Refreshingly cool raspberry yogurt soup is part chilled soup, part dessert, and all delicious. It also provides more of those fresh fruits we are all trying to get into our diets. Women, especially, will appreciate the extra calcium.

Whip up quick and easy Chilled Raspberry Yogurt Soup in your blender for immediate gratification.

If you are intimidated by making the lavender syrup and candied lemon peel, just make the lemon custard and decorate it with sugared blackberries, a couple of sliced strawberries, whipped cream, etc.

You could also layer the lemon custard with cubes of white or angel food cake in dessert glasses or small bowls, top with blackberries or strawberries, and serve as a sort of parfait.

These are tasty muffins that taste great all on their own. For an extra treat, top them with cream cheese icing. They freeze well, so make extra and have them on hand for a healthier treat. While some kids are pretty picky eaters, most of them will gobble these up, as will most of us grown-ups.

I wonder what kind of muffins the Night Elves would make?

This recipe makes about 1½ dozen (18) muffins.

Ingredients:

Carrot Muffin ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (all-purpose works too, but whole wheat is healthier, and you’ll have to have some pretty sharp taste buds to notice it  in the recipe.)
• 1  tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2-3 cups peeled and shredded carrots (With 3 cups, the carrots will be visible…if you’re trying to hide them, use a bit less or shred/grind them more finely. )
• 3/4 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes

Other Supplies

• 2 mixing bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk, or fork, or mixing spoon
• Spoon or spatula
• Grater (for carrots)
• Muffin tin

Get Ready:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine Dry Ingredients:

Add the following to a mixing bowl:

• flour,
• cinnamon,
• baking soda,
• baking powder and
• salt.

Dry ingredients for carrot muffins.

Whisk (or stir with a fork or mixing spoon) until well combined.

Combined ingredients

Combine Wet Ingredients and Sugar

In another mixing bowl add the wet ingredients (eggs and butter) and the brown sugar.

Combining the wet ingredients

Whisk until well mixed.

Mixing it all up

Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients

Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined. (Editor’s note: This may be a good time to switch to a spoon or fork, as the batter may get stuck in the whisk.)

Combining the wet and dry ingredients.

Add shredded carrot and raisins,

Add the Carrots and Raisins.

and stir until well combined. Then you’re ready to start baking.

Mix it all up.

Get Ready for Baking

Spoon mixture into well-greased muffin tins. Fill to about ¼ inch from the top.

Filling the muffin tin

Bake for 20 minutes. They’re ready when you stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Finished carrot muffins.

Want to learn how the restaurants make their muffins and other recipes? Find out here…

While apple desserts are popular 365 days a year, the fall months are when they are served the most. There is nothing like a dessert that is built around fresh apples. Then of course the holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving thrive on family get togethers and the pumpkin pies.

Then you’ve got pumpkin cupcakes topped with cream cheese or pumpkin frosting, apple cake desserts with cinnamon and ginger spices, and several other tasty treats and yet more popular Halloween desserts. One of the most fun desserts out there are the pizza desserts. While you can find a version of these at some pizza parlors, these particular treats are built around soft cookie dough.

Use something like butter or sugar cookie dough just to make things easier. Once you’ve put it in the oven and allowed it to cook through (while still staying moist), just let it cool. Then top it with apple pie filling. You can make a homemade version if you like, but pie filling from a can will do just fine. Some people choose a cherry pie filling instead, and there are others to choose from, use what you like. You can also sprinkle a few raisins or nuts over the pie filling.

The you can add a few thin icing stripes along the top and sprinkle on some dark chocolate curls. The flavor is magnificent, and others will want to know where you got your recipe.

Last, but not least is the apple crisp. This scrumptious treat provides a nice warm dessert, all by itself, right out of the oven. However, it’s the scoop of ice cream on top that lifts it into the “perfect” category.

The very best holiday desserts, of course, are the ones that you and your family like the best. They’re a great way to bring in the harvest celebration.

Cocoa beans, the foundation of chocolates, are native to Mexico and Central America. As far back as two thousand years ago, the tribes men and women created a bitter consume with the cocoa beans, mixing it with chili peppers and other spices. It was regarded a rich drink, and was reserved for the leaders from the tribes.

When the Spanish conquered the region, cocoa beans were brought back to Europe. Europeans additional milk and sugar to the chocolate, decreasing the bitterness. They also additional the Mexican spice vanilla to their drink concoction. Chocolate was far from the form of chocolate truffles we have today, and remained a drink for numerous centuries.

With the industrial revolution came the procedure of hardening chocolates into a candy. We have Coenraad Johannes van Houten, a Dutchmen, to thank for paving the way for chocolate making. He was the one to prepare chocolate with alkali, removing the bitterness. He also was able to make cocoa beans into powdered cocoa and cocoa butter. The very first solid chocolate bar was made in 1847.

In 1875, milk was added as an ingredient to the solid chocolate bars. This brought about milk chocolate, which is the most well-liked kind of chocolate today.

Now, over half  of the world’s chocolate can be traced to Africa, not Central America. It is a food popular the world over and milk chocolates are the favorite of many. Is it any wonder that chocolate gifts are given to loved ones and romantic interests? Some people are even reporting health benefits from the antioxidants in chocolate, so they make a fine treat even for even the health conscious.

We provide a large variety of products for your kitchen. Aluminum cookware, stainless cookware, fry pans, cast iron wok, rice cookers, flatware set and much more. Only the best quality at the lowest prices!

In any case, here’s a yummy looking peach cobbler recipe, from College Candy:

Is there anything that can compare to a fresh peach on a summer afternoon? (Well, besides some delicious blueberries, of course.) The time span of the vernal fruit’s ripeness is quite narrow (compared to more resilient bananas or apples), but right now is peak season for the treat. And it’s more than just a delicious, furry fruit. The peach is a natural, supremely juicy source of fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, and niacin, a B vitamin that aids digestion, amps HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and helps radiant skin shine through. So that “peachy glow” isn’t just a figure of speech!

And here’s the rest, with the recipe: Intro to Cooking: Peach Cobbler

Looks pretty yummy.

Warning, it’s only for people who have leveled up their cooking skills.

This months Daring Bakers challenge was a Danish braid and I was really looking forward to making it. The Danish braid is made with Danish pastry dough which is made by folding dough with butter into many layers. The Danish dough should bake up nice and light and buttery and flaky. I had been wanting to try making a multi-layer dough that puffed up when cooked for a while …

Here’s the rest:  Strawberry Danish Braid

Mix 2 1/4 cups of Bisquick mix with 1/2 cup of sugar.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, lemon, orange, or almond extract to 1/2 cup of milk, then add the flavored milk to the Bisquick
and mix until soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead about ten times.

Pat or roll out with a rolling pin into a square or rectangle shape about 1/2″ thick. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Place on an ungreased or parchment covered baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes or until
lightly golden.

If you like you can add some sugar sprinkles to the mix. You can also add fruit bits, candies, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.

Here are a couple of delicious sauces that are easy to make and that will be the perfect complement to that bowl of vanilla (or other flavor) ice cream, or to pour over pound cake, etc. Get creative and enjoy the bliss.

I hope you enjoy these sauces as much as my family does.

*** *** ***

Espresso Sauce

1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup finely ground espresso coffee beans (or substitute 1 Tbsp instant espresso or other coffee powder)
1 square unsweetened chocolate (or substitute 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 Tbsp cooking oil or butter)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

Pour cream and finely ground espresso beans into a saucepan.
Scald cream mixture (heat to just below boiling.)
Remove from heat.
Strain out the ground espresso beans by pouring through a strainer or cheesecloth. (If you are using instant espresso coffee powder there is no need to strain.)
Cut the chocolate into small pieces and stir it into the hot cream until it melts. If using instant espresso coffee powder just stir it in until blended.
Stir in the butter.
Add vanilla, sugar, and salt, and stir until blended.
Pour over ice cream or your dessert of choice.

Chocolate Sauce

6 – 1oz. squares semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp butter
1¼ cups half & half
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
dash salt
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Place the chocolate and butter in a small heavy saucepan.
Cook and stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted.

Stir in half & half, sugar, and corn syrup.
Bring to a slow boil over medium to medium-low heat for about 8 minutes until reduced.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Sauce will thicken as it cools. Use this sauce warm or cool it to room temperature.

Chocolate-Peppermint Option: to make chocolate-peppermint sauce substitute peppermint extract for vanilla extract.

Ingredients:

• 2 eating apples (Gala, Jazz, Fuji, etc.)
• 2 Tablespoons sherry, or white wine
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 day old loaf of sweet french bread or baguette
• 1½ cups of half-and-half
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of orange extract

Directions:

Prepare a one quart baking dish by greasing it with butter or spraying it with a non-stick cooking spray.
Peel, core, and slice the apples, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
Pour the sherry or white wine over the apple pieces.
Sprinkle ¼ cup of the sugar over the apple pieces.

Slice the french bread or baguette in thick slices (about 1-inch thick) and remove the crusts. Lay the slices evenly on top of the apples until the entire apple layer is covered.
Beat the egg and blend it into the half-and-half. Add the orange extract and the remaining ¼ cup of the sugar and mix thoroughly.
Pour the half-and-half mixture over the bread slices.

Let the pudding sit for 30 minutes. Spoon the half-and-half mixture up over the bread slices if the bread appears dry on top.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake bread pudding in oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Ask your team or guild to take a break somewhere safe, and then serve the pudding warm with a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious!