Millionaire's Shortbread

Hey there, 

What do you do when two lovebird soulmates are about to meet again after a few decades apart and separated by 200 years? The answer is, you make amazing chocolate caramel bars! This recipe was actually quite simple and didn't take long at all. 

First, butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pan. I chose to not use any parchment paper and the butter worked just fine. Then I started on the shortbread layer. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Grate in 1 1/2 sticks of butter and mix. Use your fingertips to blend the mix together until it resembles cornmeal then press the dough into the pan and poke with a fork. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 30 mins.

While the shortbread cools down, grab a saucepan and melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a gentle boil and stir frequently. Then reduce the heat and stir until it thickens for about 10 mins. Pour over the shortbread evenly and let cool.

Embarrassing but I didn't realize that caramel was just brown sugar and condensed milk. Sure you have to keep your eye on it to prevent burning, but it is quite simple! This caramel came together well, the texture wasn't as silky but the flavor was perfect. 

While waiting for the caramel to set, melt the chocolate and remaining butter in a double boiler. This way the chocolate melts evenly. Once smooth, pour over the caramel. 

Check out my poor-person makeshift boiler! 

I let the bars cool and then cut out a nice square to taste. The chocolate melted in my mouth with the delicious crunch of cookie and I was in heaven....SO GOOD! So rich! Craig's review..."These bars combined a bit of sweet and chewy crunchy decadence."  

Just the right amount of chocolate to caramel to cookie. Perfect! I even took some to work to share. They were a hit! Thank you Theresa Carle-Sanders!

They were indeed worthy of a great romance.

Thanks for readin!

Bunny

Beautifully Broken Bisque

Howdy!

 The lust for blood has returned...True Blood that is and I wanted to pay homage to one of the best characters I've ever had the privilege of watching. He is charming, snarky, eloquent, strong, weak, passionate and cultured. A true villain that you couldn't help but be fond of. Some nights I will re-watch TB snuggled in my covers and skip to Russell's scenes. To honor his bloodlust and his love for Talbot here is his Beautifully Broken Bisque. This dish wasn't too complicated and tuned out to look just like the original. 

In a sauce pan, heat up the olive oil and add the onions. Cook the until soft then add in the carrots and then the beets. Cook for another 5 mins. Add the lemon, salt, pepper, broth (I chose veggie) and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer for about 30 mins and make sure the beets are soft.

 Remove the beets/mixture from heat and let it cool a bit. Then add to your mixer. I only had a blender handy but it worked he he! Once pureed your bisque is ready!

Plate the bisque while warm and garnish with sour cream. We added a bit more pepper and seasoning as well. The bisque was gentle if that makes sense...light and quenching. The beet flavor stood out and while it wasn't powerful, it was hearty. The sour cream completely adds to it as well. Looking like a true bloody bisque, Talbot would have been proud! 

FYI: Be careful with the beets/bisque...parts of our kitchen looked like vampires tore thought it LOL!

On top of the bisque, I made hush-puppies! A Maryanne/Sam recipe. These little balls of dough were perfect and fun to dip! First you combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add in the cornmeal and stir to blend. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with a wood spoon, until smooth.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix until absorbed. if the batter is too dense add in more buttermilk. I found that I needed to add a little bit more flour and cornmeal. Once the batter holds it's shape, add the green onions and garlic.

Heat up your vegetable oil in a pot, about 2 inches deep, until it reaches 360 degrees. Plop in rounded tablespoons of batter and watch them form. It's kind of interesting to see them take shape, no two the same. You can drop in about 4 to 5 at a time, it really depends on the size of pot and/or batter.

Turn the frying batter over in the oil to make sure all sides cook evenly. This should only be about 3 mins.

Once cooked, drain each one on a paper towel. You may dust them with more pepper or seasoning if you would like. Voila! perfect hush puppies! These tricked my brain, while I liked them I thought they were supposed to be sweet. They resembled beignets a bit ha ha! I wanted to cover them in powdered sugar! Instead I stuck to the bisque and Craig to his hot sauce...always with that hot sauce! 

Thanks for readin! -Bunny

Halloween Fun!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Here is a quick Joker inspired shot to get you in the mood for some Squad fun! We made a small change, from the video, and used a different vodka so the drink turned out green...to please the Joker.

I got the base recipe from http://allmommywants.com/suicide-squad-inspired-cocktail-joker-gone-wild/ called Joker Gone Wild. Thank you Carol! Totally YUM!! A little sour with a rim of sweet...a true Halloween treat!

Here are some clips from our Halloween in New Orleans! It was beyond fun! Of course Craig was my Joker and I love how he got into character. Love this guy!

Cheers!! -Bunny