Chocolate Nachos

DD1 has decided on an International Food Party (complete with food fight) for her birthday this month. While I was rounding up ideas, I came across this. And yes... it's definitely going on the menu!! Chocolate Nachos -- sugar sweetened tortilla crisps covered with chocolate sauce, mini diced strawberries, sprinkles, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. I think we found our midnite snack...

Strawberry Filled Lemon Cupcakes

Found this over at TheSweetTooth.... sounds delicious, doesn't it?


Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 24 Cupcakes)

Ingredients:

-1 box Lemon cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)

-1-1/4 cup water

-1/3 cup applesauce

-3 eggs (or any combination of eggs + egg whites or egg substitute – I used 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg sub.)

-Strawberry Filling (see recipe below)

-Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix & bake according to directions on box.
2. Once cupcakes are cooled completely, use a knife to hollow out a 1-inch hole in each cupcake, preserving only the tops.
3. Fill cupcakes with strawberry filling and replace preserved tops back on filled cupcakes.
4. Frost with cream cheese frosting. (*For a fancier look, snip the tip off of a corner of a sandwich bag, fill with frosting, and squeeze as you would a regular pastry bag. Quick & pretty!)
5. If desired, top with fresh sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of nutmeg. ENJOY! :)

Strawberry Filling

-1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/2

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Puree half of the strawberries in a food processor with the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla until it is a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries and pulse until chopped, but not liquefied.

Cream Cheese Frosting

-1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2-3 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 cups powdered sugar

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with electric mixer on low until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

When I was making my cupcakes, I decided I didn’t want to wait a whole baking cycle to make the 2nd half of the cupcakes. So instead, I took the other half of the batter, filled up a 9 inch round baking dish, and made a mini layer cake!

I just sliced the one cake (very carefully!) into two layers, spread the strawberry filling, and frosted it all with the remaining cream cheese frosting. It worked out perfectly!

Have I gotten any of you in the mood to do some baking yet?!? ;)

Jiggle Fluff Pie

Strawberry and chocolate jiggle-fluff pie
Sunny Anderson

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups salted pretzels, lightly broken
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4 cups heavy cream, chilled and divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Salt
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1 6-ounce box strawberry-flavored powdered gelatin mix
• 2 cups frozen chopped strawberries, thawed
• 1-ounce piece semisweet chocolate bar, for shaving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a 13-by-9 inch pan, add the pretzels, butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer or a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and beat until well blended. In a clean bowl, combine 2 cups of the heavy cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture and spread it evenly over the cooled pretzel crust.

Add the pineapple juice to a small pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin powder and stir to dissolve. Add the strawberries and let mixture come to room temperature or quick chill it over a bowl filled with ice water while whisking. Pour the gelatin mixture over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set, which takes about one hour.

Whip the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. When the strawberry gelatin layer is set, smooth the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle evenly with chocolate shavings.

Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Nutella Berry Toast

Mascarpone, Nutella, and Fresh Berry Toasts

You really don't need measurements for this recipe. An (8-ounce) tub of mascarpone cheese and 2 pints of berries should make about a dozen toasts.

A (1 pound) loaf of sliced Italian bread
Butter for toasting
1 jar Nutella
1 (8-ounce tub) mascarpone cheese
2 pints fresh berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries

1. Lightly butter bread and toast until golden.

2. Smear on a layer of Nutella, then top with a layer of mascarpone. Arrange fresh berries on top. Serve immediately. Await praise.

Poached strawberries?

My friend Mindy invited us over for lunch this weekend and having just bought sugar cookies to make valentines, I offered to bring dessert. But as I sit here thinking about how to dress up my Valentine cookies.... I think, "Simple and sweet. And NEW. And different!" My first thought was crunch coated mini ice cream balls. But otoh, what do you think about champagne poached warm strawberries with scooped crème fraîche or mascarpone on top? I've never poached berries before, and of course would have to use a suitable substitute for the champagne, but it would be easier on the figure, and put more focus on the berries. And I could use frozen yogurt or Soy Dream instead of ice cream. Hmmm.....