Share a Spoon - Breakfast SoS

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Share a Spoon
BREAKFAST
Compliments of @amberella87
SOS aka Chip Beef Gravy on Texas Toast

This is a favorite at my house.  I'm not even kidding.  This is Kamden's favorite meal of all time.  I know.  I think the same thing, of all the things I make?  THIS is his favorite?  It is though.  As a matter of fact, he's converted his Uncle Will to his line of thinking too.  I get requests for this meal on a regular basis.
I try to make it sparingly, as this is not exactly figure friendly.  I mean, butter, cream, dried beef, even the toast is Texas sized!  It's an indulgence for sure.  Comfort food at it's very definition.
Chipped Beef Gravy n' Texas Toast
1 Bottle of dried beef

6 Tablespoons butter (plus more for toast)1/4 flour1 1/2 cups of milk2 cups of heavy cream1 teaspoon nutmegfresh cracked black pepperTexas Toast
Remove dried beef from bottle.  Cut in half, and then cut into thin strips.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add the dried beef strips and stir.  Make sure to coat all the beef with butter.
Add the flour and  cook for a minute or two to cook out the raw flour taste.
Whisk in milk slowly.  Stir in heavy cream.  If mixture is too thick add additional milk as needed.
Add in lots of freshly cracked black pepper and the teaspoon of nutmeg.  I grate fresh nutmeg for this, but you can use ground nutmeg.
Toast the Texas toast in the oven or in your toaster.  Butter lightly.
Serve the gravy over the toast!
Now it's your turn.  Share your breakfast favorites!  Leave me some love!

PINT - Doorbell Ditching The Grim Reaper

It's Sticky Love Day.  Head over and Stick 'Em Up with @That_One_Mom!

 

Share a Spoon Theme - Breakfast

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Happy Saturday Smackers!
Theme Time
Share a Spoon - Breakfast
brought to you this week by
@amberella87
I put call out on Twitter last night for this week's theme.  You guys have been seriously slacking on what you want to see for Share a Spoon.  *ahem*  back to my Twatter story....Amber answered quick fast and in a hurry.  She apparently has some fantastic recipes for waffles and french toast.  A couple of my favorites.
Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, as "they" say.  Whoever they is.  Anyway, the word breakfast, is a compound of break and fast.  Referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal.
The idea of what constitutes breakfast across the globe varies tremendously.  However, the majority of the English speaking world eats roughly the same things.  Most of us grab something light during the week, and then reserve the weekends for a real "sit down" meal.  
I love breakfast.  Like....really really really love breakfast!  We eat breakfast foods pretty often for dinner 'round these parts!  AND I DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT IT ONE BIT!  Pancakes are a food group right?
Join me this Thursday for Breakfast.  We can even have breakfast in bed if you want!  Ha!
Now leave me some love, and tell me what you want recipes for in the coming weeks!

It's a Belly Party....

What a difference a year makes.  Last year on this day my heart was so full I didn't think it could experience anything more without bursting from sheer joy.  BDC and I welcomed our newest family member into the world and experienced emotions I didn't know were possible.

In one day we watched our daughter give birth.  We became grandparents, and new parents all in one day and the emotions were....well there just really are no words.  We have grown this last year in ways that have made us stronger, made us love deeper and given us the opportunity to embrace parenthood with more appreciation than I dreamed was possible.

If you are new here and don't know the story of Belly, please feel free to catch up here.  We'll wait.

All caught up?

Today we're celebrating just how much joy you can experience in the blink of an eye.  We aren't having a party until next weekend, as we've all been sick this week, including Belly, but nevertheless, today BDC and I have hearts full of joy and happiness.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLY!

(In case you're wondering about the moniker Belly?  I tend to give everyone I love nicknames. I started calling her Khylee Annie Belly pronounced with a very heavy Italian accent <think big Italian Chef> because her name is Khylee Anne.  Belly just kind of stuck)

 

I will post some pictures of her Princess Party after we shower her with Birthday wishes next weekend!  Until then....HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELL!

Share a Spoon - Hershey's Chocolate Truffles

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Share a Spoon
CHOCOLATE EDITION
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY SMACKERS!

I love chocolate.  I mean I really really luuuuuurrrrrve it!  When I was little I wasn't the biggest fan.  I'd have rather had any other candy or cheese.  Don'e get me wrong, I liked it.  However, it wasn't a must have.  As an adult and after having children, my tastes have changed and chocolate is a love affair that rivals some of the greatest love affairs of all time.

I'm not just a fan of the milk chocolate variety either.  I like semi-sweet, dark chocolate, white chocolate (even though technically that's not really chocolate).  There's something almost healing and therapeutic about chocolate.  The world can be turned upside down.  The sky can be falling.  You have the worst day ever and if someone hands you a piece of chocolate?  For that moment...your taste buds smile and your heart skips a little beat, and all is right with the world.  Even if just for a moment.

We've been down with the creepy crud this week so I haven't had the chance to do a step by step photo shoot with my truffles, but seriously, you can't mess these up.  They are really really THAT easy.

Image provided via Google Images.

Easy Truffles

2 bags Hershey's Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 shot brewed espresso

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat warm the two cup of heavy cream.  Bring to a simmer.  Do not boil.

Whisk in chocolate chips one bag at a time until smooth.  Add butter and combine until chocolate is shiny and smooth.

Remove from heat.  Add espresso and vanilla.  Stir until combined.

Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least six hours.  I do this overnight.

Use a small ice cream scoop, or teaspoon to make small balls.  Roll into small balls and transfer to a sheet pan lined with wax paper.

(Note:  This is a little bit of a messy job, but so fun and so worth it!  Just wash up when you're done.)

Once all your truffles are done, roll them in the crushed walnuts or pecans.  You can really use any nut that is your favorite.
Return the truffles to the refrigerator.
If you want to get fancy and you like the hard coating and soft truffle center you can dip these in milk chocolate.  In that case, use Hershey's Milk chocolate chips.  Warm them in the microwave in a heat safe bowl 30 seconds at a time.  Stir after each 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Dip your cold truffles in the chocolate and return to the wax paper. 
Now...this is the important part.  USE HERSHEY'S chips!  I have made these truffles with other chocolate.  Expensive chocolate.  Other chocolate chips.  I've tried everything.  Hershey's is the best for this recipe.  When I use something different the response isn't the same. 
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY SMACKERS!
LOVE!
It's your turn.  Share your favorite chocolate inspired dishes of love and let me know what you'd like to see in upcoming editions of #ShareaSpoon!

Got a spare set of lungs? Anyone?

This is the current state of Casa di Romano.  Thanks to someone who sent their child to school down with the sickness.  Mini-me has infected BDC and me with razorbladelungitis.


Why do people send their children to school sick?  Why do people go to work sick?  Why do people go out in public sick period?  I mean?  Wouldn't we save the general public at large a whole lot of grief if we just stayed in doors until we were well?


I've also made a shocking discovery.  Dimetapp?  yeah..nothing more than purple Koolaid in a medicine bottle that is really overpriced!  It's a pretty good scam they have running.  Here's a tip....if it doesn't taste bad?  It doesn't work.  The worse the medicine tastes....the better it works!


So...I'm off to the store.  Vitamin C, Thera-FLU and Robitussen here I come.  What?  I have to go out.  I know what I said but how else are we going to get well?

Share a Spoon Theme - Will You Be Mine

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Theme Time
Share a Spoon 
Valentine's Day Edition
It's all about....

Valentine's Day and chocolate are like, peanut butter and jelly, peas and carrots, perfect together.  Almost every dessert on the special Valentine's menus at your favorite restaurants are CHOCOLATE.  There is chocolate on every end cap at the grocery store, your retailer of choice and it's everywhere in the mall.  Chocolate just screams VALENTINE'S DAY.
So I thought we would honor the liquid gold of the Mayans this week and share our favorite chocolate confections.  I won't limit you this week though.  If you have a favorite savory dish that incorporates chocolate feel free to share that too.  AND...for those of you lushes, alcoholics, who enjoy an adult beverage or twelve two feel free to share those as well.
As long as the recipe screams I LOVE CHOCOLATE it's welcome this week!