Holiday Appetizer From Chef Grant Actatz: Sweet Potato Toppers

From Denny:  This is a sweet appetizer to enjoy for the holiday season while the turkey is roasting.  Because it is sweet potato it will hold over those rumbling stomachs waiting for the feast.

This appetizer is so simple as it is a sweetened whipping cream and sweet potato mixture topped off with bourbon soaked raisins rolled in spices like cinnamon and ginger with a bit of brown sugar.

With the cracker of your choice (make sure it is strong enough to hold this mixture as sweet potatoes are heavy) just spread with the back of a spoon - or pipe like icing - some of the sweet potato mixture onto the cracker.  Then place the bourbon soaked and spice-sugar rolled raisins on top all in a row.  Simple, easy and serve immediately!

Nutrition facts follow after recipe.  Good news:  very low in sodium per serving.

Just LOVE Necklace Circle Charm

Just LOVE is the shortest best message!

Holiday Cake: Chocolate Chip Gingerbread

From Denny:  Would this make a beautiful holiday food gift or what?  Who doesn't like chocolate or gingerbread during the holiday season?  The winter white vanilla glaze gives a strong visual contrast for presentation.  We do eat with our eyes...

This beautiful cake would be great for those holiday gatherings to beautify the dessert table.  Come on; if you are able to slightly warm the servings, melting the chocolate chips, then one whiff of that gingerbread and chocolate and this cake will go fast!

Santa Jingle Picture Ornament

Make some merry this holiday season! Jingle Jingle! This design also available in teapots, cocktail platters, serving trays, lots of bedding, area rugs, blankets, pajamas, pillows, clocks and so much more; come see!

Healthy Chef Recipe: Yam Chocolate Spice Bars

From Denny:  Here's an interesting twist for the holidays - chocolate chips in your yams!  This is a quick recipe utilizing a spice cake mix, canned sweet potatoes, chocolate chips, real butter and reduced-fat cream cheese to create a delectable but easy to make dessert!

This recipe comes from Holly Clegg who has been a celebrity in Louisiana from some time now.  Why?  She was on the cutting edge of the food trends to reduce calories in our favorite comfort foods while adding nutrition.

Holly's father suffers from arthritis and she has developed a book of recipes to help those with arthritis reduce inflammation through food choices (think watermelon and sweet potatoes).  Holly also has a book on diabetes recipes.  Her mind is always thinking of healthier ways to trim, substitute or re-think our favorite recipes for modern times and health needs.

Louisiana yams and sweet potatoes are quite popular in our state so the local chefs are constantly thinking of new ways to include these vitamin A and vitamin C packed veggies into our everyday diet.  Holly also suggests this recipe is a good way to use up leftover sweet potatoes.

Vintage Bicycle Cookie Jar

Vintage Bicycle, a curious blast from the past, to warmly decorate the present. This design also available in flour and sugar containers, and teapots, cocktail plates, platters, serving trays and bedding, pillows, shower curtain, clocks, area rugs and more!

Holiday Recipe: Frozen Grasshopper Pie

From Denny:  This retro recipe is a blast from the past - with updates!  The decade of the 1950's sported the food trend of frozen desserts, especially for entertaining and the holidays.

Historically, it was in the 1950's when freezers were first mass manufactured as separate from refrigerators.  This new appliance trend created some serious creativity in the cooking arena with frozen desserts offered.

This Christmas holiday favorite has survived the test of time, in this decade with a couple of tweaks as options for ingredient substitutions - like frozen yogurt or reduced-fat ice cream for the original full fat ice cream in the filling.  Using canola oil reduces the saturated fat in the original crust that used butter - later in the 1960's and 1970's it was worse, using solid shortening like Crisco for the crust.

Basically, this is a type of frozen mint ice cream pie with a delicious chocolate cookie wafer or chocolate graham cracker crust.  It's a very easy recipe to make which also makes it a big hit.  This recipe is an easy one for beginners.

Celebrate Chocolate Queen Duvet

Celebrate Chocolate every day as a holiday!

Holiday Recipe: Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

From Denny:  Do you love gingerbread?  Here's a chance to make a smaller version in cookie form to delight your friends, family and guests at holiday gatherings.  The beauty of this cookie recipe is that it's a wonderful surprise of gingerbread combined with chocolate! 

If your local store doesn't carry the Swedish pearl sugar then just dust with regular refined sugar or some sprinkles.  This recipe is a fun twist on the holiday favorite of gingerbread from King Arthur Flour.  Also, left in their links to various ingredients and products they sell on the site for you to check out if you wish.  What I enjoyed most was reading the many reviews which I thought you would find useful too.

Santa Jingle Clutch Bag

Make some merry this holiday season! Jingle Jingle!

Easy Summer Dessert: Grilled Pound Cake, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Pineapple

From Denny:  This is too easy.  You can grill this entire dessert indoors on a grill pan.  All you do is grill the fresh pineapple until it caramelizes nicely and gets those all important status grill marks.

Brush both sides of the prepared pound cake with butter.  We use clarified butter at our house because it helps your heart by skimming off the artery clogging milk solids and the resulting clear golden oil can also can be used at a higher heat.

Grill the buttered pound cake.  Top with vanilla ice cream and top with your favorite yummy chocolate sauce.  Summer is so easy with winning easy recipes like this classic!

Easy Dessert: Banana Nut Pound Cake Pudding

Photo by Family Features

From Denny:  Yet another tasty version of a bread pudding, only this time a prepared and toasted pound cake is used in place of the bread.

This recipe uses candied pecans.  If you can't find them, try roasting your raw pecans in a baking dish at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - with a little butter like a tablespoon for one-half cup of pecans -  until lightly browned.

After roasting, lightly salt the pecans and add a tablespoon of brown sugar while still hot.  It will melt into the pecans so toss well to coat.  That will get the toasted and sweet taste of commercially prepared candied pecans.  You can make your own roasted candied pecans which are far fresher - and minus all those additive ingredients that seem to alter the full flavor of the nuts.

The beauty of the heavenly mixture of cream and eggs creating a custard for anything immersed in it is a winning combination since baking began.  It's the foundation of many good breakfast casseroles or sweet pudding desserts.

You only require two bananas for this recipe so it is a good choice for what to do with those last remaining bananas sitting on your kitchen counter.  And those broken eggs sitting in the fridge?  This is another way to dispose of those cracked eggs safely - in a baked dish.  I never use cracked eggs for fried or scrambled eggs as those versions of eggs are usually not thoroughly cooked.  Place them in a baked dish like this one and enjoy!

Fast and Easy Dessert: Pound Cake S'mores

Photo from Family Features

From Denny:  Want something fast and easy to serve for a family dessert or unexpected guests that drop by for a visit?  This is a simple one from Sara Lee.  It involves a prepared pound cake of your choice.

FYI, pound cake, even one made from scratch, freezes well so it's easy to have on hand for a last minute dessert.  When I make a pound cake I slice it when cooled and then freeze the slices separately so I'm ready to go for whatever portions are needed.

For the lovely melted gooeyness of the S'mores genre, add some miniature chocolate chips of your choice.  We like the dark 60 percent Ghiradelli chips at our house because it has less sugar and a far superior chocolate taste.

Then add some miniature marshmallows.  I'm not a marshmallow gourmet so you are on your own for a great brand on this one. :)

This recipe calls for chopped peanuts but you can substitute walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamias to enjoy just as much.  Since we live in Louisiana we prefer the local fresh pecans found at the farmers' markets.  I'm of the opinion that for great taste pecans - or walnuts - and chocolate pair better than peanuts and chocolate.  And you don't have to be concerned about who might have peanut allergies so everyone can enjoy this easy dessert!

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Pie

From Denny:  Exploring travel sites sometimes yields some delicious recipes!  This hefty pie enjoys three pounds of ricotta cheese.  A slice of this could be an entire meal considering the protein level.

The pie includes cooked barley which gives it a nutty flavor.  Barley is also great for calming the nervous system since it is chock full of B vitamins.  FYI :)

The whole process is like making a cheesecake because of the spring form pan.  You also lower the baking temperature a couple of times to gently lower the cooling off temperature gradually and prevent the ricotta from drying out.

What's even better is that this is a recipe meant for sitting in the fridge overnight or for a day before serving.  So, it's the perfect make ahead dessert like for a holiday or special occasion.

Cookies: Almond Nuggets with Chocolate Drizzle

From Denny:  Chocolate and almonds are the ideal combination for a cookie.  This is basically a sugar cookie with sliced almonds that makes for a stiff dough.

It is a simple exercise of dropping the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet - so that makes it easy even for beginner bakers.  The chocolate comes in when you ice the cookie with bittersweet chocolate that has been melted together with real butter and almond extract.

What's amusing is how the recipe creator actually thinks these mere 24 cookies will last long enough to make it into a covered container.  Bring your friends! :)

National Chocolate Cake Day Today! 2 Recipes

From Denny:  Like anyone had to inform the chocolate hounds that today is a special day. We all know we sure don't pay much attention to any other holiday - excepting Valentine's Day - 'cause only chocolate holidays rule. :)

What are the goals of National Chocolate Cake Day?  The Obvious:  bake and decorate a wonderful chocolate cake and then enjoy it with a few friends! Now that's what I call a plum assignment.

First off, everyone should have at least one basic good Simple Chocolate Sheet Cake in their bag of magic baking tricks.  This will make you a big hit at family or sports gatherings - read that at tailgating too.

People can cut the small or large size they desire.  Of course, the cake can end up looking like a bit of a messy disaster that way so usually most cooks choose to pre-cut the pieces.  I usually cut mine into long fingers like 1-inch x 3-inches.  The dieters (and the diabetics who are supposed to behave but can't) can slice that in half - and the Hungry Jacks can take two.  Everyone is happy!

Then try the Mexican Chocolate Fudge Pecan Cake where cinnamon is added to a basic chocolate and buttermilk cake.  Chocolate and cinnamon are natural pairings and the result is wonderful.

Chef Recipe: Chocolate Tart with Caramel and Cream

From Denny:  Everyone who enjoys a chocolate tart every time they can, raise their hands.  Yeah, I thought so - sisters of the soul.  I sure order it from the La Madeleine restaurant or other local bakery whenever it shows up in the display case.  It's like a little piece of heaven in one tiny spot - a rich little chocolate pudding, a dollop of cream and some pie crust, simply divine.

This is a New York chef recipe from the famous restaurant Aureole.  Chef Christopher Lee uses Sicilian sea salt to enhance the sweet creamy richness of the indulgent chocolate dessert.

He also includes the unlikely addition of the chocolate malt Ovaltine to the bittersweet baking chocolate.

Cookies: Spiced Chocolate Macaroons

 

From Denny:  Do you like spice cookies but crave the addition of chocolate?  This cinnamon and chocolate pairing also happens to improve as the cookie ages.  What could be better than that? A stale cookie that tastes great! :)  

The cookie also contains the background dark note from a hint of cloves like I like to use in my morning stovetop cooked oatmeal.  There is nothing like the pairing of cinnamon and cloves to add richness to a dish whether sweet or savory.

The nut used in this cookie is slivered almonds.

Cookies: Chocolate Crackled

Photo by Denny Lyon

From Denny:  These chocolate chunk cookies are delightfully decadent as they also include ancho chile pepper that provides some smokey heat.  Cinnamon and extra vanilla extract balance the chile heat and intense semi-sweet chocolate.

A variation of this cookie is provided that enjoys using roasted ginger spice in place of the cinnamon.

Check out the interesting variations of your favorite chocolate chunk cookie!

Cookies: Triple Chocolate Pistachio Mint

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny:  These rich cookies are perfect for the holidays from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Valentine's Day to Mardi Gras.  Any celebration will do when it comes to chocolate!  

Chocolate and peppermint are a great pairing, each complementing the other.  What I like about this chocolate recipe is it uses bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate too.  The contrast of the very dark and the light white is awesome, balanced by the roasted pistachio nuts.  Can it get any better?

Cookies: Double Chocolate Chunk Mint

From Denny:  Looking for a chocolate cookie with a deep, rich flavor?  This recipe combines cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate.

Chunks of tasty walnuts are perfect with intense chocolate.  And remember that peppermint extract you bought for the Christmas holidays and haven't managed to use up yet?  This is a winner of a recipe to make good use of it.  Yeah, had some peppermint extract languishing in the back of my pantry too.  I'm just saying... :)

This recipe reminded me of those delicious Hershey's mint miniatures that are almost completely disappeared from the holiday season.  And I was craving a chocolate-mint combination and then I happened upon this little gem of a recipe.  Enjoy!

Easy Triple Layer Mud Pie

Another delectable version of mud pie from Hummingbird Bakery and minniephoto @ flickr

From Denny:  This is an easy recipe for those chocolate lovers who are in a hurry to whip up a dessert and then forget about it for a few hours while it chills in the fridge.

Simple pies like this are also perfect for tailgating to those special sports events.

All you need for this simple dessert is part of a can of sweetened condensed milk, 3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate, a prepared chocolate cookie crumb pie crust, a chocolate instant pudding mix, some two percent milk, 1/2 cup chopped nuts and a small tub of frozen whipped topping of your choice.

What could be easier than that?  Hmmm... buying it already made at the grocery store?  :)  But this pie will taste so much better since you made it!

Cookies: Chocolate Bliss

From Denny:  A melt-in-your-mouth cookie favorite.  A local food writer received it from a friend in Nashville, Tennessee.  "And she told two friends - and she told two friends..." :)  This cookie has been making the rounds with chocolate foodies.

It's an easy recipe, fast enough to whip up for the holidays.  Part of what makes this cookie so delectable is that half of the chocolate chips are melted and added to the batter along with the unmelted ones.  It's like what chef Paul Prudhomme practiced with the concept of layering the same taste in a dish.

A note about melting chocolate:  Remember to use dry utensils.  Even a tiny amount of water can cause the chocolate to stiffen and not melt properly.  We can't have that, now can we? :)

If you want to make clean up faster and easier, think about lining your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Note:  You might want to do one cookie as a test cookie to see how long it takes your oven to get to the puffy stage, usually 9 to 10 minutes in most cases.  But take the time and do the test because your cookie size may differ from the recipe.  It's always worth the effort to do a test when it comes to chocolate.  Everyone has a personal preference of how they want the cookie to taste and the texture.

Want a new cookie recipe for Christmas?  This one may just become your family's new holiday tradition!

Read on for the recipe:

Cookies: Mini-Chocolate Chip Dipped Shortbread Sticks

From Denny:  Do you like to bake shortbread cookies for the holidays?  Here is a new twist - literally - on the idea.  When you cut the dough into rectangles you twist them before baking, then dip in chocolate.  How pretty is that for a holiday gathering?!

Now if the Wolf SubZero site would only supply photos to their recipe section... but hey, check out the humorous chocolate photo found over at flickr.  (All Rights Reserved for this photographer but an embed code available for use on your blog.) Another chocolate foodie on the loose!

Black Raspberry Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

From Denny:  Who doesn't love raspberries for the holidays?  This cookie is dripping with butter, chocolate goodness, black raspberry liqueur and chock full of macadamia nuts.  Not a lot of sugar and flour either to make them.

It's a rich cookie - but easy to make - to impress your family and friends.  Of course, that's if they ever get a chance to taste them!  Beware of the kitchen cookie gremlins.  They lurk in the most unexpected places. :)