Scalloped Rhubarb

 The butter and sugar carmelize to give an outstanding flavor which goes well with the rhubarb.  Yummo!!  This is a very simple yet delicious way to make rhubarb.  White bread works best for the flavor you are going for.  I have only made this as is, but I am sure you can use less butter to cut down on fat and calories but still keep the important butter flavor.  You don't even need ice cream or whipped cream with this, but if you prefer, go ahead.

Scalloped Rhubarb


4 c. cut rhubarb (cut into 1/2" slices)
4 c. white bread cubes
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter

Cut butter into sugar to make pea sized pieces.  Layer bread cubes in bottom of buttered 8'x8' pan.  Top with rhubarb, then with butter/sugar mixture. Place into greased 8"x8" glass pan.  Bake 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve.

Big Boy Strawberry Pie

Remember the Mark's Big Boy Restaurants?  Maybe they weren't a nationwide chain but we had a few in our area of Wisconsin.  They were owned by Bill Marcus of the Marcus Theaters.  They had the best burgers in town and also great malts and shakes.  Desserts there were fabulous too from what I am told. (I usually don't order dessert out).  This recipe is supposedly the strawberry pie recipe that they made at those restaurants.  It is delicious and I make a few every year during strawberry season and always get asked for the recipe!  This is also great with raspberries and raspberry jello!

BIG BOY Strawberry Pie


1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
Mix these three ingredients together and bring to a boil; cook until thickened.  Add 3 oz. strawberry jello.  Mix well.  Cool slightly.  Meanwhile bake a graham cracker crust 5 min. at 350 degrees.  Set aside to cool.  Layer 4 c. sliced strawberries in the cooled crust.  Pour jello mixture over.  Chill a couple of hours and serve garnished with whipped cream (no cool whip please)

Mini Cheesecakes

We went to a potluck on Saturday night.  It was to raise funds for some teacher friends who are adopting a little orphaned girl from China with downs syndrome.  There was a silent auction, cash bar and potluck.  We had a great time bidding on the multitude of items people donated.  There were many homemade items auctioned such as whole wheat bread, white bread, coconut pecan pie, canned goods like pickles, asparagus, salsa etc.  The potluck also had many great items to sample.  How is it that when you go to a potluck it seems that everyone takes something different?  It is like everyone was assigned what specifically they are to bring.  Yet that is not the case.  We are all left to bring whatever we want, yet there are never too many duplicates.  There is always a great variety of items and many new dishes to try.  I hadn't made these little cheesecakes in a while so I took these.  They always disappear quickly.

Mini Cheesecakes


10 vanilla wafers
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 10 muffin cups with foil cupcake liners.  Put 1 vanilla wafer in each cup.  Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.  Beat until smooth. Fill cups 1/2 full.  This should make about 10.  Bake @350 for 15 -20 minutes.  Cool.  Top with either cherry, blueberry, or strawberry pie filling or with caramel ice cream topping and mini chocolate chips or whatever you like with your cheesecake. Chill till serving time.  These are also good made with chopped Snickers bars baked into the batter.   You can also add 1 t. lemon zest and 2 t. lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture before baking.

Easy Strawberry Sorbet

With strawberry season coming or for some already here, now is the time to stock up on strawberry recipes and ideas.  I love strawberries and can never have enough.  We usually go strawberry picking of course, and come home with loads to make jams, pies, shortcakes etc. and add many to the freezer for winter months to enjoy in a smoothie or to make this wonderfully simple sorbet.  It feels like ice cream to the tongue, creamy and delicious.  It is low in calories and fat free.  It lends itself well for entertaining as it is quite elegant when served in pedestal sundae glasses after a heavier meal where you want a light or cool dessert.

Strawberry Sorbet

2 c. frozen strawberries
2 T. sugar or splenda
2 T. apple juice or grape or whatever you have

Let strawberries sit on counter about 10 minutes to thaw just a bit but not too much.  Put in food processor and with chopping blade, pulse about 10 times.  Add in sugar or splenda (use more or less according to taste) and apple juice. Pulse and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.

Lemony Lemon Cookies

Lemon is a flavor that I associate with spring.  I think the flavor is "springy" as well as the color.  My mother-in-law brings lemons back from Arizona in the spring for us and I always look forward to them. She will be coming home soon bringing back with her those wonderful fruits. This is a recipe that my dear friend Laurel shared with me and one that I always get asked for the recipe.

Lemony Lemon Cookies


1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 c. flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine cake mix, eggs, oil and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Beat at low speed with mixer until well blended.  Add coconut.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart.  Bake 5-7 minutes.  The key is not to over bake.  When edges are just starting to brown, remove from oven.  When cooled, frost with lemon glaze if desired.  Many times I make them without the glaze and we like them that way too.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 T. lemon juice
Enough watered if needed to make a spreadable glaze.  Do not make it too thin as you want this to stay on cookie.

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

If you love chocolate, cream cheese and Oreos you will absolutely love this cheesecake recipe.  No baking required.  It is quite easy to throw together and you will love it.  It does take some chilling time so plan accordingly.

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake


1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 8 inch Oreo crust

In small microwave-safe bowl place chocolate chips.  Microwave at HIGH (100)% 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.  Set aside to cool.  In large mixer bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and butter until smooth.  On low speed blend in melted chocolate.  Fold in whipped topping until blended; spoon cheese mixture into crust.  Cover; chill until firm.  Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.

Chocolate Mousse

I realize that Valentine's Day was on Sunday and I should have posted this recipe last week in preparation for the holiday, but I often wait til the last minute and don't plan ahead. Who says you can only eat chocolate on Valentine's Day anyway?  I didn't think of it actually until the day itself...  Valentine's Day.  I was thinking what could I make today that uses the traditional Valentine ingredient ... chocolate?  Something that is special yet simple.  Something that I don't make everyday but would love to eat everyday.  This is the recipe that came to mind.  I have served this on occasion to company and was embarrassed when they asked for the recipe and  saw how much effort I did not put into this dessert I had made for them.  I had impressed them with the delicious dessert, and ruined it by letting them know how easy it was.
I got the original recipe from the "Back of the Box  Gourmet" cookbook.

Chocolate Mousse


1 10 oz. pkg. Nestle Toll House Mint-Chocolate Morsels
(I used 1 10oz. pkg. Ande's Creme de Menthe pieces
2 eggs
1 c. scalded milk (I used 2%)
Whipped cream (optional)

In blender container, combine chocolate pieces, eggs and scalded milk.  Cover; blend on high speed 2-3 minutes.  Pour into individual parfait glasses.    Chill the mousses for an hour or two or until set.  Garnish with whipped cream.

*Note-I have used semi-sweet chocolate chips also in this and added 2T. Amaretto or Kaluha to the blender as well.  You could also use white chocolate chips or raspberry flavored etc.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is the perfect comfort food.  You can either eat it for dessert or sometimes I like it for breakfast.  When we go to the Chinese buffet restaurant, they have rice pudding that tastes a bit coconutty.  I had some leftover coconut milk from the Thai-Style Halibut I made the other night and decided to try using the rest to make this rice pudding.  I think it turned out pretty good.

Coconut Rice Pudding

• 1/2 c. medium or long grain rice
• 1 c.  water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 14 oz. can lite coconut milk or 10oz. coconut milk + 4 oz. milk
• 2T. sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 
  
  1. Bring rice, water and salt to a boil over med-high heat. Turn down heat to low.Simmer covered until water has been absorbed (approximately 15 minutes).
  2. Stir in milk and sugar and cook uncovered over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently--especially towards the end of cooking.
  3. The pudding is done when the rice and milk have amalgamated into a thick porridge-like consistency.
  4. DO NOT OVERCOOK or the pudding will be solid instead of creamy once cooled.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  6. Serve either warm or cold.  Sprinkle cinnamon if you like or leave plain.
  
  

Easy Mix Chocolate Cake

I am always looking for quick fix recipes to add to my collection so that when I am short on time, we can still eat enjoyable meals without having to rely on fast food.  This is a recipe that I use when wanting to make something quick for dessert.  You mix it right in the pan so it saves on dishes too.  You can frost it with your favorite frosting recipe or just dust with powdered sugar.  I usually don't have time for making frosting when resorting to this recipe so we just use whipped cream from a can.  This will satisfy your desire for chocolate cake when you just don't have much time.

Made in the Pan Chocolate Cake

1 1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda

1 c. water
1/3 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cider vinegar

In 8x8 inch pan, stir together dry ingredients.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In med. bowl, mix wet ingredients.  Pour wet into dry ingredients: stir well.  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Tips:  No need to grease pan.  To save on dishes,  I usually measure 1 c. water into 2 c. measuring cup.  Then pour oil in to the   1 1/3 cup line and add vinegar and vanilla.  I also use whole wheat flour to make just a tad bit healthier.


Photo credit:  oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2009/03/one-bowl-vegan-chocolate-cake.html

Nutella Frosted Chocolate Cookies

Today I decided to treat our co-workers with a new recipe that I wanted to try.  I had seen this in a book in a store, memorized the recipe and wrote down.  The  thought of these wouldn't leave my mind until I finally decided I needed to make these.  Got lots of compliments and they all disappeared so I believe they were a success.  The only thing about these is that of course Nutella does not harden or dry, so storage could be tricky, oh never mind, they won't last long enough to worry about that.

Nutella Frosted Chocolate Cookies


1 box Devil's food cake mix
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 jar Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread


Cream butter and cream cheese.  Beat in egg and then cake mix.  Mix until just combined.  Stir in nuts.  Roll in 1 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven 8-10 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and when cool frost with Nutella.

Banana Cream Pie

Haven't had Banana Cream Pie in quite a while so I thought I would make one today.  At work we were talking about pies and a coworker mentioned that Banana Cream was her favorite.  That sounded good as I don't ever think to make it anymore.  I just so happened to have a couple of ripe bananas in the house that had a couple of spots on them...perfectly ripe to add the right sweetness and flavor to the pie.  You can make your own crust, whether it be baked pastry shell or graham cracker crust, either homemade or ready made.  I chose the ready made graham cracker crust as I happened to have one in the house.

Banana Cream Pie
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs
3 T. butter
1 l/2 t. vanilla
1 9-inch baked pastry shell or graham cracker crust
Meringue (recipe follows)

For filling, in medium saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly.  Reduce heat: cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Separate egg yolks from whites; set aside whites for meringue.  Beat egg yolks slightly.  Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks.  Return yolk mixture to saucepan; bring to a gentle boil.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Slice 2-3 bananas in bottom of baked crust.  Pour hot pudding mixture into baked pie shell. Pour meringue over top and spread to seal edge.  Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes till golden.  Cool.  Cover; chill to store.  Best to eat room temperature or preferably chilled.

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 c. sugar

In a small mixer bowl, beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar at medium speed of electric mixer about 1 minute or till soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar 1 T. at a time, beating at high about 4 minutes more until stiff glossy peaks form.