Stacey Makes It

Since I started writing a lot, I haven't had a lot of time to cook, and so I've started defaulting to making all sorts of rice crispy treats because they only take 15-20 minutes to complete.  This is my new favorite recipe for rice crispy treats. Stacey's Minty Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat Ingredients: 1/3c peppermint candies, crushed (I used candy canes) 2 tbs butter, organic 2c marshmallows, plain 1-2c chocolate mint marshmallows (if you can't find these, just substitute regular marshmallows)  4c cereal (I use a mix of rice crispies and corn flakes from TJ's) 1/2c-1c chocolate chips (I used a mix of milk and semisweet, but you can use whatever you like) 5-6 drops peppermint oil 4-qt. pot 11 cup pyrex baking dish, or an 8x8" baking dish, oiled I even took process pictures for you - I haven't taken these in a long time.  So, I found these marshmallows and I felt like using them in something where they became melted and unrecogniza...

My friend asked me to make something St. Patrick's Dayish for today even though St. Patrick's Day was Saturday. Stacey's Bailey's Brownies Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter, organic 2 oz unsweetened 99% chocolate, Scharffen-Berger 1c sugar, organic 1/3c brown sugar, organic 2 eggs 1/4c Bailey's Irish Creme Liqueur 2/3c unbleached white flour, organic 1 tbs whole wheat flour, organic (you can use regular flour) 1/4c cocoa powder, organic, Dagoba 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/3c semisweet chocolate chips, Guittard Stacey's Bailey's Ganache Ingredients: 3/4c mix of 64% dark / 38% milk Guittard couverture chocolate Organic Heavy Cream (enough to cover the chocolate in a measuring cup - probably 1/3c?) 1/4c Bailey's Irish Creme Liqueur 9x9" baking pan or cake pan, lined with foil and buttered Preheat oven to 350F.  Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together.  Then add the sugars, eggs and 1/4c liqueur.  Mix the d...

I finally had some time to make more cold-process soap.  Hooray! I intended on making 4 lbs at once, but then since I'm so smart, I didn't realize until I measured all the oils / fats that it wouldn't all fit in my soaping pot.  I ended up having to remeasure out half of it once it was all melted and make two separate batches.  So, instead of having to figure out that all this stuff doesn't fit in a 4-qt stockpot like I did, here is the halved recipe for 2 lbs. Here are the soap qualities. Soap Bar Quality Suggested Range Your Recipe Hardness 29 - 54 44 Cleansing 12 - 22 16 Conditioning 44 - 69 53 Bubbly 14 - 46 30 Creamy 16 - 48 43 Iodine 41 - 70 57 INS 136 - 165 147 I always aim to make sure conditioning is fairly high up.  I won't go through all the process steps again since it's the same as the M...

So, one of my boyfriend's co-workers "can't eat anything that comes from a cow," meaning no milk products.  I'd think that would mean no dairy, but he can eat eggs.  Anyway, he likes brownies and I thought I'd try and come up with a brownie recipe. Stacey's Cow-Free Brownie Ingredients: 1/4c coconut oil, organic 3/4c cooking oil 3 eggs, organic 1 oz 99% unsweetened chocolate (Scharffen-Berger) 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 2c sugar, organic 1c unbleached white flour, organic 2/3c unsweetened cocoa powder, organic (Dagoba) 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1c semi-sweet chocolate chips (make sure there are no milk products in here) Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave with the unsweetened chocolate.  Add the cooking oil and mix.  Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and whisk with a fork. Then mix in the sugar. I wish I mixed all the rest of the dry ingredients separately and then put it in, but I didn't - I threw ...

I wanted to make some cupcakes for my grandfather's 96th birthday this weekend so I made these. I was more interested in the frosting so I just made the Yellow Cupcake recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book . I did a half batch and used lowfat milk instead. Stacey's Altered Yellow Cupcake Ingredients: 1 1/3c unbleached white flour, organic 2 tbs cornstarch 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 stick softened butter, unsalted, organic 3/4 + 2 tbs sugar, organic 2 eggs, organic 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 3/4c lowfat (2% milk), organic 15 cupcake liners cupcake pan Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the milk. Beat in 1/2 of the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk.  Beat in the last portion of the flour mixture.  Using a cupcake scooper or spoons, fill the cupcake liners in the pan about 2/3 full.  Bake cupcakes f...

I started experimenting with chocolate mixtures in truffles and this is my new favorite.  And of course, since it's Valentine's Day, I had to put some hearts on them.  It's prettier to do once you dip in white chocolate, but really you can dip these truffles in any type of chocolate.  I did. :)  I dipped them in milk, white, and dark.  Dark and milk are my favorites, but I have to say white chocolate is the prettiest. Stacey's 2:1 Dark / Milk Heart Truffle Ingredients: 16 oz 64% Guittard dark chocolate couverture 8 oz 38% Guittard milk chocolate couverture 11.2 oz heavy cream, organic 3 oz glucose 1.5 oz (3 tbs) unsalted butter, organic, softened White 31% / milk 38% Guittard chocolate couverture for dipping The thing I love most about these truffle recipes is that you can make the whole thing only using a microwave. First I measured out all the chocolate in my 4qt pyrex mixing bowl and then put the cream and glucose in a 16 oz pyrex measuring cup. ...

It's that time of year again.  The time of year that people like to eat extra chocolate that isn't Easter or Christmas.  So I thought I'd put together some boxes again to sell to my mom's wonderful friends and my awesome co-workers so that I can keep deducting my ingredients from my taxes. Stacey's 2012 Mid-February (for those who hate Valentine's Day) Chocolate Boxes: Strawberry white chocolate hearts with crispies and milk chocolate bottoms Dark Chocolate Hearts with Candied Almonds Chocolate Bars:  Strawberry White Chocolate with Crispies White Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Drizzle Dark Chocolate with Candied Almonds Kahlua Truffles Two Ways: Dipped in Dark Chocolate with a White/Milk Chocolate Drizzle Rolled in Chocolate Sprinkles and Organic Turbinado Sugar And lastly, my pièce de résistance... The Walnut Meltaway in Milk Chocolate - this is my latest invention of which I am so proud.  I ate one of these and I swear I was transcended t...