J@H - Fauxritos

It's time to finish my 2015 challenge! First up, Fritos! Or as I've called them "Fauxritos".  I don't know why I didn't make these earlier, they were really easy.

The only issue you might have with these is if you don't like deep frying. The boyfriend got me an electric deep fryer for christmas last year and it really takes the worry out of frying. Set the temperature and it will take care of everything else!

It took me a few batches before I was able to decide on the idea thickness for the dough. To make things easy for myself I used these rolling pin guides.  An offset spatula made it really easy to transfer the dough from the counter to the fryer.

The recipe doesn't make a huge batch of chips, just enough for one evening of TV watching. You can always increase the batch size if you have a big Super bowl party this weekend!
 
One Year Ago: Parmesan Fries
Two Years Ago: Magnolia's Banana Pudding
Three Years Ago: Homemade Granola
Four Years Ago: Thai Sweet Potato Stew
Five Years Ago: Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread

Fauxritos

From Classic Snacks - Made from Scratch

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup masa harina
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Heat about 2-inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot or your electric deep fryer to 350 °F. Line a baking tray with paper towels and top with an upside down wire cooling rack.

Whisk together masa harina, yellow cornmeal, kosher salt and sugar. Whisk water and vegetable oil together, add to dry ingredients and stir until the dough comes together into a ball. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes.

Roll out dough to a little less than 1/8-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch rectangles. Fry rectangles until they are golden brown and most of the bubbling subsides. Remove chips from the oil with a wire spider strainer. Place on the prepared baking sheet and let the oil drain.

Eat within two days, otherwise they get soggy.

Greta Bars

This year for Christmas I asked for only one cookbook. If you've seen my collection, then you know that this is a strange occurrence. I love getting new cookbooks and spending my weekends reading through them. Whether it's to get new ideas for dinner, gain blogging inspiration or to just look at the pretty pictures, I have a massive collection of cookbooks.

The cookbook I requested this year was Milkbar Life, by Christina Tosi. I already own her original cookbook and have baked my way through a good portion of it. I have also taken three of her baking classes in Brooklyn and fell in love with her food attitude. Milkbar Life promised simpler recipes with delicious results. 

Christina didn't lie.

I decided to break in the cookbook by trying out The Greta. A classic sugar cookie bar from her mothers kitchen, these cookies are heaven. Just barely under-baked and covered in a serious amount of sprinkles, this pan of cookies quickly disappeared from my kitchen.

While I probably won't try every single recipe in the book (Hanky-pankies on page 24? No, thanks), many of the recipes are classic, grandma approved recipes. I think the boyfriend will be a big fan of this book, the food isn't fancy or pretentious.

Now excuse me while I go finish off the last of these cookies...

One Year Ago: Sauteed Chicken and Pears
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt Popsicles
Four Years Ago: Poffertjes: Cheese Pancakes
Five Years Ago: Orange Chiffon Cupcakes

Candy Challenge 2016 - Gianduja Molds

This past weekend I enjoyed the massive East Coast snowstorm from the safety of my kitchen. While I am no stranger to snow, having grown up in Buffalo, NY, absolutely nothing was open and there was no where to go. The majority of shops and restaurants closed in advance of the storm and didn't open until late on Sunday. I decided it was the perfect time to make some chocolates and prepare for Valentine's Day!

I am not a huge fan of making molded candies. They are just too much work in my opinion. I would rather make a truffle or marshmallow, something a little more rustic looking. I always make a giant mess when I make molded candies, this batch was no different. My kitchen counter was covered in chocolate.

While the process was a pain in the butt, the final product was totally worth it. These candies are really good! If you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan, then you should give these candies a try.

Time to mark up one candy on my 2016 challenge list!

One Year Ago: Gingered Chicken Stir Fry
Two Years Ago: Bacony Chicken
Three Years Ago: Fudgy Waffles
Four Years Ago: Soft Pretzels
Five Years Ago: Chocolate & Peanut butter Mousse Entremet