Post # 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay I finally made it to 100 posts!!! Let's give a moment of silence for this occasion...ok moment over- I am so excited to see my hubby tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I miss him so much!

Thank you to all those who show support and have really made my life much more bearable- I love you all! As a gift I would like to post the recipes from January 24th Dessert Night and I would also like to invite you all to another one on Friday Feb 20th 8pm to 11pm. This time it is a fondue night- so bring fondue (chocolate, cheese or whatever you want) and stuff to dip in it (fruits, veggies, crackers, pretzels, or any other treat you can think of)! Love you all!!!

Busy Day Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine (or butter)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, margarine (or butter), egg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8x1 1/2-inch round baking pan.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or chilled with whipped cream and fruit. Enjoy! (Makes about 8 servings)

Caramel Shortbread Squares
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 cup butter, white sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Press into a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
3. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Pour over baked crust (warm or cool). Cool until it begins to firm.
4. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue to heat and stir at 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly to cover completely. Chill. Cut into 1 inch squares. These need to be small because they are so rich.

Three Layer Dessert
Crust
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup flour (white or wheat)
1 stick butter

grind the nuts, mix with the flour and cut in the butter. Bake 400 F
for 15 minutes, cool.

1st layer
chocolate chips, berries, coconut

While the crust is cooling, melt 1/2 bag of chocolate chips, mix in a
bin of fresh berries or a bag of frozen berries (thawed) and coconut
(as much as desired). Spread the mixture over the crust.

2nd layer:
1 box pudding
coconut milk (if desired) or regular milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipped cream

Mix the pudding as directed. If using coconut milk, still need to add
some regular milk for the pudding to mix properly. Mix in the
powdered sugar and whipped cream. Pour over the crust/chocolate and
chill for 30 minutes.
Last, top with more whipped cream and chill until you serve it.

Oreo Truffles
1 package regular Oreos
8 oz cream cheese- softened
½ lb chocolate, white chocolate or mint chocolate (for melting)

1- Crush Oreos in Ziploc bag
2- Mix well with cream cheese
3- Form into balls and dip in chocolate
4- Cool on wax paper or in individual candy cups

Gob Cookies or Homemade Oreos
1 box devils food cake
Frosting of choice

1- Prepare devils food as described on box- but DO NOT add the water.
2- Spoon small teaspoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350F- remove from oven and allow to cool.
3- Spread frosting onto flat side of one cookie and take another cookie and place it on top to make a cookie sandwich- repeat for the rest.

Brownie Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting
Frosting
1 c. evaporated milk
1c. sugar
3 egg yolks
½ c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flaked coconut
1 c. pecan pieces or chips
1-Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in pan. With a whisk, turn heat to med and stir constantly. (if yolks show up in little cooked pieces, you didn’t stir enough).
2- When Mixture is about as thick as you would want the frosting to be, ass the coconut and pecans. Continue to cook and stir until the frosting is as thisck as you want.
Cake
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter or margarine
1 c. water
1 ½ tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ c. buttermilk (1/2 c. milk with 2 tsp vinegar)
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1- Preheat oven to 325F
2- Combine the flour and sugar- set aside.
3- In saucepan, combine margarine, water, and cocoa. Heat to boil then pour over flour/sugar mix.
4- Add baking soda to buttermilk and add to batter.
5- Add beaten eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix with wire whisk. Pour into greased pan.
6- Bake at 325F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle is clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Chocolate Scones
2/3 c. (160 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ c. (245 grams) all purpose flour
¼ c. (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c. (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 c. (75 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 c. (50 grams) semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

For Tops Of Scones:
1 large egg
1 tbsp. heavy cream

Garnish
Devon or softly whipped cream

4- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5- In Small bowl whisk together the whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
6- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flours mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
7- Stir in the chocolate chunks (chips) and add the cream mixture. Stir until the dough comes together (add more cream and/or flour as necessary).
8- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Shape the dough into an 8 in. (20 cm) circle. With a 2 ½ in (7.5 cm) heart shaped cookie cutter, cut into scones. Gather any scraps together, knead and then cut out more scones. Brush excess flour from the bottom of the scones, and place them on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tbsp milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
9- Bake for about 15 minutes or until they are firm around the edges but a bit soft in the center. A toothpick inserted into the center of a scone should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with clotted cream or softly whipped cream.

Lava Pudding

Sift together in a bowl:
1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup sugar.
Stir in:
1/2 cup milk, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1/2 cup walnuts.
Spread the above mixture in a 9" sq pan.
Mix: 1 cup brown sugar, 4 tbsp. cocoa.
Add: 1-3/4 cup hot water and pour mixture over batter in pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. During baking, cake mixture rises to top
and chocolate sauce settles to bottom. Invert squares of pudding on plates, dip sauce
from pan over each. Serve warm or cold with or without whipped cream or ice cream.
And if it doesn’t work out- forfeit and make rootbeer floats

Fruit Pizza
• 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice cookie dough and arrange on greased pizza pan, overlapping edges. Press dough flat into pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, soften cream cheese, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. You can chill for a while at this point, or continue by arranging the fruit.
3. Begin with strawberries, sliced in half. Arrange in a circle around the outside edge. Continue with fruit of your choice, working towards the middle. If bananas are used, dip them in lemon juice so they don't darken. Then make a sauce to spoon over fruit.
4. In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, corn starch, orange juice, lemon juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, and add grated orange rind. Allow to cool, but not set up. Spoon over fruit. Chill for two hours, then cut into wedges and serve.


Raspberry Supreme

1 angel food cake cut up
16 oz sour cream
16 oz cream cheese
1 bag frozen raspberries
Powdered sugar – to taste
½ c. White sugar
½ c.Water
2 tsps. Cornstarch

1- Slice Angel food cake and layer in a cake pan
2- Blend sour cream and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar until you are happy with the taste ( slightly sweet)
3- Smooth over Angel food
4- Place raspberries in pot on medium heat. Add ½ cup water and ½ cup white sugar with 2 tsp cornstarch- heat till slightly thickened. Allow to cool and spread over cream cheese layer

Raspberry Chocolate Meringue Cookies

FOLLOW RECIPE EXACTLY AS STATED IF YOU WANT YOUR MERINGUE TO COME OUT

3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
3 1/2 tbsp. raspberry Jello (1 3 oz pkg)
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
½ bag semisweet chocolate chips
½ bag milk chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening


1-Prehet oven to 250 F.
2-Beat egg whites and salt until foamy.
3- Mix Jello and Sugar together and then add Jello/sugar mix 1 tbsp at a time to egg whites; beat until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
4-Mix in vinegar.
5- Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets covered with brown paper bag or aluminum foil (I piped these into kisses onto my Silpat).
6- Bake at 250 degrees for 25 minutes. Turn off oven; leave cookies in oven 20 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes and remove.
7- Mix ½ bag semi sweet chocolate chips and ½ bag milk chocolate chips with 1 tbsp shortening in a pot on low heat.
8- Dip cooled meringue cookies in chocolate mix once cooled and place on wax paper- chill in fridge until ready to be served.

Peppermint Chocolate Meringue cookies

FOLLOW RECIPE EXACTLY AS STATED IF YOU WANT YOUR MERINGUE TO COME OUT

4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-1/3 cups sugar
½ bag semisweet chocolate chips
½ bag milk chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
1-1/4 cups crushed striped round peppermint candies or candy canes

1-Place egg whites in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2-Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two very large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil; set aside.
3-For meringue: Add salt, vinegar, and peppermint extract to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl).
4-Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight) and sugar is nearly dissolved.

5-Transfer meringue to a decorating bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe 1-inch kisses 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake all of the meringue kisses at the same time on separate oven racks for 7 minutes. Turn off oven; let meringues dry in oven with door closed for 1 hour. Lift meringues off paper or foil. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.
6-In a small saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat just until melted. Remove from heat. Spread crushed candy in a shallow dish. Dip bottoms of meringues in chocolate, then dip in crushed candies. Place on waxed paper and let stand until chocolate is set.

Robert Linxe’s Chocolate Truffles

Really, I think you could use any chocolate that you like. If Valrhona is your favorite, go for it, but you’ll make some delicious truffles with good ol’ Ghirardelli, or even a fancy bar of Nestlé.

Makes about 60 truffles (Linxe says not to double the recipe)
I have not found that this makes anywhere near 60 truffles. I tend to make the truffles small, about ¾-inch diameter, and I only get about 30 with this recipe. I noticed some of the reviewers on epicurious had a similar result.

Ingredients:
11 ounces Valrhona chocolate (56% cacao)
⅔ cup heavy cream
Valrhona cocoa powder for dusting

1-Finely chop 8 ounces of the chocolate and put in a bowl.
2-Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Make sure your pan is small, so you’ll lose the least amount of cream to evaporation, and heavy, which will keep the cream from scorching. Linxe boils his cream three times - he believes that makes the ganache last longer. If you do this, compensate for the extra evaporation by starting with a little more cream.
3-Pour the cream over the chocolate, mashing any big pieces with a wooden spoon.
4-Then stir with a whisk in concentric circles (don’t beat or you’ll incorporate air), starting in the center and working your way to the edge, until the ganache is smooth.
5-Let stand at room temperature until thick enough to hold a shape, about 1 hour, then, using a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch opening or tip, pipe into mounds (about ¾ inch high and 1 inch wide) on parchment-lined baking sheets. When piping, finish off each mound with a flick of the wrist to soften and angle the point tip. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
6-Meanwhile, melt 3 more ounces of the same Valrhona and smear some on a gloved hand. Gently rub each chilled truffle to coat lightly with chocolate. The secret to a delicate coating of chocolate is to roll each truffle in a smear of melted chocolate in your hand. Linxe always uses gloves.
7-Toss the truffles in unsweetened Valrhona cocoa powder so they look like their namesakes, freshly dug from the earth. A fork is the best tool for tossing truffles in cacao. Shake truffles in a sieve to eliminate excess cacao.
8-Store truffles in the refrigerator.


Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
A dash of cinnamon
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

1- Preheat oven to 350F.
2- Mix melted butter and the white and brown sugars together.
3- Once smooth add eggs one at a time until homogenous.
4- Add vanilla and cinnamon- mix thoroughly and set a side.
5- Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and then add to dough gradually. Beat until thick.
6- Once mixed add chocolate chips. Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet
7- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes and let cool on wax paper