Strawberry Cheesecake

The creamy strawberry cheesecake is perfect for any special occasion. The two layer cake made with pureed strawberries giving an intense flavor. Here is an  amazing and no-bake strawberry cheese cake recipe and it is of course one of the great gathering treat. 

Related: Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting

Ingredients for the base:

1. Digestive biscuits-250 gm
2. Butter melted-100 gm

Ingredients for the Cheesecake filling:

1. Cream cheese-500 gm
2. Whipping cream-200 gm
3. Caster Sugar-100 gm
4. Pureed Strawberry-2 tbsp
5. Lemon juice-1 tbsp
6. Gelatin (unflavored)-10 gm

Ingredients For Topping:

1. Strawberry (fresh or frozen)-1 1/2 cup
2. Sugar-1 cup
3. Water-1/4 cup
4. Lemon juice-1 tsp

Preparation:

• In a large bowl (or use blender) crumble the digestive biscuits to fine powder; add melted butter in to it and mix well.
• Grease a spring form cake tin with butter.
• Add the biscuit mix in to baking pan and press firmly.
• Keep it in fridge until the filling gets ready.
• Beat whip cream in a chilled bowl until smooth and stiff. 
• In another bowl; Beat cream cheese and sugar  until creamy and fluffy.
• Fold it with the whip cream.
• Heat lemon juice and strawberry puree in a pan along with 2 tbsp of water.
• Switch off the flame before boiling; add gelatin in to it and mix well. Allow to cool the mixture completely (must cools down before adding to cream mix).
• Add it in to the cream mix and fold once again.
• Pour this over the chilled base and allow to refrigerate for another 2 hours.
• For the topping; boil sugar and water in a pan until thickens (one string consistency).
• Then add mashed strawberries, lemon juice; mix well until thickens and switch off the flame. You must allow to cool completely the mix before topping on the cheese cake (otherwise the cheese starts melting; when you add the warm mix on top; or refrigerate the strawberry filling for 15 minutes to make sure that it is cooled).
• Pour on top of the cheese cake evenly and return to fridge for another 4 hours to set completely or chill over night.
• Gently run a sharp knife around the edges of cheesecake to loosen before unlocking the spring form pan.
• Garnish it with fresh strawberries on top and serve chilled!!!

Mango Trifle

Trifle is a beautiful and delicious dessert treat made with cake pieces soaked in fruits and cream syrup. It’s a perfect recipe for a party and can be prepared easily. Here is an easy and scrumptious mango trifle recipe with few ingredients. There is no more ruling for topping the layers; you can add your choice of cream and nuts in addition with my ingredients..👇
Ingredients:

1. Mango Chopped-1 1/2  cup
2. Sweetened condensed milk-1/2 cup
3. Cake pieces crumbled-1/4 cup
4. Cream cheese-1/4 cup
5. Graham cracker biscuit-6 no's
6. Cherries-to garnish

Preparation:

• Blend 1 cup of chopped mangoes with 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk and 1 tbsp cream cheese to smooth.
• Take two tall glasses; carefully fill each glass with half of this mango cream mix. (keep the remaining half for further layering).
• Above that add half of  crumbled cake and crushed biscuits equally.
• Mix well remaining cream cheese with 1/4 cup of condensed milk and add it in to the both glasses equally.
• Next the remaining cake crumbles and biscuits followed by mango cream mix.
• Add chopped mango pieces on top and garnish with cherries.
• Refrigerate for and hour and serve chilled.
• You can also top it with a scoop of ice cream before serving...(if you wish to 😊😋)

Valentine Sweet Apple Potpies

This Valentine's Day snuggle up to a wholesome and delicious, heart-shaped apple potpie.

Because we all need a little more love (and comfort food!)



This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. All opinions are mine.Thank you for the love :)


Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Have you figured out your plans and how you will impress your favorite person this year?!?
I

Fudgy Brownies

I made these brownies to go with brownie sundaes and they were perfect! They were rich and chocolately and when still warm they were the perfect base for a delicious sundae covered in ice cream and caramel sauce.  This recipe is from Good Life Eats.

12 tbsps salted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 square dish and set to the side. In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla into the butter. Cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the cocoa powder and remove from heat. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well in between each. Stir the flour into the mixture then carefully fold the chocolate chunks in. Pour into the greased dish and bake for 25-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting. 

Homemade Blueberry Bread Pudding

Indulge yourself in a freshly-baked, oven-warm HUGE piece of this

 perfectly moist and sweet bread pudding exploding with colorful blueberries

It doesn't get much better than this!




Is it cold and rainy outside?? Here is the plan for this weekend. Sleep in, wear your pj's all day and bake a bread pudding you won't easily forget ... Once you manage to get off bed and make yourself a cup of

Easy Milk Powder Burfi

An easy and quick melt in mouth burfi recipe using milk powder!!

Ingredients:

1. Milk Powder-2 cup
2. Milk- 1/2 cup
3. Sugar-1 cup
4. Ghee- 1/2 cup
5. Cardamom powder-a pinch
6. Fried cashews-to garnish
7. Tutti fruity-to garnish

Preparation:

• Grease a tray with little ghee and keep it aside.
• Mix the milk with milk powder and make a smooth paste out of it.
• Heat a heavy bottom pan with ghee.
• When it is hot; make the flame to low.
• Add the milk paste in to it and stir well continuously for 3 minutes.
• Add sugar and mix well. Stir well on medium flame until the mixture starts leaving from the sides.
• Quickly add cardamom powder; mix well and switch off the flame. (when the mixture starts leaving from the pan; don;t cook more; then the burfi get harden after cools down).
• Add in to the greased tray, garnish on top with chopped nuts and tutti fruity; level the top.
• Rest for about 40 minutes to cools down completely and after that grease a sharp knife with ghee and carefully cut squares.

Bakery-Style Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Wake up to the inviting aroma of just-baked muffins, right from your oven
Every bite is filled with the fresh flavor of cranberries and a hint of sweet oranges




These homemade, bakery-style muffins are a sure way of perking up your morning. 
Bursting with fresh cranberries and juicy oranges. Soft and delicious. Fruity and sweet. 
I really love the flavor combination of oranges and

Easy Brownie On Stovetop

An easy and gooey melt in mouth  brownie recipe on stove-top!!!
Ingredients:

1. Powdered sugar- 3/4 cup
2. Eggs-2
3. All purpose flour-3/4cup
4. Cocoa powder- 1/4 cup
5. Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
6. Vanilla extract-3/4 tsp
7. Oil-1/2 cup
8. Salt-a pinch
9. Chopped white chocolate- 1/4 cup (Or use chopped walnuts or almonds)

Preparation:

• Grease a baking tray with oil and sprinkle some flour.
• Add 1 cup of salt (or sand) in a pan and put it on the stove-top on low flame.
• Place a stand above the salt and put the baking tray on top of it.
• Cover the lid of the pan and allow to pre-heat while the batter gets ready.
• Beat eggs and powdered sugar in bowl for a minute until just creamy. (no need to beat until fluffy)
• Add all the other ingredients except chopped white chocolate and beat until nicely mixed (only about a minute; don't overbeat).
• Add chopped white chocolates and mix with a spoon by folding it.
• Quickly pour the batter in to the baking tray; Cover the lid of the pan.
• Slow cook for about 45-50 minutes or until the top gets dried and have a shiny papery crust.
• Allow to cool completely; cut them in to pieces and serve with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup on top.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

There is nothing bad about these cookies! When I saw the recipe and saw how easy they would be to make I knew I had to jump on these beauties. This recipe is adapted from Cookies and Cups.

1 (19.5oz) Brownie Mix
4oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1 egg
1 cup white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl combine the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the egg and mix until incorporated. Pour in the brownie mix and mix on low until the dough comes together. Stir in the white chocolate chips. Use a tablespoon to scoop the batter onto the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 4 minutes the move to a wire rack.

Vanilla Christmas Tree Cakes with Custard Cream

Let's celebrate the holidays with these cute Christmas tree vanilla cakes 
stuffed with rich custard cream, and decorated with colorful sprinkles




Remember my Christmas tree dessert?!?
I've posted this recipe before, and I thought you would like to see it again. After all, these little tree cakes are super cute, very festive and they will surely impress all your holiday guests. Made with

Puppy Chow

Puppy chow, muddy buddies, whatever you call them this is a classic! Everyone seems to make their recipe slightly differently but this is how I make it!

1 (12 oz) box Crispix
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter
5 tbsp butter
1 lb powdered sugar

In a sauce pan melt together the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter.  Stir together over low heat until it is completely melted. Pour the cereal into the chocolate mixture and stir until it is covered. Place half of the powdered sugar into a 2 gallon ziplock bag. Add the coated cereal then pour in the remaining powdered sugar and carefully shake to coat.  Place in an airtight container to store.

Puff Pastry-Pecan Mini Tarts Topped with Caramelized Pecan Halves

Make your holidays sweeter with these mini pecan pies

Deliciously small and perfectly unshareable!


This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. All opinions are mine.Thank you for your support!


Who says that dessert should be shared?!? Oh no. Sometimes it's nice to selfishly enjoy every last, tiny little crumb of it. Especially when it's as yummy and cute as these mini pecan pies.

Chocolate Dipped Clementines

It's that time of year when clementines are in season.  I love these little cuties just as they are but they make a perfect snack or a quick dessert.  I use a container of Baker's Dipping *Dark Chocolate.  This container works great with left over chocolate, just pop on the plastic lid and refrigerate until you make these again.  The chocolate won't stay in the fridge long because you'll make these often!

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or a Silpat (non stick baking mat). Peel and segment clementines, set aside.  Be careful not to break the skin as the juice will seize the chocolate.  Gently melt chocolate in  the microwave.  Dip segments in chocolate and transfer to parchment-lined sheet. Once all pieces have been dipped, set the sheet aside until chocolate hardens (takes about an hour). To quickly harden chocolate, transfer baking sheet to the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

*You can use milk chocolate if you prefer.

Chocolate Covered Cookie Dunkers

These crazy delicious cookies are begging for a wholesome glass of milk!



This blog post is sponsored by The a2 Milk Company™ 


"Because when your milk is naturally easy to digest, life is easy to digest"






There are few simple pleasures in life that never get old, like dunking a cookie into a rich and soothing glass of milk. No matter how old you are, there is something delicious and

Blueberry Pasta... say wha?!?

Last Christmas I received a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid.  I've been making all sorts of pasta egg pasta, beet pasta, spinach pasta, etc.  I wanted to make a pasta that could somehow incorporate Alaska, therefore tundra blueberry pasta.

To get this vibrant purple color you have to use tundra blueberries also called bilberries similar to huckleberries.  Blueberries from the grocery store just won't cut it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup tundra blueberry puree
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1 tbs. lemon juice
• dash cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a your Kitchen aid mixer and finish off with your dough hook or used a food processor to blend all ingredients so that it forms into a solid ball.  
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.
3. Roll out dough or wind through your pasta machine.
4. Cut into strips or wind through your pasta machine.
5. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente…it will only take 3-4 minutes if the pasta is fresh.

You can use your blueberry pasta in just about any recipe that you would use any other type of pasta.

Here I've made a dessert pasta using my blueberry pie filling recipe.

You will need cooked blueberry pasta, topped with blueberry pie filling and almond flavored whipped cream.  I finished it off by sprinkling some ground cinnamon on top.  I will admit texture was a little weird at first because I was expecting pie crust but it was yummilicious.  The kids scarfed it up.
 
For Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbs. corn starch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cup tundra blueberries
• 1/2 teas. ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, mix together the water, cornstarch, and sugar.  Add in blueberries and bring to a boil at medium heat, stirring constantly for about two minutes or until mixture is thick.  Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon.  Pour into a pint size jar and set aside.

For Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 teas. almond extract

Directions:

Chill a medium mixing bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer.  Combine all the ingredients into your chilled mixing bowl, and use chilled beaters to beat the mixture till soft peaks form.


I had so much fun making this blueberry pasta that I even threw it in with some left over garlic shrimp.  All I did was saute some peeled an deveined shrimp with butter, minced garlic,  Johnny's garlic seasoning, dash of salt, and tossed in the pasta.  The blueberry flavor in the pasta is a bit mild so that this pasta could go with just about any pasta dish.  

Enjoy.

TIramisu

Happy New Year!  I looked back and realized I didn't post one recipe in December.  It's not that I didn't do a lot of cooking and baking, I did, but during the holidays I stick to my tried and true recipes.  One recipe that has made it into that category is this tiramisu recipe.  If I had to pick a favorite dessert, tiramisu would be it.  I thought I would have to try a few recipes before I found a keeper but after serving this to my daughter (and she likes tiramisu as much as I do), she agreed with me, this one is perfect.

I've only made this twice and have looked forward to making it again soon.  Just so happened, I got a call yesterday about getting some friends together for dinner next weekend. There will be 5 couples and trying to get that many around a table at a restaurant and trying to visit with everyone, didn't sound like as much fun as it would be to just have them all over.  The funny thing was, as I was suggesting to have this dinner party, I was thinking, "Oh good, I have a reason to make tiramisu again!" and "Oh good, I will make those really good stuffed shells that I made over the holidays and forgot to take a picture for my blog and now I can!"  and "Oh good, I have some Lemoncello in the freezer I've wanted to open!"  So right then and there, I planned an Italian themed dinner party.   The planning (for me) is always the hardest part and since I already had a plan and my friend did the inviting, and the guests are bringing the wine, this should be an easy, fun and delicious get together!

Hopefully I remember to take a photo of the Stuffed Shells this time so I can post them because they are a keeper too!

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups (16 oz.) mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 24 ladyfingers
• 1/2 cup cold espresso (I use instant espresso coffee - Medaglia D'oro)
• 
• 1/4 cup Kahlua
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 
  
• Directions
• 1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over medium/high heat, then reduce the heat so that the water is simmering.

• 2. Whisk egg yolks, milk and sugar together in a medium metal bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan.

• 3. Whisk the mixture often for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens.  The mixture becomes light yellow and thick.
• 

• 4. Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.  Add  2 cups of mascarpone cheese and the vanilla and whisk until smooth.
• 

• 5. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until thick.

• 6. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until it’s completely incorporated, but don’t over mix, you want to keep it light and fluffy.
•  

• 7. Combine the espresso and Kahlua in a shallow bowl, big enough to dip ladyfingers.

• 8. One-by-one, dip each ladyfinger in the espresso.  The ladyfinger will soak up the espresso like a sponge, so dip quickly.

• 9. Arrange 12 of the dipped ladyfingers side-by-side on the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch serving dish or baking pan. (You might have to break a few to get a single layer)
•  

• 10. Spoon about half of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, then add another layer of soaked ladyfingers on top of the cheese mixture.
• 

• 11. Spoon the remaining cheese mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers and spread it evenly.

• 12. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.  I like to make the day before.  If by chance there are leftovers, no worries as it is still good days later!

• 13. Before serving put cocoa powder in a tight-mesh strainer and gently tap the side of the strainer to add an even dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the dessert.

• 14. Serves 9 large pieces but I like to cut it into 12 smaller pieces.

adapted from Top Secret Recipes - Olive Garden Tiramisu 

                                                                                         

Coeur à la creme

 I used to love to make this for the kids. We had a little heart-shaped wicker basket, which I would fill and let drain overnight. The kids loved this like cheesecake. And it's so much healthier.

The basket fell apart. So Amazon.com came to my rescue with a purpose-made dish that drains neatly. It's just enough for two, really, 12 ounces. Very romantic as a dessert to share. With proper prior approval by the sharee, of course. (Ms Manners has the final word on people who expect one to share when one does not want to).

Edouard de Pomaine (French Cooking in Ten Minutes p. 140) has this in a much faster form than mine, above. "Beat some heavy cream into farmer's cheese or soft cream cheese. Stir in some sugar and a little powdered cinnamon. This is a super-quick dessert and it's excellent [italics mine!]. You can serve it either with or without vanilla wafers."

1/2 package of Neufchatel (low fat cream cheese)
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1 tablespoon honey
[Optional: 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur]
Strawberries, cherries, or other fruits

1. Line a coeur à la creme mold with cheesecloth or paper towel.
2. Beat the ingredients with a fork and then a whisk until smooth.
3. Pour into the mold and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 1-2 hours.
4. Unmold, remove the cloth or paper, and serve with fruit.

Pear-almond tart

I brought dessert to a party a couple weeks ago and everyone asked for the recipe, so here it is. :-)

For a 10" tart (plus some left-over pastry):

• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 125g sugar
• 250g flour
• 125g butter
• 2 or 3 ripe pears (d'Anjou or Bartlett)
• ground cinnamon
• almond powder or thin almond slivers (optional)

Prepare the pâte sablée pastry as follows:

1. Beat the egg, salt, and sugar in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, until they become foamy and turn to a pale yellow. (Note: why use a stand mixer when you can have a free workout?)
2. Sift all the flour at once over the egg and sugar mix. Start mixing slowly with the wooden spoon, then use your fingers to mix all the ingredients. Rub small amounts of dough between your fingers or hands to turn the mix into a grainy "sand." (Pâte sablée means "sanded dough.")
3. Cut the butter into small parcels. If the butter is very cold, heat up in the microwave for a few seconds. Add to the mix and knead the dough with your hands very briefly, then form a ball. The dough should come off of your hands easily (add a little bit of flour if needed), but it remains a little sticky.
4. (If the dough feels really soft, or you are making this recipe on a hot summer day, or in a warm kitchen, you may want to cool down the dough in the fridge for a while. This step is optional.) 
5. Roll out the pie crust on floured parchment paper down to 3-4 mm in thickness. Press into the bottom of a 10" pie dish (mine is metallic). Punch a few holes in the crust with a fork.
6. Bake the crust at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 15-20 minutes. It should remain pale.

Cut two ripe, juicy pears into quarters. D'Anjou and Bartlett (Williams) work great for this. Peel and core, then slice thinly. Arrange the pear slices on the pre-baked pie crust, either in circles on in rows.

Dust with cinnamon (just a tad), then add a few tiny bits of butter and optionally sprinkle with almond powder (1-2 TBSP) or almond slivers. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC).

I brought a 10" tart to the party, but for the picture, I made the same recipe again, using my daughter's bakeware: mini pie dish, mini utensils... And we made animal cookies with the rest of the dough. They were delicious.

I accidentally made my best crepes ever

It was last weekend, a few days after la Chandeleur, the French "crepe day." I had made the batter around 4pm on Saturday, thinking that we would have the crepes for dinner that evening. Since the batter needs a couple hours of rest at room temperature, I left it on the kitchen counter while we visited our new friends, a family we met through preschool. But kids and parents alike had such a good time that we decided to end the day at the restaurant all together. I figured that the crepes could wait another day. On the way back from dinner, I put the bowl of batter in the fridge until Sunday's lunch. And what a lunch we had!

Making crepes is a bit like making jam, as far as I'm concerned: as simple as the recipe might be, something always goes wrong, and I never know what it is. Crepes end up being too thick, jam overcooks... It's an art much more than it is a science. Successes always seem like miracles. 

On Saturday, although I always prepare the batter with a wooden spoon and a manual whisk (and a fair amount of elbow grease), I decided to try using my shiny but seldom used stand mixer for a change. I weighed the flour into the mixing bowl, pushed the flour to the sides and added the beaten eggs in the center, then mixed a bit with a wooden spoon (see, I can't help it), letting the flour fall in little by little. I added the milk, oil, and salt. Then off to the mixer, on slow rotation, with the wire whip attachment (rather than the flat beater). After a minute or two, the batter was homogeneous. I then slowly poured in a bottle of beer and let the mixer do its magic for another couple of minutes. I covered the bowl of batter with a sheet of paper towel and let it stand at room temperature for roughly 5 hours, then in the fridge for another 15 hours or so. Did the extra night of fermentation do the trick? Was the mechanical whisking more efficient than the manual? Did I use more liquid than usual? Was it wiser to use a paper towel than a kitchen cloth? I don't really know.

When I took the bowl out of the fridge, the batter was quite liquid—something my cookbook said I didn't want. But the crepes ended up being perfect : thin and fluffy. They reminded me of the marvelous crepes I devoured in Brittany as a kid. (Brittany is where crepes originated. Bretons make their crepes very thin, almost like dentelle (lace), another of their renowned specialties.) But they also had that subtle fermented taste of South-Indian dosas (which are made of fermented rice and lentil flour). A great combination.

After a few savory crepes filled with French ham, mushrooms (sautéed in butter) and grated Emmentaler, I spread another one with redcurrant jelly, which I just happened to find in a gourmet store. This long forgotten taste brought me right back to my grandmother's house. She had several bushes of redcurrants in her backyard, and we would help her harvest les groseilles every year. She would make the most delicious jelly, in a giant copper pan (bassine a confiture), and covered each jar with a paper soaked in paraffin wax for better preservation, so we could enjoy the jelly all year round.

What a pleasure to accidentally make crepes that would remind me of such fond memories.

For 12 large crepes, 2 hours to 1 day in advance:

• 250 grams flour 
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/4 liter whole milk
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 or 3 pinches (about 1/2 teaspoon) salt
• 11.2 oz (one bottle, about 1/3 liter) Kronenbourg 1664 beer, a pale lager from Alsace, or any other mild-tasting beer

1. Mix all the ingredients slowly, in the order of the above list, until obtaining a smooth and runny (but not totally liquid) batter. 
2. Let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours, covered with a paper or kitchen towel, then optionally in the fridge for up to a day.
3. Heat up a large flat non-stick pan (ideally a crepe pan, but a frying pan does the job too) on medium-high heat. 
4. Carefully wipe the whole pan with a paper towel on which you have poured a little bit of high-heat resistant oil, such as sunflower oil.
5. Once the pan is hot, pour one laddle of batter in the center of the pan and quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion to cover the whole pan with batter. (The first crepe never looks good...)
6. When the edges of the crepe start lifting up or change color (it should take a minute or less), flip the crepe with a long spatula. Cook the second side for another 20 seconds to one minute.
7. Stack the crepes on a plate, or eat them as soon as they are ready.

I gave some filling ideas in this earlier post.