Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars

Oh, it is the week that every student and instructor dreads- it is Final's Week! Here I sit watching students stress about the testing that determines if they are successful in this class. While they contemplate the filtration of the kidney and the action of muscle contraction, I sit here and blog about fudge bars and sweets. For me, it is all fun and games until they turn in those tests, and then the burden is on me. The grading! Oh, the grading.... and the emailing to students who are begging for extra credit. And the emails that rarely appear that say thank you for all your help and effort. It kind of feels like I am in suspense of this great culmination of work but I have to wait and watch and sit. And then there will be a big rush to the finish!

For now, I am just going to sit back and dream about fudge bars and chocolate cupcakes and gingersnap ice cream and enjoy the calm before the grading storm.

Ossi De Morte (Dead Bones)

Happy Christmas Eve!

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but it has been an interesting few months!! This fall, I have been working at three local colleges which has kept me running in every direction and in July, I had a bit of a surprise visit by some cells that, well, just weren't quite right... (we don't like to use the real word!) It took months, but as we know, bouncing back is what I do!

And now it is Christmas! My little dog and I have made it home to PA and there is so much to be thankful for. I am with the people that I love and in a place that I will always call home. To see my parent's Christmas tree and be with the people who are most dear to my heart is what Christmas is all about for me! I am so happy to be here and I am happy to share this recipe with you. I guess you can say it is my little Christmas gift to you! Thank you for reading and supporting me!

So let's get down to the story of this recipe! This is the perfect time to share the story of my Gram H. who the "Biscotti" portion of this blog is inspired by. The recipe that you see here has been part of the Italian side of my family for a very long time. My great-grandmother used to make this recipe when my Gram and her 5 siblings were young. Like most families in my area, many of my great-grandparents were immigrants who came through Ellis Island. They came from their countries for a chance at a better life and for work opportunities. Upon settling in Western PA, both sides of my family earned their living and supported their families by working in the coal mines. This is what almost every man in my area did for generations.

So, this is the recipe that my great-grandmother used to bake. It has a cute little story that has been repeated many times in my family; especially when my Gram and her siblings get together. After my great-grandmother used to make these little half cookie/ half candy gems, she would store them in a tin in the pantry.  In the winter (before the times of global warming,) my Gram and her siblings would bundle up in their warm clothes and head outside into the snow. On the way outside, they used to sneak into the pantry,  open the tin of cookies and take "just a few" to fill up their pockets; thinking that their Mother didn't notice. The brothers and sisters would head out to the big sled riding hill where all of the neighborhood kids congregated. Unfortunately, they did not have a family sled to join in on the snowy fun. But what they did have was pockets full of Ossi de Morte which they used as cash to buy rides on the other children's sleds. Only two of these small wonders would get them a ride down the hill and a place in the lore of the town. While they didn't have the money to buy a sled, they had the ingenuity and the camaraderie that brothers and sisters have when there was something that was really important to them. There is nothing like the bond of family! Still to this day, in tough times, my Gram reminds me that I am descendant of this strong family and that I can solve any problem or overcome any diversity.

Despite the hard circumstances they ran into growing up, the happy times always float up! You can see it in my Gram's face when she tells the stories of her family. And rarely does she tell a story that is about bad times! It is the good we remember as family and those moments are the ones that hold us together this special time of year.  So, this Christmas. fill up your pockets with these cookies or something else that is special to your heart and hand them out; not as a type of currency but as a way to say "I love you" to family and friends.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Love,
Rebecca and Dexter

Old Fashioned No-Bake Cookies

On the cowl I knitted last night when I was iced in!!

I am iced in my house.  NO, I am iced in my house in SOUTH CAROLINA!  Ughh!

 Did I go to the store before this event? Sure I did! I have plenty of wine, cheese, crackers and smoked meats. I know- no bread? No milk? What am I going to do with that? Well, it seems that I forgot something! Or at least have a sudden craving for something because I have no access to it. (Isn't that how it always works?) Maybe I am just bored, or maybe I am reading too many food blogs, but..... I NEED CHOCOLATE! And I don't have any. Well, I don't have anything other than a jar of Nutella, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. What can I make, what can I make???? No- Bake Cookies!!! How simple and quick! When you gotta get your chocolate fix there is not time for baking cakes and whipping up a perfect ganche. Nope!

With a HOT cup of espresso... hmmmm.... I think this is the best part of my day.

I also hope tomorrow I am FREE!!! It is hard for this Pennsylvania girl to be stuck in her house because of weather! But if I am still iced in... wonder what I will whip up in my kitchen tomorrow. Stay tuned!!

Tiramisu Cheesecakes

So, this year I don't have a Valentine in the traditional sense of partner in life and love... and that is OK. It is not that I am opposed to that sentiment in any way. I think that good things will come in time. This year, I am in love with me! I am giving me what I need, nurturing myself! I feel like the past few years have been a culmination of hard times and emotional changes. I have gone through times of insecurity and times of true joy. It has been a roller coaster! But at the end of this month, I am making a change that should allow so much of that uncertainty and insecurity to go away. I am making a leap! It is long overdue and I am a little scared... but I am so ready to let go and move forward in whatever life has waiting for me.

Of course this Valentine's Day, I hold in my heart everyone who has been true to me and stands by me. I love you all and hope that I show you everyday. I guess this Valentine's Day for me is more like a homecoming, coming back to me; coming full circle. Shedding the past and really just letting me shine. It feels GOOD!

Happy Valentine's Day and remember Love Begins in the Kitchen!!

Blackberry Pie

 

In the past few years, I have been through a lot and quite honestly, have lost a lot. Some things I willingly gave up and others were taken from me. No matter how it happened, it was painful and hard to overcome.  I know I have lost a lot but I have gained even more.  I understand more of what I want and what I need and am happy to see myself as a more diverse individual. I have rediscovered interests and developed new passions.  

 

In saying that, it does not mean that, at times, I won't mess up in some way.  I make mistakes. I don't trust well. I am self-conscious. I don't always communicate effectively. I can be impatient. And, I just generally have my moments!! Recently, I almost lost someone who is very important to me for all of these reasons. Of course, no relationship is perfect and each person brings their own problems or issues to the party, but now I see some of mine more clearly. I have a tendency to over-analyze and recently, I was just too inside my own head.  This prevented me from seeing the greatness that was right in front of me. Do you ever do that? Well I did!  It is like that old saying, "you can't see the forest for the trees!" I was not seeing the whole picture and I was panicking when little things went wrong. I was asking for one thing and then holding my hands over my eyes when it was happening. I was not allowing people to love me in THEIR WAY! I know a lot of this comes from fear. In the past, when I thought I had my whole life figured out, the bottom fell out and I realized just how hard I can fall. And honestly, I am scared of that again. What I realize now, is that recently, I was falling again. I was falling into bad habits and allowing fear to make my decisions instead of letting things take a more natural course. By following this path, I was allowing things that are very important to me slip away.

 

I know, that deep down, these are all things we know about ourselves but sometimes it takes a great event to really bring it to the forefront. I know now that have some more work to do!  There is another circle of healing that I need to conquer. And I will! I know that I will never be perfect but ever-growing might be a good compromise!

Cinnamon Toffee Ice Cream on Grilled South Carolina Peaches

It is officially SUMMER!! And what is better this time of year than ice cream and fresh grown local peaches??

These past few weeks, here in South Carolina, we have been "treated" to true summer weather in the south. Everyday, it has been well over 90 degrees. Ugggg.... There is nothing more horrible than getting into your car at the end of the day and your car saying that it is 105 degrees. Some days, you can barely touch the steering wheel.  At first, when I moved south in 1999 (from the frozen tundra of Pennsylvania), I thought that the heat was going to be the death of me.  I remember several times gasping as I walked outside and telling friends that I could not breath. I was feeling as though the humidity was going to suffocate me. Since then, I have learned to look at the hot summer months more as a compromise for the temperate fall, winter and spring. Thinking now.... If given the option of shoveling 3 feet of snow in freezing cold conditions or sweating a little downtown while watching a band and having a cold beer on a Friday night- I choose that cold beer!

One of the jewels of this area is the great produce that we have in abundance. Whether you are a local Carolinian or a transplant like me, the one season that everyone looks forward to here is peach season. We follow the peaches from the first buds on the trees in very early spring, through every frost that might damage the crops, until the time we bring home our first basket of pure South Carolina goodness.  Most people here await that first peach of the season because it is one of the true signs of summer. Lucky for us, this years peach crop has turned out to be prolific and we are loving every single bite!!

Black Bottomed Nutella Mini Cheesecakes

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope that you all had a Valentine's Day weekend as awesome as I did!!  I know that this recipe is late, but I have yet to master releasing a post when the recipe to be posted is a gift or surprise. Of course, I made these little cheesecakes for my guy! (Remember the slogan here at Bonbons and Biscotti: Love Begins in the Kitchen!!) The reason for the delay is I was just finishing up the post as he was about to leave his house and I was afraid he might see it before he got here. So... I had to make a choice and because of him, you get this recipe late. Sorry... a girl has to have priorities!!

But don't worry, I love y'all too! So... this weekend, we ate one of these delicious, Nutella cheesecakes for each of you (my devoted readers) and as always, I am sending you love!

XOXO

Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cake

 

What is my favorite food? Well, of course it is CAKE!!! And this has been my lucky week! I have been in CAKE HEAVEN!! I am so fortunate to have some great friends and family who love me and are enablers in my CAKE addiction. (Yes, I realize I have capitalized CAKE every time! That is how excited I have been about this past week!!) This past Wednesday was my 37th birthday and I have been fortunate enough to receive three really amazing CAKES (hehehe!!!) to help me celebrate. All of them have been chocolate and delicious. Two of them were homemade, which (if you have been reading) is the way to my heart.

 It all started 2 weeks ago when my sister bought me a marble CAKE with chocolate butter cream frosting.  Then, at work, my co-worker brought a chocolate layer CAKE with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache.  And, a day after that, my guy really branched out with his first foray into baking (he is already an excellent cook) by making a double, dark chocolate layer CAKE and decorating it with cute caricatures of US!!! Can you tell I am smiling while I am writing this?? It was a happy, happy CAKE filled week!!

Now in all my post-birthday glory, I will drag my "post-CAKE eating self" off to the gym at lunch!

Ugggg.....

Vanilla Extract

So, this is just a simple project that makes great gifts and can save you a little money. I decided to start making my own vanilla extract because as you might guess, I go through a lot of vanilla! I prefer to use real extract, not imitation. As most of you know, that can get a little costly. So, after some research, I decided to start to make my own. I have been really happy with the results. The best part of this recipe is that it only takes 2 ingredients: vanilla beans and bourbon.  You might have to go out to buy the beans, but they are easy to find in any natural food store and you will definitely get your money's worth as they last for a long time.  If you are like me, I am sure you have bourbon or whiskey in your house. If not (let me know, cause I won't be visiting,) go get you the biggest bottle! You will need something to sip on while you are waiting for your extract be ready to use!

Cheers!

Espresso Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

OK, I have started this blog at least 15 times and then erased it each time. Usually, I am not so challenged with WORDS! On this post, I can not seem to figure out how to express what I want to say. After much thought and time, (this cheesecake was made for a birthday on Dec 19th) I realized it was not the words that had me stumped, it was the meaning of those words and my concern about sharing too many of my feelings. So.....

You have probably heard the saying "We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our paths for a reason." In September, a really phenomenal person crossed my path in the most unusual way, and he has turned out to be one of the best things that has happened to me! It is true that when you are least expecting it, someone truly amazing can come into your life and makes a huge impact. My guy has done that!

I do not want to say much more than that now. I know... I know!!!! I have shared so much on this blog already. What is the big deal??? I guess, I am just enjoying every minute of NOW! and I want to hold onto it all for a little while longer. This is all very new, and I am so hopeful that in the future, I will have so much to share with you! Just know that right now, this girl is soooo happy and can't wait to see what is to come!

Happy Birthday B! XOXO

Bourbon Balls

 

What is better than spreading a little holiday cheer with an alcohol laced cookie?

This recipe is one of my family's official Christmas party foods. This is my Gram H's recipe. She started this tradition by taking these to her family events and Christmas parties. My Mom also made them and took them along to her holiday gatherings. I remember her taking them to her faculty Christmas party every year because fellow employees were waiting on them. Some years, when I got a little older, I actually made them for her to take. Now, I continue to carry on that tradition. Every year, I find myself making these little cookies because they are easy and people request them. Usually, at a party, they are one of the first things to go! I already made one batch of these this year, but will be whipping up some more for this weekend. They are a good thing!

This year, say "Cheers!" to your friends and loved ones with a cookie!

Toasted Pecan, Cinnamon- Sugar Biscotti

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!! It is that time of the year when all of us food bloggers get together for our annual cookie swap- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!! In case you don't remember from last year, each of us bloggers makes a donation to Cookies for Kids' Cancer and then send cookies to three other bloggers around the country. I was excited this year to send cookies to Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA and Washington, IA.

Packaged and ready to go!

This year Bonbons and Biscotti received cookies from three fabulous food bloggers. I am so excited to share and promote their blogs. Here is where my great Holiday cookies came from:

Baker by Nature sent me Confetti Cheesecake cookies. www.bakerbynature.com

It Is All About Me Fitness sent me Lemon Ginger Zingers and Soft Cantaloupe Jam. www.itisallaboutmefitness.com

The Haas Machine sent me Bittersweet Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. www.thehaasmachine.com

Check out their blogs!!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

So what else can we say about this recipe? So many bloggers have made this and shared their ideas, but I had to give it a try. As most people know, this is one of Starbucks' Holiday desserts that people wait all year for! There is good reason for that. Aside from being a sure sign that Christmas is coming, this recipe is just "good stuff." Be warned! It is super sweet ....so you might only want one! In that case, maybe Starbucks is  your best bet, but if you want enough to share, make your own!  It is super easy and unlike Starbucks you will not be paying $4 per bar.

Apple Pecan Autumn Cheesecake

It is getting to be that time of the year when most of the people in my circle have their B-days! What does that mean for me?? Baking! From now till January it seems that someone is celebrating every week. If there is one thing that I love, it is making birthday cakes, pies, cookies, cheesecake... you name it. I know that I have talked about this before but I will say it again. My Mom was the "birthday cake queen" in our little community (see Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake.) She made every birthday during my childhood memorable with one of her fabulous custom cakes. In our house, a cake from the grocery store was unheard of. While shopping at the local market, we would walk past those cakes encrusted in mountains of jumbo, blue-tinged roses and cringe. What poor person is going to celebrate another year of life with Happy Birthday written in an illegible smear? My Mom was determined that we never would!!

She has passed that ideal on to both my sister and I. No store bought birthdays here!! Even my little sister who would hide every time that baking was even mentioned, has morphed into a Birthday Cake artist; every year making amazing cakes for her son. She stresses out about the task for about 2 months beforehand, but she pulls them out and they are beautiful! When asked why she does it, she says that she wants her son to remember his Mom, taking the time to do something really special like our Mom did.  And he does!  He is amazingly proud every year of what his Mom has made.

Happy Birthday, Nancy! Another Year, Another Cheesecake!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

OK... So this is kind of what I am known for!!! (Well, one of the things.) Not bragging, but every year about this time, friends, family and even people who work at companies nearby, start to inquire about my pumpkin roll. I usually end up making 20 or so and giving them away as gifts for Thanksgiving dinner and to say thank you for friendships. For those of you that are my PA followers... Yes, this is the same roll  that my Mom makes every year. She has passed on her baking genes and she has also passed on this recipe.  The actual recipe is not a secret. It is a very popular recipe this time of the year that you can find in women's magazines or even the inside label of canned pumpkin. This recipe has become special to me because it has become a fall family tradition and I am told, it has become of my specialties. Recently, when I had my best friend who NEVER bakes over for dinner, she told me that she made a list of  items that I cook or bake that she considers "Rebecca's  Specialties." This recipe was on the top of that list. Also on the list were my Pecan Tassies, Stuffed Cabbage, Gobs and my Grandma's Calico Beans.  I thought her admission was funny yet really flattering.

Specialties I am not sure about, but I do know that it is not fall without pumpkin roll in my house. This year I have a lot of be thankful for and a lot of great people to thank. Who knows maybe this year, you will be on the receiving end of one of these great fall treats!!!

Chocolate Pots De Creme

Happy, happy, happy! What makes you smile? This dessert does it for me. I do not like to classify myself as "typical" anything but in this case, I am a "typical chocolate loving girl!"  Go ahead judge me! You can't get me down with one of these cups of chocolate crème in my hands and maybe all over my face. ;)
Anyway... on a more serious note. My life in general has been really happy lately. Fall is a great time of the year. After the heat of summer, it is time to get outside, enjoy the beautiful fall leaves, the company of friends and a great dark beer. I am hoping that you are finding some Happy in this season as well.  Stop, look around you and find something beautiful in every day!!

Happy Fall everyone!

Stay tuned.... I am working on a fall collection of recipes with those dark beers that you all know are my favorites.

Nutella Pizzelles

When I was in college, I bought my sister a gift that I thought that she would love! One of my sister's favorite cookies is an anise flavored pizzelle. Her other favorite is my Gram's anise Biscotti. When I was in college, due to the dorm circumstances, I was pretty challenged in my ability to cook and bake. I went to college before everyone lived in a suite (this is not your invitation to guess my age!) One weekend, I went shopping with a friend and I saw an electronic pizzelle press. I had to buy it for my sister. I had thoughts of her making pizzelles any time she wanted them, in any flavor that interested her. I spent most of the money I had on that shopping trip (and had at all) to get her that pizzelle press.

There was only one problem, I was thinking about what I would do with a pizzelle press, not my sister. At the time, she and I were in very different places when it came to kitchen conquests. Let's just say she was more interested in buying her pizzelles than making them. And I think she still feels that way. I was so excited when I gave it to her, but her face told me that the excitement was not contagious....

Overall I think that I am a good gift giver but I did mess up with the pizzelle maker. I will admit that! This Labor Day when my parents came for their annual visit, they brought that pizzelle maker and approximately 16 years after it was purchased, I pressed my first batch of crisp wafer thin cookies.

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

This recipe is somewhat symbolic of my life right now. Let's just say that it is BANANAS!! Yes, and not in a good way. This week marks the end of my marriage of 10 years (relationship of 14 years.) It has been a horrible past 3 years and it is coming to an end. I have so many mixed emotions right now and unfortunately everyone else has an idea of how I should feel or act. Some have even suggested that I have a party. Obviously, they have not gone through this process. I am a person who does not give up and the downward spiral of the past few years has made me feel very let down in myself and all things that I believed were good and trustworthy. In my heart, I know that I have tried all that I could possibly have, I loved, I listened, I cared, and I tried so hard, even at times I knew I could never break through. So many of my friends and family have watched my struggle; that is the best word for it, a struggle. I kept hoping and trying that everything could be worked out and it couldn't.  I never considered divorce to be a choice for my life,  but as I have learned all of what I did was not enough to overcome life's obstacles or how people change over the years.  Through all the trying and pain, not only have I lost someone that was the most important person in my life at one time; I have lost myself. And that is a sad place to be. I gave and gave and gave and I lost myself.

This week I have allowed myself to finally mourn this process and yes there have been tears. In so many ways, this is a death of a huge part of my life.  Now I have to move on and find out who the new Rebecca is and unfortunately that will be very difficult. I have so many choices to make right now; personally, professionally and all of them can affect me for years to come. I am moving forward slowly, cautiously and most importantly making every decision for me, something I need to learn how to do again. Please keep me in your prayer and send love in my direction.

XOXO

Rebecca

Crunchy Pecan Blackberry Cobbler





Garden Goodness Part 3

What is better than some blackberries? Now you all know I love some blackberries. And I know.... from feedback that I have gotten from some of my readers, last year's blackberry story made some people cry (see Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam.) That was not my intention but it does make me feel nice that I can really reach you in that way.

This recipe came up as a way for me to say Thanks. As some of you know, my life has been a little upside down these past few years. And while that crazy is coming to an end soon. I am sure a new crazy is just around the corner- that is life right?? Well as a single girl in a new neighborhood, all alone, I have had some learning to do. Thanks to my Daddy, I am a well rounded girl who needs little help using most tools, changing a tire or doing a whole range of household "typically" male tasks. As great a man as he is, he made sure my little sister and I  knew how to survive without a man. And strange to say but since I have been married I have really appreciated that (ironic, huh?) Now, as I live alone again, I appreciate this learning all over.

Well, I did not make this recipe to say thanks to my Dad. No, I make him a lot of other recipes to show my love (a new one is coming next week. I can't tell yet in case he is tuning in.) There is one thing that I can not do with my Honda Accord- haul things. Lucky for me, I have moved into an older neighborhood that has some really great people in it. You know, the kind that when you move in come down and introduce themselves and give you their name and phone number. Well, these neighbors are awesome. They know I am a single girl and they check on me. They brought me a light to put in my garage, that senses when I am home, they send bones home for my Golden Retriever Charlie and as they say here, they are just "good people." (I love this local saying.) Recently, I went to a local store and got a great deal on a new coffee table. Unfortunately I had no way to get it home. I purchased it with the promise that I would come back for it at a later date. As I was pulling in to my driveway, I saw my neighbors and thought should I ask or not. Uggggg..... I hate to ask!!! But I did and they were more than happy to help. They got in their truck right then with straps and a protective blanket and off we went. I was so happy to have them. They always say "honey, you don't owe us anything. This is just good neighbors helping good neighbors." But what is my saying here at Bonbons and Biscotti- "Love Begins in the Kitchen" and for this single girl a little lost in the world right now it is so good to know that she has someone to count on. So, I got in my kitchen and I baked; adding a ton of appreciation and thanks with every sprinkle of sugar.

Peaches and Cream Pound Cake

Today I my last recipe for Peach Week. I hope that you enjoy this one as much as I did. Of course here in the south pound cake is the dessert of choice. So I combined these two southern favorites to top off the week. This cake was so moist and delicious. I loved the addition of almond extract to give it a deeper flavor. This recipe is a win in every way.

Don't forget to check out our past peach recipes. Bourbon Peach BBQ Ribs and Bourbon Peach Jam