When you are thinking about serving dessert at your next party, consider offering your guests one of these delicious, homemade desserts. I have found that of all the desserts I have served, these are my “Top 3 Most Requested Delicious Desserts” (in no particular order). Enjoy!

Number One Most Requested Delicious Dessert–Raspberry White Chocolate Dream Bars

1 box white cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1-1/2 sticks melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Combine cake mix, milk, butter and nuts. Makes a very gooey dough. Spray a 9 x 13 pan and spread half of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt the jam in the microwave (about a minute) and spread on top of hot crust. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over jam. Crumble remaining dough on top and bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

For bigger parties, this recipe easily doubles and can be made in a 15 x 10 pan.

Once you get the hang of this technique, you can think of all sorts of combinations. How about using chocolate cake with mint chips? Or lemon cake with white chocolate?

Number Two Most Requested Delicious Dessert–Chocolate Amaretto Bundt Cake

1 pkg. chocolate devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1-1/2 oz. Amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup fresh raspberries (optional)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

Glaze

1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Amaretto

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients and blend well. Stir in chips. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Melt glaze ingredients in a saucepan or microwave. Pour 2/3 of glaze over top of cake while cake is hot from oven and still in pan. Allow cake to remain in pan for 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan and drizzle with remaining glaze.

When I make this cake dessert, I fill the middle with fresh raspberries and present it on my grandmother’s crystal pedestal cake stand which is very dramatic.

Just before serving, I make a raspberry sauce by melting the jam in the microwave.

Each lucky guest gets a plate with some of the sauce, a slice of cake, a few berries and some whipped cream. Yum!

Number Three Most Requested Delicious Dessert–Mystic Mint Cookies

These are melt-in-your-mouth heaven!

Dough
1 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, egg and unsweetened chocolate. Stir in flour and salt.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie with fingertips. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Remove to cooling racks and cool completely.

Peppermint Frosting
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Mix all frosting ingredients until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Chocolate Drizzle
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1-6 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips

Sbiten, the traditional beverage for wintertime in Russia, is a drink with a long, colorful history. Research shows that sbiten has been around since the fourteenth century. Traditionally, Sbiten was served from oft-heated copper samovars by the sbitenshchik, who served it up until the beginning of the twentieth century on Russian street corners.

I have always loved all things Russian. For the past twenty years, I have collected stamps from Russia and outlying territories, and have an extensive collection in 2 large Scott’s Standard books. One of my favorite composers and pianist is Kostia, whose haunting music of his Russian homeland is a beautiful listening experience. If I am particularly stressed out, it is Kostia I turn to. His albums include Suite St. Petersburg and 10 Pebbles, among others.

Sbiten is made in different ways, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. It is the perfect antidote for long cold winters, something Russia is famous for. Here in Michigan, it is a real treat for us old folks that hate winter.

The word Sbiten comes the from the verb sbit–to beat or to pound. The herbs and spices are ground in a mortar, and then mixed with honey or molasses. It is allowed to ferment for a short period, and then mixed with water to make a slightly alcoholic drink. Replacing the water with a good Cabernet Sauvignon makes for a more lively drink, one to be appreciated by all. It is also fortified with brandy or vodka for a more potent libation.

The basic recipe for Sbiten:

3 1/2 cups water
2 cups honey
3 cinnamon sticks
2-3 cardamom pods, seeds removed, toasted and crushed
1/3 Tsp ground ginger 1 TBS whole cloves
2 dried chili peppers (optional)
2 TBS raspberry or apricot jam

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Whisk continuously to insure honey is well mixed. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature. Strain liquid through cheesecloth into an airtight container for storage and refrigerate until ready to bottle.

I buy 750 ml Cobalt Blue EZ Cap bottle from the local brewmeister to bottle anything like Sbiten to present as a gift during the holiday season. Add some fancy ribbon, a foil cap to the bottle, and a gift card. For about $8 USD you have a wonderful gift to present to friends or co-workers. A case of the Cobalt Blue bottles runs about $15.00.

“We commend the culinary commitment of the staff of Mooney Farms for the excellence and innovation of their product lines. We applaud them,” commented Jesse Sartain.

The protocols of “triple blind” judging include the following ground rules to ensure accurate and fair judging results.  Evaluators do not know:
Who the manufacturer is.
What the product variety or appellation is.
What the other evaluator’s scores and comments are.

The judging was a part of the ongoing U.S.A. Taste Championships founded in 1989 with the establishment of the Chefs In America Awards Foundation, whose professional Board Members gather weekly to conduct taste tests on a myriad of foodservice and retail grocery products.

These pasta recipes are excellent for dinners or parties.

In this article, I’m going to share with you three delicious pasta recipes that you can prepare for any occasion that suits you. The recipes are very easy and can be prepare in less than 30 minutes.

So, here we go…

Lemon Tuna Pasta

4 tsp Butter
18 Black olives, pitted & sliced
1 tsp Oil; olive
2 can Tuna; chunk, drained
4 large Garlic cloves, chopped
Pasta; penne, cooked and drained
1/8 cup Lemon juice
4 tsp Butter (add at end)
3 tsp Capers, drained

Melt butter with oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, capers and olives and cook another 2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting. Add tuna & separate it (do NOT flake) with a fork. Heat through, stirring gently. Drain pasta. Add remainder of butter and sauce to hot pasta, tossing well.

Tomato Soup with Pasta

3 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 small Onion, chopped
1 tsp Basil
1 lb Tomatoes, chopped
3 pt Stock
1 Carrot, sliced
1 cup Small pasta / broken vermicelli
1 Celery stick, sliced
1 tbsp Chopped parsley
1 tsp Salt

Heat oil in soup pot & gently fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, carrot & celery. Mix well with the oil. Sprinkle in the seasonings & stir together. Fry for 3 minutes. Add stock & bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then add pasta. When pasta is tender, serve, garnished with parsley.

Both Pasta Recipes yield 4 servings

If you are concerned about your health and think that the above pasta recipes are too rich in calories, here is one recipe that I’m sure you’ll love…

Broccoli-Pasta Toss

2 cups Broccoli flowerets
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz Fettuccine, broken up
1 tsp Sesame seed, toasted
1 tbsp Oil, cooking
1/8 tsp Garlic powder

In a large saucepan cook broccoli and pasta in a large amount of boiling water for 6 -8 minutes or just until tender, stirring once or twice. Drain. Add oil to pasta mixture and toss. Add cheese, sesame seeds, garlic, and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 168 cal., 6g Pro., 24g carbo., 5g fat, 3mg chol., 72mg sodium.

Aquafarms/Multiexport Foods was selected as a winning product in the “Smoked Salmon” category for both foodservice and retail.  Superior Gold winning products included their “Cold Smoked Steelhead Salmon”, their “Atlantic Cold Smoked Salmon” and their “Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon”.  The judging was conducted “triple blind” in Napa, California by a panel of Masters of Taste. The Chef du Jury was famed Mâitre du Goût (Master of Taste), Jesse Sartain.

“We commend the culinary commitment of the staff of Aquafarms/Multiexport Foods for the excellence and innovation of their product lines. We applaud them,” commented Jesse Sartain.

The protocols of “triple blind” judging include the following ground rules to ensure accurate and fair judging results.  Evaluators do not know:
Who the manufacturer is.
What the product variety or appellation is.
What the other evaluator’s scores and comments are.

The judging was a part of the ongoing U.S.A. Taste Championships founded in 1989 with the establishment of the Chefs In America Awards Foundation, whose professional Board Members gather weekly to conduct taste tests on a myriad of foodservice and retail grocery products.

Good things come to those who wait! These two Amish soup recipes do take a little time to make, but are well worth it. Each use basic ingredients which aren’t hard to find, and whole chicken.

Amish cooking can be a wonderful experience, as long as you take the time to make the recipes right. Be sure to also see our website for other recipes, including more Amish recipes, soup recipes, chicken recipe ideas, and much more.

Recipe #1 - AMISH CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 lb. chicken

2 qts. water

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

2 c. celery, chopped

2 c. carrots, chopped

1 tart apple, chopped

1 c. onions, chopped

Dash pepper

4 c. egg noodles

Place chicken in kettle with 2 quarts water. Cover until tender (about 2 1/2 hours). Remove chicken from kettle and strain broth. Debone chicken and return to kettle with strained broth. Add chicken stock, celery, carrots, apple, onions, and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and cook 8-10 minutes.

Recipe #2 - AMISH CHICKEN - CORN SOUP

2 lbs. cut up chicken

5 c. water

1 med. onion, chopped

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 c. chopped celery

2 c. corn

Salt and pepper

1 c. flour

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. milk

Simmer chicken in boiling water, remove bones and skin. Strain the stock. Return to pot, add onions, celery and corn. Simmer till vegetables are tender. Mix flour with egg and milk. Rub mixture with fork till it crumbles. Drop crumbs in soup. Cook 10 more minutes covered. Serves 3 to 4.

The best methods of cooking are the easy ones no doubt, and in these busy times when time and energy savings are so difficult to come by, everybody would like to try some. We have the awesome four-some recipes for easy home cooking listed here for you to try for yourself or to share:

1. Chicken Soup and Dumplings :
Ingredients: 19 oz of Progresso Traditional chicken noodle soup, 14 oz chicken broth, 16.3 oz Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, freshly chopped parsley if you like.

Method: warm the soup and broth; bring to a boil in a 4-quart Dutch oven and work to divide dough into 8 parts, cutting them into 4ths. Add these biscuit pieces into the boiling soup and cook in an open vessel for ten minutes, bringing to a medium boil, then cover and cook for another ten minutes so dumplings get fluffy and light. For serving, first take out dumplings, then using a soup ladle, spoon into bowls, adding dumplings before garnishing with parsley.

2. Quick Chicken and Broccoli Pie :
Ingredients: 10 ounces frozen chopped broccoli, defrosted and drained, 6 oz Cheddar cheese, a cup of cut-up cooked chicken, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix, a cup of milk, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and two eggs.

Method: pre-heat oven to 400 Degrees F and grease a 9-inch pie dish while you sprinkle broccoli, a cup of cheese, chicken and onion in to the pie plate. Mix and blend well the Bisquick mix, milk, salt, pepper and eggs then pour it into pie plate and place into the oven to bake for half an hour; insert knife into the center to check if done (if it comes out clean), before sprinkling in the remainder of the cheese and browning the top till it melts. Cool a few minutes before serving.

3. Spiral Sandwich Idea :
Ingredients: a 15-inch diameter soft cracker bread, single herb-and-garlic cheese spread, 8 oz of finely sliced smoked turkey, 1 big tomato finely sliced, 6 oz finely sliced Swiss cheese, 18 leaves of fresh spinach.

Method: Spread cheese on bread in an even layer; place turkey, tomato, Swiss cheese and spinach on it taking care to leave 4″ on one side covered only with cheese spread. Roll up bread starting from the turkey-layered side and trim edges before cutting the rolled-bread into 1-inch sandwich slices.

4. Ham and Swiss Pie :
Ingredients: a cup and a half of fully cooked smoked boneless ham, one of grated Swiss cheese, one forth cup chopped onion, half cup Original Bisquick mix; single cup milk, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, two eggs, a single tomato sliced and a green bell pepper sliced into rings.

Method: Pre-heat oven to 400 Degrees F, while you grease the 9-inch pie dish; shaking ham, cheese and onions on the dish comes next, followed by stirring in the Bisquick mix, milk, salt, pepper and eggs till all the stuff is well mixed.