Jen's Famous Hot Fudge

2 Tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
2/3 cup (155 ml) heavy or whipping cream
1/2 cup (170 grams) light corn syrup, golden syrup, or honey
1/4 cup (50 grams) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. fine or table sea salt
6 ounces (170 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 cup semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the butter, cream, sweeteners, cocoa, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Simmer on low, stirring, for 3-5 more minutes after everything has melted, then remove from heat and stir in chocolate.  Stir in vanilla.

It's now ready to ladle over ice cream, although it thickens more as it begins to cool, so you could also wait for 15-20 minutes before doing so, if it's not too unbearable.  Pour leftovers into a jar and refrigerate.  Hot fudge sauce keeps chilled in the fridge at least a month and often two, although it's rare that it lasts that long ;).

Bean Burritos

You can't go wrong with a yummy freezer burrito!  The recipe is from here.

YIELD: 20-30 BURRITOS

PREP TIME 1 HOUR

 

COOK TIME 20 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground turkey) (I usually omit the meat, but if I have pinto beans, I'll add them for texture)
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
•  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans
•  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon chili powder
•  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
•  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack) (I omit the cheese, and my family adds it later)
•  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze. (That's Mel's advice.  I actually immediately wrap each burrito in parchment paper, then freeze in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.)
5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. :) (Because I wrap the burritos in parchment paper, I reheat them in the microwave directly in the paper, turning the burrito over at each one-minute interval.)

NOTES

Ingredients: the success of this recipe relies heavily on using brands/flavors you like for the refried beans, taco or enchilada sauce, green chiles, spices, etc. (I'm in search of a good, mild enchilada sauce...please tell me if you have one!)

Beans/Chiles/Sauce: I almost always use the La Victoria brand of taco sauce, Old El Paso or Hatch brand of canned green chiles, homemade refried beans or Trader Joe's, Old El Paso or Rosarita traditional refried beans.

Salsa: my favorite salsa is this homemade stuff or Trader Joe's chunky salsa or salsa verde. (I've used Costco's Jack's salsa, as well as Herdez or Trader Joe's salsa verde.)

Chili Powder: my preferred chili powder is Penzey's but I've used McCormick in this recipe many, many times. (I use whatever I have...typically McCormick.)

AMAZING INSTANT POT CREAMY "BAKED" ZITI

We LOVE this recipe.  It is so easy, so fast, and so delicious.  Plus, with the Instant Pot, it doesn't heat up the kitchen!  The recipe comes from here.

A single recipe feeds my family of 7 (mostly younger kids), but when I'm cooking for my parents, too, I make a double recipe (in my 8 qt. Instant Pot).

PREP TIME 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME 5 MINUTES

ADDITIONAL TIME 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups broth (I use low-sodium chicken broth)
•  2 cups cream (see note for lightened up substitutions - I often make this substitution)
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
•  16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta 
•               (I often use penne or rigatoni. Whole grain pasta works great in this recipe.)
•  15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
•  1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (My family prefers it without cheese.)
•  Fresh basil, for serving (optional)
• Italian Sausage (See the notes below - if you like meat, Italian sausage adds a yummy dimension.  We regularly make it without meat, though.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt, pepper and garlic.
2. Add the pasta; don't stir, but if it's mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. Pour the crushed tomatoes evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Don't stir.
3. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select "manual" or "pressure cook" and dial up or down to the minutes needed --> take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two more minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes (add an extra minute if you like your pasta super soft).
4. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly (it's ok if there are some darker, cooked spots on the bottom of the pot/bottom layer of pasta). Serve the ziti immediately with chopped, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan, if desired.

NOTES

Optional: adding a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage is fantastic with this recipe! Cook the meat on the saute function with a little salt and pepper, drain the grease, and proceed with the recipe (just make sure when you add the broth to scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients).

Lighten it Up: If you want to lighten up the cream a bit, I've had great success making this with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch (whisked together) + 1 cup cream. I haven't tried subbing all the cream for a milk + cornstarch mixture, but you could experiment!

For an Extra Saucy Pasta: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra broth, cream or crushed tomatoes. Any variety of tube pasta will work great here! When I can't find ziti, I've used penne or rigatoni. Also, I've subbed in a 15-ounce can diced tomatoes blended with 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the crushed tomatoes with great results.

Black Bean Burgers

Copycat Mother Nature Burger from Universal Studios, found here.

Makes 4 burgers.

Ingredients

(burgers)

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Black Beans
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon onion, thinly sliced and chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Pinch of Cumin

(cooking the burgers)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

(condiments)

• 4 Hamburger buns
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 tablespoons guacamole
• 4 lettuce slices
• 4 sweet gerkins pickles

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the two cans of beans.
2. 
   
3. In a bowl, mash the beans slightly but not until smooth; you still want it a little chunky.
4. 
   
5. Add the Italian bread crumbs, egg, onion slices, salt and pepper, and cumin until well combined.
6. 
   
7. Split the bean mixture into four equal parts and shape them into circular patties.
8. 
   
9. Heat stove to medium high heat and pour olive oil into a saucepan.
10. 
    
11. Place the bean patty's in the pan and cook until the center is warm, and the edges begin to harden.
12. 
    
13. Decorate your burger with tomato, mayo, ketchup, guacamole, and lettuce.
14. Pierce a pickle with a toothpick and stick it on top of the burger.
15. 
    
16. Serve warm