Category: Food

If you’re ever in the mood for a scrumptious dessert but don’t have much time to fuss around–you, my dears, are going to LOVE this one.

Open 1 can of crushed pineapple and pour it into a bowl.

Pour the contents of one dry Angel Food cake mix on top of the pineapple and stir.  Brace yourself, because something amazing is about to happen.

Be brave.

When the pineapple juice mixes with the cake mix it starts to foam up and get all fluffy–like you whipped it for twenty minutes. But of course, you didn’t. Pour it into a 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish.

Now pop it into the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. When it comes out the top will be a lovely golden brown.

But on the inside–well, just look at all those magical little pineapple pieces all mixed in there making it all so moist and heavenly.

Oooh, it’s enough to make some people behave very, very badly.

Indeed.

:}

Now, before anyone says, “What the…Christmas candy?” give me a chance to explain. This is not Peppermint Bark. In fact, this is a new tradition we are establishing for…Spring. Introducing Fruit Smoothie Bark.

Made with tender, loving care and only two ingredients. Two bags of Guittard Choc-Au-Lait chips and one box of Jolly Rancher Fruit Smoothie candy canes. You could use any kind of candy canes that you like–Sweet Tart, Spree, Skittles–any of those odd flavored ones that you can never figure out what to do with because they severely have no business hanging out at Christmas time. Honestly.

We chose the Fruit Smoothie kind because the flavors sound divine–and yes you can still get them from Amazon. We just happened to already have these in the cupboard and figured we’d better get creative.

I mean, there’s just something wrong with throwing out pretty little candy canes just because they can’t find the right season to live in.

Here’s what you do~

Melt the white chocolate slowly in a double-boiler.

Crush up the candy canes to pieces the size of peas.

Stir them into the melted chocolate…

and mix well.

Spread on waxed paper…

to about 1/2 inch thick. If you put the wax paper on a cookie sheet you can move it to cool in the fridge. You can let it cool on the counter if you’d rather, but I think it set up harder and shinier in the cold.

When it’s set–in about and hour or so, break into bite sized pieces and serve in a pretty, little serving dish then listen to people rave. A portable, bite sized fruit smoothie that you can carry in your pocket. Well, after you put it in a zip-loc bag, that is.

Seriously, it’s fabulous.

:}

I found this sweet little recipe in a magazine and I’ll tell you, it was love at first sight. I ran around collecting the ingredients because I could hardly wait to see if mine turned out as cute as theirs did. Odd, I know, calling any kind of fudge…cute. But there it is and you can decide for yourself. I personally think it’s adorable.  And oh, my goodness–was it fun to make!

Read through the recipe and you’ll see what I mean–nothing to it really. The only ingredient I had to go on a search for was Strawberry flavoring–which I found at WinCo.  So here you have a smooth, cold, cream cheese fudge that tastes like a spoonful of ice cream! Mmmmmm…  :}

You’ll want to cut it in itty bitty squares because it’s quite tall…for fudge and a little goes a long way. A long, lovely way.

Chocolate Layer:

1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled

Line a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat in the melted milk chocolate. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Vanilla Layer:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For vanilla layer, in a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat in melted white chocolate and vanilla. Spread over chocolate layer. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Strawberry Layer:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon strawberry extract
8 to 10 drops food coloring, optional

For strawberry layer, in a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Beat in melted white chocolate and strawberry extract. Tint with food coloring if desired.

Spread over top.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Or serve to every person you know…on the face of the earth.

They’re going to love you.

Original recipe found in Taste of Home Magazine