Cherry Almond Torte

Normally when I post recipes I am just giving you links to recipes that I've come across and loved. But this one is genuinely my own. Well, mine and Kari's- my friend who worked on the recipe with me. Back in April we went to the Native American Museum and they were serving a new item in the Mitzam cafe called cherry almond torte in honor of the cherry festival. Andrew ordered one and we both thought it was incredible. I can honestly say it was the best dessert I've had in a very very long time- maybe the best ever. I tried to recreate it over the summer break in Louisiana without success. I was tempted to give up but decided to give it another shot with my friend Kari who is really great with baking desserts and we nailed it! They're actually not that hard to make either.

Ingredients:
Pastry Puff
almond paste- in the baking isle near the canned pumpkin and canned pie fillings
frozen cherries
1 c sugar
juice from half a lemon

Over medium heat stir sugar, lemon juice and cherries together. Bring to boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes of so.

Roll out your pastry puff crust (there are usually 2 sheets in a box) and cut evenly into 9 squares (you'll have 18 squared total). Spray a muffin pan with oil, put one square in each muffin cup, add a small amount of almond paste (you can divide it up into 18 equal peices and shape them into a flat circle), then top with 4 or 5 cherries and a little of the juice. Seal up the edges- you may need to use a little water to do this- and then bake at 400 for 15 or 20 min (I don't remember how long we baked it so just watch it). They are best when hot (but not too hot) out of the oven. Please make these and call to worship me.

Larabars

I posted this on fb but I wanted to put it on the blog as well. She has a whole site devoted to healthy desserts. I know right? What a waste of time and ingredients. I would never have tried these if my friend had not already made them and let me taste test a couple. They taste divine, rich, not healthy at all...but they are. After making one of two you can create your own combinations of nuts and dried fruits. All she does is grind walnuts, dates, and unsweetened cocoa powder with a little salt and vanilla (and yes a few chocolate chips if you so fancy...we do). We roll them into little balls of goodness and wrap them up in wax paper (cuz really now, what else is wax paper really good for?) and store them in the freezer. I love this one: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/12/hot-fudge-brownie-larabars/
I really want to try this one: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/24/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-cookies/
But my absolute favorite is a combination my friend came up with. 1 c cashews, a handful of dates, zest of one lemon, some dried cherries and a few white chocolate chips. Oh, and a pinch of salt. Wow! These are amazing. It's great to wrap them up individually so you can just take one out as a quick treat whenever you want. And you don't feel bad about it b/c it's just nuts and dried fruit. Make them! Do it! You'll become an addict like me.

Dreamy Apple Pie

Seems like I only make pies around the holidays but after having this dreamy baby I think I'm hooked.  Love the title as it totally lives up to its name.  This is a recipe from The Pioneer Lady.  If you haven't already, go check her out - http://thepioneerwoman.com/ . 

■1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust - I used a refrigerated one but she has a yummy crust recipe on her site as well if you are feeling ambitious.


■Filling
■3 whole Large (4 Or 5 Small) Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Sliced Thin
■½ cups Brown Sugar
■½ cups Sugar
■1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
■1 cup Heavy Cream
■2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
■⅛ teaspoons Cinnamon

■Topping
■7 Tablespoons Butter
■¾ cups All-purpose Flour
■½ cups Brown Sugar
■¼ cups Pecans (you know me...I left these out and it was still great)
■Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pie dough and place it in a pie pan. Decorate the edges as desired.
Add apple slices to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over apples. Pour apples into pie shell.
In the bowl of a food processor (or you can mix by hand) combine butter, flour, sugar, pecans (chop if you’re not using a food processor), and salt. Mix until everything comes together in clumps. Pour topping over apples.  Attach foil to the edges and lay a piece of flat foil loosely over the top of the pie. Place pie pan on top of a  cookie sheet and bake for one hour. At the end, remove foil and allow to finish baking and browning. Can bake for up to 15 or 20 minutes more if necessary.  Remove from oven when golden brown and bubbly.

Don't forget the cookie sheet under the pie!!!  I still have yet to clean my oven out from the last time I made this...

Lemon Tarts

These are very TART but much better than store bought.  Very rich so I suggest making them small tarts. Dad would love these!

Ingredients:

Prepared tart shells, baked and cooled
2 cups white sugar
7 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
6 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup whipping cream, unwhipped
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine cut into pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
cool whip frozen whipped topping

In the microwave or stove top, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks, half and half amd whipping cream (can use 2 cups half and half if desired and omit the whipping cream).  Whisk to combine.

Cook until thickened.  Stir in butter.  Whisk until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.  Cool to almost room temperature, stirring every so often.  Stir in sour cream until well blended.  Fill tart shells and top with cool whip.

Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 devils food cake mix
4 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
16 oz. sour cream
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
5 eggs
2 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 10" bundt pan. Stir together cake and pudding mix. Add in sour cream, butter and eggs. Beat until well combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Spoon into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely. It is great as is or you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top or drizzle a chocolate glaze to make it prettier.
shelley

Caramel Pecan Brownies

Ingredients:
1 box Triple Chocolate Chunk Brownies
1 bag caramels
1 small can evaporated milk
chopped pecans

Make brownies according to package directions. Lay a piece of parchment paper in a 9x13 pan. Pour in half of the brownie mixture. Sprinkle with pecans and bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so. Meanwhile unwrap the caramels and melt them down in a pot with 1/3 to 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. When brownie is ready, pour caramel mixture evenly over bottom. Next spread the other half of the brownie mixture over the caramel, careful not to mix layers (this can take a while). Then sprinkle with more chopped pecans on top and bake for another 25 minutes or so. Check them at 20 to make sure they aren't getting burned. Let them cool before cutting.

Don't bother making these without the pecans (Laura!). They really make the brownie.

Lemon Square Bars

Lemon Square Bars

I think we are all fans of lemon bars so I thought I would post the link to the best I've ever found. These are great, but heavy.