Fearless Icebox Cake

The reason I call this "Fearless" is due to the fact that it is nothing but sugar, cream, butter, and chocolate. So if you dare to make this yummy treat, you cannot be easily scared off. Of course, even if you are easily frightened by such things as fat and calories, this dessert is kept in the freezer, so you can tell yourself that it will last for a long time (aka, despite the fact that you will be sooo tempted, there will be no using "but it's going to go bad if I don't eat it all!" as an excuse.)

Be sure to use crisp chocolate chip cookies and feel free to even add some extra chocolate chips in the whipped cream mixture if you are a choco-holic like me.

Fearless Icebox Cake

Adapted from Ina Garten

2 cups cold heavy cream

8 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 (8-ounce) packages crispy chocolate chip cookies, such as Tate's Bake Shop, or homemade

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, until it forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. (I break some cookies to fill in the spaces.) Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until there are 5 layers of each, ending with a layer of cream. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges, and serve cold.

Carribean Rice and "Peas"

One bowl meals are possibly my favorite kind of meals. Only one kind of utensil is required, very few dishes are dirtied, and you get tons of different flavors and textures and nutrients in every bite. It makes yumminess and good-for-you easy and efficient, what's not to love?

This was easy to put together, though it did take an hour and a half or so. So if you don't mind eating a little later than usual, I would definitely recommend this. It feeds about 4-6, depending on how hungry you (it could probably feed 7 of me, actually).

Caribbean Rice and Peas

Adapted from Food Network

16 ounces frozen black-eyed peas, thawed

Salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces turkey kielbasa (or other smoked sausage, thinly sliced)

1 large bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated

3 small ribs celery, diced

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 teaspoons jerk seasoning

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice

3 bay leaves

4 cups stemmed and chopped collard greens

Combine the black-eyed peas, 3 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the scallion whites, celery, garlic, jalapeno, jerk seasoning and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables brown, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste turns brick red, about 2 more minutes. Add the rice, bay leaves and the black-eyed peas with their liquid to the skillet and bring to a boil; do not stir.

Add the collards; cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer undisturbed until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 50 minutes; set aside for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Just before serving, add the scallion greens and fluff with a fork.

Broiled Tomato Sandwiches

Looking for a casual Saturday afternoon lunch? These open-faced sandwiches are bursting with flavor and show off ripe tomatoes perfectly. Make sure you have a napkin nearby, because the juicy tomatoes can get a bit drippy.

My roomie and I made these after going to the Farmers' Market Saturday morning. We wanted a way to use the tomatoes and basil we had just purchased and were happy we did.

Broiled Tomato Sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons basil pesto
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices bread, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to broil.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Marinate the tomatoes in the mixture, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Place marinated tomatoes on 4 slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden brown. Serve immediately, open faced, 2 slices per person.

Suggestion: Goes excellently with a creamy soup. Great for appetizers when served in bite sized pieces open-faced. The marinade can be easily converted into a nice vinaigrette, instead of having to throw it away or boil it.

For a different taste, marinate the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar only (no oil). Try to use foccacia bread.

Brownie Cookies

I have a confession, a kind of guilty pleasure. Brownie mix cookies. They are sooo rich and then you add the chocolate chips and they are to-die-for. Believe me, if you are having a chocolate craving, this will more than satisfy. I'm slightly ashamed that it is from a mix, but it is a doctored mix at least, right? They are just so irresistible! Bring them to your next get-together and just wait for the "oooohs and ahhhhs" to begin.

I got home from work today and knew I had to make them. It was one of those long and tedious days when you want to go home even before you walk inside, and then, two hours into your shift, you end up bleeding through (thank goodness for black pants) and have no feminine items on hand. However, when I ate these cookies witch a cold glass of milk from a local farm, my day automatically became perfect. Even with the fact that I chipped my tooth last night and have a slightly exposed nerve, haha. Yay brownie cookies.

Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies!

19.5 oz Brownie Mix

¼ cup butter, melted

4oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or more, if you would give you are anything like me and would be tempted to chop off your right hand for chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl with a spoon until well blended. Dough will be sticky.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets by the tablespoon. Should make 24-30 cookiesBake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy!

Corn, Tomato and Crab Salad

So my oven was taken away from me for the two weeks after memorial day. During that time, I had to rack my brain for no-cook recipes. If I am going to do no-cook recipes and rely primarily on the bold flavors of raw foods, it only makes sense to go with fruits and veggies that just scream "summer is here!" That led me to this tomato and corn and crab salad. It was so hard to find good lump crab in KY that I had to go with imitation, which greatly displeased me, but I am a bit picky when it comes to seafood (I grew up in Florida, after all).

I think that this dish would be awesome with shrimp (no shells, no tails), if you cannot find real lump crabmeat.

Also, I must admit, I was feeling lazy and there is a Red Lobster just up the street from me (literally, it is on the same street as my house). Their cheddar biscuits are 6 for $1.99! I couldn't say no. They go sooo well with this dish. The addition of the biscuits is so worth it, but if you are feeling ambitious, you can always make your own using the food network's almost famous recipe.

Corn, Tomato, and Crab Salad

Adapted from Southern Living

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
¼ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
½ pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed, cooked
4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into eights or tenths
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup shredded Parmesan

Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons juice mixture. Add remaining 2 tablespoons juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab) to remaining juice mixture; toss gently to coat.

Arrange slices of beefsteak tomatoes and ½ cup cherry tomatoes on each of 4 plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon reserved juice mixture over each serving. Top each serving with ¼ of corn and crab mixture. Sprinkle each plate with 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

Suggestion: replace crab with 1lb of chopped shrimp and/or serve with cheddar biscuits

Key Lime Frozen Yogurt

I'm on a bit of a citrus kick, just a fair warning to you all.

If you see an over abundance or lime, orange, and lemon themed foods on here, dont be surprised.

Summer just makes me want that tartness of citrus that is just perfect on a hot day. Also, I recently received Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment (I got it free in a rebate), so Key Lime Frozen Yogurt sounded fantastic, especially since it is a no-cook recipe and it was only yesterday that I got the oven/stove back to working order.

Key Lime Frozen Yogurt

from Southern Living

32oz contain whole milk French vanilla yogurt

14oz can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup key lime juice

Ginger snaps for serving

Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a 1 1/2 quart container of an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Chicken Burgers with Herbed-Feta Spread

Fairly low-fat and very high in calcium and protein, these burgers and dip are one of my favorites. They are easy and pretty fast to make. The dip is also great with tortilla chips when you are in a snacking mood. I went out and got some delicious corn fromt the local co-op and was so glad I did. Along with some watermelon, lemonade, and sitting on the step of my front porch to eat all of it, this meal was near perfect.

Chicken Burgers

From Food and Wine January 1997

1 ½ pounds ground chicken

2 cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt

¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten to mix

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Herbed-feta dip for topping (directions below)

Whole wheat buns

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, scallions, ¾ teaspoon salt, the pepper, milk, and egg. Form the mixture into four patties, each about 1-inch thick.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the turkey burgers and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and then top each burger with the provolone cheese. Cook until just done, about 6 minutes longer. Spoon generous portions of herbed-feta dip on top of burger and eat on sandwich buns.

Herbed-Feta Dip

¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place yogurt, feta, beans, garlic, and lemon juice in the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth. Add parsley, dill, chives, mint, and pepper; pulse until they are well combined. Chill, if desired.

The Baked Brownie

Mmmm, chocolate. Even better, dark chocolate.

I went on a bit of a baking splurge last Tuesday. I made snicker doodle blondies, blueberry oatmeal bars, homemade bread, and 2 batches of granola. You may think that sounds a bit like overkill, but I assure you, it was well worth it, because just one day later, my oven was taken out of commission due to leaky pipes in the wall to which it is connected.

Brownies seemed like a delicious option and I have been wanting to try this recipe from the Baked bakery in NYC. I assure you, these are the most perfect, soft and fudge brownies that will ever grace your tongue. I love them. A lot.

If you are considering baking a treat to give to a loved one or bring to a group, please consider these! But be warned, despite their richness, there will be no left overs =).

BAKED Dark Chocolate Brownie

From the Baked bakery in NYC

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder; set aside.

In a large bowl set over simmering water, stir together chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder until completely melted and smooth. Keeping the bowl over the water, turn off the heat and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined. Remove the bowl from the pan and cool to room temperature.

Once the chocolate mixture is cool, add 3 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the remaining two eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla; stir until combined. Be sure not to overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just combined. (a bit of the flour mixture should still be visible).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, in the center of the oven for 27-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the brownies cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.