I made these for Valentine’s day for my son’s 2nd grade class. They were a huge success, and he asked for them again for his birthday instead of the usual cupcake. It’s a great alternative and a great end to a meal. Everyone loves these and they are simple and easy to make…and a nice treat for those watching their weight. These were made with Valhrona Chocolate. It just so happened that my local grocery store had these beautiful huge chunks of fine chocolate on sale so I grabbed a few blocks. Just chop the chocolate small and put place in a glass bowl. You can either melt it over a double boiler or even at a low temp in the microwave for 40 second intervals. I add a few tablespoons of light corn syrup and you are ready to dip! The oversized long stemmed strawberries work really well.
Category Archives: confections
easy as 1, 2, 3
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pumpkin pie
My 6 year old son is a HUGE fan of pumpkin pie. Last week we made a pie together, and almost every night for a week he enjoyed a slice after dinner. So tonight, he asked if we could make another. I happily obliged. As I set out to make our pie from my stockpile of Libby’s canned pumpkin, my little guy said…”Wait!” Can we use real pumpkin? We have a bunch outside on the front step!” So we set out together to make our pie from fresh pumpkin.
I do love having canned pumpkin on hand, it is one of the top 10 super foods!! I like to add it to cakes and brownies and omit the fat. My kids also love pumpkin bread and cupcakes, so I like having it available.
Making pie from fresh pumpkin is more nutritious and actually quite simple. Make sure that you use the small sugar pumpkins.
First, we scrubbed our pumpkin clean. Then I cut it down the middle with a long serrated knife. We scooped out all the stringy fibrous material and seeds with a sturdy ice-cream scoop. (You can save the seeds and roast in the oven with melted butter salt and brown sugar).
Quarter the pumpkin, place it on a baking sheet with some butter and brown sugar and a little salt. Roast it in a 350 oven (i cranked up the convection). Let it roast until it is tender, about 35-40 minutes or so.
Let cool. When you can comfortably handle the pumpkin with your hands, peel off the skin and discard.
Puree the pumpkin in a Cuisinart, blender…or whatever you have.
Preheat oven to 425…mix together:
1 3/4 cups of pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 /4 cloves
1/4 allspice
1 tbls vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 9″ deep dish pie shell
Mix it all together simply in a bowl with a wire whisk…that’s it!! Pour into pie shell and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, lower temp to 350 for 40-50 minutes
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never get caught without a banana…
freeze those bananas!! i have always frozen my bananas, this was something that my mother always did!! and she made the best banana bread!! I will share her very simple recipe with you. but it’s all in the bananas. she was constantly throwing bananas if they were getting a little too ripe into the freezer, skin and all, just like that. and they turn black, they get incredibly sweet.
whenever i need a banana for a recipe or a smoothie, i either whip them out of the freezer and thaw them out on my counter for an hour or two, or pop them (still in their skins!) into the microwave on medium power for about 10 secconds or so until slightly soft. peel and add to your recipe.
here is my mom’s recipe:
Marie’s Banana Bread
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium bananas (previously frozen is great!!)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar (could use 1/2 light and half dark)
1 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts
preheat oven to 350
mix everything together in a mixer. divide mixture in 2. spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. checking with toothpick for doneness.
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