Chop up those miniatures, add whatever else
you have and make bark. See the recipe
above at CompletelyDelicious.com.

Many American households woke up today to lots of Halloween candy. You can eat some of it as is, but we especially like this solution from BrownEyedBaker.com, who adapted it from this Bon Appetit recipe:

Turn it into chocolate bark studded with pieces of Halloween candy.

And on top of that, make it an annual tradition. We hereby proclaim that the day after Halloween is Leftover Candy Bark Day.

Use whatever candy appeals to you. If you’re not sure if certain combinations work (Junior Mints and Peanut Butter Cups, for example), pop them into your mouth and see how they blend.

If you need to round out the ingredients, add whatever you have at home: baking chips, cookie pieces, nuts, potato chips, pretzels, shredded coconut, and so on.

You’ll also need a base chocolate to hold all the pieces. You can use milk, semisweet or white chocolate. We bought two bags of Guittard semisweet chips and one bag of white chocolate chips at our supermarket.

 
RECIPE: LEFTOVER HALLOWEEN CANDY BARK

Ingredients For About 2 Pounds/30 Servings

This is just a guideline; use whatever you have. The ingredients below focus on peanut butter-flavored candies. Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 1 hour.

 
Preparation

1. LINE a 12 x 12-inch* baking pan or a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. PLACE the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until it is completely melted and smooth.

3. POUR the chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread it into a thin layer (¼-inch thick yields about a 12×10-inch rectangle*).

4. SPRINKLE the melted chocolate with the chopped Butterfingers, Heath bars, peanut butter cups and honey roasted peanuts, making sure all pieces touch the melted chocolate so they adhere. Lightly press down on them as an extra effort to make sure the candy adheres to the chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. MELT the white chocolate using the same method as the bittersweet chocolate in Step 2, until completely smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate over the chilled bark in a zigzag pattern.

6. SCATTER the M&Ms and/or Reese’s Pieces over the white chocolate drizzle, and again press to make sure the candy adheres to the melted white chocolate. Chill again until the white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

TOP PHOTO: Add cookies to your Halloween Bark. Photo courtesy Taste Of Home. Here’s the recipe. BOTTOM PHOTO: Peanut-oriented bark (recipe above). Photo courtesy BrownEyed Baker via Bon Appetit.

 
*You can use whatever size pan or sheet you have. You don’t have to spread the chocolate to cover the entire area. Just keep it 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick and the candies pressed into it will add the heft.
  

[2] We served the extra biscuits with honey butter. Here’s the recipe (photo © McCormick).

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[3] Chipotles in adobo sauce. You can buy them canned (next photo) or make your own. Here’s the recipe (photo © Venturists).

[4] There are many brands of chipotle in adobo sauce. Hot and spicy La Morena combines smoked red jalapeños, onion, tomato and spices (photo © La Morena).

[4] Dried whole chipotle chiles. A chipotle is a smoke-dried ripe (red) jalapeño chili chile pepper (photo © iGourmet).

We’re having a small group over tomorrow to watch the New York City Marathon, and are making the same recipe that was popular with them last year.

We’re doubling the recipe, so we can have leftovers and because fights almost broke out over the Chipotle Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits.

National Totally Chipotle Day is May 5th.

> The history of chile peppers.

> The different types of chiles.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN CHILI BAKE WITH
CHIPOTLE CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings
 
For The Chili

 
For The Biscuits

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the chili: In a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. (You may need to do this in 2 batches–do not overcrowd the pan.) Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.

2. DISCARD all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan and return it to medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chili powder and cumin, mix to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.

3. INCREASE the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Return the thighs to the pan and nestle them in the tomato sauce mixture. Reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes.

While chicken simmers, prepare the biscuit dough.

4. HEAT the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and cheese; stir until just combined. Fold in the chopped chipotles.

5. TURN the dough onto a floured work surface. Flatten and gently fold the dough over onto itself 5 or 6 times. Press into an 8-inch circle, about 1-inch thick. With a floured biscuit cutter or cookie cutter (about 2.75-inch diameter), cut the biscuits. Press the dough scraps together and cut additional biscuits.

6. REMOVE the chicken thighs when they have reached 165°F internal temperature on a meat thermometer. Place on a cutting board to cool slightly.

7. ADD the beans to the tomato sauce mixture and keep the pan over low heat. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pan and mix well. Top the chili mixture with the biscuits so that they barely touch. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

If you are baking extra biscuits, bake them on a parchment-topped baking sheet.

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Add a special element to any small party, or even a quiet evening with the family, by putting together a mix and match pudding parfait bar. It’s a popular annual event at our place; and unlike ice cream parfaits, pudding doesn’t melt.

If you don’t have glass dessert dishes, use juice glasses or wine glasses so people can enjoy their layering talents.

You can make the pudding or buy it. At different times. we’ve made instant pudding or cooked pudding, even cooked from scratch (mixing and measuring all the ingredients). Sophisticated palates will prefer the cooked variations.

Here’s what else you need:

MIX & MATCH PUDDING PARFAITS

Basic Ingredients

 
and/or

 
Creamy Layers

Customize the ingredients to your crowd and the occasion. If you’d rather have pistachio or maple pudding, team colors, a layer of crushed peanut butter cups or Corn Flakes, and so forth, by all means set them out!

NEW PRODUCT: TRUWHIP 100% NATURAL WHIPPED
TOPPING

If you like frozen whipped topping but not all the chemical additives, now there’s an all-natural alternative.

Truwhip is the first frozen whipped topping that is 100% natural and gluten-free. Made from plant-based ingredients, it contains no high fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils, no polysorbate 60, no trans fats and no GMOs.

It’s also gluten-free and certified kosher (dairy) by OU.

Truwhip Natural and Truwhip Skinny look just like the other stuff and can be used in the same way:

 
Truwhip Natural has 30 calories, 20 from fat, per two-tablespoon serving. Truwhip Skinny has 25 calories, 15 from fat.

Discover more at Truwhip.com.

In terms of the flavor, to quote one of our tasters:

“It tastes different from Cool Whip. You kind of get used to all those chemicals.”

It tastes like what it is: cool, creamy and natural.

Truwip, in Natural (regular) and Skinny (reduced fat). Photos courtesy Peak Foods.