no bake chocolate cheesecake

 

Our sweet neighbor and her daughter delivered a slice of chocolate cheesecake to daughter #3 who LOVES Oreos (the crust is made from Oreos).  It was of course delicious and I want to make it sometime.

This recipe had me at no bake.

no bake chocolate cheesecake (my friend and neighbor jenny)

18-20 Oreo cookies- blend in food processor until crumbs

6 tablespoons, melted- add to Oreo crumbs and blend until combined

Press Oreo mixture into a 12" springform pan.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

filling

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whipping cream- whisk until soft peaks form

Mix cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to cream cheese and mix until well combined.  Add melted chocolate chips and mix well.  Gently fold in whipped cream.  Pour mixture over frozen crust.  Spread evenly.  Refrigerate overnight or until set.

topping

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Heat chocolate chips and whipping cream in a glass bowl in the microwave.  Stir after 1 minute.  Continue to heat until it is fully blended and mixed together.   Pour over top of cooled cheesecake.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  After the cake is cooled, slide a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Open springform pan and slice.  Top with berries if desired.

classic apple crisp

 

This apple crisp recipe was recommended to me by my friend Dee-Anna in Oregon.  When my friend Karen brought me some fresh Fuji apples from the farm I knew I had to make it.  It's DELICIOUS!  I highly recommend it.  I'd make this over an apple pie any day.

classic apple crisp (sally's baking addiction)

8 medium peeled apples, cut into 1-inch chunks that are 1/4- 1/2" thick

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 cup old-fashioned whole oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking pan.

Make the topping:  Whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.  Cut in the utter using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture becomes super crumbly.  Stir in the oats.  Sprinkle over filling.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges.  Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.  Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

fresh strawberry apricot crumble

This crumble was a hit!  I had purchased some apricots the other day and they just weren't getting eaten so I found a fun recipe and threw some fresh strawberries in with the apricots.  It was easy to make and with a scoop of milk & honey ice cream over the top it was a pleaser for sure! (I made it vegan by substituting the butter and not serving it with ice cream for one of my kids.)

strawberry apricot crumble (adapted from boulderlocavore)
10-12 ripe apricots
handful of fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar (if you serve it with ice cream you can cut it in half, I think!)
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon

crumble topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into slices

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Slice apricots in half and remove the pits.  Slice each half into quarters.  Hull the strawberries and slice into quarters.
Place fruit in a large bowl and toss with sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon.
Pour coated fruit into a small casserole dish.
To make the crumble layer, combine flour, brown sugar, salt and oats.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

monster pops

My ballerina is performing in Peter and the Wolf this weekend along with some Monster Dances.  She loves her ballet friends so we made some monster pops that she can take to her last rehearsal in the studio.  These pops coordinate with the wild monster costumes, somewhat! :)

monster pops
1/2 cup butter
8 cups mini marshmallows
10 cups crispy rice cereal

Prepare 9x13 pan by spraying with cooking spray, lining with wax paper and spraying again with cooking spray.
Melt butter over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted and well coated.
Press evenly and firmly into the 9x13 pan.  We used the back of a plastic measuring cup to press evenly and firmly.  Let cool.
Meanwhile, color vanilla icing and put each color into the corner of a ziplock bag and snip a little hole in the corner.
When crispies are cool, take them out of the pan and slice into rectangles.  Insert a lollipop stick into each one.
Decorate with icing and monster eyeballs!  Store in an airtight container.

a quick dip

What do you do when a friend from Hershey, PA sends you a gift and instead of ghost poo, fills the box with individually wrapped Halloween rice krispy treats?  First you laugh.  Then you try to figure out what to do with them!  I decided to make a Christmas treat to take to the primary children and teachers at church tomorrow.

a quick dip (pass the peas, please)
50 mini rice krispy treats
10 ounces milk chocolate almond bark, melted
Christmas sprinkles

Place a sheet of wax paper on the counter.  Melt the almond bark according to package directions.  Dip each rice krispy treat into the chocolate then sprinkle with Christmas colored sprinkles.  Let set for an hour.

vanilla crepes with fresh blackberries

Last night my husband took our daughter on a walk in the neighborhood and they collected a bucket of fresh blackberries.  My kids were astonished when he came home pulled out his own cookbook full of recipes he's collected and started making crepes.  They filled the crepes with fresh blackberries and sweetened condensed milk then drizzled a little more on top.  On some, we even sprinkled a little cinnamon on top.  A wonderful dessert.

vanilla crepes with fresh blackberries (my husband)
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

fresh blackberries
sweetened condensed milk
sprinkling of ground cinnamon

In a blender, mix together the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.  Add the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter.
Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot.  Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges.  When bubbles form on top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden.  Repeat with remaining batter.
Fill crepes with blackberries, sweetened condensed milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

peanut butter layered dessert

When I asked my kids how this dessert rates on a scale of 1-10 my family shouted "10!".  So there you have it.  Look at the list of ingredients- you know it's good.  It makes a big 9x13 pan!  Thank you, Mr. Milton Hershey for inventing chocolate + peanut butter.

peanut butter layered dessert (the idea room) 
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup chopped peanuts, divided
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar 
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (16 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping like Cool Whip- thawed and divided
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, butter, milk and egg.  Add 3/4 cup peanuts.  Spread into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Set aside and cool.
In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.  Fold in 3 cups of the whipped topping then spread your mixture over the top of your chocolate crust.  Top with the rest of the whipped topping and peanuts.
In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and butter on high for one minute.  It may take longer.  Stir in vanilla until smooth.  Drizzle over the top of your dessert.
Refrigerate for 1-3 hours before cutting.

Note:  For the chocolate drizzle I chose to melt the butter and chocolate chips on the stove.  I increased the butter to 3 tablespoons because that's what seemed right for me.

cookie ice cream sandwich

We invited the elders and sisters to dinner tonight and had a huge feast.  BBQ ribs, teriyaki chicken, asian salad, potato salad, veggies, bean & corn salad with chips and lemonade.  For dessert I had picked up some bakery cookies and two cartons of ice cream to make it easy.  My teenage daughter said, "Let's make cookie ice cream sandwiches!".  After dinner she went into the kitchen and threw these together.  They were impressive and super easy.  I like that combo.

cookie ice cream sandwich
cookies from the bakery (we used M&M cookies and chocolate chip cookies)
ice cream (we used Breyer's Heath and Breyer's Waffle Cone)
ice cream scoop

Place a scoop of ice cream onto a cookie.  Place another cookie on top.  Serve right away. 

fresh strawberry pie

Look what I made- my first fresh strawberry pie!  I have my kids to thank as they are the ones who picked all 9 pounds of berries this weekend.  For Oregonians, 9 pounds is a little weak but we ate those 9 pounds in two days.  We had a delicious couple of days!  I'm sure we'll go back for more.  There's nothing like a fresh berry picked from the vine or bush...or a slice of fresh strawberry pie.

fresh strawberry pie (allrecipes.com)
1 9-inch pie crust, baked
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (because you can't buy whipped cream for a homemade pie!)
2 tablespoons white sugar

Arrange half the strawberries in a baked pastry shell.  Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan.  Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.  Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.  Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell.  Chill for several hours before serving.  In a small bowl, whip heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.  Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

butterfinger dreams

This made for a very rich and delicious birthday dessert with Butterfinger bits in every layer.  It's super easy to make especially if you cheat on the whipped cream layer like I did.

butterfinger dreams (adapted from Plain Chicken) 
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups Butterfinger Baking Bits, divided (found mine at Walmart)
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9x11 pan with cooking spray.
Stir together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and flour in a bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or fok, cut cream cheese and butter into flour mixture until crumbly.  Stir in 1 cup of baking bits.  Press mixture into prepared pan. 

Bake for 3o minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

For topping, whip cream and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar together with a hand-held electric mixer until stiff (or use a container of Cool Whip like I did!).  Fold in 3/4 cup bits.  Spread over cake.  Sprinkle remaining bits over the top.  Cut into squares.  Stir in refrigerator.

Hershey's "perfectly chocolate" chocolate frosting

This is the best chocolate frosting!  I remember when I was a kid I always requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for my birthday.  This is the same chocolate frosting my mom always made and she found the recipe on the back of  the Hershey's cocoa powder just like I did this morning.  Mmmmm!!!

Hershey's "perfectly chocolate" chocolate frosting
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Melt butter (I used the microwave).  Stir in cocoa powder.  Alternately, add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 cups frosting.

white chocolate dipped waffle cones

For not having big plans leading up to the 4th of July, it turned out to be super fun thanks to some great friends who invited us over for fireworks and vanilla bean ice cream served in these festive waffle cones that they dip every year.  What a great tradition!  This would be a great alternative to birthday cake at birthday parties- oh the crumbs and all the little feet that step on them!!

white chocolate dipped waffle cones (my friend Shonda)
waffle cones
white chocolate, melted
sprinkles

Dip the edges of the waffle cones into melted white chocolate.  Decorate with sprinkles!  Let set on wax paper.

nutella mousse

We had crepes with Nutella for breakfast on Sunday so I had Nutella on my mind.  Knowing I wanted to make some chocolate mousse I googled Nutella Mousse and found exactly what I wanted.  Only two ingredients.  It's as delicious as you think!

nutella mousse (the wicked noodle)
1 1/2 cups nutella
3 cups whipping cream

Place nutella in a very large mixing bowl and pour the whipping cream on top.  Use a hand mixer to whip until you get peaks.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

What I have to say- I found when I whipped mine, the ingredients weren't cold enough to get peaks so I re-whipped it after it had chilled and right before I was ready to serve it.

leaping lizards...or grasshoppers!

Isn't this the cutest grasshopper you've ever seen?  My kids went to a spider themed birthday party last weekend and I regretted not taking my camera.  The spider cake was incredible.  With the spider cake came some flies and grasshoppers.  The day after the party the hostess came over and delivered two grasshoppers for my kids to enjoy which they certainly did.  That's what I call a Hostess with the Mostess.

edible grasshoppers (my friend Joyce made this guy with her boys)
Hostess Twinkie
Oreo cookie
vanilla wafer cookies
green Tootsie Rolls
green icing
candy eyes (I saw some this morning at Michaels)

maple butter blondies

My friend Danielle said these are "nothing but rich, sugary gooeyness" and boy was she right!  I made these for gourmet club and I will declare these Hall of Fame based on the praise they received.  Thanks for making me look good, Danielle!  It felt great.

maple butter blondies (my friend Danielle, PIM cookbook)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add baking powder, salt, vanilla and then eggs.  Mix in flour.  Stir in white chocolate chips and nuts.  Put brownie batter into a greased 9x13 pan and smooth mixture with spatula.  Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes.  Top should be shiny and firm when you touch the center with a finger.  Do not over bake.

maple butter sauce
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons maple flavoring

Combine sugar, butter and whipping cream in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat and stir in the maple flavoring.
To assemble:  Cut brownies into 12 pieces.  Place a brownie on a plate and top with vanilla ice cream.  Drizzle warm Maple Butter Sauce and sprinkle with more nuts.

chocolate mousse

The other day my husband requested clam chowder for dinner and chocolate mousse for dessert, a couple of his very favorite dishes.  He said this chocolate mousse was terrific and said it was just as good as a friend's of his who was a cook and worked his way through school teaching cooking classes.  I'll take it as a "Hall of Fame".  Thanks allrecipes!

chocolate mousse (allrecipes.com)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chipes
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup whipped cream

Melt chocolate chips in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Stir a small amount of hot chocolate into egg yolk; return chocolate and egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract.  Cool, stirring several times.
Beat heavy cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken.  Stir in sugar; beat until soft peaks form.  Fold whipped cream mixture into cooled chocolate mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or over night.  Garnish with whipped cream.

homemade creamy vanilla ice cream

We made this delicious, creamy ice cream from start to finish in just 30 minutes.  It's super, super delicious and with only 4 ingredients.  We had three options tonight: root beer floats, sundaes or cones.  The root beer floats got the most takers tonight.

homemade vanilla ice cream (adapted from my Cuisinart recipe booklet)
1 cup half and half, chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the half and half and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes on low speed.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste.  Turn the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker on, pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25 minutes.

homemade pumpkin ice cream

Last week we went to Yogurt Extreme and they had wonderful flavors like Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin.  Hence my determination to find a pumpkin ice cream recipe to make at home.  It's delicious!  My kids drizzled a little bit of caramel cinnamon topping on top but it's perfect alone or with a cranberry oatmeal dunker drizzled with white chocolate icing from Trader Joe's.

homemade pumpkin ice cream  (Better Homes and Gardens, November 2012)
3 cups half and half
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin

In a medium saucepan combine the half-and-half and brown sugar.  Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, about 4 minutes until bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture and continue to whisk until smooth.  Pour the egg mixture into the half-and-half mixture in the pa.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a large metal spoon, about 4 minutes.  Do not boil.  Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.  Stir in vanilla.  Whisk the pumpkin into the mixture until thoroughly combined.  Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until well chilled at least 3 hours or overnight.
Pour the pumpkin custard into a 1 1/2 or 2-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.  Pack the ice cream into a freezer-safe container.  Cover and freeze until firm at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.  Makes 10 (1/2 cup) servings.

snickers pie

My friend and her darling little girls were away for the entire summer.  I remembered that my friend enjoys Snickers Pie so I decided to make one and sneak it into her refrigerator for her return and make another one for my family.  There are so many recipes online that I am not sure this is the right recipe but it was sure good.  And rich.  And peanut buttery.  And chocolatey.  If you have a sweet tooth, this is the pie for you.

snickers pie (food.com)
makes 2 pies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter or chunky peanut butter
3 regular sized Snickers candy bars (I used a whole bag of miniatures), chopped
16 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
2 (6 ounce) chocolate or graham cracker pie crusts

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter until creamy.  Stir in chopped candy bars (I stirred in half of the bag of snack size candy bars).  Gently fold in the Cool Whip just until mixed.  Pour into crusts and refrigerate overnight.

What I have to say- I also drizzled caramel sauce over the pie, sprinkled the remaining Snickers bars on top then melted some chocolate chips and drizzled those over the top.

strawberry shortcake

I excitedly told my youngest daughter that our friend Gillian was going to bring over strawberry shortcake for us to eat.  She wondered if she heard me correctly and asked, "We are going to eat Strawberry Shortcake?"  I had to explain that it is actually a dessert, not a real person.  This shortcake was soooo good.  Everyone loved it, especially my oldest who licked her own plate and everyone else's.  We will be making this again for sure!!

strawberry shortcake (my friend Gillian got the recipe from food network) 
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, stemmed and quartered
5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add heavy cream and mix until just combined.  Place mixture in an ungreased 8-inch square pan and bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.  Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly.  Cut into 6 pieces and split horizontally or serve the way Gillian did- pile on the strawberries and finish with whipped cream!

whipped cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chillled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 

What Gillian did- she increased the sugar to 1/2 cup for the cake, added 1 teaspoon vanilla to the cake and used half whole wheat flour and half white flour in the cake (that's something I would do!).  She used half and half instead of heavy cream for the cake.