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Ever get craving for chocolate? Don’t fret, you are a woman and human!! Totally normal!! Here is a great fix for chocolate. I love to add the raspberries for a nice blend. The raspberries and chocolate complement each other and each bite is a little taste sensation that is hard to beat!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 cups chocolate chips
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Mix graham cracker crumbs, cocoa and granulated sugar. Stir in butter and press into bottom and up side of a nine inch pie plate.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 350* oven. Remove and sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips  over bottom of the hot crust. Spread chocolate over bottom and up side of crust.

Melt 2 cups chocolate chips in 3/4 cup cream over low heat.
 
Beat remaining cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Fold 2 cups whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Pour over crust. Refrigerate until firm.

Place raspberries on top of pie. Garnish with remaining whipped cream.

Fourth of July celebrations will be occurring this weekend. I look forward to the backyard barbecue and a day of lounging in the pool, sipping on pina coladas, and munching on various summer treats. This is the weekend that I succumb to the grilled hot dog, chips, beans, and potato salad. Who can resist? I will also make my favorite blueberry cake as a light dessert which will also become the best tastiest breakfast. I love this cake as it has a subtle hint of lemon. Blueberries are also known for their anti-oxidents so I try to include them into my diet daily, though usually they are ust eaten plain. I sometimes flour the berries before I fold them into the batter, but I never noticed a difference when I just toss them in. I also bake this in a greased and floured tube pan, not a bundt as that tends to make the outside of the cake crustlike and tough. Also, dusting with confectioner sugar after the cake is cooled makes a nice presentation. Whatever you decide to on the 4th, enjoy the day! I am interested in hearing what are everyone’s favorite backyard bash desserts. Please leave your comments!

Blueberry Cake

1 ½ cups flour    1 tsp. bak. powder
½ tsp. salt   2 eggs separated
½ c. shortening  ( part butter)
1 cup sugar   1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. lemon juice  
1 ½ c. floured blueberries

1. Sift flour, bak. powder and salt 3 times.
2. Beat egg whites til stiff. Set aside.
3. Cream shortening with sugar and add
    egg yolks, beating well.
4. Add dry ingredients alternately with 
   milk.
5. Fold in egg whites, lemon juice, and add
    blueberries last.
6. Sprinkle batter with sugar before baking.

Bake in tube pan – 350ْ for 30-45 minutes.

Have you ever bitten into a little bit of heaven? If you haven’t and would like to, try Blue Ribbon Popover Mix by the Winterport Co. of Maine that has been in business since 1992. These little gems are very light, airy, and make the perfect breakfast or accompaniment for a dinner. Popovers are easy to make, especially when everything that’s needed is available in one little bag. It even states on the bag that these popovers are light, puffy muffins that rise to any occasion. This is sooo true. They are simply a wonderful treat. I enjoyed making them and actually felt like I was little Miss Homemaker of 2009. I always thought popovers were a little tricky to make. This past birthday, better left forgotten, my friend Lise gave me a popover pan and a family recipe. I will eventually make that secret recipe and if I get permission I will post it (It won’t be a secret any longer). For now, if you get the urge for a popover, pop on over to the Winterport Co. site and order some! They also have an oatmeal popover mix and gift sets. There are many other products that they feature that are of very high quality and reasonably priced. Enjoy!

Chicken is one of my favorite dishes and is the mainstay of my diet. I eat chicken at least 4 times a week, if not more. I have certain favorites and one of then is chicken piccata. I like to use boneless, skinless thighs  or chicken tenders when I create this scrumptious feast. It is very easy to make and not too time consuming. It is a matter of coating the chicken in flour, browning it, baking with a few ingredients, and serving with your favorite pasta. Add a salad and dessert and you have the makings of an exquisite meal!

Chicken Piccata

1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 8 tenders
1 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. cannola or olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4vcup chicken stock
1 tbsp.lemon juice
2 tbsps. chopped Italian parsley
2 tbsps. capers
linguine or pasta of choice

1.Mix flour, salt and pepper.
2.Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Using flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness.
3.Coat chicken in flour mixture.
4.Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until butter is melted.
5.Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in center. Remove from pan.
6.Add garlic to the skillet and cook for about a minute. Do not brown!
7.Add tbsp. flour, broth, and lemon juice. Stir and cook until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes).
8.Stir in parsley and capers.
9.Prepare pasta, place chicken on top, and serve with sauce on the top! Serve with some garlic bread.

Chocolate is always a treat. Brownies with frosting double the treat. In fact if you remove the brownies from the oven and immediately cover them with mini marshmallows and then frost them when cooled, it has just tripled the treat!! There is nothing worse than a dry brownie. Over cooking is the surefire way to ruin a brownie. I like to bake my brownies from scratch, but there are some mixes out there that are pretty hard to beat, especially the dark chocolate ones. Also, adding a few chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking does add some chewiness to the mix. Here is one recipe that I often use. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting

Fudgey Brownies

3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. soda
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Stir cocoa & soda in a bowl. Blend in 1/3 cup of the oil. Add the water and stir until it thickens.
2. Stir in sugar, eggs, and remaining oil and keep stirring until smooth.
3. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan, sprinkle with the choc. chips,  and bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Less is best.

Macaroons. Gotta love them. They have this very unique texture thing going for them and they are very sweet. One can’t eat too many of them though. One will suffice as they are very sweet. Don’t let the coconut fool you into thinking they are not that bad for you, meaning that they don’t have too many calories. These puppies are loaded with calories and fat, but oh well. They are worth it!!

Chocolate Chip Macaroons

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups shredded coconut
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1-12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix condensed milk, coconut, and vanilla. Stir in flour and then the chocolate chips. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto buttered foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Let cookies cool completely on the sheets.

I just returned from a shopping trip to the local farmer’s market. I love the place. There were fresh strawberries and rhubarb in abundance so what the heck. Diet aside, I made some of these babies. Very sweet, very satisfying, very everything that is needed to satisy a sweet tooth. The filling can be substituted with just about any fruit and if one wants to cut corners, use a can of fruit filling. These are great for summer cookouts or gatherings.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Filling:
1 1/2 cups fresh unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps. cornstarch

Crumb Mixture for Crust and Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1.  Combine rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon juice in pan. Cover; cook over medium heat until fruit is soft.
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Add into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil (about 1 minute) and boil until thickened (1 minute).
    Remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture is crumbly.
    Set aside 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Pat the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch baking pan. Top with fillling. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a 350* oven until lightly brown.

Tortellini salad makes a nice light meal or side dish for any summer brunch, though I tend to think it deserves the respect to be served all year long. I like the idea of using a tri color tortellini to add some color to this salad. I also use fresh chopped vegetables and an Italian dressing. I Iike a balsamic basal vinaigrette that is made with cannola oil.

Tortellini Salad
1 box cheese tortellini-prepared as directed
sliced cherry tomatoes
chopped cucumbers
diced peppers
diced green onions
chopped broccoli florets
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook and drain tortellini. Add vegetables and stir in dressing. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

It’s here! Rhubarb is in season and this tangy, tart vegetable is now in abundance in our local markets. I grow rhubarb but this year seems to be lagging behind in growth. I always wait until the stalks are glossy and firm. they vary in color from crimson, to a speckled light pink, to green.  It is ready to eat as soon as it is picked. (Make sure to not eat the leaves as they are poisonous. I always used to tell my kids to never, ever, think that rhubarb grows wild in our area of the northeast as there is a quite toxic plant that resembles cultivated rhubarb.)
Rhubarb can  be cooked with sugar and made into a sauce that can be stored in the refrigerator and is delicious on toast or ice cream. It can be blended with strawberries for another delicious breakfast treat. I always love it baked in a pie. That is very, very tasty. I also like to bake rhubarb bread. This is great with tea any time of the day. This recipe makes a very moist bread but of course the outcome will differ with the baker! It makes two small 8×3 breads or one 9 x 4. Eggbeaters could be substituted for the eggs and applesauce could be used instead of the oil for a lower fat,healthy alternative. I prefer to use the ingredients listed which is what I recommend.

Rhubarb Bread
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Combine the sugar, oil egg, milk, and soda. Mix flour and salt and add to sugar mix. Fold in the rhubarb and nuts. Pour into greased and floured pans. (I used a 9×5). Combine topping mixture and sprinkle over batter. Bake in a 350* oven for 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for about ten minutes. Wait until cool to slice.

Banana bread makes a great breakfast, snack, or even dessert. I  one last evening and it was incredible. It was moist and flavorful. I included dates and an abundance of chopped walnuts. This bread makes a very hearty breakfast cake. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients separately from the moist ingredients and then combine them together. Also, for a dessert bread, frost with a little cream cheese frosting. Try adding chopped cherries and chocolate chips to the mix which will make it even more flavorful! This would make a great addition to a summer barbecue or celebration dessert selections. Any leftovers could be eaten for breakfast!!

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
2 tsps. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chopped dates

Beat butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time and then stir in bananas and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add to the dry mixture alternately with the milk. Stir in nuts and dates. Pour into a greased breadpan and bake at 350* for 60-70 minutes.