It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have. I’m pretty sure that is the secret to life, a happy life that is. Too bad hardly anyone can follow that.
It’s that time of year again. The time when people make resolutions to better themselves and my blog readership goes down…too much temptation. I think New Years is the worst time to start anything. I mean, and I’ll be honest here, if you really were dedicated to change your life and really stick to it, you would have started it when you thought of it. There have been two times in my life where I lost a decent amount of weight (gaining it back of course ), both times were not at new years. One time was December 24th. Something snapped and I was not even tempted by all the Christmas goodies. The other time was in December as well. So if your plan is to stuff your face right up until the bitter end on New Years Eve and then start fresh the next day, I fear my dear friend you are setting yourself up for most likely failure. Why say this? Well, for one, I don’t want the extra people in my gym , but the reality is it’s true. Sorry kids it’s true. If you wanted to stop smoking you would have stopped when you thought about. January 1st is not the magic deadline. If you want to start exercising more there was really no reason you couldn’t have done it on December 18th. January is not a mythical month that will make it all better.
My New Years resolution if I really had one would be to be happy with what I have. I wish this on all of you. If you have a picture of yourself up when you were at your thinnest, take that down, that’s not motivation, that’s torture. Because most likely you were in high school or college and you could eat 3 cheeseburgers without blinking and eye and your metabolism ate it up. Well, those days are past.
Are you holding on to clothing that hasn’t fit in 10 years, throw it out. Do you refuse to not buy yourself nice clothing until you lose weight? Guess what? You’re at the weight you are at. If you dress yourself nicely, you will carry yourself nicely. If you carry yourself nicely you gain confidence, and a dose of confidence is far better than a skinny ass any day. Splurge on some nice core pieces and buy the trendy clothing from the cheap places. You are you at this moment. Celebrate you at this moment. Take this year to celebrate you and take care of yourself. If that mean you want to eat healthier, then fabulous, go for that. But starving yourself and eating 6 bags of popcorn and 3 bowls of zero point soup really isn’t eating healthier.
Want to work out, fabulous. But don’t set an unrealistic goal of working out for an hour everyday. Most people don’t have time for that. Break it up. Take a walk on your break at work instead of seeing what is in the candy machine at work and hoping the expiration date hasn’t passed.
Try not to draw on the negatives. Sure my husband can’t load a dishwasher to save his life…and he always puts dishes in there that aren’t dishwasher safe. Do I get mad. No, I appreciate the fact that he at least tried to do it in the first place. Turned my socks and undies pink…great, it’s my favorite color and who really sees those anyway.
For those of you sticking around on temptation food blog here I offer up these little dishes of yumminess. Cheesecake in a dish made with Mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese. Oh the silkiness of these treats really is well, a treat. They can be flavored with just about any liqueur you would like but I chose Chambord so that I could serve them with a raspberry sauce. These are fantastic for a dinner party as they can be made ahead up to two days in advance. They are super easy to make but don’t taste that way. Real keeper of a recipe.
Those of you going the resolution route I do wish you the best and hope you are one of the lucky few to keep your resolution.

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Pots

1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tsp all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 TBSP Chambord (or any other liqueur…optional)

Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325F.
In a saucepan, bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the pan from heat before the cream starts to boil and add the chocolate, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition ( I like to scrape down the bowl after each addition as well) until smooth. Add flour and mix until incorporated. Add vanilla, Chambord and salt and whisk to combine.
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the mascarpone cheese mixture and whisk gently until smooth.
Put eight 4-ounce custard cups, ramekins, or small oven proof coffee cups in and empty 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Divide the chocolate-cheesecake mixture among the cups.
Put the baking dish in the oven and then carefully pour boiling water into the pan. Adding just enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake until the tops of the cheesecakes appear solid but jiggle slightly when shaken, 30-40 minutes. These will firm up as they cool to room temperature. Cover each pot with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. These can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Conner

Has my motivation gone? I am sure it is around here somewhere…or at least I hope it is. In the grand tradition, I once again got sick for Christmas. Luckily for me it wasn’t knock out, drag down for Christmas, I was saving that part for now.
The good news is that Snowpocalypse is over now but boy did I screw a lot of things up. I have many a friend who’s Christmas’ were altered big time because of it. Most people didn’t get to go to family dinners or have family over. Some were without power for awhile on Christmas. For us, we were just missing a few gifts. See UPS/FedEx/USPS had some issues with delivering things and so some of our Christmas was spend describing our gifts. All well and good. We’re adults, so Christmas isn’t really about the presents anymore (though Hannah sent me some beautiful brownies that didn’t make it here until the 27th…thanks post office…grr).
The other thing, the thing that is driving me the most insane…we haven’t had trash pick up now going over 3 weeks. That’s right, I have had my garbage and recycling in my garage piling up. They claim they are coming this week. I will believe it when I see it. We got a ton of rain today and have little snow left so if they don’t come I just might have to be that crazy woman on the phone to them.
So here I am, no motivation and be drowned in garbage. I am not sure if my lack of motivation is because I am sick or because I only got one cookbook for Christmas. Only one, I know. I can’t remember the last time I only got one. So I have no new inspiration to fuel me on. What on earth did I get for Christmas then? Lights. Yes, photography lights. I haven’t experimented with them yet but soon will. The other? A Blender. But not just any blender. A blender with a peak of 1 horsepower. Before owning that blender, I owned the Walmart special that my mom got me. The thing never really even chopped up ice all that well. So imagine my happiness when I opened that up from my in-laws on Christmas day. I made soup in it the other night. I think I over blended (not that you can really do that with a pureed soup) because I could not bring myself to believe that it would take 20 seconds to puree my entire soup. I love it.
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and got what you want. I am hoping to find my motivation real soon. If you find it before I do, could you do me a favor and send it my way please!

Oh and as you can see Santa did stop by for all the critters in the house….those marshmallows worked nicely.
These crème brulee’s were originally pots de crème, so if you don’t have a blowtorch at home, you don’t really need to do the final step. These only have a little over a tablespoon of Grand Marnier but they most definitely have the flavor! I added some Clementine pieces to the bottom of each ramekin to give it a little some thing special hidden inside.

Grand Marnier Crème Brulee

1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup crème fraiche
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp Grand Marnier
2 Clementines, peeled and sections and skin removed
sugar for top of crème brulee (about 1/8 cup)

Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 300F. Have ready four-6 ounce ramekins or custard cups and a 10-inch square baking pan. Place three slices of Clementines at the bottom of each ramekin. Put on a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.
Combine the cream, crème fraiche, and salt in a medium heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, just until hot. Remove from the heat.
Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and Grand Marnier in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer set over a large glass measure or bowl.
Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Skim any foam from the top of the custards. Place the ramekins in the baking pan, place the pan in the oven, and carefully add enough boiling water to the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until custards are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center, do not over bake-the custards will set further as they cool. Remove the pan form the oven and let the custards stand in the water bath for 10 minutes.
With tongs or a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 3 hours,until thoroughly chilled and set, or for up to 2 days.
Sift sugar evenly over the custard. Using a kitchen torch on low flame, and rotating the dish, melt sugar until it has turned a dark amber color.

Soucre: Adapted from Luscious, Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham

We are having to pull out the big guns this Christmas to make sure Santa stops by. See Crazy Cocker Spaniel is a little nervous this year (see picture below) as she has been on quite the Kleenex tissue shredding binge as of late. We call it making Christmas around these parts as she blankets the house with have chewed up Kleenex. I know she is just trying to be festive but it becomes a pain to clean up. So to better entice Santa to show up I had to offer up a little more than just cookies. So we are offering him hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and some homemade Chocolate Caramel Covered Marshmallows.
When I made the hard caramels the other day I also made a small batch of soft ones. I wanted to try my hand at the Chocolate Caramel Covered Marshmallows (I got the pictures downloaded…such a smart husband I  have). A candy maker I am not. If I was smart I would have put an indent into the marshmallows while they were setting up so that the caramel wouldn’t slide off of them so much (next time). I also am a horrible chocolate dipper. But I wasn’t giving them away to anyone but Santa and I made sure to leave the best looking ones for him. I am sure that Santa will appreciate the effort at least. These as you expect are good. Caramel, good. Chocolate, good. And homemade marshmallows, good. In fact, I have made many marshmallows and I have to say that this is my favorite recipe. It’s easy and unlike Dorie’s version, there are no egg whites involved. These ones melt about as perfect as marshmallows can melt in hot chocolate.
So everyone cross their fingers for CCS that this is enough to win over Santa, as I know her Kleenex shredding days are not over (she is doing it as I type this post!). For those who celebrate Christmas I wish you a very Merry Christmas. And for those who don’t I wish you a very happy regular day of the week.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 ½  cups
1 cup light corn syrup
¼  tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼  cup confectioners’ sugar
¼  cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
 

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ½  cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½  cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pan.
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
 
Adapted from Food Network.com (Alton Brown)

Chocolate Caramel Covered Marshmallows

Cut marshmallows to desired size and shape. Cut soft caramels (recipe here) slightly smaller than the size of the marshmallows. Place the caramel on top of the marshmallows.
Put caramel topped marshmallows in microwave for about 10 seconds. You don’t want it to really melt but you want the caramel to adhere to the marshmallow.
Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm back up.
While the marshmallows are in the refrigerator prepare the chocolate. I just used the recipe from the Peppermint Bark Shortbread but used milk chocolate instead of semisweet.
Dip the marshmallow into chocolate and completely coat them. Place on a wire rack (with a pan below to catch the dripping chocolate).
Place in refrigerator for about 10 minutes to firm up. Store in an airtight container.

I wont be home for Christmas (well my parents home) so like the song says…I’ll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams. My parents are off to visit my brothers for the holiday this year and we are here alone in the Snowcopalypse. Not that I mind spending Christmas alone its just it’s a little bit better with my family around. My mom is very into Christmas and I have that genetic Christmas gene as well. We have lots of traditions. I lucked out in a way that my husband has no Christmas traditions. None. At first I thought this was weird but soon learned that it worked to my advantage. He now has had to adopt all of my family traditions.
One year when I was little we drove across country to visit my maternal grandmother and grandfather. Two and half days in a car with the family is less than fun. You can only play the licenses plate game so much (the next times we flew). My grandmother is not what one would call a good cook. So often when we were there for the holidays all the goodies were provided by other people. There was woman, whom I have no idea how she knew my grandmother, made lots of candy. Divinity was her specialty and caramels. Though these were unlike any caramels I had every had. They were hard. I told her she made them wrong (good to know I didn’t have manners as a kid either, eh?). She just smiled at me and said that there were many ways to make caramels. She called them caramel candies though instead of caramels. They were similar to Werther’s chewy toffees if you have every had those. They were curious candies. They started hard but then melted in your mouth. I was hooked, I snook as many of those that I could fit in my pockets. I looked like one of those hamsters stuffing his pouches.
I found them again years later at a holiday craft fair. Some church ladies had a booth and were selling what they called caramel melts. They looked the same…because they were. I asked them for the recipe. They declined.
Last months Daring Bakers challenge was a caramel cake. I didn’t make it because I no longer participate. They also had a caramels as bonus. I read that you could make them firmer and wondered if I cooked them longer if I could get the consistency I wanted. In the recipe there was a variation for vanilla-nutmeg caramels. They made me think of my mom and how much she would love those. I  made these in all stages. I made caramel sauce. I made soft caramels which I placed on top of homemade marshmallows. I would love to show you those but I had a small issue with my memory card being damaged and those photos are gone. I will probably make those again and will post then. And then I tried for the harder ones. The first batch was brittle. It never melted in your mouth. And I wanted the melty kind. Luckily the second batch did what I wanted. The only problem is that I never thought about was that woman and those church ladies put them in candy molds. That would have been much easier than trying to cut them. Shards of caramel candies went everywhere. The dog was very pro this.
They definitely take me back. Take me back the Christmas that I got my Cabbage Patch Doll. The Christmas I was sick and slept through most of Christmas day. The Christmas that I first had caramel candies.
I hope that all of you who are not with family this season, whatever the reason being, have some wonderful memories to pull from.

Vanilla-Nutmeg Caramels (or chewy toffee)

1 cup golden syrup
2 cups sugar
3/8 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 TBSP plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer (I used my digital thermometer)

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and nutmeg in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.
When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°F for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels. I cooked mine to 272F to get a chewy toffee.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 or 5 hours to firm up. If you are making the harder caramels it will take about 30 minutes in a cool room.
Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane. This is the hardest part. Cutting hard candy. A good sharp knife is a must.

Other variations:

Fleur de Sel Caramels:
Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt, brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.
Cardamom Caramels:
Omit the vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it. Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel; discard the seeds.

Caramel Sauce:
Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225°F or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228°F. Pour it into a sauceboat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer.

Adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

To see a version of the soft caramel visit Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats, she has some nice chocolate covered ones.