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2010/04/01

Holiday Recipes: Easy Easter Nest Cake

Easter – can we skip the meal and go straight to the dessert? My granddaughters always ask that question…as if they hadn’t had enough sweets yet? This year, the holiday recipe I was asked to bring was brownies, but that’s not very “Eastery”. I searched through easyEaster holiday recipes that I could make instead. I actually found 15 Easter cakes at Delish.com, a new section of the MSN.com site. This chocolate Easter Nest Cake recipe is very easy and ideal for cooking with kids (especially if you make the store-bought version). The grandkids, even the youngest, can help decorate this Easter cake. The holiday recipes can also decorate the Easter table making it even more festive.  The kids are sure to be very pleased with this Easter dessert choice. Who doesn’t like chocolate?

Easter Nest Cake

This elegant yet whimsical holiday cake tops off your Easter meal in style — and it couldn’t be simpler if you use a store bought chocolate Bundt cake and canned frosting…but I’ll make it homemade…from a mix…lol

16 Servings

Ingredients:

  • Chocolate Bundt Cake (store bought or homemade from mix or low-fat from scratch)
  • 1 vanilla frosting (store bought or homemade)
  • foil-wrapped chocolate Easter eggs, other egg-shaped Easter candies

Directions:

  1. Place cake on serving platter. Turn a narrow glass or small custard cup over so that the bottom side is facing up, and carefully place the glass so that it fits snugly inside the /cake’s center hole.
  2. Frost the top two-thirds of the cake using a small offset spatula (one in which the blade bends up where it meets the handle), a knife or the back of a spoon. When spreading, swirl the frosting in an upward motion to give it a fluffy, nestlike appearance.
  3. Pile candy and chocolate eggs on top of the bowl or glass in the center of the cake. Place candies so that colors and sizes are well mixed.

Visit Delish.com to find the other 14 Easter cakes AND links to a lot of printable coupons. Delish also makes it very easy to save the recipes and print a shopping list, too! If you don’t find what you like, use the search – it will search the Internet for your holiday recipes for you.

Happy Easter Eggs!

Here’s a little Easter egg hunt tip…number each egg so you’ll know if you’re missing any at the end…especially if you hide the hard boiled kind inside!

2009/11/22

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes: Totally Low Fat Pumpkin Pie Recipe

What would Thanksgiving dinner be without the traditional dessert of pumpkin pie. I’ve loved pumpkin pie since I was five months old! Homemade pumpkin pie recipes can be low fat and still delicious. Pumpkin is fat free itself – it’s what we put into the pumpkin pie recipe and the pie crust that adds the calories and fat.

With low fat and fat free evaporated milk, improved egg substitute products, and butter substitute products readily available, preparing low fat pumpkin pie and crust is quick and easy. It’s great that we can enjoy our pumpkin pie without the fat – almost guilt free! Add fat free frozen yogurt for an added treat…if you have room for Thanksgiving dessert after indulging in all those delicious traditional Thanksgiving recipes prepared by you or your hostess.

ppie

The following homemade pumpkin pie recipe is very low fat and pleasing to taste, too. Feel free to increase the amount of spices if it pleases your taste buds. I usually do!

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
  • 1 (14 ounce) can low fat or fat free sweetened evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; beat just until smooth.
  2. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  4. Cool on a wire rack.
  5. Store in the refrigerator.

Low Fat Pie Crust

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 c. flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 c. oil (Puritan, Canola, etc.)
  • 3 tbsp. skim milk

Directions

  1. Combine flour and salt in bowl.
  2. Blend oil and milk in bowl.
  3. Add to flour mixture.
  4. Stir with fork until forms large clumps.
  5. Press into ball.
  6. Flatten to form 5-6 inch “pancake.”
  7. Roll between sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet. Flip into 9 inch pie pan. Remove other sheet. Press dough into pie plate. Trim and flute.

2009/11/14

Thanksgiving Recipes: How to Cook a Low Fat Turkey Recipe

In searching for low fat recipes, I found this how to cook a turkey recipe that can also be filed under healthy recipes since it replaces the butter I usually baste my Thanksgiving turkey with olive oil. With just a small amount of olive oil (instead of butter), lemon and plenty of fresh herbs, your turkey will not only be fragrant and succulent…it will also be lower in fat.  To reduce your fat intake even more, be sure to remove the skin from the roasted turkey before eating the meat.

Turkey Cooking Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes (The turkey cooking time is for an unstuffed bird.)

Ingredients:

  • 1 12-14-pound turkey, fresh or frozen (thawed)
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 large sprigs rosemary
  • 6 large sprigs sage
  • large sprigs thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  • Remove giblets and neck from inside the turkey and reserve to make stock if you wish.
  • Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
  • Place onion, half a lemon and 4 sprigs of each herb inside the bird’s cavity.
  • Secure turkey legs with kitchen string.
  • Place turkey breast side up on roasting rack in pan.
  • Squeeze lemon half into a small bowl.
  • Brush bird with lemon juice and olive oil, and add salt and pepper.
  • Place turkey in oven and roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees for an initial blast of heat.
  • Reduce heat to 325 degrees.
  • Baste turkey frequently with pan juices plus lemon and oil, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees – about 3 to 3 3/4 hours.
  • Remove turkey from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.
  • Transfer turkey to a warm platter and garnish with remaining herbs.

Serves 12.

If you have Thanksgiving how to cook a turkey recipes, healthy recipes,  low fat recipes, or ground turkey recipes to share, please do so!

2009/10/16

Halloween Recipes: 6 Easy Halloween Recipes

Halloween is such a fun holiday for kids of all ages. It is a wonderful time for grandparents and grandchildren to become closer. Cooking with children during holidays provides a great opportunity for grandparents to share childhood memories of their own with their grandchildren.  Here are six fun – yet healthy – easy Halloween recipes to prepare together with your grandchildren for Halloween party food, after-school snacks…or just because you want to…from Disney FamilyFun magazine.  (I especially love the “brain” -  it will be center of attention on your Halloween party food table…see below!)

Black Bean Cat Crudite´s

No bones about it, this kitty skeleton makes a healthy centerpiece for Halloween parties or school gatherings. Just arrange assorted fresh vegetables and a bowl of your favorite black bean dip in the shape of a spooky cat.

skeletoncat

Edible Eyeballs

Set out a platter of these creepy peepers, and your party guests are bound to do a double take. Simply slice carrots into 1-inch-thick chunks, top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive, and they’re ready to serve.

carroteyes

Salty Bones

It wouldn’t be Halloween without a skeleton—in this case, one that’s been disassembled into a pile of tasty bones to pick. Unroll a tube of refrigerated breadsticks we used an 11-ounce tube to make 12 bones) and separate the rectangular pieces. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough to lengthen it a bit and then use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut a 1K-inch slit in the center of each end. Shape the resulting four flaps of dough into knobs that look like the ends of a bone. Place the dough bones on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart, and sprinkle on a little coarse salt. Bake the bones at 375° until they are light golden brown, about 12 minutes.

bones

English Mummies

These yummy mummy pizzas make a quick and fun Halloween lunch or dinner. To create one, first spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like). Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils. Lay strips of cheese (we used a pulled-apart cheese stick) across the muffin for the mummy’s wrappings. Bake at 350° until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty, about 10 minutes.

mummy

Pumpkin Roll-Ups

Here’s a wholesome snack to serve before the kids head out to trick-or-treat. Lay American cheese slices or spread cream cheese on sun-dried-tomato tortillas, then roll them up and cut them into 1-inch sections. Use a toothpick to secure each roll-up, topped with a sprig of cilantro or parsley.

pumpkinrolls

Melon Brain

Created from nothing more than a small, round seedless watermelon, this spooky cerebral creation is bound to turn heads. First, use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind. Then slice off the bottom of the melon to make a flat base that will keep it from rolling. With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain. Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife (a parent’s job) to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

brain

Personalized Gifts for Halloween

2008/04/03

Grandparents and Grandchildren Together: Nana's Carrot Cake Recipe

For Easter, the grandchildren and I made Nana’s Carrot Cake.  The grandkids helped me measure the recipe’s ingredients and then threw them into a large bowl. They did a good job stirring it, too. Nana’s Carrot Cake turned out delicious. Everyone came back for more. They said it was the best! Not only does the carrot cake taste yummy, it’s good for grandchildren and grandparents because it is made with carrots, walnuts, raisins, applesauce, and pineapple. Refrigerate the leftovers, if you have any. This carrot cake stays moist for days!  Here is the recipe:

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