Fruit Pizza

It's a tasty dessert dish. It's not too sweet, and everyone loves it. 

Fruit Pizza

2 containers cressent rolls

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 container key lime yogurt

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Mixed fruit, diced

Preheat oven to 375°. 

Grease cookie sheet.  Lay cressent rolls flat across bottom of cookie sheet. Bake 10 min, or until light golden brown.  Cook completely. 

Mix cream cheese, yoghurt, and powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread evenly across cressent roll crust. 

Cover with mixed fruit.  I like diced strawberries, whole blueberries, grapes (quartered), and nectarines. 

Chill until ready to eat. 

Cut into 2-3 inch squares and serve. 

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

I had a couple huge boxes of yellow zucchini from our local produce auction.  So, I wonder what I can do besides zucchini pie and zucchini bread.  

I decided to make stuffed baked zucchini.  It is so good!

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

4 Zucchini 

1 Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

2 Large or 4-6 Small Tomatoes

2 Tbsp Fresh Herbs (Basil, Thai Basil, Oregano, Sage, and Parsley)

1/2 Pound Bacon

2 cups cooked rice 

1) Preheat oven to 350°

2) Cut ends off zucchini, slice them in half lengthwise, and scoop the middle out to make a boat. Put cut side down in baking dish and bake 15-20 minutes. 

3) Chop up half of what was scooped out of the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs.  Put in a bowl and set to the side. 

4) Dice onions and cook in skillet until starting to soften.  

5) Chop raw bacon and add to onions.  Cook until onions and bacon are cooked fully.  

6) Add zucchini/tomato mixture. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 2 cups cooked rice.  

7) Flip partially cooked zucchini over.  Fill with cooked mixture.  Bake another 20-30 minutes. 

 

Chocolate Truffles

I found a basic truffle recipe online.  I changed it up a little.  A definite way to go with this. 

Chocolate Truffles

8 ounces semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate morsels 

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp good vanilla extract

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and chopped walnuts

1. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.

2. In a separate bowl, pour in your chocolate, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.

3. Once the cream has come to a boil, pour it over the chocolate, and stir vigorously until the chocolate has melted.  Do not use a whisk.  

4. Put the chocolate in the refrigerator for several hours until it sets.  When you bring it back out, you will want to let it come to room temperature to form it into 1/2 to 1 inch balls.

5. Roll it lightly in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or chopped nuts.  Eat one daily. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  

Strawberry Pie

This is a recipe I got from my mil.  It's one of my daughter's favorite pies.  Although she does have many favorites when it comes to desserts.  

Strawberry Pie

Slice fresh strawberries into a cooled, baked pie shell. 

Bring to a boil until thickens:

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup hot water

  3 level T. Cornstarch

Remove from heat. Stir in 3 T. Strawberry jello till dissolves. 

Pour mixture over top of berries.  Refrigerate til cold. Top with whipped cream. 

Enjoy!  

(Mine doesn't always set up like I think it should but it is still good even if it is a little runny.)

The Fudgiest Chocolate Brownies

I found this recipe a few years ago.  These are quite possibly the best brownies ever to be created.  I only make them once or twice a year due to the fact that more often would likely kill me.  They are definitely not something that should be eaten often, but saved for special occasions. 

I'll post the recipe as it was when I found it. 

Chocolate Brownies

Gourmet | February 2000

The Farm of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, CA

"The Farm of Beverly Hills has the most incredible, delectable giant brownies!" says Cindy Grand of San Francisco, CA. "They taste more like fudge with a light, crunchy surface. Would you help me get the recipe?"

These are probably the fudgiest brownies we've ever tried—in fact, they seemed too rich to serve in giant squares, so we've cut them smaller. They taste even better the day after they're baked.

Yield: Makes 20 brownies

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 3 hr

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces

12 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

6 large eggs

1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

3 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Melt butter with chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, 1 at a time. Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and stir into batter with sugar and salt. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and a tester inserted into center comes out with crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into 20 squares.

Cooks' note:

· Brownies keep, layered between wax paper in an airtight container, 5 days.

Pumpkin Crockpot Oatmeal

I decided to try a little something different with the oatmeal today (or last night if you will).  I had a can of pumpkin left over from the holidays, and wondered if it would work in the breakfast.  Come to find out, the kids love it!  They say it's like pumpkin pie for breakfast.  

Pumpkin Crockpot Oatmeal

4 1/2 cups oats (not quick cooking kind)
10 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg and cloves

1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

1 - 29oz can of Pumpkin

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Chunk up pumpkin and try to distribute chunks evenly. It will cook and separate on its own.  
Cover with lid.
Turn to warm for 8-10 hours. Mix well.  Serve.  

It's a full crockpot of oatmeal. ;)

English Toffee

My husband came across this recipe and we tailored it a bit to our liking.  We've made it several times.  It doesn't seem to last very long.  We've tried a few different chocolates.  It seems self explanatory, but spend a few extra dollars for the good chocolate.  It really does make a difference.  

English Toffee

1 pound unsalted butter 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 1/2 to 2 cups raw pecans, chopped finely or ground loosely

2 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (scraped or split so the seeds will come out inside the toffee)

1 tsp. salt

2 cups chocolate chips or shaved chocolate

Directions

Spread chocolate on a large silpat sheet, greased cookie sheet, or greased marble slab. 

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot on stove top. In separate bowl, mix together white sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup, add to melted butter. Add 1/4 cup water. Cook mixture on medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Using a candy thermometer—most can clip onto the pot—cook until 260°, stirring hard and fast to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan and your toffee doesn't burn. At 260°, add the almonds, then lower the heat and finish cooking until your candy thermometer reads 300° and reaches the soft ball stage. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes total to reach the 300° mark. The mixture should be a beautiful, bubbly, golden brown color. At 300°, turn off heat immediately.

Add vanilla (if adding vanilla beans, you must fish them out when you pour the toffee before it cools) and add the salt. Stir quickly. 

Pour the mixture out over the top of the chocolate. Smooth out the toffee to 1/4-inch thickness. After about 5 to 10 minutes, you can score the toffee with a knife or pizza cutter in order to break it up later. Using hot water and wiping the knife clean after every slice can help in scoring the toffee. 

You may now let the mixture cool. When cool, you can sprinkle with a dash of fleur de sel (French sea salt), break them up and wrap them in cellophane or an airtight container to maintain the freshness.