Friday, August 26, 2011

Big Bertha's Big Debut!

So I just wanted to take a moment and let my new toy Big Bertha have a little bit of the spotlight.

Everyone meet Bertha.  Say hello Bertha...

Bertha say's "Hi."

Tonight I made some yummy sweet potato fries with my new friend.  (I also got a fry cutter because I'm lazy sometimes)  Recipe is pretty simple:

Ingredients
2 Medium - Large Sweet Potatoes
Oil (at least 1.5 qt)
Fryer or heavy bottom pot
Salt to taste. 


0.  preheat fryer or pot to 375 degrees

1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes.  cut about 3 inches in length and 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch thickness.  To speed up the cooking microwave your sweet potato fries for about 4 minuets before you fry them.

2.  fry sweet potatoes in batches of about 20 fries at a time... or however many your pot or fryer can handle.  cook time is about 4 minutes.

3. salt to taste

 


Yummy!  Enjoy

<3 Crafty Leo

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Fudge, Flubs, and a new Fryer

Today was a fun cooking day for the most part.  I made fudge this morning, and it turned out yummy.  I didn't want to wait until the holidays to have some so I whipped some together when I woke up (picture and recipe below)

So we bought a new fryer yesterday, Big Bertha I like to call her (she's a 4 qt beast!).  Today was her maiden voyage.  And what was the first thing I made with my new toy?  Tortilla chips of course!  super easy, cut a small four inch corn tortilla into six triangles and fry away at 375 until they're nice and golden (approx 1min)  just a little sea salt and boy are they yummy.

My tortilla chips turned out so well that I thought I'd make something else tonight.  And here is where things went well... lets just say they kinda failed, but only a little bit.  I decided to make a funnel cake since I didn't buy one at the county fair on Friday.  I thought I'd try something new and use cake flour.  my funnel cake sunk... it stuck to the fry basket and the pieces that didn't turned into little funnel cake nibblets, which when you dust with powder sugar still taste pretty good.  So for dessert tonight we had funnel cake nibblets.

Now for a Crafty Leo tested recipe!!! 

Super Easy Fudge

3 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet if you want a dark chocolate effect, or milk chocolate if you want something lighter)
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk (DO NOT use evaporated milk it's not the same thing and it will turn out bad if you try to substitute it!)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional I usually don't add it, still turns out yummy)
optional: 1/2 c nuts (walnuts or pecans are wonderful)

1.  either line an 8x8 baking dish or spray it with nonstick spray, or butter.
2.  combine all ingredients in medium size pot and cook on low medium heat.  Stir constantly until chocolate has melted and all ingredients have combined.
3.  spread out into your baking dish.  Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, then enjoy!

You can also do this in the microwave as well.  just use a microwave safe bowl, and make sure you stir the ingredients at least once or twice half way through the microwaving process, as well as at the end.



And here are the funnel nibblets yum yum!


 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

I live!

So what has happened to me in the eight months since I last posted?  Well... I got married, I got sick, I've been traveling, and I moved (All in that order too!).  I have just been a busy girl.  But that's no excuse.  This is really my way of saying I'm sorry.  I've kind of put this blog on the back burner.

All this time not blogging has given me a chance to really think about what I want to make this all about.  I was unfocused before, I wanted to write about everything crafty under the sun.  But really this should be about my true passion.  So what is that then?  Well as you might guess by my new title it would be baking.  And you would be mostly right, I love to bake and it is my true passion.  And I will also be including other recipes here as well as maybe the occasional craft or two.

So I would like to welcome all of you to my revamped blog!

<3 Crafty Leo