*i love you* Fudge

Barefoot Love!

*I Cook Barefooted!*

I'm not much of a chocolate fiend.

I wouldn't make a very convincing cookie monster. 
(Though I do like his style!)

And you pro-bab-ly won't see me high-tailin' it 
to catch up with the ice cream man on a hot day.

But wrap some homemade fudge up in a little blanket,

tie a love note to it,

and

address it to me...

and I will follow you around like a fat, sick puppy

because that is what I will be once I'm finished gorging on compliments and candy!

  

Collect.

Compose.

Seal and Deliver.

"I LOVE... 

That you can turn an off handed comment about broccoli 

into a three hour discussion about politics in organized sports."

A dear friend gave *i love you* jars as gifts to all us girls a few years ago for Christmas.

I fell in love with her idea and did the same for my Kentucky family.

After collecting mason jars of all sizes, shapes, and colors,

scouting out the best (and idiot proof) 
homemade fudge recipes I could find,

and hunkering down with pen and paper,

I continued the gift that kept on giving... 

I spread around the LOVE!

*I wonder if she knows just what she's started.*

"I LOVE...

That you get so excited about everything you do.

Nothing half ass for Scarlett."

       ~ A few of my favorites ~

S'more Fudge

 2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 (7 oz. jar) marshmallow creme

2 cups chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

Butter a small square pan.

In a large pot, combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk.

Bring to a boil over medium heat;

stirring constantly.

Boil 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Add marshmallow creme and chocolate chips.

Blend till smooth.

Stir in vanilla.

Pour into pan and cool to room temperature. 

Score the fudge into small square pieces.

Refrigerate till firm.

Remove fudge from pan and cut rest of way through.

Refrigerate.

"A piece for You. A piece for Me."

Chocolate Mint Fudge

1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

6 oz. white chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. peppermint extract

Add 1 cup milk to chocolate chips. Melt.

Add vanilla.

Pour half of the mixture into an 8x8 in. wax paper-lined pan.

Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Melt white chocolate with remaining milk.

Add peppermint and green food coloring.

(Mixture will be very thick.)

Spread on first layer.

Cool another 10 minutes.

Top with other half of chocolate mixture.

Cool.

Remove from pan, remove paper. Cut into squares.

Refrigerate.

"A piece for You. A piece for Me."

Maple Nut Fudge

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Boil sugar, cream, and butter until soft ball stage is reached.

Add nuts and vanilla.

Beat until ready to pour into wax paper-lined pan.

Cool.

Refrigerate.

"A piece for You. A piece for Me." 

***

You want reviews?
How 'bout,
"I Love... This!" ヅ





 How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love* Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Lil' Cheddar Meatloaf

Barefoot Love!

"MeatLoaf? 
Ew..."

This used to be the reaction my meatloaf, and I, could expect 
when we both plopped down at the supper table, exhausted.
Well, I was exhausted.
My meatloaf recipe was just plain borrr-ing!

My hands,
buried wrist deep in eggs, crackers and cold meat
saw more action with that tired old recipe
than my kid's mouths.

 As a matter of fact,
I am pretty certain it was my old meatloaf recipe
that ushered in our infamous
Green Bean Races! 

Who knew adding a little sugar and oats and cheese

would turn out to be the dinner make-over of the century
in our house!

Meat...
stuffed with cheese
and topped with goodness!
That's what I crave this time of year.
It reminds me of home.

*Home*
with a little sugar on top!


***


☮

Lil' Cheddar Meatloaf

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup quick oats

Beat egg and milk. 
Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt.
Add beef and mix well.
Shape into miniature loaves.
Place on greased 13x9 baking dish.

Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard.
Spoon over top of loaves.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

 ***

You want reviews?
This one's for my little girl who turns 16 today!
"Help! I'm being held prisoner by my heredity and environment."

~ Dennis Allen

Happy Birthday, Baby!



How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Sopapilla Cheesecake

Barefoot Love!

Sopapilla, literally means, 'bread soaked in oil'.

 

Gluttony Meet Heart.

Heart Meet Gluttony.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

I know it's not good for you.

But, that's just not the point here!

*looks over shoulder for any cardiologists in the room* 

Sometimes... and I do mean, SOME times, a little gluttony is good for the soul.

Everything in moderation, I always say...

 except Brussels sprouts and Lima beans, 

but that's just me.

My son introduced us to this sweet and creamy confection a while back.
I love it when my kids LOVE to cook!

When we showed up with this Heavenly dish at a gathering of friends,

grown men wept in anticipation (not really).

Well, they did set the beer aside, 

if only long enough to grab a big spoon with which to shovel it in!

Look, I don't have all the answers!

Sometimes we eat bad things, because we're just built that way.

But what's a ball game without a hot dog and nachos?

Where's the fun if you can't drink a beer at a BBQ?

And, why the hell CAN'T we indulge in a little sugary treat once in a while?

My advice: 

Eat it! Because it tastes SO good.

Walk a little further...
to your mailbox, parking spot or to the second floor
 ...every chance you get.

And for cripes sake people, 

Take your vitamins like your mother told you.

Life is short.

Eat cheesecake!

It's all good.

☮

Sopapilla Cheesecake

 

16 oz. cream cheese

2 cans crescent rolls

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup cinnamon sugar

Line bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with one can of crescent rolls.

Mix together cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla extract.

Spread over top of the crescent rolls.

Unroll the other can of crescents and place on top of cream cheese mixture.

Pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Cut into pieces and drizzle with honey, if you like.*

***

 You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
~ Oh, My God! ~ ヅ

(In the voice of Chandler Bing on 'Friends')

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Spicy Sausage Croissant

Barefoot Love!

*

What's LOVE got to do with it?

Well, since you asked...

Champagne and Orange juice, my sistas!

CHAM-PAGNE

and 

ORANGE JUICE.

 

A chilled Mimosa 

hits the spot!

*Especially before noon on a Wednesday*

 

***

☮

Spicy Sausage Croissant

1 lb. hot sausage

(The 'hot' makes all the difference!)

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1 small can or 1 cup of fresh mushrooms

2 cans of crescent rolls

Brown sausage in skillet and drain.

Mix sausage, while still warm, with cream cheese until mixture is creamy.

Blend in mushrooms.

Lay out one can of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish.

Pinch together all the seams.

Spread entire mix across the bottom, leaving room on all sides to pinch closed.

Lay second can of crescent rolls on top; pinch to seal.

Brush with egg whites, if you like.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes, depending on your oven.

Done when top is golden brown.

Cut into squares and

Serve warm!

You want reviews?

    How 'bout,

"Well butter my butt, and call me a biscuit!"  ヅ

~ My Katie ~

   

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...
Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ Touched By Love

♥

Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ Touched By Love ~

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.”

~ A poet, "Moulin Rouge"

I was touched by love the first time my mother kissed her lips to my little fingers and toes. It was, indeed, love at first sight. And so the story goes, I spent the next thirty-something years of my life trying to recreate that once-in-a-lifetime, unconditional they say, instinctual perhaps, but nevertheless, magic of love.

I caught glimpses of it in my father’s eyes when he grinned at me, as I watched an ant climb up a mountain. I grew closer still when my little brother wrapped me in his arms and hugged me tight, after life had gotten a hold of us. Even as the love of my life, “my density”, pledges his heart to me after nineteen years of marriage (twenty-seven if we’re counting an incredibly long courtship), I am reminded that true love is in action. I know what it is to have come so close, the moment I, myself, kissed three sets of fingers and toes, renewing the cycle of life and a mother’s love.

I know what it is to love and to be loved.

I had simply forgotten, to love *me* along the way.

We spend a lifetime searching for love in all the wrong places, wonderful as some of them may be, short-lived as some of them most thankfully are ~ all our efforts in vain, seeking that which we have denied ourselves, only to realize that the love we’ve searched for in others, was to be found, not in them, but in us. 

I asked myself some time ago, when life had slowed just long enough for me catch my breath ~ What was it I was so afraid of, that I would avoid intimacy with those I was closest to, avoid asking for what I need, avoid looking into my own eyes, my own heart, for those answers I sought in others. I found my answers, my truths, only when I began to let go of my fear.

Touched by love, we create fear, so as never to breathe, to live, to exist in its absence. Where love is courageous and not easily explained, fear is primal and instantly acknowledged, settling into our very bones.

It is the human condition that we often times confuse love with fear. Our fear of change stunts our growth. Our fear of intimacy and success stifles our creativity. Our fear of sadness and the loss of our voice, breeds more fear. But it is our fear of letting go, by our own design, which keeps us always coming back for more. Love hurts, we are told. And, it must follow, as the night the day, so it must be love.

Love is the antithesis of fear.

Love is…

Freedom,

Strength,

and

Honor

Courage,

Passion,

and

Peace

Wisdom,

Beauty,

and

Healing

Patience,

Hope,

Faith,

and

Truth!

Love is…

Courage, in the presence of Chaos.

~ Love, is Love, is Love! ~

  This Valentine's Day

Share the Love My Friends!

This I Believe: On Love

“The best way out is always through.”

~ Robert Frost

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~The One, The Only, The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!

Barefoot Love!

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 the youngest of eight children, 

my husband, Rick,

learned quickly never to be late to the supper table! 

SPAM loaf was a family favorite... go figure.

Ham soup, which just happened to be the color of peas,

(little Ricky didn't like peas, hence the name)

was also a traditional dish served up to the troops,
... as well as,  homemade pretzels,

 a yummy, albeit odd-tasting oatmeal breakfast sausage, 
called Goetta,
and occasionally, to our (we in-laws included) dismay 
Green eggs and ham!

All of them, loved family traditions.

But it is his strange addiction, 
dare I say love affair with,

Cincinnati's Skyline Chili 
that still earns him bragging rights!

Cincinnati may be better known for

Pete Rose and 'The Big Red Machine',

Pigs that fly 

and maybe even this song...

"Oh, I went to Cincinnati and I walked around the block,

and I walked right in to a bakery shop,

and I pulled two donuts out of the grease,

and I handed the lady a five cent piece.

She looked at the nickel,

she looked at me,

she said, 'This nickel's no good 'ya see,

it's got a hole in the middle

and it's all the way through.'

Said, I to the lady,

'Oh, your donuts do too!'

but it's because of this thin, bean-less, noodle-less chili

with hints of chocolate and cinnamon

that Cincinnati will forever live in his heart...

and possibly his lower intestine.

***

☮

The One, The Only 

The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!

2 Tbsp. oil

2 1/2 lbs. Ground beef

1 quart Cold water

1 can Tomato Paste

2 large onion, diced

1 1/2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire

1 clove Garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp. Chili powder

5 Bay leaves

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Allspice

2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. Cocoa or 1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Salt & Pepper to taste

*on the side*
Hot dogs, buns, spaghetti, onions, red beans and CHEESE!

Heat oil in a very large pot. 

Add beef and cook till browned.

Add onions and water; boil.

Reduce to a simmer.

Add tomato paste and all other ingredients.

Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove bay leaves.
 (Serves 6 to 8)

"How do 'ya want it?"

1.Cheese Coney, Hot dog w/mustard, chili, onion and cheese

2. Regular Coney, Hot dog w/all of the above, minus the cheese

3. Three-way, Spaghetti, chili and cheese

4. Four-way, 3-way w/onions and red beans

5. Five-way ~ Gluttony ensues!

6. Spaghetti chili, w/onions, cheese and beans

... If 'ya like it that way!

You want reviews?

    How 'bout,

" Thanks, Honey! You're the best!"  ヅ

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 

2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Key Lime Pie

Barefoot Love!

We moved a lot when I was little.


"Our battered suitcases
were piled on the sidewalk again;
we had longer ways to go.
But no matter,
the road is life."
~ Jack Kerouac

California 
introduced us to
Giant Redwoods, the West Coast,

and Disneyland.

I was an infant;

Breast was the meal du jour!

Alaska 
introduced us to 
a very… long… car ride,

and bean sandwiches.

We were poor. 

We had love and beans.

Florida 
introduced us to
the East Coast...

 The Florida Keys ~ That's me there; the little smiling face in the two piece!

the Sun, the Sand, and the Wind in our hair...

and it began my love affair
with my Be-lov-ed

Key Lime Pie!


"Adventure is a path.
Real adventure ~ self-determined, self-motivated,
often risky...
forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.
The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.
Your body will collide with the earth
and you will bear witness.
In this way you will be compelled
to grapple with the limitless kindness
and bottomless cruelty of humankind...
and perhaps realize that you yourself
are capable of both.
This will change you.
Nothing will ever again 
be black-and-white."
~ Mark Jenkins

In 1972,

my mom clipped a recipe from the Tampa Times.

She selected true key limes,

as the ingredient list suggested,

on a drive down to the Florida Keys.

Key limes are yellow, when ripe,

and smaller than the limes

found in these parts.

They’re tart and bitter and delicious!

The following November

we introduced 
Our Kentucky Family 
to a

Thanksgiving mouth explosion!

We've been hooked since!

There are few culinary pleasures that actually

tug on my heartstrings.

I do love me a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut!

And, I am a sucker for a bowl of warm pasta and bread.

But it is that last Thursday in November,

every year since I was four,

that my mouth, literally, becomes a pie hole.

 “Really, it’s green?”

Yes, it is my friends!

Yes, it is.

☮

Key Lime Pie

For Pie:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

4 Egg yolks (Save the whites for Meringue!)

¼ cup Lime juice,
(Key limes preferably, but bottled lime juice will suffice!)

3 to 4 drops of Green food coloring
*Presentation folks. It's all in the presentation.*

1 Graham cracker crust

For Meringue:

4 Egg whites

1 tsp. Cream of tartar

3 Tbsp. Sugar

Beat egg yolks until light yellow.

Add sweetened condensed milk and lime juice.

Mix in drops of green, and Voila!

Pour into graham crust.

Beat all ingredients for the meringue in mixer

until stiff and peaks form.

~If you’re looking to combine dessert with your workout:

Whisk in a glass bowl and count after me…

One, Two, Ten-thousand! ~

Pile immediately on top of pie in pretty dips and waves.

Bake at 350 degrees until tips of meringue are lightly browned.

You want reviews?

    How 'bout, 

"Green is my new favorite color!"  ヅ

     

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...
Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?


 

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012