Chocolate Dipped No-Bake Desserts

My chocolate dipped "firecracker" pretzels were originally posted on the website below (where I am a parenting contributor) shortly before July 4th:

http://www.momseveryday.com/home/familyfun/headlines/cathyb-firecracker-pretzels-213518251.html 

Since Labor Day weekend is rapidly approaching, I was thinking that these pretzels would be awesome to make again since many people will be having picnics. They appeal to both kids and adults.  But, why stop at just chocolate dipped pretzels?  How about chocolate dipped potato chips?? I used a sturdy potato chip with the "ridges." In a small bowl, I melted a 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the microwave.  I then dipped the potato chips in one at a time, put on a piece of waxed paper, added some sprinkles and popped them in the fridge for just a half hour.  I've always wanted to make chocolate dipped strawberries, so I decided to dip a few of those in the chocolate too! Who knew melted chocolate morsels could have so many uses?

Blueberry Shortcake

The above was on the dessert "menu" last night at Cathy's Kitchen.  One of my regular "customers" told me that he had never had blueberry shortcake before, only strawberry shortcake. How many of you have ever heard of the word "macerate?"  Sounds like a really fancy word, huh?  To macerate, is to take a food (usually a fruit) and soak it in a liquid. Since I like the combination of blueberries and lemons, I used lemon juice.  You are free to squeeze your own lemons or use bottled lemon juice (like I did).  Blueberry shortcakes aren't just for dessert, you can also have them for breakfast, like I did this morning with my cup of coffee!

Shortcake Recipe:

1 2/3 cup white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon white sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl, put the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening.  Combine with large spoon and then add the milk. Mix until a soft dough forms.  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 25 times into the shape of a rectangle 10 inches long and 7 inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle the entire top of the dough evenly with the one teaspoon of white sugar.  Cut into nine equal squares and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 18 minutes or until the shortcakes start turning lightly brown both on the top and bottom.  Remove from oven and then transfer immediately to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Macerated Blueberries:

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
Two tablespoons lemon juice

In a small bowl, put the blueberries and lemon juice.  Stir with small spoon until all the blueberries are coated.  Cover and put in fridge for a minimum of a half hour and a maximum of 24 hours.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese is one of Lauren's all time favorites.  She has requested that the kitchen "staff" put it on the "menu" multiple times.  Anytime I have tried in the past to make the homemade cheese sauce, the end result has not been pleasant. I can never seem to get the right consistency, it is always super thin :(  I found the best substitute, condensed cheddar cheese soup!! The Campbell Soup Company makes two different versions of condensed cheddar cheese soup, the regular and the "Healthy Request" version.  I chose the latter, because it was a little lower in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol.  This macaroni and cheese is delicious and easy to make.  The hardest part is waiting for it to come out of the oven so you can eat it!

Ingredients:

16-ounce package elbow macaroni, any brand
2 - 10 3/4 ounce cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large pot or saucepan, cook the entire package of elbow macaroni to "al dente" according to the package instructions.  Drain thoroughly and set aside.  In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, put the cheddar cheese soup, milk and shredded cheddar cheese.  Using a large spoon, mix well and then add the cooked macaroni and combine.  In a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove, melt the butter.  Add the bread crumbs and with a small spoon,  mix and then sprinkle on top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.  Serves six.

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

Blueberries are still so incredibly inexpensive around where I live that we currently have several pints in our fridge at any one time.  Any kind of homemade bread item is always very popular with the regular "customers" here at Cathy's Kitchen.  This summer in particular, I have been tinkering around with several of my muffin recipes to make them just a little different than the ordinary.  I love the combination of blueberries and lemons, so I used some powdered lemonade in these muffins. It gives just the right amount of tartness, but not so much that you are puckering up your lips!

Batter:

2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup yellow powdered lemonade
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, rinsed

Topping:

1 teaspoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.  In a large bowl, put all ingredients except the blueberries in the order given and mix well with a large spoon. Set aside.  In small bowl or colander, rinse the blueberries with water, drain and then lightly pat them dry. Stir the blueberries in gently with the other ingredients until well combined.  Distribute the batter evenly between the paper liners. Sprinkle the one teaspoon of white sugar on all 12 muffins evenly and then bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from oven, let cool five minutes and then remove to wire rack to continue cooling.

Chocolate Haystack Candy

While looking through an old candy cookbook of mine this week, I was thinking it would be kind of cool to make some homemade candy this holiday season (I know it's only August, but I like to think ahead)!  Most of the recipes in my cookbook had directions for candy that had to get to a "soft ball" or "hard ball" stage (which would mean I would have to use a candy thermometer, which I don't own).  After looking a little while, I found one that looked intriguing and more importantly, didn't require the candy thermometer!  It used chow mein noodles, butterscotch morsels, chocolate morsels and salted nuts.  Since the kids don't eat salted nuts and I didn't have any butterscotch morsels on hand, I just used the chow mein noodles and chocolate morsels. One word - AWESOME - just the right amount of salty and sweet!!!  There are many names for this candy:  haystacks, bird's nests, chocolate spiders and chocolate chow mein noodle candy. These were inexpensive to make - both the chow mein noodles and the chocolate morsels were the "house" brand from my favorite grocery store.  Guess how much the grand total was to make these? It was only $3.00!!  The hubby, Lauren and I were all "taste testers" for this candy and given that they are almost half gone, I think means we all liked them!! I'm pretty sure these "haystacks" will be making a repeat performance around the holiday season :)

Ingredients:

6-ounce package chow mein noodles, any brand
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, any brand

Pour the chow mein noodles into a large bowl and set aside.  Melt chocolate morsels, either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.  When the chocolate is completely melted, pour over all the chow mein noodles and with a large spoon stir until all the noodles are well covered.  Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet or tray covered with waxed paper. If you make the "haystacks" the size below, you should be able to get a dozen.

Please feel free to make them smaller or larger! When you are done, put into your fridge for at least one hour to let them harden up.  I keep them covered and stored in the fridge.

Farmer's Market Gazpacho

Try and guess what the "mystery" ingredient is in this gazpacho.  It starts with the letter "w" and a lot of people eat it at summertime picnics.  Can you guess??  It's watermelon!  Do you have a bunch of it cut up in your fridge right now and you're wondering what to do with it?  Make it into this soup! I'm calling this "farmer's market" gazpacho, because most (if not all) of the ingredients can be found there.  This type of soup is traditionally served cold.  It is really refreshing on a hot day :)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed
2 cups tomatoes, chopped (seeds and membranes removed)
2 cups cucumbers, chopped (seeds and skin removed)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup red pepper, chopped  (seeds and membranes removed)
1 cup yellow squash, chopped (seeds and skin removed)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

In large bowl, put the watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, red pepper, yellow squash and corn.  Sprinkle the salt, black pepper and garlic powder on top and with large spoon mix and combine thoroughly until the watermelon and all the veggies are coated.  Put the mixture, one cup at a time into a blender and keep blending until it gets to the consistency that you want.  Serve immediately or put into fridge for later. Serves four.

Frozen Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bites

All members of my household love peanut butter and chocolate mixed together.  Lately, I have been experimenting with different "no-bake" desserts.  In many parts of the country this summer, it has been pretty darn hot! The last thing you feel like doing is turning on the oven to cook or bake anything, right?? These "bites" firm up in the freezer in about two hours and they are delectable!!  This is a variation of my "buckeye candy" recipe, if the ingredients seem a bit familiar!  I came up with the idea of putting these into ice cube trays. That way they are all about the same size and your hands never have to touch the batter (an added bonus).

 

It doesn't matter if you get a little smidge of chocolate here and there on the ice cube trays (like I did).  Who says it has to be perfect? All that matters is how it tastes and they are heavenly!  A bit of a warning - these are pretty addictive, I keep catching the hubby going into the freezer and snitching a few!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

In large bowl, put the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Mix until smooth with large spoon.  Distribute evenly between the two ice cube trays.  Melt the semi-sweet morsels, slowly either in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove.  Pour the chocolate onto each peanut butter "bite" distributing evenly as best as you can between the 24 bites.  Place in the freezer for at least two hours. Note: these must be stored in the freezer!