Romania - Traditional Food and Cooking Styles

Romania is a beautiful little country in Eastern Europe in the Balkan region. While living and working there over the years, I have eaten and enjoyed many delicious meals. Meal time in Romania is a very special time. Family and friends come together and may linger long after a meal is over in deep conversation.

The food of Romania is diverse. Food choices and cooking styles are influenced by Balkan traditions as well as German, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian and those of the Near East which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Some of the traditional Romanian dishes are stuffed cabbage leaves known in the Romanian language as sarmale. Other vegetables cooked and served are stuffed bell peppers (ardei umpluti); green beans (fasole verde); carrots sote (sote de morcovi); roasted peppers (ardei copti); eggplant salad (salata de vinete); and tomato salad (salata de rosii). Potatoes are popular in Romania and are served very often. They are cheap to buy and are sold everywhere in the fall, both in markets and along the streets and highways in front of private homes. There are vegetables and fruits of all kinds and many of them are raised in the country itself.

Pork and lamb are preferred over beef in Romania and pork fat is used for cooking. For Christmas a pig is traditionally butchered by every family and a variety of recipes are used to prepare the meat. One of the popular dishes made from the liver and intestines of the pork is a long sausage called carnati. Another dish is piftie which is made from the feet, head, and the ears and is suspended in aspic. I have seen most of the country and in my travels around I have seen many more sheep and pigs grazing in fields than cattle. Romanians love spicy meatballs made from a mixture of pork and beef. Ghiveci is a Romanian dish which combines meat and vegetables and is baked. Other meat dishes include skewered meat (frigarui); cow tongue with olives (limba cu masline); grilled mince meat rolls (mititei); and chicken cutlet (snitel). At Easter roast lamb is served and also a cooked mixture of intestines, meat, and fresh vegetables called drob in Romanian. Fish from the Danube River and scad from the Black Sea is very important to Romanians. Pollution has widely affected the fishing industry in Eastern Europe and eating fish is not as popular as it once was.

Soups, especially bean soup, is served hot in the winter in Romania and cold soup made with cucumber, yogurt, and walnuts and known as tarator, is made in the summer. Lovage, an unusual herb tasting like celery, is used in Romanian cooking, especially in lamb soup. Soups are usually soured with lemon juice or a dash of vinegar.

Different breads are very popular in Romanian culture and there are many interesting varieties. Cooked cornmeal (mamaliga) is traditional in all of Eastern Europe and is considered the poor man's dish and is a Romanian specialty. It is used with meat or cheese and is called polenta in Italy. It is cooked so long to be thickened and when done can be sliced like bread.

Cheeses of all kinds are very popular with the Romanian people. The generic name for cheese in Romania is branza. Most of the cheese is made from cow or sheep milk.

Desserts are usually crepes filled with fruits or cherry streudel. Other desserts in Romania include baclava, which is sweet layered pastry; sponge cake known as pandispan; rice pudding or orez cu lapte; and gingerbread or turta dulce.

More and more wine is produced now in Romania. In the past religious influences and fifty years of political isolation from market influences kept it from being so. Romanian brandy made with plums grown there is considered to be a national spirit drink and is called tulca. The meal ends with coffee, the strong thick Turkish style coffee served with dulceata which are soft candies made with apples, plums, or raisins or figs that have been stewed, thickened and rolled into balls, coated with nuts and dipped in rum or other alcohol.

When visiting homes anywhere in Romania the people are friendly and warm and always there is an invitation to share their food.

Virginia McKelvey, PhD.

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Recipes With Bacon - Bacon Candy And Desserts

Bacon isn't just the perfect food to accompany your eggs or wrap around a scallop to make it twice as delicious. No, bacon is far more useful and delicious than that. There's plenty of intrepid folks out there who think bacon and sweets go together great in everything from chocolate cookies to muffins. So if you're looking to try some bacon candy or want to have bacon for dessert, feel free to experiment.

Making candied bacon is probably one of the best known ways to get your crunchy sweet pork flavor and there's a ton of bacon candy recipes out there, but it's actually so simple you barely even need a recipe.

To make bacon candy, all you need to do is:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees
Coat your bacon (use the basic supermarket kind) in a half-cup of brown sugar.
Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through and crispy.

Once the bacon is crispy, take it out of the oven and let it cool so it hardens nicely. You want to be able to experience that candied crunch.

Once you've tried bacon candy, then it's time to expand your bacon repertoire. You can try the excellent Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges Chocolatiers. Whole Foods tends to stock Vosges chocolate as do other specialty food retailers, but you can also order it online if you can't find it locally. You'll be surprised how good bacon and chocolate taste together. In addition to the full size chocolate bars, Vosges also makes these sweet flying chocolate pigs filled with Applewood bacon. Yum!

And of course, bacon tastes great with virtually anything flavored with maple syrup. After all, it tastes great with pancakes, doesn't it? So you can crumble up some bacon to add to maple scones, muffins or cakes and it will taste delicious too.

Love bacon? Think bacon is suitable for every meal, including dessert? Then check out some more recipes with bacon and see what's delicious at Bacon Candy and Desserts.

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The Healthy Pleasures Desserts Offer

Have you ever tried craving for good dessert in the middle of the night? Has it ever occurred to you that when you open your fridge in search for a sumptuous midnight snack, you found yourself dismayed after seeing that the fridge is empty? Or were you ever once disappointed after you have saved your favourite slice of cake only to find out that your pesky brother has already eaten it up? Probably most people in this world have experienced this misfortune over food but hey, if you just try to be creative and use your head, you can still enjoy eating your favourite dessert at lunch, dinner or even during at midnight.

If there is anything that most people would love to do, it is to eat well. Most people love to celebrate small or big events of their lives with food. The hospitality of most people especially in the Asian countries is marked by the meals they prepare and share. There are some who go to a great length of trouble to bring something special to the dinner table.

At times, thinking of the dish to prepare and the dessert to make sometimes bring a terrible headache to the one responsible for cooking. It is hard to just serve the same food preparation daily. This will lead to loss of appetite or perhaps loss of family bonding because some will just prefer to dine in restaurants after knowing that the same food preparation is served at home. If you do not want this to happen, better start searching for best food recipes that is cheap and affordable the same as when you are canvassing for a cheap tazer for your self defense. Also, you can add a perfect dessert in every meal so your family will no longer have to dine in restaurants.

When you add dessert to your meals, you are making your loved ones to crave for more of your sweet delicacy. You do not need to worry about the cost or the expenses because you can make a tasty dessert with just few ingredients like eggs, sugar and cream, pasta, fruits or even jello. You can all find these in your cupboard.

There is a great importance of dessert in a meal similar to how a c2 tazer is of great importance to law enforcers in their everyday duty. Some prefer not to have one because it is just costly and hassle to prepare. Actually, there is less hassle because some of the desserts can be made through baking, or through adding some cream and mayonnaise. Mixed fruits can be made as dessert. Fruits are major source of vitamins and minerals which is very good for the health indeed.

Happiness and pleasure can also be met when there is a dessert after a meal. A pint of ice cream shared with your loved ones can already be happiness and bonding. A slice of cake can already bring a smile to your depressed little kid. The feeling is different when you and your family have shared one great dessert.

Desserts really need not to be that abundant or costly. You just have to learn to use your creativity and be resourceful. There are things in your cupboard that can be used as an ingredient for a fine and tasty dessert.

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Easy Summer Desserts

It's summer and the berries are plentiful!

Berries are available all year round in most areas, but there is nothing quite like easy dessert recipes made from summer fresh berries.

You can certainly make any of these recipes any time of the year, but they will be especially appreciated as cool summer treats.

Summer Fruit Bowl

Feel free to mix the berries you use in this recipe to suit your taste. Raspberries would be wonderful too.

16 lady finger halves
1 tablespoon sherry or orange juice
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup seedless green grapes
1 cup flaked coconut
1 - 14 ounce can pineapple chunks, well drained
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sprinkle the lady fingers with sherry or orange juice and line 1½ quart severing bowl with the cookies. Combine strawberries, blueberries and grapes. Mix coconut, pineapple, sour cream and extract. Stir this mixture lightly into the fruit. Spoon it all into the lined bowl. Chill before serving.

Makes 8 - 10 servings

Strawberry Peach Sherbet

The perfect summer dessert when these fruits are at their freshest.

4 large peaches
1 pound fresh strawberries, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup superfine sugar

Add the peaches to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the peaches from the pot and immerse in cold water. When the peaches are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and stones.

Mash the peaches into a pulp in a large mixing bowl. Pureé the peach pulp, strawberries and lemon juice in a food processor. Stir the sugar into the fruit mixture and pureé for another 10-15 seconds. Pour the mixture into a large, shallow dish and freeze until hard.

To serve:
Remove the dish from the freezer 1 hour before serving and let the sherbet soften in the refrigerator.

Mixed Berry Brown Betty

The surprise addition of a bit of white wine definitely makes this one ready for company. Use any mix of berries you prefer.

2 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup strawberries, quartered
2 1/2 cups raspberries
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup white wine (or substitute apple juice)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash salt
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Toss the berries with 3/4 cup brown sugar, the wine and the lemon juice. Set them aside.

Melt the butter with the cinnamon, salt and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a pot. In a separate bowl, blend bread crumbs and graham cracker crumbs. Pour the butter mixture over the crumbs and blend them together well.

Spoon 1/3 of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of 6 or 8 ramekins or the bottom of a square baking dish. Add half the berry mixture, then spoon over another 1/3 of the crumbs. Add the remaining berry mixture and finish with the remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until fruit is bubbly and crumbs are browned.

This berry treasure tastes great eaten while it is still warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy your summer and all the delicious bounty that fresh summer fruits have to offer with these sweet recipes.

Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things food and cooking related. Her website http://www.cookingnook.com contains hundreds of recipes, cooking tips, measurement conversions, kitchen ideas and diet and nutritional information.
Look for more easy summer dessert recipes here.

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Old Fashion Hoosier Desserts - Indiana Peach Crunch and Hoosier's Buttermilk Persimmon Pudding

One of the highlights of Fall in Southern Indiana is the annual ritual of picking persimmons, running them through the food mill, and making delicious and unique persimmon desserts. Here we offer a Buttermilk Persimmon Pudding recipe. If you don't like persimmons, try this other Hoosier favorite; Indiana Peach Crunch. Having been born and raised in Southern Indiana, I can assure you those Hoosiers know how to bake!

HOOSIER'S BUTTERMILK PERSIMMON PUDDING

This recipe was found in an old Indiana church cookbook.

2 cups persimmon pulp
1 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan; set aside.

Mix the butter and sugar together; add persimmon pulp. Blend mixture together well and stir in the buttermilk; add the eggs and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the persimmon mixture and mix together until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

Indiana Peach Crunch

This is another old Hoosier recipe.

1 large can sliced peaches, drained; reserving 1/4 cup of the syrup
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
dash of salt

Arrange the peach slices in a shallow baking dish; add the 1/4 cup syrup. Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt together in a small dish until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture over the peaches. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Note: This is very good served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

For more of my old-fashion recipe collection visit my blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

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A Cook's Guide to Quick Meals and Desserts

With cooking, creativity can be just as important as the ingredients. With our busy lives, we can all get in a rut sometimes when it comes to cooking. We want simple and quick meals that we've cooked hundreds of times - no surprises! We want our children to try new, healthier foods but aren't willing to be creative and try out some new recipes.

If you find yourself cooking the same old meals week in and week out, there's good news. Now you can try out new recipes using many of your handy ingredients and create new healthy meals easily. Here are some tips to get started.

Buy an Easy Cooking Cookbook

This might sound obvious, but you should first find a cookbook with recipes your family will love that's very easy to follow. Many cookbooks today offer only "fancy" foods packed with bizarre ingredients you've never heard of. Often, the food in these books doesn't even look tasty in the photos! Shop around online to find a cookbook that makes cooking easy and uses many of the ingredients you already keep around the kitchen. Be sure the cookbook offers your basic types of recipes such as entrees, casserole dishes, breads, fruits, veggies, beverages, and desserts.

Cookbooks also tend to favor one style of cooking, such as Santa Fe style cooking or Southern cooking. Choose one that caters to your family's taste buds, but don't be afraid to try something new.

Spice It Up

After buying a cookbook, go through the cookbook marking recipes you'd like to try for the month. You might try one or two new recipes a week just to add a little excitement to the dinner table. Write down the ingredients required, but don't forget the spices. Spices are usually what can make or break a meal. Buy spices that are required for the recipes and maybe a few extra spices for later. You can stock up on spices and keep them for a long time. When you become familiar with the new spices, you can test them in a variety of foods to enhance the flavor.

Create Menus in Advance

Preparation is the key to saving time and sticking with a meal plan. Plan menus in advance so there are no surprises. Keep ingredients on-hand that you know you will need. Most recipes give a preparation and cooking time. Plan your meals according to your schedule. Check out the available time listed for cooking. On days that you get off work late and will be rushed, find simple meals that you can cook quickly.

Prepare Mixes and Simple Foods in Advance

If you plan to make a dessert or a large meal, prepare your mixes and simple foods in advance to save time. For instance, if you plan to serve rice, potatoes, or macaroni with a meal prepare these the night or morning before and store them in the fridge. Then you'll only have to warm them up when needed.

Cake, cookie or brownie mixes for dessert can also be stored in the fridge for later cooking. Tip: To make your flour last for months and months, store the bag of flour in the freezer. The flour itself will not freeze, but it will last a very long time.

Mix Old with the New Just to be Safe

When preparing a brand new dish, be sure to mix some old food items in the menu just in case your family dislikes the new dish. This will ensure that everyone has something to eat even if they don't like the new recipe. For example: Perhaps you're introducing sourdough bread for the first time. You can cook some regular bread along with it and present both types of bread for everyone to try. Some family members might like the new bread and some might not. At least they are trying new foods!

With any new cooking venture, you will need to take some extra time and effort to give it a try. Once you become familiar with some new recipes, you'll find that it gets easier and easier to add new foods to your family meals.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Tips for Quick Meals and Desserts or Majon's Food directory

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Desserts

No meal is complete without desserts. A dessert is a type of food that gives the finishing touch to at the end of the meal to make it perfect. The origin of the term is really interesting. The term "desserts" has been derived from Old French term "desservir" which means cleaning the table. Normally the desserts are sweet food. Some desserts like types of cheese have different flavors. The trend to have desserts at the end of the meal is comparatively new in the western culture. If we look back in time, we can see there was always a custom to have nuts and fruits at the end of the meal. It gradually turned into desserts. But sweet dish was comparatively new addition in the list. Common types of deserts are custards, fruits, pudding, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pastries, ice creams, gelatin desserts, pies, sherbets, soufflés, meringues, petits fours and trifles and many more.

Before the development of the sugar industry in the 19th century, sweet used to be out of reach for the middle class. It was a rare holiday delicacy. A sweet dish in the meal was a note of aristocracy at that time. After the sugar industry was mechanized, sugar became cheaper. And, as a result, it gradually took a permanent place in the full course meal. In some cuisine, dessert is not used as a separate part at the end of the meal. In those cuisines, sweet dishes are eaten during the meal. In some cultures the dessert is not at all a part of the meal. They are especially reserved for some special occasions. Desserts are often eaten as separate meal sometime after the meal. But obviously it is done when the setting has a casual tone. In American concept, any sweet dish that follows a meal can be a dessert. Be it milkshake or other drinks, there are many restaurants that are specialized in the domain of desserts.

About Author: Dave Fooder runs a premiere exchange recipes network online. Visit his site http://www.cookscentral.com for Fast Free & Easy Cooking Collections and enjoy exchanging recipes.

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Filipino Recipes - Champorado (Dessert) Recipe - Pinoy Food

Champorado or chocolate-flavored rice porridge is a favorite breakfast among Filipinos, especially for families with kids. I haven't met a child who don't like chocolates and that explains why champorado is very famous in almost all households in the country.

I remember passing a can of evaporated milk around the table way back when I was a little girl. And my sisters and I would try to beat each other out with the designs we make using the milk on top of our bowls of hot champorado. Papa and Mama would judge our designs and we would all be declared winners in our own right. How carefree life was back then.

Going back to cooking, there are several champorado mixes available in the market today where you only have to pour hot water and leave it to cook for five minutes or so and your breakfast is ready. But for me nothing beats this special champorado recipe made even richer with the addition of coconut milk. And in my experience, coconut milk has never failed me in the numerous recipes that I've tried. Go ahead and taste the difference.

Ingredients:
1 cup malagkit rice
3 cups thin coconut milk or water
1 cup sugar
1 cup pure thick coconut milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder or 2 squares pure chocolate
Pinch of salt

Cooking Procedure:
Wash rice well and drain. Place in a pot or saucepan with 3 cups thin coconut milk or water. Cover and boil for about 10 minutes. To prevent scorching, stir once in a while.
Mix the cocoa powder or grated chocolate with the sugar and add to mixture with a pinch of salt. Cover and allow simmering until the rice is cooked. Stir mixture once in a while. Add the thick coconut milk just before removing from the heat.
Can be served hot or cold.

Jasmine is a native Filipino with a passion for cooking and gardening. Her love of Pinoy food has lead her to create a website to share her favorite Filipino recipes with the world.

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Traditional Cuban Dessert Recipes

If you enjoy South American sweet treats, you will love Cuban dessert recipes. A lot of them are similar to easy Mexican recipes for desserts, which you have perhaps already made at some point. Lots of tropical fruits grow in Cuba, including bananas, mango, soursop, pineapple, tamarinds, coconuts and guava, which means that fruity desserts are especially popular.

Well loved Cuban desserts include rice pudding and merenguitos, which are sweet meringue puffs. Torrejas are like French toast. They are sweet fried bread slices served with syrup and raisins. In Cuba, French toast is served for dessert rather than breakfast. Cubans also like to make cookies and pastries using the locally sourced fresh fruit. Fruit turnovers and parfait desserts are really popular there.

Flan, which is also known as creme caramel, is very popular in nearly all Spanish speaking countries, including Cuba and Mexico. This delicious egg custard is flavored with vanilla and has a smooth, silky texture.

An Easy Recipe for Boniatillo

This sweet potato pudding is popular during the holidays in Cuba. The pudding is flavored with cinnamon, cream, lime juice, vanilla and more and everybody will love the delicious flavor of this wonderful and traditional Cuban dessert. Chill it for a couple of hours or serve it hot. It tastes great either way! This recipe makes enough to serve four people.

What you will need:

2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs sweet potato
2 limes
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or grated cinnamon stick
Water, as needed
How to make it:

Peel and chop the sweet potato and cover it with water in a pan. Add a teaspoon of salt and boil it for twenty minutes or until tender. Drain the potato and mash it using a fork, blender, or food processor.

Peel the limes and save the fruit for another use. Put the peel in a big pan with the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and two cups of water. Cook the mixture over a moderate heat until it reaches 250 degrees F, stirring it all the time. You will need a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature.

Take out the peel and cinnamon and turn the heat down to low. Add the mashed sweet potato and keep stirring the mixture until it is smooth. Take it off the heat. Beat the cream, butter, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt until smooth, and then add this to the sweet potato mixture.

Cook it over a low heat for a couple of minutes, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla. If the mixture is too runny, you can mix a quarter cup of cornstarch with a quarter cup of water and add this. Divide the sweet potato pudding between serving bowls and garnish each one with a little ground cinnamon.

If you enjoy Cuban food, you will also enjoy making easy Mexican recipes. South American desserts, and Mexican food desserts especially, feature a wide range of delicious ingredients such as chocolate, fresh fruit and more, and they finish off a meal perfectly.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

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19th Century Food And Drink

Eat, drink and be merry! That was the cry of the Victorian era and the people of that period attacked their meals with great gusto! A revolution in stoves, cookware and kitchen gadgets, combined with the discovery of canning and food sterilization techniques, open up endless possibilities for the motivated domestic servant who held the position of cook.

Eating was an event in the Victorian home. Even the breakfast meal featured a variety of fruits, scones, omelettes, bacon and more. From the ritual pouring of afternoon tea, complete with its own elaborate rituals and opportunities to show off the lady's finest silver, china and linen, to elaborate banquets attended my noblemen and their guests there was always something on the stove in a Victorian kitchen.

In reality, the Victorian menu wasn't terribly different from what is served in homes today or at least in the homes where someone still cooks. Meat, fish and poultry were common and fresh or canned vegetables were served with most meals. Winter and autumn meals usually included hearty soups and stews while chicken and lighter dishes prevailed in the summertime.

Holidays meals were special celebrations and called for the finest dishes including Roast Mutton, Pork or Turkey, Boiled Beef, Stewed Rabbits, Plum Pudding and Mince Pies. Baked good were plentiful and cooks were especially prized for their dessert-making skills.

Most evening meals were served in courses with raw or baked Oysters a popular appetizer. The second course featured cream soups or plain bouillon along with a serving of baked or broiled fish. The main course, usually roasted poultry, pork or beef, accompanied by a variety of savoury vegetables, fresh baked bread, and frequently some pasta, was presented by the serving maid in grand fashion and to the great delight of those seated around the table.

The dessert course featured several puddings, cakes and highly prized specialities such as Nesselrode and Plum Pudding. Of course a variety of cheeses and fresh fruit were often served when available.

Wine was not particularly popular, but beer was and continues to be a favourite beverage in England. But it wasn't all alcohol in the Victorian home. Lemonade, root beer, hot tea and, yes, Perrier were also popular beverages.

Yes, the Victorians loved to eat and drink. We have them to thank for a long running tradition of good food served with gusto and a pint of beer!

You can learn more about Victorian Food and Drink by visiting http://www.thecooksguide.com a site brimming with historical recipes and household management wisdom imparted by the celebrity chef of his time Charles Elme Francatelli

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Elegant Jello Recipes - Using Wine and Champagne For Decadent Desserts

Jello is usually made by combining gelatin powder with water, but you can also use other liquids to make these recipes. Fruit juice, soda, and ginger ale are all possibilities but some sophisticated recipes call for wine or champagne. These will give a nice flavor to the dish and alcohol-based gelatin desserts are nice if you are having a dinner party in the spring or summer.

Alcohol is used in a lot of dessert recipes, such as rum babas, sherry trifle and fruit flambees. Many extracts, such as vanilla extract, are alcohol-based and these give lots of flavor to dessert recipes. When using jello to make desserts, you usually have to use a liquid to dissolve the powder, unless you are making something like a gelatin salad recipe and only adding the powder to give color and flavor to the dish.

Which Type of Wine to Use

If a recipe calls for champagne, you can use any sparkling white, since the flavor will be very similar and the sweetness of the jello means you do not have to use an expensive champagne unless you happen to have one open and the recipe only calls for a small amount of it.

For recipes with red wine, the recipe should tell you whether to use something dry or something light and fruity. If not, feel free to use any kind, since it is just to give some flavor to the dessert and also add some color.

If you are making a savory dish like beef with red wine, for example, it is a good idea to use a good one, since the flavor will be apparent in the finished dish. For dessert recipes, you have more leeway when it comes to the alcohol.

Recipe for Port Flavored Gelatin

What you will need:

2 cups boiling water
6 oz package raspberry gelatin
1/3 cup port
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
15 oz cranberry sauce (whole berry is best)
20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

How to make it:

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and let the mixture cool. Pour it into a serving bowl and add all the other ingredients. Chill the mixture until it has set. This recipe makes enough to serve twelve people.

Recipe for Jello with White Wine

What you will need:

1/2 cup sweet white wine
6 oz package cherry gelatin
1 can black cherries, drained
1 package Cool Whip

How to make it:

Soak the cherries in the wine for about an hour. Make the jello as directed on the package, but by substituting wine for some of the cold water. Stir the gelatin. Add the cherries to the jello when it is partially set. Adding them too early will cause them to sink. Keep one cup of jello separately in a bowl, then mix the Cool Whip into it. Whip well, and then use this mixture to top the set jello.

You can make all kinds of desserts with jello from mousses to cheesecakes and even pie recipes. What about making an elegant jello dessert with champagne or something fun and patriotic like a jello flag cake for your 4th of July party?

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Cheap Barbecue Party Food Ideas - Get Invited to Every Party

It doesn't have to cost you a lot of money to make your barbecue memorable. Remember -- most people expect burgers and potato salad. So any different food is good. And if you follow our cheap barbecue party ideas you can impress your guests for not a lot of money.

First off I must state that there is absolutely nothing at all wrong with burgers and potato salad. I love them both and all weekend griller's BBQ parties should have a good selection of these and other basics. But just a few other cheap barbecue party food ideas during planning can save your food -- and your parties -- from boring repetition.

Here are five cheap and easy food ideas you can try immediately to make you next BBQ party memorable and fun:

1) One word -- Condiments! Everyone has mustard and ketchup. Occasionally you see a lonely bottle of Frank's. But for very little money or effort you can add a rainbow of taste to your table and impress your guests. Visit a specialty store or good supermarket and pick up some bottles of unusual BBQ sauces or hot sauces for the table. Do not just paint the meat on the grill -- give your guests a choice on the table. Today's BBQ and hot sauces come in a wide variety of flavors and heat levels and there is something for (almost) everyone. Consider the food you are serving and other sauces that may complement it. If you are serving chicken consider a white BBQ sauce or horseradish sauce. If you are serving fish consider a sweet Barbeque sauce or a Vietnamese or Japanese fish sauce.

2) Salsa -- Not just for corn chips anymore! Several years ago salsa took over the number-one-selling condiment spot in the US from ketchup but most people still think of it as just a dip for chips or a covering for Mexican foods. Salsa is -- and can be -- so much more. Consider visiting a Farmers' Market or specialty food store the morning of the barbecue and picking up a fresh salsa. Or better still,yet spend a little time the night before the party and make a batch of homemade salsa. It's really very easy. And don't just stick to the basic tomato/pepper salsa -- be brave and try a fruit or a veggie based salsa. Choose your salsa based on the meat and vegetables you will be serving and invite your guests to cover these foods for a new taste experience.

3) It's almost embarrassing how much good will and praise can be produced by a simple salad. As cheap BBQ party ideas go, this is one of the best. Everyone does potato and macaroni salad. Ask your friends to bring a dish and you'll probably get 3 of each. You can impress everyone to no end by making up a colorful and easy pasta or fruit salad that not only looks great but tastes great, too. Add some items off the grill into it at the last moment for an unforgettable touch.

4) Sides -- Go beyond the salad! So you've brought your impressive (though cheap) salad. But now think beyond to other side dishes. What springs to mind? If you are like most people - corn on the cob comes to mind. There is nothing wrong this. But to really impress your guests think of adding one or two other unusual sides that will complement the main course. And remember that sides don't have to be just veggies. Think of the possibilities of fruits, shellfish and even meats.

5) Desserts - Why not use the fire? Okay, you gotta have a dessert. You'll probably want something cold (homemade ice cream, maybe?) and some sweets for the kids. But since the fire is still warm why not consider really impressing your friends by making an additional dessert or two on the grill. Make homemade ice cream (always a reasonably cheap choice) AND grilled dessert to go with it and you will be considered a party god for many years.

Since most BBQ parties feature the same basic foods, these cheap party food ideas will help any weekend griller to impress their guests. Do it well and your friends will invite you to every party and beg for an invitation to yours.

Mark Hester is the co-creator of http://www.theweekendgrillers.com along with Jamie Clark of Derby City Sauces. If you love Grilling and BBQ and want more fantastic party ideas and recipes visit them at The Weekend Grillers. While you're there check out the Delicious Grilling and BBQ Recipes, Sign-up for the Free Newsletter and visit our Blog -- http://theweekendgrillers.com/blog

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The History Of Italian Food

While some of the most popular dishes associated with the Italian culture include a tempting slice of pizza and a heaping plate of pasta, there is much more to the world of Italian cooking. Throughout the many regions in Italy, the distinctive cuisine of the Italians shines through in a wide-range of eating habits, styles of cooking, and selection of local ingredients. The changing of the times has also influenced Italian food, as the meals served in the pre-Roman era possess both similarities and differences in the cuisine of today.

The culinary history of Italy established a reputation more than 2,000 years ago, which includes an illustrious movement during the Roman Empire. Culturally, food preparation was quite important in the past where flashes of significance have been captured in the only surviving cookbook (Apicius), which dates back to the first century BC.

The spread of Italian food diversity began after the fall of the Roman Empire when individual city states began to uphold separate identities and traditions. Each region began to display its own unique way of cooking, right down to the formation of a meatball to the characteristic cheeses and wine produced in a locale. The north developed Tuscan beef, while black truffles were very popular in Marches. Provolone and mozzarella cheeses developed in the south, as well as a host of interesting citrus fruits.

Diverse types of bread, variations in pasta, and varying food preparation techniques also differed according to region. The southern regions of Italy embrace hard-boiled spaghetti, while the north often prefers a soft egg noodle. Milan is known for their risotto, while Bologna has a deep history regarding tortellini, and Naples is famous for their pizzas.

Over the years, Italian cuisine has greatly evolved in part because of a wealth of outside influences that have added to its characteristic flavor and appeal. In the beginning, ancient Greek cookery became an integrated part of Italian cuisine. Eventually, a wealth of imports found their way into the kitchens of early Italians, who sent Roman ships to collect a variety of important foods, including wheat, wine, exotic ingredients, and fine spices from around the world. Some ships even traveled to faraway locations, such as China, to bring back edible resources that catapulted the depth and variety of Italian cooking styles.

Coastal regions are known for their developments in delicious fish and seafood dishes. For example, the island of Sardinia supplies a more traditional and simple style of cuisine, which often incorporated delicacies, associated with the sea. Swordfish, lobster, anchovies, sardines, and other Mediterranean treats represent Italian cooking of the area. In Sicily (another island region), a great deal of the cooking drew heavily from North African influences. An Arab influence also affected cuisine on the island and within the rest of the south, especially with the introduction of various spices and sweets, such as the Sicilian ice cream cake called cassata.

As for one of the most popular Italian dishes, while the history books often state that pasta was a product of the Chinese brought back by Venetian merchant, Marco Polo, it was actually a rediscovery of a food item eaten during Etruscan and Roman times. It is believed that the first pasta in Italy was made similar to the noodles of today - from the same durum wheat - which was cooked in ovens instead of boiled in water.

Today, the differences in Italian cooking still show through in the distinctions between the north and the south. Each region still carries their own traditions in cooking that reflects deep history and culture with a never ending supply of main courses, appetizers, and desserts that continuously tempts the taste buds.

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Low Calorie and Vegetarian Recipes For Dessert

Whether you're having a party or you just want something sweet read after dinner there are good vegetarian recipes for low calorie desserts available.

How you create your low calorie desserts is completely up to your preferences. Many dessert recipes can be made low calorie by reducing the amount of sugar.

This can be done a couple of different ways; you can either, reduce the amount of sugar slightly and include a sweet fruit or juice in its place, or you can also substitute Splenda in place of sugar. Another way is to just reduce sugar and not put anything in its place.

Mixed Berry Sorbet

½ cup sugar
½ cup Splenda
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 cups water
1 cup pureed strawberries
½ cup pureed blackberries
½ cup pureed raspberries
In a large saucepan, dissolve sugar and cornstarch in water over low heat. Boil mixture until it becomes thick, like syrup (about 10 minutes).
Remove from the heat and cool.

When the sugar syrup is completely cooled mix together with the pureed fruit.

Place in a plastic container (without a lid) and freeze until it is solid.

Cut the sorbet into chunks and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Put the sorbet back into the freezer and freeze for another 4 hours.

Serve frozen.

Variations:

Strawberry sorbet = use 2 cups pureed strawberries and omit the other berries.

Blackberry sorbet = use 2 cups pureed blackberries and omit other berries.

Raspberry sorbet = use 2 cups pureed raspberries and omit other berries.

Mixed fruit sorbet (or any other fruit sorbet) you can change the flavor of sorbet by using a different fruit, or combination of fruits, as long as you keep the portion of fruit puree the same.

Sugar-free Carrot Cake

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup carrot, grated
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
Lightly grease cake pan and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside.

Combine the water, dates, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Add shredded carrots to the hot water mixture and cool.

Once cooled add walnuts and orange juice to the carrot mixture and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and combine.

Pour the batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees approximately 45 minutes.

Discover all the other great low calorie and vegetarian recipes just waiting for you at my low calorie and vegetarian recipes [http://www.low-calorie-and-vegetarian-recipes.org] website or at [http://www.low-calorie-and-vegetarian-recipes.org]

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An Ode to Desserts

Scientists tell us sugars are non essential foods and we know that even at their most modest, desserts express a certain indulgence. In fact since ancient times, the sweet dish was a luxury reserved for the rich. In Ancient Rome, the poor made do with meals consisting cereal and any available meat or vegetables, while the wealthy enjoyed three course meals, with the final course, serving the sweet dish.

Today sweet dish is no longer the preserve of the wealthy. Most of us regularly treat ourselves to both regional and international sweet specialties. Deserts may well be the final course of a meal, but the origins of the word suggests it is something of a star.

The word "Dessert" derives from the French word Desservir which refers to the act of clearing the table. This was literally the practice in Ancient Rome, as soon as the main course was concluded, the entire table was carted away and a new table was brought in for the dessert spread. Consequently the dessert table was called as the second table.

The Ancient Romans were not the first to have a dessert course as a part of the meal, the Greeks before them also enjoyed dessert dishes as did the Ancient Egyptians. What does the development of the Dessert culture tell us? There is no doubt that it has a lot to do with an instinctive need to clear the palate and tame the turbid seas of the stomach after a complex meal. But the dessert is also an expression of an aspiration to transcendence, moving beyond the mechanics and duties of a simple meal.

In spirit desserts speak the heart and the mind. In reality this is consistently borne out in the finest luxury desserts, whether traditional or novel. Cheese cake made from superior cream cheese and the purest vanilla, set upon a graham cracker crust and crafter with a refined sense of visual balance is a sight to behold. It stirs the aesthete in all of us and its meticulous arrangement of flavors and forms is the definition of exquisite.

Let's check the sweet passage of dessert over years.

Ancient - Fruits were likely the first desserts. The earliest assembled desserts consisted of fruits in honey. Rudimentary fruit cakes are made in Egypt. Ancients Romans make desserts very similar to soufflés, puddings and cheesecakes.

62CE - Roman Emperor Nero dispatches his men to bring ice from the mountains to make his fruit dessert. This is among the first recorded instance of an ice cream.
1400CE - Ginger Bread is made by soaking bread crumbs in honey and spices. White flour becomes popular in medieval Europe.
1600CE - Pralines are created by a French officer and diplomat. Sugar continues to be expensive in the 16th century, honey is used for sweetening.
1700CE -Mughal influences on Indian Cuisine include all time favorite sweet dishes such as Barfi, Halwa and Gulab Jamun.
1740CE - First cupcake is recorded. Powdered sugar becomes widely available across Europe by the 18th Century.
1847CE - Solid Chocolate invented leading to production of first chocolate bars.
20the Century - Machine spun cotton candy debuts at the 1904 World Fair where it is a instant hit. Mass production of confectionery and instant desserts are undertaken. The ice cream cone is invented, sales of ice cream booms in the 1930s. Tiramisu is invented in Italy in 1982.

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Desserts Your Kids Can Help Make

If you have children, you probably know that the simplest task like making dinner can be quite a challenge. The kids might be asking for something from another room, they may be complaining about being hungry, or they might be fighting with each other. Whatever they are doing, it is always helpful to have a task to occupy them while you are cooking. One of the best things to let them do is make desserts for the evening.

There are many desserts kids can help make while you are cooking the main meal. You might want to bake cupcakes ahead of time and let them decorate them while you cook. You might also want them to create their own deserts using ingredients you place out.

For instance, you can have them create a fruit cocktail dessert. Simply place out cut fruit, pudding, whipped crème, and vanilla wafer cookies. Then give them bowls and let them decorate and design a dessert for everyone in your family. When they are done, they can slip the bowls into the fridge and present them after dinner is over.

Your children will love helping with the desserts and you will love the time you get to create a healthy meal for your family. After all, when the kids are happy and occupied, your whole house is happy. Of course, you need to tell them not to snack on the desserts until after they eat their main meal. Or else they may not be hungry at all!

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Lebkuchenhertz, or The German Gingerbread

We're going to do a quick food association here. Get ready...

GERMANY!

Among the things that probably popped into your head were Beer, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut. I won't say that the stereotyping is wrong here. Germans love their beer, bratwurst (actually all different kinds of delicious wursts) and sauerkraut, but there is just SO MUCH MORE to German food than this trinity of deliciousness.
There's also dessert.

German Cookies and Desserts

My walk to school every day carried me directly by a bakery. Actually, it brought me by three bakeries. Walking by the first one awoke hunger. Walking by the second made my mouth water, and by the time I got to the third, a mere block away from the schoolhouse, my self control had been completely broken and I blame Bäckerei Burkhard Jess and their delicious confections for the 20 lb. that I gained in one year. That's right. 20 lb. Don't judge me.

German Gingerbread

Hanging in the window of this bakery was one of the most typical, well-known and recognizable German cookies of all time: The Lebuchenhertz.

The Germans are famous for concatenation, and this word is no exception. It's actually two words squished together: Lebkuchen and Hertz. Lebkuchen is a type of Gingerbread and Hertz is heart. The word Lebkuchen is a concatenation in and of itself. Kuchen definitely means cake. The "Leb" part of the word has been the subject of nerdy discussion for centuries. Some think it comes form the latin "Libum" or flat bread or possibly from the term Laib which means loaf. Yet another theory stems from the term leb-honig, which is the crystallized honey harvested from beehives which isn't good for much else other than baking.

As with many ancient types of baked goods, the ingredients for lebkuchen differ slightly by region. Honey is always present, and cinnamon, cardamom, anisseed, allspice, cloves, and ginger are the most common flavorings.

Lebkuchen has a long history. The modern iteration of the cake/bread/cookie has its roots in a monastery in the German town of Franconia in the early 13th century, but it's origin can be traced back to the honeycakes of Egypt.

The Egyptians baked honey-sweetened and heavily spiced cakes similar to today's lebkuchen and buried them in the graves of their Pharaohs as gifts to the gods. The Romans adopted the recipe and called it Panus Mellitus, or Sweet Bread. It traveled with them westwards and as the more exotic spices of the Orient and Middle East became more available in Europe, so did this sweet bread. But anyway, back to the Germany!

Though Lebkuchen was found in Franconia and then in Ulm at the in around 1296, the city of Nuremburg is the most famous exporter of the sweet in modern times. In fact, as of 1996, Nuremburger Lebkuchen is a protected product, and must be made in the city to be so called.

The Lebkuchen can be found in many forms. The harder type is typically made into the cookies pictured above and decorated decadently with icing. They are as synonymous with Oktoberfest as giant pretzels and can be found at any major or minor festival in Germany, all year round. These hearts are also one of the most popular cookie gifts in Germany today.

So, the next time you think of Gingerbread, don't automatically think of gingerbread men. Think about the big hearted German Gingerbread!

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Healthy Desserts

It's no surprise that eating an unhealthy dessert every night is not the quickest way to lose weight. However, it can often be difficult to abstain, especially if you've gotten yourself into the habit of snacking after dinner or have a nagging sweet tooth. Since we tend to forget what we eat in between larger meals, the hidden calories within desserts are easy to overlook, and can be devastating to your weight loss goals. As a result, desserts are where many people fall short in their attempt to get in shape. There are several steps you can take that will allow you to continue to lose weight while still enjoying a satisfying dessert several times a week.

The best way to combat this problem is simply to change the types of foods you eat for dessert. Now this doesn't mean you have to go from enjoying great tasting desserts to eating health food, you just need to be smarter about what you eat. Oftentimes, what your body craves is the sugar, not the actual dessert. There are a number of healthy options that satisfy this need.

For example, try an apple or other kind of fruit (think food that burns more calories to eat than you get from eating it). They make for both a delicious and healthy after dinner snack. For those who insist on having their chocolate fix for the day, melt a teaspoon of chocolate chips and pour them over a few slices of banana peals. This is a much better option than a bowl of ice cream smothered in chocolate syrup, and, while not the healthiest choice in the world, should help you cut down on the calories you eat at dessert. Any time you can achieve that goal, you should be able to lose weight as long as you include a regular exercise program. Making smarter choices about what you eat for dessert can significantly improve your ability to lose weight.

Learn about losing body fat at Rachel's Health Blog.

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Easy Sugar Free Desserts For Everyone!

Are you looking for some easy desserts and sugar free cookie recipes for your special sugar free diet friends? Are you searching for some new sugar free cookie and dessert recipes for this coming Christmas party? How about creating some new and delicious sugar free recipes for everyone?

Mary is busy searching for sugar free desserts for her coming Christmas party. She is going to invite a numbers of sugar free diet friends .

According to her, her friends were very pleased to be included in her Christmas party list. Because most of the host cannot provide sugar free food for them, therefore they will not be invited.

She found some amazing sugar free recipes here...

Special Pudding

Ingredients
1000 ml milk
280g flour
6 eggs
Action
a. Mix the flour and milk together, and beat well.
b. Whip eggs to a froth and add the eggs to the milk mixture.
c. Boil it for 2 hours, and serve hot with rich cream.

-------------------

Nutmeg and Muskmelons

Ingredients
Nutmegs
Ripe muskmelons
Ice lump
Pepper and salt
Action
a. Wash nutmegs and melons.
b. Whip dry and cut into two.
c. Shake out the seeds lightly and put a lump of ice in each half.
d. Eat with pepper and salt.

-------------------

Milk Rice

Ingredients
750 ml hot milk
100g rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Raisins (seeded)
Action
a. Wash and drain the rice.
b. Soak the rice with water for 20 minutes.
c. Pour away the water, add the rice and salt into the milk and boil.
d. When done, press the rice into small cups and serve with cream and raisins.

------------------

Cream Puff Dough

Ingredients
500 ml water
4 level tablespoons butter
500g flour (sifted)
4 eggs
Action
a. In a saucepan, combine the water and butter and mix thoroughly.
b. When the water is boiling and butter thoroughly melted, turn instantly the flour and stir rapidly over the heat. In a moment you will have a perfectly smooth and soft dough free from sticky-ness.
c. Remove from heat and stand it aside till partly cold.
d. Break the egg into a cup, then turn it into the batter.
e. Beat for a moment, then add another and another.
f. Beat thoroughly and add the fourth good egg from the cup.
g. Beat he batter for 5 minutes and stand it aside for 1-1.5 hours.
h. Drop by tablespoonfuls into greased shallow pans and bake in a 170°C oven for 35-40 minutes.
i. When the puffs are done, they will be hollow and light.
Note:
a. The batter must be dropped far enough apart to leave rooms for swelling.
b. You may fill the puff shell with a little cold mashed fresh banana pulp, chopped nuts and raisins.

------------------

Tea Biscuits

Ingredients
240g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter (melted
Water
Action
a. Mix the dry ingredients and rub in butter with the tips of your fingers.
b. Add water to make a dough just stiff enough to roll out.
b. Roll 1 cm thick and cut with a round cutter and bake in a greased pan in a preheated 200°C oven for about 10 minutes.

------------------

Drop Biscuits

Ingredients
240g flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
Milk
Action
a. Mix he dry ingredients and rub in the butter.
b. Add milk to make a mixture that may be dropped from a spoon without spreading.
c. Drop on a buttered pan 1 cm apart and bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

------------------

Banana Raisins Pie

Ingredients
100g seeded raisins (chopped)
250 ml water
2 tablespoons sifted cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon butter
1 large banana (in thin slices)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 lemon rind (grated)
1 egg (well beaten)
2 tablespoons seeded raisins (cut in pieces)
Action
a. Cook 100g chopped raisins in water until plump.
b. Remove from fire. Add crumbs and mix with flour and butter.
c. Let it stand and covered until cold.
d. Add cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon rind, honey and the lemon extract to the slices of banana.
e. Combine mixture, add egg and pieces of raisins.
f. Bake between two crust.

Now she has enough easy desserts and sugar free recipes for her coming Christmas party!

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Sweet Slow Cooker Recipes and Crockpot Desserts

If you have an old crockpot gathering dust in the back of the cupboard, it is time to dust it off and get excited about slow cooking again. Perhaps you have used your slow cooker once or twice to make classic slow cooker recipes like soup or casserole, but did you know that you can make desserts in the crockpot too?

You can make all kinds of desserts in there, in fact, including rice pudding, bread pudding, and cobbler recipes and even dump cake. Dump cake might not have an attractive name but it is an incredibly attractive recipe because it just involves "dumping" all the ingredients into the slow cooker, giving them a stir and leaving the mixture to cook by itself all day. The end result is a delicious and perfectly flavored dessert which is so easy.

Other Crockpot Dessert Ideas

You might want to make a crockpot dessert and a sauce on the stove to go with it. While the dessert finishes cooking you will have plenty of time to make a tasty homemade sauce (or drive to the store to buy some ice cream or whipped cream!)

How about trying a crockpot fruit crisp recipe? This is so simple. You just need to chop some fruit and add it to the crockpot. Sprinkle over some oats, sugar, flour, melted butter and spices and cook until the fruit is hot and bubbly. This is wonderful with ice cream.

Recipes like these are ideal if you have a busy day lined up, because they mean dessert is one less thing to think about. Simply start it off in the morning and it will take care of itself, leaving your time free to focus on other things.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Cobbler

This southern style dessert recipe serves six people and it tastes so good. The combination of sweet potatoes, nuts, orange, sugar, eggs, flour and more results in a really mouthwatering dessert. Serve it alone or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, orange sorbet or whipped cream.

What you will need:

18 oz canned sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

How to make it:

Drain and mash the canned sweet potatoes with the white sugar, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the butter. Beat in the evaporated milk, eggs and orange juice. Lightly butter the slow cooker and transfer the sweet potato mixture to it.

Mix the flour, pecans and the remaining brown sugar and butter. Spread this mixture over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Cover the crockpot and cook for about 3 and a half hours on high. Serve hot.

Crockpots are not just for making soups and casseroles. In fact, some of the best slow cooker recipes are for delicious desserts. Why not explore the sweeter side of slow cooking and make some delicious crockpot desserts for the family? You are sure to find something to suit everyone's taste.

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Typical Spanish Desserts and Jello Recipes

Spanish people often eat cakes and pastries with a cup of coffee for their breakfast, rather than after a meal. They sometimes eat fruit as a dessert but they also have dessert recipes, ranging from simple fruit or dairy based treats to elegant seed pastries or nut pastries.

Many Spanish desserts are quite simple. Examples of famous Spanish desserts include rice pudding, crema catalana, cream-filled sponge rolls, and pears poached in red wine.

A lot of the classic Spanish desserts are made with eggs and milk and these include crema catalana and tocino del cielo, which is a dessert that used to be by Spanish nuns. They sold their desserts to help maintain their convents and they got the egg yolks free from local winemakers who only needed the egg whites to clarify their red wine and sherry.

Regional Spanish Desserts

Each region in Spain has its own desserts, developed over thousands of years. Various cultures from the Arabs to the Romans have introduced their own flavors, which have merged with traditional Spanish ingredients and ideas to make new dishes.

Turron is very famous in Spain and this traditional dessert is of Arabic origin. Turron is a Spanish almond candy and it is especially popular around Christmastime. It comes in many textures and flavors but is made primarily from honey and almonds.

Membrillo - Spanish Jello

Membrillo is a jello-like dessert, which is very popular in Spain and often eaten with sheep milk cheese. It is similar to French quince paste or Mexican guava paste or cactus paste.

Membrillo makes a nice Spanish style dessert for children but for adults it is delicious served with a tangy cheese and perhaps a glass of sherry on the side.

Recipe for Spanish Sangria Jello

This delicious and fluffy jello dessert has only five ingredients and the cherries and walnuts give a fruity, nutty, rich flavor, which helps to make this a satisfyingly rich dessert recipe.

You can use strawberry or raspberry jello instead of cherry jello in the following Spanish dessert recipe if you like. If you do not have sangria, you can make your own by mixing together red wine and lemonade. Add a little brandy or fruit juice to if you want to enhance the taste.

How to Create a Jello Dessert with Sangria

What you will need:

1 can pitted cherries in juice
2 small packs cherry jello
1 cup shelled walnuts, chopped
Whipped cream, to garnish
1 cup sangria

How to make it:

Pour the juice from the can of cherries into a measuring cup and add water if necessary to make it up to two cups. Bring this liquid to a boil in a pan, and then stir in the jello powder, mixing it well until it has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and add the sangria. Chill until the mixture is thick, and then stir in the nuts and cherries. Pour the sangria jello into a jello mold and chill it overnight. Serve with whipped cream.

With a large family of six, one thing there isn't a lot of is extra time. That is why we love making quick and easy desserts featuring Jello and pudding. There are many kinds of Spanish dessert recipes you can make including this extra special sangria flavored jello or maybe this fluffy jello dessert. This wonderful yet easy jello recipe is impressive enough for a dinner party dessert and you can find many more easy jello recipes at JelloRecipes.net
If you are looking for some quick, easy desserts that are sure to please this dessert site is the place to start your gelatin or pudding dessert search. The site has some great choices that go beyond the usual fruit salad gelatin mold. Check out the site and find the right dessert for your next meal.
Jello doesn't have to be boring our jello salad recipes and other unique desserts have been made to please by our very own staff chef and are great tasting and easy to make too.your family with a delicious dessert they will think took you hours to make, the truth will be our secret!

We Don't Make the Products We Just Make Great Desserts with Them!

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American Dessert Banana Ice Cream

Ice cream is often called The Great American Dessert. Find out the history behind ice cream - sundaes and cones. Ice cream structure is both fascinating and confusing. The way we perceive the texture of ice cream when we consume it (smooth, coarse, etc.) is based on its structure, and thus structure is probably one of its most important attributes.

Fried Banana ice cream has been so hot recently that my thoughts have turned to ice cream. Ice cream is about the simplest recipe I know for a cool desert. Smooth, creamy cherry ice cream with heart-shaped chocolate covered cherry candies and a thick chocolate sundae sauce swirl. I have served baked bananas as dessert many times. Slit bananas sprinkled with brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon, baked till soft, served with or without ice cream. That sugary lemony sauce looks and tastes divine, full of the ripeness of bananas. But banana in ice cream sounded intriguing.

The banana ice cream really should be unsweetened. Find high quality chocolate if possible. The result was an ice cream we all allowed ourselves to like. The taste of bananas in ice cream was new to us all, and the garden lemon added an interesting and fragrantly refreshing note. It was concluded a winner!

The banana Ice creams are very taste, however, was quite good. A cheap and easy ice cream recipe without cream: just evaporated milk, skim milk and sugar. I flavored the basic ice cream recipe with vanilla and banana puree to get rid of the evaporated milk taste but feel free to improvise! The pure banana ice creams in a blender or food processor with the lemon juice and the sugar. Please purchase online [http://www.indomunch.com] in NewYork city.

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Halloween Party Foods: Five Disgusting Desserts

Halloween is the one holiday where your imagination can run wild. In addition to making food taste good, you get to make it look gross, too. Here are five disgusting desserts for your next Halloween party or get-together.

1. Slasher Cake

The idea behind this is a violent killer with a knife. Use any kind of cake you like, in any flavor. You'll need to frost the top with a light colored frosting. Using a tube of red gel icing, or some royal icing colored red, create lines and pools of "blood."

If you have a severed body part prop, this gets even more gross. Put the hand, foot, finger, or eyeball on top the cake, with a pool of blood icing around the cut area.

For a final sickly touch, have a large knife nearby. Put red icing along the blade and in several spots on the handle, to look like bloody fingerprints.

2. Graveyard Cake

This is fun for kids to help you with. You can be as careful and painstaking as you like, or keep it simple.

Use a cake in a large baking pan, or a sheet type cake. Frost it, preferably with a dark colored frosting for nighttime, or green for daytime. You can sprinkle shredded coconut for grass.

Add tombstones using flat cookies or brownies. Use piping gel to add small crosses, RIP, or other words as inscriptions. Stand them up in the frosting. You might need to use toothpicks if they won't stay upright.

Make it elaborate by adding a fence from short pieces of licorice sticks or other firm stick-like candies around the edge. You can sprinkle gummy worms or fake bugs on top.

3. Black Cat Poop

These look disgusting, but they are one of the easiest treats to make. Simply use rice cereal treats made with a chocolate cereal. Or dip regular cereal treats into melted chocolate, then place on a cookie sheet to harden. Be sure to shape the treats into logs, while they are still warm, instead of letting them cool in a pan.

4. Zombie's Alive Cupcakes

Use any type of cupcake with any color frosting. Get plastic novelty tiny hands, or make some from marzipan or modeling chocolate. Stick them on the top of the cupcake, with the fingers pointing up, to look like zombie hands coming out of the ground. You can put a puddle of red icing at the bottom, to look like the wrist is bleeding.

5. Severed Head

You'll need a face mold for this. Place a layer of plastic wrap in the mold, then pour in a no-bake dessert. Use something like a gelatin dessert or no-bake cheesecake. After it has set, spread a puddle of strawberry or raspberry jam or sauce on a serving plate. Unmold the face on top of that.

There you have five easy, fun, and disgusting desserts for your next Halloween party. Even though these look gross, they taste terrific. Try them for yourself and see. Bone Appetit!

Want to see pictures?
For more Halloween party food ideas, visit http://halloweenpartystuff.net/halloween-cake-ideas-five-disgusting-desserts/

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Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe, A Classic Southern Dessert

Lemon Meringue Pie is one of the classic southern recipes that should be made at home. It is easy to make and the flavor of the homemade version far out shines the store bought or frozen variety. The lemon meringue pie recipe consists of 3 parts: the pie shell, the custard, and the meringue.

This recipe uses a pre-baked pie shell to make it easy, however you can make your own if you prefer. Use a pastry shell, not a graham or cookie crust so that the meringue will seal properly.

For meringue recipes, I prefer to use pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs have been pasteurized to kill any germs and are safe for foods such as meringue which may not otherwise receive enough cooking. Pasteurized eggs are available at most supermarkets these days, but if they are not available in your area, you can substitute the powdered pasteurized egg whites which can be found in your baking section. (Substitute only for the whites, not the yolks.)

Bring the egg whites to room temperature before beating. This will encourage whipping and result in greater volume in your meringue.

Serious cooks keep a copper bowl to beat their egg whites in, but I make meringue just fine in my ceramic bowl. I wouldn't use plastic, because the bowl must be absolutely clean. Any trace of oil or grease that might cling to plastic will keep the whites from beating properly. This applies to your beaters, also. Make sure they are perfectly clean.

Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

1 pre-baked pie shell

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

5 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup cold water

3 egg yolks from pasteurized eggs, save whites for meringue

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons butter

grated zest of 1 lemon

Meringue

3 egg whites from pasteurized eggs,

3 Tablespoons sugar

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cold water in a saucepan.
Add the egg yolks. Blend well.

Add the boiling water, bring back to a boil and simmer for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and butter.

Pour into pie shell.

Make the Meringue:

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks will hold their shape when mounded.

Gradually add the sugar, one spoonful at a time. Beat until combined and no sugar crystals remain.

Spread on top of the pie. Spread the meringue to the edge of the pie so that it seals with the pie shell.

Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown.

I hope you will try this lemon meringue pie recipe. It will quickly become a family favorite.

Are you interested in more lemon pie recipes and other southern dessert recipes? Sign up for our newsletter at Southern Sweets and Desserts and get traditional southern recipes delivered to your email regularly.

Diane has just finished a free cookbook of her favorite southern recipes. Download Easy Southern Favorites today. These recipes are guaranteed to have them begging for more. Best of all, its free!

Diane Watkins is a traditional southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. For more information on southern cooking and recipes visit her website at Easy Southern Cooking

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The Use of Fruit in Mexican Dessert Recipes

Mexican dessert recipe staples include chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Fruit is also a popular ingredient to use and Mexicans love to use fresh produce in both their savory Mexican recipes and in Mexican desserts recipes too.

Fruit is a great dessert ingredient if you want to make something healthy. You can use it to make pies, cakes, fruit salads and much more. If you can find some Mexican fruits, you can make authentic Mexican desserts.

Famous Mexican Fruits

Mango, prickly pear, guavas and pomegranate are popular fruit ingredients for Mexican desserts and you have probably tasted some or all of these, in Mexican cuisine or another. There are also some other fruits that you might encounter in Mexican recipes for desserts, like soursop. Soursop is green-skinned with a creamy tasting white flesh. It is often found in tropical markets but rarely anywhere else. There are lots of black seeds in the pulp.

Mamey fruit is another and this brown skinned fruit has a very sweet orange-colored flesh. Loquats have soft orange-colored flesh and about four seeds inside. Loquats are native to Asia but also found in Central, South and North America and Mexico. Cherimoya is oval in shape and has white flesh with many seeds. All of these fruits are common in Mexico but it can be hard to find them in other places.

The blossom of the coffee tree looks and smells quite like jasmine. The coffee tree fruit takes nine months to ripen and can be used to make Mexican desserts recipes. Sapote fruits come in black or white. A white sapote is also known as a custard apple and the flesh tastes creamy and a bit like chocolate. The black sapote is a close relative to the persimmon but not related to the white sapote.

Recipe for Spiced Mexican Fruit Salad

This wonderful and simple recipe combines Mexican fruits with lime juice, orange juice, chili powder and tequila for a really flavorful and stunning Mexican dessert recipe. This makes enough fruit salad for eight people.

You can use any fruits you like in this Mexican fruit salad and it is a nice idea to choose tropical ones. Try papaya, kiwi, watermelon or cantaloupe. Leave out the tequila if you prefer or if you are making this for children. You can also leave out the sugar if you like.

What you will need:

1 cup pineapple chunks
2 cups mango chunks
4 cups halved strawberries
2 cups melon chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon dried ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make it:

Stir all the fruit together in a bowl, then add the other ingredients and mix well. Chill the Mexican fruit salad for an hour or more before serving it. You can serve this fruit salad alone or with a dollop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

There are plenty of savory and sweet Mexican dishes featuring fruit. You can use various fruits to make the tastiest Mexican desserts recipes and combine it with other Mexican staples like coffee, chocolate, vanilla or cinnamon for authentic Mexican recipes.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

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Delicious Types of South African Desserts

Here in the United States, we do not often hear about African cooking. This is a shame, because the recipes of Africa offer a lot of flavor and nutrition. Each African nation has their own great food traditions to share. South Africa is a country at the tip of Africa. It has a rich traditional food culture that you may want to check out. South African cuisine covers wild game, soups, stews, seafood, and desserts. The indigenous people built a wonderful cuisine around native foods. During the colonial era, many different culinary influences blended with the traditional foods. French, Dutch, German, British, and Indian cuisines lent their favorite tricks to create today's South African food.

Desserts like koeksisters (similar to fried donuts), mealie-bread and malva pudding are common in South Africa. Melktert, or milk tart, is a traditional custard-like dessert. There is more milk than eggs in this compared to European custards, giving the dessert a light texture and more of a milky flavor. Like many recipes from South Africa, this dessert may trace its history to the Dutch. The Cape of Good Hope was the site of a permanent Dutch settlement during the days of the Dutch East India Company. The name melktert is a combination of Dutch and Afrikaner. Melk is the Dutch term for milk and tert is the Afrikaner version of tart.

The recipe for melktert also has a history reaching back to Persia, where similar pastries were known as grasshopper wings due to the delicacy of the texture. Originally known as skilferkors, the recipe was first published in 1653. You can find many versions of this recipe online. Buttermilk pie, a recipe from the Southern United States, is very similar.

Recipe for Melktert

This is an old fashioned milk tart that is a favorite in South Africa.

What You Need

3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups milk
3 egg whites
1 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

How to Make It

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the inside of a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the egg yolks one at a time, blending them in until the batter is light and fluffy. Sift the salt, baking powder and cake flour and mix well. Add vanilla and milk and mix until well blended. Using a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour the mixture into the pie plate and sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the tart continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes or until the center is set when the pie is gently jiggled.

Serve the milk tart hot or cold.

If you like trying new foods, pick up some Mexican recipes the next time you are recipe hunting. You can find some excellent Mexican desserts, main dishes and side dishes to explore. Try them whenever you want something a little spicy.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

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Easy and Healthy Dessert Recipes For Kids

Do you ever remember sitting at the dinner table finishing every morsel of food on your plate and awaiting the best part of the meal? For many, if not all children the best part of a meal is always dessert. Nothing can be more rewarding than getting a slice of your favorite cake or a dish of ice cream. The only problem is that as more and more parents become concerned with the health of their children dessert can be more of an issue. Serving your child with something that is sugary or filled with unnecessary calories can be something that you would want to skip. Here are some easy and healthy dessert recipes for kids:

Easy Graham Cracker Cake
Ingredients:
1 box graham crackers
Fresh mango slices
1 can cream
1can condensed milk

Directions
1. Mix the cream and condensed milk in a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Line a pan or plastic container with your graham crackers, making sure that everything is even.
3. Spread some of the cream mixture on top of your graham crackers.
4. Put some of the mango slices on top of the cream.
5. Repeat the steps as desired or until you have two or three layers.
6. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Jello Bowls
Ingredients:
1 regular package instant unflavored Jello
Fruit juice
Fresh fruit pieces
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Cook Jello according to package directions, substituting fruit juice for water.
2. Add chopped fruit pieces to Jello when it is done cooking.
3. Pour into individual bowls and chill.
4. When ready to serve put Jello bowls into individual platters and top with whipped cream.

Baked Apples
Ingredients:
3 Medium sized apples cored and cut in half
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup granola
Light cream

Directions
1. Mix the butter and brown sugar together in a bowl.
2. Put sliced apples into a baking pan and spread the butter and sugar mixture on top
3. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until apples are done.
4. Cool the apples and top with cream and granola

Having a healthy meal does not necessarily have to mean depriving your child of some good old dessert. Every kid deserves a good memory of what it is like to sit and wait in anticipation of what dessert will be. So go ahead and serve your child some of these easy and healthy dessert recipes and watch them enjoy it.

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Quick Italian Dessert Recipe - Tiramisu

If you are looking for a tasty and fast recipe that is authentic Italian, this quick Italian dessert recipe is for you. There is no better way to finish off a delicious Italian dinner than with a tasty and light dessert. This recipe is great to serve your guests after a pasta dinner and wine. You can also serve this as a social dessert with coffee at any time. Tiramisu is a favorite among Italian food lovers.

Ingredients for this Tiramisu Quick Italian Dessert Recipe:
o 30 Italian lady fingers that are divided
o 2 ½ cups of strong warm espresso
o 2 ounces of chopped chocolate
o Unsweetened cocoa used for dusting the dessert
o 6 egg yolks
o ¾ cup of white sugar
o 1 ¼ pounds of mascarpone cheese
o 2 cups of heavy cream
o 1/3 cup of white sugar
o 1 ½ tablespoons of dark rum

Directions for making Tiramisu Quick Italian Dessert Recipe:
o Dip the first 18 Italian ladyfingers into the espresso
o Line the bottom of a 12 x 9 pan with the ladyfingers
o Sprinkle half of the chopped chocolate over the mixture
o Add a generous dusting of the cocoa on the mixture
o Set this aside
o Combine the egg yolks and ¾ cup of the sugar
o Mix this on high in a mixer for about ten minutes
o Mix the mascarpone by hand until it is completely mixed and lump free
o Set this aside
o Mix by a mixer or by hand the cream, 1/3 cup of sugar and the rum until it forms stiff peaks
o Add the mascarpone mix and whip this again until completely homogenous
o Spread half of the egg and cheese filling onto the ladyfingers in the pan
o Soak the rest of the ladyfingers in espresso and make a second layer over them
o Leave some spaces in between the ladyfingers and sprinkle the remaining filling evenly over the ladyfingers
o Lightly sprinkle this with more cocoa
o Wrap and refrigerate for about four to six hours
o When this is chilled, sprinkle it again with a light dusting of the cocoa
o Slice and serve with a spoon or spatula

This quick Italian dessert recipe for tiramisu will delight your taste buds and you will love how light and tasty this dessert is. You can serve small servings after a big dinner, or a little bit larger pieces as an afternoon social treat. Some prefer to serve this dessert with espresso, coffee or if you and your guests prefer to enjoy the richness, try with a nice glass of red wine.

Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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A History of Napoleons

Napoleons are a much-loved dessert treat that have different names depending on the location. In France, a Napoleon is a Mille-Feuille while in countries that form the British Commonwealth, it is known as vanilla slice, cream slice, or custard slice. The exception to this is Quebec which still calls the pastry a Mille-Feuille. In Italy, believed to be the country of origin, a Napoleon is known as mille foglie, also meaning leaves.

The dessert itself is constructed of a mass of several layers of alternating puff pastry and some sort of sweet filling. Typically, a pastry cream is used but whipped cream and jam have been used as well. Following the construction of the dessert, it is glazed with icing or fondant in alternating strips of white and brown, or chocolate, and then combed. This gives the dessert its distinct appearance.

In some areas, particularly Italy, a Napoleon can be a non-dessert item. It is possible to acquire the pastry with cheese and spinach or pesto on the inside as opposed to the typical pastry cream. While common in Naples and the surrounding areas, the idea has not spread much beyond that area.

No one is quite sure when or where the Napoleon originated. It is thought to have been originally created and consumed in southern Italy, particularly Naples. The name of the pastry seems to lend itself to this idea. The name comes from the French adjective to describe something from Naples, Napolitain. The spelling of "napoleon" is actually a mis-translation of Napolitain. It should have been translated to Neopolitan. The idea of the dessert was altered with the rise of Emperor Napoleon the First of France. Despite his name being used to describe the dessert in translation, there is zero evidence that connects the pastry to the emperor himself. In France, a Napoléon is a mille-feuille with an almond paste center.

Food historians typically place the creation of Napoleons in 19th century Europe but, again, no one is quite sure when they were created. The dessert may be a descendant or variation of phyllo, the pastry dough known to ancient Middle Eastern and Greek cooks. Phyllo is also comprised of a variety of layers or leaves. It's most famously used in baklava.

For more information on various desserts and other foods, please visit http://desserts.cdkitchen.com/. The expert information will be sure to help with any future food questions.

Joseph Devine

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