Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

I made this for the kids next door...they had some after dinner that night, then had it for breakfast the next morning, AND IT WAS GONE!!!

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

crust:
2 c. crushed pretzels
1/4 c. sugar
6 T. butter, melted

creamy layer:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream

jell-o layer:
2 c. boiling water
2 pkg. strawberry jell-o
1 1/2 c. cold water
1 qt. (4 c.) strawberries, sliced

Heat oven to 350°.

Mix pretzel crumbs, sugar and butter (I used my food processor). Press onto bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 min. Allow to cool completely.


With an electric mixer, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth; beat in whipping cream. Spread over crust. Refrigerate.

Stir Jell-O with hot water until completely dissolved; stir in cold water. Refrigerate about 90 minutes or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Stir in strawberries. Spoon gently over the top of the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until firm.

Mixed Berry Tart

Remember when I asked you guys what I should do with my puff pastry dough? Well, I made a decision, and this is what it turned into...

Mixed Berry Tart

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
6 oz. fresh blackberries
6 oz. fresh raspberries
1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1 pkg. Jell-O cook & serve vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
2/3 c. half and half
1/4 t. almond extract

Rinse the berries well, and drain them...


Unfold the puff pastry dough and place it on a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray...

Flatten it out a little using a pastry roller or a rolling pin; then fold the edges over to create a border crust. Poke the center with a fork to try to keep it from puffing up too much in the center where you're going to want to add the custard filling.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on rack.

Meanwhile, make the vanilla pudding according to the package instructions (although, I used some half and half, and made it thicker). You can leave out the almond extract if you don't like it; otherwise, stir it in while you're cooking the pudding.

Spread the still hot pudding onto the baked crust and pile the berries on top. Serve warm or cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

random amusements

Hawks win another one at home


Marian Hossa and Ben Eager both scored in last night's game to give the Hawks their second win in this best of 7 Stanley Cup Finals series versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Hawks will now travel to Philly for games 3 and 4, and will need to avoid the defensive lapses that were scary for us fans in game 1.

To tell you the truth, I don't exactly know how to feel right now...I mean, I'm hopeful, and maybe you could say, "cautiously optimistic" about our chances, but to this point I have never seen our team play this well and get this far in the Play Offs, so I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to be doing/feeling/thinking under these circumstances. It's weird. Surreal. Unbelievable.

Oh, and the night before last I had a strange dream that Adam Burish was in my kitchen and I was going to make him some coffee. When I asked what kind he liked, he said, "I dunno; coffee is just coffee to me." I was appalled! I made some Lavazza and we sat out back on the patio and drank our coffee. (Please don't misinterpret that—I'm not a psycho-slut with a crush or anything! We were just drinking coffee, that's all. I would never be rude to the guy, honestly!)

random amusements

3 random thoughts...

#1
Tonight is game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals VS. the Flyers.

LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!


#2
If Thumper had a credit card, what do you think he'd buy me.....?


#3
Going to be working in the yard today, getting the garden planted.



Have a great day, everyone!

Casey's Birthday Cake

While I can totally appreciate the convenience of boxed cake mixes, I have to say that cakes made from scratch really ARE better.

Chocolate Malt Cake for Casey
(adapted from a Food & Wine recipe)

2 1/4 c. cake flour
3/4 c. flour
1 c. malted-milk powder
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
2 c. sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
2 c. ice water
4 large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans.

In large bowl, whisk flours with malt powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.


Using electric mixer, beat the butter with shortening until creamy...

add sugar and vanilla and beat at medium until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Beat in dry ingredients in 3 batches at low speed, alternating with ice water, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.


Beat egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form...


...fold egg whites into batter....


Divide batter between pans evenly.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto rack and let cool completely. (I didn't use parchment, and I didn't cool them on the racks; they did not stick to the pans much at all.)



Frosting:
4 squares (4 oz.) bittersweet chocolate
1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter, softened

In glass bowl, heat chocolate and cream in the microwave, stirring frequently until chocolate is melted.

Stir in powdered sugar.

Place frosting bowl into another larger bowl filled with ice; stir until frosting cools.
Beat in butter with electric mixer.

Chill frosting in fridge (or freezer) until it sets up enough to spread.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY!!!!!!!

random amusements

What I have been up to lately:

Yardwork...

...the big scary snake that my friend Collin caught...

...normally, snakes don't scare me, but this one was BIG and we were having trouble identifying it. All I know for sure is that it's not a copperhead or a cottonmouth...

May 23rd: two truckloads of dirt for the garden beds...




May 21st - yellow irises are blooming:



May 19th - first purple irises blooming:



May 16th....truckload of new mulch...



...that's my new bird feeder there, too.

Coreopsis:


a columbine from my mom (b-day gift):



wallflower:


Two weekends in a row now we have been shoveling mulch and dirt out of the back of the pickup truck. And now I'm sunburned and feeling kinda sick. I have to work today, and tomorrow is Casey's birthday, but I will try to post some food photos soon. Probably of Casey's cake tomorrow, if I have time.

~Goldie



p.s.
The Hawks knocked off the SJ Sharks to move into the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I'm so proud of those guys! I have to admit that I got a little teary-eyed when defenseman Duncan Keith took a puck to the mouth and lost several teeth...but, of course, he's a hockey player, and was back on the ice after some repairwork. :)

Orange Cappuccino Bread

This smelled delicious while baking, and the scent permeated every corner of the house...

Orange Cappuccino Bread
(adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook recipe pg. 50)

1 c. warm water
1 T. instant espresso
2 T. butter, softened
2 t. fresh grated orange peel
3 c. flour
1/4 c. dry milk powder
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 t. salt
1 pkt. quick active dry yeast
tiny dash of: cardamom and nutmeg

I made this in the bread machine, on the "sweet" cycle; but, you could also mix it by hand and bake it in a loaf pan. (see other bread recipes on this site for general instructions on making bread by hand.)

fresh grated orange peel is a key factor...


enjoy this bread with Nutella or butter, and make sure you have a cup of coffee handy!



I just made this, and I had to post the photos!!!

Salmon-Cheese Patties

These are similar to my low-carb tuna bites, but I made them in a regular-sized muffin tin, instead of the mini muffin tin.

Salmon-Cheese Patties w/ Ricotta on Top

1 can salmon, drained & cleaned
2 eggs
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (I really didn't measure; I just threw in 2 handfuls)
ricotta cheese for topping (optional)
dash of: celery salt, black pepper, tarragon

1. Mix salmon, eggs, and cheddar in a small mixing bowl. Add seasonings; mix well.
2. Spray pan with cooking spray; press mixture into mini muffin pan. Top them with some ricotta, if you'd like.
3. Bake at 350˚ for about 30 minutes; until cheese looks bubbly. Serve on a bed of greens or with a side of steamed veggies.



sorry about the blurry photos!!

random amusements

This was my birthday dinner....I know there were side dishes to go with it, but I can't remember what they were now...and, really, does it matter?! LOL!