You Need These 5 Things for the Perfect Chocolate Fondue, Especially the Last Item of #2.

Making the perfect chocolate fondue is really amazingly easy. Unlike savory fondue that needs various hard-to-find cheeses, wine, etc., Chocolate Fondue requires only 1 ingredient: Chocolate Candy Melts.  You'll also need some yummy things for fondue dipping, long fondue forks, and a heat-resistant fondue pot or bowl for serving.  A fondue maker is helpful, but not necessary.  I must admit, I love using our electric fondue maker.  And the cord unplugs so you can take it gracefully from the kitchen to the table.

You Need These 5 Items for Perfect Fondue

1.  Chocolate Candy Melts:  Available in both Chocolate and Dark Chocolate

2.  Great Dipping Food:  Create a smorgasbord of fruits and goodies like strawberries, bananas, kiwi, Oreo cookies, Milano cookies, shortbread cookies, marshmallows, and my absolute favorite, POTATO CHIPS.  (Have you ever tried chocolate covered potato chips?  Devine.)

3.  A double boiler | fondue maker | microwave:  You can use any of these three methods of melting your Chocolate.  The great thing about Chocolate Candy Melts is they melt so easily without adding any other ingredients.

4.  Fondue Forks:  Long handled with a forked tip, fondue forks make all the difference when you're enjoying fondue.

5.  Serving Bowl | Fondue Pot:  This should be heat resistant.  Stoneware is great, stainless steel, enameled cast iron, etc.  If you're using a fondue pot, you're all set!

Set of 6 Fondue Forks available in store

The Best Chocolate for Fondue

Great Stainless Bowls for a Double Boiler

If you have any great fondue ideas, we'd love to hear from you!

LaBelle's Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos for the Big Game

I heard that the Super Bowl is the second biggest day of eating next to Thanksgiving. That helps explain why Joe is so busy chopping onions! (It seems like he just can't stop!)  This is our favorite cutting board, btw.

One of his go to recipes to make for Super Bowl Sunday is his amazing Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos. His unique blend of spices helps to give these nachos a flavorful advantage over your everyday loaded nachos appetizers.

So enough with the pre-game show, let's get on with the recipe for Persian-influenced Spicy Beef Nachos.  Yes, these nachos are not your typical Mexican-style but have more of a middle eastern flavor.

I can't proceed without sharing Joe's passion for quality meat.  Every week, he drives across Cape to go to his favorite butcher at Peterson's Market in Yarmouth Port.  We live practically next door to a large super chain supermarket, which is convenient, but you can definitely taste the difference, hence the long trip to Peterson's.   So get some nice, lean ground beef, a couple of sweet (Vidalia if possible) onions, paprika, mustard powder, curry powder, chili powder, allspice, and cinnamon...oh, and don't forget the garlic.  I don't think Joe makes anything without garlic.  I've even found garlic cloves in the washing machine after doing the laundry...that's another story...Get out a sharp knife and start chopping.  Make sure you have sour cream and salsa on hand and my favorite, guacamole.

Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos                  Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

2 cups shredded cheese - cheddar is always a nice choice

2 sweet onions

1 clove garlic

scallions

1 chopped tomato

1 tablespoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/3 cup sliced black olives

Directions

1.  In a large saute pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil at medium to medium-high heat.  

2.  While the pan is warming up, dice the onions, then add to the pan.

3.  Add your spices and garlic, stir, and let everything get nice and sweaty.

4.  Add ground beef and continue stirring a breaking up and combining spices and onions with the ground beef.  Cook until it's no longer pink.

5.  Spread 1 layer of nacho chips out onto a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.

6.  Add a layer of Spicy Beef, cheese, tomatoes, scallions and olives.  Repeat.

7.  Broil on high for about 5-7 minutes.  Do not walk away from the stove!

8.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with more green onions, a scoop of sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Pretzel Dogs

Want to make something fun for the big game?  Joe's had Pigs-in-a-Blanket on the brain lately, but wasn't getting much in the way of feedback from the peanut gallery.  What's a good chef to do?  Kick it up a notch with Pigs-in-a-Pretzel.  We enthusiastically cheered for home made Pretzel Dogs and you can watch him make them in this fun Pretzel Dog video.


As you can see, making the dough is a pretty simple process...

Then it's just a matter of letting the dough rise a bit, then wrapping your dogs...

After giving your dogs a little water bath, salt them then pop them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

The fun of making Pretzel Dogs is nothing when compared to the faces of your game-day guests when presented with a platter brimming with Pretzel Dogs.  Joe made a great Loaded Spicy Beef Nacho platter to go with our Pretzel Dogs.  Stay tuned for that recipe!

Pretzel Dogs                                                             Print

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 cup water

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 cup hot water

coarse or sea salt

8 hot dogs

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°

1.  Combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water by hand or with a mixer.

2.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

3.  Lightly flour dough and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
4.  Stretch out dough a bit, then with a bench knife cut into 8 finger-sized pieces.
5.  Roll your dough pieces out until they are about 8" long.
6.  Beginning at the end of an uncooked hot dog, wrap one dough 'snake' around each hot dog.
7.  Let the wrapped hot dogs rest a bit in a baking dish while you prepare a hot water bath.
8.  Dissolve baking soda in one cup of boiling water.
9.  Pour water over dogs, then transfer to a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
10.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Making Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Bars with Teddie Peanut Butter

For chocolate and peanut butter lovers, this recipe is the end-all-be-all. We really don't need anything more. Just peanut butter and chocolate.  Keep it simple, as I always say...

Creamy Peanut Butter and Rich Milk Chocolate:  Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together

My husband doesn't buy me flowers--too often--he buys me Buckie's---our favorite local bakery---Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  If you saw us playing hooky the other day On the Slopes with Fox 25 at Mount Sunapee, you may have noticed we won two jars of Teddie Peanut Butter--made in Massachusetts!  You can watch the video here:  On the Slopes at Mount Sunapee with the peanut gallery! We really were thrilled to win Teddie Peanut Butter because I am a peanut butter purist, a holy-roller for buying ONLY peanut butter without added sugar, and Teddie Peanut Butter fits the bill.  Teddie has just two ingredients: Roasted Peanuts and Salt.  Amen.



We made a decision, as a family, that we had no other choice but to dedicate one of the jars of Teddie Peanut Butter to a batch of our beloved Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  I was planning on using my favorite Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips, but upon further inspection of my pantry, I noticed a bag brimming with Milk Chocolate Candy Melts, the ones you use for fondue or in chocolate fountains.   It was a choice we've come to rejoice.  Hallelujah.

 

You can make this recipe without an oven in sight.  Just crush 2 packs of graham crackers, melt 2 sticks of butter, sift in 2 cups of confectioner's sugar, blend in 1 cup of peanut butter, and away you go.

It's helpful to make a sling out of parchment paper to line your 9 x 13 pan before pressing your peanut butter mixture into the bottom.  Later, you can just grab the sling and lift the bars out of the pan.  Melt your chocolate using a double boiler or microwave it in 30 second intervals.  I used a stainless steel bowl over a simmering pot of water- worked like a dream.  Once your chocolate is melted to perfection, gracefully spread it across the peanut butter.  :)
*Do not attempt to operate heavy machinery after enjoying one of these bars.  ;)

Click to Print

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted

2 packages (a little more than 2 cups) Graham Cracker crumbs

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup old fashioned peanut butter (and a bit more to add to the chocolate)

2 - 3 cups chocolate chips or melts

Directions

1.  In a large bowl-I used my KitchenAid for this recipe, combine melted butter and crushed Graham Crackers.

2.  Sift in confectioner's sugar and blend well.  Mix in peanut butter.

3.  Using parchment paper, create a 'sling' by lining a 9x13 pan so that the paper hangs out over the sides a few inches.

4.  Press mixture into bottom of pan.

5.  Melt chocolates in a stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan filled with simmering water.

6.  If you're using chocolate chips, add a heaping scoop of peanut butter to the melting chocolate.

7.  Spread chocolate across the peanut butter mixture.

8.  Cover and refrigerate for at least a half hour, then cut into squares. 

Fox 25 On the Slopes at Mount Sunapee with the Peanut Gallery!

On the Slopes at Mount Sunapee with the peanut gallery!
What a thrill to be interviewed by Lily, our favorite reporter on Fox 25, and to meet the incomparable VB.  Caught playing hooky from school and work, we took part in Fox 25's 'ski for free' On the Slopes Friday's and had an amazing day of perfect powder skiing.  Officially a celebrity, I've been getting a lot of this lately: "Hey, was that you on t.v. the other day?"



And to top it off, we won TWO jars of FREE Teddy Peanut Butter, Crunchy and Smooth!  A day doesn't get any better than that.  ~ Joe

Tenzi Tops the List of Best Toys & Games

What's a great game the whole family can play?  We highly recommend Tenzi, a dice game that creates a fast fun-frenzy.  One of the reasons it's so popular is it's so easy to play and just about any age can play against each other and still be evenly matched.  There are no complicated directions to learn so you get to the heart of the fun faster than you can say, "Tenzi!"  Each player gets 10 dice.  The first player who rolls all 10 on the same number and yells “TENZI” wins.  Award winning, Tenzi makes a great gift this holiday season.

Register Here to Enter the Best Pie in Town Contest

Don't Miss Dennis Port's Halloween Block Party!

Downtown Dennis Port is looking better than ever, and the local merchants are celebrating with a Halloween Block Party!  The events kick off with Hot Diggity's Haunted Hounds Walk and continue with lots of great activities for every age!

Here at the DPGS we'll be hosting two author's book signings, handing out samples of Outrageous Pumpkin Dessert Dip,  and getting into the Halloween Spirit!  (You'll be back for seconds of our Outrageous Pumpkin Dessert Dip!)

Local Author Katie O'Sullivan will be signing copies of her wonderful new young adult novel, Son of a Mermaid.  Katie has other surprises in store for you when you stop by.  Don't miss her!

Our favorite Grandfather will be on hand to talk football and/or sign copies of his anecdotal story about growing up in Chelsea during the 1950's.

And last, but by no means LEAST, some bearded guy (we're not sure if he's a Red Sox fan or a member of some duck hunting society--or both) will tell you everything you want to know about American made Cast Iron...for a price!

It's a Beautiful Day for the Beanbag Game

   My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Twitchell, let us play the beanbag game in the classroom because we were her favorite class, ever.  Or maybe it was because she could tell when we needed a break from long division and fractions.  Either way, I have the best memories of whipping our shabby class beanbag across the room hoping my opponents wouldn't be agile enough to catch it one-handed as the rules required.  The last kid standing usually won something.  Like a pencil.  And the glorious feeling of superiority.

The beanbag game would probably make a great stress reliever for a lot of groups.  And it's just plain, old fashioned, untechie fun.  So when I came across these so, so cute Beantastic Beanbags, I had, had, had to have them...

I can't wait to take one home to play with!