dessert

Our apricots were perfectly ripe. It was time to experiment as much as I wanted! I mashed just one and served it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel cookies on the side. So fast. So easy. And healthier than many alternative toppings!

Just before we left town last week, I desperately needed to do something with my cheap sweet potatoes that were sprouting. I waffled between making muffins based on The Frugal Girl's adaptation of the pumpkin muffins Money Saving Mom makes or just chopping and freezing them. I decided since I had the ingredients to make the muffins and expected Paul to bring his boss home for lunch, I'd better have some form of a dessert on hand.

I'm not going to elaborate on this dessert. I didn't understand how coriander and orange could possibly go together, but I was very intrigued when I read the description on the display case. I should have just stayed intrigued. The icing, what I normally love, was grainy and not nicely flavored. The cupcake itself was odd and not satisfying. I would not recommend it at all. The walnut bars underneath the cupcakes weren't much better. (Dry and bland.) I won't be buying them again. In fact, if I were to base all desserts on these, I would stick with the rest of the meal and skip the dessert all together.

And it came to pass that I failed to review my calendar closely and learned 4 hours or so before their arrival that we would have great friends for dinner and staying with us the whole week. Yippee! We also had planned for the parents to visit for the Sunday evening meal, and I suddenly realized I had to double the number I was cooking for. Ironically, when putting together a menu in my head (without going to the grocery store, mind you), I first thought of the dessert. I quickly evaluated a few pints of raspberry sorbet and Cherry Garcia in the fridge, but feared that wouldn't be enough for the entire group. Not wasting any time, I pulled together the strawberries I had frozen just a few days earlier and the banana my mom had frozen Easter Sunday. And the recipe for strawberry banana sorbet was born.

Surprisingly when I offered choices at the table, most people chose the strawberry banana, and I realized why. It was significantly less sweet, and worked very well with the fresh mint leaves I cut from our herb garden. It also offered a dairy-free and healthy finale to the meal.

Recipe for Strawberry Banana Sorbet

• 3 quarts whole strawberries, frozen
• 1-1 1/2 bananas, frozen
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Garnish: fresh mint leaves

In food processor, puree ingredients until smooth. (I use a smaller food processor and make the sorbet in batches, adding four strawberries, 3 slices banana, and a dash of sugar at a time. Each batch is slightly different. When it's all blended, I stir all the batches together.) Pour into freezer-safe bowl, cover and freeze. Garnish with fresh mint.

Varieties: Use orange juice instead of water. Blend the mint right into the sorbet. Substitute lemon juice for banana. Take out any frozen bag of mixed fruit and blend away!

Our Dinner Club guests just walked out keeping to the strict guidelines regarding Nora's bedtime. Thank you Tony, Fely, Richard, and Starr for understanding!

We're working backward in the posts about the dinner because we're actually starting with dessert, a healthy, if not odd, mixture of lime, sugar and basil. When I searched for basil dessert recipes, I was really surprised to find just this one or one with a lemon cake. I found the sorbet recipe on AllRecipes.com, and was encouraged by the positive reviews for such an odd mixture.

What I liked about this recipe: A great way to use up limes, which often go bad in my fridge. Few ingredients to bother with. A little bit goes a long way. So unusual. Tart like a sour apple Snowcone. (Loved that part, actually.) Presented well with strawberries.

This is one of those times when I feel like my iPhone photo app doesn't do the product justice. Course, it could be that I was just in too big of a hurry to get the pic taken before it melted and I needed to go deal with a child who has an increasingly louder scream when it comes to sudden onset of hunger.

I'm still enjoying my stock-up on sale priced organic Stonyfield yogurt that I moved to the freezer for preservation. I wanted a thicker, ice cream-style frozen yogurt for lunch last week. I used frozen strawberry yogurt, half an orange, and four medium-large flash frozen strawberries. My treat came out thick enough to serve in a bowl and to be eaten with a spoon. I've already made this recipe twice, and I hope to use up the rest of my frozen yogurt this way. For people who aren't fans of yogurt at all, this one really did just taste like fruit-flavored ice cream.

Cost to Make Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• $0.32 Strawberyy Yogurt (Publix)
• $0.50 Strawberries (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.05 Orange (Holianna Groves)
• $0.87 Total

Recipe for Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• 1 cup strawberry yogurt, preferably frozen
• 3-4 Whole flash frozen strawberries
• 1/2 juice orange, like Tangelo, juiced

Whirl all ingredients until strawberries are chopped. Makes one serving.

Just like the issue with the strawberries over the weekend, I had excess strawberries that didn't taste so good fresh last Wednesday for Dinner Club. Again, my apologies to the guests, Janet, Stefanie, and Yvette; but this is proof that there are ways to make strawberries taste better. I loved that it even looked like I had slaved away and that it used only natural sweeteners for the filling. I have plans to use this recipe as my "go to" for many years to come.

This was a great way to eat up the last of my diced apples. I'm quite sad over that because they were so good, but I know I can fill up the freezer with more summer goodness.

Cost to Make Crumble

The fresh fruit is what raises the price, but I think peak flavor (which we at least had with the apples) is well worth it.

Recipe for Strawberry Apple Crumble

Filling

• 1 1/2 pints frest strawberries, quartered
• 1/2 gallon frozen diced apples (2 fresh)
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• Juice of one orange (This time of year, we actually have "juice oranges" that are extra juicy)

Topping-Source: AllRecipes.com

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put all filling ingredients into a 9 x 13 Pyrex. Mix and spread evenly. In separate bowl, mix together dry topping ingredients evenly. Pour melted butter over and mix together until clumps form. Pour topping evenly over apple and strawberry mixture. Bake in oven for 35 minutes or until crumble has browned and fruit bubbles. Serve warm, at room temp, or cold with vanilla ice cream.

Yesterday, we were invited to our friend Tim's birthday celebration at a park. I volunteered to bring a dessert to the potluck. The park was so beyond beautiful. It was a perfect spring day, which we were so lucky to have since it was the first day of spring! That being said, Paul's photo highlights the sunshine reflecting off of the plastic wrap instead of the beauty of the strawberry peaks.

My apologies to those who are reading this who ate the pie. They may feel gypped in a second. The recipe came from All Recipes.com and was a great success. The recipe for the crust is my mother's and can be found here.

Possibly my favorite non-chocolate dessert recipes is Sauteed Bananas from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. I highly recommend the recipe. Once when I served it to a guest, he looked at Paul and said "Do you eat like this all the time?" Paul said "Yep, pretty much."

I can't even tell you how long or how many times I've made sauteed bananas. And yet, somehow, we always seem to be in such a hurry to dive in that we fail to take a picture of it. Tonight, I had planned on making the dessert when my folks were over, but I had one too ripe banana and a slew of too green bananas. Paul recommended I do the Asian Pears instead. Yum! It's safe to say the base syrup for the dish must be good with any fruit. Our dessert wasn't quite as successful because the pears were warmed, but not softened. A softened fruit the texture of pie-sliced apples would have required more time and likely a different cooking method (like slow cooking). Anyway, we thought it was a nice light dessert and were happy for it, but I think I'll always prefer it with bananas, the original way.

Last Friday, I pulled out one Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheet to defrost for apple turnovers. But, by the time I was done making the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins, I realized I had over a cup of pumpkin puree left. So, I decided to use the sheet for a mini-pie instead. There wasn't enough filling to fill a normal pie, but a 6-7 inch pie was perfect. My only mistake was not greasing the bottom of the pan before cooking because the crust stuck pretty well to the glass. Perhaps had I used a foil pan, it would have gone better, too.

I didn't have much time and had no idea where to find a good pumpkin pie recipe quickly. So, I used the ingredients in the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe and threw in a handful of oatmeal for texture. Then, I prayed that it wouldn't be a botch. Yes, God does even answer prayers in the kitchen because the pie turned out exactly how I imagined it (minus the crust sticking to the bottom.)

Cost to Make Pumpkin Pie

• $1.02 Pumpkin Puree (Freshfields Farm)
• Free Oats (Mom bought the wrong ones and gave them to us.)
• Free Vanilla (Gift)
• $0.16 Cinnamon (Publix)
• $0.14 Brown Sugar (Costco)
• $1.50 Puff Pastry (Pepperidge Farm Thrift Store)
• $2.82 Total for 6 slices

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade instructions here.)
• 1 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheet, defrosted (They come two to a box.)
• 1/2 cup Oats
• 1 t Vanilla Flavoring
• 2 t Cinnamon
• 2 cups brown sugar

Grease 6-7 inch pie plate. Open puff pastry sheet flat and lay inside plate. Shape crust and cut off corners as you wish. In bowl, mix remainder of ingredients together and pour into the pie plate.

Bake on center rack according to Puff Pastry package directions (400 degrees about 12 minutes) until top of crust is golden brown. You may need to cover the top of the pie once it is cooked with aluminum foil to keep it from burning while the bottom of the crust cooks. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Cost Per Person $0.47

I love to take photographing opportunities to highlight special gifts we have received. I found this olive wood tray that Paul's folks brought us from Greece to be a perfect way to display the cookies. . .although as good as the cookies are, the tray would constantly need to be replenished.

My mom has been making these cookies for years. She's practically famous for them. I remember my folks coming home from a party once saying a gentleman said he reached down and took one cookie, but two more jumped on his plate. My experience with this recipe is equally successful. They truly are habit forming. When I took them to work, one of my EMTs frowned and said "How could you? I'm on a diet." I pointed out that the cookies had no flour in them, which makes them gluten-free and makes them less fattening. Stunned and curious how the cookies manage to stick together without floor, they became more exciting. Also being naturally dairy-free, one of our house guests ate three straight out of the oven because he didn't have to worry about the butter in them. In my opinion, these cookies fall under the "not-quite-20-percent-bad" category.

There are two recipes--one is the original version and the second is the lower cholesterol version. This is also the same recipe my mom uses for her homemade granola.

OATMEAL COCONUT CRISPIES #1

• 2 C quick oats
• ¾ C brown sugar
• ½ t. salt
• ¾ C coconut
• ½ C chocolate chips
• ½ C chopped nuts (generally almonds)
• ½ C oil
• ½ t. vanilla
• 1 or 2 eggs, beaten

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the middle of the mixture. Stir oil and flavorings together and pour into the well. Add egg whites and mix until dry ingredients are moist. Using two soup spoons, form ball of cookie dough in bowl and place onto oiled cookie sheet and pack tightly to shape cookie. Bake in a 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes. The number of eggs depends upon amount of added ingredients, such as raisins, nuts, chips, etc. I usually make a triple batch as these cookies are habit forming.

OATMEAL COCONUT CRISPIES #2

• 6 C quick oats
• 1 ½ C brown sugar
• 1 ½ t. salt
• 2 ¼ C coconut
• 1 ½ C chopped nuts (generally almonds)
• 1 ½ C chocolate chips (opt)
• 1 ½ C Smart Balance oil
• 1 T vanilla
• 2 t. almond flavor
• 5 egg whites

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the middle of the mixture. Stir oil and flavorings together and pour into the well. Add egg whites and mix until dry ingredients are moist. Using two soup spoons, form ball of cookie dough in bowl, place onto un-oiled cookie sheet, flatten and pack around edges to shape cookie. Bake in a 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes. Cool cookies in pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack. Push cookies back together if they break apart when taking them from the cookie sheet. They usually set okay. Variations: Try using other foods you might find in granola. Raisins tend to burn. Yield: about 50 medium cookies.

Miami is a tough place to survive in. You have to pay (often a lot) for parking. And generally in one way or another, you have to pay to use a restroom. Such situations put a pregnant woman in a predicament. For the latter reason, when we came across Portofino Gelato with a sign on the door that facilities were for patrons only, I wasn't sorry that Paul was happy to have a snack of gelato. I took snacked, too, but only after I used the facilities.

The girl at the counter was most unhelpful. Paul asked about the peanut butter gelato--was cream- or water-based. She said "It's peanut butter." There was a light blue gellato called "Sky Cream." I asked her what it was. She said "It's vanilla." I said "It's vanilla with blue food dye?" Nod. OK, then, next option, please. Paul settled on the banana that was exceptionally good and chocolate. In an effort to be different, I chose the peanut butter to go with my chocolate. Generally, two flavors of gelato are delicious, but putting two delicious flavors together makes the experience almost magical. Sadly, mixing the chocolate and the peanut butter just made the peanut butter edible. Serves me right for just making a selection to get out of there instead of trying it first. Moreover, serves me right for thinking Paul and I had to be different.

While walking down Las Olas Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale looking for a reasonable place to partake of lunch, we happened on a flag outside a chocolate shop advertising Gelato. We walked in and reviewed the case of about 20 flavors. The proprietor had an accent and an inviting smile. He was helping someone else when we entered, which gave me time to take a look at the chocolate selection. Even on sale, they were out of my price range, but the packaging was well done and the flavors sounded yummy.

We were offered a taste of gelato, and we decided rather quickly. I had the chocolate raspberry truffle, which was a great dark chocolate with just a hint of the fruit more in the aftertaste, and a quality vanilla to balance out the richness. Paul had chocolate and stracciatella (chocolate chip). The only disappointment was that it was the middle of a hot summer day and since there were no places to sit in air conditioning, we continued our walk outside, which made our gelato melt faster than we have been taught to enjoy it. Truthfully, we thought the store made a mistake in that we were served spoons to eat with instead of the little colorful shovels we normally see internationally, but due to the heat, the larger spoon was more helpful.

I believe I have made it clear that with summer in full swing and my eating habits far from their best, I'm really enjoying cold and fruit. Preferably mixed. So, yesterday when it was near a snack time and we were still at the RDV getting a little bit of workout (not much more cause it was a "sick day"), we stopped at the Nature's Table Cafe upstairs to pick up a fruit smoothie. There are a number of dairy-free drinks that are nothing but frozen fruit and a mixture of 10 fruit juices. I chose number 8, something about berries (naturally) and really enjoyed it. Although it didn't have the strong raspberry flavor as the Berry Blast Bloom from Powerhouse Cafe, Winter Park that I love so much, it still hit the spot. And right now, that factor is more important than the thought of the $5 price tag. Although, I won't seek out a snack from Nature's Table, I will remember that this chain with a branch also in our local mall has what it takes if I'm needing something icy in my stomach.

Summer is a great time to enjoy treats from the freezer. In Florida, cold items are more of a necessity when the heat is ramping up. We had my parents and grandmother over for Memorial Day dinner. I surprised Paul with new gelato by Talenti that is sold at Publix. I allowed my guests to have their choice of chocolate, vanilla, and coconut gelato and raspberry sorbetto. I also served some very festive raspberries and blackberries on a plate at the table to accompany the dessert.

Here are my thoughts about the dessrt: Granted, I know gelato will never taste the same in America that it does in Italy, but I've known it to come close. This just doesn't work for me. When I want gelato, it's cause I want it to be a little better than regular ice cream. Mostly, this just tastes like regular ice cream. The raspberry and coconut almost taste like they have too much extra flavoring. And I have never seen a good fresh raspberry gelato that dark/bright of a color. Usually, it is a bit paler and creamier. My favorite combination of gelato is chocolate and raspberry; so believe me, I've seen my share of light, smooth raspberry gelato. I could never figure out why the vanilla was always softer than the rest and why the chocolate was always harder than the rest. The vanilla melts too quickly, and and the chocolate is too stiff to get out of the container.

You can locate the Gourmet recipe for a Dutch Baby found in the April 2009 at the Gourmet.com website. I wanted to try the recipe for weeks before I finally had the time and energy to work on it. Paul really enjoyed it. He said his mom used to make them on special occasions. I can see why. It is a bit of work. But it's worth it to see him smile. Notice in the photo how it puffed up in the oven? I took a big spatula and smushed it down cause I wasn't sure what it was supposed to look like, but I was pretty sure that wasn't it. I would like come up with a better way to store it than just in a giant Ziplock in the fridge. I haven't made it again yet, mainly because there are so many recipes to try, I rarely get back to them unless they are easy and I always have the ingredients around. But, I'm glad I made it at least once. FYI: I did use low fat instead of whole milk cause that's what I had. Don't see that it was a problem.

Cost Per Person $0.24

I never even considered the concept of a dark chocolate ice cream syrup or sauce until we were in Sarasota for our anniversary and picked up some from Sur la Table for my dad. He's out by now, of course, and I decided to use some dark chocolate bars we have lying around the house to experiment. All the recipes I researched called for many ingredients. I just wanted the simple dark chocolate to stand out. By itself, the sauce is ever so slightly strong (which dark chocolate is), but to us it was perfect on something as sweet as ice cream. The next night, I had the leftover chocolate sauce while Paul had caramelized walnuts and fresh blackberries on his ice cream.

We didn't eat out in Spokane, but we did take advantage of a fabulous sweet-shop, which made the kids exceptionally happy at the end of our walking tour around town. You could call us care-free cause we were eating dessert before lunch. The ice cream shop did have an organic lunchroom attached, but I didn't pay too much attention to vegetarian items.

This is a great snack or dessert option. On occasion, Paul and I will have a breakfast item for dinner, especially if we had rich lunches and were still a bit full from a late lunch. This night, we had small smoothies with peanut butter toast. Certainly, if I can get a concoction that I really like and can remember, I won't want to make so many trips to Planet Smoothie. This recipe makes 16 ounces of smoothie, which is perfect for us. Sometimes, if I make more than that, it goes to waste.

Recipe for Smoothie

• 8 frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons peanut butter

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Once again, I am confessing that I read magazines at work. But, who could blame me? There's a wealth of information free to me; and since I can't sit still at lunch, I am productive by researching facts and recipes. Let's face it, if it weren't for my reading magazines at work, Paul would not have an absolutely fabulous Christmas present, which I am proud of finding. Sadly, some of Paul's friends read this blog; so, I cannot share the details until after the 25th. Therefore, we must return to the topic of the cake.

In a floundering market consumers are looking for good food that is as cheap and nutritious as possible. I hope this post will be the first in a continuous series that focuses on time-saving dishes that don't break the bank while they impact your menu.

I have previously mentioned that applesauce is a annual tradition at our house. The following is my process.

This just might be my favorite ice cream concoction ever. Too bad for Marble Slab. I'll be eating my ice cream at home during the right seasons. We sprinkled pomegranate seeds over Publix Premium Vanilla Ice Cream and spread a ribbon of peanut butter on top. Since we've discovered this recipe, I've had this dessert three nights out of four. Lucky I go to the gym occasionally. It's not so bad without the peanut butter either.

We once came across Haagen Daz's special Pomegranate Dark Chocolate Ice Cream. The color was not inviting and the flavor wasn't fresh, but the concept was good. When my in-laws were in town, I purchased a nice selection of pomegranates from Costco and watched as my husband and his father took it apart. I'm sure they will both remember to wear an apron, but not to wear a white shirt, in the future. Meanwhile, my mother shaved some fine European Dark Chocolates that my in-laws had brought as a gift. A regular cheese grater works well. The key is choosing exceptional chocolates. And dark chocolates in this case are highly recommended over milk chocolates.

This was a very simple dessert made at peak season for fresh peaches. I always try to make such things when the oven is always hot from another baking experience. My guests had no complaints about the peaches being unsweetened. The ice cream made up for it. If I had had more time, I think I would have liked to serve the dish with mint ice cream (the mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe without the chocolate chips).

It seems so long ago now, but in 2005 when I finished my Master's degree, Paul took me along on a trip to Italy and Germany. I believe everyone should visit Italy given the chance, although I think I love Germany more. This trip was peak-season, but we are very happy to travel in February/March/April when it's cooler and when the rates aren't so high. We have done that the last two years. But this was my first trip to Europe, and I will always remember it very fondly.

Possibly, this idea came from allrecipes.com. I won't take the credit for it, but I do recommend it. I'm not generally a fan of oatmeal cookies, but with the additional ingredients, I will eat them with no additional encouragement.

This Italian dessert and coffee spot is attached to a fabulous Italian restaurant, Cafe Epicure. The restaurant has tried to stay authentic with all signs in Italian (but with English translations) and even an imported cooler that reads the inside temperature in Celsius.

Don't freak out! You don't need an ice cream freeze for this one. All you need is a blender, great serving dishes, and possibly a freezer-safe container to put the ice cream in. As for the taste, it's a fresh mint, not a fake, strong mint. Caution: the chocolate chips my be quite hard when cold. Eye appeal is great because it's a white background with brown and bright green specks in it. I was very proud of this. The recipe below serves two.

Being big fans of Italy, we have been interested in trying this dessert "shack," Jeremiah's Italian Ice, a stand-alone walk-up-to-the-counter building in front of a strip mall. I could not believe the number of patrons. There were three teenage girls working in the stand, and they were all kept busy. They were polite and worked hard. We had heard from friends that it was good. We just were rarely on that side of town. We just happened to be there around dinner time that day. Perfect dessert stop.

I created a cookie bar for a Sunday afternoon party I was hosting. Basically, it's a tray of simple cookies with a variety of icing or toppings. The idea may sound juvenile, but it has an air of maturity because of the toppings of choice. Obviously, there are options that can make it a fun, albeit messier, dish to serve at a children's party, too.