Cool Stuff You Can Do

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Last Minute Sweetheart Cake

So its the night before Valentine's Day and you need to come up with a scrumptious dessert. Don't panic, you can make this cake from start to finish in less than 2 hours. It really only takes about 45 minutes of work, but we have to take into account the time for the cake to cool enough so that it can be decorated.

INGREDIENTS

1 box of chocolate cake mix or any flavor you enjoy
1 large container of white fluff frosting
1 container of chocolate frosting
red gel food tint
a few fresh strawberries cut in half
white chocolate block (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Line the bottom of two 9 inch pans with parchment paper. This will ensure that the cakes will slip out of the pans easily.
Mix and bake cakes according to package instructions. Cool and remove the cakes from the pan.
Peel the parchment paper and place one of the cakes on a platter.
Stir the chocolate frosting and frost the top of the first cake. Don't frost all the way to the edge of the cake. Leave about a 1/2 gap.
Taking a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer, peel enough off the white chocolate to sprinkle over the chocolate frosting.
Place the second cake on top of the first, making sure the edges are fairly even.
Stir the white fluff frosting and take about 1/2 of the container and tint it with red gel to a bright pink color. You can use the red food coloring, if you don't have the food gel. Be careful when adding the coloring, start with a little and add a bit more until you get a tone you like.
Frost the sides with the bright pink frosting. Make sure you don't frost over to the top. Using a spatula, create pretty swirls with the flat part of the spatula.
Frost the top with the white frosting.
With the left over pink and white frosting, combine them to create a soft pink color.
If you have a piping tip, use it to decorate the edge of the cake and add a few decorations to the bottom of the cake. This will soften the look of the cake and make it really eye appealing.
If you don't have a tip, just cut a small hole in a zip-lock bag and put the soft pink frosting in it. Zip it and squeeze the frosting toward the hole. Pipe the frosting out and decorate the cake.
Add the strawberry halves to the center of the cake. Enjoy. Seems like a lot of steps, but it really is very easy and the finished work is scrumptious.

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Chocolate Delights for Your Heart Throb

These quick and easy desserts are OK anytime. Enjoy them with your significant other, or just chow them yourself.

Chocolate covered delights

Ingredients

1lb of chocolate block or chunks
hazelnuts or macadamia nuts finely chopped
fruits and pretzels

Instructions

If needed wash your fruit and pat them dry.
Use a double boiler if you have one. Or, fill a medium size pan with water and place a glass bowl over the water. The bowl has to be large enough not to sink into the water.
On low heat, gently melt the chocolate chunks. It is important to stir frequently.
Remove from the heat and gently roll your goodies in the melted chocolate.
Sprinkle with nuts and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet to set. You can put them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
Plate your goodies and enjoy.

Very, very chocolatey krispies delights

This is the chocolate lovers version of this popular treat.

Ingredients

1 bag of mini marshmallows (this works best)
6 c of cocoa krispies
3 tbsp of butter
4-6 oz of melted chocolate block or chunks

Instructions

Using a nonstick large pot, melt the butter on low/medium heat.
Add the mini marshmallows and stir until completed melted.
Add the melted chocolate and incorporate into the melted marshmallows.
Turn the heat off and add the cocoa krispies. Coat the krispies evenly with the melted mix.
Cover the bottom of a 13X9 pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 extra inches on both short sides.
Using another piece of parchment paper, press the mixture into the pan.
Drizzle any leftover melted chocolate on the top and leave it to cool for about 1 hour
With the excess parchment, lift the krispies out of the pan and using a sharp knife cut into serving portions.
For a more festive look, use medium size cookie cutters and cut shapes out of the krispies.
Keep in an air tight container. Will keep for about 3 days.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Honey Stung Chicken Breast Satay

This is a sweetheart of a dish sure to be loved by kids. First, its on a stick. Second, it is lightly sweetened with honey. Moms will love it because it is grilled, so its low fat and healthy. So kids eat up. Adults like it too and you can always change up the marinade to suit a more adult palate.

This is a great quick and easy dish or appetizer to enjoy with your Valentine. Short cooking time and great taste make for a memorable evening.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 boneless and skinless chicken breast or you can use chicken tender, about a 1lb.
1 tsp of paprika
2 tsp of minced garlic
2 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of salt
pepper to taste
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
wooden sticks, that have been soaked in water for at least 15 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove any visible fat and rinse the chicken breast.
With a sharp knife, cut the chicken breast into thin, about 1/2 inch long strips. Each breast should give you about 5 strip
Place the paprika, garlic, honey, salt and pepper in a container which can be covered and mix together.
Add the chicken strips and coat them thoroughly with the mixture.
Drizzle olive oil over the chicken until it is all coated.
Let the chicken marinade for at least 30 minutes. The longer it marinades, the tastier it will be. It can be left overnight.
At this point you can make an extra batch to freeze so you can have a quick and fast meal anytime. Freezing the portions flat will ensure that the defrosting process is quick. You could probably have it ready to put on the grill in less than 2 hours.
Using an electric grill, set the cooking temperature to about 350F. When the grill is hot, coat the surface with olive oil. You can use a silicone brush to spread the olive oil evenly over the surface.
Skewer each chicken strip on to the wooden stick. Make sure that the strips are fairly flat which will make grilling a much easier task.
Place each skewered chicken on to the hot grill and cook each side about 5-7 minutes. You will know its time to flip it when you see that the edges are beginning to lose its translucent look.
Serve with red rice and veggies. Makes it a healthy, quick complete meal.