Butterscotch Soaked Cake - OMG this is good

All I can say is try this cake.  - Unbelievably good, and not as sweet as you would think.  Don't let the ingredients scare you.  Tim knew what was in the cake and still tried it.  He loved it!  :)

Apple Custardy Squares

 

 

Dorie Greenspan calls this a “back-pocket recipe,” - Last minute crowd pleaser. .

 

The batter is essentially a crepe batter, which turns custard-like in the oven.  It wasn't too sweet and it had a lovely texture.  It was Easy peasy, and got lots of yummies. . .

Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake Recipe aka Torta di mele

Requests to my kitchen come in various forms.  Some are subtle suggestions of a newspaper article folded and placed alongside my morning coffee.  This is one of those recipes. . .

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars Recipe

This recipe grew from my misreading Deb’s recipe for Blueberry Crumb bars.  I added the juice to the crust for a much more lemony bar.  They were a complete hit. And are now part of the family legend of secret cookie hoarding   . . .

Chocolate Sorbet Recipe

New Jersey’s July heat and humidity coupled with Chocolate fanatic cravings has finally met its match. 

Black Plum Cake Recipe

It’s the start of plum season and I needed a dessert for North Plainfield’s Music Night that would be a sweet accompaniment to the wonderful jazz, rock and folk music that my neighbors create. 

Cherry Ice Cream Recipe

I acquired a Cuisinart Ice Cream machine and have been itching to try it out.  Along comes this lonely bag of cherries sitting in my refrigerator looking for a purpose and Voila!  

Homemade Toasted Almond Joy Egg Recipe.

Recently when I made a batch of Irish Potato Candy for a gathering, a good friend commented that the filling tasted just like the celebrated Chocolate Coconut Eggs from a now defunct local candy shop. Taking that as a challenge, I decided to try a chocolate coated version.  And feeling like a nut, (a la the old “Almond Joy” vs “Mounds” commercial)  I added toasted almond to the mix. 

Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Who doesn't love homemade birthday cake?

Dorie Greenspan’s Salted Butter Break-Ups

When I received Dorie’s Around My French Table Cookbook for Christmas, this shortbread cookie was one of the first that I flagged to try.  The beautiful photos and simplicity of the recipe won me over almost immediately.  Of course, I was on Christmas cookie overload, so the recipe was placed on my to bake someday list. 

Almond Cheese Bars Recipe

Another super simple, last minute dessert recipe that uses crescent rolls.  This is a variation of the basic Pillsbury recipe for sweet cheese delights which I first had at a holiday party.  These bars were the biggest hit of the dessert bar.  They beat all the other homemade holiday treats, hands down. 

Grandma’s Skinny Pancakes

Growing up, these pancakes were legendary in my house. While the rest of the neighborhood was making big, thick, fluffy, (and in our opinion, dry) box mix pancakes, my mother was making these creamy, buttery crepe-like gems. My brother added skinny to the name to insure that he would get the butter smothered pancakes that he loved. (note: skinny has nothing to do with the calorie count.)

Nega Maluca – Brazilian Chocolate Cake

 

I first had this cake at a small Brazilian restaurant in NYC about 5 years ago.  It was excellent.  Once home I checked online and found a few recipes, all used chocolate drink powder (such as Nesquick !)  I was intrigued and filed  a few recipes away for another day into the great recipe beyond . . .
Jump to 2011 and the great recipe clean up and low and behold . .  Nega Maluca.

  

Strawberry Cheese Tart

My Strawberry Cheese Tart..  Hmmm, what can I say. . ..  A pound of berries and a few frig staples and you're done.  It's an easy-peasy dessert that always impresses at a casual family dinner and wows at a dinner party or potluck.  The key hear is not to tell anyone how easy it was to throw together.