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Showing posts with the label Desserts

The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting sets the bar for all carrot cakes.  The cake is incredibly moist from a generous amount of finely shredded fresh carrots and blanketed with a velvety frosting that completes the perfection.  The Best Carrot Cake Ever! This past weekend I surprised my husband for Father's Day with a Carrot Cake.  I had made one just the week before for my son in law's birthday.  Jim enjoyed it so much, I decided to make him one too. Carrot Cake is often made around celebrations and holidays and rightful so, usually for Easter.  It is such a rich and decadent cake that deserves all the compliments and praises.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies using Pillsbury refrigerated dough!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, a miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pressed in the center of a warm chewy peanut butter cookie right out of the oven.   My Mother made these when I was growing up, especially at Christmas. They still remind me of the times we spent together in the kitchen during the holidays.  I have continued to make them for my own family through the years and they have become a favorite cookie for our Christmas Gift boxes. 

German Sweet Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Coconut Pecan Frosting

German Sweet Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Coconut Pecan Frosting is the quintessential cupcake for the holidays.  The cupcake is made with Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Bar that gives the true German Chocolate flavor.  Homemade buttery pecan coconut frosting is piled on top to complete the Iconic German Chocolate Cake that is loved throughout the holidays. For me German Sweet Chocolate anything screams Holiday flavor.  There is no substitute for the classic main ingredient in this German Sweet Chocolate Cupcakes, Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Bar.   Some people use cocoa powder for the chocolate ingredient, but for me, that will not do.  I always use the true classic flavor of German Chocolate.   It has that distinct sweet flavor that comes from the Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Bar.

Pear Dumplings Cobbler

Pear Dumplings Cobbler,  a simple and delicious recipe of juicy pears cooked to perfection in a sweet buttery sauce between two layers of dumpling dough.   Makes a gorgeous presentation for an elegant dinner. Dumpling cobblers is a favorite around our house, and this Pear Dumplings Cobbler is a must around this time of the year.   The simplest of ingredients are used in the Pear Dumplings Cobbler, pie dough, pears, sugar, and butter.  That's right, only four ingredients.  The pears are the star in this recipe. Pear Dumplings Cobbler is a cozy dessert to serve a crowd.  It can be made ahead of time and ready to serve plain or with a scoop of ice cream.

Old Fashioned Pure Maple Pecan Pie

Pure Maple Pecan Pie,  a sweet, deep flavor of maple syrup complementing the richness of pecans in a classic pecan pie.  Perfect for any Thanksgiving meal!   Pecan Pie is Jim's favorite pie any time of the year, but definitely around Thanksgiving.   This past week I made a Pear Dumplings Cobbler and had enough pie dough left to form a single pie crust.   So I decided I would make a pecan pie for Jim since he loves them so, but when I got ready to make it, I didn't have quite enough corn syrup to make one.   But I did have some maple syrup.  The maple syrup sounded so good, but Jim is the same old...same old classic pecan pie kind of guy.  He doesn't like me to change his likes too much.  So I decided to surprise him with an Old Fashioned Pure Maple Pecan Pie.

Apple Walnut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Apple Walnut Cream Cheese Pound Cake, rich, moist and full of chunks of fresh apples, walnuts, cream cheese and a lot of butter with a hint of cinnamon.  All the flavors of a fall dessert. Have you made or had a cake that tastes better the next day?  Well, I am here to tell you that the Apple Walnut Cream Cheese Pound Cake gets better and better the longer it sits. It is a good idea to make the Apple Walnut Cream Cheese Pound Cake a day ahead if you are planning for guest.

Roasted Cinnamon Buttery Pears

Roasted Cinnamon Buttery Pears, simple dish showcasing the straightforward flavor of pears.  They are buttery slightly sweet served as an accompaniment to pork, garnished in a winter salad, but also makes an elegant dessert for a fall dinner party, bridal brunch and quick weeknight snack. Pears rarely get center stage over apples and pumpkins in the fall, but for me, they sing fall.  Roasting fruit is a purist way to dress up fruit for dessert or accompaniment to other dishes. As much as I like pears, I do not wish to mask the pure flavor of the pear with a lot of other intense flavors.  When I eat pears, I want to taste pears.

Slow Roasted Fresh Strawberries

Slow Roasted Fresh Strawberries, fresh strawberries sprinkled generously with sugar, and lightly with salt and pepper, baked slowly until the strawberries release their juices and slightly caramelize.  These strawberries go brilliantly in all kinds of desserts. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruit in the grocery stores.  I  almost always tend to buy more than we can eat, that including fresh strawberries, and I wait until the last minute to use them up before they spoil.   This summer I started slow roasting half of the strawberries when I buy them.  I like to roast them whole instead of slicing them.  The berries hold their shape well while roasting coming out plump and luscious.

Slow Roasted Strawberry No Churn Ice Cream

Slow Roasted Strawberry No Churn Ice Cream, an intense, bold strawberry flavor created by roasting fresh strawberries and incorporating them into a no churn ice cream recipe. To celebrate the last few days of summer, we are planning our Labor Day weekend with an America theme potluck, including a backyard BBQ, spectacular pasta salads, easy side dishes that require little cooking time, and for dessert no churn ice cream. It took me a while to get on the no churn ice cream wagon.  I wish I had joined in on the fun way to make ice cream a long time ago.

Southern Fresh Cherry Cake

Southern Fresh Cherry Cake, quick and easy deliciously moist cake, made with self rising flour a touch of cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Serve it plain with a dollop of whip cream or as we did with a dusting of powdered sugar.   The cherries are so plentiful in the grocery stores right now and what better way to showcase them than to make a Southern Fresh Cherry Cake.   I actually had to buy a couple of bags of the cherries to have enough to make the cake.  My grandsons are huge fans of these little jewels.   Like most fruits, fresh cherries have the pros and cons.  Fresh Cherries do not have a lot of nutritional value, but they are high in water content and are super beneficial to eat in the summer to hydrate.

No Churn Peach Cobbler Ice Cream

No Churn Peach Cobbler Ice Cream,  fresh peach cobbler pieces folded into a leftover homemade creamy vanilla ice cream recipe, one irresistible frozen dessert. Do you like Homemade Peach Cobbler with a Double Crust?   How about Peach Ice Cream?  It gets even better, how about No Churn Peach Cobbler Ice Cream?    We are especially fond of a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream over a warm bowl of homemade peach cobbler.  This is how it goes, while the peach cobbler is baking, we are making a freezer of homemade vanilla ice cream, epic! Depending on how many are at our house when we make it, I will freeze any leftovers.  The same goes for the peach cobbler.  If it is just Jim and me, we always have peach cobbler leftover.

American Flag Pie with Homemade Pie Crust

American Flag Pie,  is made with a homemade pie crust that brings this pie to a rich balance of buttery flakiness as well as a luscious sweet-tart taste of homemade pie filling.    My Mother taught me long ago that a pie is only as good as the crust.  There is some high quality ready made pie crust in the stores today, but when I was growing up, that was not the case. I learned to make pie dough from my Mother and perfected it in my Home Economics class in high school. I recommend making a homemade pie crust if at all possible.  For the American Flag Pie recipe, I use one of my favorite pie crust recipes.

Weeknight Family Supper Meal: #6 Hobo Dinners

Weeknight Family Supper Meal , an inspiration for a meal any night of the week that may include ideas how to make part of the meal ahead, how to freeze any leftovers or how to make leftovers into a makeover for another meal.    Hobo Dinners are the perfect meal to make on a busy weeknight.  The hamburger, potatoes, carrots and celery and onions are all cooked in a foil packet making clean up virtually nonexistent. To change things up sometimes I add a wedge of cabbage.  Season each layer of vegetables to keep the whole meal flavorful. 

Weeknight Family Supper Meal: #4 Salmon Croquettes

Weeknight Family Supper Meal , an inspiration for a meal one night of the week that may include ideas how to make part of the meal ahead, how to freeze any leftovers or how to make leftovers into a makeover for another meal.   Most people don't know how easy it is to make salmon croquettes.  Mix up a few ingredients, mince onions, egg, and seasoning in a bowl, roll them into small little rolls, roll them around some saltine cracker crumbs and fry in oil.  Voila, salmon croquettes.   See how easy, and oh! so delicious.  Perfect for a weeknight meal.

Weeknight Family Supper Meal: #3 Chicken Terrific

Weeknight Family Supper Meal , an inspiration for a meal one night of the week that may include ideas how to make part of the meal ahead, how to freeze any leftovers or how to make leftovers into a makeover for another meal.   Casseroles are loved at our house and especially the ones that can be made ahead, place in the fridge and pop it in the oven when time to cook supper.   If there is a buttery topping that is sprinkled on top like this casserole has, leave it to sprinkle just before baking.  Look out for the leftovers.  We love this casserole almost better the next day.  It is scrumptious.   Did I say it is not like your typical casseroles?  The ingredients may surprise you.

Weeknight Family Supper Meal: #2 Leftover Ham with Bowtie Pasta and English Peas

Weeknight Family Supper Meal , an inspiration for a meal one night of the week that may include ideas how to make part of the meal ahead, how to freeze any leftovers or how to make leftovers into a makeover for another meal.   After Christmas, we always have plenty of ham leftover.  This Christmas was no different.  I usually buy a whole ham for Thanksgiving and a spiral ham for Christmas. I love to dice leftover spiral ham.  The cuts are all uniform and the perfect thickness.  They look pretty in ham salad or a pasta dish like Leftover Ham and Bowtie Pasta.

Weeknight Family Supper Meal: #1 Smothered Burritos Casserole Using Store Bought Frozen Burritos

Weeknight Family Supper Meal , an inspiration for a meal one night of the week that may include ideas how to make part of the meal ahead, how to freeze any leftovers or how to make leftovers into makeovers for another meal.   The main dish is Smothered Burrito Casserole using premade frozen burritos.    For the perfect accompaniment, a tasty recipe for Mexican Salad that goes all the way back to the 1960's.  Sometimes we add a side dish of whole kernel corn, Mexican Rice, and chips and hot sauce. Dessert is a simple layer of crescent rolls blanketed around a fluf fy cream cheese mixture known as Sopopia Cheesecake.

Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake , a beautiful festive dessert with the flavor combo of cranberry and orange.  Perfect for any holiday occasion, but especially around Christmas time.    Tis the season for cranberry and orange, right?  I love the combination and look forward to it every year.   I watch for the cranberries to be stocked in the stores.   The sweetness of the orange and the tartness of the cranberries trigger a beautiful burst of flavor everytime they come together.    This is cake can be a breakfast cake or a dessert cake and why not include it in the snack category too.  Oh! And don't forget about afternoon tea. haha!

Hot Crispy Apple Pies

 A dessert pastry, just like the ones you get at a drive-through fast food restaurant, is only better.  And the best part of the "better" is the recipe calls for only two ingredients, yes, only two!    HOT APPLE PIES JUST LIKE THE ONES AT THE FAST FOOD DRIVE THRU If you love the apple pies from Mcdonald's, you will like this copycat recipe that you can make at home better.  They are super flaky and crispy. These hot, crispy apple pies are similar to a turnover, except they are smaller and fried.  The perfect portable little dessert.

Homemade Individual Serve Applesauce

Homemade Individual Serve Applesauce,   a delicious, healthy homemade no sugar added applesauce made with just apples, Zevia Cream Soda, cinnamon sticks, and a secret ingredient.   With apple season in full swing, I wanted to make a batch of applesauce.  But not just any applesauce.  An applesauce that wholesome and delicious at the same time using only four ingredients served in individual portion control containers.