Easter Egg Nests

I came across this recipe accidentally during one of my many wasted  well spent afternoons surfing the web. I got the idea from The Pastry Affair, a blog about all things pastry, and became inspired to recreate these edible nests. They are so cute!

The first time I made a dessert with chocolate and chow main noodles was in Grade 2 when our class made Chocolate Spiders  to sell at the school talent show. They were an instant hit with parents and kids alike, I think more so with the kids because after getting your hands all chocolatey and marshmallowy, you got to eat them!  As soon as I saw this recipe I was transported down memory lane and knew I had to make them.

The Easter Egg Nest recipe involves peanut butter. I’m not a big fan of the chocolate-peanut combo so I was considering omitting it, however my entire family loves chocolate and peanut butter so I thought this would be a lovely Easter treat for them. Low and behold I liked them as well, mainly because the peanut butter didn’t steal the show and created an equal balance with the chocolate. Thanks Pastry Affair for such a great Easter treat!

Easter Egg Nests
Makes 8-10 nests, about 3 inches in size

3 cups Chow Main Noodles
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
30 Cadbury Mini Eggs (or whatever you’d like to fill your nest with)

Directions
Put Chow Main noodles in a mixing bowl.

Lay out a baking sheet covered with wax paper.

In a small pot melt chocolate chips and peanut butter. Stir until smooth, then pour over the chow main noodles. Stir noodles until evenly coated, then arrange your nests on the wax paper, sculpting out a place for the “eggs” to rest.

Let your nests cool for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator before serving, and store in an air tight container.

White Chocolate Mocha French Toast

Just when you think french toast can’t get more decadent, I go and put some white chocolate mocha on it. 

I usually dust my french toast with cinnamon but we have this white chocolate mocha mix that I instantly gravitated towards. I beat one egg with a little vanilla and milk. I dunked two pieces of Dutch crunchy bread in the egg mixture then dusted them with mocha mix. Fried in a pan with a little butter until it browned, then topped with fresh bananas, blueberries, and maple syrup. Yum!

I added just the smallest bit of salt to the egg mixture to round out the vanilla, otherwise the flavour will turn out flat.

Apple Peelers are Awesome

Okay so I wrote this post originally to share an Apple Raisin Curry recipe our family enjoys bi-monthly. Really great recipe, will have to post it later. But as I was making the dish I discovered my Mom’s apple peeler and fell head over heals in love with the contraption.

I’d never used the it before though we received the peeler last christmas from my Uncle. Shocking! The curry recipe called for chopped/peeled granny smith apples and to shake things up a bit I hauled out the peeler ( okay it was just sitting on the kitchen counter) but I thought why not take my maiden voyage with the peeler for this recipe.

I have to admit I’m smitten by it, and to tell you the truth apples taste better when peeled like this! Plus, the apple comes out in a spiral, and it is a proven fact that food taste better in funny shapes!

The other thing I love about peeling apples like this is that when your done the apple still retains its shape if you stand it on end.

I got seriously carried away with the apple peeling process/photography and really didn’t take many photos of the curry making process. And the apple peeling photos turned out so well I had to give it my full attention with its own blog entry.

The photo of the peeler itself didn’t turn out that well, so I posed a link to a video about apple peelers. The one used in the video is exactly the same as ours, except ours has a suction cup bottom, so it secures itself to any flat surface.

Happy Apple Peeling!

Raisin Scones

I woke up this morning with higher than normal energy levels and decided to put it to use in the kitchen. Today I made Raisin Scones since we had a big bag of raisins in the pantry. The recipe used is from Canadian Living magazine, however if I were to make this recipe again I might add a little nutmeg, cinnamon, or vanilla. Don’t get me wrong, the scones turned out great, however it needed just a little something.

Traditional Raisin Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup sultana raisins
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Suggestions: 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or cinnamon, or 1 tsp vanilla. I also came across a recipe that called for the zest and juice of one lemon, this sounded amazing however I didn’t have any lemons.

Directions
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until you have a course mixture. Add raisins.

In a glass measuring cup, beat one egg with fork. Add enough milk to make 1 cup, beat again, and set aside two tablespoons for brushing the scones later. Now add the milk mixture to the flour and stir with a  fork until the dough just forms.

Shape the dough into a ball then pat out on a lightly floured surface about 3/4-inch (2 cm) in thickness. Using a 2 inch round, floured cutter, cut out scones. NOTE: I didn’t use a cutter, rather I shaped the dough into individual balls and patted them out to the shape and size I wanted.

Place scones on tray lined with parchment paper, or lightly buttered. Brush milk mixture on tops of scones, then cook in 425° oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy.