Apricot Puff Pastry Twists

I have often made cheese twists to put out on an appetizer table. They are so savory, as well as being easy finger food! I have made them from scratch and also used puff pastry.

I recently came across Food Network's Robin Miller's recipe for Apricot Puff Pastry Twists. And wow, how easy and good these sound!

We are having a sweets table at work where some coworkers are raising money for the Heart Association. Each Thursday during February, these three women have been baking their little hearts out and raising lots of dough which they will donate to our local event, America's Greatest Heart Run and Walk. This week I am going to donate my baking skills to their selection and make some of these twists, using Sugar Free Apricot Preserves. This will be a calorie friendly treat! Plus they go great with coffee or tea, and if you make these for dessert at home, serve them along with some good vanilla ice cream or low-fat frozen yogurt. I also plan to make some butterscotch chip cookies. They have had some wonderful treats over the past weeks, and I want to help them out so they can maximize their contribution to this very worthy cause.

Robin Miller's Apricot Puff-Pasty Twists
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed according to package directions
1/2 cup apricot preserves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using rolling pin, roll out puff pastry into rectangle about
17" X 14".
Spread preserves over one-half of dough yo within 1/4" of edges. Fold dough in half over preserves, like a book. Pop this into the freezer for a few minutes for easy cutting. Using sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut dough crosswise into 1/2-in. thick ribbons. Take each ribbon by ends and twist into corkscrew. Arrange corkscrews on large baking sheet and press down the ends against sheet (this prevents them from untwisting during baking). Bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 10 minutes. These twists are super warm or cold.

Orange Creamsicle Pudding Parfait

One of the really yummy treats I found while following the South Beach Diet a few years ago was made with part-skim ricotta cheese, It gave me the feeling that I was being indulgent while dieting. I still love it, and recently I came across a recipe for a delicious citrus-y parfait using ricotta that would make the perfect ending for dinner. What I really like about it is that it uses Greek yogurt and oranges in it, along with the ricotta. Winter in the northeast doesn't provide much in the way of wonderful fruits, and what there is, is usually expensive. However, oranges are plentiful and since they are so good for you in helping to ward off colds, I think this is a perfect way to use some "winter" fruits. Stonyfield recently provided me with some great coupons for their Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is creamier and thicker than regular yogurt and the plain version provides a wonderful base for cool desserts, baking and cooking.
Stonyfield began in 1983 in New Hampshire and if you don't know their story or have ever tried their products, click here http://www.stonyfield.com/stonyfield/index.jsp.
They have exceptional quality products and I am sure you will like them once you try them.

Now as for my special dessert, here is the recipe. Remember those great orange creamsicles you ate as a kid? Well, here is a grown-up version. It is healthy and delicious and a good way to get your Vitamin C and calcium, without adding a lot of calories.

Orange Creamsicle Pudding Parfait
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 pkgs sugar free fat-free white chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup (1%) milk
1/2 cup (2%) plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange
20 drops yellow and 3 drops red liquid food colorings
2 cups thawed frozen fat free whipped topping
Orange slices and mint sprigs to garnish (optional)
In food processor combine 1 cup ricotta, 1 pkg. dry pudding mix, milk, 1/4 cup yogurt and vanilla; process until very smooth. Transfer to bowl; cover. Grate 1 tsp. orange zest and squeeze 1/4 cup juice from orange into food processor. Add food colorings and remaining 1 cup ricotta, 1 pkg. pudding mix and 1/4 cup yogurt; process until very smooth.
Transfer to separate bowl; cover.
Refrigerate both pudding mixes 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, fold 1 cup topping into each pudding mixture. Transfer to separate food storage bags; snip one corner of each. Place both bags, cut corners down, into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe mixture into 6 glasses. If desired, garnish with orange slice and mint. Or, if you are lazy like me...just alternate the layers in your parfait glass!!

Fruit Squares...Easy as Pie

This recipe is as old as the hills for me! It goes back at least 25 years and it is always a hit. It's great for a crowd or a takealong. I know...one pound of butter! But let me tell you, you don't have to cut these in huge squares. They are so delicious and taste just like pie, only without the crust. The best part is that it takes very little time to prepare. You can top this with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream....YUM!

Kuchen Fruit Squares

1 lb. Margarine or butter
6 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsps baking powder
2 different canned pie fillings, like strawberry and blueberry, pineapple and blackberry

Melt butter or margarine; mix with other ingredients in a large bowl. Mixture will be slightly crumbly. Using ½ of the mixture, pat half of the mixture for a crust on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover each half of the crust with a different pie filling. Take the remaining mixture and sprinkle over the top of the pie fillings. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Please Sir, May I have S'More?

Labor Day is around the corner and the kids are going back to school (although in some areas they have already started). Here in the Northeast, as summer, or what we had of it, gears down, families are taking their last camping trips. We used to do a lot of camping and there was nothing like sitting around the roaring campfire, relaxing, and making S'mores. I had my first S'more as a Girl Scout...way too many years ago to count! I am amazed how the popularity of this wonderfully warm, melt-y, chocolate-y, gooey treat has managed to stick around and become even more popular. There are specially sized graham crackers now, grocery stores have whole displays packed with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars that act as the siren of sweetness.... drawing us in to buy some....make some....go ahead take a bite....mmmm...melted chocolate dripping down your arm...gooey marshmallows sticking to your lips. There is even S'mores cereal for those who are so inclined to like this sort of thing! Well, my camping days are over, and I don't buy the sugary cereals. But I found an interesting recipe in the Sept 25, 2009 issue of All You, that will satisfy those, including myself, who still love S'mores, want to make them at home, but really don't want to go through the trouble of melting marshmallows over a gas jet on the stove (hmmmm...interesting...fire extinguisher handy?). This can be a great weeknight dessert or a special after-school treat. And, this particular recipe has you making your own chocolate pudding and adding graham crackers and marshmallows. Well, what can be better? But in the interest of time, grab the box of My-T-Fine or Jello-O cooked pudding mix and, yes, make your own!!!. Plus you can shave a ton of calories out of this by using sugar free pudding mix, 2 % milk and low-fat graham crackers. I am posting the original recipe, but I plan on using the shortcuts and the healthier version. I know my family, especially the grandkids will love this!

S'Mores Pudding

3/4 cup sugar

6 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 whole graham crackers, broken into small pieces

30 miniature marshmallows

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks until blended and smooth.

Pour remaining milk into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisking vigorously and constantly, pour about 2 cups hot milk into sugar mixture until blended. Pour mixture back into saucepan with remaining milk, whisking well.

Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and 1/2 chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted.

Divide pudding among 1-cup ramekins or custard cups.

Place remaining chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for about 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds, until melted.

Place graham crackers in a ziplock bag; seal bag. Use a rolling pin to break up the graham crackers into small pieces.

Sprinkle top of each pudding with graham crackers and 5 miniature marshmallows. Drizzle with melted chocolate and serve warm.

This serves 6, so if you want to have the same amount, only using the boxed cooked pudding, use 2 boxes.

MINI CHEESECAKES

Who can resist thick, creamy, decadent cheesecake? This is a low-fat version in the single serving size. Oh yeah...that's what I'm talking about...treating yourself without lots of guilt! And you can change this up a bit if you want. Add a teaspoon of cocoa for some chocolate cheesecakes! The recipe calls for cherry filling on top. I'm not a fan of that as for the sweetness which seems excessive to me. But put a couple of fresh blueberries or raspberries on top of each one! Or drizzle some low fat caramel sauce on top of each one and sprinkle with a few toffee chips! Whatever your pleasure these are a little bite of heaven!

Mini Cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS
12 low-fat vanilla wafers
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
12 oz. fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
cherry pie filling

DIRECTIONS1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line muffin tins with 12 foil cupcake papers.

1. Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake paper.

2. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and fat-free cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

3. Pour cheesecake mixture into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

4. Decorate cheesecake tops with cherry pie filling.

Makes 12 cheesecakes/servings.

Chocolate and Cherries....I AM IN HEAVEN!

Have you ever had this chocolate cobbler at the Crackerbarrel Restaurant? OMG....talk about decadent! If you love chocolate and cherries together (think Black Forest Cake), this is awesome and so much easier than making a cake! It is rich and chocolate-y so my suggestion is to not serve this with an overly rich and heavy meal! This is also a twist on the usual cobblers like peach or apple. I like making this around Valentine's Day for my honey who loves both of these ingredients. And me, I love chocolate!! I think this is as close to the dessert at Crackerbarrel and you can enjoy it right it your own home.

Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cups butter

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1 21-oz. can cherry pie filling

1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter; cut with pastry blender until crumbs are the size of large peas.

Melt chocolate morsels over hot, not boiling water. Remove from heat and cool slightly at room temperature about 5 minutes.

Add milk and egg to melted chocolate and mix well. (It helps to temper first.)

Blend chocolate into flour mixture.

Spread cherry pie filling in bottom of 2-quart casserole. Drop chocolate batter randomly over cherries. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

Ice Cream...Cupcakes!

Oh gosh, how cute are these? Here is another summer dessert idea that is fun for the kids. We love cupcakes because they are "just enough" and so easy to serve at the kids' parties. But for the summer, this is a "cool" idea and gives you your cake and ice cream in a cupcake liner. And, you can experiment with ice cream flavors and toppings. Some of the things that came to mind were:

Coffee ice cream and Heath Bar toffee bits
Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and mini chocolate chips
Peanut Butter Ice Cream and chopped peanuts
Maple Walnut Ice Cream and chopped toasted walnuts
Raspberry Swirl ice cream or Sorbet with chopped bittersweet chocolate
Strawberry ice cream with chopped milk chocolate
Vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut
Vanilla ice cream with chopped chocolate covered almonds
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream with chopped Milky Way bars

OK, had enough? I told you that all you need is your imagination and a favorite flavor! And ask the kids! They can always come up with some great combinations.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

1 Sara Lee frozen pound cake

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 pints ice cream, flavor of your choice, slightly softened

1 cup toppings that you want to use for mixing in

Arrange 12 paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Cut pound cake unto 1/2-inch thick slices. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut 12 circles from slices, reserving scraps for another use (like trifle, perhaps!) Place circles in bottoms of cupcake liners.

Combine heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until cream holds stiff peaks. Scoop ice cream into a large bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup toppings; add remaining toppings to bowl with ice cream. Combine by mashing ice cream and toppings with back of a large spoon. (If ice cream gets too soft, place bowl in freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.)

Top each pound cake circle with a scoop of ice cream and cover with whipped cream. Sprinkle with remaining toppings. Lightly drape cupcakes with plastic wrap and place in freezer until form, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Tropical Thoughts.....

The weather here has been so dreary. Central NY is not having a very nice summer...rain, cool temperatures. A lot of the blahs going around. So we have to make the best of it by making happy food!! How about a tropical sundae? I found a version of this in ALL YOU magazine and changed it up a bit. Result? Delicious and like a pina colada for kids! For an adult version of this dessert, add a little white rum to the caramel sauce. Or you can try using a different flavor of ice cream...I used Dulce de Leche. You can always add a sliced banana to the pineapple and caramel sauce while you are caramelizing. This would be like a warm banana split with some fresh whipped cream and toasted peanuts on top. Use your imagination. This is a cool and decadent way to end your summer supper!

Pina Colada Sundae
1 cored fresh pineapple
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 cups vanilla ice cream
Toasted coconut


1. Slice pineapple into eight rings and cut each into 6 pieces.
2. Warm butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When butter begins to foam, add pineapple and brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until pineapple begins to brown and sugar is dissolved, 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat, scrape into a shallow bowl and let stand until just warm to the touch, 2-3 minutes. (If you wish to add rum, add when you remove from the heat and stir well. Then let rest.)
3. Divide ice cream among 6 dessert dishes or layer into parfait glasses. Top each dish with pineapple and sauce. Sprinkle with toasted coconut

Summer Fruit Dessert

This is a true summer fruit dessert that has so many juicy flavors. The crushed amaretti cookies add a wonderful crunchy almond flavor. And the addition of the amaretto...the aroma of this in the oven is so.........so........mmmmmmm.
Making this for the family? Leave out the amaretto and use almond extract! And it is equally as good with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream!
This is another super Giada recipe.

By the way, hp on over to Cinnamon & Spice to visit her blueberry Blogger Secret Ingredient contest! http://cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2009/06/something-borrowed-something.html

I am off to Atlanta to visit my daughter and her family. Can't wait to hold my little granddaughter! I will take a few days off from blogging to enjoy their company. See you in a week!

Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp with Amaretti Cookie Topping
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis
Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup crushed amaretti cookies, coarsely crushed
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Filling:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 pounds nectarines, pitted and sliced into thick wedges
8 ounces blueberries
3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese


To make the topping: Stir the flour and sugars in a medium bowl to blend. Add the cookies and almonds and mix well. Add the butter and rub in until moist clumps form.
To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Stir the sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add the nectarines and blueberries, and toss to combine. Stir in the liqueur.
Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the cookie topping over. Bake until the nectarines are tender and the topping is golden and crisp, about 45 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes. Spoon the warm crisp into bowls. Top each with a dollop of mascarpone cheese and serve.

Berry Trifle

I am a berry-a-holic! I guess that is better than other types of addictions, right? I have posted other recipes using berries and they are, by far, my favorite types of fruit because they are easy to eat and bake with! This is a nice dessert because you can make it kid friendly or kick it up for adult servings. It is very pretty in a trifle bowl. This can also be a great dessert at Christmas because of the red and white colors. Also, if you want, you can use both red raspberries and blackberries. So, to make this a nice weekday dessert, use cranberry juice cocktail to sprinkle over the pound cake. Or for an adult dinner party, sprinkle your poundcake with Chambord. This is a lovely, smooth raspberry liqueur. You can garnish the top with some fresh raspberries or even red sanding sugar. Either way, this will go fast.
Double Berry Trifle
Yield: 15 servings
Ingredients:
12 oz. pound cake, cut into 10 slices
3 tablespoons cranberry juice cocktail
2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2-1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3 oz. each) vanilla instant pudding and pie mix

1 container (8 oz.) frozen cool whip topping, thawed
Save today, with ingredients featured in our Weekly Specials! Weekly Special ingredients have the link. Click to view the savings!

Directions:
Arrange cake slices on bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Drizzle cranberry juice cocktail over cake slices. Top with frozen
raspberries, separating as needed. Sprinkle with sugar.
Pour milk into large bowl; add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. Gently stir in 1 cup whipped topping. Spoon mixture over raspberries; top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving.

Gooey and Good!

If you are going to have a bunch of kids over, let them help you make a fun dessert. Kids love brownies and they love sundaes. This is a fun dessert without the ice cream. And again, it helps get kids to eat some fruit because they have prepared this dessert themselves. Make sure to serve this nice and cold and you will surely think there is ice cream in the mix of ingredients. I have brought this to a backyard picnic before. We kept it refrigerated until just before serving and when we brought it out, it was gone very quickly.

Here are a few other ideas for this dessert:

• Add toffee chips instead of walnuts


• Add some mini chocolate chips or peanut butter chips


• Add butterscotch chips and drizzle with butterscotch ice cream topping Use blonde brownies


• Adults only versions: Sprinkle brownies with Kahlua before layering.


• Sprinkle brownies with Chamborde and use raspberries for the fruit


• Sprinkle brownies with Grand Marnier and use mandarin oranges for the fruit

Brownie Sundae

Prepare brownies. When cool, cut into 1-inch squares.

In a large bowl, start to layer:

Brownies first.

Next a layer of fruit such as strawberries, bananas, or blueberries, etc

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts

Next add a layer of Cool Whip

Continue to layer with last layer as Cool Whip.

Chill until ready to serve.

Drizzle some Hershey's chocolate syrup on top of the Cool Whip and sprinkle with chopped walnuts just before serving.

You can even toss a few marachino cherries on top!

So let your imagination be your guide. This is fun and easy and oh so gooey!