Bright flavours and a shortbread crust make these buttery lemon coconut bars hard to resist!
Lemon Coconut Bars
dessert
Skor Bars
You know how delicious and addicting Pecan Crack is? And how easy it is to make? Well, I think it has some competition. With only 15 days until Christmas, you’re going to want to make these Skor Bars.
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nutella ferrero no churn ice cream
It’s been a great few days, weatherwise. If you don’t look at the yellowing leaves, you may almost forget that Fall is on it’s way. We are taking full advantage of the heat and sunshine, and using it as a great excuse to eat some ice cream.
I think this is my new favourite. I’m totally loving the no churn aspect. No worrying about chilled bowls and being able to just make ice cream anytime. This dessert combines my favourite things – Nutella and Ferrero Rocher. The result is creamy, decadent, and so satisfying!
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s’mores bars
Summer’s here…yay! Time for bbq’s, campfires and fire pits….and s’mores. There’s not many who don’t love charred gooey marshmallows nestled between graham crackers and melted chocolate. For those times when you feel like s’mores but roasting marshmallows isn’t an option, here’s an alternative!
These bars are made with Golden Graham cereal, held together with marshmallows. You can’t forget the chocolate though and the drizzle on top of the bars are the perfect touch. These are great for a kids party or a summer potluck – delicious!
S’mores Bars
1/4 cup butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
4 cups Golden Graham cereal
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Melt the butter in a pot. Add marshmallows and let them melt. Once melted, pull off the heat and add the cereal. Pour the mixture into a greased 9″ x 9″ pan and let cool. Melt the chocolate chips and place the melted chocolate in a sandwich bag. Cut off the tip and drizzle over the cereal mixture. Cut into squares and enjoy!
key lime tarts
Key lime pies are the perfect summer time desserts. Sweet and tart, one bite and I’m reminded of the Florida Keys.
What’s even better than key lime pies? Key lime tarts! Who doesn’t love having their own little dessert? These silky, citrusy bites are made even better topped with whipped cream.
These are great to whip up when you have company coming since they literally take 5 minutes to prepare.
Key Lime Tarts
8-10 frozen tart shells
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 small egg yolks or 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup key lime juice
Combine the condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice and mix until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust and bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Once cool, refrigerate. Serve with whipping cream. Garnish with key lime zest.
knafi
Hope all the moms out there had a great Mother’s Day. I got spoiled by my boys with cards and bath bombs and even made it to the movies!
We had our moms over for lunch on Sunday, celebrating how awesome they are. We had spinach salad, dhokra, barbecued chicken and oven-fried cassava. There was also plenty for dessert – fruit, a bundt and knafi.
I tried Knafi at my aunt’s house a couple years ago and loved it! Shredded phyllo enveloping a sweet ricotta mixture – it was so good, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I finally got the recipe for this Lebanese treat last week and thought it was perfect to try out for Mother’s Day. I was surprised at how easy this dessert was. In fact, Q did all the work. The crunchy phyllo, the warm cheese – it was heaven!
Knafi
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
1 lb shredded phyllo
3/4 cup melted butter
Syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 TB lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the ricotta with the sugar. Place the shredded phyllo in a large bowl and pour the melted butter on top. Mix until the pastry is coated with the butter.
Spread half the pastry on the bottom of a 9 x 13″ pan. Spread the ricotta mixture on top of the phyllo. Cover the cheese layer with the remaining phyllo.
Bake for 1 hour until golden brown. In the meantime, make the syrup (see below). Remove from the oven and pour cold syrup over top. Serve warm.
Syrup: Combine the sugar and water and stir until dissolved. Boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and boil for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2-ingredient chocolate magic shell
One of my favourite things from when I was little is enjoying the chocolate magic shell on top of ice cream. You know the one: chocolate syrup that once it hits the cold ice cream becomes a hard shell. I was happy when I rediscovered this a few months ago, adding nuts or sprinkles before the chocolate hardened.
A while back, I saw them make a homemade version of this on tv and was surprised at how easy it was. We had this tonight and it was so good! Be sure you use a chocolate that you like and you will love it!
Chocolate Magic Shell
1/2 cup chocolate, milk or dark
1 TB coconut oil
In a bowl, add your favourite chocolate and the coconut oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until the chocolate is melted. Let it cool a bit before pouring it on your favourite ice cream.
ninja coffee bar (product review)
I love the idea of being a minimalist but that’s just not me. I do love a good appliance and all those kitchen gadgets, so I was excited when the folks at Ninja sent over a Ninja Coffee Bar for me to review.
This machine has some great features! It allows you to do a Classic Brew, for when you just want a plain old cup of coffee. It also lets you do a Rich Brew and a Specialty Brew for a more concentrated brew to make those specialty coffees. My favourite feature is the Over Ice button. I usually prefer a cold drink over a hot one and this button allows you to have an intense iced coffee. It increases the concentration to compensate for the melting ice! See below for a delicious recipe for Thai-Style Iced Coffee!
The Ninja Coffee Bar allows you to choose how much or how little coffee you want it to make. You can make a cup, travel size, a half carafe or a full carafe! This ability to choose how much you want sure does save a lot of wasted coffee but also allows you to serve a crowd.
Other things worth mentioning are the drip stop, so you can enjoy a cup of coffee mid-brew; the programmable delay brew, so you can have your cup of joe waiting for you in the morning; and the clean cycle indicator, so you always know when it’s time to clean the machine.
The machine also comes with the Ninja Easy Frother so that you can froth your milk to make those specialty drinks at home. Add your milk, microwave and pump! This was a fave for hubby.
If you are a coffee-lover, this is definitely a machine that you will love! Don’t forget, coffee is great for desserts too. Just pour some over your favourite ice cream, and you’ve got yourself some affogato. Delish!
This Thai-Style Iced Coffee is so good. Love that it’s icy cold and the addition of condensed milk is a total bonus.
Thai-Style Iced Coffee
From ninjakitchen.com
3 Ninja® Single-Serve Scoops (or 3 tablespoons) ground coffee
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup 2% milk
2 cups ice
Instructions
Size: Cup setting
Brew: Over Ice
Following the measurement above, place the ground coffee into the brew basket.
Combine
the sweetened condensed milk and 2% milk in a large plastic cup; stir
to combine. Add the ice to the cup; set cup in place to brew.
Select the Cup size; press the Over Ice Brew button.
When brew is complete, stir to combine.
Disclaimer – Ninja provided the Ninja Coffee Bar for review. All opinions are my own.
Faludo
nutella pie for pi(e) day
If you really need an excuse to eat pie, well, here’s a great one for you! Today is Pi(e) Day!
I wanted to make a pie for Pi Day but wanted to try something new. I had an idea I wanted to test and this was the perfect day to do it. Remember the Nutella Pot De Cremes I had made for Valentine’s Day? I really did love the mousse-like texture and thought it would be perfect in a pie. Using a frozen, ready-made pie crust, I baked it and let it cool. Meanwhile, I made the pot de creme mixture and, once the shell was cooled, poured it into the crust and let it set. It didn’t take too long, only a couple of hours. Add some whip, grate some chocolate and you have the perfect celebratory dish for the day.
Looking for more inspiration? Click here to see more pies. Happy Pi Day everyone!
Nutella Pie
1 prepared pie shell
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Nutella
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 TB icing sugar
Bake the pie shell as per directions and let cool.
In a blender, combine the chocolate chips, Nutella and egg yolks and blend together. Meanwhile, heat up the whipping cream until bubbles start to form but not boiling. Add the whipping cream slowly through the lid of the blender while blending on low. Once combined, pour the mixture into the cooled crust. Let set for 2 to 3 hours.
Blend the cream and the sugar until whipped. Top the pie with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate if you wish.