an unfamiliar kitchen that I hate,  and the lack of any natural light to take pictures equals no new blog posts!

I’m going to try and change this though and hope you’ll bear through some blah pictures and just enjoy the recipes!

At Christmas time I always make goodie tins for the family and I didn’t want to disappoint. I decided to finally get my butt in the kitchen and bake. I did pretty well, besides some pretty frequent breaks to rest my feet. Going from no cooking/baking to three days straight was a big push for me!

For the goodie tins I made :

Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks

Peppermint Bark

Truffles

Chocolate Anise Biscotti

Alan made his wonderful fudge

and for Christmas desert I made a Black Forest Cake!

I hope to get these recipes up here within the next day or so.

Moving to Maine meant a whole new world of recipes; think seafood, apples, blueberries, maple syrup etc. I couldn’t wait to dig in! Moving in with my husband meant learning new family recipes and New England traditions. I had heard of Shepherd’s Pie since I have an Irish background but had never had it. Once my husband shared the recipe with me I had decided it wasn’t all that spectacular. But, since it’s one of Alan’s favorites I make it. I can honestly say I haven’t tried a bite of it, I guess it brings me back to childhood and the need for a plate with dividers   It’s a standard here in Maine though, some interchange the vegetable or add a gravy to it but the idea is just the same.

Shepherd’s Pie

1 lb. ground beef

frozen corn (or a can of creamed corn to give it some moisture)

mashed potatoes – I usually use about 5 large Yukon golds(however you like to make them)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Brown the ground beef, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place into a casserole dish and layer some corn on top. Top with mashed potatoes. Now, you can get fancy and use a pastry bag and dollop the potatoes onto the surface. This makes for a nice presentation and will give you more opportunity for a little browning of the peaks of potatoes but I just slather it on there since I make it for hubby and he likes it this way best.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are a light golden brown.

I loved ravioli, especially stuffed with prosciutto, lobster, or pumpkin. When you have these fillings you need something light to accompany them and wont over power the taste. This is just the sauce. It’s also greet with a plain cheese filled ravioli since that’s what the hubby likes best, no seafood or veggies remember?

Ravioli with sage and garlic

Ingredients

Ravioli (either a frozen bag of your favorite kind or however much you think you’d like)

4 Tbsp. butter

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

5 leaves of fresh sage, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

While ravioli is cooking melt butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic, minced sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Toss the ravioli with the sauce, spoon onto plates and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Garnish with a few pan-crisped whole sage leaves.