Torrone (Italian Nut & Nougat Confection) – A Stirring Valentine’s Day Treat

The theme of this torrone post was originally about making this gorgeous candy for your Valentine, but then I realized what would be even better than making this for your sweetheart, would be making with your sweetheart.

While very easy, this procedure does take about one and a half hours to complete, and most of that time is spent standing at the stove, stirring, which is why tag-teaming this Italian confection makes the job much easier, and I’ll assume a lot more fun.

By the way, this is the real way to make torrone, and by “real,” I mean the really old way. Today, most candy makers use a much faster method, where a caramelized sugar syrup is simply added to the whipped egg whites. I’ve tried this both ways, and while the modern technique is way faster, I much prefer this method. It seems to have more soul, whatever that means.

Using this ancient technique, you don’t need to worry about precise timing, specific temperatures, or potentially painful burns. Besides, standing and stirring something on the stove for that long is surprisingly therapeutic. Watching the ingredients slowly, and magically change, as your home fills with the sweet aroma of warm honey, is almost as enjoyable as the amazing candy you end up with. Almost.

The visual clues, and times I give in the video should be enough, but don’t forget the cold water trick I showed you. That’s a great way to check you work, and sneak a taste. I hope you give this a try very soon. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from this one by, Enzo Maragucci. 
Makes about 80 (1-inch) square pieces:

400 g honey (about 1 1/3 cups)

250 g white sugar (about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons)

2 large egg whites

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 rounded tablespoon lemon zest

3 cups roasted almonds (I used Marcona almonds)

1 cup roasted pistachio

2 sheets “wafer” paper (*edible rice paper)

*Follow this link for info on the one I ordered. 
If you don't use the wafer paper, you can just spray plastic wrap with oil, and that also works. Some people use cornstarch, but I'm not a fan. Google for many other tricks.  

- I used an 8 x 11 baking dish to mold mine in.

Cooper Gives Thumbs Up to Dr. Harvey's Oracle Freeze Dried Beef!

Cooper Gives Thumbs Up to Dr. Harvey's Oracle Freeze Dried Beef!

For those of you who follow my page on Facebook and here at the Welcome Home Blog, you already know that my fur babies are my family and I love them more than anything.  I will do whatever it takes to keep them healthy, safe and happy. I don't care what it takes or what lengths I have to go, I want to do whatever it takes to make sure I am doing my part to prolong their lives and keep them happy and healthy.  Especially when it comes to choosing the right food.  

 

What I feed them is very important and I've spent many years trying to figure out the labels on commercial dog food. It's truly a challenge finding the right food when there are so many hidden ingredients. You stay clear of things like byproducts and chemicals and other things we have no idea about.  

But then one day I found Dr. Harvey's!  Katie and Cooper and I were so impressed that I actually became an Ambassador for them so I could spread the news about their healthy and nutritious dog food.  Because I know that once you hear about it and give it a try....your days of trying to figure out dog food labels are over. That's how much I love their full line up.

You all know that I will not even talk about a product unless I love it myself. I will not endorse, represent or add my name or the name Welcome Home to any product unless I am completely sold on it myself. My standards are very high and so you will rarely see me promote much around here. But I love all of Dr. Harvey's products!  So do Katie and Cooper!  

Today I want to tell you about Dr. Harvey's Oracle.  It's what Cooper eats. 

(read my post about Katie's homemade diet using Dr. Harvey's Veg-to-Bowl here: http://www.welcome-home-blog.net/2015/12/i-am-pet-lover.html ).

Cooper Loves Dr. Harvey's Oracle Dog Food with Freeze Dried Beef! 

Cooper loves this food!  I have never seen him enjoy any food more and I feel good after feeding him what I know is a nutritious, healthy meal.

Oracle is a complete dog food with freeze dried meat included. It is loaded with veggies too and vitamins and other good things your fur baby will love.  It comes in beef, chicken, and tripe but Cooper loves the Beef.  Big delicious chunks of beef that hydrates with warm water. It's every dog's dream! And the rest of the ingredients are the perfect blend to keep him healthy. Look at these ingredients! 

Freeze-Dried Beef, Whole Egg, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Calcium Citrate, Flax Seed Meal, Green Beans, Zucchini, Broccoli, Peas, Beets, Parsley, Dried Yeast, Lecithin, Alfalfa, Dried Kelp, Dried Ground Fenugreek, Dried Ground Fennel, Dried Ground Ginger, Dried Ground Peppermint, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

 I couldn't make it any healthier if I made it myself.  Oracle is the perfect freeze dried pre-mix for dogs that contains no salt, sugar, wheat or soy and NO byproducts ! Dr. Harvey's thought of everything!   

So how do you prepare it?   It's so easy!  You simply pour it in a bowl and add warm water and let it sit for a few minutes. And this is what you get! Big chunks of beef with carrots and sweet potatoes, and green beans. Almost like a stew! Or a Casserole for dogs! And Oracle, the perfect freeze dried pre-mix for dogs and cats that contain no salt, sugar, wheat or soy! 

Oracle mixes up with just warm water to make a delicious Beef Stew! 

It’s called Dr. Harvey’s Oracle.  and he left nothing out as far as all the right blend of nutrients. And there's no salt or unhealthy byproducts or chemicals.  

There's no more slicing and dicing and chopping and no long hours spent in the kitchen making homemade dog food.  I am in and out of the kitchen in no time and watching Cooper enjoy his favorite meal!  

One three pound bag will last about 3 weeks.

Please Note: This is not a prescription diet. It's not a special needs diet for dogs that are ill or need special diets. This is for ALL dogs. It's super healthy and just good food!  It's an incredibly healthy alternative to what's available on the market today. 

I love Dr. Harvey's products. I highly recommend them. It's an easy way to make your own homemade pet foods at home and know that you are including all the nutrients they need. As I said earlier, I have been creating my own recipes with Dr. Harvey's pre-mixes and I can't wait to share them with you! They will be coming here to the Welcome Home Blog soon.

In the meantime, visit Dr. Harvey's blog and Facebook page to read more about their products and how they came to be such a fantastic company! 

Valentine's Day Sale is HERE! Save 15% On Your Entire Order.

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​	Save 15% On Your Entire Order. Plus, if you order $75 dollars or more your order ships for FREE. Offer ends Monday, February 15th at Midnight! Please have a great Valentine's Day! Enter Coupon Code HEART39 On the "My Cart" page at www.drharveys.com

Blog:  https://www.drharveys.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/doctorharveys/

Disclaimer:  Dr. Harvey’s provided several products at no cost for me to review. I am not being compensated for helping spread the word about Dr. Harvey’s products, although they did make a donation to my Save A Life program. My goal is to spread the word about Dr. Harvey’s products so that pets can live a better, healthier life.  I received no additional benefits for writing this review and the opinions and ideas in this post are my own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business.

Zabaglione – Tastes Like Romance

When you go over the things you really want in a Valentine’s dessert, this ultra-simple zabaglione checks all the boxes. Assuming that your sweetheart enjoys things like sweet, juicy fruit enveloped in a rich, but impossibly light custard, this should work out nicely.

I like to use a dry Marsala wine, but sweet Marsala is also a popular choice. If you use the sweet variety you’ll need to cut down or eliminate the sugar.  If you’re not into warm wine foams, you can literally use any other flavorful liquid, and the technique will work the same.

You may need to change the garnish, but things like coffee, fruit juices, and pretty much any other liquor, or liqueur, will work with this technique. Experiment, and see what happens. So, whether you make this for that certain someone this Valentine’s Day, or just for a random weeknight treat, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 2 or 3 servings:

3 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup diced strawberries tossed with a spoon of sugar

Next Up: Something Special for Valentine's Day

Bacon Jalapeno Popper Puffs – Seeing Spots

I had everything I needed to shoot a brand new chicken wing video, except for one key ingredient; a working oven. Yes, my oven decided to take the rest of Super Bowl week off, as did my oven repairman, but these bacon jalapeno popper puffs came out so well, I decided to designate this as an official blessing in disguise.

These pepper poppers in puff form really did come out incredibly well, as long as you don’t have a problem with lots of unsightly dark spots. Since we loaded these with so much diced pepper, the pieces on the outside caramelized (which is chef-speak for burned), and my beautiful, golden-brown balls were spotted with golden-black.

Apparently, I’m having more of a problem with the appearance than your average viewer, at least according to the first wave of YouTube comments, but I may still try to figure out a way to make these a little more camera friendly next time. Maybe I’ll puree the peppers first, or possibly char off the skin, which I believe gets even darker than the flesh. Stay tuned.

Superficial beauty aside, if you enjoy the gut-bombs that are classic, bacon-wrapped, jalapeno poppers, I think you’ll love these shockingly light puffs. All the same flavors are there, especially when served with the easy cream cheese dip, and the prep is much easier. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 40 Bacon Jalapeno Popper Puffs:

For the dough:

2/3 cup water

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon bacon fat

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

Then add:

2 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely diced jalapeno peppers

1/3 cup finely chopped bacon

pinch cayenne

pinch freshly ground black pepper

- Fry at 375 F. for about 3 1/2 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through

For the dipping sauce:

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

- add enough water to thin mixture out to proper dip consistency

Olive Tapenade Bruschetta With A Kick

Along with all the appetizers and snacks, I always make some sort of a Bruschetta to put out for a party.  I also like to put out a few relish trays and it seems that the olives are always the first to need a refill. This year I have decided to combine the two and make a spicy olive tapenade to spread on my crostini rounds. It was such an easy recipe to make thanks to Star Fine Foods. I used their Hot Pepper Stuffed Green Olives to give this appetizer the perfect kick!  These little crusty rounds topped with a subtle dash of heat are going to be just perfect for the big game! 

Olive Tapenade Bruschetta With A Kick

1 jar StarFine Foods Hot Pepper Stuffed Green Olives, chopped

4 Tablespoons Star Fine Food Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced

1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 medium French baguette, sliced (about 30 slices) or use petite toasts

Drain the liquid from the olives and finely chop. Next finely chop the garlic and the onion and add to the olives. Then add the capers, parsley, lemon juice and pepper and stir to blend. Finally add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix well.

NOTE:  If you use a food processor you want to only pulse it about 3 or 4 times so that you keep it a little chunky.  Pour into serving bowl and refrigerate.  Slice your rounds and stack around bowl when ready to serve.

If you prefer toasted Crostini:

Prepare the crostini toasts by laying them out on a baking sheet and brushing each slice with olive oil.  Put the baking sheet under the broiler and broil on low for about a minute or two until golden brown.  Remove and allow to slightly cool.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of the tapenade onto each slice of toasted bread. Arrange on a serving platter and serve immediately.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Star Fine Food's new Hot Pepper Stuffed Green Olives are available at Savemart and Walmart stores and online at http://bit.ly/HotPepperOlives.

So far I've tried Star's new  Hot Pepper Stuffed Olives, the new Lemon Stuffed Olives. the new Flavor Destinations Spanish (Tomato & Peppers) Marinated Olives, and the new Flavor Destinations Italian Garlic and Basil Marinated Olives.

And I love them all! 

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!