Fudgy Chocolate Cookie Dough No Bake Cheesecake. The perfect dessert to celebrate a special day -- anniversary, birthday or just because. We’d already celebrated Bytes' birthday at a big family gathering with the traditional cake and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. This was a smaller celebration. Perfect for cheesecake and fudginess! I’m always a little hesitant to give preparation times for recipes. They can vary according to how many times the cook rescues a toddler or the number of shortcuts that are taken. Like using already crushed graham crackers. Although putting two packages of graham crackers squares (not oblongs) in their wrapping on the work counter and smacking them smartly several times with the side of a meat axe or a rolling pin is a pretty quick process. ... [Read More]
refrigerator dessert
Cherry Banana Fruit Pie
My sister Vee contributed this pie to Thanksgiving dinner. Soo good that I asked if I could share with y'all. Cherry Banana Fruit Pie is one of her go-to recipes. Easy to make because you only need to bake the refrigerated pie shells according to directions and stir together the filling while the shells cool. Pour the filling into the shells and pop in the refrigerator until time to eat. So good that the recipe she uses, titles it "Out of this World Pie". The combination of fruit is a little unusual but that is part of it's charm. Because the pie is refrigerated it makes a great summer dessert. But don't save it for any one season. Fruitiness is good anytime. The original recipe is from a community cookbook. Vee made it according to directions and we enjoyed it! Treats in ... [Read More]
Risky Dark Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Balls
These Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops are clearly a fail when you consider the appearance. I am not destined to be a chocolate dipper! See that leering face on the plate lower right? Even the chocolate is going Mwhahaha! However, the taste was great! In the interest of transparency -- just so you know that all is not perfect at Chez Charlene -- the story of Cheesecake Pops. These sounded so good that I tore out the recipe and added it to the stack of goodies I wanted to make for a special luncheon. I mixed up the cheesecake (which isn’t really cheesecake – it’s more on the cream cheese truffle side). It went into the big freezer for the specified time and then life got crazy. I put off dipping the frozen bites in chocolate. Wheels and I taste tested them a couple of times. Good. ... [Read More]
Strawberry Pina Colada Dessert
Strawberry Pina Colada Dessert is a quick and easy dessert that can be dressed up nicely. Though “getting fancy” can take it out of the quick category. There is a trick to making thick desserts look presentable in a clear glass container. Ideally, everything would go in without air bubbles and lay in beautiful layers with no blops, streaks or drips -- but little in life seems to go the ideal way. :-) I do like these clear glasses for individual servings, though. They are just about the right size for one so they work great for portion control or for buffet serving. Dollar store, folks. So the price is right too. To keep it quick and easy, you can skip the individual servings. Make a light layer of strawberries and toasted coconut in an 8x8 pan, spread the dessert ... [Read More]
Little Napoleon Sweethearts
I was curious how this delicious pastry filled with fruit and creamy pudding came by its name. Napoleons seem to be a Neopolitan invention as they originated in Naples, Italy. The French adopted the dessert, calling it "mille-feuille" or “ thousand leaves” for the many layers of pastry. As the dessert traveled from France the description of their place of origin, Neopolitan, became corrupted to the more familiar Napoleon associated with France, but there is no evidence that Emperor Napoleon had anything to do with these particular pastries. Napoleons traditionally have a confectioners sugar glaze on top (1 Tablespoon water to 1 cup of confectioners sugar) but I eliminated this to control the sweetness (and carb count). They are also typically larger in size and frequently have 3 ... [Read More]
Strawberry Shortcut Mousse
Strawberry Shortcut Mousse -- light, refreshing, the perfect end to a spring meal. It is quick and easy to make and can be dressed up to look quite spectacular without piling on extra calories or carbohydrates! You can also freeze Strawberry Shortcut Mousse in molds or small paper cups for a cool snack enjoyed by all ages! Strawberries were known in the Roman Empire as early as 234 B.C. where wild berries were used for medicinal purposes as well as eating. The berry is also indigenous to North America where Native Americans used them as well. Well before 1600, early colonists were impressed with the native way of mixing crushed red berries with cornmeal then baking the mixture for strawberry bread. They adapted the dish and Strawberry Shortcake was born. The scientific name, ... [Read More]
