Le Top Chef Series: Two St. Paddy’s Day Desserts

St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re searching for festive and scrumptious desserts for your celebration to please both kids and adults, look no further.

St. Patrick’s Day Rice Krispies Treats

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 4 cups green mini-marshmallows (you may have to pick them out of a bag of pastel mini-marshmallows)
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 3-4 drops green food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.  Add food coloring and rice krispies cereal. Stir until well coated. You can also add plain green M&Ms.

Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

 

Easy GrasshopperBars

Chocolate drizzle and cool minty cream cheese frosting top indulgent chocolate bars. Yum!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes: 36 bars

INGREDIENTS:

Bars

• 1 pouch ( lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 egg  

Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoons mint extract
• 3 to 4 drops green food coloring

Glaze

• 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat over to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2.  In large bowl, stir all Bar ingredients until soft dough forms> Press into pan; bake 15 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes.

3. In large bowl, stir all Frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread over bars.

4. In small microwaveable bowl, microwave all Glaze ingredients on High for 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Drizzle over frosting. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

source of Grasshopper Bars: http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/

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HEY TEX! Where are You?!!! Secret Contest Winner Stays a Secret!

Our most recent Secret Contest winner, Amber, took a bit of work to get a hold of, but she finally gave us a ring the other day from Texas…much to my surprise since her mobile phone number has a California area code! The Texas native, (who went St. Mary’s in Moraga, CA – hence the area code) had moved out here for college, met her husband, had a couple of babies and then, two years ago, decided that Texas is where they would like to raise their family.

SunnyHill Farm shirt and short set available for boys in sizes 3 months to 4 toddler. E-I-E-I OH BOY!

Amber was telling me all about her two little gentlemen and how she can’t wait to get her hands on the le•top Sunnyhill Farm shirt and short set. Her two year old loves farms and farm animals (hello! they live in Texas — what a perfect place for a boy who loves farms!), so she is sure that he is just going to go wild for the short set, and so are we! I guess he will really have mommy to thank for this one, and we thank you, too, Amber, for your delicious Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup recipe. I tried it myself, and it was nothing short of delightful, not to mention easy!

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le•top Chef Series: Berry Sorbet Drops with Chocolate Ganache

…A Yummy Dessert in about 20 MINUTES!

Berry Sorbet Drops with Chocolate Ganache
Serving: Ten

INGREDIENTS for BERRY SORBET
1 lb. Frozen Berries*
1 cup Sugar
2 cups Cranberry Juice
*NOTE: If using fresh berries, you must strain the seeds.

INGREDIENTS for CHOCOLATE GANACHE
2 oz. Heavy Cream
4 oz. Dark Chocolate (semi-sweet) squares or morsels

Preparation – Berry Sorbet
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend together. Once blended completely, take the mixture from the food processor and place it in an ice cream machine. Once mixture thickens, place in freezer.
Preparation – Chocolate Ganache
Place double boiler over low heat with water in bottom. Once water begins to heat and lightly boil, place heavy cream and dark chocolate in upper boiler. Stir until both cream and chocolate are mixed and melted together. Be careful not to burn ingredients. Take off heat and set Chocolate Ganache aside.

With melon scooper or spoon scoop small balls of frozen sorbet and dip each ball quickly into the Chocolate Ganache mixture. Immediately place each chocolate-covered ball on a cookie sheet and sprinkle coconut flakes over top of each. Place cookie sheet with completed balls in freezer until ready to serve. Recipe Provided By: EatingWell.com

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