Category Archives: Desserts

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Desserts by

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2cups packed brown sugar
  • 1cup butter, softened
  • 1teaspoon vanilla
  • 1egg
  • 2cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 1/2cups flour
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

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Easter Cake

Posted in Cakes, Desserts, Recipes by

How sweet is this cake! Inspired from a Betty Crocker recipe.

Follow the directions on a package of butter yellow cake mix and bake 2 9″ inch circle cakes. Let them cool completely before icing! Shave off the tops of each cake if they are peaked with a serrated knife. Alex and I like to eat these of course so we hope they peak a bit!

You are going to need a lot of icing for this cake!! About 60 oz. so if you are not making it from scratch buy 5 12oz. Vanilla frosting. No judging if you are not making it from scratch! Let’s be real here! If you are making it from scratch use your favorite vanilla buttercream icing recipe, and make enough!

Divide the frosting into 4 bowls. You will need a lot more pink because you will frost the cake with that so use 30 oz of pink, 12 oz. orange, 12 oz yellow and 6 oz. blue for the little piping at bottom. Use food color to make the colors. Just add a drop at a time of the food color, a little goes a long way!!

Use the pink icing to ice in between the layers, and the outside of the cake. Then using 3 different star tips. Use the largest star tip you have and a piping bag pipe little pink swirls randomly around the cake. If you don’t have a piping bag use a plastic bag and cut a corner off for the tip to slide into. Then use a smaller tip for orange swirls. Then smaller for yellow. And then clean the smallest one and use again for the blue swirls at the bottom, or if you have a fourth star tip use that!

Decorate with bunny peeps and enjoy! We make this ahead of time and put it in the frig until Easter!

Pies!!! Apple, Pumpkin and Pecan Pie… perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime!

Posted in apple pie, apples, Desserts, Entertaining, Fall/Cold Weather Recipes, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, Recipes by

Pumpkin-Pie

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Pecan-Pie

                     Pecan Pie

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Apple Pie with Lattice Top

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Apple Pie-with Full crust top (this is easier)

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Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

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Apple Pie before the Crust on Top

Pies are a great dessert for the Holiday’s or anytime… these recipes are pretty simple and delicious!

Apple Pie

  • Pie Crust (pre-made in the frozen section) you need 2 crusts. (one for the top and one for the bottom)
  • 3.5 cups apples- peeled and chopped in slices (the smaller the better so they cook through)
  • 1 (16 ounce jar of apple sauce- I use cinnamon apple sauce, but plain is fine if you don’t love the cinnamon flavor)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2-3 tablespoon butter- chopped up
  • dash of salt
  • For the crunch topping
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • dash salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter- softened at room temperature

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and mix. Stir in apples, apple sauce and lemon juice and pour on top of the crust, place butter through out pan.

Cut the other crust into strips for a lattice design or place uncut on top of pie and put slits in the top layer. (4-6 slits near the center in a circle works and looks nice)

Crunch topping: mix sugar, flour and salt in a bowl, mix in butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly. sprinkle over the top of the pie crust

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees- then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes until crust and topping are golden brown….can serve alone or with ice cream! (this can be messy when baking I suggest baking on top of a cookie sheet or foil in case it bubbles over)

Pumpkin Pie

  • Pre-made pie crust from the frozen section
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix but canned pumpkin)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (in the spice section- Mc Cormick makes one)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs- beaten
  • 1 1/4 cup evaporated milk or half and half

Heat oven to 425 degrees, mix ingredients in a bowl and pour pie mixture into pie crust.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees then lower to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes or until fork inserted in the center is clean (usually 40-50 minutes). Cool for 2 hours before serving. Can top with whipped Cream. Keep pie in the refrigerator.

Pecan Pie

  • 1/12 cup pecan’s
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Frozen pie crust

The pecans taste better when they are pre-roasted (bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes on a baking sheet)

Mix together eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir in the pecans. Pour all into the pie crust. (you might want to place some of the pecans on the top of the pie). Bake for 20 minutes then cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 35 minutes. (the foil keeps the crust from getting too dark). Tastes great warm or room temperature and it is delicious with ice cream.

Enjoy!

Refreshing Ice Pop’s that might give you a buzz…(for adult’s only)

Posted in Cocktails, Desserts, Entertaining, Ice Pops, Ice pops for adults, Recipes, Recipes Great for Warm Weather by

Watermelon-Mint-Tequila-Popsicles 1

Watermelon & Tequila Ice pop

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Strawberry, Peach & Vodka Pop’s

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Simple Ingredients…Fruit, Juice & Booze

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You can change the recipe by using alcohol & fruit that you like

Peaches

Fresh Fruit tastes great but fruit juice can be used to save time

berries

Making a boozy ice pop requires the right balance of booze to juice. (2 cups juice to 2 oz of alcohol seems to work)…if you use too much booze and don’t freeze them long enough (at least 12 hours) you will end up with a slushy (which will also be good just not what you intended).

You can sub in fruit and booze of your choice just keep the ratios in check…these will not get you drunk but perhaps a little buzzed.

Watermelon & Tequila Ice Pops (Vodka or Rum would also work)…

  • 4 cups watermelon (chopped in cubes)-should equal around 2 cups
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1/3 cup tequila (or alcohol of choice) this is equal to about 2.5 ounces
  • Simple syrup (to make use 1/4 cup water , 1/4 cup sugar bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute)
  • Directions:
  • Blend watermelon and lime juice in a food processor until smooth (strain through a sieve to remove seeds)
  • Mix watermelon, tequila and simple syrup together and pour into Popsicle molds- do not add sticks
  • Freeze molds for 30-60 minutes then add sticks and freeze for 12-24 hours until frozen. (Keep in mind alcohol does not freeze through) so these will be solid and hold their shape but not rock hard
  • recipe from hungrygirlporvida.com

Strawberry, Peach and Vodka pops

  • 2 peaches sliced
  • 8 medium strawberries, (hulled and sliced-take the green part off)
  • 2 cups orange Juice
  • 1 oz vodka (you can add up to 2 oz if you want more punch)
  • 1 oz Cointreau (if you add more vodka add more Cointreau)
  • Directions:
  • Blend OJ, peaches, 4 strawberries, Vodka & Cointreau until smooth (there will be some pulp from fruit)
  • If there is froth on top skim with spoon and discard
  • Fill ice pop molds 3/4 to the top then add in the rest of the chopped strawberries (do not add sticks)
  • Freeze for 1 hour, then add sticks, then freeze for at least 12 hours
  • recipe from a great site (shutterbean.com)

(A short cut would be to use fruit juice instead of fresh fruit)

enjoy!

GRANITA…. a simple, refreshing & delicous dessert!!

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining, Granita, Recipes, Recipes Great for Warm Weather by

granita

Strawberry Granita!

lemon granita

Lemon Granita-made with fresh Lemons and Limoncello

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Raspberry Granita

granita berries

Strawberries, Lemon, Water and Sugar….all you need for a Granita!

booze

You can add any of these to the Granita for a “grown up” version.

granita multi

Granita’s can be made with many different fruits

Granita’s are originally from Sicily, they are refreshing, delicious and easy to make. I recently served the strawberry granita to a bunch of friends and everyone loved it. I served mine with cookies on the side… enjoy!

Strawberry Granita ….Granita’s can be made with any fruit (sub in fruit of choice) (makes 6 servings)

  • 3 cups strawberries (cut the green part off)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup sugar (most recipes add more sugar but it does not need it) this works

Directions:

  • Mix hot water, lemon juice and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves
  • Blend strawberries in a food processor until smooth
  • Mix everything together and pour into a metal pan (13x9x2) you want a thin layer in the pan
  • Freeze until icy around edges (about 20-25 minutes) then stir icy portion on edges into middle of pan
  • Freeze until frozen (about 1.5 hours) using a fork scrape granita into flaky texture
  • Place in bowls, garnish with fruit and enjoy!!
  • For an adult version add some booze- vodka, rum, tequila are all good choices.

Lemon Granita made with Limoncello & fresh Lemon Juice…

  • 6 lemons
  • 4 cups water
  • Sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup and go up from there if you like it very sweet)
  • 2 tablespoons Limoncello
  • 3 sprigs of thyme for flavor and garnish

Directions:

  • Squeeze the lemons to make 1 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice
  • Add the water to the lemon juice & stir in sugar to desired sweetness
  • Add the thyme and Limoncello and let sit for 15 minutes
  • Strain the liquid into metal baking dish (the thyme and lemon seeds should not end up in the dish if you use a strainer) it should be a thin layer
  • Freeze until icy around edges (about 20-25 minutes) then stir icy portion on edges into middle of pan
  • Freeze until frozen (about 1.5 hours) using a fork scrape granita into flaky texture
  • Place in bowls, garnish with thyme and enjoy!!