Lent Dessert

I am not Catholic but a lot of people I know are. I made this to take over a friends house for Dessert.

Bon Appetit as a recipe on this in it's April Issue, but I changed mine up a lot by using Sorghum instead of Honey, using Roasted Sunflowers instead of Almonds and I added smoked paprika. The flavors are so earthy, sweet and spicy!

RECIPE

Cookie sheet- put parchment paper down and spray with cooking spray. Now line cookie sheet with 6 Matzo they can lay on top each other a little to fit.

Now in a Sauce pan put1 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup Sorghum, and 1/4 cup water on low until dissolves. Now turn up heat to med-hi and boil for 13-15 min. Do not stir. When it look dark Amber pour over the Matzo crackers.

Sprinkle with Roasted Sunflowers. Let this cool a bit. Now drizzle 5oz melted 72% Chocolate over the Caramel and last sprinkle a mixture of course Salt 1 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika & 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

Let this sit in room temp until the chocolate hardens 30 min or longer. Break it up with a knife and put in an air tight container until serving.



BLACK SESAME..........

DON"T BE AFRAID. Black Sesame-Pear Tea Cake is sooooo Delicious! We don't normally think Black when it comes to Baked Goods, but this works!

I would call this a Black Tahini Pear Tea Cake, because it really has that nutty Tahini flavor with a sweet crunch of the Demerara Sugar on top and the moistness of the pears inside. I could not put this down! I am having a piece of this with Ginger Tea right now, yummy. I personally think that really sweet cake matched with Tea takes away from the flavors of your Tea. Don't kill your taste buds with sugar! This "pearing" is a mild blend of flavors that work! 

Again this came from Bon Appetit magazine March 2012 issue page 67

I would try to make these into muffins because they are so moist. Hey add some dark chocolate!

Think outside the box when doing flavor mixing. I am so board with the same old stuff. Aren't you???? Have fun with baking, be creative!

Chocolate fun cake bon appetit

bon appetit is the best food magazine out there for recipes. The recipes actually turn out!!

I try to make at least 3 recipes from every issue of bon appetit. I have tried so many other recipes from other magazines and they are all either boring or never turn out and taste as good as they appear in the picture.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fun Cake is amazing. March 2012 page 70. I used Trader Joe's Cookie Butter in the frosting instead of peanut butter to change it up. WOW DELICIOUS!!! The cake batter is Vegan so if you wanted to make your own vegan topping that would be nice.

For the cake

nonstick spray the sides and the bottom of an 8x8x2 pan then lay parchment paper on bottom.

whisk in a bowl 1 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 11/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. baking soda. Now add and whisk in 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 1/4 cup water. Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped dark chocolate.

Pour into pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 min until center is cooked. Cool on a cookie rack. When it is cooled flip over onto a decorative plate. Peel parchment paper off. Now decorate with whatever topping you want!!!! This cake is so moist and delicious!

ARTICHOKE DIP

Okay I use to make this recipe when I worked for a Gourmet Caterer Company in Baltimore Maryland.

We served high-end clientele and they always loved this simple delicious dip.



In a food processor combine

Artichokes 1 large can (drain) or 1 frozen bag from Trader Joe's

1 cup Mayo

2 Tbsp. Hot sauce

2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream (could substitute with sour cream)

Parmesan Cheese Shaved 5 oz  (save a little to sprinkle on top) can use a combo cheese with Romano & Asiago if want.

Salt & Pepper

After all mixed up put in a glass Pyrex and sprinkle top with little Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until bubbly. Sprinkle chives on top. Serve warm with  Pita chips or custini. You could serve this in a small warming pot for a party.


ENJOY!!!

Chalk Board Paint

Okay we all know about this fabulous paint, but you have to see how I used it!

Use Chalk Board Paint on Glass. These snowmen are adorable, my Nieces will love these filled with cookies and candy.

Once I had the paint out, I could not resist painting a new decoration for my kitchen. I took an old decorative board that said "Welcome" and painted over it. Now with the chalk board paint over top, I can change it up and draw pictures or write any phrase. Really it is endless what you can paint. 

This is so easy to use. Do at least 2-3 coats of paint to get good coverage.

ICE COFFEE

Iced Coffee is so delicious!

Sometimes in the middle of the day when I need a pick me up, I go for a home made iced coffee.

I found this Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk in a squeeze bottle at Trader Joe's. Just a little squeeze in my iced coffee makes a nice creamy and sweet taste.

I put a little cold coffee in a glass with about a teaspoon of this condensed milk, stir it up then add more cold coffee, ice and a little cream or almond milk.

Mmmmmm refreshing & and so delicious!!!

YUMMY LATTE

I LOVE ESPRESSO!

I make my own Latte every morning. Yes, I admit I am addicted to Coffee & Espresso. Shopping at Trader Joes today I found this amazing yummy Grinder, for me a Latte Topper. I will use this to top Cookies, Truffels, Hot Chocolate, Granola, Toffee, Popcorn etc. You have to get yourself some!