Chocolate Mousse

Years ago, when we lived in Santa Cruz, I received this recipe from a lady in the church we attended. Chris was one of the best cooks I had ever met, next to my mom. Thankfully, she was generous in sharing her recipes and her cooking skills with me. This delicious mousse was served the first time we were invited into her home for dinner. Chris and her husband had the gift of hospitality, and made our years in Santa Cruz feel much more like home than they otherwise would have felt. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup well-chilled heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
1/2 tsp. instant coffee
pinch salt
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier (or 1 tsp. orange extract and 1 tbsp. brandy)

1. Whip heavy cream stiffly and set aside.
2. Put eggs, chocolate chips, coffee and salt in a food processor or blender.
3. In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.
4. While processing, pour syrup in through feed tube and process until smooth. Stop processor and add Grand Marnier; process a little longer. Scrape down sides of bowl.
5. Add whipped cream and process until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour into dishes and chill until set.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
4 servings = 618 calories each
6 servings = 412 calories each

Triple Berry Cobbler

We love berries, fresh or frozen, it doesn't matter to us. This recipe was created using frozen berries because they are readily available year around and often are far more flavorful than the fresh berries available for such a limited time during the summer. The juice that is drained off the thawed berries makes for a more flavorful cobbler, I think, than using water alone. A touch of nutmeg and allspice add a subtle change of flavor, and, of course, a scoop of vanilla ice cream tops it off perfectly. Blessings...

Recipe:

Biscuit topper:

1 cup unbleached flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 egg

1. Place berries in a sieve over a bowl to collect the juice while the biscuit topper is being prepared.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients for biscuit topper in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Measure milk in a 1-cup measure. Add egg and blend with a fork until well-combined. Add to dry mixture and stir just until combined. Set aside.

Berry Filling:

5 cups frozen mixed berries, thawed (see note)
1/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup juice from berries, add water, if necessary, to make a cup of liquid. Set berries aside.
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, measure allspice, sugar and cornstarch; stir to combine. Whisk in cup of juice from the berries. Cook and stir sauce over medium-low heat until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened. Remove pan from heat.
3. Stir in lemon juice and berries. Cook and gently stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until berries are warm. Pour into casserole. Drop biscuit topper onto berries in 6 mounds.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until biscuits are a golden brown color and cooked through. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6 servings
277 calories
6.5 gms. fiber
Tip: If you are unsure as to whether or not the biscuits are done, gently lift the center biscuit with a spoon to see if the underside is cooked or still appears doughy. If the biscuit appears doughy, continue to bake another 5 minutes.
Note: I use 1 16-ounce bag of mixed berries and 1 cup of raspberries to make the 4 cups of berries needed.

This recipe was adapted from "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook".

Best Baked Custard

Yesterday was a very difficult day for my husband and I due to a medical procedure that he had to have. Thankfully, there was nothing to remove and no lab tests to wait on for results. So, as I'm looking at the doctor, I'm wondering to myself, "what's the problem with my husband's digestive system then?" The doctor suggests my husband may be lactose intolerant. Oh, dear, this is not good for this man, at all! So, on the way home we pick up some lactose-free milk and I don't think another thing about it until I walk into my kitchen and begin thinking about meals. Second, oh, dear. There isn't much that doesn't have lactose in it when I start thinking things through and take a look at packaging in the fridge and the pantry. My husband is discouraged, and I'm thinking, "how can I make this lactose-free week a bit better?" Custard. One of my husband's favorite comfort foods is baked custard, and thankfully, the recipe was very simple to adjust with the substitution of the lactose-free milk.

If you like baked custard, this recipe from Betty Crocker's cookbook is simple, basic and fast. Blessings...

Recipe:

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups milk, scalded (see note)
Nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into six 6-oz. custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
3. Place cups in baking pan, 13 x 9 x 2-inches; pour very hot water into pan to within 1/2-inch of tops of cups.
4. Bake about 45 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.
Remove cups from water. Serve custard warm or chilled.

Yield: 6 servings
124 calories per serving
Note: Normally I use 1% milk, so that is how I figured the calorie count.

Raspberry Chocolate Tart

A few weeks ago I pinned this recipe from www.rightathome.com onto my "recipes to make" board at Pinterest. My husband sure was glad that I did! I made it for our dessert last evening, and for the next four days, and he loved it. My husband's favorite fruit in all the world is raspberries, coupled with chocolate, and he was in heaven. This tart is nothing more than a thick layer of chocolate ganache over a layer of fresh raspberries and a chocolate cookie crust. So rich and delicious! Blessings...

Recipe:

Crust
1-1/2 cups Oreo Cookie Crumbs or chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp. melted butter
10" tart pan with removable bottom or 9" pie plate

Filling
16 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
2 pints fresh raspberries
whipped cream for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together the cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and press evenly into tart pan or pie plate.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack before filling.
4. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until very hot, but not boiling.
5. Add the chocolate chips and corn syrup; cover pan a let sit for 4 minutes until chocolate is melted.
6. Whisk mixture until cream and chocolate are combined, and mixture is shiny and smooth.
7. Spread one pint of the berries over the cookie crust.
8. Gently pour the chocolate over the raspberries, and smooth out the top, if necessary.
9. Refrigerate for 2 hours until ganache is set.
10. Decorate the top with the other pint of raspberries.
11. If desired, top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream.

Yield: 10 servings
460 calories per slice
6 gms. fiber
Note: The crust is easier to cut, because the butter softens, if the tart sits at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Blueberry Crisp

Wonderfully fresh, plumb blueberries are absolutely delicious in this favorite dessert recipe. The brown sugar, oatmeal, and buttery "crisp" topping is enhanced with the warm fragrant taste of nutmeg, and then it's all topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like. If fresh seasonal berries aren't available, frozen work very well. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups fresh blueberries or 16-oz frozen unsweetened berries
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Combine lemon zest and brown sugar in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Gently stir in berries and set aside while preparing topping.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Topping:

2/3 cup regular or old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1. In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender until crumbly.
3. Stir berries again; sprinkle topping over berries.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a light golden brown and bubbly.
5. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
404 calories each per 4 servings without ice cream
6 gms. fiber
270 calories each per 6 servings without ice cream
4 gms. fiber

Summer Peach Crisp

Fresh peaches are in the grocery stores and farmers markets in abundance right now, and this very easy recipe makes great use of their  summertime-best flavor. We love the dessert topped with ice cream but, of course, you don't have to add all those extra calories, if you don't want to. I clipped this recipe out of the food section of my hometown newspaper, The Modesto Bee, many years ago. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, not instant
3 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
vanilla ice cream, opt.

1. Mix peaches with lemon juice, sugar and nutmeg. Spread over bottom of 9" pie plate.
2. Combine flour, oatmeal, and brown sugar in a bowl.
3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and spread over peaches.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until peaches are tender. You can also micro-cook the dessert for 5 to 8 minutes on high. I have never cooked it this way, so I don't know how well the dessert would do.

Yield: 4 servings
Note: I have also added 1 cup of fresh blueberries with the peaches to help stretch the yield a bit.
279 calories per serving without the blueberries
5 gms. fiber
300 calories per serving with the addition of the blueberries
6 gms. fiber
Note: When peaches are beautifully ripe and full-flavored they will cook down and create a pool of juice. The recipe was not written with the addition of cornstarch or flour to thicken the juices, so depending on how ripe the peaches are that are used, the dessert may be very juicy. I drain off any extra juice that we don't want.

Butterscotch Toffee Brownies and Sundaes

Last week I came across an out-of-date package of brownie mix in the pantry and wondered if the leavening in it might still have enough "umph"  to create brownies. The "best if used by date" was in November, so I knew I was running a risk of creating some very flat brownies. Thankfully, that wasn't the case and they baked just fine. After tasting the brownies with the add-ins, the idea came to mind that these brownies could make the foundation for a tasty sundae. The brownies are yummy on their own, but with the addition of a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some butterscotch topping, whipped cream and toffee bits, these brownies become a very rich sundae. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 box brownie mix, I used Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

1. Prepare brownies according to package directions using two eggs.
2. Combine the pecans, toffee bits and butterscotch chips in a bowl. Measure out 1 cup and stir into the brownie mix. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Smooth surface and sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of pecan mixture.
3. Bake the brownies according to the package directions. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 36 brownies
149 calories each

Sundaes: Place two brownies on a plate or cut the brownies into larger serving pieces. Top with vanilla ice cream, butterscotch ice cream topping, some whipped cream and a sprinkle of toffee bits.

Berry Sundaes

Frozen berries take on new life when mixed with a little sugar and cornstarch to become an ice cream topping. This recipe is easy and the topping is low in calories, high in fiber and a wonderful way of getting another serving of fruit into the diet. Of course, the addition of whipped cream causes the fat and calorie count to go way up, but what's a sundae without whipped cream? Blessings...

Recipe:

1 16-ounce pkg. frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Drain juice off berries and add water to make 1/2 cup liquid.
2. In a medium saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch; whisk in juice until smooth.
3. Cook over low heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
4. Spoon berries into sauce being careful to not add more juice that may have drained off while they sat. If the sauce seems too thick to you, add a bit more of the juice.
5. Spoon sauce over vanilla ice cream and top with sweetened whipped cream.

Yield: 2 cups
114 calories per 1/2 cup serving
7 gms. fiber
Note: This sauce would also be good served over pound cake, shortcake or angle food cake.

Raspberry Dream

When I was growing up my mom would regularly make this dessert for our family. I never thought much about the recipe until many years later when I came across it in the church cookbook, that was created by the ladies of the church, where we were attending. I decided to make the recipe to see if my husband and son would like it as much as my siblings and I did. This dessert became a favorite, and again, over the years I forgot about it until I was looking through the cookbook and I saw my notes about how much my son liked it. I share this recipe today as a kid-friendly dessert to counter-balance the dark chocolate cheesecake of yesterday that most kids probably would not care for. Blessings to all the special kids in our lives!

Recipe:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, I prefer pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries, partially thawed
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

1. In a small bowl stir together first four ingredients. Spread evenly on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
3. Spread 2/3 of the mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Reserve remaining mixture.
4. In large mixing bowl combine egg whites, sugar, raspberries and lemon juice. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Fold in whipped cream and spoon over nut mixture in pan. Top with reserved crumbs. Freeze.
6. Cut into squares and serve.

Yield: 12-16 servings

3D Chocolate Cheesecake

A few years ago when we went home for a visit my husband was looking through my mom's Taste of Home Magazines and he found this recipe for me to give a try. This man has found nothing chocolate that he doesn't like. I finally got around to making it for dessert this week and he is one happy camper. This is a very dense dark chocolate cheesecake topped with a thick dark chocolate ganache. I added the whipped cream to help cut some of the chocolate richness for me; I don't do "rich" as well as he does!

The cheesecake batter is extremely thick so you must use a stand mixer or else you will never get the ingredients combined. If you have a "chocoholic" in your home, they will think they died and went to heaven after the first bite. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 5 whole crackers) or 1 cup regular graham cracker crumbs and 1 tbsp. baking cocoa
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
4 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/3 cups sugar
1 pkg. (10 oz.) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips, melted and cooled
1/4 cup baking cocoa
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Ganache:
2/3 cup (4 oz.) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. sugar

1. Place a greased 9-inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cooled chocolate and cocoa. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of boiling water to larger pan.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen edges from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
5. For ganache, in a small saucepan, bring cream and sugar just to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate; cover with a lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes to soften chocolate. Whisk mixture until smooth and allow to cool to spreading consistency. This will only take about 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove rim from pan. Spread ganache over cheesecake to within 1-inch of edge. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

Yield: 16 servings
480 calories per serving
2 gms. fiber

Cranberry-Apple Crisp

A few weeks back I was able to purchase some of the first-of-the-season cranberries for a wonderful price and I couldn't wait to make this favorite dessert. This easy to make crisp only takes about 30 minutes to put together and about 40 minutes to bake, so it works great for a weekday meal, as well as for a holiday meal.

I created this variation of an old favorite using Honeycrisp or Gala apples because they are sweeter than the traditional cooking apples, but don't cook down to mush. As a result, less sugar can be used. I also love the addition of apple pie spice in place of the traditional cinnamon. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups fresh or frozen thawed cranberries, rinsed and picked over
3 cups unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped Honeycrisp or Gala apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Topping:

1 1/2 cups dry oatmeal, not instant
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 tsps. apple pie spice
1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In an 8" x 8" ungreased baking pan, combine cranberries, apples and granulated sugar. Set aside while preparing topping.
3. Combine topping ingredients in a medium - sized bowl.
4. Stir filling ingredients again to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling and gently press down.
5. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are fork - tender. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm, plain or with vanilla ice cream.

6 servings = 347 calories without ice cream and 5 gms. fiber
8 servings = 260 calories without ice cream and 4 gms. fiber

Fresh Raspberry Crisp

Tis the season for fresh raspberries! The markets in our area are selling  beautiful, full-flavored berries at great summertime prices. The time is perfect for eating them to your hearts content, which includes beautiful raspberry desserts like this crisp.

In this crisp, there is a layer of cooked and fresh raspberries sandwiched between rich, buttery, brown sugar and oatmeal layers of crumb mixture. Goodness, it is yummy served warm with a scoop of French Vanilla ice cream. This dessert would work great for a 4th of July celebration, with or without the ice cream, depending on where you are celebrating, of coarse. This is a real family treat. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups fresh raspberries, divided
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsps. cornstarch
1-3/4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter

1. Crush 1 cup of the raspberries; add enough water to measure 1 cup.
2. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in raspberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool while you wash the remaining 3 cups of berries needed. Add the berries to the raspberry sauce.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and baking soda. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 2 cups of the crumb mixture for topping.
4. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking dish. Spoon cooled berry mixture on top and gently spread to cover; sprinkle with the remaining crumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: 8 servings
This lovely recipe comes from Taste of Home 2001 Annual Recipes cookbook.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

We recently made a trip to California where we were able to get fresh-out-of-the-field strawberries. They were so yummy compared to the berries we have had that were shipped in from California here in Idaho, that we decided to buy some to bring home with us. On the trip home, with every mile marker passed, I could smell them ripening on the back seat and wondered what their condition would be by the end of the day. I only needed to throw away a few of them, but the remainder of three baskets of berries had to be cleaned and prepared for use that evening, or they would have also gone down the disposal and that wasn't an option. So, as tired as I was, I washed strawberries. At this stage of the game, I decided to prep them for shortcake because once they are mashed and sugared, they will keep in the fridge for several days. Thankfully, we love strawberry shortcake because we had it for dessert for four days.

This shortcake recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens and is a long time favorite for our family. Shortcake is dense and buttery rich making it a real old-fashioned summertime dessert that is very kid-friendly. Blessings...

Recipe:

Shortcake:

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tbsps. sugar
3 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Cut in the butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Measure the milk in a 1 cup measuring cup and add the egg; blend with a fork until the egg is thoroughly mixed with the milk.
4. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir just enough to moisten and combine.
5. Spread dough in a greased 8 x 1-1/2-inch round cake pan, building up edges slightly. Dough will be sticky.
6. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Fresh strawberries sugared to taste and sliced, or mashed with a potato masher. Do this a little in advance so the berries will juice. I used 3 baskets of berries for 8 servings.

Whipped cream: If you are going to serve the whole shortcake, whip 1 cup heavy cream with 2 tbsps. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla until soft peaks form. If you will be serving it over several days, cut the whipped cream down to 1/4 cup per two servings and adjust the sugar and vanilla accordingly.

Yield: 8 servings

Mississippi Mud Dessert

Mississippi Mud bars, cake or dessert was a very popular dessert back in the 1980's. This rich, decadent chocolate dessert came in many forms, but I found this one to be the best and my family seemed to agree because it never lasted long. This recipe came from a cookie shop in Lake Arrowhead, California called The Bear's Brown Bag of Cookies via Bon Appetit Magazine in 1985. The brownie layer is chock full chopped nuts and coconut, the second layer is marshmallow cream that melts on top of the hot brownie and gets all gooey, and the frosting is one of the richest butter creams ever. Perfect for dessert  anytime you're craving something delicious and want to put a twinkle in the eyes of your loved ones. This dessert is very kid-friendly. Blessings...

Recipe:  

Brownie

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
3 tbsps. unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped fine
1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup evaporated milk

For brownie:

1. Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter with sugar in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until well incorporated. Blend in vanilla.
4. Combine flour and cocoa powder. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. Fold in coconut and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
6. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Immediately spoon marshmallow cream over brownie. As cream begins to melt, spread gently. Cool brownie completely on a wire rack.

For frosting:

1. Cream butter and vanilla in large bowl of electric mixer.
2. Combine sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually beat into butter mixture, alternating with milk.
3. Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread frosting over brownie. Cut into squares to serve.

Yield: 12 servings

"Google account not needed to leave a comment"

Cranberry Cobbler

With Thanksgiving coming, fresh cranberries are now in the market in abundance. These tart little berries make for a wonderful dessert when they are cooked with other fruit, brown sugar and spices, and then are topped with a biscuit and served warm with vanilla ice cream. A perfect Fall dessert! Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup milk
Sugar

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
2. In another bowl, combine the biscuit mix and milk. Drop 6 spoonfuls of dough on top of fruit. Lightly sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until dough is golden brown and no longer "doughy" on the bottom. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Serves: 6

Chocolate Fondue-2

Fondue is the perfect dessert to serve after your family meal or to any
gathering of friends and family. Because it is Fall, I'm thinking football again because I know it is huge this time of year all over America. My
family loves the game, and food is always a big part of game day. I
was raised on the game by my father, who absolutely loved the game.
He believed in the San Francisco Forty Niners when there was
nothing to believe in and my mom, son and daughter-in-law are avid
fans of today's team. I couldn't tell you what kind of team they are, I stopped watching when Joe Montana walked off the field. Oh, well. This post is for you dad, you would have loved this fondue while you watched your guys. Blessings to all...

Recipe:

1 12-ounce pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup half-and-half
1-2 tbsps. brandy or 2 tsps. instant coffee

1. In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate and cream over low heat, stirring until smooth.
2. Remove from heat and stir in brandy or instant coffee. Pour into fondue pot to keep warm.

Dippers: apple and banana slices, orange segments, cut up pineapple, fresh strawberries, chunks of pound cake, cubes of angel food cake and maybe for kids, marshmallows.

Note: I have a very easy recipe posted for pound cake, if you would like to make your own rather than buying one.
Note: You can also substitute 1-2 tsps. orange extract for the brandy. Be sure to taste the fondue after adding 1 tsp. as you don't want to add so much that it is overwhelming.

Peach Cheesecake Squares

This recipe is a wonderful way to use fresh peaches that are still in abundance in the markets. Peaches are combined with nutmeg and cream cheese to make a dessert that is not actually a cheesecake but sure comes in as a close second, with a lot less work. The dessert is rich, simple to put together, and will last in the refrigerator for up to a week. At least it did in our house with only two of us, but if your family enjoys it as much as we did, it may not last long at all. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups sliced ripe peaches, about 4 large peaches
4 tsps. sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, cold
1 pkg. (8 oz.) low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Peel peaches and slice thinly into a large bowl. Combine the 4 tsps. sugar and nutmeg and toss it with the peaches. Set aside to juice.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and rather dry. Reserve 2 cups of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
3. While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk until smooth. Add the egg and the vanilla. Mix well.
4. After the crust has baked the 15 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully spoon the peaches over the crust in an even layer. Drizzle with any peach juice that has collected.
5. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust smoothing it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with the reserved crust mixture and return to the oven for another 30 - 35 minutes or until the peaches are tender when pierced with a fork and the crumb topping is a golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Yield: 12 servings

Banana Pudding

When my family gathered together for Dad's funeral in February, my Mom made a wonderful dessert for one of our meals. I remembered the dessert this morning while I was out walking, and a few tears came. Then I remembered that Sunday is Father's Day, and the reason for the tears.

This is a dessert that I had heard my Mom talk about, but that I had never tasted. The recipe comes from Paula Deen, one of my Moms favorite cookbook authors, and is called, "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding". This is unlike any banana pudding I had ever tasted, and I am hooked for life. The recipe is very easy and would be a great addition to a Father's Day gathering. I know, if my Dad were here, he would absolutely love it. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-oz.) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream.

1. Line the bottom of a 13" x 9" x 2" dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
3. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.
4. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 12

Fresh Berry Sundaes

This past weekend my market was running an ad for fresh raspberries for $1.25 a basket. Well, I was in hog-heaven and bought four baskets for hubby and I to enjoy. In Idaho, these little beauties are usually $2.99 - $3.99 for a 6-oz. basket, so I'm careful about when I purchase them. When I got home, I washed and sugared the berries, mixing them very gently and left them to sit and create their own juices while I prepared our dinner.

To serve, I spooned about 3/4 cup berries over 2 scoops of French Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with whipped cream. Yummy!

I think other berries, or maybe fresh sliced peaches would also be very good. A wonderful fruit dessert, almost guilt-free, right? Blessings...

Strawberry Dessert

Strawberry pie is delicious, but not everyone likes to be bothered with the pie crust part of the process. This recipe is similar in taste to the pie because it has fresh, sliced strawberries on top of the dessert and then is covered with a strawberry glace, but the crumb crust is simply patted into a 9" round cake pan. Simple enough, that with Mother's Day coming this Sunday, older children could make dessert for Mom. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
2 tbsps. sugar
1/4 cup cold butter

Mix baking mix and sugar. Cut butter in with a pastry blender. Pat mixture into a round 9" x 1-1/2" cake pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine;

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream

When crust is done, spread sour cream mixture over crust and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

1-1/2 cups small strawberry halves (you may need a few more)
Glaze
Sweetened whipped cream

While dessert is cooling, wash and prepare strawberries, and make glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup of the strawberry halves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
a drop of red food color, if desired

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries and mash with a potato masher; add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add a drop of red food color if you want a deeper red color in the glaze. Cool the glaze.

Assembly:

Arrange the remaining strawberry halves on top of the sour cream layer. Spoon the glaze over the berries. Refrigerate the dessert. Serve with whipped cream.

Serves: 6-8
Note: The crust is very firm, like a shortbread crust, when first baked and will soften in the refrigerator. You may want to make the dessert a day in advance. My husband preferred the softer crust, I love shortbread, so I was happy either way.