Chile Brittle

This is a recipe a co-worker shared with me recently.  It may sound odd to some, then again maybe not.  If you are fan of chocolate with a bit of spice you should definitely try this one.

I will note any changes I made at the end.  Enjoy!

Chile Brittle

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chile (half habanero & half dried ground chipotles)  <--Yes you read that right!  It says a 1/4 cup!! (see change below)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup soft butter or margarine

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups of nut of your choice (whole peanuts, cashews or coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts or brazil nuts)

Boil together the sugars, corn syrup, water, chile and salt until the mixture reaches hard crack stage (300 degrees F on a candy thermometer).

Stir the mixture only until the sugar is dissolved so it doesn't scorch.  Add the butter and baking soda, stirring until the mixture foams up.  Add nuts and quickly stir them in.  Pour the mixture onto a greased heat-proof flat pan.  Spread the mixture until it is very thin.  Loosen from the sheet before it cools and hardens.  Break into crude pieces.

Changes or additions:

     - My co-worker used 1/4 tsp of chiles to the mix.  I however used closer to 1 tsp or so.  What I did, and would recommend is that you stir the mixture of sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in the pan BEFORE you put it on the heat.  This way you can gradually add the chiles to the mixture and taste, so that it reaches an acceptable heat/spicy level for you.  This isn't intended to be a fraternity prank!  Mine turned out with a subtle smoldering sensation, and that's meant in a pleasant way.  :)

     - To counterbalance the spicy, I took the advice of my co-worker and dipped the brittle in chocolate.  I melted down some of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate and dipped the cooled brittle pieces into the chocolate, covering them completely.  I then laid them out on a piece of parchment paper to allow the chocolate to harden.

Tip:  My Silpat was perfect for this, I poured the brittle mixture onto it to cool.  It made it a breeze to remove!

Super Turkey Chili

I went to find this recipe online so I could add it to Pinterest, and it was gone!  So, I decided to post it here!  We love this recipe and I'll note changes I made to the original recipe in case you want to experiment.  I began using this recipe during Phase I when we did the South Beach Diet.  It is an easy recipe, and one of my favorite cold weather meals!

I added the ingredients into myfitnesspal.com and the calories per serving is about 470.

This is a place holder pic...will add my own the next time I make this  :)

Super Turkey Chili
Serves 8
Serving size about 1 cup

2 lbs natural ground turkey breast
2 tbs olive or canola oil
3 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 (15oz) cans dark red kidney beans
4 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp cayenne (optional)
2 tsp salt

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add oil, onion, zucchini and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, or until soft

Add ground turkey, cook and stir until browned

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt

If chili is too thick, add water or broth to achieve desired consistency.  Simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot.

My changes or additions:
      - Use 1 can dark red kidney beans & 1 can black beans
      - Fresh diced tomato instead of canned
      - 1/4 tsp cayenne
      - Dash white pepper & black pepper
      - Dash of red pepper flakes
      - Sometime to change it up, I use lean ground beef
      - I've also added a little ground chipotle from time to time as well

Raspberry Lemonade Pie

So, since we don't always eat out I decided to share a recipe I tried and we really enjoyed. It is for Raspberry Lemonade pie.  It's a great, quick and easy recipe.  I love the light and summery taste.  I'm not a huge fan of lemon desserts, but I really liked this one.

The only change I made is that I used Raspberry Lemonade concentrate instead of Lemonade concentrate. I also used low or no fat options or sugar free when possible. The link to the recipe is below, as well as the recipe typed out. Let me know what you think!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=194340&origin=detail&servings=16

Raspberry Lemonade Pie
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes
Servings: 16
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (3 ounce) package JELL-O Brand Lemon Flavor Gelatin
4 ounces PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 (6 ounce) HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crusts 

Directions:
1. Add boiling water to gelatin mix in small bowl. Stir 2 min. until completely dissolved; set aside. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in concentrate, then gelatin until blended.
2. Stir in COOL WHIP and berries. Pour into crusts.
3. Refrigerate 1 pie 4 hours or until firm. Freeze remaining pie up to 1 week before thawing to serve