Cherry Brownies

In about a month, you’ll be seeing chocolate covered cherries filling the candy aisle at your local grocery store. Why not give the chocolatey stocking stuffer a break this year and, instead of just leaving cookies for Santa, make cherry brownies for him and the entire family?! Just be sure there’s plenty of milk to go around, because Julia’s Cherry Brownies will be asking you to dunk them in a glass right after they’ve cooled…

But they might not last that long! Brownie’s à la mode might be the way to go instead; who could resist these brownies served with ice cream? A much more loved dessert than a holiday fruit cake, Julia’s brownies only have two things in common with the stereotypical Christmas treat. They contain fruit and a bit of rum, thrown in for good measure. She doesn’t use dried cherries, though, she goes for the frozen ones. Julia doesn’t say anything about thawing them beforehand, which is likely due to the fact that frozen fruits thaw nicely during the baking process.

Taking the brownies to the next level, Julia adds natural cherry flavour. This is a recipe that can be put together fairly quickly, but make sure your batter makes it to the baking stage…the challenging part is waiting an hour for the brownies to finish baking. But don’t worry! Your patience will be greatly rewarded with an addicting batch of heavenly brownies that any chocolate covered cherry lover will love! See what other great desserts Julia has on her blog Sweet Lady Sweets.

Consommé Madrilène

Shari’s consommé is an edible work of art. Clear and crisp in appearance, you’d never guess how many different ingredients go into making this crystalline and appetizing soup. The secret is all in the preparation. This isn’t a soup that can be thrown together and forgotten about, and that’s precisely why it is well appreciated by those who get to savor it. And there is so much to savor. However, in her blog Whisk, Shari says it really isn’t that difficult to put together!

In the background you’ll taste the vegetables: leeks, celery, carrots. Fresh herbs heighten the flavor of the beef and chicken broth. This is a soup that doesn’t just have a pretty name, there is plenty of substance behind it. Shari goes into explaining all the different terms associated with the soup on her blog. For instance, she talks about clearmeat, which is what all of the tasty ingredients become after they rise to the top, above the aromatic broth.

Some things are simply better homemade; Shari is right when she says consommé is just one of those things!

Tomato Casserole

You won’t find any tuna in Isha’s Tomato Casserole, just layers of vegetables! Unlike most casseroles that are a bit heavy, Isha’s recipe is on the lighter side. Still including a very important casserole ingredient (the cheese!), Isha’s recipe has a few layers, like a vegetarian lasagna. But nope, you won’t find any noodles or tomato sauce in this recipe, just plenty of tomatoes!

So what makes Isha’s recipe a casserole? Isha doesn’t use any soups or broth to give her dish the creamy consistency most casseroles are known for. Instead, she prepares a sauce. Composed primarily of milk with some butter, the sauce thickens once flour and bread crumbs are added in the final stages of the cooking process. After this, she briefly cooks the tomatoes and capsicum, also known as bell pepper. Then, the layering begins!

The cooked tomatoes and bell peppers serve as the base. Then corn and black olives are layered on top of the tomatoes. Oh…and let’s not forget about the finishing touches. The sprinkling of the cheese finishes off this oven-baked casserole ! Find more tasty home cookin’ at Isha’s Kitchen!

Southern Style Banana Pudding

Banana pudding is highly underestimated. I myself have discounted this traditional southern dessert to be overdone and boring. Just this past weekend my sister requested banana pudding for her birthday dessert, and to say the least, I was slightly disappointed. I thought to myself:”you could have any dessert and out of all the possibilities you choose pudding??” As soon as the first spoonful of pudding was in my mouth I took back all of my doubts and disappointment.

There is a vast difference between regular banana pudding and southern style banana pudding, and no one could explain the difference better than Nick, from The Peanut Butter Boy. When Nick was looking for a second dessert to serve at his party he turned to Allrecipes.com for a little guidance. He had been wanting to make a traditional southern pudding for a while, so he seized this as his opportunity. Just by looking at the list of ingredients anyone can see that this pudding is far more involved than a simple box of instant vanilla pudding and a few slices of banana. Nick’s recipe includes sour cream, whipped topping (I suggests making homemade whipped cream, it really is so much better!) and peanut butter. Nick’s staple ingredient, peanut butter, is a fantastic addition that gives this dessert a whole new twist!

Banana pudding is a dessert that can be enjoyed for several days if you can resist eating it all at one time! I love this pudding on day two when the wafers are soft and the flavors have really fused together! If you are like me and have underestimated this classic dessert, give it another try, you might just find that this is the most faithful dessert recipe you have collected over the years!