It’s that time of year when all I want to do is put on my warmest pajamas, snuggle up on the couch with the fuzziest blanket I can find, and preferably never move. While I love the snow, I’m not the biggest fan of consistently cold weather – but there are a few things that make it bearable. One of those things being hot chocolate (see also wine, my cat Randy, and wool socks).
On a cold night there is nothing that will warm your bones better than a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The Test Kitchen figured it would stay warm all night long if we made it in the slow cooker. It’s a great way to make a bulk batch to serve at your holiday party or for a cozy night in with the family.
In a small bowl, combine cocoa, sugar, and salt. Then whisk in one cup of milk until the mixture is blended. In the slow cooker crock, combine the remaining milk, half and half, and vanilla extract. Then add the chocolate mixture from the small bowl and whisk until blended in the crock. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 ½ to 3 hours or on low for 5 to 5 ½ hours.
Staying in with the family for movie night? Pull out your festive holiday mugs and top them high with whipped cream for a drinkable dessert. Hosting a party? Put together a hot chocolate bar and let people pick their mix-ins and toppings. Marshmallows, chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, you name it. And it wouldn’t be a party without a boozy option, right? Put the bar in hot chocolate bar and have Kahlua, amaretto, and peppermint schnapps available for your guests to mix in too.
No matter what toppings and mix-ins you chose, this slow cooker hot chocolate is sure to warm you from your warmest socks to your whipped cream-covered nose.
Carrot cake is simply delectable, and since it’s made with two cups of shredded carrots, it’s healthy, right? We can’t be the only ones who try to rationalize our second piece that way. The crushed pineapple adds an extra layer of sweetness and a soft texture to the crunch of the pecans. The tartness of the cream cheese frosting brings it all together, making one sweet, crunchy, moist delicious cake.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large, thick carrots, peeled
1 cup chopped pecans
1 can (8oz.) crushed pineapple in own juice, undrained
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Add all ingredients to a large mixer bowl; beat on low 2 minutes until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 4 minutes.
Pour mixture evenly between prepared pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks.
Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Place one cake layer on cake plate; spread top of layer with 1/2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting. Top with remaining layer; frost side of top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 16
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla, milk and salt until creamy.
Begin adding powdered sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.
In the midst of costumes, candy, tricks and treats, the last thing on anyone’s mind is getting a healthy and well-balanced dinner on Halloween night. But what if you could do just that without a lot of hassle or prep? And what if your kids actually wanted to eat what you made them? That’s where these adorable Halloween-themed stuffed peppers come in to save the day – or night.
Use orange peppers to make little pumpkins by cutting out a traditional jack-o-lantern face. Stuff it with plain rice or blend rice, meat and veggies from the grocery store hot foods bar, pop the top back on and serve. It’s really that easy, and you end up with a very entertaining meal in a secretly healthy vessel.
To make a witch, use green peppers and make cutouts for the eyes and mouth. Cut out a circle in the middle, and insert the stem of the pepper to make a pointy witch nose. It’s okay if it’s not perfect. Wicked witches are known for their moles and warts anyway! Stuff it, cut out a paper hat and your kids can decide if this is a good witch or bad witch. Happy Halloween and have fun !!
It’s the season of tricks and treats – a time of the year when scary is fun, and candy becomes a main food group. And also a time when parties pop up and friends drop by in costume to say hello. We’ve put together a couple of our favourite dip recipes that don’t require any hocus pocus—they’re both easy and can even be done last minute.
Super Easy Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can (19 oz.) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/2 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Water
Directions:
1. Place first five ingredients in blender jar; cover. Blend on high.If too thick add water one tablespoon at a time. Serve with rye toast or pita wedges.
Red Pepper & Garlic Dip
Ingredients:
6 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 4 cubes
Directions:
Place garlic and basil in blender jar. Pulse for 5 to 10 seconds or until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients. Process on high speed until smooth and blended. Serve with crackers or fresh vegetables for dipping. Cover and refrigerate to serve.
With Easter right around the corner and daffodils blooming, it’s definitely carrot cake season. Nothing conjures the warmth and excitement of Spring quite like the traditional flavours of carrot cake, but this year, we decided to put a twist on the classic and make cupcakes.
Upon further inspection, it seems odd to add healthy vegetables to dessert cakes, but carrot cakes (and zucchini breads and the like) are so delicious and sweet, we usually don’t think twice about it. Instead, it’s a great way to justify eating cake!
To make these adorable cupcakes, we use our tried and true carrot cake recipe, which calls for shredded carrots, pineapples and pecans. We quickly and easily shred the carrots in a food processor, then mix everything together using a stand mixer before baking. The recipe makes exactly 24 moist, fluffy cupcakes.
After they’ve had a chance to cool, we top each cupcake with cream cheese frosting using a large round piping tip. (See more tips and tricks on How to Frost a Cupcake.) Then, we top it off with a candy carrot decoration or sprinkles and arrange them on a platter for everyone at our Easter brunch or dinner to admire and enjoy.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Add flour, carrots, pecans, pineapple, sugar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and eggs to a large mixer bowl; beat on low 2 minutes until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 4 minutes.
Pour mixture evenly between prepared pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks.
Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Place one cake layer on cake plate; spread top of layer with 1/2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting. Top with remaining layer; frost side of top of cake. Garnish with finely chopped pecans, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
To make Carrot Cake Cupcakes, line muffin pans with paper baking cups. Fill each baking cup about 3/4 full. An ice cream scoop works well for filling baking cups. Bake at 350°F for 16 to 18 minutes. Remove immediately from muffin pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Makes 24 cupcakes.
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