Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions
Directions

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Pumpkin Soup

Step 1: You will need

    1 ½ kg pumpkin, peeled and cubed
    1 onion, sliced
    50 g butter
    2 garlic cloves, peeled
    1 liter chicken stock
    1 liter water
    2 tbsp crème fraiche
    1 pinch of nutmeg
    1 pinch of cinnamon
    1 tsp white sugar
    1 tbsp olive oil
    2 slices of whole-wheat bread , cut into small cubes
    2 tbsp maple syrup
    salt and pepper
    1 saucepan
    1 wooden spoon
    1 tray
    1 blender
    1 ladle

1. Step 2: Cook onions and garlic
Place the saucepan on a medium to high heat, and when hot, add the butter, letting it brown a little, followed by the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes. Now add the garlic, stir, and continue cooking.
2. Step 3: Add the pumpkin and stock
When the onion is slightly brown, add the pumpkin, chicken stock and half of the water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Step 4: Preheat the oven
Set the temperature to 180ºC or gas mark 4.
4. Step 5: Prepare the croutons
Sprinkle the bread onto the tray then dust with the nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. Finally, drizzle over the olive oil and mix together until the bread cubes are well coated.
5. Step 6: Bake the croutons
Place the tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 7 minutes. When brown and crispy, remove the croutons from the oven and put to one side.
6. Step 7: Season soup and remove from heat
When the soup has been cooking for roughly 20 minutes, add the maple syrup, season with salt and pepper, stir briefly and take it off the heat.
7. Step 8: Blend the soup
Ladle the soup gradually into the blender. As you go, drain the water back into the pan. This can be added later if necessary. Release the steam from the blender before continuing. Now, pulse the soup two or three times before blending at a medium speed for about half a minute. Add a tablespoon of crème fraiche and blend again. then transfer to another saucepan or bowl Repeat this same process with the remaining pumpkin soup.
8. Step 9: Serve

Manish Water (Classic Jamaican Soup)

Manish Water (Jamaican Goat Soup)

INGREDIENTS :

    Chopped up goat head
    Garlic,escallion.thyme,pimento seed, salt to taste
    Whole green pepper,black pepper,
    1pk. Chicken Noodle
    3-6 green bananas
    ½ lbs.Yam
    3 small Irish Potato
    Flour for dumpling
    2 chochos (optional)
    1 Whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper

METHOD:

    Wash chopped goat head
    Put in a large pot (pressure cooker best) with enough water to cover the meet
    Add 3 teaspoons salt, 8-10 seeds of pimento and let cook and 5 crushed garlic cloves
    Cook on a medium/high stove till meat tender
    Add more water and and also 1pk. Chicken Noodle
    Peel and cut up potatos and chochos and add
    Peel Green bananas (or cut off the top and bottom and slit in skin)
    Add Peel and add Yam when bananas almost cooked.
    When almost done black pepper,thyme,couple pimento seed,escallion, whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper (do not let it burst open) and let simmer
    Serve hot

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup
Ingredients

    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1/2 onion, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, chopped
    2 quarts water
    4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
    1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
    1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
    1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

Directions

    In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
    Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
    Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

Chemeen Vattichathu

God's own country's chemeen vattichathu is an ideal curry for rice, chappati or anything else and is a specialty of Kerala.

1. Medium sized chemeen (prawns) 1 cup
2. Coconut oil
3. Mustard 1/2 teaspoon
4. Fenugreek 1/4 teaspoon
5. Chopped Ginger 1 teaspoon
6. Chopped finel Garlic 1 teaspoon
7. Chuvanulli (small onion) 1 cup
8. Chopped tomato 1/2 cup
9. Thich tarmarind paste 1 cup
10. Salt to taste
11. Coriander leaves, curry leaves chopped
12. Chilly powder 2 tablespoon (Kashmir chilly would be preferred)
13. Turmeric 1/4 teaspoon

To heated coconut oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek and then chopped ginger, garlic and saute. Then add chopped chuvanulli and saute for some time. After that, add tomatoes and saute for some time. After it comes to a paste like consistency add all the 12 ingredients. Then pour tamarind paste and a little water. Add chemeen too. After it comes to a boil add needed salt. After the chemeen is cooked and the gravy starts thickening, add coriander leaves and curry leaves. Spread a dash of coconut oil on top of it finally. Chemeen vattichathu is ready to be served.

Potato dosa

There are a variety of dosas and many restaurants offer even non-veg dosas for a change. Make potato dosas crispy by spreading it thinly.

Dosa batter 1 big cup
Cooked and mashed potatoes 2
Green chillies finely chopped 1
Onion finely chopped 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Ghee 2 tablespoon

Mix the dosa batter nicely adding the mashed potatoes, green chillies, curry leaves and salt. Make crispy dosas adding a dash of ghee. Tastes good with coconut chutney.

Cauliflower bajji

Since cauliflower is a seasonal veggie, it can be prepared for children as snacks in the evening. Easy to make too.

Cauliflower cut vertically 2 cups
Channa dhal 300 gm
Chilly sauce 1 teaspoon
Ginger dauce 1 teaspoon
Tomato sauce 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil 2 cups

Clean cauliflower and dry it. In another vessel, mix channa dhal, chilly sauce, ginger sauce, tomato sauce and salt along with little water and make a smooth paste. In a kadai, after the oil gets heated, dip the cauliflower florets in the masala paste and deep fry it in oil. Tastes delicious with tomato sauce.

Neapolitan pizza

Ingredients for 4:

- 400 gr. flour.
- 15 gr. of yeast.
- 1 teaspoon sugar.
- 1/2 cup warm water.
- 4 tablespoons oil.
- 1 teaspoon of salt.

- For tomato sauce:

- 400 gr. crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 cup chicken stock,
oil
salt.

-For the filling:

-200 gr. fat shredded cheese to melt.
-24 canned anchovy fillets.
-24 pitted olives.
-1 tablespoon chopped oregano, oil.

Preparation:

-In a small bowl mix the water with the sugar and yeast. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. In another bowl put flour, salt and 3 tablespoons of oil. add water with the yeast and knead until it does not stick to hands. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand 1 hour until doubled in volume. Flour a work surface, place the dough and knead again. Make a ball and let stand in covered bowl 15 minutes. Flour the roller and the work surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to the size of a baking sheet. Grease pan with oil. Roll the dough into the roller. Spread on the pan to coat.

Fry the garlic and onion in a skillet with oil, add the tomatoes and season. Saute 5 minutes, add the broth and cook 10 minutes. Cover the pizza base with tomato sauce and spread the grated cheese.

Spread the anchovies pizzas. Place the black olives with oregano. Drizzle with a little oil and bake until golden brown around the edges.

Spicy Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients

500 g chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 red peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (398 ml) diced tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pepper to taste
8 corn tortillas
1 can (540 ml) pinto or kidney beans
1 tomato, diced
Pickled jalapeño chili peppers (optional)
1/2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
8 radishes, sliced
5 tablespoons reduced-fat
Sour cream to serve
Tabasco or other hot chili sauce to serve
Directions

Place the chicken in a saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the liquid. When cool enough to handle, drain and shred the meat. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the peppers, onion and garlic. Fry over medium heat for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the chili powder, paprika and cumin, stir well, and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the sugar. Simmer for 5–8 minutes or until thick. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan. Fry the tortillas, one at a time, for about 15 seconds on each side or until slightly crisp and lightly browned. As they are done, keep them warm stacked in a dish towel. Meanwhile, in a small pan, warm the beans in the can liquid. Drain well.
Place 2 toasted tortillas on each plate. Spread with the tomato mixture, then spoon on the beans and chicken. Add the diced tomato, pickled jalapeños, if using, lettuce and radishes, piling up these toppings. Finish with a spoonful of reduced-fat sour cream. Serve with Tabasco sauce.

Variation: Instead of beans, you can use a mixture of corn and zucchini. Cook 1 corn on the cob and 1 whole zucchini in separate pans of boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes for the corn and 5 minutes for the zucchini. Drain. Dice the zucchini, and cut the kernels of corn from the cob. Scatter the vegetables over each sauce-spread tortilla, then add the chicken.

Layer Tomato Salad

500g Tomaten 17 ounces tomato
250g Zwiebeln 8 ounces onions
5 Eier 5 eggs
1 Glas Miracel Whip mayo

Tomaten und Zwiebeln in Scheiben schneiden
slice tomatos and onions
Eier kochen, Zwiebeln glasig dünsten
boil eggs, stew onions glassy
alles in einer Schüssel schichten
layer all in a bowl
obenauf das Glas Miracel Whip verteilen
spread mayo on top of all
mehrere Stunden ziehen lassen
wait some hours

Pizza

ingredients.
For Dough:
Flour 1 kg
Yeast 3 tbsp
Sugar 3 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Oil 1 tsp
Warm water 3 cup (250ml)
For Pizza Sauce:
Firm tomatoes 1 kg
Ketchup 5 tbsp
Salt to taste
Red chili flakes 1 tsp
Rosemary 2 pinches
Oregano 2 pinches
For Topping:
Mince or chicken or beef chunks 1/2 kg
Oil 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Red chillies 1 tsp
Yogurt 2-4 tbsp
Pizza cheese 2 large pack
Capsicum 1/4 kg sliced
Onion 2 chopped
Olives as required sliced
Sausages as required sliced
cooking directions.

For Dough: Mix yeast in slightly warm water and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Then mix in sugar and salt.
Now add this mixture to flour and add in oil.
Knead well, cover and leave it in a warm place.
When it rise, knead it again, cover and let it rest.
For Pizza Sauce: Peel the skin of tomatoes and blend them.
Heat a pan and add ketchup, tomato puree, salt, red chili flakes, rosemary and oregano.
Cook till thickens.
For Mince or Meat Topping: First cook mince in pan till dry.
Then add in oil along with ginger garlic paste, saute.
Now add in salt, pepper and yogurt. (You can also add in "Tikka Spice")
Preparation: First divide the dough in four portion. (It will make four large size pizza)
Roll out dough on greased pizza pans.
Then apply tomato sauce, sprinkle crushed onion, pizza cheese, mince and sliced sausages, capsicum and olives.
Bake the prepared pizza at high oven for about 15-17 minnutes or until done.
Serve hot.
To Make Stuffed Crust Pizza: Spread the dough out of pan and place cheese on round end of pan and then fold the dough over it. (you can also add mince or even chicken chunks in crust)

Hot Dog and Bacon Roll-Ups

Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
Yield: 32 appetizers

"This is a very easy and yummy appetizer."

Ingredients
--------------------------
2 packages hot dogs, cut in half
brown sugar
1 lb bacon, cut into in the middle

Directions
---------------------------
Take a piece of hot dog and piece of bacon, wrap bacon around hot dog.

Stick a toothpick through bacon to hold.

Place one layer in bottom of Crock Pot and cover with brown sugar.

Repeat until all the hot dogs have been used.

Cook 3 to 4 hours.

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese (not softened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to sc**** down the bowl with a spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. (Yes, it will fizz!) Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cake pans with cake batter until they are about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!
Cool the cakes in their pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. If you cakes come out quite domed shape, you can slice off the top to make a more even and stable layer.
To Make Frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake layers as desired.

Zebra Cake

INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup oil (corn, vegetable)
2 cups maida/all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tsps baking powder
2 tbsps dark cocoa powder

METHOD
1 Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl till light and creamy. Add milk, oil and vanilla essence and beat till smooth.
2 In a separate bowl, combine maida and baking pwd. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth and the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Do not overbeat.
3 Divide the batter into two. Add the cocoa pwd to one portion and combine well.
4 Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease the baking pan. The most important part is assembling the cake batter in a baking pan. Pour 3 heaped tablespoons of plain batter into the middle of the baking pan. Then pour 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter in the center on top of the plain batter. Continue alternating with plain and cocoa batter without pausing for the batter to spread.


5 Bake for 40 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake it should come out clean when ready. Remove from the oven. Run a small thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Leave aside for 15 mts and invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Turn the cake back over and cool further.

Pistachio Cake

3/4 cup shelled natural pistachios (4 ounces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large egg

Cod Cake

ingredients:

1 kg of cod
1 kg of potatoes
1 bunch of parsley
Pepper
2 egg whites
Olive oil
oil for frying
Preparation:

The cod desalting in boiling water;
Clean the skin and remove the bones and shred the cod it;
Boil potatoes, mash them and mix with cod (preferably with
hands);
Add chopped parsley, pepper and beaten egg whites and mix well in snow;
Grease hands with olive oil wraps and cookies;
Fry in hot oil until golden.

Simple Ginger Cake with Butter Cream

Main Ingredients:

Eggs: 5
Flour: 2 cups
Sugar: 1.25 cups
Vegetable oil: 1/2 cup
Milk: 1/2 cup, cold
Ginger powder: 1 tbsp
Baking powder: 1 tbsp
Vanilla powder: 1/2 tsp


Butter Cream Ingredients:

Butter: 1 stick (1/4 lb or 100 grams), at room temperature
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Honey: 2 tbsp
Vanilla powder: 1/2 tsp
Chocolate syrup: to decorate


Directions:

1. Using your electric mixer, beat all the main ingredients together for 3 min.

2. Preheat the oven to 375F.

3. Place parchment paper around your cake pan. Pour in the cake mixture.

4. Bake the cake for 30-40 min or until golden. Let it cool down for at least 15 min.

5. Meanwhile to make butter cream, in a saucepan, boil together sugar, water, honey and vanilla powder. Reduce to half and let it cool down.

6. Using your mixer, beat butter for 1 min. Add the reduced syrup and beat for 1-2 min.

7. Pour butter cream over the cake and decorate with chocolate syrup.

Hummingbird cake with cream cheese frosting

Preparation Time


20 - 30 minutes

Cooking Time


95 minutes

Ingredients


Olive oil, to grease
20g (1/3 cup) flaked coconut
265g (13/4 cups) self-raising flour
200g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
45g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 x 440g can crushed pineapple in natural syrup
3 small ripe bananas, peeled, mashed
185ml (3/4 cup) extra light olive oil
2 eggs, lightly whisked
Cream cheese frosting
1 x 250g pkt cream cheese, at room temperature
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
450g (3 cups) icing sugar mixture
3 tsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with olive oil to grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper. Spread the flaked coconut over a baking tray. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until toasted.
Combine the flour, sugar, desiccated coconut, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the pineapple, banana, extra light olive oil and egg and stir until well combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake in oven, covering the cake with foil if it browns too quickly, for 1 hour 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Add the icing sugar and beat until well combined. Add milk and beat to combine.
Place the cake on a plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top and side of the cake. Sprinkle with toasted flaked coconut and serve.

Godiva Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream

Chocolate Cake:
4 bars (1.5 ounces each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

Raspberry Glaze:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon water

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
2/3 cup heavy cream
5 bars (1.5 ounces each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Finishing:
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry flavored liqueur

Garnish (optional):
1 pint fresh raspberries

Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter side and bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and let cool.

Sift together flour and salt and set aside.

Beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in melted chocolate.

Whip egg whites in another bowl until whites are opaque and begin to hold soft peaks, using electric mixer at medium speed. Gradually add remaining sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until firm peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, stir about 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then fold chocolate mixture into egg whites. Fold in flour in 3 additions. Spread mixture in prepared pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Invert cooled cake on a wire rack. Carefully remove the round of parchment from the bottom of the cake. Place cake, bottom-side-up, on a cardboard round, slightly smaller than the cake and place on a wire rack set over a baking pan. Dust off any excess crumbs from the cooled cake.

Make the raspberry glaze:
Combine raspberry jam and water in a small saucepan and heat to a low boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the glaze cool until tepid, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, apply the tepid glaze to the top and side of the cake. Allow the glaze to come to room temperature before frosting the cake.

Make the chocolate ganache frosting:
Heat cream in small saucepan until it comes to just under the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand for about 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk the ganache until it is well blended and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

Pour ganache over the top of cake and use an offset metal cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the top and side of the cake, allowing any excess to drip off. If desired, pipe small dots of ganache around edge of cake.

Assembly:
Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and raspberry liqueur in a large chilled bowl. Using a hand-held mixer set at medium speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

An hour or less before serving, spoon or decoratively pipe whipped cream on top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut cake with a sharp thin-bladed knife, dipping the blade in hot water and wiping it dry after each slice. Garnish each serving with a few raspberries.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

1 (18 ounce) package small chocolate chip cookies
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup hot fudge topping
2 quarts vanilla ice cream
1 cup whipped cream
12 cherries


Directions

Crush half the cookies (about 20) to make crumbs. Combine crumbs with melted margarine and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Stand remaining cookies around edge of pan. Spread 3/4 cup fudge topping over crust. Freeze 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soften 1 quart of ice cream in microwave or on countertop. After crust has chilled, spread softened ice cream over fudge layer. Freeze 30 minutes.
Scoop remaining quart of ice cream into balls and arrange over spread ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with remainder of fudge topping, whipped cream and cherries.

Strawberry Cream Cake

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 Tbsp water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling

2 pounds fresh strawberries (medium or large, about 2 quarts), washed, dried, and stemmed
4-6 Tbsp sugar

Pinch salt

Whipped Cream

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream

Method

Bake the cake

1 Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, by hand, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 Tbsp of the sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
2 Using a mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten. Add the remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.
Strawberry filling

3 Cut in half 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Slice or quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sugar will macerate the strawberries, making them soft, and generating liquid. Strain the juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). Put the strawberries in a bowl and use a potato masher to mash them; set aside.
In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.
Whipped cream
4 When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
Assemble the cake


5 Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 12-20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of puréed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 12-20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries.
Serve immediately, or keep chilled. If the whipped cream warms to room temperature it will be harder to keep stable while cutting. Serves 8 to 10.

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1 cup chopped pecans
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur


Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts in pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto sides of cake. Allow to absorb glaze repeat until all glaze is used up.
To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Irish cream.

Thai Mango Sticky Sweet Rice Dessert

Prep Time : 8min

Cook Time : 25min

Course : Dessert

Special : Cooking for Two

Type of Prep : Simmer

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2-4

1 cup Thai Sweet Rice (also called "sticky rice", available at Asian markets and grocery stores)

1 3/4 cups water

1 ripe mango, cut into bite-size pieces (look for mangos that are fragrant and easily bruised), or 1 pkg frozen mango

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (for a natural sweetener substitute maple syrup)

1 can good-quality coconut milk

1/4 tsp. + pinch of salt

2 tsp. coconut flavoring

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

PREPARATION:

1.Soak the sweet rice in 1 cup water for 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

2.When done soaking, add 3/4 cup (more) water plus 1/4 can coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. coconut flavoring, and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice, lifting any rice grains that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Gradually bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Turn the heat down to medium-low (#2.5 to 3 on the dial).

Allow to cook for 10-20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and leave to "steam" cook for 5-10 minutes. The heat within the rice pot will finish cooking the rice.

Make sauce and serve the dessert right away, or store the rice (covered) in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

To make the sauce, warm the rest of the can of coconut milk together with 1/4 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. coconut flavoring and 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring over medium heat (5 minutes).

Add cornstarch or arrowroot powder (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat (this should only take a couple of minutes). Tip: Try not to over-cook the sauce, or you will lose that wonderful coconut flavor.

Before serving, taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk.

There are 2 ways to serve this dessert:

Place scoops of the sticky rice in bowls (Note that sticky rice can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature, as desired). Ladle a generous amount of warm coconut sauce over the rice (creating an “island” of sticky rice). Add slices/pieces of ripe fresh mango. (If using frozen mango, be sure to give it enough time to thaw before serving.)

For "saucier" rice: Add rice (portion out 1 scoop per person) directly to the sauce pot and stir over low heat, gently breaking apart the larger lumps, but leaving smaller lumps/chunks). Now add the mango pieces and gently stir until everything is warmed through. Portion out into serving bowls, making sure everyone has equal amounts of rice, mango, and sauce. Enjoy!

Seppie imbottite - Squid Stuffed with Shellfish and Bread

Ingredients for Squid Stuffed with Shellfish and Bread

6 large squid

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb 2 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 eggs

1 tablespoon freshly grated pecorino cheese

1 lb 2 oz stale good-quality bread such as ciabatta or pane casereccio, crusts removed

1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 3/4 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

generous handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped, to serve

How to make Squid Stuffed with Shellfish and Bread

Clean the squid well, removing the eyes, ink sacs, and beaks (see page 16) so that you are left with a long tube.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat and sauté the shrimp for 5 - 8 minutes, depending on size, until they turn pink and opaque. Remove from the pan, chop into small pieces and set aside in a bowl.

Soak the bread in a little water, then gently squeeze out any excess liquid.

Whisk the eggs with the pecorino and bread. Season with salt and black pepper, and add to the shrimp.

Mix the filling well and use it to stuff the squid. Tie up the open ends with butcher's string or cotton thread.

Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy pan over medium heat and sweat the garlic with the chili for a few minutes until soft and starting to caramelize.

Add the squid and quickly sauté until golden brown, then add the tomatoes, cover the pan, and leave for 20 minutes to cook through, stirring occasionally.

Remove the squid from the pan, snip off the string, and set aside. Quickly push the tomato sauce through a sieve to ensure it is smooth.

Serve the stuffed squid hot, cut into slices, accompanied by the tomato sauce and a good sprinkling of chopped parsley.