Grilled Caramelized Bananas

Something about summertime makes me want to grill anything that will hold still. This is a very simple dessert idea for grilled bananas - it's best to use bananas that are firm to hold up to the heat. This could easily be done on an outdoor grill or inside using a grill pan. Serve warm with your favorite flavor of ice cream.

GRILLED CARAMELIZED BANANAS

INGREDIENTS:
2 bananas
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat a nonstick grill pan on the stovetop over medium heat.

2. Peel bananas and slice lengthwise in half. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar.

3. Place bananas on grill pan at a 45 degree angle. Cook 1-2 minutes, then rotate another 45 degrees to create crosshatch marks. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes. If desired, flip bananas and repeat process on the other side. Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream.

Better Than Sex Trifle

Note: I did not name this dessert, you be the judge. This is a trifle I made for a Memorial Day BBQ - it's layers of chocolate cake soaked in a creamy caramel sauce, topped with chocolate toffee candy bits and whipped topping. By the way, for those who aren't sure what a trifle is here's the traditional definition: "a dessert typically consisting of plain or sponge cake often soaked with wine or spirits (as brandy or rum) and topped with layers of preserves, custard, and cream". These days a trifle usually applies to anything with layers of cake and filling, usually served in a glass pedestal container. For the cake portion I used the trusty ol' diet soda method but feel free to bake it according to package directions with eggs/oil/water if you prefer.

BETTER THAN SEX TRIFLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 oz) box chocolate cake mix
12 oz Coke Zero soda
1/4 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
7 oz caramel ice cream topping (plus additional for garnish if desired)
4 Skor or Heath candy bars, chopped
2 (8 oz) tubs Cool Whip Lite whipped topping.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and Coke Zero soda. Using a handheld mixer, mix on low speed until moistened. Scrape bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in semi sweet chocolate chips and transfer to baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until sides pull away and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

3. In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Using a skewer or the handle of a spoon poke holes across the top of the cake every 1-2 inches. Slowly pour the warm caramel topping mixture over the top of the cake, letting it sink into the holes. Cover and refrigerate until just before serving (I would recommend storing cake no more than a 6-8 hours if possible).

4. Just before serving assemble dessert in a large glass trifle or serving bowl. Cut cake into chunks and layer evenly across the bottom of bowl, top with a layer of Cool Whip and a small amount of chopped candy bars (reserve some for garnish) - repeat layers, ending with Cool Whip topping. Top with reserved chopped candy bars and drizzle with caramel topping if desired.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

One of my favorite chefs is Ina Garten, aka "Barefoot Contessa". I envy her beautiful house in Hamptons and gaggle of adoring friends. This is Ina's coconut macaroon recipe that I took a bit further by dipping half the cookie in dark chocolate - because most things can benefit from being dipped in chocolate. :) The cookies spread out a bit more than I would have liked, so I think next time I will try adding a bit of cream of tartar to the egg whites to help stabilize them a bit more.

DARK CHOCOLATE-DIPPED COCONUT MACAROONS

INGREDIENTS:

14 oz sweetened shredded coconut

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 extra large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon Crisco shortening

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

3. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper, about two teaspoons per cookie. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until just light golden brown. Allow to cool a few minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Melt dark chocolate and shortening using double boiler method, stirring frequently, until smooth and creamy. Carefully dip half of each macaroon in chocolate and place on parchment paper until chocolate is cool and firm. Serve immediately or store in airtight container.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

My father got me a bundt cake pan last Christmas, and I always feel a bit like June Cleaver when I use it. But bundt is back, dang it! This is a lemon blueberry bundt cake, made quick and easy with a boxed lemon cake mix. It's very moist and has a lot of lemon flavor going on, so make sure you like lemon before you proceed! I used applesauce instead of oil to lighten it up a bit so feel free to eat twice as much. ;)

LEMON BLUEBERRY BUNDT CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
1 (18.25 oz) package lemon cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
4 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups blueberries
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon flour

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Water, as necessary

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in water, applesauce, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. In a small bowl combine blueberries, granulated sugar and flour - toss to coat. Fold blueberries into cake batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before inverting onto serving platter.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add water a teaspoon at a time, mixing thoroughly, until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.

Gorgonzola and Bacon Stuffed Burgers

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like gorgonzola cheese, and those who don't. We do. This is a standard burger stuffed with gorgonzola cheese and bacon and grilled to meaty cheesey goodness.

GORGONZOLA AND BACON STUFFED BURGERS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon A-1 steak sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
1 teaspoon oil
crumbled gorgonzola cheese
4 strips bacon, browned and coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, Worcestershire, A-1, garlic powder, salt and black pepper until well combined. In a small saucepan, cook diced onion in oil over medium heat until lightly browned and soft. Add onion to meat mixture and stir to combine.

2. Divide meat into quarters (or halves if you prefer a half pound burger). Take each quarter and divide that in half, and form each half into flat disks. Place 2 tablespoons of gorgonzola cheese and 1 strip of chopped bacon into the center of one disk and place second disk on top. Seal the edges by pinching all the way around with your fingertips. Repeat until all burgers are stuffed. Chill in fridge until ready to grill.

3. Grill approximately 6-8 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Serve on buns with toppings of your choice.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

My husband is cheating on me... and her name is "Peanut Butter". It is a love affair so deep, so absolute, I will never completely grasp the depths of his feelings. So when he comes to me and says, "What if you made a cupcake and stuck a Reeses peanut butter cup INSIDE IT??" all I can do is give it a go. These are delicious and wrong on so many levels...

PEANUT BUTTER CUP CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

For cupcakes:
1 box (18.25oz) Devils Food cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (12oz) bag Reeses mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped

For frosting:
2 sticks (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk, as needed

Mini semisweet chocolate chips for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12 muffin baking pans with paper cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil until moistened. Using a handheld mixer beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in semisweet chocolate chips. Place a heaping tablespoon of cake batter into each muffin cup. Place one Reeses mini peanut butter cup into each muffin cup, and top with an additional tablespoon of cake batter to cover - muffin cups should be about 2/3 full.

3. Bake in preheated oven 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted along the edge of the cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. To prepare frosting: place butter and peanut butter in a medium bowl and beat with a handheld mixer until fluffy and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until well incorporated- if mixture becomes too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time as needed until desired consistency. Beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes and if desired, garnish with mini semisweet chocolate chips.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

Oh, Paula Deen, you buttery vixen! I love watching her show on Foodnetwork (c'mon, the woman says mayo is her favorite condiment and I think she loves cream cheese more than I do!). Here's a slight variation of her infamous gooey butter cake. It tastes like a dense brownie with a layer of fluffy, gooey yumminess on top. :)

CHOCOLATE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, melted
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 egg, plus 2 eggs
1/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Powder sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. In a small bowl combine mini chocolate chips and flour and toss to coat. Stir chocolate chips into cake batter. Pat mixture into prepared baking pan and set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the melted semisweet chocolate and mix thoroughly. Lower the speed of the mixer, and gradually add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter and the vanilla extract, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in walnuts. Spread filling evenly over cake mixture in pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, or if you're feeling really decadent, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

The weather in Seattle has been gorgeous the last few days, and it has me in a summertime mood. My husband has been asking me to make lemon bars for awhile, but I thought it'd be fun to make a cookie with same type of flavor. I loved these cookies - the dough is light and buttery and not too sweet, and cream cheese layer mellows out the tartness of the lemon curd.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

For cookie dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

For filling:
1 (8oz) package light cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Jar of lemon curd

Powdered sugar for dusting


DIRECTIONS:

1. Into a medium bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat until combined well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until mixture just forms a dough. Form dough into a flat disc and wrap with saran wrap. Chill in fridge until firm, at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.

3. To make cream cheese filling: in a medium bowl beat cream cheese with a handheld mixer until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until thoroughly combined.

4. To make cookies: take heaping teaspoons of chilled cookie dough and form loosely into balls - work quickly to keep dough as cold as possible. Place on baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. Using a small spoon or your finger, make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture evenly into indentation and top with 1/2 teaspoon lemon preserves. Bake cookies 8-10 minutes until cookies are just slightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. When cooled, dust top of cookies with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.

Candy Bar Brownies

Ahh, nothing like taking something that's already bad for you and making it even worse. This is just a plain boxed brownie mix jazzed up with some extra candy goodness. I've experimented with a few different types of candies and this combo is definitely my favorite.

CANDY BAR BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Duncan Hines Family Style Chewy Fudge brownies
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 personal bags M&M's plain milk chocolate candies
1 King Size Reeses Peanut Butter cups (4 pack), coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together brownie mix, eggs, water and oil until just blended - do not overmix. Fold in M&M's and chopped Reeses Peanut Butter cups.

3. Spread into baking pan and bake for 27-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool and cut into squares to serve.

Rocky Road Bars

Someone pointed out to me the other day that my blog is like 99% desserts. Guilty! When it comes to cooking I mostly enjoy making the cute stuff - desserts and appetizers. Plus I somehow got the role of "dessert maker" in my circle when we have potlucks and dinner parties, so it's what I tend to make the most. This is a pretty decadent bar recipe that I made for a get together with some friends. Girls + chocolate = happiness!

ROCKY ROAD BARS

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a 9 x 13 inch baking pan combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Mix together and press evenly onto bottom of the pan.

3. Layer coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows over crust. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over ingredients.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or marshmallows are golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle with the melted chocolate chips. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Apple Pie Cheesecake Squares

My husband usually has his friends over every Saturday morning for some guy bonding time. They say they're playing games, but I have a feeling they're just doing boy stuff like drinking lots of beer and worshiping Jessica Alba. It does however give me a captive audience to cook for so I'm not left with a kitchen full of sinful goodies to tempt me. For this dessert I took a basic recipe that had a layer of cream cheese baked in between layers of crescent roll dough and I tweaked it a bit, adding apple pie filling and a cinnamon sugar topping. You can use any kind of fruit filling - blueberry, cherry, peach, or even a layer of jam would be good.

APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE SQUARES

INGREDIENTS:

2 (8oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 oz light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (20oz) can apple pie filling

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Press one can of crescent roll dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth. Spread evenly over crescent roll layer, stopping 1/2 inch from edges. Spoon apple pie filling over cream cheese layer. Unroll second can of crescent roll dough and and lay on top of of apple pie layer - pinch seams together but do not press down.

3. Brush the top layer of crescent dough with melted butter. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle evenly over the top of the butter layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is crisp and golden. Allow to cool before cutting into squares and serving - top with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Herb Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Artichoke Lemon Sauce

It's almost summertime, woo hoo! I wanted to try a chicken dish with a fresh lemon and here's what I came up with. Overall I thought it was good, but it was a little too zesty for me. Jeremy really liked it, but he really likes lemon and artichokes, so he liked the tang of the dish. If you like tangy flavors and lemon/artichoke try the recipe as-is. Next time I might try omitting the artichokes and just having a mushroom lemon sauce. The chicken was awesome though, I'm now in love with Laughing Cow Light cheese! The dish probably would have been fine with just grilling the chicken without stuffing and topping with the sauce, but any chance I get to stuff something with cheese, well you know... :)

HERB CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKE LEMON SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Herb & Garlic cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped in quarters
1 cup artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or regular butter if you prefer)
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place each chicken breast half in a ziploc freezer bag and pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Remove chicken from bag and season chicken with salt & pepper. Place 1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese in the center of each chicken breast and roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides and secure each chicken roll with wooden picks.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add chicken to pan, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to shallow baking pan and bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

5. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Add artichoke hearts , butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and toss to coat - simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. To serve, remove toothpicks from chicken breast and arrange on plate, topping with a generous spoonful of mushroom artichoke mixture. Serves 2.