Chocolate Friday - Nutoka and more!

Can anyone guess what this is!? That's right! NUTELLA!!! Yay! Can you tell I'm excited about this?

We got a box of treats yesterday from my husband's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. (They are serving our country in Germany right now). It was mostly chocolate with a couple of other sweets thrown in.

Check this out:



Choco Love...oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Oh and this one:


I had to laugh...it's a 15er!



As you can see, we all enjoy getting treats.


Ready to chow down. Actually we all got one piece last night after supper. When we get this candy we savor it and eat one piece or two a day until it's gone.


And this is mine...all mine. hehehe

Now I'll let you leave my chocolate madness and head you over to Lisa's. She's the one with all the chocolate link-ups. So go on over and check out her site.

And I'll get back to my Nutella...uh, Nutoka.

Until next time...

Dessert Friday and Iron Chef Challenge - Four Layer Dessert

Love those December goodies? Yeah, me too.

Here's a sampling of what we'll be having around the holidays. I'm using this recipe for a dual purpose today; I'm linking up to Lisa's Dessert Friday and entering this recipe in Heidi's Iron Chef Challenge for December.

Four Layer Dessert

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick butter
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large tub Cool Whip
2 boxes instant pudding, chocolate fudge flavor
3 cups milk

Directions:
1st layer: Melt butter, mix with flour and pecans. Press into 9X13 pan and bake on 350 for 18 minutes. Let cool.
2nd layer: Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 cup of the Cool Whip until creamy. Spread on the cooled crust.
3rd layer: Blend pudding and 3 cups milk until thick. Spread on top of the 2nd layer.
4th layer: cover with the remaining Cool Whip.

Let set for about an hour before eating...if you can!

It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and the servings depend on how many people you are serving it to and if you can resist only taking a normal serving size. :) Very yummy!

Until next time...

short and sweet

For the short side of it: Future posts may be a little on the short side in the near future. I have a ton of projects to do and other stuff. Lot of sewing and my scissors and sewing machine picked NOW to act up. My pinking shears are getting a little dull. My machine is bunching up the thread on the bottom. Anyone know of anything that could help with those little problems?

Now for the sweet: Other than baking chocolate chip cookies today...I have a little something to share on the dessert side.

Poor Man's Cheesecake. Anyone else make these?



Graham crackers, cream cheese, and some fruit preserves. Instead of the Cream Cheese Fruit Dip, I usually take a block of cream cheese and mix a cup of powdered sugar in it. Strawberry Preserves work well, too. Yummy.

Oh, and the frosted cup in the background? Sweetened fruit-flavored herbal tea. Do you think the sugar discounts the good nutrients from the herbs? Nah...hope not anyway. Especially since I only use 1/2 cup per gallon.

Well, that's it for today.

Until next time...

Blueberry Cake for Lisa's Cake Week

Hey, remember Lisa is having a Cake Week over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates? Well, today is the day you go over and link up a cake or cupcake recipe. And get some more great recipes. Hey, I need all the dessert recipes I can get. If I don't make it through the 30 Day Shred, at least I can have someone smuggle in some cake to me on my death bed. It might even revive me. Well, a gal can hope anyway.

So here's my cake recipe: (sorry I don't have a picture)

Blueberry Cake

Ingredients
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter at room temp.
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp gated lemon rind/peel
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
Blueberry filling (see recipe below)
Topping (also below)

Stir together flour, baking powder, and soda. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, at medium speed, thoroughly butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon peel. Beat in eggs one at a time, then sour cream. At low speed gradually beat in the flour mixture until blended.

Turn about 1/3 of the batter into a greased and floured 9 inch tube pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the Blueberry Filling. Repeat layers. Spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake on the rack below the center in a preheated 350 degree oven until cake tester comes out free of batter, about 50 minutes. Loosen edges and around the tube and turn out on rack; cool completely. Invert on a cake platter.

Blueberry Filling:
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped medium fine

Topping:
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

This makes a good breakfast. :)

Enjoy your cake. For me.

Until next time...

Cake Week at Lisa's

Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolates is having a Cake Week this week. Go over and visit her and get some great cake recipes.

She's also got giveaways!

So this week you can have your cake and eat it too! Check it out!


Until next time...

Cocoa Brownies, like I promised

Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients:
2 sticks margarine/butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup pecans, chopped

Melt margarine, cool slightly. Beat eggs till light; stir in sugar and vanilla. Sift flour and cocoa together; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Add pecans. Bake in a greased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

This one had a frosting with it, but I didn't like it. If you want a frosting, make your own favorite or use a store bought one. Or they are good without a frosting.