Saltine Chocolate Pieces

As promised, Rachael, this is for you!

Growing up, these yummy treats were a staple dessert/snack during the Christmas season. They are so yummy and everyone seems to like them - they're a crowd pleasing treat. And they're incredibly easy, quick and cheap, which makes this a win-win recipe! I keep these in the freezer and eat them cold - so good!! (But I'm also one of those people who likes her Girl Scout cookies frozen ...)

I like them so much that I've decided that they are no longer going to be relegated to just the holiday season ... I'm busting out the traditional barriers and have declared these to be year-round treats!

Saltine Chocolate Pieces
I think the recipe is from Mamie, a dear family friend
1 sleeve saltine crackers
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate pieces
3/4 cup chopped nuts (we prefer pecans)

Line a 10x15 cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with foil; spray very lightly with cooking spray. Cover sheet with crackers. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over cracker and spread evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let set for 1 minute, then spread the melted chips with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if desired) and lightly press down. Cool until firm, then break up. Pieces can be frozen.

Amaretto Cheesecake

The week before Christmas I asked my mom what dessert sounded good to her for us to have on Christmas Eve. She surprised me by telling me that an amaretto cheesecake was what she wanted.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" and "Happy birthday, Jesus" like an amaretto cheesecake, right??

But being the people pleaser that I am, I happily obliged. I do love to make - and eat - cheesecake!

A lot of people tend to shy away from cheesecakes, but they really are easy desserts to make, once you get comfortable making them. The cream cheese needs to be very well softened, you need to scrape down the sides and bottom of your mixer well, and never, ever open the door while your cheesecake is baking. That's a big no no. If you follow those simple rules, though, you'll have a delicious cheesecake every time!

Amaretto Cheesecake

Recipe for 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust*

3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup amaretto

1 1/2 cups commercial sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Grated chocolate, for garnish

Press graham cracker crust mixture firmly on bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan (do not bake prior to filling with cheesecake mixture).

Beat cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1/3 cup amaretto; pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until mixture is set.

Combine sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons amaretto; stir well, and spoon over cheesecake. Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack; chill. Garnish with almonds and grates chocolate. Yield: 12 servings.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 (5 1/3-ounce) packet graham crackers, crushed (about 1 2/3 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. For frozen pies, crust may be used without baking. For other pies, bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Yield: one 9-inch crust.

Sopapilla cheesecake pie

I have a sweet tooth. There's not a dessert I don't like (at least none I've found). So when given the opportunity to make something for a potluck, I tend to gravitate towards dessert. I have been known to make a dip or an appetizer from time to time, but nine times out of 10 I'll make a dessert.

A recent Mexican night get together with friends was no different.

While there are tons of great Mexican appetizer/dip recipes to choose from (mmm ... cheese), I didn't know of too many Mexican dessert recipes. Tres leches cake came to mind, but I knew it would be tougher to eat than the finger food we were supposed to bring. After scouring the Internet for a while I found a sopapilla cheesecake pie recipe. It looked tasty, had lots of good reviews, and seemed pretty easy.

Mexican/Spanish? Check.
Dessert? Check.
Easy to eat? Check.
One of my favorite desserts to make (cheesecake)? Check.

This was a hit. It was easy to make and delicious. It's not like a typical cheesecake, so I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for the more traditional, bake-in-a-springform pan cheesecake. But the filling is a mixture of cream cheese and sugar, so there is definitely a cheesecake taste. It's rich and sweet and oh, so good.

Sopapilla cheesecake pie
From allrecipes.com
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of your baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
Bake until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Chocolate no-bake cookies

When Patrick and I started dating, I was introduced to one of his favorite cookies, one that was brand new to me. (How I missed out on a cookie for that many years is beyond me.) His aunt traditionally makes them for family gatherings, and the first time I ever ate one was when we all got together for a family reunion in Ocean Isle, North Carolina. They are tasty little treasures, full of chocolate and peanut butter ... two of my favorite things!

I never had the recipe until a sweet lady from our church brought us dinner and dessert after Nora was born. She very thoughtfully included the recipes, and this was one of them. Finally, I can make one of Patrick's favorite cookies!


Chocolate no-bake cookies
1 stick of butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oats

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil for one minute. Remove from heat and combine with remaining ingredients. Stir together until fully combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

Recipe from Easter Sunday

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It ushers in the start of spring, we get to dress up more than usual and we spend a wonderful lunch and afternoon with some of our favorite people.

Not to mention the fact that it's the day we celebrate that our Lord has risen from the grave and is alive! To me, this day is more spiritually significant than Christmas; I mean, our God lives and has conquered the grave! Praise Jesus.

Oh, and it's also mandatory to snap a picture or two:

Easter is one holiday that Patrick and I spend with our friends, our "Brunswick family," if you will. We love this group of people and are blessed to share life with them. The Herndon family has graciously opened up their home (and backyard) to our crazy crew for the past five years. Whitney is the world's best hostess!

Patrick has been a part of this tradition since it started in 2006, and I joined in when I moved down the next year. Patrick was just a single guy the first year; the next year he and I were engaged (and I had moved down to Brunswick and participated in the Easter festivities), and the past two years we've been married with no kids. This year, I was hugely pregnant. Next Easter we'll have our own little "peep" to chase after!

And get this - in 2006, there were only two kids in the group. This year there were 18 with two on the way. Next year there will be AT LEAST 20 kids running around - no wonder we all need naps after all the fun!

Oh, and there's food. Oh, the food. Lots and lots of yummy, yummy food.

Everyone brings two side dishes, and we all dig in for a delicious feast.

This year I made Spicy Black Bean Salad and Strawberry Banana Trifle. I think this trifle just screams spring - it's light, sweet, and full of delicious fruit.

Not the best picture in the world, but at least you can see the yummy layers of pound cake, pudding, fruit and Cool Whip.

Strawberry Banana Trifle
Pound cake or angel food cake, cubed (I use the Sara Lee family size frozen pound cake)
6 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 carton of strawberries, washed, dried and sliced
3 bananas, peeled, sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice (to help prevent browning)
12 oz. Cool Whip

Make pudding according to package directions; refrigerate to set.
Layer half of each in the following order: pound cake/angel food cake, pudding, strawberries, bananas, Cool Whip. Repeat layers one more time, ending with Cool Whip. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love fall. I love spring and summer, too, but I do love fall. I love the crisp air, the cooler weather, baseball playoff games, SEC football, and the delicious food.

(I would also add that I love how the leaves change colors, but sadly, they don't really change here in coastal Georgia. The marsh does change color, though, and it's beautiful, but I do miss seeing the leaves change.)

Now that it's officially fall (although it doesn't feel like it yet, at least not here), I am ready to start cooking and baking with some of my favorite fall foods. I can't wait to make butternut squash/sweet Italian sausage penne pasta (recipe coming soon), apple desserts and pumpkin treats.

So, in honor of the new season (and to satisfy my sweet tooth), I whipped up a batch of my favorite fall cookie. They were inspired by some that my mother-in-law found at her local Kroger a few years ago. I think we ate all of them in a day or two. I just knew that I had to find a way to make them myself.

These cookies are soft and cake-like, and are full of pumpkin and spice flavors, and chocolate chips. What's not to love about that combo?

My house smells delicious right now ...


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
I think I got this recipe from allrecipes.com
Bake at 375 degrees
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch nutmeg
2 cups chocolate chips*

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg; stir into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

*I use dark chocolate chips because I love dark chocolate and love the contrast between the dark chocolate and the pumpkin.

Note: these cookies will bake pretty much exactly how you drop them on the cookie sheet. They don't really expand or rise too much, so if there are peaks in your cookie batter when they're on the sheet, you'll have crunchy little peaks in your baked cookies.

Beth Moore's Texas Sheet Cake

I went to a Beth Moore simulcast this weekend at my church, and man alive, Beth Moore brought the Word. It was just what I needed. It was an amazing two days of truth, Biblical teaching, worship and fellowship. And it was like a little slice of heaven seeing almost 400 women worshiping together for a weekend. Glory, it was GOOD.

You know what else I got this weekend that was like a little slice of heaven? The recipe to Beth Moore's Texas sheet cake. Oh, girl, it's good. She told a funny story about how she's not necessarily known as the cook of her family, but that she is known for her Texas sheet cake. And, of course, she shared it with the 90,000 or so of us who were taking part in the simulcast. Bless her.

And I, in turn, am going to share it with you.

The timing of receiving this recipe was quite perfect, actually, because I needed to make a dessert for a lunch meeting at church the day after the simulcast. I tend to try new recipes out on unsuspecting people, and decided that this would be no different. I have made cakes in the past, why would this be any different? Well ... it was easy enough to make, but for some reason the middle part of the cake took a good bit longer to bake than the outer edges. I rigged some foil to try to shield the already-done part from the heat of the oven while the center cooked, but I have no idea whether the edges were overcooked and dry or not ... hopefully the fudgy icing covered up any flaws.

I can tell you that the piece I had was nice and moist and very, very chocolaty and rich. And, it's always a good sign when this is the only picture you can get of what you made.


Beth Moore's Texas Sheet Cake
Grease a 9x13 sheet cake pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar

Bring to a boil:
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa

Pour over dry mixture and mix in:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Icing
Heat together:
1 stick butter
1/4 cup cocoa
6 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.) milk
(I added 1 tsp. vanilla)

Add anywhere from 1/2 to 1 box of powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency (Beth prefers close to 1 box)* and 1 cup pecans. Spread on cake while it's hot.

*I used 16 oz (1 lb.) of powered sugar

What to do with overripe bananas - Banana Muffins

I am finicky when it comes to bananas -- I will only eat them when they are greenish. If I see too much yellow, or even a hint of ripeness coming to them, I won't eat them straight out of the peel. For me, once a banana is ripe and yellow (which, to most normal humans, is perfection), they have to be baked for me to even consider consuming them.

Thus, many a "good" banana goes uneaten in our household.

I learned long ago that instead of wasting these sweet treats, freezing them was the solution, so that when I want to bake, they're ready to go (after, of course, a short defrost). The other day I had four frozen bananas, and an itch to bake. So I whipped up these little lovelies, and they are delectable with or without the frosting.

I love banana bread, but there's something about this recipe that takes them beyond your basic banana bread recipe, in my opinion. It haven't put my finger on it yet ... there's a depth in flavor to these that other recipes I've tried don't have. Maybe it's the extra vanilla? Whatever it is, we like them a lot; I think Patrick ate three or four straight out of the oven!

Banana Muffins with Mascarpone Cream Frosting
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis - Food Network
Muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.

To frost the cupcakes: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the mascarpone cheese and then beat in the honey. Spread the frosting over the muffins. Sprinkle with the walnuts.

If this icing were on a piece of cardboard, I'd eat it.

I feel slightly dumb posting this recipe here because, well, it comes from the back of a cocoa box and I really should just put a big ole sign on here that says "Y'ALL GO BUY SOME HERSHEY'S COCOA AND MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE ICING EVER" and my point would be made. But, brevity is not typically my strong point, so, here we go. (Plus, it's pretty much all we ate here at the Witherow house this past weekend.)

Y'all have probably learned by now how much I like, along with the quick and the easy, desserts. If I had my choice between breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, I would always, always, always choose dessert.

Did I mention that I like dessert?

So, on Friday, I got a craving for some chocolate, and three Little Debbie Fudge Rounds did little to satisfy said craving. (You think I'm kidding? I'm not. And no, I'm not pregnant. Just pathetic.) So, I dug through the pantry and lo and behold, found a box of chocolate cake mix. Now, after making the yummy not-from-a-box chocolate cake (recipe below) a week or so ago, I had vowed to never make a cake from a mix again, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I ripped that box open faster than you could say "Hershey's."

Now, this post is not about the cake. The cake is just an average, run-of-the-mill cake-mix cake. I don't even know what brand it is. It's the icing that is its saving grace. Oh, the icing. Two words - butter (one whole stick) and cocoa. Need I say more? Divine.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting
Ripped right off the back of the Hershey's Cocoa box
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed of an electric mixer to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups.

Seriously. You could just skip the cake and eat this icing. It's that good.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for PEACH ice cream!

Nothing says "summer" to me quite like a big bowl of my grandma Helen's peach ice cream. She would make this frozen deliciousness from sweet, ripe, Southern Illinois peaches, and the whole family would wait, rather impatiently, for it to freeze so we could devour it. More often than not, we wouldn't let it freeze all the way and would just dive right on in. It was so, so good. It was one of the highlights of our summer. All of us loved it, and we waited all year to taste it. And, although I know that I will never quite get it to taste exactly the way Grandma Helen did, I am going to try (especially now that I live in the Peach State)!

I made this yesterday morning and we ate it for dessert last night - it was sweet and delicious!


As one of our wedding gifts, Patrick and I received a Cuisinart 1.5 quart electric ice cream maker. I chose it for one purpose and one purpose only - to make Grandma's peach ice cream. I think Patrick just wanted ice cream, period. Any flavor, any time. Point being, if I had one of those old-school ice-cream makers that requires salt and ice and all that jazz (like my Grandma Helen used), there would be no peach ice cream being made in the Witherow house. Y'all have learned by now my love for the quick and the easy. This, my friends, still fits the bill (that is, if you have a handy-dandy Cuisinart ice-cream maker. If you don't, give me a call and 30 minutes notice, and I'll prepare you your very own bowl of goodness).

Grandma Helen's peach ice cream
Modified to fit a 1.5 quart ice-cream machine
5 ripe peaches, peeled and mashed
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt (less than 1/8 teaspoon)
Between 1/4 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups half and half

Mix together the peaches, sugar and lemon juice and let stand for a while. Add the salt, vanilla, almond and half and half to the peach mixture and mix together. Add to your ice-cream maker freezer and follow its instructions.

I used these exact measurements and since the ice cream does expand during the freezing process, it did get really full in the ice cream freezer. Next time I might use only 4 peaches and a little less cream, but I really liked the taste of this combination and I didn't make a mess, so maybe I won't. Tweak as needed for your machine.

Leave a comment if you want the one-gallon recipe; I'll email it to anyone who wants it.

Sweet summertime!

PS - thanks to my mom for the conversions; I did not inherit her talents in math, so I had to turn to her for help!

The "key" to dessert success

So, as you know, Patrick and I visited my parents this weekend, which meant I got a few days reprieve from cooking. My mom is a great cook, so we got to indulge in a night of her cooking. We went out and got some great fresh seafood in downtown Savannah on Saturday night. One thing we were able to enjoy all weekend was a homemade Key Lime Pie. It's one of Patrick's favorite's, so Mom had made one and it was waiting on us when we arrived Friday evening. There was even enough for us to each bring a slice home to eat tonight. It's tart and slightly sweet - the perfect key lime pie.


My mom and I use the same recipe - the one that is on the bottle of Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice, but we double the recipe so that the pie is thicker. We don't want a skinny, wimpy pie! Here's our modified recipe:

Kara's Key Lime Pie
adapted from the Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie recipe
9" graham cracker pie crust
2 - 14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks (whites not used)
1 cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating.

So sweet ...

Patrick and I had dinner last night with our good friends, Kate and Eric, and I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try a new cake recipe. I love to bake, and am such a sucker for a good dessert recipe. I had never made the cake or the icing before, but Kate and Eric are incredibly gracious, and I knew they'd forgive me if they turned out to be flops. Thankfully, though, both the cake and the icing turned out really well (if I do say so myself)! Again, I can't take credit for either of them. I found the chocolate cake recipe off a high-school friend's blog, and the icing recipe has been the go-to icing recipe in my family for years. It's what we call our "good white" icing. It's to die for!


Chocolate Cake
Recipe courtesy Nina Bucciarelli
Step I:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

STEP II:
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa

STEP III:
¾ cup Mazola Oil (you need to use Mazola Oil or it will change the flavor of the cake)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine Step I in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine Step II in a small saucepan and boil together at low heat until thick. Cool.

Add Step III (oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla) to Step I (flour, sugar, salt and soda). Mix. Add Step II (cooled cocoa mixture) and mix together. Pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. (It took about 40 minutes for my 9x13 to be completely done in the middle. Just watch it and check it with a toothpick.)

This recipe will make one 9" x 13", two 9″ rounds , or cupcakes.

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use one cup of milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, mix, and let stand. You can also use one cup of plain yogurt as a substitute.

Good White Icing
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour (heaping)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup shortening

First, mix the flour and sugar together in a 10" or 12" skillet. Then, over medium heat, stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook mixture until thickened, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and cool. While mixture is cooling (you can even put it in the fridge to cool), beat together the margarine and shortening until fluffy. Then beat in half of the cooled mixture until incorporated, and then the other half. Mix in the vanilla. This recipe will ice a 9" x 13" cake; make 1 1/2 times the recipe if icing two round cakes.

Ahem ... the treadmill is calling my name.