Chocolate Raspberry Torte

aka Dodi's birthday cake.  :)

oven 350*F,  makes (2) 9-10" cakes

ingredients:

batter:
3 cups butter, unsalted
1.5 cups coca-cola
24 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
1/3 + 1/8 cup raspberry preserves (strain all seeds out)
1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
12 eggs, room temperature
1.5 cups white granulate sugar
1 vanilla bean - cut open and extract seeds for recipe.  (toss the pod in your homemade vanilla extract or put in with some white granulated sugar to make vanilla sugar for another use).  (don't just toss that pod!)


Glaze:
1.5 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted


preheat oven 350*F.  Line springform pan with parchment paper and 'grease' with butter and dust with cocoa powder.  (so cake will remove cleanly).

double boiler - mix butter and soda and heat thru.  Remove the pan from the stove and add chocolate, stirring to melt.  Let this mixture cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, blend raspberry and lemon juice together.  In electric mixer, whip eggs with sugar and vanilla seeds for 10 minutes on high speed.  Whisk cooled, melted chocolate into egg mixture until thoroughly incorporated (mixture will deflate but that's ok).  Stir in raspberry preserve mixture.

Reduce heat to 325*F and bake 1 hour - give or take a bit.  Cake is done when it seems set and not jiggly.

glaze - melt chocolate chips with butter in double boiler.  stir to melt evenly.  cool then pour over chilled cake before serving.  (glaze will get hard on cake after refrigeration.)

1-16 servings per cake.  :)

Watermelon Ice Cream

3-4 cups watermelon (puree in food processor til smooth)
1 cup heavy cream (or 'regular' whole (3.25%) or 2% milk will work - but the cream, gives it a much richer flavor)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1T, rounded, ener-g-e egg replacer
optional, 4 oz chocolate chips.

i mix all in my food processor (sans chips) and pour into ice cream maker.  about 16-18 minutes in, I add the chocolate chips (or not - my oldest kid does not like textures in his ice cream, so we usually just sprinkle them on servings.)

we are not egg allergic here, BUT i've discovered it's a great way to make fast ice cream.  :)  so we use the egg substitute.  in less than 30 minutes, you will have soft serve ice cream.

enjoy!

this will fit with room to spare in 2 quart ice cream maker. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

choc chip cookie recipe is as follows:

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz semi sweet choc chips.

fold in choc chips after everything else is mixed.

375*F 10 minutes - makes 40 cookies. double batch makes 65 cookies (i'm guessing family members eat the dough as i'm working - why else would the numbers be so different?)

Coconut Frosting/Filling

Today I put together a new filling for Crispy's Pumpkin chocolate Chip Cookies

Simply

take a bag of flaked coconut and put it in your food processor.  Zip it down til it's coarse crumblike in texture.

then add together

room temp:

8 oz cream cheese
2 sticks butter
1 t vanilla
1 bag of powdered sugar
and the coconut (fold in last)

voila, coconut frosting/filling.

yum.  coconut goes so wonderfully with pumpkin.  :)

Coconut Macaroons

2 egg whites
1/4cup + 1/8 cup sugar
1/8 t salt
3/4  package coconut

350*F 25-30 minutes

wisk together egg whites, sugar and salt til frothy.  with a fork, stir in coconut til moistened.

drop mixture by packed level tablespoons onto parchment paper lined sheet.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake





NOTE:  this makes TWO 8 inch cheesecakes.  cut recipe in half if you wish only one cheesecake.  :)  I have found that 2 cheesecakes bake just as well in the oven as one. 

batter
6 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1.5 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup homemade pumpkin puree, strained (measure after straining)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon  cloves


crust
1 bag coconut flakes
½ stick butter, melted

½ stick butter for coating pans.
2 cheesecakes – 8” pans  350*F

45 minutes or until no longer jiggly in center.  Turn off oven and leave door propped open til you can touch the cheesecake pans without burning yourself badly.  Fridge overnight. 

Freeze and serve or eat 24+ hours later.   Cheesecakes will keep in fridge 7 days.  Good luck trying to make them last that long.  If my family or friends even think there’s a cheesecake lurking in my fridge, they’re gonna find it – long before 7 days. ..  :)

Lemon Butter Frosting

1/2 t lemon peel
1 stick butter, softened

4.5 cups powdered sugar
.25 cups lemon juice

1.5 t vanilla

Mix well.  yum.

can sub orange juice/peel for the lemon for orange butter frosting instead.

this is delightful on spice cake or pumpkin molasses cake. . ..

*double recipe and it will be enough to frost a batch of pumpkin molasses mini cupcakes* (esp if you use the 1M wilton frosting tip.  very fluffy cupcake toppings!)

Pumpkin Molasses Cake

350*F 9x12 pan (30-35 min) or 6 dozen mini cupcakes(12-15 minutes)

1T apple cider vinegar
.75 cups milk


2.5 cups flour
1.5 cups brown sugar, packed
1 t baking powder
.75 t baking soda
.5 t cinnamon
.5 t ginger
.25 t cloves
1 t orange peel
.5 cup pumpkin puree
1 stick butter, softened
.25 cup molasses
2 eggs

pour together the vinegar and milk in a small glass measuring cup and set aside.

blend all ingredients in order given, then pour the sour milk in.

bake in preheated oven 30-35 min til done.

Apple Pie Filling

15 apples, peeled, sliced (I used jonathon apples this time)
2 T lemon juice
Water - ice cold

2-4 cups sugar, white granulated
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4-1/2 t cloves
1/4 t salt
5 cups water

Directions:

Toss apples with lemon juice and ice cold water in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, spices, salt, and water to a large pan on stove.  Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add apples and return to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes until apples are tender.  Cool for 1/2 hour.


Freeze extra filling for pies during holiday season or whenever you have a hankering for some fresh apple pie.

Italian Cheesecake

325*F oven; 10inch springform

16 oz ricotta cheese
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1/2 stick butter, softened
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sour cream
2 T lemon juice
1 t vanilla extract
1.5 cups sugar
1/8 - 1/4 cup cornstarch

have  all ingredients at room temperature.

beat ricotta in a food processor til smooth.

add all ingredients, one at a time to mixer.

pour into greased, parchment lined springform pan over a pan of hot water.  (by greased, i mean take the pans, throw them in the freezer, then melt some more butter - maybe 2-3 T, and pull those pans out of freezer.  using pastry brush, wipe down the sides and bottom of the pan - you will know where you hit with butter because it will turn cloudy and thick.  this will prevent the cake from sticking - feel free to dust with cornstarch afterwards for add'l release properties).

bake 90 minutes.  (watch for browning; adjust time as needed).  turn off oven, let cake rest in oven for 2 hours.

fridge overnight.  serve well chilled.  can be frozen for later serving.  :)

this is a big hit with the family - and has been dubbed the 'yum yum cake' per the youngest family member.

Holiday Spiced Baked Custards

350*F 40 minutes 6 individual custard dishes; 9x13 pan filled with hot water

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
  
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

WHISK eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves and nutmeg in large bowl until mixed. Stir in evaporated milk, water and vanilla extract. Pour egg mixture evenly into six, 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place cups in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Pour hot water into baking pan to a depth of 1-inch depth (about halfway up sides of ramekins).

BAKE for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted near the center of one of the custards comes out clean. Remove cups to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or place in refrigerator to cool completely. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap. Custards can be made up to 2 days in advance.

TIPS:
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
- To make pouring of egg mixture into ramekins easier, use a glass measure with spout or 1/2-cup measuring cup.

recipe found at:  http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=144208 

3 out of 5 family members really enjoy this.  The youngest child comments, 'yum, yum' with every bite.  The boys were not into it.  The parents both enjoyed it.  I think I would suggest scraping off the top of this custard to remove the 'crust' or spices that all gravitated to the surface.  That might have been why the boys didn't enjoy it - and wouldn't try it once I removed the crust for them.

Spice Cake

Spice Cake
350*F oven 30-35 minutes (9x12 pan)
makes 70 mini muffins (15-20 minutes)

1 cup sour milk (add 1 T lemon juice to glass measuring cup; fill to line with milk) (do this FIRST - but don't pour in batter til you've added everything else to give the lemon juice time to acidify the milk)
2 cups all -purpose flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon, ground
1/4 t nutmeg, ground
1/4 t cloves, ground
1/4 t ginger, ground
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 t vanilla
3 eggs


combine all items in order listed (except milk - add that last!)

blend together and pour into pan or cupcake liners. . .

this is a staple pantry cake and crowd pleasing.  :)

I usually make a cream cheese frosting or a citrus frosting (lemon or orange) to put on top.

'Apple' Topping for ice cream

Folks, this is not made with apples but instead with green squash/zucchini. And let me tell you, it's good stuff! It is a real favorite here as topping on ice cream with some caramel sauce. I plan on making a pie or two with it in the near future, as we are producing more zucchini's than we can eat for a family of five. (2 green squash plants!)

I discovered this recipe on http://squarefoot.creatingforum.com/forum.htm, but then discovered the probable original source here: http://www.outofhouseandhome.com/2006/05/09/zucchini-unlimited/


Zucchini Unlimited



I promise you that, as long as you do not tell, not a soul who eats this dessert will believe that it is anything more than an apple pie.


For the filling, you will need:

* 2 large (or 12 – 14 small) zucchini, peeled, seeded (if seeds are large), quartered or halved length-wise, and cut into 1/4″ slices
* 2/3 c lemon juice
* 1 c sugar
* 1/2 t cinnamon
* 1/4 t nutmeg

Cook zucchini slices in lemon juice until tender; add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, simmer and then allow to cool.

For the crust and topping you will need:

Crust/Topping:
4 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 c margarine/butter/butter-flavored crisco

Combine flour, sugar and salt; mix well. Cut in the butter with a fork or other tined instrument, and mix until crumbly.

Fold 1/2 cup of the crust mixture into the filling mixture. Press 1/2 the remaining crust mixture into a 9" x 13" pan; bake this crust at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Pour zucchini over this new crust. Add 1 t cinnamon to remaining crust mix and sprinkle over zucchini. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes

Jell-o Magic Mousse

This is such a simple dessert that my children just love! Adults will enjoy it as well as part of picnic fare.

3 - 3 1/2 cups boiling water
8 serving package of your favorite flavor jell-o gelatin

8 oz cool whip, thawed

stir boiling water into gelatin - blend about 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir in the cool whip with wisk til cool whip is completely melted and blended into gelatin.

pour into 6 cup container sprayed with pam.

fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

Serve and enjoy the giggles from the kids - the dessert ends up having 2 layers - a gelatin bottom and mousse topping.

Yum. :)

makes anywhere from 6-20+ servings depending on size of serving spoon. :)

Ambrosia Salad

20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice, UNdrained
cold water
4 cups boiling water
4 pkgs (3 oz) orange flavor gelatin (jell-o)
16 oz cool whip, thawed
2 cans (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
10.5 oz pkg mini marshmallows - funmallows (4 flavors)
1 cup coconut flakes (optional - my kids don't care for the texture in the salad, so i omit this item)

drain pineapple juice, reserving the juice. Add enough cold water to juice to make 2 cups of liquid. Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min or until completely dissolved. Stir in measured liquid.
Refrigerate 1 1/4 hours or til slightly thickened. (Set a timer so you don't forget!!)

Whisk in cool whip until well blended. Fridge 10 minutes or until mixture will mound. Stir in pineapple, oranges, marshmallows and coconut. Spoon into pan mold sprayed with pam.

Fridge 3 hours or overnight. Unmold and serve.

Lemon Raspberry Mousse

You'll need a 6x9 glass pan -perfect fit! (recipe suggests 8x8 pan)

Start teakettle to boil water.

Then:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar, white granulated
2 tsp lemon zest

Beat ingredients in large bowl with mixer til fluffy.



blend in:

1/3 cup raspberry preserves



Next:

3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg (3 oz) lemon jello
1 cup ice cubes

Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir in ice til melted. (yeah, I got impatient with this and fished out the few ice cubes that didn't melt by the time I got the other ingredients mixed together.)

Pour gelatin mixture into mixer where the cream cheese, etc are beating away. Mixture is going to be rather runny now. Don't panic. It's gonna be ok. :) (taste the batter, see, it's yummy, and it will be thick and rich again, I promise!)

Stir in:

1/2 of an 8 oz container of thawed Cool Whip (or aldi brand topping *grin*)

Pour into pan. Product is now kind of fluffy again.

Lick spoon. Yum. yeah, it's tasty. Fight with children over who gets to lick the remaining bits in beater bowl and paddle. The cooking items are now practically clean - just a quick swipe with some soap and water and you're done!

Put in fridge overnight and serve as dessert tomorrow at suppertime.

Add a small dollop of remaining cool whip to each serving (if there's any left - I know when the family realizes there's cool whip in the house it's gone pretty quick as a topping on their hot cocoa, etc. . .)


I found this recipe in a magazine. Liked the concept, but I changed it to make it faster prep and gluten free - w/o me baking cookies on this impulse dessert making moment. (I just left out the cookies) and changed the instructions and layering, etc. Seriously, who has time for layering a simple dessert like this? these ingredients all work well together so I just pushed caution to the wind and went with it. . . *grin*

Chocolate Bean Cake

1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup canned fava (or northern) beans, drained
1/2 cup green or unripe tomato, pureed (you can sub 1/2 cup diced tomato - canned, drained)
4 eggs
1 t cherry flavoring
2 T cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar
3 T cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350*f. Grease 8 inch square pan. (Personally, I make cupcakes).

Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a large bowl to beat separately. (This step may be eliminated, but it makes a far lighter cake.) If you wish, add the eggs one at a time at the place I suggest adding the yolks. Beat after each addition.

In a food processor (I use my blender actually - holds more), puree the beans with the tomato puree until very smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat until smooth. Add cherry flavoring.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Add to the egg mix and beat only until well blended. If whipping eggs separately, beat only until soft peaks form, and fold gently into batter.

Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes (less with cupcakes) or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or cool, garnished with whipped topping, or frost with your favorite icing.

Makes 9 servings.

Nutrients per serving: calories 220, fat 3g, cholesterol 85 mg, sodium 140mg, carbohydrates 42g, protein 7g.

Recipe is from "Gluten Free Gourmet Makes Dessert" by Bette Hagman. (No special ingredients section of the book, page 350)

This cake is worth the effort - it's REALLY REALLY good and unless you tell folks it was gluten free - no one will ever know. . . they just liked how moist and chocolate -y it was. . . .

has a tendency to flop in oven - so frosting it is a good idea, though to make the top look better when serving to guests. I usually make a sour cream or cream cheese frosting for it ('cause I just like cream cheese *grin*)

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk (or 1 can coconut milk! - really REALLY GOOD!)

9 inch pie shell

425*F 15 minutes
350*F 40-50 minutes


*NOTE* I personally add rounded amounts of the spices - esp when using coconut milk. I LOVE FLAVORFUL PIE! :)

Pie Crust

(this is an OLD recipe - from Fannie Farmer cookbook - and I swear it's the BEST ONE! :)

2 eight inch pie crusts

2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup cold water

or

2 nine inch pie crusts

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup shortening
6-7 T cold water

directions:

mix flour and salt. cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives. combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tiny peas; its texture will not be uniform but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces. sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed into a ball.

roll the dough out 2 inches larger than pie pan, then fit loosely but firmly into pan. crimp or flute the edges.

for a baked pie shell, prick bottom all over with fork and bake shell 16-18 min in preheated 425*F oven

for partially baked shell, bake 10 minutes.

Sunbutter Cookies with Hershey Kisses

This is my peanut butter recipe - all I did was change out the peanut butter for Sun butter (sunflower seed spread) as we have SEVERE peanut allergies here. .. so if you eat peanut butter - just use peanut butter! *grin*

375*F oven; 10 minutes; 36 cookies

1/2 cup butter, salted. (if unsalted butter is used, then add 1/4 t salt)
1/2 cup sunbutter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (can convert easily to gluten free - just use 'safe' flour blend and add 1/4 t xanthan gum)

sugar in a bowl.
36 hershey kisses, unwrapped (make sure you have a few extra as your helpers are gonna eat some as they unwrap them!)

mix ingredients together, adding one at a time in order given.
roll dough into 1" balls and then coat the dough ball in sugar. (my kids LOVE making these kinds of cookies! - but be warned, you will be cleaning granulated sugar off of pretty much every single surface in your kitchen. . .I have no idea how they do it, but they sure do get everything gritty!)

then put the dough ball on a cookie sheet.

AS SOON as the cookies come out of oven, stick a hershey kiss in the center of each cookie, pushing the kiss in a bit to stick after it cools. then patiently wait for the cookies to cool before you eat them. *grin* (good luck with that, my kids never wait for the first cookies to cool - they love nibbling and blowing on them fresh from the oven, holding a washcloth as a hot pad on their hands to protect from burning. .. )

seriously, this is another very easy cookie that's guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser, whether you use peanut butter or sunbutter. And from my tests of my neighbors, they say you cannot tell the difference between sunbutter and peanut butter desserts. Me, I think you can tell a difference, but I'm hard core peanut fan. . .and I miss peanut!! but this tastes close enough to satisfy those taste buds. .. .