Pistachio Pineapple Dessert

So I had Pistachio pudding that needed used up and St. Patty's day was this week, so what a perfect time to make a green dessert! I actually skipped the cookie crumble step and just made the pudding mix. The addition of pineapple, lime and cream cheese was exactly what this needed. So tangy and delicious! It was hard not to eat the entire thing in one night!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pistachio-pineapple-dessert-1970610

Chocolate and Ginger Tarts

One of my favorite shows is "The Great British Baking Show" produced by the BBC. I used to think I was a pretty good baker until I started watching this show. Now my hobby is learning to convert US baking into UK (i.e. Celcius, grams, pints, etc...). There are also a lot of products in the UK that are commonplace that are very difficult to find here in the US (i.e. jam sugar, stem ginger, golden syrup, etc...). Thankfully, Amazon has most of what I need and if I get desperate I can go to Colorado Springs to The British Pantry for supplies.

BBC.CO.UK/food has a lot of recipes from the show (and more!) so this is one of the first ones I tried. I absolutely loved these tarts, but I found out after baking that the hubby is not a fan of ginger. I think it's an awesome combination with the chocolate, but I know now that this recipe will be used as a give-away. Note to self: make sure the recipient likes ginger. :)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolate_and_ginger_92855

Cherry Gelatin Supreme

I found this recipe and decided to take a break from Pumpkin to test as a potential Christmas family dessert recipe. I was able to test it on a neighbor who gave me thumbs up. It's a simple dish ingredient wise, but has multiple chilling steps. It was also a weird size dish so i broke it up into (2) 8x8 disposable pans which worked out pretty well. Worth the effort.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cherry-gelatin-supreme/

Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars

I have continued my quest to make pumpkin treats as often as I can. In the past week, I have made a few more. This one is by far my favorite for ease and deliciousness. I actually prefer it over pie because the "crust" is so much better. The hubby and I "gobbled" this one up quickly. :)

Pumpkin Blondies

It's that time of year again!  I discovered that I had at least 90 pumpkin recipes, so I decided to give it my best shot and bake as many as possible before the end of the the fall season.

I started off with Pumpkin Blondies--not sure if it's the elevation (6400 ft), but it turned out like a bread/cake/brownie. :D Don't know any other way to describe it. The good news is that it was delicious! The hubby enjoyed it too, so it was definitely a winner.

https://www.iheartnaptime.net/pumpkin-blondies/

Peach Crisp

The hubby bought peaches yesterday and requested Peach Crisp for dessert. Knowing how much I love to bake, he knew I was excited! I really enjoy looking at recipes online and reading the author's perspective as well as the reviewers' take. Typically I only bake 5 star recipes which was part of my reason for choosing this one. I only wish I had had time for homemade ice cream. [I tried the boiling trick for getting the skins off--it worked beautifully.]

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/peach-crisp/

Bailey's Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

I recently had neighbors over for dinner and couldn't wait to make this one. Brownie bottom, Baileys in the cheesecake, ganache and whipped cream--yum! Not sure what the issue was, but I couldn't get the whipped cream consistency I needed; it kept curdling. Other than that, it was a wonderfully delicious cheesecake. So glad that I had to share. ;)

https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2018/06/06/baileys-brownie-cheesecake/

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake

Finally found some time to share a few amazing desserts that I've tried in the last few weeks. This one was a request from a neighbor for her mother's birthday. "Something chocolately and gluten-free". Challenge accepted! It was a very easy substitution with gluten-free "oreos" as the crust, and you can't go wrong with ganache?!  One caveat--a normal cheesecake usually has 24 ounces of cream cheese. Knowing this, I followed the recipe and put the extra in a small pie pan. The hubby was excited there was some for him.

http://flippindelicious.com/2015/02/gluten-free-death-by-chocolate-cheesecake.html

Loaded Butterscotch Cheesecake

I've really been having fun with cheesecakes lately. There are so many varieties. It's fun to have so many willing neighbors as guinea pigs too. I attended a party this weekend and had the pleasure to make this one. It's very rich and decadent--loaded is an understatement. If you like butterscotch, you'll really enjoy this one!

https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2015/04/15/loaded-butterscotch-cheesecake/

Orange Gelatin Pretzel Salad

This one was emailed to me as an alternative to Strawberry Pretzel Salad. A neighbor was having a birthday, so it was the perfect time to give it a try. It definitely was worth the time (and very little effort)! I ended up using fresh mandarin oranges (3) instead of the canned. I think they taste so much better. Something very refreshing about oranges and pineapple in a jello salad in the summer. Definitely one to take to parties and potlucks.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/orange-gelatin-pretzel-salad/?trkid=ZMSN

Blueberry Cheesecake Crumb Cake

I’m grateful to have neighbors that are willing to try my adventures in baking. It’s not only my therapy but my way of letting them know I’m thinking about them. This one is probably one of my future favorites. The mascarpone cheese and fresh blueberries make it a very special treat. One caveat, due to the high elevation, I had to cook it for 90 minutes. I also might add a little lemon juice next time to balance the sweetness.

https://omgchocolatedesserts.com/blueberry-cheesecake-crumb-cake/

Mountain Dew Cake (modified)

Well, you all know baking is my therapy and this weekend has been extra "therapeutic". Having fun trying some new recipes. This one was simple and easy. My recipe selection usually starts with something I have in my cupboard that needs to be used. This time it was lemon cake. I usually end up doing poke cakes, but I saw the title and knew I had to try it. A few caveats--if using a bundt cake pan, there are some great tips on YouTube that I recommend watching. Secondly, I didn't have Mountain Dew on-hand, so I used Sierra Mist; I highly recommend adding a little lemon juice to the cake and the glaze--takes away some of the sweetness. Lastly, I recommend making this cake the night before and glazing the next day to make sure it's had time to completely cool down, otherwise you end up with a glaze moat around your cake. Great cake for spring!

https://cookiesandcups.com/mountain-dew-cake/

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I had a surplus of apples and decided to go for decadence for once (ok more than once, lol). I didn't end up adding the caramel (ran out of time), but I must say, the hubby and I will not be losing weight this week. Absolutely scrumptious and not really that much effort. It is best to make it overnight and eat it the next day. But, it does make a 13x9 pan's worth...however, it doesn't seem to be a problem for us.

I love the title of her website; I can totally relate :)

https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/09/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html

Paleo Ice Cream (Dairy-Free)

This is dessert #1 of my AIP dinner from last week. It was pretty good, but I've since found other similar recipes that include coconut milk and vanilla. But, for being a 3 ingredient dessert, the guests really enjoyed the combination of bananas, cocoa and almond butter. :)

https://thebigmansworld.com/2017/05/01/healthy-3-ingredient-no-churn-blender-chocolate-ice-cream-paleo-vegan-dairy-free/

Pichuberry and Blueberry Flaugnarde

Tonight was a 2-for-1 special on learning cool new foods and desserts.

1. The hubby bought "Golden Berries" (at Sprouts), also known as "Cape Gooseberries", also known as "Pichuberries"--grown in Columbia. Of course I looked at Pinterest and found a new french dessert that I couldn't pronounce.  Again, google helped me with that one--Flaugnarde. Not only is it fun to say, it's EASY and delicious! There is a strawberry version that I would try if he bought them again. Note when buying them from the store, get 2 containers (=2 cups). I used a deep dish pie plate, but now have a good excuse to shop for a (1 piece) tart pan. :)

http://www.theeggfarm.com/blog/2014/02/11/pichuberry-and-blueberry-flaugnarde/

Banana Poke Cake

Once again, I had pudding boxes that were nearing expiration, so I "had" to come up with something. This happened to be banana pudding and I really enjoy poke cakes, so I whipped up this pan of yumminess yesterday. It takes about 4 stages to prepare (with lots of cooling and chilling), so make sure, if you're planning to serve it to a group, that you have plenty of time. Also, a trick to extend the life of this cake is to serve the bananas separately, slicing them for each individual bowl more as a garnish. That way, you don't end up with brown bananas in your cake and it can seem fresh for several days. In this particular case, I crushed animal crackers and vanilla wafers. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire pan. :D

http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-pudding-poke-cake-483403

1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls

I am so thrilled that my first attempt at cinnamon rolls was a success. It's all due to one of my favorite Facebook pages Eazy Peazy Mealz. Thanks to her diligence and research, I was able to bake with ease. I don't think I'll have to search anywhere else for my (new) go-to recipe. The only caveat, is that I rolled my dough fairly thin, so I had smaller rolls. I ended up making 40 rolls! Good think I had good "testers".

http://www.eazypeazymealz.com/1-hour-cinnamon-rolls/

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

So now that the weather is warming up and cooperating, my blog time is significantly reduced. I made this last week, but it's definitely a keeper--super yummy! I didn't have enough heath to sprinkle on top so I added butterscotch chips. Oh my---"Crack Bars"!  The shortbread bottom, sweetened condensed milk drizzle and topping definitely brought my clean eating to shame. Since the hubby loves heath, caramel and butterscotch, I have a feeling I will be making this one again. :)

http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2013/03/12/chocolate-chip-toffee-bars/

Marbled Oreos

Pinterest day! I don't usually do artsy desserts, but the next 2 posts, I knew I could handle (I hoped anyway). Marbled oreos are super easy and a great idea to do with kids. The color combinations are endless too. 1. I used almond bark, but you can buy melting chocolate in the wedding section at Walmart. 2. In the video, the girl mentions "chocolate coloring". It's actually Wilton's Icing color (found in the wedding section at Walmart). 3.You will have to dip your colors in the white chocolate after 3 cookie dips. Repeat every 3 cookies. 4. Use a narrow, deep dish for the cookie dunking if you want to coat at least half.

http://www.sprinklesforbreakfast.com/sprinkles-for-breakfast/marbled-oreos

Fluffy Lemon Pudding Dessert

Yep-you guessed it, this is another pudding recipe that needed to happen. I won't say this one is my favorite, but then again, lemon pudding isn't either. I ended up adding lemon juice to the pudding mix which helped alot. I also added fresh blueberries to the top. The hubby enjoyed it, although he doesn't plow through pudding desserts unless they contain chocolate ;)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fluffy-lemon-pudding-dessert