Just a very quick post today, in honor of World Nutella Day.
Last night Hubby made dinner, while I directed. My Medifast program has not arrived yet, so I’m actually eating in the meantime and Hubby’s doing the cooking, while my torn Plantaris heals!
After dinner, we took some of our Nutella, spread it in between two banana slices, wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and popped in the deep fryer -Â Yummy!
Then we spread some Nutella on an Egg Roll wrapper and took some of my Candied Orange Peels and placed them on top, wrapped and deep-fried them. They were my favorite — yummy, sweet and chewy!
There’s no recipe involved here – just get some Egg Roll wrappers and a jar of Nutella and experiment with your favorite fruits.
Zabaglione is one of my favorite, classic desserts. I love it chilled, mixed with berries in the summertime, just as much as I love eating it warm, by the fire, on a cold, rainy night, like last night!
My favorite thing about Zabaglione, however, is the preparation. I learned how to make it the “old-fashioned” way — using the egg shells as measuring “cups”. I love the process of filling the eggshells with sugar, then “rinsing” them out with the Marsala wine. I love standing over the stove with friends, watching as the egg yolks are beaten to a perfect, rich, custard — then devouring it immediately, as it warms your insides, from your throat, all the way down to your toes!
I’ve experimented with making Zabaglione for years now – I love it with chopped, candied orange peel mixed in, poured over fresh berries, or covered with chocolate shavings — but my favorite is the way I had it my very first time — infused with freshly grated lemon peel and lemon juice. We never get tired of the classics here at my house!
ingredients
separate the eggs
egg yolks
save egg whites for later
add sugar with egg shell
fill egg shell with Marsala wine
add grated lemon peel
whisk vigorously over boiling water
until zabaglione is creamy
lemon drop zabaglione
Lemon Infused Zabaglione
(for 2)
8 large eggs, separated – save one “half” of an eggshell
8 half-egg shells filled with granulated sugar (see pics)
8 half- egg shells filled with Marsala wine (see pics)
1/4 teaspoon lemon peel, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Fill a heavy saucepan half full with water. Bring the water to a slow boil.
In a stainless steel bowl (or a heat resistant glass bowl), combine the egg yolks, sugar, Marsala wine, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Place the bowl over the pot of slowly boiling water – make sure the water isn’t “rapidly” boiling, or the Zabaglione will cook too quickly and curdle. Using a large whisk, beat continuously, until the mixture takes on a custard-like consistency, about 1-2 minutes.
Immediately pour the Zabaglione into serving glasses or bowls.
If you’re chilling the Zabaglione, allow the glasses to cool before refrigerating. Chill for 2-3 hours. Cheers!
This will be my last post until after Christmas, as I have a million tasks to finish, goodies to bake, presents to wrap — yada yada yada.
I made some Macadamia Honey Shortbread Bars this week and want to share my recipe with you. My husband is crazy for shortbread..my kids love Macadamia Nuts, so I came up with this recipe a while ago. It incorporates an all-butter shortbread, topped with crushed Macadamia nuts, swirled in MORE butter and honey. They’ve become a Christmas tradition here at our house!
Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone! Peace and Love to all!
ingredients
cream butter, vanilla and sugar
sift flour, baking powder salt
add flour and mix
press crust into baking dish or pan
bake at 350 degrees
bake crust for 12-15 minutes
grate lemon and orange peel
melt butter and add honey
pulse macadamias until coarse
cook until golden brown
remove from heat, add macadamias
pour mixture over crust
spread over the top
bake and cool
Macadamia Shortbread Bars
Macadamia Honey Shortbread Bars
.
Crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup cup granulated sugar
1 extra-large egg
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
In a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar, for 3-4 minutes, until smooth. Add the egg and Vanilla and continue to mix. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and slowly pour it into the mixing bowl – on low speed.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an ungreased rectangular (9″by13″) baking dish/sheet  Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is a very light brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
Topping
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
1/2 teaspoon orange peel, grated
1/4 cup heavy cream
16 ounces (1 pound) Macadamia nuts, chopped coarsely in food processor
In a deep saucepan, melt the butter, honey, brown sugar, and grated lemon and orange peel. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cream, vanilla and crushed Macadamia nuts. While warm, pour the mixture over the crust and spread to edges of the pan. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until cold. When completely chilled, Cut into squares. Cheers!
Our Book Group Holiday Party last night was one of the best ever! The food was over the top delicious and my husband and I were STILL laughing as we returned home, recounting the evening’s antics.
I hit the jackpot with the White Elephant Exchange – having stolen a pair of HAWT, leopard pajamas AND a box of homemade marmalades!
The cheesecake was yummy, BUT I learned something valuable to pass on – DON’T use frozen fruit in the “preserve topping” when you make this – only use fresh berries. I used thawed, frozen (couldn’t find fresh raspberries at the market yesterday) therefore, the topping didn’t set like it should have and it ran – No big deal….the cheesecake was creamy and delicious anyway!
3 packages Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese – softened at room temperature
3 eggs — separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Raspberry Grand Marnier topping:
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 8-ounce jar Raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
In a medium saucepan, over medium low heat, melt the Raspberry preserves, just until smooth – don’t let it boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier. If there are seeds in the preserves, use a strainer to strain the preserves into a medium bowl. Fold in the raspberries and mix together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a food processor, pulverize the graham crackers, sugar and cinnamon. Slowly pour in the melted butter and mix completely. (you might have to open the processor and scrape down the sides to make certain everything mixes properly).  Press the crust into the bottom of a 9-inch Springform pan. (some recipes call for pushing the crust up the side of the pan, I never do — just a preference) Place the Springform pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove pan and let it cool.
Reduce heat to 325 degrees.
In your stand mixer, with the “whisk” attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Pour them in a medium bowl and set aside. Return the mixer bowl to the stand and replace the “whisk” attachment with the “paddle” attachment. Add the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and grated lemon peel and mix thoroughly on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and return the beaten egg whites to the bowl and blend into the cream cheese mixture.
Pour the filling into the Springform pan and cover the crust evenly. Place the Springform pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. While the cake is baking prepare the topping.
Remove cake and let it cool completely 2 – 3 hours. Wrap it and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. After the cake has set, pour the raspberry sauce evenly over the top and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I alway leave the cheesecake out for about an hour to soften before serving – it’s creamier when you do. Cheers!
Ever notice how the countdown to Christmas becomes most frenetic the final week before December 25th? Between the last-minute shopping and the Holiday parties, I get really crazed, right about now!
Last night I baked one of my favorite Cheesecakes for our Book Group Holiday Party tonight. It’s the one night each year that all of our husbands are included, so we’re having a sit-down dinner for 14 at my girlfriend’s house – with a White Elephant gift exchange.
My assignment is the dessert so I made my favorite Christmas Cheesecake, covered with a luscious Raspberry~Grand Marnier sauce.
I’ll post the recipe and pics tomorrow – right now, I have to get over to the Epicure Sale to stock up on discounted French cheese for Christmas and New Years.
Then it’s time to tackle the mall once again (ugh) so I can buy another pair of Spanx! What can I say, the holidays have taken their toll on my figure!
I hope you’re all holding up well this holiday season — I’m so glad it only happens once a year!Â
It’s pure coincidence that I’m posting the birthday cake I made for our friend’s birthday the other night, on the very day of my blog’s 3 month birthday!
Here is my recipe for Coconut Cake, which I’ve tweaked a bit over the years, until I’m now happy with it – I use Coco Lopez Piña Colada mix, instead of milk and I beat the egg whites in advance, to create sort of an “angel” cake consistency. I hope you like it – we sure did!
Coconut Cake ingredients
line cake pan with parchment
beat the egg whites
until they form soft peaks
add coconut milk to the batter
return the egg whites and fold in
pour in prepared pans and bake
remove when baked
remove parchment paper
cool on wire rack
frosting ingredients for coconut cake
blend butter, cream cheese and sugar together
add shredded coconut to the frosting
frost the first layer
add second layer and frost
raspberry sauce ingredients
place thawed raspberries in the blender
blend raspberries, sugar and liqueur
strain sauce through a mesh strainer
Coconut Cake
CocoLopez Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Cake
3 cups Cake flour, sifted
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Coconut extract/flavor (in the spice aisle with the other extracts)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon Vegetable or Canola oil
1 cup Coco Lopez Piña Colada mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 2 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the insides with 2 8-inch round cut-outs of parchment paper. Spray the pans again and dust them thoroughly with flour. Discard the extra flour.
In your stand mixer, with the “whisk” attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Pour them in a medium bowl and set aside. Return the mixer bowl to the stand and replace the “whisk” attachment with the “paddle” attachment. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla and coconut extracts and cream together thoroughly. Add the milk, oil and Coco Lopez. Slowly add the egg yolks and continue to mix. (about 5 minutes total)
In a separate large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until combined (about 1 minute)
Pour equal amounts of the batter into the prepared cake pans and place on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and when a toothpick is inserted, comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 30 minutes. Turn them upside-down, remove the cakes and peel off the parchment paper. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
On medium-high speed, mix the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the Coconut and Vanilla extracts. Slowly sift in the powdered sugar and continue to mix until fluffy. Add the shredded coconut and mix until smooth.
Place the first cake on a cake taker or stand and spread the frosting. Add the second cake and frost the top and the sides.  Serve with Raspberry sauce. Cheers!
Raspberry Sauce
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed completely
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Chambord or Grand Marnier Liqueur
I watched an episode of Oprah Winfrey last week, (I think it was a rerun) where she featured Serendipity 3′s famous “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.” I wasn’t able to get them out of my mind – even with all the hullabaloo of Thanksgiving…my mind kept going back to “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.”
Yesterday morning, I woke up, pissed off, after not being able to fit into my favorite jeans the day before, and vowed to get moving; to cut the fun stuff out of my diet and shed some of those Thanksgiving lbs…that lasted all of one day! Last night, after a dinner that consisted of Cabbage Salad (I kid you not), I could hold out no longer. I went into the kitchen and made two “Frrrozen Hot Chocolates” for hubby and me!
6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
2 teaspoons store bought hot chocolate mix
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups ice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both!
“Chess Pie” ~ One folk etymology suggests that it was referred to as “just pie”, which soon shortened to “jus’ pie” or “jess’ pie,” and then corrupted to “chess pie” ~ Wikipedia
What I have been able to glean over the past several months, is that they are prepared like other pies….except you add BUTTER to the filling. If anyone knows differently, feel free to jump right in! All I can tell you is, I’ve experimented with several different chess pie recipes now — chocolate chess, coconut chess, lemon chess, buttermilk chess and they are DIVINE!
So, when I was preparing the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving this year, I thought I’d try adding melted butter to my recipe and make “pumpkin chess pies.” One of my guests brought the most delicious and gorgeous Apple Tart, along with individual Chocolate Mousses (is the plural for mousse, mousses?), so I didn’t get around to eating any of the pumpkin chess until the next day, with our morning coffee. We flipped at how delicious it was! Hubby, who fancies himself a pumpkin pie connoisseur, says it’s the best I ever made and the best he’s ever had! Gotta be the butter, right?
We’re invited to a friend’s house today to watch football, so I’m bringing the second pie – I’ll let you know how everyone likes it!
pumpkin chess pie ingredients
cubed butter
add butter to food processor
pulse until …
dough looks like this
divide in two and press into disks
wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate
roll out the dough
DON’T FORGET THE BUTTER!
Pumpkin Chess Pie
NOTE: IN MY PICS, I WAS MAKING TWO PIES – THE FOLLOWING RECIPE IS FOR ONE PIE
Pumpkin Chess Pie
(recipe for 1 9-inch pie)
Pie Crust
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
5-6 tablespoons ice water
Pour flour, salt and sugar in bowl of food processor. Add the butter. Pulse for a few seconds, until mixture becomes “coarse” Add the water very slowly, while pulsing, for approximately 20-30 seconds. Don’t over mix it!
Remove the dough to a lightly floured cutting board and press into a 4-5 inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the pastry dough for at least 1 hour.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Lightly flour your cutting board or clean kitchen counter. Roll the dough in one direction, turning continuously, to keep it from sticking. I keep a container of Wondra flour nearby to dust with flour as needed.
Place and fit the dough into a 9-inch, glass pie plate and crimp or flute the edges (I’m not good at this part, so I left mine plain this time)
I had extra pastry dough, so I rolled out the rest and used a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to make the “leaves.” I dusted them with cinnamon sugar and baked them on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes, while I baked the pie, then placed them on top of the cooled pies.
Blend all the ingredients together in a standing mixer or hand-held mixer, until smooth. Pour into prepared pie crust and cook for 50 minutes. Remove and cool pie on a wire rack. Cheers!
If you’ve been following my blog at all, you’ve probably figured out that one of my favorite things is Puff Pastry! I don’t make it myself – though, I know some talented people who do. I buy the sheets Pepperidge Farms sells in the frozen food aisle – I always have a box or two on hand in the freezer.
You can make so many things with them – appetizers, main dishes, desserts…I think they’re the greatest thing since…….sliced bread!
Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry has the most wonderful website – if you’re not familiar with it, here it is:
Please go visit and look around….you’ll be tempted to make everything there!
These Apple Cinnamon Swirls are a variation on their Apple Pecan Pastries, but I decided to add cream cheese to make them a little creamier, and I substituted walnuts for pecans. They were unbelievable!
We had a few extra “swirls,” so the next morning we had a couple with our coffee and I realized they tasted like a perfect Cream Cheese Danish – so If I had to categorize this recipe, I guess I’d file it under “Desserts” AND “Breakfast Ideas.” Either way, they’re delicious and EASY! I hope you like them!  Cheers!
ingredients
granny smiths and honeycrisps
cook the apples
roll puff pastry out flat
mix the cream cheese and sugar
spread the cream cheese and walnuts
spread the caramelized apples
roll it like a jellyroll
Silpat – my BFF
rolled and cinched
apple cream cheese swirls
Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Swirls
1 sheet Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry
1 8-ounce package Philadelphia Brand cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 medium egg
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Lightly grease a cookie sheet UNLESS you have Silpat – I highly recommend it, if you’ve read my blog before!
Remove one of the pastry sheets from the box of two. Thaw it for 30 minutes, so it’s easy to handle.
In a medium bowl or your standing mixer, blend the cream cheese, granulated sugar and egg until creamy. Set aside.
In a deepish skillet, melt the butter and add the apple slices, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss and saute the apples until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the apples and give them another toss to coat. Remove and let them cool slightly.
Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a rectangle. With the long side facing you, spread the cream cheese mixture over the pastry sheet. Sprinkle the walnuts evenly. Spoon the apple mixture on the pastry to within 2 inches of the long sides and to the edge of the short sides.
Roll up the Puff Pastry like a jelly roll and cinch the ends tightly. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes (this will make cutting the pastry much easier.) Remove the “roll” and place on a cutting board. Cut the pastry roll into 9 2-inch slices. Place the slices 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, or Silpat. Bake for 15 minutes or until the “swirls” are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Creme Anglaise. Cheers!
“failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently” ~ Henry Ford
So, “no book Book Group” was really fun the other night. If you read about it, I made Pasta Primavera Alfredo – a perfect one-pot meal for everyone and it’s vegetarian (for one of our special members who no longer eats meat at all.)
We started with an easy cheese platter of assorted French and Italian cheeses and everyone’s favorite crackers — “Pita Bites” from Trader Joe’s. My dessert was completely incongruous with the Italian theme of the evening, but I wanted to make my “Chocolate Angel Pie”…mostly because I wanted to feature it on my blog, for upcoming Thanksgiving Day dessert ideas.
I mentioned the Chocolate Angel Pie on my blog’s Thanksgiving menu, the other day. I LOVE this pie! The shell is a cooked meringue and the filling is a chocolate mousse, topped with more whipped cream! I think it’s a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table, along with all the other pies made with “traditional crusts.”
I made the pie early in the afternoon and chilled it for several hours. I took it out when dinner was finished, topped it with fresh whipped cream I made earlier, dusted it with cocoa powder and brought it to the table to serve. I was hoping to get a couple of nice photos once it was sliced.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Though the pie looked beautiful, something went amok while making it, because as I started slicing, it just fell apart in globs all over the place!  No biggie for my “no-book Book Group” ladies – everyone was well liquored up by then, so they didn’t care that it looked like chocolate goulash on a plate….it tasted delicious, just the same.
I’ve made this pie dozens and dozens of times and have never had this happen. The only thing I did differently, was that I used Pam to grease the pie plate….I usually use butter.
I have no idea if that’s what made the difference, but just in case, I recommend you “grease” the pie plate with a light coat of butter…. and remember, ANY dinner party disaster can be solved with another glass of wine…or three!
Chocolate Angel pie ingredients
melt the chocolate
heat the milk
add the hot milk to chocolate
wire attachemnt for egg whites and cream
beat the egg whites
gradually add sugar
beat until stiff meringue is formed
Pour into greased pie pan
push meringue up side of pie pan
bake for one hour
whip the cream
fold whipped cream in the chocoalte
fold until combined
spead filling in pie and chill
Chocolate Angel Pie
Chocolate Angel Pie
A 9-inch glass pie pan
Meringue Pie Shell
5 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Chocolate Filling
5 ounces Semisweet Chocolate (Scharffen Berger is always best, IMO)
1/4 cup milk – heated
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup Whipped cream for garnishing (I like to make mine – but you can easily use Reddi-Wip)
Preheat oven to 275 degrees
Prepare the Meringue Shell
In your standing mixer, with the whisking attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt, on high speed, until they resemble “soft peaks” Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture becomes stiff….about 4 minutes
Grease the glass pie plate and spread the meringue mixture over the bottom and spread it up the sides – creating a “well” for the filling. Sprinkle the pecans pieces in the “well” and bake for 1 hour. Turn your oven off and allow the “shell” to remain inside to cool – about 20 minutes.  Remove it and let it cool completely.
Prepare the chocolate filling
In a double-boiler, or over VERY low heat, melt the chocolate. Slowly stir in the hot milk, vanilla and salt and mix well. Remove it from the heat, when smooth and let it cool – completely
In your standing mixer, with the “whisk” attachment again, whip the cream (1 cup) until stiff and fold it gently into the cooled chocolate. Pour it into the “well” of the cooled meringue shell and refrigerate the pie for at least three hours.
Before serving, spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie (as pictured). Cheers!
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Just a very quick post today, in honor of World Nutella Day. 
Then we spread some Nutella on an Egg Roll wrapper and took some of my Candied Orange Peels and placed them on top, wrapped and deep-fried them. They were my favorite — yummy, sweet and chewy!
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