Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Cherries & Walnuts

Walnuts and cherries will be sure to light up your tastebuds, so check out "Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Cherries & Walnuts"!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Cherries & Walnuts

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups walnuts
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried tart cherries

Heat the oven to 350°F with 2 racks positioned in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast them while the oven is pre-heating. They are ready when starting to turn golden and very fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, roughly chop, and set aside.

Place the eggs in a bowl and cover with hot tap water to warm them up. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a double broiler or in a heat-proof metal bowl placed over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, then set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar on in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the warmed eggs one at a time until fully combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes. The mixture will gain some volume during this time and become very creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the melted chocolate and vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is barely incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the chopped walnuts and cherries. Using a spatula, fold and stir in the walnuts and cherries until evenly distributed. The batter at this point should be glossy and thick.

Line two baking sheets with parchment (do not use Silpats or other baking mats for this recipe; the cookies will stick). Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. If you don't use up all the batter in one round, leave it out at room temperature while the first batch bakes — refrigerating makes the batter stiffer and less easy to work with.

Bake the cookies until crackled on top, set around the edges, but still soft in the middle, 14 to 16 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling using a thin spatula.

Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.

(Image credits: Emma Christensen)



Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-chocolate-truffle-cookies-with-cherries-amp-walnuts-recipes-from-the-kitchn-198345

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Cleaning Your Electronics

Did you know that dust can hurt or damage all of your electronics?  The blog below has some great tips on how to keep your electronics dust free and running smoothly.  You can learn more about technology tricks by visiting apartment therapy.

Desktop Computer: Many towers have fans on the back and vents on the sides. At least once per year, perhaps more in dust ridden regions, use compressed air, then wipe down with an anti-static microfiber cloth. Start with the fan, then move to the vents to release any dust build up. You may be surprised what resides inside your computer's internal regions.

TVs: Wiping down the screen is pretty standard, but like computers, many large TVs also have a fan in the back helping to prevent the television from overheating. A little compressed air will help here too. 

Keyboards: Keyboards won't overheat, but low profile keyboards will get "soft keys" (sticky) if there's too much built up gunk under a key. Unplug the keyboard and blow on it gently every once in a while, using that handy can of compressed air for bigger jobs, and a dollop of hand disinfectant on a paper towel to remove grime on top. 



Mouse with Rolling Balls on Top or Bottom: My old Mac had a mouse with a small rolling ball on the top. It was great for web browsing, but on a nearly monthly basis the ball would get stuck and would roll sporadically. Even small amounts of dust will cause a mouse with delicate parts to operate poorly. A little compressed air on a regular basis will go a long way, with an alcohol based cleaner to wipe the top and bottom from smoother scrolling.

Add an Air Purifier: protect your home electronics further by installing an air filtration system nearby to keep dust, pet fur, and other debris out of digital devices and appliances in the first place. 

Check out our How to Shop for an Air Purifier shopping guide, alongside Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, and Consumer Search for recommendations.

(Photo Credits: Edward Goodwin via Flickr's Creative Commons, Tech Nibble and Apple)

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Our Readers' 8 Best Tips for Cooking Without Making a Huge Mess

Does your kitchen get messy when you get cooking? It doesn't have to be! Check out "Our Readers' 8 Best Tips for Cooking Without Making a Huge Mess" and keep your kitchen clean!

1. Make a plan before you start cooking.

Review your intended cooking project and refine — maybe you can reduce a complicated plan to one dish requiring a lot of work and two dishes that can be made ahead or are very simple. - abcornwell

Look for ways to combine ingredients without using more bowls or pans. For instance, in some recipes some vegetables have to be added before others because they need to cook longer. Instead of chopping everything and separating them into two bowls, I add the first batch of vegetables and let them cook while I chop the next batch. They go into the same bowl that had the first batch of vegetables and I don't need to pull out another one. - Pi.

For anything you have to hand-wash, pick tools that are easy to clean. My chef's knife is very easy to clean, but a garlic press is a PIA, so use the knife to prep garlic. My frying pan is easy to clean, but a Foreman grill, not so much. -Triptik

2. Start with a clean kitchen.

Tidy before you start. That means no clean dishes on the drying rack or dishwasher (gives the items you are going to "clean as you go" somewhere to be). No dirty dishes/cups in the sink. No snack foods hanging out on the counter. This can be an especially useful habit if you live with others who don't always return things to a put away state. - trish042

If you have a dishwasher, always put the clean dishes away before you start cooking! Rinsing and popping in the dishwasher-safe items takes even less time than washing them. - cuminafterall

I find it dispiriting to have to clean and then cook, so my motto is "leave the kitchen ready to cook". That means everything dried and put away, surfaces wiped, etc. Doesn't have to happen right at the end of cooking, but does need to happen well before the next round. - ellabee13

3. Prep your ingredients and tools before you start.

Mise en place. Measure out ingredients, peel and chop veggies (maybe not onions if you're not using them right away), crack eggs, etc. If they're going into the main dish at once, then put them in one big bowl. This seems like it would add dishes to clean but many of these bowls will need little more than a quick rinse off. - cloggiegirl

Mise en place does not necessarily refer to the arranging of ingredients into tiny bowls. It means being in a state of preparedness in the kitchen….In general, it's about cooking smart and in an organized manner. Preparing your ingredients and tools in advance can seriously mitigate your stress levels later on in the process. 
- tara-christine

The best thing I did for improving my kitchen efficiency was investing in a large cutting board. I prep most ingredients on the same cutting board; every ingredient in its own section of the board. I leave the chopped veggies on the board until needed. - JessyJess

4. Clean as you go.

Anytime I'm waiting for a pot of water to boil (my electric cooktop takes FOREVER) or the oven to preheat, I'm prepping ingredients. Similarly, anytime I have something simmering on the stove or roasting in the oven, I'm cleaning the cutting boards, knives, graters, bowls etc. I used for food prep. -cuminafterall

Once I'm done chopping an ingredient I put the unused portion away. Same goes for a sauce, condiment, or other ingredient; measure/use and put away. -emcap

Take a large bowl or dish tub, fill it with hot, soapy water, and leave it in your sink (or on your counter, next to the sink, if you can afford the space). As you dirty smaller items, toss them into the water to soak. If you're putting things in the dishwasher later, you won't have to rinse each item first, and if you're hand-washing, you should have little to no scrubbing. - tonberryqueen

5. Use a garbage bowl to collect scraps.

For a garbage or compost bowl, I don't even use a bowl. I use whatever plastic bag I put the vegetables in from the grocery store and all the scraps go in there. Tie up the opening and drop it into the trash. - Pi.

Usually this is an extra tupperware container. As you accumulate compost scraps (or scraps + garbage if you don't compost), put them together and out of your way. Dumping the contents later on is much easier. - petworthy

6. Give the illusion of neatness.

Ten dirty dishes scattered everywhere looks terrible and overwhelming, but the same ten dishes stacked into a single stack is somehow immediately manageable and cope-with-able. - TeaTowelDame

No matter how crazed it is, no matter how stressed you are, rinse each dish/measuring spoon when you're done with it. It's so much easier to face a dirty kitchen if all the dirty dishes are rinsed and stacked in nice, neat piles. -try146

7. Make it fun!

Try to make cleaning fun — watch TV if you can, or listen to a podcast/audiobook/music. If you can create a set-up where cleaning actually gives you a little extra time to do something you enjoy, you will definitely mind it less. 
- China Millman

I do the finishing-up while I listen to This American Life. My "dates with Ira" are always productive. - DD Lizzy

8. Ask for help.

This is the key to my system: I make my husband finish the clean up because he didn't do the cooking. Voila. Mess solved. - cmcinnyc

First of all, and I think most importantly — if I'm cooking for other people, I ask them to help with cleanup. Least they can do, especially if they live with you. Insist. Really. - mhays

Do you have any other advice for cooking without making a huge mess?

(Image credits: Lucy Hewett; Leela Cyd; Erika Tracy; Rachel Joy Photos)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/the-8-best-tips-for-cooking-without-making-a-huge-mess-199317

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Recipe: Easy Turkey Chili with Kale

Don't let your next recipe get too complicated, check out "Recipe: Easy Turkey Chili with Kale" and make some tasty food in a snap!

Easy Turkey Chili with Kale

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1 1/2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth, plus more to taste
1/2 bunch (4-5 ounces) Dino or Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves chopped into ribbons
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the turkey, season with some of the salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the turkey apart into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.

If you have some fat left in the pan, drain off all but 1 tablespoon; if you don't have any fat left, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, season with some of the salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomato paste, sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and remaining salt and pepper to the onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring to combine the paste with the spices. Add the diced tomatoes and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the meat and 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the kale, beans, and corn and continue cooking until the kale has softened and tastes tender, but is still bright green, about 10 more minutes. Taste the chili — add more broth for a soupier chili and add more sugar or spices to taste.

Leftovers can be kept refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months.

(Image credits: Emma Christensen)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-easy-turkey-chili-with-kale-recipes-from-the-kitchn-75630

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