Sadie's Dessert

A week or so ago I posted a how-to on chocolate curls. This Sadie's dessert here, is one of my favorite desserts to top with these decadent chocolate curls. This dessert has been around for ages, and is known by several different titles (Robert Redford Dessert, Mississippi Mud Pie, Layered-Chocolate Pudding Dessert, Chocolate Torte, etc.). This recipe is one I got handed down from my mother, who got it from her mother. I am sure if you've lived in America all of your life you've come across this dessert at some point. It seems that a simple dessert couldn't be so good, but it is. And that must be why it's been around for so long.

I emailed Mel, from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, a few months ago telling her that I made this dessert with her homemade pudding recipes with amazing results. Since she is more on top of it than me, she posted her version of this recipe last week. The original recipe from my grandmother calls for boxed pudding mixes, which work, but the homemade pudding adds so much more! The boxed pudding doesn't set up as firm as the homemade pudding so when you cut a piece it kind of slops and droops. But this amazing recipe from Mel for homemade chocolate and vanilla pudding was a hit. I especially loved the chocolate pudding it was so thick and rich (you melt chocolate chips into it....ummm!). This pudding can be made a few days in advance if you are wanting to make less work the day you want to serve it. Or if you absolutely refuse to make homemade pudding then use the small boxes of pudding mix.

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If you haven't had this dessert before you'd better Pin It, bookmark it, or print it and add it to your "to try recipe list"!

Sadies Dessert
Printable Version

Crust:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are best)

Place flour in a small mixing bowl and cut in butter with pastry blender or fork. When butter is distributed through stir in chopped nuts. Press crust mixture into a 9x13 size pan and bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes, until set. Let cool.

1st layer:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup whipped cream (or you can use cool whip as a substitute - I prefer whipped cream)

In a medium size bowl whip cream until stiff peaks. In a separate bowl whip cream cheese with powdered sugar until there are no lumps. Mix in whipped cream until smooth. Spread this mixture over the crust.

2nd Layer:
2 cups homemade chocolate pudding (or 1 small pkg of instant chocolate pudding - mixed with 2 cups milk)
2 cups homemade vanilla pudding (or 1 small pkg of instant vanilla pudding - mixed with 2 cups milk)
(Note: if you don’t feel like making 2 kinds of homemade pudding use 4 cups of just chocolate pudding.)

I like using the homemade pudding because it sets up more firm, resulting in a prettier served piece of dessert. Mix the chocolate and vanilla homemade pudding (at room temperature) together and spread over the cream cheese layer. (Or if you’d rather use instant pudding for a quicker process mix the chocolate and vanilla instant pudding packages with 4 cups milk and spread over cream cheese mixture).

Finally, top with more sweetened whipped cream, about 1 ½ cups is good. And top with chocolate curls for a more gourmet look (or chocolate sprinkles or just plain, it will taste great whichever way you pick)

Recipe Source: My grandmother, Rosella B.

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{How to Make} Chocolate Curls

If you want to feel fancy, here is a one way to do so......make chocolate curls! These chocolate curls really add a lot to a dessert or they are just plain fun to eat. I love the way they melt in your mouth! So yummy! The best part about these curls it that they are so simple to make, you really can't mess up. Below I have a pretty thorough step-by-step (with pictures) instructions on how to make them. I hope you'll have fun fancying up your dessert dishes!

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Chocolate Curls
Printable Version

I actually don't really follow a recipe for this, but in case you want one here it is:

3 ounces chocolate, (one baking square) or chocolate chips
2 teaspoons coconut oil (for better taste use coconut oil, if you don't have any you can use Crisco)

***I usually just throw some chocolate and coconut oil and melt it....I haven't messed it up without following a recipe.

First place a dinner sized plate in the fridge, you'll see why later on. Place chocolate and coconut oil/Crisco in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until chocolate and coconut oil/Crisco are melted smooth.

Pour chocolate on a back-side of a metal cookie sheet (or a non-rimmed metal baking sheet) and smooth it out with a spatula or scraper, or knife, etc until it's very thin. Place the sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. To test for done-ness, use the finger print test, if you touch the chocolate with your finger and it leaves an indent of your fingerprint, wait a few more minutes.

With a metal or hard plastic spatula (I use a plastic Pampered Chef pan scraper - because I've got metal shavings in with my chocolate scraping a metal pan with a metal spatula.) start scraping the chocolate from the cookie sheet. If it's too frozen/hard then it will just crack and crumble, so wait a minute and try again, when it starts curling you have a few minutes before it will be too soft again, when it stops curling cause it's too soft then put in the freezer for a minute or so and go at it again.

When you have all your curls scraped from the cookie sheet, place them on a cold plate and refrigerate until hardened. Place curls in the fridge until use or you can freeze them in a freezer bag and use them whenever you'd like.

Garnish cakes, pies, and other desserts with these delectable and fancy curls!

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Spread the chocolate thin, I like using a Papered Chef pan scraper

Test it with your finger to see if it's done, if you have a wet chocolatey finger print stick in back in the freezer for a minute or two. You should only have the slightest indication of a fingerprint when you touch it.

If it's too hard, it will crack when you try to scrap the curls away....like so

Still just barely too cold and hard

Ahhh, perfect, now they are curling just right.
Work quickly and if it stops curling nice,
just put it back in the freezer for a minute or two and try again.

Place all the curls on a cold plate and then refrigerate them until they are hard and you are ready to use them. If you want to save them for later stick them in a freezer bad after you've refrigerated them and they are nice and hard and then pull them out of the freezer to fancy up whatever dessert you are making.

Here is my evidence of the metal shavings on my chocolate curls. To avoid this use a metal pan and plastic scraper or the bottom of a plastic tray and a metal spatula. The metal on metal seems to always result in metal shavings on my curls, and I'm thinking that really is not healthy to ingest. :)

Featured Desserts:

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Curls

Sadies' Dessert....will be posting this soon, it was featured today on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, one of my food blog heros, if you'd like to check it out.

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Chocolate-Banana Monkey Cupcakes

When my little man turned one, we had a monkey-themed party for him.  I wasted a whole bunch of time online trying to find the cutest and yummiest monkey cupcakes.  Anyway, these cupcakes were the final result of my efforts.  I was happy with how they turned out and the hubs and I had lots of fun assembling the monkeys.   Naturally, monkey cupcakes should be banana-flavored, right?  So, I searched for the perfect recipe.  This was it.  I loved how moist the banana made the chocolate cupcakes, and like banana bread, these cupcakes were even better the next day--which is perfect if you're throwing a monkey party and want to do a few things in advance.  I ended up making half of the cupcakes Chocolate-Banana and the other half plain banana with the leftover batter from the monkey smash cake.  They were almost too cute to eat! 

Printable Version

Chocolate-Banana Monkey Cupcakes
*Makes 12 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 egg
½ cup ripe, mashed banana (about 1 medium)
½ cup warm water
¼ cup milk
¼ cup oil
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 12 regular-sized muffin cups with baking liners.  

In a large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients (first 6 listed) together.  In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together (next 6).  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  The batter will be quite runny.  Fill baking liners ¾ of the way full.  (I like to dump the prepared batter into a pitcher to fill the muffin cups so I don’t make a drippy mess everywhere.)  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to cool before frosting.  

Recipe Source:  Joy of Baking

Chocolate (or brown-colored) frosting.  I frosted some with chocolate cream cheese frosting and some with chocolate buttercream frosting.  

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!)
3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Recipe Source: Savory Sweet Life

For the Monkey Face:
Nilla Wafers
Nutter Butter Bites or Mini Nilla Wafers or Mini Ritz crackers
Mini Marshmallows
Mini M&Ms--the red and yellow ones make creepy-looking monkeys!
Chocolate Sprinkles
Extra chocolate frosting in a piping bag to draw nose and mouth

Monkey face inspiration: Pinterest,  ketchupface 

Holiday-Doodles {aka Festive Snickerdoodles}

These are totally going to be the cookies we make for Santa this year!

I posted a recipe for snickerdoodles not too long ago. Here is the same recipe with a festive/holiday twist, now known as Holiday-Doodles! These are the cookies we sent around to some neighbors and friends. These would be great for leaving out for Santa. I love these cookies. I bake them on the shorter end of the time (recipe calls for 7-10 minutes). I like to pull them out when they barely look done and they are soft and chewy. I love eating them warm with a glass of ice cold milk!

Holiday-Doodles {aka Festive Snickerdoodles}
Printable Version

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
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3 tablespoons green colored sugar (or green sugar sprinkles)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
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3 tablespoons red colored sugar (or red sugar sprinkles)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.

In another mixing bowl beat butter for 30 seconds; add 2 cups sugar and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredient mixture to butter/sugar mixture and mix until well combined.

In two separate bowls mix 3 tablespoons of green colored sugar or green sugar sprinkles and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the same thing with red. Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the two different colored cinnamon-sugar mixes. Place balls of dough on a silicone-lined or greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart; flatten cookie dough ball with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake for about 7-10 minutes (see note about bake time). Let cookies cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Note: Depending on how long you bake these, they will turn out slightly different in taste and texture. If you bake them on the shorter end of the bake time, they will be softer and chewier. If you bake them a bit longer, you'll get a crisp and slightly crunchy cookie. Remember that when you pull them out and let them set for one to two minutes they will still cook a bit more.

Recipe Source: adapted from Diana K.

Cran-Orange Salad {with Orange Vinaigrette Dressing}

We had a family Christmas party this last weekend and I was in charge of a green salad. I love a good green salad, but when it's topped with goodies like sweet juicy oranges, flavorful cranberries, crisp fresh jicama, and candied almonds and doused with a light, sweet, zesty dressing I am practically hypnotized. My mother-in-law made this salad for us a few weeks ago when we came over for dinner, and I almost had no interest in the rest of the meal. If I was truly selfish I could have just taken the salad bowl and poured me some dressing and ate the whole bowl. Sooooo good! This is a great winter salad since oranges are so good at this time of year.

I like to make the salad as follows. Mix whatever greens I want in a bowl, and then top with the orange bits, cranberries, and jicama. I don't toss it simply because it seems that whenever I do all the goodies end up on the bottom and you can't get at them as easily. And there always seems to be enough goodies in the bottom by the time we eat that much. I then serve the candied almonds on the side so you can add however much you want, and I also serve the dressing on the side so the lettuce doesn't get soggy by mixing it all together in the bowl.

Note: I bought dried cranberries sweetened with sugar at the regular grocery store. When my mother-in-law made this salad she bought dried cranberries at the health food store, the were sweetened in fruit juice before they were dried. They were to. die. for. I forgot to stop by the health food store or that would have been what I used.

Cran-Orange Salad {with Orange Vinaigrette Dressing}
Printable Version

Salad:
Mixed Greens
Dried Cranberries
Fresh Orange, peeled, sectioned, and sliced into bite-size bits
Jicama, diced
Crumbled Feta or Blue Cheese (optional)
Candided Almonds

Orange Vinaigrette Dressing:
½ teaspoon orange zest
⅓ cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

Shake above ingredients in pint jar and chill. Serve over above salad recipe.

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Maureen G. (originally from Geri Brown)

Creamy Sausage & Kale Soup (Like Zuppa Toscana)

This is one of my favorite things about cold weather! In college, I remember going with my girlfriends after big tests or finals to Olive Garden for the soup, salad, and breadsticks. The waiters probably hated us for as long as we stayed and chatted and ate and ate...and ate. This soup tastes just like their Zuppa Toscana. It’s definitely my favorite one on their menu--and I’ve had my fair share of bowls there. It brings back lots of good memories for me each time I make it.

Also, it’s perfect for serving when you have guests because you can make it ahead and leave it on low on the stove or dump it in the crockpot (just don’t overcook the potatoes if you’re planning to do this). Also, don’t add the cream and kale until you are ready to serve it. We served it in these bread bowls when we last had guests. 

Creamy Sausage and Kale Soup - Zuppa Toscana
Printable Version

1 pound Italian Sausage (I use the Jimmy Dean HOT sausage--use whatever you like!)
2 large potatoes, sliced to bite size (about 2 ½ - 3 cups)
1 large onion, diced (about 1 - 1 ½ cups)
½ pound bacon, cooked, crumbled (You could use bacon bits in a pinch, too!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper (my addition since I like it a bit spicy--you can leave it out for a milder version)
2 cups kale, chopped (It shrinks down a lot, so if you are a kale-lover, use more--maybe 4-8 cups)
2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth - about 3 ⅔ cups if you make your own
1 quart (4 cups) water
1 cup whipping cream

Cook sausage, drain, and crumble. In a large pot, saute onions until translucent. Add potatoes, broth, water, crushed red peppers, and garlic. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are fork tender. Add sausage and bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Turn to low heat. Just before serving, add cream and kale and heat through. 

Recipe Source: Tressa Haderlie - Canyon Ridge Cooking - North Logan 14th Neighborhood Cookbook 

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Original post photo. Other photos update Nov 12, 2014

Deluxe Chocolate Truffles {Plain Chocolate or Flavored}

Woah, it's been a while! I know I promised some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in my last post, but we moved our whole house and selves all of the sudden. We knew it was coming, but it came much faster than we anticipated, and we've been running ever since. So I will post those recipes eventually, maybe I'll save them for next fall, then you'll have something to look forward to.

Now on to Christmas stuff! We made these yummy truffles the other day, and they were definitely a pleaser. I have a feeling the won't just be a holiday treat around our house. They are quite versatile. You can make them simply plain chocolate, or you can flavor it with several options. I chose to make them plain and roll some in cocoa, and dip the rest in white chocolate and top them with nuts and coconut! Yum!

The basis of these truffles is Ganache. Fancy word for bittersweet chocolate and cream combined! Ganache is divine....it simply and purely melts in your mouth! I love that blissful feeling of chocolate melting the moment I bite into it. The simpleness of this recipe is what got me. The ingredients are simple: chocolate and cream (flavoring if you're feeling fancy), and whatever you want to dip them in or garnish them with. I also love that the process of making the chocolate involves microwaving the cream and chocolate....again simple, and less clean up!

Whether you are making these as gifts, for yourself, or for someone you love, they will be sure to please! Enjoy!

Deluxe Chocolate Truffles {Plain Chocolate or Flavored}
Printable Version
Yield: approximately 3 dozen 1" truffles

Centers
2 cups (about 12 oz.) finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream

Flavorings (optional)
Choose one of the following, if desired; you can also choose to leave your truffles just plain chocolate:
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon raspberry flavor combined with 1/4 cup melted raspberry jam
1 tablespoon espresso powder + 1 1/2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut flavor + toasted chopped hazelnuts
1/8 teaspoon orange oil + 1 to 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/2 cup finely chopped toffee or praline candy bar

Coating
1 pound finely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (about 2 2/3 cups) OR 1 cup (3 ounces) cocoa

Garnish
Chopped nuts, sprinkles/jimmies, sugar decorations, nonpareils, cocoa nibs, and/or toasted coconut.

Centers: Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave-proof bowl. Heat in the microwave until the cream is very hot. Remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the flavors or flavor combinations of your choice. Stir till everything is well-combined.

Line a 9" x 13" baking sheet with parchment or plastic wrap, and pour the chocolate over it; don't spread it out. Cover the pan, and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes, until the mixture is thick and "scoopable." You can put it in the freezer too for 15 minutes at a time and keep checking to see if it’s “scoopable”, if you get it too hard just leave it out for a few minutes and it will soften up quick. Quicker than you think too, so keep an close eye on it.

Assembly: When the mixture is cool enough to hold its shape, scoop small balls of the chocolate onto a baking sheet that's been lightly dusted with cocoa. A teaspoon cookie scoop is exactly the right size for this; you want balls that are about the size of a small chestnut, or a small melon ball. For perfectly round truffles, quickly roll each one between the palms of your hands. You have to do this quickly, or the chocolate will become too soft. Your palms will soon be coated with chocolate... yum! Refrigerate the centers for about 30 minutes, covered, till they've firmed up a bit.

Coating: To take the simplest route, coat the shaped centers in unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred, as it's smoother in flavor than natural). Put the cocoa in a shallow bowl and roll the centers around in it.

To coat with melted chocolate, heat 2 cups of the chopped chocolate (reserving some to add later) with 2 tablespoons coconut oil or shortening (reserving some to add later) in the microwave until it's melted. Add the remaining chopped (unmelted) chocolate to the melted chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate is thick and shiny.

This is the potentially messy part. If you have a chocolate dipping tool, use it to dip each center in the melted chocolate, setting the dipped truffles on a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Immediately, as you make them, sprinkle each truffle with the garnish of your choice. I don’t have a chocolate dipping tool so I broke the two middle prongs off of a plastic fork and it worked great.

Something to keep in mind: If leave these truffles at room temperature they will be very very soft. I think they are absolutely perfect to eat fresh out of the fridge. You can avoid keeping them in the fridge at a party or wherever if they are dipped in chocolate, any truffles you roll in cocoa will really get soft and droopy fast.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour