Cornaby's Five Star Spreadable Fruit Giveaway...Featuring Raspberry-White Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

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After battling a stomach bug for the past couple of days, I'm finally feeling much better today. Well enough to get into the kitchen to bake up a little something special to spotlight a really fantastic product that I'm going to share with you today!!  Cornaby's recently sent me two jars of their Five Start Spreadable Fruit to try: Raspberry and Raspberry-Jalapeno. These low-sugar fruit spreads are made from raspberries that they grow on 20 acres of land in Utah. These spreads are thickened with natural ingredients and contain no corn syrup...and about half the calories of regular jams.

These products are very tasty...when I opened the first jar, I was immediately impressed with the fresh smell of the jam. It smelled just like fresh raspberries! The Raspberry flavor was not overly sweet, which really lets the natural tart flavor of raspberries shine through. The Raspberry-Jalapeno has a very mild heat that does not overpower the flavor of the berries. I served part of the Raspberry-Jalapeno over cream cheese with crackers for a snack one evening. It was so good that I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of it! I'm saving the other half of the jar to make a spicy red wine-raspberry sauce to serve over roasted pork tenderloin.

After using part of my Raspberry spread on biscuits one morning, I saved the rest until I found the perfect recipe to showcase its fruity goodness. When I was flipping through a cookbook earlier this week, I found a recipe for Chocolate and Raspberry Croissant Pudding. I immediately decided that this could work! I altered the recipe to sub in white chocolate for the milk and dark chocolate the recipe called for...and I decided to cut my croissants in half and spread them with the Cornaby's Raspberry Five Star Spreadable Fruit. When paired with fresh raspberries, this gave my bread pudding a delicious one-two punch of raspberry flavor!

Weekend Gourmet Flashback: Celebrating National Peanut Butter Lover's Day...with PB&J Puff Pastry Doughnuts

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Today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day...and I do indeed love peanut butter!! I had planned to share a really great recipe for a peanut-buttery blonde brownie base topped with strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. But that will have to wait for just a bit. I came down with a horrible stomach virus last night, so cooking was off the agenda. I'm still under the weather today, but I'm jumping on the computer really quickly to post one of my favorite peanut butter treats from last year so I can take part in the peanut butter love! 

What's not to love about peanut butter...especially when it's paired with jelly in the form of a flaky homemade doughnut? Today's recipe is a snap to whip up thanks to frozen puff pastry. Not only are these doughnuts easy to make, they taste AMAZING!! This recipe was my first-ever time to use puff pastry, and I was thrilled with how easy it was to use...and how pretty the end result was!! I adapted a recipe that I found at the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry website. They have all sorts of easy recipes for appetizers, desserts, and pastries...but one recipe jumped out at me immediately: PB&J Doughnuts. 

The idea of one of my all-time-favorite sandwiches in a doughnut form had me dashing out the door to head to the grocery store to buy some puff pastry! I loved these doughnuts so much that I made several variations for different parties we attended last year. One of my favorites was white chocolate chips, diced strawberries, and a dollop of strawberry-flavored cream cheese! This doughnut features warm peanut butter filling and raspberry jam, but you can feel free to use your favorite jelly flavor combination of choice

PB&J Puff Pastry Doughnuts

adapted from Pepperidge Farm

Step 1:  Remove frozen puff pastry from the box and set the two pieces on a baking sheet to thaw. This takes about 30-40 minutes. While the pastry is thawing, combine the following ingredients in a small bowl: 1/2 cup peanut butter, 3 tbs. whipping cream, 2 tbs. powdered sugar, and 1 tbs. honey. Stir well to combine and set aside.

Step 2:  Preheat oven to 400. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut each piece of puff pastry into nine rounds (18 total rounds). Place half of the puff pastry rounds on a non-stick cookie sheet...a Silpat or parchment paper will make cleanup much easier! Top each puff pastry round with 1 rounded tsp. of the peanut butter mixture and 1 tsp. of your favorite jam or jelly. I used seedless red raspberry jam since that's what I had in my kitchen.

Step 3:  Combine 1 egg and a bit of water and whisk well until frothy. Brush the egg wash around the edges of the rounds. Top with the remaining nine pastry rounds. Use a fork or clean fingers to seal the two pieces seal together...go slow so you get a really nice seal. This will prevent any of the filling from coming out the sides during baking.

Step 4:  Bake the doughnuts for 15-20 minutes, until they are puffed and golden. I turned my baking sheet around halfway through to ensure even browning. Make sure to let the doughnuts cool for at least 10 minutes before you eat them. Otherwise, you might end up with very hot peanut butter burning your mouth! Just before serving, dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar.

These doughnuts are the best of both worlds: fancy enough to serve to friends for a Sunday brunch, but simple enough to whip up for a yummy after-dinner treat. The first thing you notice is the crisp, light texture of the doughnut...and then you taste the slightly sweet peanut butter and the tart jam. All you need is a cold glass of milk, and you're ready to dig in!!

Caramel Corn on Steroids: Spicy Nutty Maple-Bacon Caramel Corn

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I want you to ponder something for just a moment: Spicy Nutty Maple-Bacon Caramel Corn. Are you drooling yet? This popcorn is some seriously good stuff, and it has a habit of disappearing very quickly once people take a bite! My friend Janet brought some of this addictive popcorn to the office for me to try on Valentines, and it was love at first bite!! I knew I had to make a batch for a work lunch last Friday…and share the recipe with y'all. This popcorn is a little spicy, a little salty, and a little smoky from the bacon.  If you’re a skeptic and think that bacon seems out of place in caramel corn, think again. It’s a huge part of what makes this caramel popcorn so yummy…trust me! I tweaked the original recipe just a bit, because that’s what food bloggers tend to do! I added a bit of pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup to the caramel mixture…and I upped the salt since I adore salted caramel. The only other tweak I made was to add pecans to the roasted peanuts the original recipe called for. 

Ahem...in the spirit of full disclosure, this isn’t exactly the healthiest snack you could eat. The calorie and fat content is way higher than the recipes I usually share -- mainly because you pop the popcorn in the bacon grease that’s left when you cook the bacon. I know, I know...just do what I did: enjoy a moderate portion and share the popcorn with a group of friends to spread the calories around a bit. Then eat a green salad (or two…) for lunch the next couple of days. Balance, my friends -- balance!

Spicy Nutty Maple-Bacon Caramel Corn

adapted from Texas Co-op Power (via Janet)

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 200. Slice 8 strips of bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook until crispy in a large pot or Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels to the bacon grease, cover, and pop. I found that it helps to shake the pan as the kernels pop so you get even popping. You'll have about 8-9 cups of popcorn when you're done. Put the popped corn into a large mixing bowl -- make sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Top with 1/2 cup pecan pieces, 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, and the bacon pieces.

Step 2:  Make the caramel by adding the following ingredients to a non-stick pan over med-high heat: 1 stick butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp. black pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Stir until the butter melts and all the ingredients are combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. The caramel will foam, but that's ok...don't panic!

Step 3:  Slowly pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn-bacon-nut mixture, stirring constantly to combine. Keep stirring until all of the popcorn mixture is evenly coated with the caramel. Spread the caramel corn on a large nonstick rimmed jelly roll pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. If you have a Silpat, you can use that; parchment is also good to prevent sticking. Spread the caramel corn in an even layer on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden, giving it a stir every 5 minutes to ensure that it cooks evenly. 

Step 4: Let the caramel corn cool for about 30 minutes, then break it into bite-sized pieces. Store it in an airtight container. Since it does contain bacon, I kept the container in the fridge until I shortly before I was ready to serve it the next day. I let Michael sample some the night I made it, and he gave it an enthusiastic thumps up...and then he asked me to make a batch for him to munch on this weekend!

I can’t tell you how delicious this popcorn is! The first thing you taste is the salty sweetness of the caramel and the smokiness of the bacon, then you notice the heat from the pepper in the background. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s a nice counterbalance to the sweetness. The maple flavor is very subtle, but it pairs well with the bacon. Maple and bacon are two of my favorite breakfast flavors, and they work well here too. My suggestion is to make this caramel-corn-on-steroids for a party so you don’t have to eat the entire batch yourself…although you may want to. Once you try this popcorn, it’s very tempting to eat it by the handful. If you do give in to temptation? Enjoy…and then follow up with a Lipitor chaser!!

Indianapolis Weekend, Part 3: Taste of the NFL...Plus Decadent White Chocolate Lemon-Lime Truffles

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It's hard to believe that February is nearly over...it seems like I was just planning my trip to Indianapolis to attend Taste of the NFL thanks to the kind folks at Red Gold Tomatoes. Before I turn the page on my calendar to March, I wanted to make sure to share some fun details and pictures of my experience at Taste of the NFL. After a wonderful welcome dinner at Bonge's Tavern on Friday and tour of the Red Gold facilities on Saturday morning, our last official activity was to attend the Taste of the NFL fundraiser with about 3,000 other lucky people! After getting glammed up, we jumped into our waiting limo for the hour-long drive to Gleaner's Food Bank, the site of the event.

Our first order of business was to pop the cork on some celebratory champagne to get the celebration started! We laughed, took pictures, drank champagne, and enjoyed the truffles that we had been given by the nice people at Concannon's Pastries. Sigh...I'm telling you...I could get used to being driven around while I enjoy bubbly and chocolates!! Before we knew it, we were being dropped at the entrance to the event...we felt a bit like celebrities as we emerged from our limo. We met up with our hosts from Red Gold and entered the on the "green carpet" with 3,000 other people who were attending the event. Our first stop was at a table to register and pick up our programs and logo plate/wine glass combo. We paired off with one of our Red Gold hosts and set out to sample some amazing food and wine!

Once I had my program, plate, and wine glass? I was ready to taste some amazing food and wine pairings!!

We spent the next two hours visiting as many of the booths as we could. Each NFL city had a booth with gourmet food cooked by one of the city's best chefs, wine pairings to sample, and a current or former NFL player from that city's team. Of course, I was excited to visit the Houston booth...being a huge Houston Texans fan!! We sampled so many fabulous dishes, including a wonderful pork belly with over white beans...and a fantastic shrimp and gnocchi dish. Unfortunately, I didn't take that many pictures of the food. Between juggling a small clutch purse and my plate/wine glass combo...I only took my camera out a few times. The one dish that I did take a picture of was a fabulous chicken osso buco with purple potato puree. It was gorgeous and tasted AMAZING!

Bryan Braman of the Houston Texans...what a nice guy! I chatted with him for a few minutes, and he was so genuinely friendly and appreciative of the Texans' fans!

Amazing Chicken Osso Bucco with Purple Potato Puree...one of the many gourmet dishes that I sampled at Taste of the NFL. Almost too pretty to eat...almost being the key word!

We met a few celebrities along the way...some of the girls met up with Ted Allen from Food Network's Chopped and got a picture with him. I was just on the other side of the table and talked with him, but was unable to get in the picture. But? I did manage to get in the picture with Mauro and Joey from Cake Boss. By the way? I sampled some of the cake that they brought...and I can vouch that their cakes are DELICIOUS!!

By the end of the night, were were stuffed! We had an amazing time...we thanked our generous hosts and they told us goodbye since we were heading to the airport the next morning. I can't say it enough: our Red Gold hosts were the friendliest, most wonderful people!! They made us feel so welcome...truly like we were part of their extended family. We watched a few songs of Sara Evans's set, then we jumped back into our waiting limo for the ride back to the hotel. But not before snapping a few last pictures to remember our amazing evening!

Two very lovely ladies: Monica from Red Gold's Marketing Department and Linda, Red Gold's Home Economist.

Seven super-hot food bloggers out on the town! From left: Heather of Basilmomma, Deb from Just Short of Crazy , Lisa from Jersey Girl Cooks, ME (in my sparkly red top), Cathy from The Dutch Baker's Daughter, Renee from The Great Foodini, and Sherry from Superexhausted.

All in all, it was a wonderful night was truly a Party for a Purpose: 7,000,000 meals were produced for families in need. We had a great time...and the money raised would truly make a difference in people's lives! For this Texan, the icing on the cake was seeing snow flurries on the way back to hotel. I'm sure the rest of the ladies...who are from colder climates...thought it was hilarious that I was so intrigued by snowflakes! It's not a common sight for me, so it really was the perfect ending to an elegant evening.

And speaking of elegant? I want to share a recipe that has nothing to do with Taste of the NFL...other than the fact that it's quite elegant. One of my fellow Secret Recipe Club Group C members is Louise from Lick the Spoon. She has so many really great recipes, and I decided to make a slight variation of her White Chocolate Lemon Truffles for our Oscar-viewing treats tonight. They're so amazing that I had to share them with you! They're super simple to make...I had some fun key lime sugar crystals that I've been dying to use, so I tweaked her recipe to include a bit of lemon and lime juice and zest.

White Chocolate Lemon-Lime Truffles

adapted from Lick the Spoon

Step 1:  Add a package of white chocolate chips to a mixing bowl. Place 1/3 cup whipping cream and the zest of one small lemon and one small lime in a small non-stick pot. Heat the cream mixture over medium heat until it's hot...but not to boiling. Stir it every few seconds to avoid scorching.

Step 2:  Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate and whisk until combined. Add 1/4 cup of a combo of lemon juice and lime juice. For me, that was one small lemon and one small lime. Whisk well to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the truffle mixture is solid enough to roll into balls. This took about 2 hours in my fridge.

Step 3:  Roll the chilled truffle mixture into bite-sized balls. Roll them in cocoa, powdered sugar, or sugar crystals. I rolled half of my truffles in powdered sugar and half of them in key lime flavored sugar crystals. I like the way the two presentations looked on my green serving platter. Both versions taste great, but the lime-green sugar crystals are REALLY pretty and provide a nice bit of crunch on the outside!

Wowza...are these simple three-ingredient truffles fantastic! They have just enough citrus flavor to cut the richness of the white chocolate and cream...without making you pucker when you eat them. These are soft like ganache, so do store them in the fridge until serving time. I think next time I make these, I will dip half of them in melted white chocolate and roll half in the sugar crystals. Next time you have company coming, whip up a batch of these truffles. They're so simple to make, but they are so elegant that everyone will think you spent all day making them. 

Disclosure: Red Gold Tomatoes provided me with an expenses-paid trip to Indianapolis over Super Bowl Weekend as part of a contest. However, all opinions express in this post are my own.