Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding

Here is another fun fall recipe. This is the easiest and quickest fall dessert recipe I have found! It seriously only takes minutes and won't disappoint!

Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 large package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups prepared whipped cream

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, beat together pumpkin, puddings, milk, and cinnamon until blended.

2. Gently fold in the whipped cream and chill until serving.

Helpful Hints:

* I decided to use instant devil's food chocolate pudding since I had it in the cupboard and it was good but it was really rich and I think almost too chocolaty for me! Crazy...I know. Next time I will definitely go with regular chocolate or the chocolate fudge.

*I did mix a little of the whip cream into the pudding mixture but I reserved some to top it off with

*Be creative! I am thinking this would be really good using the white chocolate pudding too.

Vanilla Beans

I have had a few people ask me about the vanilla beans for the Whipped Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes. So here are a few pictures of what to expect when working with vanilla beans:

First, incase you don't know what they look like this is what you are looking for

When cutting into a vanilla bean you want to lay it flat on a cutting board, holding one end against the cutting board slice it right down the middle lengthwise. This next picture shows what you will see when you pull it apart

You can use the tip of your knife, a spoon or whatever else you can think of to scrape out the tiny little seeds.

I hope that helps! It really is easy and it adds such good flavor. There are several other ways to use vanilla beans too. You can make your own vanilla extract & give your sugar a vanilla flavor. I have also heard that you can use the vanilla beans to add flavor to drinks such as lemonade, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.... The possibilities are endless...... have fun with it!

Chocolate Blueberry Cake

Trust me on this one...... when I first saw this recipe I was intrigued. I wasn't quite sure if it sounded good but I wanted to try it. I am glad I did! It is quite YUMMY! Let's just say when I told people about it I got some weird looks. However, those who tried it lOvEd it and were asking for the recipe. Try it.....you won't regret it! (I hope)

This recipe was a $25,000 award winner in a Better Homes and Garden recipe contest. Submitted by Dorothy Olsen.

Chocolate Blueberry Cake: (makes an 8x8 cake)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the cake- mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In blender combine water, egg and blueberries. Blend until smooth.

Add liquid mixture to flour mixture. Beat with mixer, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Pour into greased 8x8 square pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Ganache:

• 1 cup reduced fat whipped topping, like Cool Whip lite
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

In a small microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips and whipped topping. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Set aside. When cake has cooled, cover with ganache.

Blueberry Sauce:

• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup reduced fat whipped topping

Blend thawed blueberries and whipped topping in a blender until smooth and liquid. Drizzle over cake.

Helpful Hints:

* In place of the Cool Whip Lite topping I used Whipping Cream. This adds quite a few calories but I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup where I can. I whipped it up with beaters and then added it where the recipe calls for the whipped topping.

* I would wait until ready to serve to add the blueberry sauce.

Recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden website.

Whipped Vanilla Bean Cheescake

Almost as good as the Vanilla Bean cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory......almost! This cheesecake is easy to make and it is light, fluffy and oh so yummy!

Whipped Vanilla Cheesecake Filling:

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin

12 ounces (340 g) Philadelphia cream cheese

1 cup (7 oz/200 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

1 cup (240 ml) sour cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with a paring knife and seeds scraped out

Make the cheesecake filling:

1. Place 1/2 cup of the milk in a small container. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and set aside to soften.

2. Place the remaining 1/2 cup milk, the sugar, and cream cheese in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and gelatin mixture and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cool the mixture to room temperature.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the cream, sour cream, and vanilla bean seeds at high speed until the mixture just begins to form soft peaks. Add the cooled cream cheese mixture at low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Scrape the filling into the prepared pan, over the crust, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until set.

Helpful Hints:

*The night before I was making this recipe I placed the 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla bean in an airtight container and let it sit over night. This will infuse the sugar with a nice vanilla flavor.

*I used the ready made mini graham cracker crusts by Keebler (you can easily fill about 18 mini crusts)

*I don’t have a fine mesh sieve so I skipped that step and it turned out fine.

* To cut calories/fat you can substitute half of the cream cheese for Neufchâtel cheese. Usually found right next to the cream cheese.

* I found this recipe online @: http://tishboyle.blogspot.com

I only used her Whipped Vanilla Bean Cheesecake filling recipe.

I used the Keebler pre made mini crusts and a different berry sauce. (see below for the sauce recipe I used)

I believe she also has a recipe for a graham cracker crust if you need it.

Blackberry Shortcake

by lindsey

Blackberry Shortcake

* blackberries

*1 container (80z) cool whip, thawed

*2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix

*2/3 cup milk

*3 Tbsp sugar

*3 Tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 425*

STIR Bisquick mix, milk, sugar and butter until soft dough forms. Drop 6 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

BAKE 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Split warm shortcakes: fill and top with blackberries and whipped topping.

high altitude (3500-6500 ft): heat oven to 450*F. For shortcakes, decrease sugar to 1 Tbsp.

Helpful Hints:

* I got the recipe for the shortcakes on the back of my box of Bisquick however they used strawberries.

*Any berries would be good!

*If you use strawberries it is good with a little chocolate syrup drizzled over the top.

*I added a dash of cinnamon to the bisquick mix

Chocolate Pretzel Gems

These little gems were recently introduced to me by a lady that I work with. After trying one I was begging for the directions. I was beyond excited when I learned how easy they were! Be careful they are ADDICTING!

Chocolate Pretzel Gems

From Debbie

Small Pretzels

Hershey Kisses

M&Ms (I accidentally bought the Valentine peanut butter ones and it ended up being a tasty mistake. One I reccomend :)

Turn oven to 250 degrees. Spread pretzels out on a cookie sheet. Place a hershey kiss in the center of each pretzel. Place in oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a M&M into the hershey kiss. Let cool for 2-3 hours.

Helpful Hints:

* When pressing the m&ms into the kisses I found the first few did not want to compress easily and the kisses would slide off to the side. Don't press too hard, if the kiss isn't compressing easily leave the m&m where it is and come back to it in a minute and try again. I found I could easily press the m&m down all the way after letting it sit for a minute.

* You can use any shape of small pretzels. These worked good for valentines because they kind of look heart shaped with the stuff in the middle. But you can use square, round or traditional.

* If you don't have time to let them set for a couple of hours stick them in the fridge for 3-5 minutes

* These can be made festive for just about any holiday using the holiday m&ms

* Mix it up~ you can use any flavor of hershey kiss as long as it has a soft center or rolo's if you like carmel. You could also use the flavored m&ms, reese's pieces (perfect for fall/halloween) or pecans ( yummy on top of a rolo).

Holiday Ideas:

Valentine's~ could use cherry cordial kisses w/ m&ms, or regular kisses with cherry chocolate m&ms, regular m&ms or peanut butter m&ms in valentine colors.

Easter~ use hershey hugs and easter m&ms (mint or regular) or jelly beans

Christmas~ hershey kisses w/mint m&ms or regular m&ms in holiday colors

* The possibilities are endless. Be creative! And please share your ideas!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

Heaven! Okay, so I LoVe Trifles and I love trying out different combinations. You really can't go wrong with creating your own. You will be seeing many more Trifle recipes. But for now here is one of my favorite Trifle creations!

Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

by Lindsey

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

2-3 oz boxes Cheesecake Instant Jello Pudding

Cool Whip

Raspberries

1. Prepare the cake as directed on the box and bake
2. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove from the pan and let cool completely
3. While cake is cooling prepare pudding as directed on the box and refrigerate
4. Trim edges from cooled cake and then cut cake into medium to large cubes (whatever size you prefer)
5. Start layering: cake, pudding, raspberries until you get to your final layer, then you will do: cake, pudding, cool whip and top with raspberries

Helpful Hints:

* You can use any chocolate cake mix

* When you start layering.....

Cake- you will want a good full

layer of cake. Number of cubes

will vary depending on the size.

Press slightly to compress

cake layer.

Pudding- Spoon pudding on top of cake

Approx. 2 cups. You don't want

to drowned the cake in pudding

but you do want enough to

allow it to run

a little between pieces

Enjoy!