Sweet Potato Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today I made a delicious sweet potato pie…and a yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting…and my niece made a delicious spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

I know we are all full and satisfied after a delicious holiday meal, however I thought I would post a few pictures...lol

hot out of the oven



you can always add a dollop of whipped cream



yellow cake w/dark chocolate frosting



spice cake w/cream cheese frosting





a scoop of ice cream sounds good!!!


After all the Black Friday shopping, now it's time to enjoy some yummy desserts.




*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot....
P.S. I don't like coconut

I hope you enjoy


Bon appetit in Dutch - Smakelijk eten! Eet Smakelijk!

Danielles Famous Cheesecake w/strawberries

Week 10

This is November the month of Thanksgiving desserts, we have a lot of holiday baking to do. That’s why October was an easy month lol to prepare you for November and December Holiday baking.


This week I decided to make my daughter Danielles, famous Cheesecake. She makes her famous Cheesecake every holiday and it’s a big hit.


I'm not allowed to publish her recipe however if you use the recipe from the philly cream cheese box it will be delicious as well. Dani tweaked hers to make it her own... hummm... I wonder where she got that from...lol like mother like daughter.

after cooling and before toppings



I added frozen strawberry topping



Ok....Danielles cheesecake looks and taste better...lol I think I did an ok job for it to be my first cheesecake what do you all think? be nice lol

Tips

1. I used a ready-made graham cracker crust, you are more than welcome to make your own.

2. Once the cheesecake cooled and refrigerated overnight, I took the cheesecake out of the aluminum pan and placed on a dome. Be Very Careful!!! the crust will crumble...

*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….


P.S. I don’t like coconut


I hope you enjoy


Bon appétit in  Danish - Velbekomme!

Sorry I Didn't Have A Post This Past Week...I Will Make It Up This Week ;) Thanks For Your Patients

Halloween Sugar Cookies

This is it Halloween is tomorrow…I hope you’ve had fun with some of this month Halloween treats.


This week I decided to make my famous Sugar Cookies, they are perfect for any holiday. Great for cutting into shapes and decorating for the kids.

very easy to decorate

delicious

too cute!!






Recipe


2 sticks butter softened
1 1/8 c sugar
1 lg egg
1 ½ t vanilla
2 1/8 c unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cream of tartar
½ t salt

Bake 375


Cream together butter and sugar, beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt. Mix well chill for at least 2 hours.

Tip

1.Allow cookie dough to chill for an hour or two, I usually make my dough the night before.

. Roll your dough out on a floured surface

3. Make sure to flour your cookie cutters




*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….


P.S. I don’t like coconut 

hope you enjoy


Bon appétit in Greek - Καλή όρεξη! (Kalí óreksi!)




Sorry last week I had a spelling error (careful) oops!




\

Pecan Caramel Apples

This is week 8, following with my Halloween/Autumn theme...I decided on carmel apples yum..This is also a very easy week, however this treat should be made by an adult, or an older teenager, supervised by an adult. The reason being is the carmel gets extremely hot and will burn....ouch it sticks to your skin. PLEASE BE CAREDFUL!!



Yummy!!!





Ready to eat!!




More pecans please... lol



Only Three Ingredients !!!

4-5 medium apples

1 bag 14oz caramels

2 T milk

Wash, dry and insert sticks into the stem end of the apples, set aside.

Microwave:

Melt the caramels and milk together in a microwave safe bowl on high power for 2-2 1/2 minutes stirring every minute until melted and smooth. Dip apples into caramel mixture, twisting to coat. Allow excess caramel to drip off. Place or wax or parchment paper add pecans (roll) while caramel is still warm.

Conventional:

Melt caramels and milk in saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Continue as directed above.

Tips

1. Safety is number 1....be very careful when making this treat.

2. Pecans are optional.

*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….

P.S. I don’t like coconut


I hope you enjoy

Bon appétit in Croatian - Dobar tek!

Rice Crispie Treats

Sorry I'm a couple of days late, however this week is very easy, very simple.

This week I decided to make something easy for the kids, the old kiddie classic Rice Crispie Treats...lol since it’s getting close to Halloween they’ll probably need a treat to take to school for the party. It's easy, very reasonably priced, and you will have enough to feed the entire class plus the teacher...lol

The older kids can make it themselves. The younger kids will need a little assistance especially with the stove.



cut into squares and ready to eat!!





 ready to eat!!



cut into shapes and decorated...The kids can do a better job at decorating..lol



Follow the recipe on the back of the marshmallow bag or back of the cereal box...

ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS!!!!

Butter
Marshmallows
Rice crispie cereal



Tip

1. I use butter, the taste is wayyyy better

2. When melting butter and marshmallows keep the heat low to medium to keep from burning.


3. Make sure to butter your cookie cutters


4. If you have smaller/thinner cookie cutters you can spread you treat mixture out on a cookie sheet or spread on buttered wax or parchment paper, that way the cutters can go all the way through the treat mixture.


*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….


P.S. I don’t like coconut



I hope you enjoy

Bon appétit in Czech - Dobrou chuť!

Neelys Maple Glazed Donuts

Autumn/Fall I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful foliage as much as I am, it’s amazing!!!

Here in Michigan and Ohio where I grew up, this time of year is all about apple orchards, donuts and cider, pumpkin patches and hay rides

I decided on this very nice and sunny day we need donuts !!!

I got this recipe from the Neelys I didn’t tweak it because I’ve never made donuts before so I thought I’d better follow the recipe and not try anything fancy…lol even though I wanted to replace the allspice and pumpkin puree, lol I’m always thinking, what can I change, take out, or add in…lol

This recipe was a little difficult to work with, the dough was very sticky and hard to handle, the flavor was ok… now on to the glaze it was bland next time I will use my cinnamon roll glaze yum…

I made donut holes...so cute :)  you can sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with glaze.

plain w/cinnamon sugar

drizzled with glaze

I also made regular sized donuts

plain

drizzled w/glaze

 Recipe:

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons melted salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Cinnamon sugar

• Maple Syrup Glaze, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oil in a large Dutch oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs, yolk, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, melted butter and almond extract together in another large bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and thoroughly mix together using a wooden spoon. The dough will be very sticky.

Dust your counter top and hands with flour. Using your hands pat out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Dip a 3-inch round cutter in flour and cut out donuts. Cut out center of donuts with 3/4-inch cutter. Gather scraps and re-roll. Continue cutting out donuts.

Fry donuts, in hot oil, until golden brown and crisp, approximately 1 minute per side. Drain on wire rack over sheet tray to cool.

Once cool, dust with cinnamon sugar, if desired, or dip tops of the donuts into the Maple Syrup Glaze. Also, a butter knife can be used to spread on the glaze.



Maple Syrup Glaze:

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
• 1/2 cup milk

In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, maple extract and milk; stir well. Add additional milk, if needed, to reach

desired consistency. Drizzle over donuts (about 24)



Tip
1. make sure your surface and hands are well covered with flour....
2. sprinkle your cinnamon sugar on while the donuts are still hot


*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….

P.S. I don’t like coconut  


I hope you enjoy

Bon appétit in Latin - Bonum appetitionem!

Double Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

October begins the month of Halloween, preparing the kids for the big day Oct 31 and my favorite season is beginning to kick in, Fall/Autumn…if you’re like me my kids are grown and gone, however you’re never too old for Halloween goodies.

The entire month of Oct I will make treats geared toward Halloween and Fall and since Autumn is in full effect. I decided to make a delicious fudgy brownie.

The only way to eat a brownie is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you're like one scoop turns into two...lol

,



Where's the ice cream!!!





Where are the pecans...lol



 I'll have a scoop of ice cream please..lol

As usual I tweaked it
1 stick butter
8 oz.– 4 oz dark chocolate chips - 4oz semisweet chips
1/4 cup unsweetened-cocoa powder
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 9x13”  Spray with cooking spray

1. Melt together butter, chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave stirring every 15-20 seconds. Stir until smooth and remove from heat/microwave to cool slightly.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until pale
4. Beat in melted chocolate mixture.
5. Add flour mixture, beating until combined. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula/spoon as needed.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, spread evenly
7. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, testing with tooth pick around 20 minutes. Do not over bake.

Tip1

the recipe called for semisweet chocolate I used 4oz dark and 4 oz semisweet, however it’s your call. I’ve tried the recipe with all dark chocolate and it was delicious. Depends on your taste

Tip 2

Use a larger pan to make brownies thinner, take Halloween cookie cutters cut into shapes & decorate

*Optional pecans or walnuts can be added, of course I wanted to add pecans but I didn’t because September was pecan month…lol

*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….

P.S. I don’t like coconut  

I hope you enjoy

Bon appétit in Italian - Buon appetito!

Pecan Layer Bars

This is my last week of my Pecans Theme, maybe you’ve notice all 4 weeks had pecans, it won’t be my last week just my last week of September… lol. As you can see I love pecans, whenever a recipe call for walnuts I change it to pecans…lol

This treat is one of my short-cuts, My daughter gave me a cookie cook book with short cuts, which I love. And I wanted to share it with you.

As you can tell by the recipe I’ve tweaked it lol…the recipe is called “Coconut Pecan layer bars”…lolol maybe you’ve heard I DON’T LIKE COCONUT!!!!
  






Done!!! ready to slice...

                                              

Sliced and Ready to eat!!!

I added oatmeal instead of coconut....

As alwaysI tweaked the recipe, I took out the coconut




Coconut Pecan Layer Bars

Crust


1 package (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix

5 T butter melted

1 egg



Topping

¾ c corn syrup

¼ c packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans



1. preheat oven to 350 line 13x9 pan with foil and spray lightly with cookie spray

2. for crust, combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg in large bowl until well blended (batter will be stiff). Press batter into prepared pan, bake 15 minutes.

3. for topping combine corn syrup, brown sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla in another large bowl until well blended. Stir in pecans. Spread mixture evenly over partially baked crust.

4 bake 25 minutes or until top is bubbling and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Make about 24 bars


Tips
I tried the recipe with uncooked oatmeal for texture...If you notice in the picture half the pan looks lighter I put uncooked oatmeal....I liked it both ways you have to try it for yourself, and let me know which way preferred...





*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….

P.S. I don’t like coconut

I hope you will enjoy.



Bon appétit in -Japanese   
どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare) = 'enjoy your meal' - said by the cook/chef


いただきます (itadakimasu) - said before a meal by those eating

ご馳走さま (gochisōsama) - said after a meal by those who have eaten

Simple Individual Apple Crisp

This recipe is awesome, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!!! You can’t go wrong…The recipe called for 5 apples I used only 4, since I was making 3 ex-large ramekins however if you use the smaller ramekins you should be able to fill 4-5 ramekins, or follow the recipe as is.

Before Baking...





Done!!!!



Delicious!!!!

This dessert was so good my daughter and I couldn't wait for it to cool we had to taste it hot and boy it was worth the pain...lol and once it cooled enough for the ice cream... it was amazing!


of course I tweaked the recipe to make it my own...lol


Filling:


• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 stick chilled butter, cut into pieces

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Filling:

• Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.

For topping:

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving. (with vanilla ice cream or butter pecan)


Tip
1. I like to taste my topping all through the dessert, if you like you can pour 1/2 of the apple mixture in the ramekins, sprinkle some of your topping add the remaining mixture and sprinkle remaing toppings

2. You can make these up in advance keep refrigerated and place them in the oven while you're having dinner. You'll have the perfect dessert by the end of the meal 

3.Theses ex-large ramekins where more than we could handle we could only eat half...the next size down would probably be better.
 
*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try or you just want to share,  please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….P.S. I don’t like coconut.
 
 
I hope you enjoy!!
Chinese (Cantonese)   食飯 (sihk faahn) - eat

Saturday Morning Coffee Cake

This is the perfect treat for a lazy Saturday morning, you can’t go wrong with a warm slice of coffee cake and a cup of coffee or tea yummy..I call it my Saturday morning coffee cake because Saturday is my day to relax, lie in bed, go out to breakfast, or go to Eastern Market (farmers)…however you hear people say all the time how Sunday is their day to relax, sleep in, read the paper. Well I don’t know what planet they’re living on, because my Sundays are rushed and frantic I’m trying to get to church on time, realizing I need gas for the car and hose…lol or is it just me.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
I found this recipe on the internet and tweeked it of course...lol
 
 
For the pan dusting:


• Butter for pan

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cake:

• 1 stick salted butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups sifted unbleached flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sour cream

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces

• 3/4 cup pecans pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together. Butter a bundt pan well and liberally coat it with the cinnamon sugar.

In a mixer, cream butter until smooth, add sugar and mix. Add eggs one at a time mix until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with spoonfuls of sour cream mix well.

Make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. Add the pecans and mix. Sprinkle the mixture over the cake.

Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan then turn over onto cake plate.

Serve in slices (warm)



This recipe ask for the pecan mixture to be sprinkled on top of the cake however I like to taste my pecan mixture all through the cake.





Tip of the day

1.*Pour half the batter into the pan sprinkle small portion of pecan mixture over batter, then add the rest of the batter and sprinkle leftover mixture over the top…




*If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or afraid to try, please send it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot….P.S. I don’t like coconut

 
I hope you enjoy!!
Bon appétit in Swahili   Ufurahie chakula chako (sg)   Furahieni chakula chenu (pl)

Triple Chocolate Chips w/Pecans

Hello fellow bloggers and blog readers, I'm new to the blog world and it was suggested that I write a blog from one of my networking sites. After the suggestion and watching the movie Julie/Julia (which I fell in love with), I thought wow, light bulb moment, what a cool idea, maybe I should give it a shot and create an all dessert blog.







I emailed a friend that has a blog of her own and ran the idea by her, and she thought it was a great idea....I began researching blogs immediately. I watched the movie again...lol and begun the difficult task of picking a name and deciding on the structure.






My blog will be updated weekly. I will bake or prepare a different treat every week, 52 different treats all homemade with colorful pictures. I will have a few short-cuts, baking tips, and more, I hope you will enjoy






 *If you have a dessert recipe that you are having trouble with or are afraid to try, please email it to me along with a picture and I will give it a shot...
P.S. I don't like COCONUT!!!....lol






Julia Childs always ended her shows with Bon Appetit - enjoy your meal/good eats in French. I thought I would end my blog with Bon Appetit in as many languages as I can...lol





Now Lets Have Some Fun!

Best Seller...Triple Chocolate Chips w/Pecans or not !

Tip of the day






1. Since this is the beginning of the school year you can send your child off with a delicious treat in their lunch. Individually wrap a cookie or two in a baggie and add a decorative ribbon (as in school colors) or not depending on their ages..lol

2. To start the school year off on the right foot, this will make a great teachers gift...there's nothing wrong with your child getting on his/her teachers good side.(be sure to add ribbon) if you know the teachers name add a name tag.

3. Also you can make mini's for the younger kids

Buen apetito! or Buen provecho! - Spanish

COMING SOON!!!  

September 3, 2010 An all Dessert blog...featuring all of my favorite desserts...Stop by and see what's baking.