Dessert Due Today

Next Week:  Beef.  It's what's for dinner.

Tabasco Brownies

These are yummy brownies with a little bit of a kick.

Preparation Time: It depends on how many times the phone rings while you are making them!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pecans (optional if your picky kids don't like nuts in things!)


Directions:
Tape 4 (2x1 inch)pieces of aluminum foil around outside corners of an 8x8 glass dish. Spray baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place butter or margarine in microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 40 seconds or until butter is melted. Beat in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and tabasco sauce. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold in pecans and pour intobaking dish. Microwave on 70% power (medium high) for 7-9 minutes or until brownies test done in the center. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting.

Source: ??? My memory is gone!
Servings: Makes 16 (2" squares)

Chocolate Pudding [Pops]

A richer, less sugary version of the stuff that comes in a box.  This is no more difficult to make than cook-n-serve without all of the questionable ingredients.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes at high altitude.  Probably a lot quicker in the lowlands.

Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup cornstarch
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

Feel free to replace the vanilla with your extract of choice.  I used peppermint last night and it was quite tasty.  Raspberry and Orange would be good, too.  I usually freeze these into popsicles.  I find that the texture is better (less icy) if you pour it into the molds while still warm.

Source: Me!
Servings: 6-8

Coconut Frushi

Ingredients:
1.25 cups water
1 cup uncooked sushi rice or other short-grain rice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Dash of salt
cooking spray
Small pieces of fruit (I especially like using raspberries, blueberries and kiwi)

Directions:
Bring water and rice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until water is almost absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
Place rice in a large bowl. Add sugar, coconut milk, and salt, stirring gently until well combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Divide rice mixture into equal portions, shaping each into a ball (about 1 rounded tablespoon each). Lightly press each rice ball into an oval between palms; place ovals on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Top each of the ovals with fruit pieces and press gently to adhere. Cover and chill frushi until ready to serve.



Source: Adapted from Cooking Light recipe
Servings: 12-20 pieces, depending on size

Cinnamon Tortilla Crisp

Preparation Time: 5 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes to cook

Ingredients:
Package of your favorite flour tortillas

1/8th - 1/4th cup cinnamon sugar

1-2 cups oil

Directions:

Cut tortillas into thirds, and then into 2" strips.

In a deep frying pan, heat oil until hot enough to fry. To test, take the corner of a tortilla and dip it in the oil. If it bubbles, it is ready. If not, let it heat a little longer.

Place about 5 piece in at a time, making sure to flip. Place in a brown paper bag when the chip is done frying. (I always put the bag on the floor with a plastic bag under it so the floor doesn't get gross). When half of the chips are fried, sprinkle the sugar into the bag, close, and shake. Repeat when all chips are fried.

This is really good dipped in cream cheese frosting.

Source: learned it from a neighbor

Servings: about 1 tortilla per person

Rootbeer Floats

Pull out those long spoons and straws and relax on the back porch with this classic.

Ingredients:
One glass
Several scoops vanilla ice cream
One bottle chilled rootbeer

Directions:
Fill glass with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Pour chilled rootbeer over scoops to fill glass. Add more rootbeer as needed while enjoying

Servings: 1

Note: As a tasty alternative, try using chocolate chip ice cream and chilled Squirt.

Fruit Crisp

Works well with peaches, strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears... whatever's in season.

This is a "do what looks right" recipe, so the measurements are just guidelines.

Preparation Time: 20: less if you are a fast chopper. 30 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients:
-"a bunch" of fruit: enough to cover bottom of pan. 6 peaches worked well tonight.

-1 stick butter, softened

-1/2 cup sugar (little less if the fruit is good and sweet. little more if you're using something tart like granny smiths)

-1 cup flour

-1/2 cup oats (optional, but good for rounding out texture)

-"enough" cinnamon

-pinch of salt

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 375. place rack in middle
2. chop up the fruit into big chunks (it will cook down and you want some texture in the end). You can peel the fruit if you like, or keep the peel on for more texture. Put fruit in an 8x8 baking dish or round bowl
3. put butter, flour, sugar, optional oats, salt, cinnamon in a bowl and mash it all up with a fork. (If you use an electric beater it will be too uniform). You want crumbles, so add more flour if it gets too pasty
4. sprinkle topping over fruit
5. bake in oven about 30 minutes (until top is golden and fruit is bubbly)

Source: My mom
Servings: 6-8 (?)

Suggested Reading

I don't have too much dessert reading to offer...  but here's what I could find.  Leave more in the comments!

Smitten Kitchen has a wonderful everyday cake collection:
http://smittenkitchen.com/category/cake/everyday-cakes/

Up in the mountains, I am told butter just doesn't cut it for most baking.  You really need to use a more solid oil to keep cookies from becoming lacey.  Crisco's no good either as it is filled with poly-saturated fats.  Turns out lard is the way to go...

An article explaining why lard is healthier:
http://www.slate.com/id/2219314

An explanation of how to render lard:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/04/how-to-render-lard.html

I'm planning on picking up some leaf lard tomorrow at the farmer's market to render myself.  I'm a little nervous, but as the second article points out, lard passes the 'real food' test.  An easy way to eat healthy is to not purchase anything with ingredients that your grandmother would not recognize.  I'm sure my gram knows what lard is!

Key Lime Pie

This pie is so quick and easy, your family & friends will never know how little effort you put into it! If you're having a hard time juicing the limes, nuke them in the microwave for a couple seconds to get their juices flowing. A great summertime dessert!

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes for juicing the limes and mixing the ingredients

Ingredients:
8 Key Limes (or 4 regular limes), juiced

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp vanilla

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Cool Whip/Whip Cream for topping

Lime slices/zest for garnish

Directions:
Mix all ingredients well and pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Top with cool whip/whip cream and lime slices or zest for garnish!

Source: Sharyl :)
Servings: 8

Vegetables Due Today

Next week's topic:  Dessert