The Best of COF--Alfredo and Chocolate Crepes

Every Saturday I plan to post "The Best of Circle of Friends" and share recipes and tips with you from my newsletter which I'm no longer publishing after 3.5 years.

Mouth-Watering Fetuccini Alfredo
Serves 6 Adults

1 stick butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1.5 cups shredded parmesan cheese
16 oz. Fetuccini noodles
1 large or 2 small cooked, diced, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)

Heat butter and cream on stove on medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook noodles separately. When cream mixture bubbles, stir constantly. When it thickens, after a
few minutes of boiling hard, add parmesan cheese. Toss the alfredo sauce with the hot noodles, and add chicken cubes. You may add a teaspoon of Italian herbs or serve with parsley if desired to make it look fancier. A wonderful dish for company; goes well with home-made breadsticks, garden salad, or a cooked vegetable.

Originally published in the very FIRST Circle of Friends newsletter, Sep. of 2005

Cut the butter in half to make it slightly healthier!

Ashlee’s Chocolate Crepes

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
pinch of salt
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk, warmed
2 T butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T sugar
Topping:
1 1/2 cups Hot Fudge Sauce (see recipe below for homemade hot fudge)
4 ounces sliced almonds, toasted
Makes 16-20 crepes

In medium bowl, mix together flour, 3 T sugar, salt and cocoa. Add eggs, warm milk and melted butter and beat until smooth. Force batter through sieve and let batter stand at room temperature for 2 hours before cooking crepes. If using a crepe maker, follow recommended directions. Otherwise, brush bottom of 6-inch, thick bottomed skillet with butter. Add 2 T batter, swirling pan to allow batter to cover the entire bottom of the pan thinly. Brown lightly on one side and turn with spatula to brown the other side. Turn onto paper towel to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. To store, place waxed paper between crepes and wrap in foil. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze. Allow to warm to room temperature before filling. Whip cream with vanilla and 2 T sugar. Fill each crepe with whipped cream, roll and place on serving dish. Drizzle with hot fudge and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Hot Fudge Sauce

(this makes a ton of fudge!)

Ingredients:
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 T butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup half and half
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Makes 2 1/2 - 3 cups
In medium saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar and half and half, and continue cooking until thick. Gradually add condensed milk. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm. Keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator; reheat before serving.
(Thanks to my cousin Ashlee for serving me this yummy dessert and giving me the recipe. Originally published in October 2005 Circle of Friends newsletter.)