Salted Caramel Affogato

Affogato - is it a drink or is it dessert?

Cranberry Apple Crumble Tart

Cranberry Apple Crumble Tart is quick and easy to put together.  Then pop it in the oven for a wonderful dessert that is sweet and slightly tart in each bite.

Lemon Brownies Bites

Bite size morsels of chocolate with a hint of lemon,covered with a lemony butter frosting that is drizzled with chocolate makes these brownies awesome.

Frozen Michigan Sunrise

Have you ever looked at a recipe and said to yourself.... I can do this?  It looks so good and easy to make and then go to make it and it doesn't turn out properly.  That is what happened with this recipe but I made it work.

Beware Foods May Not be What They Seem to Be #AprilFool's Day

Are you ready to sink your teeth into some great food today?  You just may be surprised to find out what you think is really one thing is something totally different....

Pineapple Coconut Dessert

I am a big fan of Taste of Home Cookbooks and have many of them.  I always feel that their cookbooks are tried and true.  A couple of weeks ago my hubby took one of the cookbooks down and was thumbing through it and telling me all of the recipes he thought I should try.......

National Pizza Month ~ #pizzaroundup

October is National Pizza Month and I am a big fan of pizza.  I think I could eat it for every meal and there was days when I was single I did... those days are over as I don't get it that often anymore... But when I do watch out.. I eat and eat and eat.  I also love pizza cold, I was the one that the pizza places remembered as I would ask them not to deliver my pizza in their warmers.

Slow Cooker Recipes for every Occasion.

Slow Cooker recipes can be used for any meal or any occasion.  You can start your meal the night before or the morning and it will be ready for breakfast or dinner.  The worst part about setting your slow cooker the night before is that you keep waking up to those wonderful smells of food.

Rice porridge and prune soup.

Every once in awhile I get a craving for rice porridge 

or as it is called in Finland Riisipuuro.

Growing up we would make riisipuuro when we had extra rice leftover, 

so that is always how I make it... I don't really have a recipe,

I just add to my  rice.

In Finland they will also add an almond in the riisipuuro

One almond and the one that gets the almond will 

receive good fortune.

Riisipuuro is also good with Marja Soppa (berry soup) made with prunes and raisins.

It is also called Luumukiiseli 

Rice porridge with prune soup in my Iltila 

Riisipuuro

2 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1 egg

Add sugar to rice.  Whisk egg and milk together well and add it to the rice mixture.  Cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. 

You can also eat this with more milk and cinnamon.  I will also add raisins when I am cooking the rice porridge.  Or eat it with Prune soup.

Prune Soup ( Marja Soppa)

2 cups prunes

1 cup raisins

1 cup dried apricots (optional)

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups water

1-2 sticks of cinnamon

1/2 cup cornstarch with small amount of water

In medium pot, add prunes, raisins, apricots, sugar, water and cinnamon stick.  Boil on medium heat for 1 hour.  If soup is very liquid, add cornstarch and water and boil for another 5 minutes.  

Enjoy alone or with rice porridge.

Links Carole's Chatter , Foodie Friends Friday

Ice Cream Cake

I know, you don't have to tell me.... it has been a long time since I have done a post but I will remedy that and finish this post today as you may need this for a birthday or a celebration.
A couple of weeks or maybe even a month I go I saw this recipe on facebook from Mainelybakes and pinned it right away so that when I get company I can make and wow them... Well, I made it and I wowed them.  My company was quite impressed with my creativity and it all went except two small pieces that my husband and I shared a few days after.  I will be making this again and there are many different combinations that you can use, so make it your own.

                                                       ICE CREAM CAKE
The original recipe is Here and probably a bit more healthy as she used  light ice cream sandwiches and yogurt.  But who wants to be healthy... I was going for the gusto...

Ingredients:
1 box ice cream sandwiches
1 box Kemp fudge crunch ice cream (I didn't use quite all)
raspberries to cover the bottom and for garnish
Hershey Bits 'O Brickle Toffee bits
Hot fudge sundae topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

I used my 10 inch springform pan.  Cut 9-10 ice cream sandwiches in 4ths (if you want to see how it is done go here.  I didn't remember to take a picture of this).  Place around edge of spring-form pan and place in freezer until solid.  I waited for about an hour.
 Once the ice cream sandwiches are frozen again, I sprinkled the bottom with frozen raspberries or you could use fresh if you want.
 Scoop half of the ice cream over the raspberries and spread until level.  I then sprinkled the toffee bits over the ice cream.  Scoop the rest of the ice cream on top of the toffee bit and spread.  Sprinkle more toffee bits on top  Place back in freezer until ready to serve.
 When ready to serve place whipping cream in bowl and start beating on high until start thickening.  Add sugar (you could add more if you want sweeter whipping cream) and vanilla slowly and continue to beat until you get stiff peaks.
 Drizzle hot fudge sundae topping over the last layer of ice cream and toffee bits.  Top with whipped whipping cream and garnish with fresh raspberries.... Serve.

ice cream sandwiches layered on sides and frozen raspberries on bottom

One layer of ice cream and toffee bits on top

with second layer of ice cream of ice cream and toffee bits

drizzle hot fudge sundae topping, add whipped cream and raspberries

And Enjoy!

Just think of the possibilities that you could do with this dessert.... So many.  I hope if you do your own flavors and fruits that you will let me know how you did it.

                                         Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

LINKS

Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake

     Nanaimo Bars are pure Canadian... and probably one of my favorite Canadian treats, after butter tarts that is...but Butter Tarts will have to be done for another post...
     Per wikipedia Nanaimo Bars is a Canadian origin dessert popular throughout North America.   It is a bar cookie that needs no baking and is named after a west coast city, Nanaimo, British Colombia.  The nanaimo bar is a wafer crumb layer, topped with a vanilla or custard flavoured butter icing, covered with a chocolate layer.  Now-a-days you can find many different flavors of Nanaimo Bars - mint, peanut butter and mocha being the most common... Also the flavoured butter icing filling can be coloured any colour for any occasion.
      Saying all that I decided that I wanted to make them into cheesecake.  I love cheesecake and the combination would be wonderful and also because I didn't have Bird's custard powder and had no idea where I would find it here in upper Michigan.... I did some research.  I did find a recipe for the Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake on allrecipes.com ~ (you can go here to find the original recipe), but this recipe didn't have the right base that I wanted, so I started through my recipe books and found what I wanted.... So, once again my recipe is a mismatch of multiple recipes from multiple sites.  Now, what do I use for the bird's custard powder... there wasn't alot out there for a substitute ~~ corn starch and vanilla, vanilla pudding and other places and cooks said there was no replacement.  So I decided to try vanilla pudding ~~ it was ok but not the best and I know now what will be on my Canadian shopping list - Bird's Custard Pudding... or if anyone wants to send me some... hint! hint! hint!  I did find it on Amazon but am thinking that this may be a good excuse for me to make a trip home.  So, now that you are total bored here is my recipe....
                                                 
                                                   Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake                                                                    

Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake

Ingredients:


1/2 c butter
1/4 c sugar
5 tbsp cocoa powder ( I used Fry's cocoa so it was more Canadian)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 c graham cracker crumbs
1 c shredded coconut
1/2 c walnuts ( I didn't use this time)

4 pkg cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/4 c custard powder ( I used vanilla pudding ~ not instant)
4 eggs

6 squares semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter in saucepan, stir in sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.  Once smooth, whisk in egg and vanilla extract.  Make sure the butter mixture isn't too hot when you put in the egg or you will get pieces of scrambled egg in you mixture.  Take off heat and add graham cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts.  Place mixture on bottom of pan.  Put in fridge while you make the rest of the middle layer.  I used a 11 inch spring-form pan for mine. 
Beat cream cheese, sugar and custard powder until light and fluffy.  Then beat in eggs, one egg at a time.  Make sure each egg is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next.  Pour over crumb base mixture.  Bake for 40 minutes (until center is almost set).  Refrigerate until fully chilled about 3 hours ( I did mine overnight).
Place chocolate squares and heavy cream in sauce pan and mix on low heat until smooth and chocolate melted.  Pour over cheesecake layer.... Place bake in fridge until chocolate layer is set, about 20 -30 minutes.

mixing butter,sugar and cocoa

crumb layer in pan

mixing cream cheese, sugar and vanilla pudding

ready to go in the oven

out of the oven

chocolate layer on

a piece for you

        This cake turned out wonderfully and I got lots of compliments on it.  I think it would even turn out better if I would have had Bird's Custard Powder to put in it... One lady told me that this is the best thing that I have ever made..So come and get some, I will have it ready and the coffee pot is always on...

too late... I already took a bite.

                                                 til next time <3 <3 <3 Marlys

Recipe linked Foodie Friends Friday,  GoodRecipesOnline.com, Manic Monday Party, Iron chef Mom

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