candy mushrooms

My dear friend Rebecca told me about a meringue mushrooms recipe she found on allrecipes.com around Christmas time. She took them to a party as a white elephant gift. I kept meaning to make them but just never got around to it. This past weekend Rebecca and I made a deal. She was going to try my bread recipe that she had been meaning to get around to and I was going to make these mushrooms.

They ended up being easier than I thought to make and the results are so fun.

Meringue Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces chocolate confectioners' coating

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, use an electric mixer to whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping until the whites hold soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar so that it does not sink to the bottom, and continue whipping until the mixture holds stiff shiny peaks.
3. Place a round tip into a pastry bag (or I used a plastic bag with the corner cut off), and fill the bag half way with the meringue. To pipe the mushroom caps, squeeze out round mounds of meringue onto one of the prepared cookie sheets. Pull the bag off to the side to avoid making peaks on the top. For the stems, press out a tiny bit of meringue onto the other sheet, then pull the bag straight up. They should resemble candy kisses. Do not worry about making all of the pieces exactly the same. The mushrooms will look more natural if the pieces are different sizes.
4. Dust the mushroom caps lightly with cocoa using a small sifter or strainer.
5. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the caps are dry enough to easily remove from the cookie sheets. Set aside to cool completely.
6. Melt the coating chocolate in a metal bowl over simmering water, or in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
7. Poke a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Spread chocolate over the bottom of the cap. Dip the tip of a stem in chocolate, and press lightly into the hole. When the chocolate sets, they will hold together. Repeat with remaining pieces. Store at room temperature in a dry place or tin.

celebrations

Our lives have been beyond busy lately. Among all the craziness that comes with getting a business on it feet, Brett and I have been having fun every minute we can.

We were able to help two friends celebrate their birthdays. We ate way too much food while watching the Superbowl. And this past Friday we had fun getting together with friends to celebrate the recent engagement of a couple who is part of our life group. I am so excited for them and can’t wait to see where life takes them.

Along with all the festivities, we also learned that the couple from Australia who were only supposed to be here for 3 months are coming back for two more years. We really enjoy hanging out with them and are so excited that they will be back.

Other than all that, not much has been happening with us. Brett’s parents are going to Germany on Thursday for 10 days. While they are gone, we will be staying with the exchange girls so they have rides to school and all that. That should make for an interesting couple weeks.

Hope you all are enjoying the first bits of spring and have a great week.

roasted garlic bread and black bean soup

Wow, it has been way to long since I last posted. Life has been busy, and unfortunately, the blog got pushed down on the list. Apparently, my husband posted a link to this blog on his facebook, so I guess I had better get it update.

So what have I been cooking lately? I am still on my bread kick. Last week I made a half recipe and stirred some roasted garlic cloves in while mixing it up. I then let it rise for about an hour before splitting it in half and placing in two loaf pans. Let that rise for a couple more hours and baked it for some roasted garlic bread. Very good with the soups we have been eating during the cold weather.

One of my favorite soups right now is a creamy black bean soup. I usually make it in the Crockpot so I have dinner ready when I get home from work, but it would be just as easy to make on the stove.

Black Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
4 cups chicken stock
3 cans black beans – divided
1 can of corn or 1-2 cups frozen corn
1 (16oz) jar of salsa
1 small onion - chopped
1½ tsp cumin
1½ cups cooked chicken – shredded or cut into bit size pieces
Shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, diced onion, lime (optional for topping)

DIRECTIONS
Dump the stock, 2 cans of beans, corn, salsa, onion, and cumin into the Crockpot.
Cook on high for 6-8 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
Blend the soup until it becomes creamy. I have an immersion blender but if you don’t then just use a traditional blender in batches.
Added the 3rd can of beans and chicken, and let them heat with the soup for a minute.
Serve topped with whatever suits your fancy.

I leave you with a picture of some sweet rolls Brett made for me the other morning using the bread dough.