Date Night In with the Hubby

Sometimes, date night is about going out and experiencing new places together.  Other times, though, you've just packed up and shipped the kids off to Granny's house and you'd rather not have to get all glammed up to go out, but you still want to spend a nice evening with your handsome hubby.  This is why date night in is a great option.

Just out of high school!

Before my husband and I got married (almost nine years ago!) he bought himself a fondue set.  At the time, he was still trying to impress me with his culinary skills, and our anniversary restaurant of choice was The Melting Pot (a delicious fondue restaurant - https://www.meltingpot.com/), so this seemed like a great purchase.  However, since we've been married, it hasn't gotten much use.  I was recently reorganizing our kitchen in preparation for a pretty significant makeover and I came across his fondue set in a rarely used cabinet above our refrigerator.  It got me thinking and planning our next date night menu!

Pinterest is just about the greatest website ever created, so I logged in to find some great fondue recipes.  Let me tell you, there are about a million!

My advice is to always start with a delicious cheese fondue.  This can be served with small bread cubes, soft pretzel pieces, apples, and vegetables.  Here are a few cheese fondue recipes that I am dying to try!

*http://www.food.com/recipe/cheddar-cheese-fondue-courtesy-of-the-melting-pot-288342
*http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/11/cheesy-roasted-jalapeno-fondue/
*http://awesomeon20.com/white-cheddar-fondue/

Next, you can serve a small salad or just jump right into cooking your meat!  When eating at The Melting Pot, they bring you raw meat (different cuts of beef and chicken are what we prefer, but they also offer seafood options) and you cook it in a broth of your choice.  Just be sure to thoroughly cook your meat before eating.

*http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-garlic-fondue-broth-412885
*http://www.fondue-recipe.com/Beef-Fondue-Recipes.html
*http://allrecipes.com/recipe/244142/coq-au-vin-broth-fondue/

And now, for the most important and probably most delicious - the dessert fondue!  You can serve fresh fruit, small pieces of cake, marshmallows, graham crackers, or really anything that pairs well with chocolate.

*http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/mocha-fondue
*http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-fondue
*http://www.bestfondue.com/dessert-fondue-recipes.html

I sure hope you all enjoy your fondue date night in as much as my hubby and I will!  Michelle, when can ya babysit?!

Date Night at Granny's

Marah's Nutella Brownies - There Goes Our Diet!

If you live anywhere on planet Earth, chances are you've heard of Nutella.  Let me tell ya, nothing can wreck my diet like a jar of Nutella!  I enjoy eating it on graham crackers, pancakes, Michelle's homemade croissants, fruit, a spoon, and my finger...I'm 100% confident that Nutella tastes good on ANYTHING.  I also love a good brownie, so combining the two is magical.  Now, if you make this recipe and gain a couple of pounds, don't say I didn't warn you.  But I promise, it's worth it.  Especially when paired with a steaming hot mug of Boston Stoker coffee.  Alright...I'm drooling now, so I'll just get right to the point of this post - the recipe!

1 1/2 C Nutella
1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8x8 pan with some butter or coconut oil - this is very important!

Combine Nutella and butter in a sauce pan and stir until Nutell is melty and smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth and set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate until well combined. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula just until combined.Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top of the brownies look dry and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack.

Go make these brownies...immediately.  Better yet, make them during your kids' nap time so you can eat them warm from the oven and don't have to use your table manners!

Ravioli Take Four.....Or Maybe Just Go To The Store!

So....the big Flavors of Italy cooking class is this week and we have been trying like mad to perfect our ravioli making skills.  These are the events that transpired last night, our fourth and final attempt:  

Dean Martin Crooning Buona Sera

I measured the flour while....

Marah poured the glasses of wine!

Pasta dough recipe is simple:  flour, eggs, salt, olive oil.

Mix.

Dough forms a nice ball.

This is Marah's brand-spanking new pasta press.

Yeah.....the first ones weren't so pretty.

But we got better at it.

A nice little pesto sauce and some shaved parm...

Our guinea pig....yeah, he needed a knife.  

Never had Chef Boyardee a day in his life!

But he was willing to have ravioli one more time to help us out!
During the cooking class he and his dad are going out for Guys' Night!
Bless him - he deserves it!

So, here's the deal.  It may seem quite charming to go all "homemade pasta dough" but unless you have an Italian grandma who learned from her grandma the secret to light and airy pasta dough, just pick up the best you can buy from your grocery.  Seriously, who has time for this?  And it was ....thick.  Even after pressing!

Our goal is to help wives and mothers bring their families back around the dinner table, not to perfect their pasta making skills.  So, learn to make the most exquisite Alfredo sauce and smother your store bought ravioli in it; your family and your fingers will thank you!

Yeah, she cut her finger while cleaning her new pasta press!

That's Amore!

Recipe Contest March 2017

As promised, we're back with another exciting giveaway!!

Michelle and I love to sit down with a delicious hot cup of coffee and enjoy some dessert, and we want your recipes! Starting today until March 30th, submit your favorite dessert to our Facebook page for a chance to win a FREE registration to a cooking class of your choice AND a 12oz bag of our famous Boston Stoker coffee!! To join in the fun, simply like our Facebook page, like and share this post, and post your favorite dessert recipe to our Facebook page. For every recipe you submit, you receive one entry. Winner will be chosen in a Facebook live video on March 31st.

The winning recipe will be featured on our website under "What's on the table" for all to enjoy!  It will also be used as the subject in one of our tutorial videos and as the dessert in a future cooking class!

Can't wait to see all of your recipes!!

Happy π Day!

Marah:  Why don’t you post your award-winning apple pie recipe for Pi Day?

Michelle:  Pi Day?  As in Pi=MC2?

Marah:  No!

Michelle:  Oh, that other math equation?  Something constant and  3.14159
something, something for forever?

Marah:  Yes!  Every March 14th people get all excited about Pi Day and we get excited about your apple pie!  We haven’t had that in so long!

Michelle:  Oh, I better not make that right in the middle of our diets!

Marah:  Ha ha ha!  Do you remember that time an old friend came to visit and you made your apple pie?  She had one tiny slice and you and I ate the entire pie except that one tiny piece?!

Michelle:  Oh my gosh – yes!  We were under great duress at that time!  We never should have taken on the babies….(referring to our preschool which included a few babies still in loaded diapers).

Marah:  No!  We never should have!  But then we never would have started The Classy Pearl!  Ya live, ya learn!  Ha!

Michelle:  Alright – everybody should experience this apple pie; I love to share a good recipe.  And this recipe is award-winning; yes, it sure is!  It has taken 2nd Place at the Brookville Community Picnic and was auctioned off for more than $50!  I might not have found a place in life to use Pi but let me tell ya, I can make a really tasty apple pie!  Here is the complete recipe:   enjoy!!

High Hopes by Doris Day

Michelle’s Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients:                                                        Topping:

½ c. granulated sugar                                         ½ c. melted Butter

2 Tbs. flour                                                       ½ c. granulated sugar

1 ½  tsp. cinnamon                                            ½ c. flour

¼ tsp salt                                                            

3 Granny Smith apples  (peeled, cored, sliced)                                  

3 red apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

1   9” pie shell (homemade only)

Mix ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and the cinnamon together and toss with the apples.  Heap into the pie shell.  Combine the melted butter, ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup flour to make a thin paste.  Taste test to see if consistency is right – HA!  Taste test again, if needed.  And again.  Dip one apple slice into the paste and taste test that way.  Maybe once more.  Spread paste over apples, coating evenly.  Lick the spoon!  You can, but I don’t, place the pie in a brown paper bag and close securely with paper clips or staples.  Place the pie in center of the oven rack, taking care that the paper bag does not come in contact with any interior oven surface or it will catch on fire.  This is why I don’t use the paper bag!  Also, I’m afraid a staple will get lost somewhere in the pie, which wouldn’t win any prize and could lead to a lawsuit and jail time!  Bake 1 hour at 400° but keep checking on it after 40 minutes to be sure it doesn’t burn.  Allow to cool about 30 minutes but then serve with real vanilla ice cream while it is still warm. 

For more recipes check us out at:
www.theclassypearl.com

Life Goes On

Hey there! Sorry it's been a little quiet around here lately. Sometimes life hits you like a crashing wave, and this past week was no exception. My father in law, Michelle's husband, came home from his boating adventure for a few doctor's appointments, and we really weren't sure what to expect. He was having some problems that led us and the doctors to think maybe his cancer was coming back. This news, of course, seems to put life on hold for a little while. However, I am very happy to report that his doctors told him that his symptoms were very routine for someone who has gone through his type of battle! We are thanking our Heavenly Father for that good news! His doctor told him to get his rear end back down to Florida and launch that boat into the water!! He took that advice and hit the highway just a few short days later. 

Two Bad Hombres - Marah and Lasse

This means Michelle and I are back to work adding new products to our store and preparing for our upcoming cooking class! We are so excited to be holding an Italian themed class where we will make homemade four cheese pesto Alfredo ravioli. My mouth is watering as I type this!! Who needs to diet and lose weight before summer anyway, am I right?! Whoever said "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" clearly has never eaten pesto Alfredo ravioli before!! Anyway, stay tuned for that recipe and video footage, as well as a very exciting March giveaway!