Best of Bridge Cookbook Review: Fudge Drops

Today I am excited to be reviewing another cookbook for you guys. This one is called Best of Bridge: Home Cooking. I am also excited to share a tasty recipe from the cookbook for fudge drops. These fudge drops are a super yummy dessert that are small but filled with flavor!

Here are the cookbook review questions:

1. How easy are the recipes to follow? Yes, I didn't care for the font of the recipes (is that a weird complaint?) but besides that the recipes were easy to understand.
2. Is the cookbook worth the investment? You get 250 recipes for $29.95, which I think is a pretty good deal.
3. Are the pictures amazing? They are good! Just take a look at those fudge drops.
4. Would I recommend it? Yes! If you are looking for recipes that are easy and traditional, this is the book for you.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

- Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

FUDGE DROPS
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 large egg whites
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.
4. Set aside to cool.
5. In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites, salt, vinegar and vanilla until frothy.
6. Gradually add sugar, 2 tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff, shiny peaks form.
7. With a spatula, fold in coconut and nuts gently but thoroughly.
8. Fold in melted chocolate just until mixture is lightly marbled.
9. Drop mixture by tbsp. about two inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
10. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until dry on top.
11. Let completely cool on sheet.

A Brilliant Christmas Gift!

For a long time a kitchen scale was a line on my Christmas wish list. And the day finally came when my little dream came true!

A kitchen scale was one of those random things I'd find myself coveting here and there. Ya know, a recipe calls for 8 ounces of noodles and all you have is a 32 ounce box - you take a wild and wrong guess and your dish is potentially ka-poosh. Or you have a 5 lb. bag of potatoes, but your recipe only calls for 2, argghh! Maybe you buy large quantities of meat and want to divide it into 1 lb. freezer bags... help! There were so many random situations I'd find myself in, just wishing I owned a blasted kitchen scale!

My dream came true in the form of the EatSmart Precision Elite Digital Kitchen Scale. Whew, that's an exhaustingly long name! But despite the laborious name, the thing is awesome!

In case you're wondering why, let me quickly divulge:

• it looks slick.
• It's durable - stainless steel durable!
• It stores ever so nicely.
• It measures in grams / ounces / kilograms / pounds
• You can easily subtract the weight of your bowl, dish or pan from the food you're weighing. The best feature ever!
• It weighs up to 15 lbs. You can even weigh packages!
• It's got an "easy to read" backlit LCD display.

Take my word, if you're looking for that perfect Christmas gift for your crazy family member or dear friend who just loves to cook, look no further. A kitchen scale was on my list for several years before I received it. But this scale was well worth the wait! You can purchase it through Amazon and, while you're there, make sure you notice it's 5 star rating!

The Best Chili Ever

Chili is one of the most fantastic foods I have ever eaten. I know that sounds over the top, but you have to admit that Chili is the perfect fall food. When you are sitting by the fire and need to warm up, what sounds good? Chili. When you come home from a long day at work and are hungry, what fills you up? Chili. When you visit your parents and they make you a delicious meal, what is on the stove? Chili. When it's a rainy and cold fall day on Friday, what do they sell at the football game? Chili. When the Vikings score a touchdown and you do your touchdown dance, what do you eat when you sit back down? Chili.

Okay, that was a bit excessive. But I think you get my point. Chili really is the BEST in the fall and winter. I recently learned how to make a yummy slow cooker chili (easy if you need to be gone all day) and I have jazzed up the recipe, so I am ready and excited to share it with all of you!

Our family serves the chili over rice with sour cream and cheese. I never knew people didn't eat chili over rice until college, and I am AMAZED that people don't! It's so good, trust me.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
 - John 3:16 (NIV)

THE BEST CHILI EVER

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 hours
Total time: 8.5 hours
Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion
• 2 green peppers
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can kidney beans

Cooking Directions

1. Fully cook ground beef in skillet over stove
2. Finely chop green pepper and onion
3. With the exception of the kidney beans, add all the ingredients to the slow cooker.
4. Set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
5. For the final 20 minutes, put kidney beans in slow cooker and cook on high.
6. Serve over rice and enjoy (add grated cheese or sour cream if you would like)!

Flavoricious Stir Fry Sauce

My childhood was deprived of oriental foods. But the minute I bit into a forkful of stir-fry in college, I was hooked, line and sinker! Hu Hot Mongolian Grill is one of our happy places. The ability to have nearly unlimited options of meat, veggies and sauces to fabricate your own delightful, zippy dish is just plain exhilarating!

I started making stir-fry early on in our marriage. And let's just say it's rapidly evolved over our 7 years of life together! I began my stir-fry journey using only soy for the sauce (ha!). Then I began tossing teriyaki into that mix. I soon realized there are innumerable magnificent flavors that can join the zesty-fun! I'm seriously entertained by playing around with each stir-fry we make, but overall I've landed on this sauce recipe as our go-to. I hope you love it too!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" Mathew 6:25 NIV

FLAVORICIOUS STIR FRY SAUCE

Prep time: 5 -10 min.

Yield: About 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch) in a 2 or 4 liquid measuring cup and whisk well. You can store this in the refrigerator if it's easiest to prepare in advance.
2. Just before adding the sauce to your stir-fry, add and whisk in the cornstarch.
3. Pour the sauce into your stir-fry and cook until heated. Enjoy!