Strawberry Cream Puff Cake

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/10/strawberry-cream-puff-cake.html

Ingredients

Cream Puff Base:
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 3 eggs
Cream Cheese Mixture:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. For the cream puff layer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don’t overbeat. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (or in a pinch, you could use a 9-inch circle cake pan). Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick pastry with a toothpick 10-12 times. Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown but not overbaked (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven). Cool completely.
2. For the cream cheese mixture, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar (if you want to ensure there are no lumps, sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese) and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.
3. Top with fresh sliced strawberries (I mixed 2 cups of strawberries with 1 teaspoon sugar and let them hang out in the fridge while I was prepping the cake) or you can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen strawberries that have been thawed. Mix the thawed strawberries and juice with 1-2 teaspoons sugar and bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened. Cool completely and use as topping for the cake.

Crisp Coconut and Chocolate Pie

http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/Crisp-Coconut-And-Chocolate-Pie.htm

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:

• for the crust

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 11 ounces (about 6 cups)sweetened shredded coconut

• for the filling

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent cacao), finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, process butter and one-third of coconut until mixture forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Sprinkle remaining two-thirds coconut over mixture, and combine with your fingers.
2. Place a 9-inch pie plate on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Press coconut mixture into bottom and up sides of pan to form crust, leaving top edges loose and fluffy. Place a foil ring (see page 324) over edge to prevent burning. Bake until center begins to brown, 10 to 15 minutes; remove foil, and bake until edges are browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer crust to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Make the filling: Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is combined. Pour into coconut crust. Refrigerate until filling is set, 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Chocolate Potato Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed potatoes       2 cups sugar
2 cups unsifted flour               ½ cup milk
2 oz. chocolate*               1 t. vanilla, 1 t. salt
¼ t. baking powder               1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup shortening (add to spuds, hot) 4 eggs

Directions:
Add shortening to potatoes.  Mix sugar, chocolate and eggs.  Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, add nuts.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*I did 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Cran-Pistachio Cookies

Original Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (1 lb 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1 box (4 serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• optional - green food coloring (I didn't add any but if you wanted them extra green you could)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.
3. Add pistachios and cranberries and mix well.
4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and slightly flatten with fingertips.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The only way you can ruin these cookies is to overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won't be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Trust me.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Microwave Popcorn

Healthy Popcorn Recipes

Cookie Dough Dip

Original Recipe

*I added 1/8 MORE peanut butter and 1 cup rolled oat that I pulsed in a food processor. I also used extra dark chocolate chips. Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained) (250g after draining)
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, some people say it has a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so you can sub oil if you don’t want that.)
• 1 and 1/4 cups pitted dates (I used SunMaid, from a regular grocery store)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (see link below, for sugar-free option)
• 2 tbsp oats (You can omit if desired.)
• milk of choice as needed (depending on the consistency you want. I used a few tbsp.)

In a bowl, cover the dates with 1/2 cup water. Let this sit for at least 8 hours. Then add all ingredients (including the dates’ soaking liquid), except chocolate chips, to a food processor (for best results, not a blender) and blend until very smooth.
If you wish, you can use: Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips.
This can be served as a dessert dip, as a spread (maybe in between apple slices or crackers?), eaten with a spoon, mixed into oatmeal, stuffed into cupcakes, or even used to top pancakes!

Hummus

·  2 cups of canned garbanzo beans/chick peas OR 1 cup of dried beans/peas.

·  1 1/2 T Olive Oil

·  1 1/2 T Tahini (sesame seed paste) If you don't want/have/use tahini, just use oil or water in stead.

·  1 jumbo garlic clove (or small if you're a hater of garlic. I used a jumbo one in the batch I brought)

·  1/4 t salt

·  1/4 cumin

·  3 T fresh lemon juice (or bottle...whatever you have)

I soak my dried beans over night and then cook them on the stove top on medium low heat for an hour or until you can mash them easily between your fingers.

In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients. Then taste it. If it's bland, add a dash more salt. If it's too thick, add water or oil until it reaches the texture/smoothness you like. I like mine SMOOTH! OR add more  lemon juice if you like it to have a kick. I always double this recipe becausehummus freezes well and well, I love this stuff!

If you're feeling crazy and want variation try adding some cilantro or roasted red peppers, etc. We use hummus on our sandwiches/wraps/as a dip for veggies and pita chips.