Hawaiian Delight Smoothie

This delight is inspired by Walh's Dairy Port, the happenin place in b-town during the occasionally warm coastal summer.




Ingredients
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup water or milk (it's all about consistency, baby!)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. chocolate fudge fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix.
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tbsp. flaked coconut (optional)

It appears to be a lot of stuff to be jamming into a smoothie, but honestly, the first 5/6 things are put into pretty much every smoothie I make, so no special grocery trips necessary. Mixing is done in a personal-sized Magic Bullet blender. Super quick and easy cleanup. This just happens to be the first of many recipes we plan to add that use infotastic devices first featured on tv. You can definitely use a regular blender, but like the GTXpress, the Magic Bullet has proven to be one of the most useful kitchen time-savers for around $50.

Method

• Add the following to your blending container
• banana
• pineapple
• ice
• water
• protein powder
• puddin mix
• Blend, 30 - 60 seconds until well mixed
• Give a quick rinse to the blender blade for next use
• Stir in coconut and walnuts
• Depending on consistency (more/less ice, milk), you can either eat this with a spoon or sip it. Despite the stirring spoon in the photo above, I sipped this and crunched up the coconut and walnuts during the process.

Jewish Coffee Cake

One of Craig's requested birthday cakes (2005).



Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Finally, stir in the sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the nuts, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.
• Spread half of the batter into the 9x9 inch pan. Sprinkle a layer of the nut mixture, then spread the remaining batter and top with the rest of the nut mixture. Spread the melted butter over the top.
• Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until cake springs back to the touch.
  

Luscious Layer Bars

Jessie in all of her sweettoothedness prepared this dish one day and Craig's lack of such a sweet tooth was skeptical. However it was good.. really good. I recommend cutting this into small squares when it's finally cooled, because the amount of sweetness is ridiculous! Definitely a treat.



Ingredients
1 bag Betty Crocker choc. chip cookie dry mix (in cake aisle, near brownies)
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconuts
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 deg. Fah.
• Spray 13x9" glass dish with non-stick spray
• Mix cookie mix, butter & egg
• Press dough into pan
• Bake 15 minutes
• Take out of oven
• Sprinkle w/
• Butterscotch chips
• Chocolate chips
• Coconut
• Walnuts
• Drizzle evenly w/ condensed milk
• Return to oven, bake 30-35 minutes longer (until light brown)
• Cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving
  

Chocolate Roll

This is a classic household dessert, served at every Thanksgiving. It isn't too much work and is great for kids to make. There are two varieties, one with walnuts and another with coconut. I enjoy both but some people don't like walnuts and others are opposed to coconut, so if you have a crowd, make both. The method below describes a chocolate roll created with both walnuts and coconut, change as desired. If you're in charge of dessert for party, this is a good one that many people haven't yet had the pleasure to try.

Ingredients
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 beaten egg
10 oz. package mini marshmallows
1 tbsp butter
1 pkg German sweet chocolate
Salt
1 capful (tsp) Vanilla
Walnuts
or Coconut

Method

• Mix together sugar and egg in a mixing bowl
• Melt butter and chocolate together and mix into sugar mixture
• Stir in a pinch of salt
• Add marshmallows and a handful of chopped walnuts
• Wash up and mix together with your hands
• You could try it with a spoon, but hands will give you the best mixing
• Mix well
• Line wax paper with coconut (or walnuts if you desire no coconut) and pour the mixture in a log on the paper
• Roll the log until it is covered with coconut (this is where you could be rolling it in walnuts instead)
• Wrap with the wax paper like a giant Tootsie Roll, twist off ends, store in a cool place (fridge is okay) until ready to serve
• Serve in slices, about 1/4" or a little thicker in width
  

Mini Pies

Mini Pies are super easy, quick and tasty. This recipe is for mini apple pies, but you can fill them with any sort of pie filling (cherry, pumpkin, cream-style, meat, etc.). Also, you can leave them uncovered or add any style topping of your choice. Without tops, recipe yields 48 mini pies.



Ingredients (pie crust)
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 cup ice cold water

Method (pie crust)

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Cut in butter cubes
3. Once dough starts to take shape, mix in cold water
4. Put dough aside

Ingredients (pie filling)
3 apples cut in small cubes (Fuji apples work well)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp plus a pinch of cinnamon
2 tsps sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream or buttermilk

Method (pie filling + baking)

1. Combine pie filling ingredients, put aside
2. Roll out dough on flour-coated surface
3. Spray mini muffin pan with Pam
4. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut dough rounds (test for pan fit)
5. Put rounds in mini muffin pan
6. Fill each dough crust with apples (or other pie filling)
7. Cook at 375 deg. Fah. for 20-30 minutes (done when crust just starts to brown or is solid to the touch)

Makes 48 mini pies, or 24 mini pies and 2 medium pies.