Chocolate Chipless Cookies

My grandma used to make these for my dad when he was little because he wasn't a fan of chocolate. I know crazy right! Turns out they are really good. I normally make half of them without chocolate chips and then I throw some chips in for the remaining half. These are also great for anyone who can't have chocolate for any reason (allergies etc.), and they won't be missing out on anything!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda (dissolved in 1 TBS hot water)
3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans (or 7 oz chocolate chips) (or mix a little of both!)

Sift flour and salt together. Add shortening, brown sugar, sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat to combine. Combine baking soda with hot water until dissolved, then mix into batter thoroughly. Add nuts and beat until well blended. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet (About golf ball size, made 17 cookies for me). Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Pineapple Fluff Cake

Here is a recipe for a refreshing summer dessert that includes so many tasty things! This recipe was given to me from one of my aunts. I believe she got it from either Cool Whip or Jello. Nonetheless, some of the ratios have been changed since the original recipe. This was my first attempt making it in a circular form, and I must suggest sticking to the 9 x 13 pan configuration as it was a little difficult to keep this one together. You can certainly double this recipe and use the entire cake mix baked on a cookie sheet. If you don't, you'll have to find another use for the other half of the cake!

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (+ ingredients on box to make the cake)
1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding
1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz.)
2 cups of milk
1 can crushed pineapple
1 large container of Cool Whip


First, make the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Pour only 1/2 of the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and bake until the cake starts pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. Combine the vanilla pudding powder, the 2 cups of cold milk, and the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Place your cake on the platter you intend to serve it on (it's not an easy one to move) and use a spatula to evenly spread the pudding on top of the cake. (If the pudding is a little runny, sit it in the fridge for a little while and allow it to thicken). Make sure to leave a half inch border around the cake with no pudding, or it will start falling over the edges, making it difficult later. Next, drain the pineapple and put an even layer of it on top of the pudding. Last icing with Cool Whip! This cake must be refrigerated! You can decorate with flowers to make it tropical looking, but always remember, if you decorate with flowers, they should be edible. Roses, day lilies, dandelions (not that you would want to use them on a cake), impatiens, pansies, violets, lavender, and lilacs are only a few of the many edible flowers.

Basil Buttered Breadsticks

These are a perfect accompaniment to spaghetti, manicotti, lasagna, etc. They are my sister's absolute favorite. She always requests various types of pasta just so she can have these garlicky breadsticks. I got this recipe from my aunt, who got it from a magazine a while ago, and since then only a couple minor things have been changed. For example, there are few recipes that I would choose to use margarine over butter, and this is one of them. Also I prefer using sub rolls in order to make individual breadsticks, but you can also use a loaf of french bread to make larger wedges.

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg of sub rolls (3 rolls)
1/2 cup margarine (softened)
1/2 tsp chervil
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Cut all of the sub rolls in half as you would if you were making a sandwich. Take each half and cut it lengthwise into three wedges. This should give you 18 breadsticks. Mix all of the other ingredients together with a fork or spoon until well blended, and spread a thin layer on the cut surfaces of each breadstick. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 7 to 9 minutes, until browned. ***Note*** If you cannot find chervil in your store, you can substitute it with parsley flakes. It will not taste exactly the same, but pretty close. Also, if you have any leftover the next day, chop them up, they make great croutons!

Beef Curry

I'm the first to admit that in most cases I do not like curry, but I love this one. It is extremely mild and perfect for someone who has never tried curry before, or doesn't like it so potent. (If you do like curry, then just add more curry powder to the mix). This is a recipe that my mom got, over thirty years ago, from her friends mom. We've altered it a little since then, hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs sirloin steak

1 tsp flour

1 onion

1 granny smith apple

1 can beef consomme (10 1/2 oz.)

2 TBS butter

1 TBS ketchup

2 tsp mild curry powder

lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the sirloin into 1/2 inch cubes. Peel the apple, dice the apple and the onion into very small pieces, you may want to use a small food processor, it'll save you some time, and some onion tears. In a skillet, melt the butter and fry the apple and onion pieces until brown, then place into a stockpot or saucepan. Next, place the sirloin cubes in the skillet until all sides are browned (3-4 minutes), drain liquid into a bowl, and place in the same stockpot with the onion/apple mixture. In the skillet, fry the curry powder for about 3 minutes (it brings out the flavor). Slowly add the liquid drained from the meat, while stirring. Add the beef consomme, flour, ketchup, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, to the curry powder and stir, still cooking for a few minutes. Transfer the sauce to the stockpot and mix together. Bring the stockpot to a boil, then turn the heat low to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. ***Serve over white rice, and top or accompany with your choice of bananas, coconut, pineapple, cashews, or peppers.*** My favorites are the banana, coconut, and pineapple, they complement it well! This will probably serve 4 people, I always double it for 6 and have some leftover, it's great the next day!

Chocolate Strawberries

I know, another dessert, but I just can't seem to get enough of them! This is one I am surprised I don't see more often. It is quite elegant and probably the easiest and quickest of all desserts to make. I assure you these aren't the prettiest ones, unfortunately I ended up eating those before I could even take a picture. All you need to make these is the chocolate of your choice (dark, milk, white, 60% cocoa), strawberries, and a microwave. If you want to add the stripes across the top you merely need a plastic sandwich bag.
First begin with the chocolate, place it in a small bowl, and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out and stir it, and put it in for increments of 15 seconds stirring in between each one. Continue until all of the chocolate is melted and smooth. Then, begin dipping your strawberries. Make sure the strawberries are dry, if they are wet the chocolate will have a hard time sticking. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and when you are finished place in the refrigerator. Allow to harden and then eat!
To add the white chocolate lines on top, melt the white chocolate in the same way. Pierce the corner of a plastic sandwich bag, or cut the corner (make sure the hole is fairly small),put a few spoonfuls of the white chocolate inside and squeeze. Slowly move it back and forth over the strawberries. You can make an entire batch in ten minutes easy (not counting fridge time).
They may be covered in chocolate but I have managed to justify these as healthy, seeing as how I'm eating more strawberries than I would be eating if they weren't covered in chocolate (not the greatest logic, but it works for me).
You don't see the white chocolate ones as often, but I can only imagine how pretty they would be for a spring or summertime outdoor party, or even a winter one, where everything is decorated in white. These are quite elegant and tasty, giving a professionally made appearance with very little effort.

***Try other fruits such as bananas, and various toppings such as slivered almonds, sprinkles, and coconut.***

Chocolate Goo Cakes

Some people call them lava cakes, the Take Home Chef calls them Chocolate Fondants, and I call them Chocolate Goo Cakes. After making them once, you will want to make them for every event! They are impressive, delicious, and almost too chocolaty, if that is possible. I've already made them quite a few times using the Take Home Chef's recipe at, http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/takehomechef/recipes/episode121_03.html. I thought I might be able to improve upon them, but I couldn't, they are perfect as is. I do have a few tips though. I've tried them using both margarine and butter, and I prefer butter. The margarine leaves a taste in your mouth that you can pretty much identify as margarine when you eat it. Butter actually leaves no flavor, so you can enjoy the chocolate! Also a tip for those who love chocolate but do not like it so intensely. I've tried using a portion of the 60% cocoa chocolate and a fourth or a half of a different type of chocolate such as semisweet. It does tone down the chocolate a little, but I highly suggest trying the original recipe before altering it in any way. I do not make the sauce, you do not need it! It is best served with fresh whipped cream and raspberries, and/or vanilla ice cream. You will impress yourself and everyone else with these! ***Note*** You will be tempted to leave them in longer than they should be. The tops will be a bit jiggly when you are supposed to take them out. They continue to cook a little while they are sitting outside the oven for the three to four minutes. If you leave them in too long they will just cook through, not as impressive and not as tasty. I think the average amount of time that was about perfect for me (and I have done them in various altitudes) is about nine to nine and a half minutes. Good Luck!