A Life in Food
Bars are the go-to dessert when you are feeding a crowd. If I can get away with not turning on the oven, that’s even better. These Blueberry Swirl No Bake Cheesecake Bars have a chocolate crust with a thin layer of melted chocolate in between for that something extra. Super creamy, silky smooth filling swirled with fresh blueberry sauce make these bars as pretty as they are delicious.
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No Bake Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits, my new go-to quick and easy summer treat! Perfect for a last minute dessert when there is no time for baking. They look elegant enough to serve to guests, but they are ridiculously easy.
No bake desserts are a lifesaver in warm weather months, which is most of the year where I live. Additionally, warm weather means bathing suit season. We are watching what we eat, but I’m not about to deprive myself of a sweet treat. These no bake blueberry lemon cheesecake parfaits are low carb, lower in sugar and at only 2 ounces, they won’t sabotage your diet. It’s a WIN WIN!
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This week, Betsy from Desserts Required is doing a guest post! I love Betsy and I know you will too! We’ve been friends for a few years now and I must tell you, when you are around her – a good time will be had, whether you like it or not! 🙂 She is a ball of energy, a ray of sunshine and has a serious sweet-tooth just like your truly. Betsy is a “girl’s girl”, a cheerleader & champion of her friends, the kind of friend everyone should have.
Hello Pook’s Pantry readers!
I am so excited to guest blog while Cheryl takes some much needed time to recover from her surgery. I met Cheryl at Food Wine Conference a couple of years ago and last year she was my roommate. To say that I love and adore her would be an understatement. I mean, seriously, you already know how fabulous her sense of humor is in addition to her talent in the kitchen but I got to see it firsthand. Cheryl was on team Betsy’s Balls in the Chopped competition and, holy moly, can that woman cook!
My blog is Desserts Required and I live by the mantra, “Without desserts, life would not be as sweet.” If there is a delicious dessert within reach, driving distance or flying distance, I am always up for giving it a try. That goes for candy, too.
Since Thanksgiving is two days away, I thought it would be best to offer a quick and delish option to make; Holiday Candy Bark. I love the idea of making something that is as easy to serve at home as it is to take to someone for a hostess gift.
The key is to use high quality chocolate. I love bittersweet chocolate but Holiday Candy Bark will work just as well with semisweet, milk or even white chocolate. When I was at Whole Foods buying dried cranberries and unsweetened shredded coconut, I had trouble locating dried apricots. I was directed to a bin of very dark, almost black, apricots. I thought something was wrong with them but learned that they were Turkish apricots and, as such, did not contain sulphur, which gives that very bright unnatural orange color. Although, initially, I wanted that bright orange color, I opted for the natural dried fruit. Feel free to use whichever dried apricot you prefer.
Assembly is a breeze. It’s just a matter of adding layers of dried fruit, coconut and toasted pecans over most of the melted chocolate and then drizzling more melted chocolate over the top to keep the goodies in place.
Best of all, Holiday Candy Bark is great throughout this holiday season. I’ve even heard a rumor that Santa loves a batch with his milk and cookies!
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Let me say that I think we should appreciate our Mom’s on more than just one day a year… It is an incredibly important job that is sometimes thankless. Through terrible two’s and rebellious teenage years, through laughter and tears, joy and fear… you are there for it all.
So, to every Mom out there: Happy Mother’s Day today and everyday for all that you do!
Now that I’ve earned my birthday and Christmas presents for next year, let’s get to it.
This weekend is Mother’s Day and the Internet, food magazines, morning shows, cooking shows, even the evening news is filling the space between our ears with recipes to make for Mom…
Most of them even look really good! But here’s the problem: MOM isn’t the one making them! (I hope)!
More than a few of the recipes featured have ingredient lists long enough to make even the average home cook sweat under the collar, much less someone who rarely ventures into that mystical space from where food magically appears.
Some of you out there are lucky enough to live with people who actually know: A. where the kitchen is located in your home and 2) how to find things in this mysterious room. Then, there are those of you who live with people that open the fridge door, stand there staring at it’s insides and then ask you “what is there to eat?”.
Well, even THOSE people can handle this recipe.
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