Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

Happy Day after Election Day!  Whether your candidate won or lost, aren't you glad to be done with the phone calls, mailers, needless political ranting on facebook, etc.?  I know I am! 

Our good friends invited us last night to their house to watch the election results come in.  Wait a minute... a fun activity on a Tuesday night???  That is unheard of, at least since we had children! 

Since we rarely get out for a night without the kids, my husband and I decided we should have a little fun with it - i.e. Uncle Sam hat for him, light up red/white/blue tiara for me, patriotic leis, the whole sha-bang! 

And, when I offered to make a dessert, of course I had to do something within the theme.  Though this is probably more appropriate as a 4th of July dessert, it was light, fruity, and scrumptious!  Happy Post Election Day!!! 

Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

Recipe from www.recipesnobs.com

1 1/2 pounds raspberries or strawberries

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, divided

1/4 cup cold water

16 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 cups cold heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fine salt

20 to 24 ladyfingers

3/4 pound blueberries

In a medium bowl, combine raspberries with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and water. With the back of a fork, lightly mash berries to release their juices and let sit 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together mascarpone and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and, using an electric beater, beat until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

 

In an 8 in. springform pan, place half the ladyfingers in a single layer (you are going to have to cut up the lady fingers a bit to get them to fit).  Top with half the berry mixture.  Spread half the whipped cream over berries.

 

Repeat layers with remaining ladyfingers, berries, and whipped cream. Top with blueberries and refrigerate until whipped cream is stiff and cookies have softened, about 3 hours.  To serve, remove outside of springform pan, slice and serve! 

 

Food for Thought:  My sister and I were tossing out ideas on how you could make this a Christmas-y dish and we came up with a few variations - make it just all red and white striped (so it looks like a a candy cane) by replacing the blueberries with strawberries, try kiwi instead of blueberries to get the red and green look, or even possibly a little green food coloring in the whipped cream and then doing just red berries for the fruit.  The possibilites seems endless!  :)  Happy eating! 

Cream Cheese Frosting

I hosted a Halloween party for my boys and wanted to make a somewhat sneaky healthy treat for the party.  I cooked up a batch of my pumpkin muffins and decided they needed a little something special to make them "party-worthy".  Enter a quick batch of DELICIOUS cream cheese frosting!  Yum!  It was perfect.  The kids loved them; I loved them; I felt good about what I was feeding the kids. 

 

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

 

4 oz cream cheese, softened

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Instructions:

 

Combine all ingredients.  Beat for 2-3 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy.  

Dessert Recipes

Best Brownies Ever
Chocolate Mocha Truffle Cookies
Coffee and Cookie Brownies
Cream Cheese Frosting
Healthy Cookies
Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle
Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

Best Brownies Ever

Ok, I normally make brownies the cheater way, i. e. grab a box off the shelf at the grocery store, add water, and bake.  However, when I saw this recipe, how few ingredients it required, and how easy it was, I knew I could do it!  And, I am certainly glad I did!  Wow, these blew the box brownies out of the water!  I will never (or rarely) make box mix brownies again!  (Oh, and I did include a delicious frosting recipe below that I used on them.)

 

 

Best Brownies Ever

 

Recipe from www.http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/?recipe_id=6017970

 

3/4 cup melted butter

4 squares un-sweetened baking chocolate (see note below)

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

 

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan).

 

Combine melted butter and chocolate squares in a large glass bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted, stirring every 30 seconds.

 

Add sugar into the bowl and mix well. Add eggs and vanilla then mix well. Add flour and mix until just combined.

 

Pour batter into a 9x13" buttered baking dish and bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

 

Allow to cool before frosting. 

 

For best results, cut into large squares and eat in large quantities!  :) 

 

Easy Chocolate Frosting Recipe

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

 

Melt butter.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spread evenly over brownies.  Lick bowl and spoon well! 

Chocolate Pudding Pie

If you are looking for something completely unhealthy, delicious, full of chocolate-y goodness, you've come to the right recipe.  If you are looking for something that looks impressive for company, yet is rather easy to put together, you've come to the right recipe.

Ooooh, this one is so good and I am glad that we had some leftovers to take home of it because I have been enjoying them!  I really do try to eat healthy most of the time but every once in a while you gotta splurge and this is the pie to do it with!  Yum!

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Recipe from http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/11654

*There are four major components to this recipe so I broke it down into smaller sections below.

Pie Crust
1 1/4 c. chocolate wafer cookies, pulverized
5 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. sugar

Combine cookie crumbs and sugar in a bowl.  Add melted butter and stir.  Press into a 9-in. pie pan and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. 


Pie Filling
2 1/2 c. whole milk
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (easiest to use chocolate chips)
4 large egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium sauce pan, combine whole milk and chocolate.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted.

Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar and whisk until a pale yellow color.  Add corn starch, salt, and vanilla.

Remove chocolate mixture from heat and pour into egg mixture, stirring well.  Return to sauce pan and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and just begins to bubble (about 6-7 minutes).  Remove from heat and stir continuously for about 1 minute until smooth. 

Pour into pie crust.  Put a piece of plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


Whipped Cream Topping
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla until it forms stiff peaks.  Spoon evenly over surface of cooled pie. 

Lick the spoon; and maybe even the bowl.  :)

Chocolate Shavings
large chunk dark chocolate
vegetable peeler

Slightly soften your chocolate bar in the microwave (like 15 seconds on low heat).  Slowly scrape the vegetable peeler along the edge of the chocolate bar to create the curls.  If you get ragged edges or little chips instead of curls, soften the chocolate a bit more.  Refrigerate curls until ready to use.  Garnish top of pie with curls before slicing.

Enjoy!!!!!

Husband Rating: Who cares - it is so delicious... actually, he took a stance of not rating desserts, but keeping his rating to dinners only.  Our friends we shared it with gave this a 10 however. 

Food for Thought: No other thoughts than you need to make this.  It's that good!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

It was my birthday.  We had used up the remaining white flour for pizza dough the previous day.  I wanted to make a cake and only had whole wheat flour on hand and no time to run to the store to get any other ingredients.  So, after a quick Internet search, found the recipe below.  It turned out amazing!  The cake was chocolate-y, moist, and light.  And, we even were eating cake leftovers three days later and it was still incredibly moist!  I think I may have found a new permanent cake recipe! 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

Cake recipe adapted from www.100daysofrealfood.com

Cake Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. baking cocoa
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. water
2 eggs
2/3 c. oil
2 Tbsp. vanilla
butter for greasing pans

Frosting Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. butter
3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease two round 9-in. cake pans very well.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine water, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Make a well or hole in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.  Mix well.

Pour batter into cake pans.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, in a medium bowl melt butter.  Let cool slightly before adding other frosting ingredients.  Whisk well until thoroughly combined and without lumps. 

After cakes cool, frost them.  The frosting is enough to cover the outside and put a layer in between the two cakes.

If you have leftovers, simply cover to store.  We left ours sitting out on the counter.

Husband Rating: I never got one, but does it matter?  It's chocolate!  (However, he did eat several pieces of it so I think it was probably a hit.)

Food for Thought:  I do think a dark chocolate frosting would be divine on this cake.  I didn't have ingredients for that at the time.  Next time... I could always go for more chocolate cake!  :)

Healthy Cookies

Yes, the title is quite contradictory but these are very healthy cookies packed full of omega-3's, fiber, protein, and antioxidants.  I think they are a great "special treat" for the boys for after dinner. 

Healthy Cookies

Recipe adapted from: Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

2/3 c. water
1/3 c. quinoa
1 c. butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c. flaxseed meal
1/3 c. sesame seeds
1/2 - 1 c. dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds (we bought them at Costco but it would be easy to just sub in dark chocolate chips and dried cherries or something like that if you can't find them)

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave covered for an additional 6 minutes.  Remove lid and fluff with a fork.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the oats, cooked quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, flaxseed meal and sesame seeds to the flour mixture and stir until well blended.  Combine with the butter mixture and stir until well mixed. 

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until bottom is just golden brown.  Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before moving.

Makes approx. 5 dozen cookies.

Food for Thought: If you don't want 5 dozen cookies just sitting around begging to be eaten, simply roll out the dough into balls and flash freeze for approx. 2-3 hours on a plate or baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag.  Then, when baking, place frozen dough on cookie sheet and bake for about 2-4 minutes longer than regular cooking time.

Coffee and Cookie Brownies

A departure from my usual healthy meals, I had to throw in this tasty treat.  These are so simple and are always a hit!

Coffee and Cookie Brownies

1 16.5-18 oz. package refrigerator sugar cookie dough
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 19.5 oz. dark chocolate brownie mix
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. coffee liqueur or strong coffee, cooled
1 c. (a generous cup at my house) chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Press the cookie dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

Combine eggs, brownie mix, oil, and coffee until just mixed.  Pour over the top of the sugar cookie dough.

Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.

Bake 50 minutes or until edges are set.  Let cool and serve cut into bars (or for my sisters - with just a fork per person on the couch digging right into the pan!).

Food for Thought: An easy way to reduce clean up with baking is to line the pan with parchment paper.  When the bars are cooled, simply lift the entire batch out by the edges of the parchment paper.  It makes them easier to cut and serve too!  I learned that trick from my smart friend, Sarah B.  Thanks!

Chocolate Mocha Truffle Cookies

Chocolate Mocha Truffle Cookies

1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
2 Tbls. + 2 tsp. baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 c. toffee bits
1 ounce dark chocolate, for melting

Melt butter and chocolate chips in small pan on the stove over low heat.  Stir until smooth.
Stir in the coffee granules until dissolved and let cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Add brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; add to the chocolate mixture and stir well.  Stir in the toffee bits.

Drop onto cookie sheet in tablespoon size drops.  (I found a melon baller works really well for this job.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Cool cookies 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

When completely cool, drizzle with dark chocolate.

Makes 15 cookies.