Sweet desserts for Valentines Day

Valentines Day always make me think of chocolate and cherries. Maybe the cherries are George Washington, but its all February. And a good combination. The magazines, Pinterest, and Facebook are full of sweet recipes for February, so I know I'm not the only one. We show love of family and friends with food and these two recipes are simple treats to make this week or anytime. The S'More Bars were fun in a cast iron skillet, that would be a good dessert for summer picnics and camping as well.

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies                                

Ingredients:

 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maraschino Cherry liquid

red food coloring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

6 oz jar Maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

3 tablespoons white sugar (or red, or a mixture)

Hershey’s Kisses (about 36), unwrapped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Drain cherries of the liquid, reserving 2 teaspoons of the juice.

Cream butter with a mixer. Gradually stir in powdered sugar.

Stir in cherry juice, red food coloring, and vanilla.

Gradually stir in flour. Mix until just combined.

Fold in chopped cherries.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Gently flatten using a small juice glass dipped in sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the sides are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and immediately press a kiss into the middle of each cookie.

S’Mores Bars                                                            

 Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large milk chocolate Hershey Bars, broken into sections

2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar, beating with an electric mixer until cream. Add egg and vanilla extract.

Beating on low, slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined.

Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9-inch baking dish, or a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Place chocolate pieces over the top of dough, and then sprinkle with marshmallows. 

Bake, uncovered, on center rack 23-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Let bars cool slightly, cut into squares before marshmallows cool completely.

Shepherd's Pie

yes, I do have that vintage Cornflower Corning ware!

Or as we nicknamed it "Rancher's Pie". This basic casserole is made with a layer of cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven until the mashed potatoes are well browned. A generous topping of shredded cheese adds to the appearance and taste.  I'd not thought of this entree until it was served at a luncheon meeting last month, and although it seemed a strange choice for a women's group lunch, it was a tasty meal. I made this recipe at home last week and we liked the comfort of the simple recipe with ground beef.
Shepherd's Pie traditionally came to us from England, and was made with lamb or mutton. In England (and Australia and New Zealand), they would call the beef dish a "cottage pie" and the lamb dish "shepherd's pie".

Shepherd’s Pie

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped                                            

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons catsup

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups mashed potatoes (3 large potatoes)

½ cup shredded cheese

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 425°. Brown the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain meat.

2.     Add thyme, ketchup, and flour; stir until combined. Add ½ cup water and vegetables. Cook until vegetables are warmed through and liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3.     Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the beef and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

4.     Bake until potatoes are lightly browned and mixture is thoroughly heated.

Ready to go in the oven

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Top with toasted almonds for extra flavor
and appeal.

Did you know that National Chocolate Cake Day was this week? Wednesday I spotted this recipe from the Kansas Wheat Commission's post, developed by a fellow Wheat Spokesperson, Julene DeRouchey. The note said it was a County Fair winner, and I certainly believe it would be. The best part? It was easy to put together and the frosting is perfect, not too soft or too hard. It would be a good frosting to take on a hot summer day (to a county fair or picnic).
My family enjoyed the cake, even though Chocolate Cake Day at our house was Thursday and continues. Because there is not a lot of fat in this cake, it does need to be covered well to prevent becoming dry. I lined the cake pans with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom and it came out very effortlessly. I also liked the feature that this cake that it baked so evenly, the top was level and made putting the layers together and frosting them very uniform.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

(from National festival of Breads & Ks. Wheat Commission, Julene DeRouchey http://nationalfestivalofbreads.com/recipes/chocolate-yogurt-cake)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I had honey flavored and it worked fine)

3 eggs

Look at this rich batter!

⅔ cup canola oil

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans. (Use baking spray with flour. Line the pans with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom on the pan. Spray with baking spray after placing in the pan. Bake as directed. Gently peel paper off after the cake has cooled)

2.     Using electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl. Add yogurt, eggs, oil and vanilla.

3.     Beat at low speed until well mixed, 2-3 minutes.

4.     Divide cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.

5.     Run a knife through the cake batter to eliminate any air bubbles. (I also like to tap the pan on the counter)

6.     Bake 20-25 minutes (I needed to bake it a little longer, about 30 minutes, check frequently) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7.     Cook on wire rack for 20 minutes. After the cakes are cooled carefully flip pans over to remove cake.

(If you want to make a 4 layer cake, use a sharp serrated knife or cake leveler to evenly split the cakes in half)

The layers are very even across the top, not mounded in the
center. Easy to stack for a layer cake. 

Chocolate Frosting

(for a double layer cake. If making 4 layers double the frosting)

⅓ cup melted shortening

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup milk

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

1.     Combine shortening, cocoa, and salt. Then add milk, vanilla and almond extracts.

2.     Gradually blend in sugar. Mix until creamy. Add more sugar to thicken to milk to thin. 

Cover well to keep it fresh and moist. However, with
slices like this, it won't last long enough to dry out!

Winter Food Favorites

When it is cold and gloomy outside we seem to crave down-home comfort foods. There is even scientific basis of why us want to eat these heavier and richer foods in the winter. Substantial foods like mashed potatoes, hearty stews, and rich desserts are often higher in fat and calories and break down slower in the body to give us a slower infusion of energy. That can actually raise the body temperature. Of course they can also build up insulation against the cold for us in the form of body fat - not too desirable unless you're a hibernating bear or a squirrel that has to use that energy to survive the winter months. So the trick is balance - find the comforting warm foods that can be lower in calories, eat smaller portions, and/or exercise more.
One of the local comfort foods is cinnamon rolls and chili - an odd combination, but a popular one in Kansas school lunchrooms before the new Dietary Guidelines changed school lunch menus. Those not from Kansas find this odd, but never the less, are more than willing add it to their winter fare. This winter we served that menu for a Community LinC meal, and it was a good dinner as volunteers served up about 180 bowls of chili and many, many cinnamon rolls.
I made my favorite recipe for Cinnamon rolls (blog of March 11, 2014). I made extra, of course, so we would have some at home, and we enjoyed them with an Easy Breakfast Casserole that makes a tasty supper.

Easy Breakfast Casserole 

Ingredients:
12 oz. frozen hash browns (about 4 cups)
8 oz. cubed ham (a good use for a bit of leftover ham in the freezer)
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Add frozen potatoes, ham, and cheese to a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Pat everything down with the back of a wooden spoon.
Bake for 1 hour. The center should be set and the edges should be golden brown.

Serve with a breakfast type bread (cinnamon rolls) and fruit for a healthy and easy brunch or supper.