Double Strawberry Muffins

One thing I like to do is to transform old favorite recipes into something new and vegan. That's exactly what I did here. I took a perfect blueberry muffin recipe and made some logical swaps and created an excellent strawberry muffin. I call it 'double strawberry' because some strawberries were fresh and others were dehydrated.  The dehydrated fruit really gave the muffins a hit of flavor!  These would be delicious served with softened cream cheese. 

 Dehydrate them long enough that they're past the chewy stage, but not so long that they fall apart.  Hard for me to say how many berries or how long to dehydrate - just aim for having 1 heaping cup chopped berries for this recipe.

Here's what you need:
6 T non-dairy butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 ripe banana
2 C flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 C non-dairy milk
1 C chopped strawberries, some fresh, some dehydrated (measure after chopping and dehydrating)
chopped walnuts for garnish

Here's what you do:
Cream butter and sugar. Add banana. Mix in milk. Gently add in the flour, salt, baking powder being careful not to over mix. Gently fold in the strawberries. Spray the muffin papers well and fill them about 7/8 full. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Bake immediately in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool before removing them from the tin. Delicious!

Black Bean Brownies (from Veganuary)

This is the kind of recipe that you avoid for many months. You may see it cross your Facebook page, or you may read about it on a strange vegetarian blog (like this one), or you may even see it at your workplace coffee station. But you avoid. You can’t quite seem to bring the dreaded black bean concoction to your lips.

Because I was the brave one in the room and tried these, you may follow my lead and tamp down your fear! What’s it gonna cost you? A can of beans.

Warning: these brownies are not very sweet, which in my opinion is a bonus.

Warning: these brownies are totally and completely chocolatey

Warning: these brownies are moist, chewy, dense, rich, satisfying, ‘healthy’, and cheap to make

Warning: these brownies could become your new favorite thing

Here’s what you need:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ avocado

1 C brown sugar

3 T cocoa powder

½ C walnuts – divided

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

1 T coconut oil (plus more for greasing the muffin tin)

Large pinch of salt

2/3 C dark chocolate chips (plus more for garnish)

Here’s what you do:

Prepare a muffin tin by greasing it with coconut oil. This will help the brownies come out perfectly.

Place beans, avocado, sugar, cocoa, half the walnuts (1/4 C), baking soda, vanilla, coconut oil, and salt in a food processor and mix very well.

Melt the 2/3 C chocolate chips in a double boiler until soft (don’t scorch them) and add the chocolate to the bean mixture.  Mix well.

Evenly distribute the batter into prepared muffin tins.

Garnish with more chocolate and the remaining ¼ C walnuts.

Bake 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool them completely in the fridge before removing. Remove them carefully because they are soft in the middle.

Delicious!

Triple Lemon Cupcakes –vegan and awesome

I have been in a baking groove lately and that’s a good thing. House smells warm and cozy. Plates are piled high with beauty.

I just made 4 loaves of bread for a brunch at my school -2 Banana Breads and 2 Honey Pecan Loaves. I also made a throw-back Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a Berries and Cream Cheesecake for a dessert party. When my parents were over last month I made a Double Chocolate Adonis Cake and these gorgeous Triple Lemon Cupcakes.

The big reveal about all this baking?? It was ALL vegan – not an egg or stick of butter in sight. Good for my heart. Good for the planet. And especially good for the critters. (Also good for my neighbors and friends who shared in all the baked goodness.)

These Triple Lemon Cupcakes were featured on the cover of a recent FoodNetwork Magazine and I made some simple changes – for the better, I contend. There are quite a few steps and you need lots of lemons! So read the recipe through a few times before you decide how many lemons you need and what order you want to tackle this recipe. My suggestion is to make the candied lemon peel first. This recipe makes way more than you need for 1 dozen cupcakes, so be prepared to make more cupcakes or use the candied lemon peel in another dessert. (Lemon Cheesecake, anyone? Click here.) The candied lemon zest keeps well stored in sugar in an air tight container.

(Ener-G Egg Replacer is a combo of potato starch and tapioca flour and can be found in health food stores or in Asian markets. It gives plenty of body to baked goods and actually produces a better flavor – much less rich and bulky than eggs – plus NO cholesterol. Try it! I am SO GLAD I switched over and got eggs out of my baked goods.)

Here’s what you need:

For the cupcake:

1 ¼ C all-purpose flour

¼ C sliced almonds

¾ t baking powder

¼ t baking soda

¼ t salt

2 Ener-G Egg Replacer ‘eggs’ (3 t Ener-G powder and 4 T warm water. Whisk well and set aside to thicken)

¾ C sugar

½ C nondairy milk (I used almond)

1 ½ t lemon juice

½ C vegetable oil

1 T finely grated lemon zest

2 T fresh lemon juice

For the frosting:

2-3 C powdered sugar

¼ C Earth Balance non-dairy butter, room temperature

¼ C fresh lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

Tiny, tiny bit of yellow food coloring (1/2 drop or less! Use a toothpick to add it)

For the candied lemon peel:

4 lemons

¾ C sugar

¾ C water

Here’s what you do:

Make the candied zest: remove the lemon peel carefully, avoiding the white pithy part with a vegetable peeler. Slice into very thin strands. Place in small sauce pan, cover with water, bring to a simmer, drain. Repeat this process two more times. You will be amazed at how much bitterness washes away from the zest.

Bring the sugar and water to a simmer in another pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon zest and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes – watching carefully. Drain the zest and arrange in clumps on parchment paper. Allow to dry and pull the strands apart. Store zest buried in white sugar.

Make the cupcakes: Place the flour and almonds in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse to combine.

Add the 1 ½ t lemon juice to the almond milk to create sour milk (a great buttermilk swap).  Allow to sit for a few minutes. Pour the prepared Ener-G eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar, the sour milk, the oil, the zest and the lemon juice. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix until just incorporated. Fill prepared cupcake tins about ¾ full. I think you should spray the paper cups to insure that the cupcake comes out nicely. Bake 350 for about 16-18 minutes – checking at the 12 minute mark. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the puffiest part of the cupcake comes out cleanly. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting: Place the soft butter in a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for this). Mix the butter until fluffy – about a minute. Slowly add 1 C powdered sugar, incorporating well and scraping down the sides. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, food coloring (just a tiny, tiny bit!  You don’t want your frosting to look like egg yolks!) Slowly add the remaining sugar until you have a perfect spreading consistency.

Frost the cupcakes and decorate with the candied lemon zest. Beautiful! 

(printable recipe)

More ways to use lemons:

Lemony Wild Rice

Lemon Almond Pesto

Apple Lemon Bread

Raspberry and Pear Pie

My local health food store is smack-dab- in the middle between where I live and where I work, which is super convenient.  I find myself there a few times a week – anything I can do to avoid driving to our Walmart or Meijer for just those few forgotten things on the grocery list. Besides, I prefer spending my money in local establishments.

At the checkout counter I always grab a copy of “Delicious Living,” the free magazine on display; you know the type – heavy on the advertisements and light on the substance. Lots of suggestions for vitamin supplements and homeopathic recommendations. For example, here is what they published as 10 ways to “Survive the Holiday Stress.”

1.       Eat hard-boiled eggs

2.       Employ Chinese medicine

3.       Moisturize with aromatherapy

4.       Root for fresh ginger

5.       Prioritize meditation

6.       Shield with vitamin D

7.       Energize with herbals

8.       Shun sugar

9.       Take magnesium at night

10.   Schedule restoration

 My method of dealing with holiday stress? Eat another portion of whatever is being served. Seriously.

The BEST thing about this magazine is the recipes and this pie is an example of an excellent one. It comes from page 30 of the December 2013 edition. (I reduced the sugar. Changes are reflected below.)

Here’s what you need:

Two pie crusts

2-3 pounds ripe pears –peeled and cut in ¾ inch pieces

2 T honey

2 T white grape juice (you might also use orange or apple juice)

Pinch of salt

2 C frozen raspberries

½ t vanilla

¼ C flour

5 T natural cane sugar – divided

1 egg, beaten

1 T milk

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the bottom crust by fitting it in a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the extra edges under and crimp them decoratively. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until golden. Note: check the crust from time to time to see if any of the soft edges have slumped over. If they do, just take a wooden spoon and reshape the crust, kinda sticking the semi-raw dough back on to the pie plate.

Meanwhile: combine the pears, honey, juice and salt in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for no longer than 5 minutes. You do not want mushy fruit! Just soften it a bit. Transfer pears to a bowl to cool a bit. Add the raspberries, vanilla, flour, and 4 T sugar. Blend gently. Pour fruit into warm pie crust. Roll out top crust and carefully place over fruit. Decoratively crimp the edges being careful because the pie plate is now hot. Create an egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together. Brush this over the top crust and then sprinkle the remaining 1 T sugar over.

Continue baking for another 60 minutes – covering the edges with foil after 30 minutes have passed. Crust should be brown and filling should be bubbly.

(printable recipe)

Strawberry Cupcakes

V is for Variety and M is for Muffin….or is that Cupcake?

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

What’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? One is for breakfast and the other is for dessert? Not in my book; I like them both at all hours of the day.

These were excellent and came directly from “The Joy of Vegan Baking,” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. They were surprisingly tender and the strawberry taste is very prominent. Isn’t that raspberry just about the cutest thing you ever saw?

Here’s what you need:

1 ¾ C white flour

1 t baking soda

1 C granulated sugar

½ C canola oil

1 T distilled white vinegar

1 t vanilla extract

8 ounces frozen or fresh crushed strawberries

Here’s what you do:

Mix the flour, baking soda and sugar. In a different bowl, combine the oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add the strawberries. Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix – do not overmix.

Scoop into prepared cupcake tins, about half way full – I use cupcake liners and spray them. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:

½ C Earth Balance nondairy butter – room temperature

2 C powdered sugar

1 ½ t vanilla

2 T nondairy milk

Food coloring

Strawberries or raspberries to decorate

Pear Frangipane Tart

V is for Variety and I is for INA - vs - ISA 

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

I am literally sitting in my comfy chair watching Ina Garten on my DVR making a huge dessert for Jeffrey – 6 egg yolks, 1 C heavy cream, billions of sticks of butter. I am sure it tastes great, but with those ingredients, you can only eat a tablespoon before you reach your quota of fat… and my god… shouldn't we consider that cholesterol level for at least a mili-second? Come on, Ina!  

I am also literally sitting in my comfy chair going through my photos and drooling over this BEAUTIFUL pear frangipane tart from IsaChandra (Post Punk Kitchen). No butter. No eggs. No cholesterol. No guilt. Totally 100% VEGAN and incredibly awesome.  I literally made it twice last week with pears from my backyard tree. How cool is that? Go right ....HERE.... to see the recipe and literally, do NOT change a single thing....literally. 

(I also just literally knocked over an entire bottle of beer on my husband…. but that’s another blog post.)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

V is for Variety and C is for Classic

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

Classic. Beige slacks and a black turtleneck. Gin and tonic with a twist of lime. Alfred Hitchcock movies. Cary Grant. New York City. Madison Avenue….Don Draper (oops….my mind just wandered a bit). Tuna Noodle Casserole. Marvin Gaye and Motown. Jackie Kennedy. Pepto-Bismol. Daytona Beach. Fondue. Wedgewood China. Cocktail parties. Houndstooth. Tomato soup and grilled cheese. Birthday parties. Hymn sings. Bobbed hair. Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Here’s what you need (recipe from “The Vegan Table” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, pg 258)

9 T Earth Balance or other non dairy butter, melted and divided

¾ C brown sugar

¾ C unsweetened pineapple juice, divided

(there’s just the perfect amount of juice in a can of sliced pineapple)

1 can sliced pineapple (20 ounces)

¼ C maraschino cheeries

1 ½ C all purpose flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ C granulated sugar

¼ C non dairy milk

6 oz non dairy plain or vanilla yogurt

½ t vanilla extract

Here’s what you do:

Melt 5 T butter, with brown sugar and ¼ C pineapple juice. Pout into a greased 9 inch spring-form pan. Arrange pineapple rings and cherries in syrup in a decorative manner.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Pour in remaining ½ C pineapple juice, milk, yogurt, remaining 4 T melted butter, and vanilla. Don’t overmix. Pour cake batter over pineapple rings. Place spring form pan on a baking sheet to help catch any juices that escape. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Note: most of the juice leaked out of my pan onto the baking sheet, so I spooned it off and plopped it back on the top of the cake. I recommend lining the baking sheet with foil to help with sticky sugary clean up!

Cool cake for about 10 minutes, run knife carefully around the edge, release the spring and invert cake onto a plate so pineapple rings are facing up.

RAVE reviews! Thanks Colleen! 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles from Post Punk Kitchen

V is for Variety and A is for Aztec

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

Ok, so I want everyone to think way, way back to their 6^th grade geography teacher blathering on and on and on about Hernando Cortez and the conquest of the Aztec Indians way, way back in 1519. Remember any of it? (Probably that the Aztecs performed human sacrifice and ate the beating hearts of those whom they conquered, but I digress.)

Actually, historians (of which I am one) would call the meeting between the native Aztecs and the conquering Spanish one of the most dramatic and caustic clashes of culture ever experienced, anywhere, at any time, in all of world history. I believe I once read that Cortez remained atop a horse in the presence of Montezuma to instill fear and awe. Can you imagine how Montezuma, who was actually awaiting the arrival of a great god, felt when he saw those Spanish ships drawing near his shore? No wonder he gave Cortez so much gold! And speaking of gold, did you know that many Spaniards actually drowned while trying to escape Teotihuacan, which was up in flames? The reason? Their pockets were stuffed with gold and it weighed them down.

Of course we know how it all played out: Aztecs – zero …. Spaniards – one.  

I never tire of learning more about the Aztec culture. I have been to Mexico City to see the ruins and museums and the floating gardens of Chapultepec Park. I look forward every year to teaching a long Aztec unit to my own 6^th graders and seeing how they learn to love this ancient culture, from its language, its art, its architecture and not least to its food!

I bet some of your favorite food is Aztec in origin: tortilla, avocado, tomatoes, corn, beans, CHILIS and CHOCOLATE!

Aztec dudes eating spicy Snickerdoodles. 

You can find this excellent recipe here at the Post Punk Kitchen. I followed it to the letter. 

Caution: these little Mexican Snickerdoodles pack quite a punch; they are not for your toddler’s lunch box. There is a serious cayenne kick in these, but the Aztecs often mixed chili with chocolate, so let’s just call these authentic. Take them to work and watch the faces of your co-workers! I love them and I hope you do also. 

Strawberry Hand Pies

Anyone out there interested in participating in the Vegan Month of Food 2013?  (VeganMoFo) The fun starts in September. You can see my VeganMoFo2012 posts by clicking here. 

Let’s play a simple game. Who among us has not ‘liked’ and ‘shared’ random recipes that filter through our Facebook page? I can usually resist, but I must admit that there is some mighty great looking food streaming past my eyes all day long (not that I’m on FB all day long, but you know what I mean).  I ‘liked’ and ‘shared’ a really interesting pasta creation the other day….basically you just add all kinds of veggies, a can of tomatoes, lots of veggie broth and broken pasta….heat, cover, simmer, stir and voila! You have dinner. Intriguing, right?  I’ll try it and let you know.

This recipe for hand pies was going around the internet last month and I couldn’t resist. They seem so old-fashioned and comforting to me. I totally veganized them – swapped out the butter, cream cheese and cream. I also left out an egg, which I have done before with absolutely no noticeable difference. It must have been too much swapping, or my dough was too moist or too dry or too something, because I was not too successful with the crust; it was too tender and broke apart after the first day, but we didn’t mind.  Not so much HAND pies…. more like FORK pies. Maybe you need the egg to stabilize the dough?

Here’s what you need:

3 C flour

¼ t baking soda

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

1 stick Earth Balance (or dairy butter)

1 C sugar

3 oz cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)

3 T almond milk (or cream)

1 t vanilla

(you could also add an egg to the dough)

4 C strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced

2 T cornstarch

1/3 C sugar or to taste

1 – 1 ½ C powdered sugar

3-4 T almond milk

Here’s what you do:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a mixer, combine the butter, almond milk (or cream) and sugar and mix well. (This is where you could add the egg, if using.) Add in the cream cheese and vanilla. Beat well. Add the dry ingredients. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Right before assembling, prepare the fruit by mixing the berries, cornstarch and sugar. Mix well and allow to sit and get juicy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour work surface. Roll out dough to 1/8” , lifting and rotating to prevent sticking. Use a round cutter or a bowl to create 5-6 inch circles. Transfer the circles of dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. Place several spoonfuls of fruit mixture on ½ of the circles. Fold dough over and crimp to seal edges.

Before placing in oven, you may give the pies an egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar. (I omitted this step.) Also, poke them with a sharp knife to release steam while baking.

Bake 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Create a glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and almond milk. It should be thick enough to stick, but thin enough to drizzle from a spoon.

(printable recipe)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes: The Joy of Vegan Baking

What do they say? While the cat's away, the mice do play? That might be translated as, "My husband is out of town and I am eating cupcakes for breakfast." But, can you blame me? I made these excellent cupcakes for my daughter's birthday, and a few leftovers were tucked away in the freezer for my delish breakfast this week.

I'm telling you, the frosting was perfect on banana bread.

See below for other random stuff I eat when the Mr. is out of town. Lucky me. 

Buttery lima beans, roasted tomatoes, mustard seed potatoes

Roasted asparagus, roasted mushrooms, lettuce with avocado oil vinaigrette.  Leftover buttery lima beans :) 

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

From The Joy of Vegan Baking, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

½ C peanut butter

1 ¼ C nondairy milk

1 ripe banana

1 t vanilla

2 ¼ C flour

1 C suger

3 ½ t baking powder

1 t salt

3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

With a hand mixer, blend the peanut butter, milk, banana and vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients together. Add the dry to the wet and stir until well combined.

Spoon into greased muffin tins (or cupcake liners). Bake for about 20 minutes. When the cupcakes are cool, remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost when completely cool.

½ C peanut butter

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

½ C nondairy milk

2 ½ C confectioners’ sugar

¼ t salt

1 t vanilla extract

Mix the peanut butter and cocoa. Add the milk and beat until smooth. Add the salt, vanilla and the confectioners’ a bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. Frost generously. 

(printable recipe)

OneYear Ago: Sweet Potato Patties

Two Years Ago: Cheesy Summer Garden Rice

Saturday and a Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

One last ice fisherman.... will winter ever end? 

What a busy day! #saturdaysarethebest    We spent the day working in the house, barely making it out of our PJs and that felt so, so good! The kitchen is spotless. The bathrooms are gleaming. Dinner is on the stove (Spiced Potatoes with Lentils and Barley). Deck furniture is out of storage even though there is still some snow on the ground. #westmichigan.

And the most impressive announcement….. the laundry is all done!!! My hubby spent the day in the basement with basketball blaring on the TV #goblue AND #goMSU and he patiently washed, dried and folded every thread of clothing. I am blessed. (Not that the laundry is done, but because my guy loves our family and home that much – thanks, babe!) #besthusbandonearth

I did run a quick errand to the grocery store looking for red lentils, but no luck. I want to make a coconut curry red lentil soup just like the one I had at Seva Restaurant in  Ann Arbor a few weeks ago…spicy, sweet, creamy, hearty. #iliveinasmalltown

Speaking of great food, I made these little lovelies for my party last week, and as much as I want to share the recipe….. I must admit that I have lost it. (the recipe, not my mind) #gettingoverwhelmedwithclutter. Luckily, you can google “Lemon Tassies” and choose whichever recipe suits your fancy. They were excellent!

I also made my famous Bourbon Brownies. #cantgowrongwithboozeydesserts , but the best dessert on the tray were the chocolate chip cookies from The Joy of Vegan Baking. #donttellmyfriendstheywerevegan. Dawn, over at Vegan Fazool, suggested the recipe to me and I send her zillions of thanks! #killerrecipe It’s better than ANY other chocolate chip cookie recipe. #idareyoutotryitt

Chocolate Chip Cookies (from The Joy of Vegan Baking, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

Here’s what you need:

4 ½ t Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent of 3 eggs)

6 T water

1 C non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, softened (Earth Balance brand is the BEST)

¾ C granulated sugar

¾ C light brown sugar

2 t vanilla extract (use the good stuff, you are worth it!)

2 ¼  C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1-2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 C chopped nuts (pecans are the BEST)

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Whip the egg replacer until it’s thick and creamy. (Colleen suggests using a food processor, but I did it by hand.) Set it aside.

Cream the butter, sugars and vanilla. Add the egg replacer and mix thoroughly.

Combine the flour, soda, salt and gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. When it’s almost all combined, add the chips and nuts.

Bake for 8-10  minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool.

(printable recipe)

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake - It's all about love

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. It’s that time of year when the grocery shelves are filled with ghastly neon pink candy and those sickeningly sweet candy hearts. Me, I’m more a chocolate person than a candy person, so Brownie on the Bottom Cheesecake is the perfect way for me to say “I love you.”

I did just learn though that the conversation hearts go way, way back to the 1860’s – so I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them. The manufacture makes 8 billion of them a year! That’s a lot of love! I notice every year that some of the sayings are updated and I always have fun searching through the little boxes reading all the messages.

Some fun new ones: LOL, You Rock, U Go Girl and Get Real. Supposedly there’s one out there that says, Fax Me. I think if my husband included this in a love letter to me…. Well, let’s just say, I would not be swept off my feet.

  

Something that does sweep me off my feet is cheesecake, especially if chocolate is involved. This one is not difficult to make. You might even have everything you need already in your pantry. The only special equipment needed for a great cheesecake is a springform pan. This Valentine’s Day, surprise someone you love with a totally romantic dessert and see if you get a ‘Kiss Me’ in return!

Brownie on the Bottom Cheesecake:

1 package brownie mix

¾ C semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 x 8 ounce packages of cream cheese – room temperature

¾ C sugar

1 t vanilla

½ C sour cream

3 eggs

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package and add the chocolate chips. Pour in a well greased springform pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

In the meantime, whip the cream cheese and sugar until very smooth. Add the vanilla, sour cream and eggs and continue to mix until very smooth.

Pour cheese mixture over warm brownie bottom and bake for another 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is set. Don’t over bake it!

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Run knife carefully around the edge of the cake and carefully remove the rim of the pan. Beautiful!

I’d love to hear what your best romantic desserts are. How do you say “I love you?”

(printable recipe) 

(In full disclosure, I must tell you that I first published these words and this recipe on my other, now defunct, blog. See the original post here, if interested.) 

One Year Ago: Black Bean Burgers 

One Year Ago : Venison Burgers