{Chocolate} Dessert

from The Creative Homemaker 

This Dessert is SOO Yummy.

My friend Megan, made this for our family on Monday night. It was so GOOD I made it for my nephews for their birthdays. Simple too! Its a layered dessert. I only did a couple of layers but you could do more if your heart desires it.

Top Layer: whip cream & crushed Health bar

Middle Layers: chocolate pudding(make according to package)

cut up brownie

whip topping ( I didn't have enough for this layer-oops)

Bottom Layer: chocolate pudding

cut up brownie

Remember to share!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Mindika Nordfelt Thiebaud

 

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces each: ground beef, ground turkey
• 4-6 green onions; diced (about 1/3 C.)
• 1 cup toasted Panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 4 T. Dijon mustard
• 3 T. Ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 oz. Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled or thinly sliced)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the gorgonzola cheese. Do not stir until all ingredients have been added to the bowl.

3. Using your hands mix until the ingredients are well incorporated into the meat.

4. Divide the mixture in half. Take one half and form it into long oval/rectangular shape in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Form a small crater/divot in the middle of the meat.

5. Lay the sliced or crumbled gorgonzola along the crater down the center.

6. Take the other half of the meat and cover the cheese and top of the meat loaf. Spray the entire meat loaf with cooking spray.

7. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until the meat reaches 165 degrees in the center. (One hour should be plenty. If you have a convection oven, it may take less time.)

8. When the meat loaf is done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Serve with:
Balsamic Glaze (bottled or see recipe below)

Mindika Nordfelt Thiebaud

http://mindikamoments.blogspot.com

Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 T. brown sugar

Method:

1. In medium sauce pan combine the vinegar and sugar.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until the vinegar reduces to a syrup. About 5 minutes.

Cucumber Applications

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headac he free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.


9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
bet you thought this would be rude

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life's everyday problems.

Super Duper Can be Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

                                                    Natalie Turner

*Everything I want my kids to eat starts with Super Duper

2 ¼ cups flour – I use all whole wheat

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup coconut- or less depending on taste

1 cup oats -  I like to use a ½ old fashioned and ½ quick

1 cup butter – I will use ½ cup butter and ½ cup bean puree OR 1 cup bean puree instead

¾ cups packed brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) INSTANT vanilla pudding

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips- milk or semi sweet

1 cup chopped walnuts – some prep work is involved- soak walnuts before chopping for 15-20 mins(gets rid of the bitterness) then I like to put them in the freezer for another 20-30 mins, then I smash them so there aren’t pieces- the kids eat them better this way.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, coconut, and oats -  set aside.   In large mixing bowl cream butter(and/or bean puree) with both sugars.  Beat in pudding until blended.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture a little at a time.  Dough will be kinda stiff.  Stir in nuts and chips- I like to do this one at a time.   Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased pan or sheet.  Bake 12-15 mins until golden brown.  Makes about 4 dozen. 

Apple Surprise Mini Pies

Gourmet Mom on the Go

makes 12

(You can visit this site to see pictures.)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 C. (1 package) Graham Crackers
• 1/3 C. butter, melted
• 24 oz. (3 pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 3/4 C. sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 C. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cans apple pie filling
• 2 ready-made pie crusts (the kind that is just dough that you unwrap, or make your own)
• 12 half pint canning jars or ramekins
• Drinking glass (a little larger than your jar lids), to cut out crust

Directions:

1. Place graham crackers in ziploc bag and crush. I think this was the kids' favorite part. Wham! Wham! Wham!Pour melted butter into baggie with graham crackers and shake to mix well. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of graham cracker mixture into bottom of a half pint jar and carefully spread around.
2. For cheesecake layer, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well. Place 1/3 c. of cream cheese mixture into each jar.
3. Fill jars to the top with apple pie filling (about 1/2 C).
4. Unroll pie crust. Find a drinking glass or round cookie cutter that is about 1/2" larger than your jar lid and cut out 4 circles. Re-roll remaing dough and cut out 2 more circles. Repeat with other pie crust. If desired, cut small slits or a little shape in the middle of your crust.
5. Place one cutout crust on each jar and pinch edges to resemble a pie crust. Finish with a light dusting of white sugar.
6. Place on a cookie sheet (just in case any of them leak, you don't want to clean that out of your oven!) and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until pie crusts are browned. I came back in the kitchen to find these two little bakers waiting veeeeeery patiently for their pies to come out of the oven... Remove from oven. Tie a small ribbon around each jar, if desired, and serve. I can't wait to make these for our next sit-down dinner, they'd be adorable served to each guest for dessert!

Salmon Glaze

The Creative Homemaker

• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 3-4 Tbl. honey
• 1 Tbl. soy sauce
• dash of hot sauce (opt.)
• Mix all together & warm up in microwave.

Hope you enjoy!