Wanna know a secret?  A crazy one at that?  I used to not be such a big fan of chocolate.  I liked it ok but didn’t get what all the who-ha was all about but as I’ve gotten older, the craving has evolved into something fierce with a life all of its own.  Case in point, I have absentmindedly been licking off homemade fudge by the spoonful all day today.  I meant to reserve it for a bucket of pistachio-pistachio ice cream but it sat there on the counter, ever so not innocently and that was my mistake.  Now I’m making jokes about being air-lifted out of my house on Facebook (but seriously, I kid.  If you want something, I’m a firm believer that you should go after it.  However, it should be good to point out that moderation is key, a word that I know nothing about obviously).

That being said, won’t you indulge in a bit of chocolate fun with me?  It has less calories that way (I hear)

http://youtu.be/hmk7Lxh_9Rg

5.0 from 6 reviews

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 room temperature egg yolks
• 1 tb sugar
• ¾ c room temperature heavy cream
• 1 tb sugar
• ¼ c chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chips)
• 2 ts kahlua (or vanilla)
• ¼ ts fine salt
• Sugar for sprinkling (I like using raw sugar but regular granulated works)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together your yolks and 1 tb of sugar.
2. In a pot over medium-low, heat your cream, 1 tb sugar, and chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts and sugar dissolves.
3. Splash in your kahlua or vanilla and sprinkle in your salt.
4. Slowly scrape in your yolk mixture and continue to whisk until slightly thickened.
5. Strain through a mesh sieve and pour evenly into ramekins set in a larger dish and slowly pour hot water half way up the sides.
6. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes. Cool for about 30 minutes and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
7. Before serving, liberally sprinkle with sugar and caramelize the tops with a hand/blow torch (or use the broiler in your oven)

3.2.2807

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings (aside from indulging in a hot and hearty breakfast while watching Saturday morning cartoons), is to wander around the local farmers market.  This particular morning, I stumbled upon cute little sugar pumpkins, just begging to come home with me.  The fact that they were half off only sweetened the deal.  I couldn’t resist!  So today, I bring you pumpkin bread pudding.  (Another sure delight for your Thanksgiving table).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNELbgFTE4&hd=1

5.0 from 3 reviews

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

 

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 c Half/Half (or equal parts whole milk and whole cream)
• 4 room temperature Eggs
• ½ c Brown Sugar
• ¼ c Honey or Maple Syrup
• 2 tb Frangelico or Bourbon (can omit)
• 15 oz Fresh Pumpkin Puree
• ½ tb Pumpkin Spice
• 1 loaf day old Challah or Brioche
• Butter for your dish

Instructions

1. Cube your bread and toss into a well buttered baking dish.
2. Whisk together all of your other ingredients and slowly pour over your bread.
3. Allow your custard to soak in for 20 minutes.
4. Set your dish into a larger baking dish and fill with hot water half way up its sides.
5. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

3.2.2807

Watch my Stuffed Sweet Potato Cupcakes Video to learn how to blitz your own pumpkin/butternut squash/sweet potato puree!

…and here’s how to make your own pumpkin spice:

5.0 from 3 reviews

Pumpkin Spice DIY

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 2 tb Cinnamon
• 2 ts Ginger
• 3 ts Nutmeg
• ½ ts Allspice
• ½ ts Cloves
• ⅛ ts Cardamom

Instructions

1. Mix everything together. I like to store mine in a mason jar.
2. {It's best to grind whole spices in a spice grinder, but you can get away with using jarred spices}

3.2.2807

Love & Sweet Saturday Mornings,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

 

Save Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 2 c Half/Half (or equal parts whole milk and whole cream)
• 4 room temperature Eggs
• ½ c Brown Sugar
• ¼ c Honey or Maple Syrup
• 2 tb Frangelico or Bourbon (can omit)
• 15 oz Fresh Pumpkin Puree
• ½ tb Pumpkin Spice
• 1 loaf day old Challah or Brioche
• Butter for your dish

Instructions

1. Cube your bread and toss into a well buttered baking dish.
2. Whisk together all of your other ingredients and slowly pour over your bread.
3. Allow your custard to soak in for 20 minutes.
4. Set your dish into a larger baking dish and fill with hot water half way up its sides.
5. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

3.1.09

Watch my Stuffed Sweet Potato Cupcakes Video to learn how to blitz your own Pumpkin/Butternut Squash/Sweet Potato puree!

…and here’s how to make your own Pumpkin Spice:

5.0 from 3 reviews

Pumpkin Spice DIY

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 2 tb {Cassia} Cinnamon
• 2 ts Ginger
• 3 ts Nutmeg
• ½ ts Allspice
• ½ ts Cloves
• ⅛ ts Cardamom

Instructions

1. Mix everything together. I like to store mine in a mason jar.
2. {It’s best to grind whole spices in a spice grinder, but you can get away with using jarred spices}

3.1.09

Love & Sweet Saturday Mornings,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

For me, September means my birthday, kids going back to school, and the transition into my favorite season, Autumn.  Here, near the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding, the leaves are unreal.  The vibrant foliage makes me feel like Pocahontas singing “Colors of the Wind.”  Autumn conjures up the memory of pumpkin spice lattes, spicy baked yummies, and soft fuzzy scarves.  Despite happily anticipating Autumn, it’s bittersweet to watch Summer go.  No more frolicking in the water and snow cones and slushies galore.  So come celebrate the last bits of Summer with me and send it off with a hoooorah!

Mango Cheesecake

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

Crust

• 1½ c graham cracker crumbs
• ⅓ c sugar
• 6 tb melted butter

Filling

• 3 blocks soft cream cheese
• 1 c pureed mango
• 1 c sugar
• 2 tb flour
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 3 room temperature eggs

Instructions

1. For the crust, press everything together into a spring form pan that's been wrapped in foil. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes and allow to cool completely.
2. For the filling, begin by straining your mango through a fine mesh sieve. Then, cream together your cream cheese and mango.
3. Add your sugar, tip in your vanilla, then, your flour. Be mindful not to over beat. A few lumps are ok.
4. Add in your eggs, one at a time.
5. Pour your filling into your prepared crust. Lay it into a larger baking dish and fill half way up the sides with hot water to create a water bath.
6. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes.
7. Allow your cheesecake to cool completely and refrigerate overnight.

3.2.2124

Your Squishy Monster ^.^

Big ole’ hugs & kisses from me and my favorite girl!

XOXO

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Mom and Pops were all smiles when I brought this out for Dinner last night.  Here’s how I make smiles:

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

I hope that you make this and smile–or better yet, inspire everyone that you make it for to smile too!

Smiles & Tiramisu,
Your Squishy Monster

Fruit makes me happy.  Fruit tarts make me even happier.  No matter what the situation was, growing up, we always had lots of fresh fruit.  It’s how we ended most meals and what we’d have for breakfasts, snacks, you name it.  I remember how thrilled I was when I discovered the concept of stretching fruit out to pack different flavor punches.  I distinctly remember my first bite of a fresh slab of grilled pineapple, dripping with it’s own juices and glossed over with melted chocolate.  Now that is something deserving of a “foodgasm.”

Not much harder to achieve is this fruit tart.  People seem to get spooked whenever “tart” is mentioned.  I think it has to do with it’s neat fluted edges that comprise of what most people freak out about: tart pastry.  I’m not gonna lie.  Rolling out pastry is not one of my favorite things to do.  Then again, I wasn’t too keen on play-doh as a kid.  I watched too many of my friends eating the stuff.  It never appealed to me.  So don’t worry.  I wouldn’t impose upon you something that I wouldn’t do myself.  This tart pastry is endlessly forgiving.  It’s a matter of mix and smoosh.

Fresh Fruit Tart

 

Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• Tart Pastry:
• •2 sticks of softened, unsalted Butter
• •8 oz of softened Cream Cheese (full fat, of course)!
• •2 cups Flour + 1 ts fine salt
• Pastry Cream:
• •1 c Heavy Cream + 1 c full fat Milk
• •1 scraped Vanilla Bean
• •2 Yolks
• •6 tb Sugar
• •2 tb Corn Starch (Corn Flour)

Instructions

1. Tart pastry: cream together your butter & cream cheese (you can smear it with a wooden spoon but a mixer is much easier)
2. After your butter/cheese mixture is nicely combined and fluffy, begin sprinkling in your flour/salt. I would do about 3 separate additions.
3. At this point, mix on low, sprinkle, and STOP when the dough comes together. A soft, smooth dough ball will form.
4. Gently press the dough evenly up and around your pan, squishing it into every crevice. You want it to be pretty even.
5. Pop your prepared pans into the fridge for 1 hour
6. To pre-bake: line the inside with wax or foil and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake at 350 for 12-15 min.
7. Pastry cream: Constantly whisk and cook until it bubbles and thickens.
8. Cool and directly lay cling film on the surface of your cream and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
9. If your pastry cream is lumpy, just pass it through a fine mesh sieve.
10. To assemble:Tip your cooled pastry cream into your cooled tart shell. Arrange whatever seasonal berries you'd like on top. Take a pastry brush and lightly brush the tops of each fruit with this mixture: 2 tb jelly + 2 ts water, zap in the microwave for a 20-30 sec, cool and brush on top of fruit to make it glisten and shine.

3.2.1753

I also broke a dish.  I seem to break a lot of dishes…and cups…and bowls for that matter!  LOL.  I’m very much a klutz.  I know, I know I seem so composed and elegant (haha) but now that I think about it, I really do seem to break a lot of dishes and I know that I break more dishes on days I’m preoccupied or flustered.  Today, I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.

Enough on that.  Let’s move on to happier things.  Fruit makes me happy.  Fruit Tarts make me even happier.  No matter what the situation was, growing up, we always had lots of fresh Fruit.  It’s how we ended most meals and what we’d have for Breakfasts, Snacks, you name it.  I remember how thrilled I was when I discovered the concept of stretching Fruit out to pack different flavor punches.  I distinctly remember my first bite of a fresh slab of grilled Pineapple, dripping with it’s own juices and glossed over with melted Chocolate.  Now that is something deserving of a “foodgasm.”

Not much harder to achieve is this Fruit Tart.  People seem to get spooked whenever “Tart” is mentioned.  I think it has to do with it’s neat fluted edges that comprise of what most people freak out about: Tart Pastry.  I’m not gonna lie.  Rolling out Pastry is not one of my favorite things to do.  Then again, I wasn’t too keen on Play-Doh as a kid.  I watched too many of my friends eating the stuff.  It never appealed to me.  So don’t worry.  I wouldn’t impose upon you something that I wouldn’t do myself.  This Tart Pastry is endlessly forgiving.  It’s a matter of Mix and Smoosh.

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

Breakin’ Dishes & Makin’ Berries Shine

Love,
Your only temporarily sad Squishy Monster

XOXO!!!