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Archive for the ‘Holiday Recipes’ Category

Easter Cookie cups platedIf you’re looking for a fun and simple dessert for Easter, think about serving Cookie Cups. The kids (and young at heart) will love them!

easter cookie cups cut to fit silicone

Start with sugar cookie dough (either homemade our from the store). Roll it out and cut into circles, then form the circles over an oven-proof container like custard cups to bake.

 

I used silicone cupcake pans to form my cups. Just press them around the outside and bake with the cups upside down.

I used silicone cupcake pans to form my cups. Just press them around the outside and bake with the cups upside down.

 

Bake in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned then cool. You can form a handle out of dough. Just roll a rope of dough and bend it in a handle shape and bake along with the cups.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned then cool. You can form a handle out of dough. Just roll a rope of dough and bend it in a handle shape and bake along with the cups.

You can fill the cups with whatever your heart desires. I made ours like fruit pizza with a sweet cream cheese filling and fruit.

You can fill the cups with whatever your heart desires. I made ours like fruit pizza with a sweet cream cheese filling and fruit.

 

Put a thick ring of whipped cream around the top if you want to add a handle and stick it into the whipped cream to hold it upright.

Put a thick ring of whipped cream around the top if you want to add a handle and stick it into the whipped cream to hold it upright.

Ta-Da!

Ta-Da!

You can also make mini cookie cups. Just form them on the back of a mini cupcake or muffin tin.

You can also make mini cookie cups. Just form them on the back of a mini cupcake or muffin tin.

 

Cook until lightly browned then cool.

Cook until lightly browned then cool.

 

I colored coconut green to look like grass.

I colored coconut green to look like grass.

And filled the mini cookie cups.

And filled the mini cookie cups.

Then topped with jelly beans. This would be fun to mark each place setting or as a little take-away treat if you are the host for Easter dinner.

Then topped with jelly beans. This would be fun to mark each place setting or as a little take-away treat if you are the host for Easter dinner.

She Who Wishes You All a Very Happy Easter!

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st. pat's rice krispie

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d share some links to a few fun recipes today. The one above is from classyclutter.net  Who can’t picture the Leprechaun singing “Frosted Lucky Charms, They’re Magically Delicious!”

st. pat pancakes

st pat quiche

 

st pat preztel

st. pat popcorn

st pat brownie

Yum!

She Who Is Craving Mint… and Chocolate

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With New Year’s Eve just days away, it’s time to start thinking about some show-stopping fabulous dessert to serve to your party guests (or take to a celebration).

This is the time to pull out the stops, go decadent, make it over the top.

Oh, you get the idea.

Here are a few of my favorites!

pumpkin trifle finished

Pumpkin Mousse Trifle 

This is a quick and easy dessert to make, but tastes like you spent hours working on it. Any trifle would work, doesn’t necessarily have to be pumpkin. Use pound cake, pudding of your choice, whipped cream and add some berries or sliced fruit. Chocolate pudding with raspberries is always a great choice.

A peek inside the cake. Just look at all that yummy chocolate and strawberry sweet goodness.

Chocolate Bombe with Strawberry Filling

Drop a bombe on your guests and watch the explosion of delight. A Chocolate Bombe, of course. You could substitute raspberry for the strawberry filling if you so choose.

Cool completely in the oven, slice and serve with freshly whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Pavlova with whipped cream and berries is simple, elegant and absolutely delicious.

cream puff finished

Cream Puffs with Vanilla Filling and Chocolate Topping are sure to earn you a few words of praise. Or many.

Bubbly Dessert

This dessert is fancy, elegant, and so fun!

Bubbly Dessert

1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin

2 cups cold white grape juice, divided

2 tbsp. sugar

2 cups club soda or champagne

8 fresh strawberries or raspberries

In a small saucepan, sprinkled gelatin over 1 cup of the cold grape juice. Let stand for one minute. Heat over low heat stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in sugar. Remove from heat, stir in remaining grape juice. Cool to room temperature.

Transfer gelatin mixture to a large bowl. Slowly stir in soda or champagne. Pour half of the mixture into eight champagne or parfait glasses. Add a berry to each glass (if using a strawberry, remove hulls first). Chill glasses and remaining gelatin mixture until almost set, about an hour.

Place the reserved gelatin mixture in a blender, cover and process until foamy. Pour into glasses. Chill for three hours or until set.

Makes 8 servings.

She Who Needs to Buy Some Celery and Carrots

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A while back I was off gallivanting with two of my cousins who have a myriad of food allergies. Even more than me!

I wanted to bring a fun dessert along, but was trying to find something they both could eat.

Settling on a scrumptious-sounding meringue recipe I found on foodnetwork.com, I emailed the ingredient list to the girls and got a green-flag that they both could eat it.

Although the dessert did not transport well (could have been the way some one haphazardly tossed it in the car) it tasted really, really good. So good, I made it for my book club friends the other night, to their rave reviews.

This isn’t hard to make, just takes a little time, but will leave your guests impressed! I promise!

And for those of you who like tidbits of odd information, Pavlova is named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. The dessert is believed to have been created in honor of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.

Ingredients

Start by whipping egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Add sugar, a little at a time and mix until the egg whites look like smooth satin.

Add cocoa powder and vinegar, followed by the chopped chocolate.

Fold in gently with a spatula until well blended.

Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 300 for about an hour.

The pavlova is done when the top looks dry and crisp, but the inside is still squishy.

Cool completely in the oven, slice and serve with freshly whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Pavlova

6 large egg whites

2 cups superfine sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Trace a 9-inch round circle (use a cake pan) on the parchment then flip over so the pencil mark doesn’t touch the meringue.

Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form. Beat  in the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is stiff and shiny.  Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula. Try to get it as even as possible. Place baking sheet in the oven then turn the temp down to 300 degrees and bake for an hour or so. When the pavlova is done, the top should look crisp and dry but the inside should give a little (be a little squishy) if you poke it.

Turn off the oven, crack the door  and let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven. When you’re ready to serve, invert onto a platter and peel off the parchment. I loaded ours up with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

That was an excellent choice and our tastebuds rejoiced.

She Who Loves Chocolate and Raspberries

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