Fruit Crumble

 
This is a perfect use for summer fruits and is quick and easy to make. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!

Extra-Special Crispy Rice Treats

¼ C Butter or Margarine

40 large Marshmallows

6 C Crispy Rice cereal

1 package White Chocolate chips

Grease a 13 x 9 pan.  In a large bowl, combine cereal and white chocolate chips.  Melt butter and marshmallows in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Once smoothly melted, pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and quickly stir to combine.  While still warm, transfer to greased pan and with clean hands, pat down evenly to fill to the corners and edges.  Allow to cool before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.  Remember to share!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies with White Chocolate Chips, Craisins, and Walnuts

I don't often do this, but, I saw a photo of someone else's cookies on Facebook and was seized by a craving so strong I couldn't shake it until I had made them myself.  No, that's a lie.  I always do that.  It's just not often that it happens with cookies.  When I couldn't find the exact recipe I resorted to Pinterest and made the recipe that most closely resembled the cookies I was not imagining almost non-stop.  I then made a few changes in order to bring them to exactly what I wanted, and here they are.  So yummy, and full of good things they are practically must be good for you!  (I sure hope they are, because I am now alone in the house with an entire recipe fresh out of the oven...)

Chocolate Pots

I first discovered this recipe way back when I watched Jamie Oliver's cooking show, his first, I think, called The Naked Chef.  This is literally all of your chocolate dreams come true. The beauty of this dessert is that it is so smooth, silky and rich. If you want to lighten the texture into more of a mousse then follow the recipe but fold in 2 stiffly whipped egg whites. Small servings are the key – I use espresso cups as this is the ideal size. Chocolate pots are brilliant for dinner parties as you can make them up the day before and then stick them in the fridge until needed.

Lighter- than- Air Chocolate Cake

I learned this recipe when we first moved to South Florida.  I may work in some darker chocolate one of these days....

11 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate

2/3 C Butter

6 large eggs, separated

2/3 C Sugar

            Line a 9” springform pan with buttered wax paper.  In a pan, melt the Chocolate with the butter over low heat, cool.  Beat yolks for about one minute.  Slowly add sugar.  Beat until thick and lemon colored.  Beat egg whites until they just begin to peak.  Add cooled chocolate to egg yolk mixture, blending thoroughly.  Fold this gently into the whites.  Pour into pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cool half an hour before turning out of pan.

            Serve at room temperature with homemade whipped cream.  Yummmmmmm!

Chiffon Cake

Simple, light, made from ingredients which are normally already in the pantry, what's not to love?  I can't remember where I first found this recipe, but I seem remember making it way back when we lived in Germany and had one kiddo, so it's been a while!  I used to ride my bicycle, with little Nathaniel in the kiddie seat on the back, to the Post library at Möhringen Kaserne, where we lived, and I would check cookbooks out to try new recipes.  Good times....

Cranberry Streusel Pie

My Mom found this recipe years ago, and it has become a holiday staple for our family.  It's an unusual pie, in that the "filling" isn't gooey or fruity.  It's more like a loose coffee cake in a pie shell with a sweet and crunchy topping.  Not only is it a unique addition to the dessert selections, but the leftovers make a tasty breakfast....

Pie Crust

While I'm posting holiday pie recipes I ought to get this up too.  I don't remember where the recipe came from, but I've used this for as long as I've been baking pies.  So simple, there's almost no justification for purchasing pre-made pastry.

Makes 2 9” pie crusts.

2 C flour

1 tsp. salt

¼ C ice water

¾ C shortening

Mix together flour and salt.  Take out 1/3 of the flour and mix with the water to make a paste.  Cut shortening into the dry flour.  Add the paste and mix well.

The dryer the pastry, the harder it is to roll out, yet the flakier it will be.