Patriotic Jello Parfaits

Monday, May 27, 2013
Here's an easy Patriotic festive dessert! Your imagination will let your dessert be the talk of any party!

Add layers of star-cut jello if you have time for the perfect festive look!

All you need is some blue and red pre-made jello made and chilled in sheets, chilled and cut into stars from a small cookie cutter, or make different a trifle bowl of jello cubes chilled with blue then a bowl of red jello.

If you a fan like Patriotic holiday foods you may like to check out our Red, White and Blue Roundup of recipes on our site.

Since this is so basic of an idea guess what? You can change the colors up for Thanksgiving, Easter, or any party events you have during the year!

Top with cut-out watermelon stars for decorations and for Adults we even have substituted water for wine or another liquor you may enjoy.

This Patriotic Jello is festive, easy, refreshing and so delicious.

Just scroll to the bottom and hit print to get all our suggestions and ideas quickly.





0

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Chambord Frosting Recipe

Saturday, May 25, 2013

        My very favorite flavor combinations are chocolate and raspberry. The Chambord liqueur compliments this ganache frosting perfectly to top these cupcakes and turns them into a gourmet flair. The fresh raspberries are elegant to serve to any guest for any functions. This recipe will give you many compliments along with  many asking for the recipe by all your friends and family. Splurge a little and make this for yourself your going to love them! If you have kids just make some without using the liqueur they are still wonderful and delicious filled with pudding and the frosting!

Dark Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup special dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Optional:  chocolate cooked pudding by package directions and then cooled

Ganache Frosting (recipe below)

Raspberries for garnish
Chambord for drizzling

In a heavy duty bowl and electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Melt the chips in the microwave until smooth around 2 minutes. Add the the sugar mixture. Add the eggs, sour cream and beat for 1 minute until combined. Add all the dry ingredients left. Beat until smooth around 2 more minutes.
Prepare cupcake tins with liners. Scoop batter into the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven of  350 degrees hot oven until centers are clean inserting a toothpick or around 25 minutes.
Cool Completely.

Optional Chocolate Filling: If using the pudding option, cut a hole around 1 inch  in each of the centers and then removing the cake,  of each cupcake. Fill centers with pudding. Frost with ganache recipe below.

Ganache Frosting:

1 bag 12 ounces of milk chocolate chips put through a food processor until fine
 8 oz heavy cream
8 tablespoons very soft room temperature butter
1/4 cup Chambord Liqueur and more for drizzling

Heat cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat.  Add cream to the food processor with chopped milk chocolate. Add butter and chambord then pulse until well combined. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Frost them with a spreader or you can add to a pastry bag to decorate with a large star tube for piping the frosting on top.
Add red raspberries for garnishing. Drizzle more Chambord over the top before serving.

0

Banana Cake Squares with Mascarpone Frosting Recipe

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I think this is a quick easy comforting dessert that no matter when I make this it's a favorite. The mascarpone cheese is a great addition to make ordinary banana cake taste wonderfully decadent. Add some chopped garnishing favorites on top and you

will have something for everyone!







Banana Cake:



1/2 cup butter

2 cups of sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed banana

2 teaspoons of banana rum, or regular rum or banana extract if not available

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt



Optional garnish for topping the frosting: 1/2 cup chopped pecans, diced raisins, flaked coconut, craisins, or miniature chocolate chips



Cream sugar and butter together, beating around 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs and banana's along with flavoring. Mix well. Pour in to a 15x10 inch x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees till brown and set around 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost and garnish with whatever your favorites are, suggestions above.





Frosting:



4 ounces Mascarpone Cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend in a medium-sized bowl the cheese and vanilla with a fork adding the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add some water if too thick to spread, 1 teaspoon at a time.



Spread over cooled cut into squares banana cake.
0

Slow Cooker Burgundy London Broil

Friday, May 10, 2013
Slow Cooker London Broil is moist and tender, and super easy to make. It will quickly become your favorite meat recipe with the addition of some side dishes for the perfect meal
.
The meat should be cooked for about 8-9 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high and this will endure the meat is perfectly tender.

With our suggestions below for side dishes, this dish is so versatile so the meat can be over bread, rice, pasta, and much more so don't miss our serving tips!

The liquid from the roast is so flavorful it can even make a fantastic gravy if you're serving this with mashed potatoes, however, you can add vegetables to the slow cooker to have an all-in-one meal ready.

This is mom's Italian version for London broil and usually, in a slow cooker, it's a foolproof recipe although you can slow cook this in the oven if you don't have one on a low temperature of 250 degrees for around an hour per pound.

If you prefer your meat very rare then this isn't the recipe for you the meat will be tough if not slow cooker and London broil would need to be replaced by a good premium cut of meat like a Tri-Tip, Rib eye roast, or Beef tenderloin.

This recipe can be used with any meat or even pork you will just have to adjust the cooking times by the chart on doneness.





2

Wonton or Tortilla Mini Bowls, Cinco De Mayo Bowls and Easy Savory Instruction Recipes

Saturday, May 4, 2013

These are a simple little bowls you can fill with anything you desire from savory appetizers to mouth watering desserts! I love them sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and then filled with vanilla or coffee flavored ice cream drizzled with some hot fudge sauce, perfect for Cinco de mayo but just use flour tortillas instead of wontons! You can go from salads to desserts all in the same appetizer party frenzy. See some of the suggestions below just to name a few! Get your imagination going you can make a whole lot of different appetizers for your party gatherings and tailor these to all your guests favorites!





Here's how to make them:

1 package of wonton or use flour tortilla (you find these in the produce department at your local grocery store)

1 cupcake pan of 12 openings of medium sized

1 can cooking oil spray



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray you cupcake tins with cooking oil.

Place a wonton in each cup.

Bake until browned and crispy around 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

Suggestions and Notes: Brush the bottoms with a little rum and melted butter before filling for desserts. For the savory styles, brush with melted butter and a little white wine.



For dessert cups, fill with lemon, chocolate, banana or vanilla puddings add fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, berries, chopped nuts or chunks of chocolate then topped with whipped cream



Add ice cream of your choice (we love coffee flavored) with a sprinkle of cinnamon/sugar and then drizzled with a little chocolate hot fudge syrup



Fresh fruits on top of a dollop of lemon curd



Nutella and whipped cream on top



For savory filled cup fill with a Mexican refried bean dip, add also lettuce, tomato and top with sour cream, chopped olives and jalapenos.

You can fill with chopped tomato and mozzarella and fresh basil for a great started appetizer as shown in photo.

Black beans, avocado, garbanzo beans, corn, mixed with a salsa for a Tex Mex style.

Use a tuna salad, egg salad or ham salad and chicken salad all great fillings.

Cream cheese mixed with smoked salmon.

Cream cheese mixed with crab meat.

Cream cheese mixed with chopped peppers, olives, tomato, onion and tuna.

Roasted chicken, buffalo sauce, drizzled with blue cheese and sprinkled with shredded cheddar

Sliced corned beef, sauerkraut and then drizzled with thousand island dressing

Chopped steak, sauteed mushrooms, onions and drizzled with steak sauce

Pulled pork with barbecue sauce

I am sure you can come up with hundreds of more ideas!

You can make these bowls ahead of time for company to have on hand freeze them on a cookie sheet then store in a freezer bag laying flat until ready to use!

The skies the limit of imagination! These hold up great with any filling.






0