Finally a New Name!

Switching this blog from "The Naughty Chef" to "Blissfulliscious." Over time (because it's lots of work) I will be switching out the photos and design elements to reflect my new name. After several hours googling I'm happy to have a name that isn't being used by another fellow blogger. Whew, I feel like a new woman! 

You'll also see a few changes, I'll be posting gluten free recipes and recipes with gluten free alternatives. Not to worry, I know some of you really enjoy some of my old recipes that contain gluten--those will stay. But because of Mighty Moe's newly discovered dietary needs I'll be concentrating mainly on gluten free blissfullisciousness! Just a quick update to let you know that it's been about 3 months and he says 90% of his aches and pains (which he has suffered through for well over 5 years) have disappeared since we started deleting gluten from our diets. He has Fibromyalgia and after alot of research I read that going gluten free may help--well it has done wonders! With him being in the construction field, Fibromyalgia not only affected his well being but his livelihood. I've read the benefits going gluten free has on those suffering from Celiac Disease and am so happy it also benefits those with Fibromyalgia. I am also opening up subscribers so people can comment and share. Please do become a subscriber otherwise it's just me blabbering to myself! Not to worry, I'm not a spammer in any way. Having subscribers will help motivate me to blog more. Warm fuzzies are also welcomed. :)

So far I am not gluten intolerant but have chosen to cut gluten from my diet whenever I can. We eat as a family around here and it doesn't make much sense to cook separately, besides it can't be that hard right? Ha! I won't lie, it's difficult and a bit overwhelming when you first start. I'm 3 months in and am still running across recipes I'm having to rework. We were never big on frozen dinners or fast food so it hasn't been devastating, but a mission to revisit recipes and learn. I've read those who are not gluten sensitive or intolerant shouldn't go completely gluten free and I haven't. One out of 15 meals I eat may contain some gluten--when Mighty Moe is out of town I'll eat my favorite french bread, naan etc., mostly because I haven't found suitable gf recipes for them yet. 

I've joined some GF groups on Facebook and it amazes me some of the stories I've read of peoples experiences since going GF. Who knew such a wholesome thing as wheat and gluten could damage so many people. Those like my brother-in-law have a hypothyroid and he's been gluten and sugar free for a year. I can't even imagine having to avoid sugar as well, poor guy. 

Speaking of recipes, there are many gf ones out there and boy have I tried many of them. Some good, some horrible. It's a texture thing for us (for example Udi's products doesn't do it for us). When testing out bread recipes it's very hit or miss. Fortunately I do have alot of experience working with rice and tapioca flours due to Asian cruisine and have been able to tweak some recipes I already had or that I've recently tried. I haven't posted in the past few months because I didn't want to post anything I tried that I didn't think was a winner, going gf is an investment and I for one don't want anyone to waste their precious ingredients on a bad recipe. I do have a few that I will be posting shortly and I feel good about them. By the way GF Bisquick is awesome, but as my mother would say super "SPENSY!" I have found a recipe for it and will share it along with the link to the creative gal who came up with it. 

A mishap, a reprieve and gluten.

I tend to go through laptops rather quickly--too quickly! Unfortunately I spilled a lovely cup of coffee on the keyboard of my latest victim and of course it quickly went bye bye, along with thousands of photos--some published on this blog and others in que.............Pffffffffffffft! Yes, yes I did backup about 50% of the files and I have since received a lovely new one but am still so bummed thinking about all those lost files. 

I've been taking the down time to get my garden prepared for Spring and Summer. Preparing the garden is quite the chore! Weeding, tree trimming, ivy removal and preparing the vegetable beds with a new lot of compost, blood meal and other vital nutrients to revitalize the soil. This year I planted all the usual suspects: corn, brussel sprouts, carrots, heirloom tomatoes, a rainbow of potatoes, zucchini, bell and hot peppers, butternut and acorn squash, celery, lettuces, onions, beans and radishes. It's always a challenge trying to fit these veggies into my backyard so I have taken to planting some in the front! 

Another bummer for me is trying to figure out a new name for this blog. Apparently there is already a Naughty Chef and she is quite famous on the East Coast. I had googled "Naughty Chef" when I had first created this blog and was pleased with the non-results. Recently I googled it again and low and behold there she was. Change is good right? Once I load my software programs onto this laptop I'll be happily posting about the garden and of course food. 

Ohhhhhhhhhh one more important note: We think Mighty Moe is allergic to Gluten! My life is over as I know it. I've been experimenting with Gluten Free flours and recipes--certainly not the end of the world but it does make things a bit more challenging. Fortunately most Asian dishes are Gluten free already.  I'd love to hear from those of you who have gone gluten free as to the recipes you've developed or found and also about if you've noticed a change in your physical well being. 

That's all for now folks. Have a wonderful day and thanks for checking in on me!

The difference between English Toffee & Buttercrunch.

Before I attempt to clear up the confusion between Toffee & Buttercrunch, I'd like to wish everyone a prosperous and Happy New Year! 

Two turkeys, two hams and numerous holiday side dishes and dirty dishes later I'm happy to be posting recipes again. Each holiday I like to make a few homemade gifts in the form of candy and/or cookies, this year I kept it simple and settled on toffee and buttercrunch. Such an easy, rich buttery recipe yielding lots of yums and requests for more.  Mighty Moe's coworkers wife requested the recipe and I'm happy to share. 

Now whats the lowdown? Traditional English Toffee is made from brown sugar vs. Buttercrunchs' white granulated sugar. Traditional English Toffee doesn't contain nuts, just a nice topping of rich chocolate. Buttercrunch is much more casual and usually made with a plethora of nuts and other flavorings like flavored extract, coconut, dried fruit etc. 

I made 2 different batches of "Americanized Toffee" (meaning I used brown sugar but still added nuts and other flavorings) Dark Chocolate Almond and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. I also made a batch each of Milk Chocolate Almond Joy Buttercrunch and White & Milk Chocolate Almond Buttercrunch.

I have to say I do prefer using the brown sugar. The white sugar Buttercrunch tends to stick to teeth alot more then the brown sugar does. I also noticed a happy accident--if you heat the brown sugar up more than 300 degrees it has a slightly smoky chicory taste. . . I sense a bacon toffee experiment coming soon. 

Here are recipes for the 4 varieties I made, each yielding 2 pounds of goodness.

Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee Ingredients:

2 Cups Butter (not margarine)

1 Cup Chopped Almonds

2 Cups Dark Chocolate

2 Cups Light Brown Sugar (packed)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (depends on your own taste)

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Toffee Ingredients:

2 Cups Butter

1 recipe of reeses peanut butter filling. (recipe is: heat 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter in microwave bowl for 40 seconds then mix in about 1/2 cup of powered sugar. Add more sugar per your taste).  

1 Cup Dark Chocolate

2 Cups Light Brown Sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (depends on your own taste)

Milk Chocolate Almond Joy Buttercrunch Ingredients:

2 Cups Butter

1 Cup Chopped Almonds

2 Cups Milk Chocolate 

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

2/3 Cup Flaked Coconut

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (depends on your own taste)

White & Milk Chocolate Almond Swirl Ingredients:

2 Cups Butter

1 Cup Chopped Almonds

1 Cup Milk Chocolate

1 Cup White Chocolate

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (depends on your own taste)

Directions:

For fool proof melting purposes, chop up the Chocolate chips or chunks in a food processor. 

Remove chopped chips and transfer to bowl. Wash and dry the food processor basin and add the almonds, pulsing until the almonds are small chunks. Remove nuts and spread on baking tray. Place into preheated 350 degree oven and roast until lightly toasted, approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Prepare your cookie tray by lightly buttering and set aside (some people prefer lining their tray with wax paper but the butter works fine for me). 

In a saucepot (I use a non-stick pot with a wooden spoon to make clean up easier) on medium high heat, add butter, salt and sugar (brown or granulated depending on if you're making Toffee or Buttercrunch). Bring to a boil while stirring consistency (you don't have to be constant but consistent so it doesn't burn).

The mixture will start forming larger and larger "boils" the hotter it gets. Using a candy therometer check the temperature after 15 minutes. I like a soft crack and heat my mixture up to about 285 to 290 degrees. For hard candy crack heat until it reaches 310 degrees. Once it reaches your desired temperature immediately remove pan from heat and pour hot mixture onto prepared tray. 

Quickly sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the hot yummy ooze. If you're making white & milk chocolate swirl, place the white chips on first and spread. Then sprinkle milk chocolate chunks in smaller patches and let melt. Swirl the darker chocolate through the white chocolate to make a nice pattern. Use the same technique for the peanut butter and chocolate combination. Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. 

Spread the melted chocolate. 

Add nuts, coconut or other enhancements. Place into fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours. 

To "crack" remove cooled tray from fridge and using the corner of a counter place tray onto counter surface, hang half of the tray over the edge and gently pressed bottom of tray over corner to break up the candy. After you've placed a nice wedge on a dessert plate for yourself, place the rest into airtight containers or gift packaging and store in fridge. 

Check back for Bacon Toffee and Chicory Coffee Toffee recipes!