The Professional Chef |

If there’s a certain treat that can be associated with Valentine’s Day, then that would be chocolate. Almost everyone loves chocolate and in the day of the hearts, chocolate is clearly the number one giveaway treat for your loved one. So in this Valentine’s, make it a little bit more special by instead of buying a box of them chocolates, create some of these treats yourself at home.

Contrary to popular belief, a little bit of chocolate is actually good for the health. Now, before you get hysterical in buying, let me clarify that statement first. Dark chocolate is the healthy chocolate type. It’s full of good things like antioxidants that help in maintaining a well-rounded body. With that said, treating yourself with a little dark chocolate each day definitely has a beneficial effect.

Be sure to relay this information to your loved one on Valentine’s Day, that as long as you buy dark chocolate against other chocolate types, they can eat these sweets without feeling even a little bit of guilt. That’s why in making some homemade chocolate desserts as Valentine’s food, it’s a good point to use dark chocolate for you to enjoy both a healthy and sweet event.

Chocolate lava cakes are a definite win when it comes to Valentine’s desserts. If you don’t know this recipe yet, like the name implies, it’s a cake wherein when you cut into the surface, the yummy and sweet chocolate runs out of the center as a great surprise. Valentine’s food must be fun too, and to add more to that fun, try putting hearts on each one of the cakes by using powdered sugar and stencil for form.

Making homemade chocolate desserts for Valentine’s is honestly quite hard, but that’s what makes it very special. When you are trying to melt chocolate, it’s always good to remember a few points in order to make it right. Those experienced with chocolate all had their share of mistakes in preparation. For example, in your hopes of melting the chocolate faster, turning the burner on high will not really accomplish this task. Even adding water or swirling the chocolate around won’t finish the work faster. The only thing you’ll get is a bit of disappointment, more sweat from work and a very expensive mess around the kitchen, which is something you really won’t want in your romantic day.

The strawberries are in their full glory. I’ve made jam, we’ve eaten strawberry shortcake and strawberries and cream. How else can we enjoy these beautiful berries before their season is gone? As I rummaged through my old recipes, I found this one for Fresh Strawberry Pie. It is an old favorite that is easy and pretty.

Choose ripe, unblemished berries for this pie. Make the glaze first so that it has time to cool as you prepare the cream cheese and strawberries. You want to cool the glaze enough so that the berries do not cook, but do not chill it or the Jello will set and will not pour. Plan to serve this beautiful pie the same day it is made to enjoy the beautiful berries at their freshest.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 baked 9 inch pie shell

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 quarts strawberries, sliced

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light Karo syrup

1 cup water

3 tablespoons strawberry Jello mix

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Make the glaze for the berries by combining the sugar, Karo syrup, salt, and cornstarch and water. Stir and cook over medium heat until thick.When thick, remove from the heat and add the Jello mix. Stir well and set aside to cool.Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, spread carefully over the bottom of the baked pie shell.Arrange the sliced strawberries over the cream cheese mixture.Pour the cooled (but not cold) glaze over the strawberries. This recipe can be made with other berries as well. Try blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. You would choose the appropriate flavor of Jello, of course. Serve the pie as it is, or garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint.

These bisquick recipes cookies are quick, easy and delicious. Just check these out and I’m sure you’ll be amazingly surprised.

So here we go for some bisquick recipes cookies:

>> Bisquick Cookies
1 egg 1 instant pudding/small package 1/4 c oil 3/4 c bisquick

Combine all ingredients. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet.
Flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

>> Bisquick Sausage
1 lb cheddar cheese 1 lb breakfast sausage 3 c bisquick mix

Combine sausage, bisquick and grated cheese and mix very well. Form into 1 to 2 inch size balls. Place on un greased baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. May be made ahead and frozen.

>> Bisquick Butterscotch Brownies
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans 1 box brown sugar 1 can coconut 1 stick butter- room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups bisquick® baking mix 4 large eggs

Mix all ingredients and bake in 9×13 baking pan. Bake on preheated 350f oven for 45 minutes. Cool on rack, cut while warm.

>> Strawberry Shortcake (Bisquick)
2 Pt strawberries — sliced 2/3 c sugar 2 1/3 c bisquick 3 tb sugar 3 tb margarine or butter — melted 1/2 c milk 3/4 c whipping (heavy) cream

Sprinkle strawberries with 2/3 c. Sugar; let stand 1
hr.

Preheat oven to 425 f.

Mix bisquick, 3 tb. Sugar, margarine and milk until
soft dough forms. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into
6 mounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with
sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff.
Split shortcakes; spoon strawberries between halves
and over tops. Top with whipped cream.

High altitude: heat oven to 450 f. Decrease the 3 tb.
Sugar in shortcakes to 1 tb.

That’s it for today! If you want more bisquick recipes cookies, be sure to visit us today at:

Crockpots aren’t just for meals! There’s all kinds of desserts you can make with your crockpot. Two are listed below. Be sure to see our website for other crockpot recipes.

APPLE BROWN BETTY

* 3 lbs. cooking apples

* 10 slices of bread, cubed (about 4 cups)

* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

* 1/8 tsp. salt

* 3/4 c. brown sugar

* 1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

Wash apples, peel, core, cut into eighths; place in bottom on crock.
Combine bread cubes, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar, butter; toss
together. Place on top of apples in crock. Cover. Place crock into outer
shell. Cook on low setting 2 to 4 hours. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

APRICOT NUT BREAD

* 3/4 cup dried apricots

* 1 cup flour

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 1/4 tsp baking soda

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 3/4 cup milk

* 1 egg, slightly beaten

* 1 Tbsp grated orange peel

* 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Dip a knife into flour and chop the apricots finely. Flour the knife
often to keep the cut up fruit from sticking together. Sift the remaining
flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl.
Combine the milk, egg, orange peel, and oil. Stir the flour mixture and
the whole wheat flour. Fold in the cut up apricots, any flour left on the
cutting block and the walnuts. Pour into a well greased,
floured baking unit. Cover and place on a rack in the slow cooker, but
prop the lid open a fraction with a toothpick or a twist of foil to let
excess steam escape. Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

People had been so creative and innovative in making use of color mixes to signify nationalism and patriotism for the Fourth of July desserts. It does not matter what type of recipe you are making for as long as it has a scheme of red, white or blue in it, then it is as good as the American Independence itself. Dessert choices ranging from cheesecakes, cupcakes, puddings and other pastries are but some of the wide range of dessert recipes applicable for the festivity. With a simple application of white icing, you can already fashion your own cakes and cupcakes into a U.S. flag of some sort. Fruits as well can be arranged strategically to mimic the flag. These sumptuous dishes are very easy to prepare and not to mention, most have cheap ingredients that are readily available in the market or even in your own backyard.

With simple ingredients such as ice cream, syrup, berries, whipped cream and sugar, one can already create a Yankee Doodle Sundae. With the warm atmosphere in the air, carry along desserts are just perfect anytime anywhere. These may include a Margarita Pie and Dirt. The latter is especially recommended for picnics having lots of kids in attendance while the Margarita pie’s tasty pretzel crust really makes ones mouth water. One can also use a certain colored butter cream and other cake decorators like strawberries to mimic the Star – Spangled Banner. For storage purposes, these cold foods can be placed and kept in coolers with lots of ice to maintain the coolness of it all. Overall, these foods are just perfect to be one of the Fourth of July desserts.

We all have special occasions that need a fast easy dessert. Whether it is for a birthday, the holidays or to celebrate something special like your child learning to ride a bike, sometimes you just need to be able to throw together a special dessert on short notice. Serving a dessert for various accomplishments makes your family feel special and makes the day memorable, especially if dessert is not a daily event at your house.

Easy desserts should consist of ingredients you have readily at hand. By having a few mixes and fresh ingredients on hand, it will be easy to pull together a nice dessert for any special occasion. Cake mixes, jello, instant pudding and other ingredients that keep well are a good place to start. By keeping a few in your pantry, you will be ready for any occasion.

Easy Parfaits

There is nothing more elegant or simple than a parfait. Served in a wine glass, everyone will ooh and ahh when you set them out on the table. You can make a simple parfait out of Jello cubes. Choose your favorite flavor, and let your Jello chill in a shallow pan. Once it has set, slice it into small cubes. Mix up a box of vanilla or banana pudding. Alternate layers of Jello cubes and pudding and top it off with whipped cream. Add a cherry, a couple berries, or some sprinkles on top for a finishing touch. You could also substitute fresh fruit for the Jello cubes for layers in the parfait.

If you prefer creamy desserts, you can make a wonderful parfait with chocolate pudding and whipped topping by alternating layers of each ingredient in a wine glass. Top it with more whipped topping and add a few shaves of chocolate. The shavings will make your parfait look like it came from an expensive restaurant. Everyone will be amazed at how much time you spent (but you didn’t!) preparing such an elegant dessert.

Easy Baked Desserts

If you prefer something baked, a simple gingerbread can easily be put together using a mix. It can even be baking during dinner, as hot gingerbread makes a lovely, easy dessert. Hot gingerbread is a wonderful easy dessert served plain, with sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or served with hot lemon pudding poured over it. If the gingerbread has time to cool first, you can serve it with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon for an elegant touch. Cold gingerbread is also very good with hot lemon pudding poured over it.

If your family prefers chocolate, you can easily bake a chocolate cake and serve it simply with either whipped topping and chocolate curls on top or with powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. To make it appear even more elegant, add a couple fresh strawberry slices beside the cake, set into a small dollop of whipped topping.

These easy desserts can make any meal special, and they take very little time to make. Your family will be astounded at the care you have shown by making their accomplishment even more special by celebrating with dessert.

Holidays and special occasions often call for an easy dessert. Find one that fits your menu at JelloRecipes.net that will be suitable for any occasion. Whether you are looking for that traditional recipe, you remember from your childhood or a contemporary recipe to fit special dietary needs, this site will serve up something special.

Despite all the options out there, many of us find that we fall back on the same old desserts week after week. While they taste great at first, you can quickly get sick of pies, ice cream, or cake. If you are looking for the next great dessert, but find yourself intimidated by some of the recipes out there, you are not alone. Sometimes it seems like food journals and magazines fall on either side of two extremes – difficult and time consuming or the same things we always make.

The good news is that there are a lot of interesting and tasty desserts out there, and they do not need to be hard to make. Some may require a few unusual ingredients or techniques, but once you make them once or twice; you will get the hang of it. Here are a few ideas for great desserts to mix things up a little at your house.

Dessert Pizza

We see them at restaurants, but it rarely occurs to us to make these pizza-shaped desserts at home. However, they can be quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive. Try making sugar cookie dough or brownie batter from scratch, or buy prepackaged versions for a quicker crust. Top sugar cookie crusts with fresh fruit in season (apples and brown sugar are a real winner), chocolate, nuts, and lots of other tasty choices. Just remember to cook crusts entirely or partially before topping to avoid sogginess.

Ethnic Desserts

American cuisine has gone on to include a lot more dishes from other cultures in recent years. Many households regularly include Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and even Indian, Thai, and Japanese food for dinner. If you serve a meal based in another culture, never forget to include the desserts. Cultures throughout Asia have variations on Sweet Mango Sticky rice, for instance. Indian fruit lassis are a delight, and gelato makes a nice change from ordinary ice cream. 

If you or your family is a little concerned about strange foods, start by including some exotic ingredients in more ordinary dessert dishes. Lychee fruits, while strange looking, are a pleasant addition to the standard fruit salad, as are pineapple, mango, kiwi, and passionfruit.

Forgotten Favorites

Of course, you do not have to search far for new desserts. Some of them are old favorites that we just have not made in a while. Check out your older cookbooks for easy desserts your mother or grandmother used to make, and remember not to be afraid to experiment a little. Just be sure to do it when you have plenty of time – a deadline is never a good match for creativity in the kitchen. However, even desserts as humble as Jello, bread pudding, and cobbler can be a real treat without being difficult.

All Filipinos seem to be born with a sweet tooth, and most of us never really outgrow it. We’re never too old for a candy bar or a rich filled doughnut. That’s why desserts have always been a big part of Filipino cuisine. For many of us, a meal isn’t a meal without something cold and sweet to top it off. It doesn’t matter if your meal consists of rice and dried fish; without dessert, it’s simply not complete.

However, our idea of dessert has evolved a lot through the years. Ask any kid what his favorite dessert is and he’ll most likely say ice cream, cake, or something not really Filipino. If you think the same way, maybe it’s time you tried the old favorites and rediscover Filipino food. Here’s a quick guide to local desserts and some Filipino desserts recipes you can make on your own.

Rice cakes

With rice as our staple food, it’s really no surprise that we’d turn it into a dessert as well. In fact, we have more than a dozen varieties of kakanin, the local term for rice desserts, most of them sold at practically every corner. Because they are rice-based, they are seldom eaten after regular meals (which already have rice as the main course). People prefer them for merienda in the late morning or afternoon. Some of the most popular Filipino rice cakes are puto, suman, biko, bibingka, and kalamay.

Native pastries

If you’re looking for a lighter dessert, Filipino pastries may be just what you need. Our native pastries cover everything from small bite-size tarts to tropical fruit pies. They may seem complicated at first glance, but they are actually one of the easiest Filipino food recipes. In fact, if you’re just starting out, pastries make a great beginner recipe. Start with simple snack tarts such as this one.

Easy Caramel Tarts

Ingredients:

1 tbsp flour

1 c milk

1 c golden syrup

1 c brown sugar

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp butter

2 eggs, separated

½ tsp vanilla

Procedure: Beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat in the white sugar. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into baked pastry shells. Top with the egg white mixture and bake for about 10 minutes or until the meringue turns brown.

Puto and kutsinta

Puto a steamed cake made from rice flour, often topped with cheese or salted eggs. It is often sold with kutsinta, a brown jelly cake served with grated coconut. The two go together because the soft, grainy texture of the puto contrasts the tart smoothness of kutsinta. Both are among the simplest Filipino recipes; you can make a batch of each cake in less than two hours.

Puto

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 cups milk

6 tsps baking powder

3 eggs (use only egg whites for a lighter cake)

Procedure: Combine all the ingredients except the egg whites. Mix well and let stand for one hour, then fold in the eggs. Pour into baking pan or muffin pans and steam for about one hour.

Kutsinta

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1 tsp lye water

3 cups water

2 cups packed brown sugar

Procedure: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl; beat well. Half-fill a muffin pan with the batter, then steam covered over 2 inches of water for about 30 minutes. Top with grated coconut.

Bibingka

Bibingka is actually an Indian dish (bebinca), but the Filipino variety is unique because it uses rice flour instead of white. It also comes with a variety of toppings such as butter or margarine, cheese, salted eggs, or grated coconuts. Bibingka is a popular snack in the Christmas season, where it is often sold with puto bumbong (same as puto, but cooked in bamboo vessels and flavored with coconut or purple yam)and other Filipino cooking recipes. It is traditionally cooked in charcoal ovens, which gives it a smoky flavor. Of course, you can also tweak the recipe and bake it in modern ovens. Here’s how.

Ingredients:

2 c plain flour

¼ c baking powder

¾ c sugar

1 ¼ c coconut milk

3 eggs, beaten

½ c Edam cheese, grated

½ butter, melted

½ c grated coconut

1 tsp salt

Procedure: Preheat your oven to 375oF. In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in coconut milks and add in the eggs. In a separate bow, sift the flour, add the baking powder and salt, then sift again. Combine with the egg mixture and beat well. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and resume baking for another 20 minutes, brushing with margarine occasionally. Give it a final brush when done, and serve with coconut on the side.

Luscious desserts and low-carb diets typically do not mix. Sugar is, of course, a carbohydrate. How can you have something “sweet” without using sugar?

Those of us who cook know that using artificial sweeteners changes the recipe, drastically. Things like saccharin have less “bulk” than straight sugar. So, trying to bake a sugar-free cake can be very difficult.

But, even sugar free cakes are not low carb desserts. Flour is also a carbohydrate. Eggs, milk and cheese are allowed on your low-carb diet. But, sugar and flour are not. So, what should you do?

How about cheesecake?

Typically, New York style cheesecake is made with heavy cream, cream cheese, eggs and additional egg yolks to add richness and a smooth consistency. Lemons, strawberries or chocolate shavings may be added for flavor. None of those ingredients are carbs, but of course, most recipes call for sugar and lots of it.

Once you add the carbs from the graham cracker crust, you have about 25 grams of carbohydrates in a 3.5 ounce serving. That’s a pretty small slice. But, cheesecakes can be low carb desserts, if they are properly prepared, without the sugar and “sans” crust.

It’s difficult (next to impossible, really) to make this kind of cheesecake at home, because, as I mentioned, sugar substitutes change the recipe. If you do get it to set, you also get an unpleasant aftertaste. It’s hardly worth the effort.

But, you can still serve delicious low carb desserts at home, with very little effort on your part. You can simply order it on-line.

Our own line options for serving a gourmet meal are simply amazing, to me anyway. We can stick to our diets, eat healthy, cater a dinner party or have a private affair for two, right in the luxury of our own homes.

When you consider the time it takes to cook a meal, the shopping, the cost of ingredients and the likelihood that the recipe will “flop”, I think catered meals are a cost-effective option. I don’t know about you, but my time is money.

My health is very important to me, but temptations are not always easy to resist. So, I try to be sure that I always have “healthy temptations”.

If you work full time and commute to your office, by the time you get in your daily work-out and get ready for dinner, you might be tempted to settle for fast-food or whatever’s in the fridge. That’s what happens to a lot of people, so they end up with an unsuccessful and unhealthy diet.

There are a few really good companies that makes healthy delicious low carb desserts on the internet, suitable for a dinner party or an everyday treat. The taste is delicious and you can store them in the freezer, so that you’re prepared for those unexpected guests.

What could be simpler?

Soccer cupcakes and soccer cakes are very popular treat for parties nowadays. Whether a victory party for a soccer team, a children’s party or a birthday party these cupcakes are great to enjoy for everyone.

Soccer cupcakes are soccer inspired finely decorated with an amount of icing and sprinkles. Basically these cupcakes come with a creatively made soccer ball icing decoration and baked in soccer baking cups.

There are so many soccer inspired designs of these cupcakes in the market today readily available for customers. You can purchase it online or you can order to your favorite bakeshops.

But isn’t it great if we can try to make these cupcakes on our own? Yes of course, we can have a try and the procedures are quite easy.

First we have to prepare all the necessary tools and ingredients. The tools needed are; standard muffin pan, multi opening round tip 233, soccer standard baking cups, disposable decorating bags and a standard coupler.

The ingredients we need are; leaf green icing color, rainbow nonpareils sprinkle decorations, soccer ball icing decorations and a butter cream icing.

Firstly, bake the cupcakes and cool it in a soccer standard baking cups and prepare the butter cream icing. Add a little tint of icing green to represent the soccer field. Now use the green butter cream and tip 233 to decorate pull out grass on top of the cupcake. Put the nonpareils sprinkle décor at the top of the cupcake and lastly put the soccer icing decoration on the cupcake.