Posts Tagged ‘desserts’

Nora's future in-laws visited last week from Iowa, Kansas, and Georgia and I made this dessert. It is a recipe that I got nearly thirty years ago from our pastor's wife. It is delicious and has become one of our family favorites over the years. It is made from simple ingredients that you may already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator/freezer.

Strawberry Meringue Torte

1 package yellow cake mix
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
2 cups of sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip
10 oz. frozen strawberries, partially thawed and drained

Make cake as directed on the package, but use just the four egg yolks instead of whole eggs. (My cake mix called for 1 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup oil.) Pour the batter into three 9" cake pans that have been greased and floured and then lined with waxed paper. In a clean mixing bowl beat the egg whites until foamy and then gradually add the sugar. Beat until the egg whites are almost stiff. Divide the egg white mixture into three parts and carefully spread on top of the cake batter in the pans. Don't be overly concerned if the batter gets a bit mixed into the meringue, it will be fine. Sprinkle nuts on top of the meringue and then press down gently with your hand to help keep them from falling off later. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and then carefully turn out onto a cloth lined cooling rack. Immediately turn over so the meringue is right side up. Cool completely. Shortly before serving place one layer on a serving plate and then top with about a cup of Cool Whip and half of the strawberries. Add another layer and then repeat the layering of the Cool Whip and berries. Top with the final layer of cake. Serve and enjoy your beautiful creation!

Here's a picture of the meringue being divided up on the cakes:

Here I'm spreading the meringue on top of the batter:

This shows the batter/meringue/pecans all layered and ready to bake:

Here is the bottom layer of the torte with one layer of whipped topping and berries:

This cake is best when baked and served the same day so that the meringue stays crisp. Serves 10-12.
I hope you will try this -- you won't be disappointed!

Becka

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Sometimes you just need something chocolate. I got this recipe from a student many, many years ago when I first started teaching home economics. It's a quick and easy dessert that is very rich and chocolatey.

Deluxe Chocolate Pudding

1 cup chocolate chips
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Place chocolate chips, salt, egg, and vanilla in a blender container. Heat the milk just to boiling. Pour the hot milk over the ingredients and quickly blend for about one minute. Pour into serving dishes. Chill for several hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream or Cool Whip and chocolate chips, shaved chocolate, or a sift of cocoa.

This is very rich and very delicious! I like to serve it in some small demitasse cups. I'm not overly concerned about the egg but if it worries you you could use the equivalent measure of an egg substitute like Egg Beaters or some other pasturized egg product.

Becka

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Update on Nora: Nora finally got through to the doctor who gave her the epidural last week and was told she could double up on pain medicine and come back on September 15th for another procedure. Her boss, who is an orthopedic surgeon got her an appointment with another doctor for this coming Wednesday to discuss surgery. In the meantime she is staying here with us and is in quite a bit of pain. Her most comfortable position is lying on her stomach on the floor. Her dog, Paisley, has been staying with Nora's boyfriend, but has come here for a visit for a couple of days to help cheer her up. Here is a picture of Paisley:

Here's a picture of today's recipe:

A friend at work gave me this recipe for Tiramisu. I'm sure this is not an authentic Italian version, but it's pretty quick and easy to make and we find it quite tasty. You can start with a bought pound cake or bake your own.

Tiramisu

slices of pound cake (enough to line a 9" x 13" glass dish)
3/4 cup coffee, cooled
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate syrup (Hershey's is good)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 small carton whipped topping
Toffee bits for garnish

Arrange cake slices on bottom of a 9" x 13" glass dish. (Use a fairly deep dish.) Drizzle coffee over cake.
Beat sugar, cream cheese, and chocolate until smooth. blend in whipped topping. Spread on top of cake. Chill several hours before serving. Top with toffee bits to garnish. Note: You can easily substitute low sugar, low fat products for the regular ones in this recipe.

Becka

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Sometimes in the summer you want a nice cool dessert that doesn't involve baking. This dessert fills the bill and you can also make it with very little sugar if you desire. I know some of my readers are diabetic or pre-diabetic and one dear reader has gestational diabetes. This dessert might be one that will fit into your diet plan.

Angel Food Dessert

1/2 of a prepared angel food cake
1 3 oz. package sugar free raspberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
10 oz. frozen raspberries (reserve a few for garnishing)
8 oz. low-fat raspberry yogurt

Tear the cake into small pieces about 3/4 inch in size. Set aside. Pour boiling water on the gelatin and stir to dissolve. Add the frozen berries and stir. Sometimes this will be enough to thicken the gelatin, if not, refrigerate for a few minutes until the gelatin is slightly thickened--about the consistency of an egg white.
Place half of the cake cubes in a large bowl. Top with half of the yogurt, and then half of the gelatin mixture. Repeat the layers and then chill at least two hours before serving. Garnish with whipped topping and reserved berries.

Variations: You can also make this with strawberries, strawberry gelatin, and strawberry yogurt or peaches, etc. You could substitute vanilla or lemon yogurt or pudding or whipped topping.

Becka

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We have had unusually cold weather here the last few days. Today it was just on the verge of freezing and very windy with rain all day. We live right near a road which is slightly elevated and we heard on the news tonight that it had iced and portions of the road were closed because of downed trees. It's a good night to stay home and get some things done around the house.

I've been wanting to post this recipe for baked fruit for a while. It's a nice recipe to have on hand because it can function as a dessert or a side dish. You can make it with either regular brown sugar or the Splenda brown sugar if you are cooking for a diabetic.

Pear-Apricot Bake

2 Tbsps. butter or margarine
1 16 oz. can of pear halves, drained
1 16 oz. can of apricot halves, drained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Cream or ice cream

Melt butter or margarine in a shallow baking dish in a preheated 350 degree oven. Arrange fruit, rounded side up in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 30 mins. Serve warm with cream or ice cream as a dessert or plain as a meat accompaniment. Makes approximately six servings.

Enjoy and stay warm this weekend!

Becka

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