German Chocolate Cake Sundae

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Transform a traditional recipe for German chocolate cake into an elegant and incredibly delicious ice cream sundae.

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Total Time: 30 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened wide-flake coconut chips
3/4 cups Pecan halves
1 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 pinch Sea salt
2 pt. coconut ice cream
1 cups coarsely crumbled chocolate wafer cookies

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the coconut and pecans in 2 separate pie plates. Toast the coconut for 5 minutes and the pecans for 10 minutes, until the edges of the coconut start to brown and the pecans are fragrant. Let the coconut and pecans cool, then coarsely chop the pecans.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with the light corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Wash down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Cook the syrup over moderately high heat without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully add the cream. When the bubbles subside, stir to combine. Add the vanilla and salt and let cool slightly. Stir in the toasted pecans and all but 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut chips.

3. Scoop the ice cream into 6 glasses and sprinkle with half of the cookie crumbs. Top with the warm caramel sauce and the remaining cookie crumbs and coconut. Serve right away.

Missing The Urban Vibe!

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This is the second time in a few weeks that work has brought me to Washington, D.C. It’s been a few years since I lived in an urban community and I love the chance to revisit whenever I can. It’s great how you bump into amazing experiences, people, art and opportunities walking through the city rather than driving, and today was no different.

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Sunday Reflections

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Happy Sunday #friendsofTenaciousM!

john6_27

Chocolate Cookie Shooters

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This playful take on the classic pairing of milk and chocolate chip cookies is a fun way to have your dessert.

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Total Time: 1:00
Prep: 0:25
Yield: 12

Ingredients

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cups cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 oz. chocolate chips or chunks

Directions

1. In large bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. With mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugars until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between additions. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture. Beat on low until just combined. Add chips and beat until evenly distributed. Transfer dough to gallon-size resealable plastic bag; refrigerate until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break off golf-ball-size piece of dough; roll into ball (should be about 1 1/2 inches wide) and place in one cup of nonstick popover pan. Repeat for remaining 5 cups. Using rounded end of wooden spoon and fingertips, press dough in the center, then up side of cup to form very thin, even layer of dough. Patch up any tears with bits of extra dough. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

4. Bake 8 minutes. Using same wooden spoon end, gently press dough down and against sides of pan to deflate. Bake another 2 minutes. Repeat pressing to deflate. Bake another 2 minutes or until edges are golden brown and crisp.
Transfer to wire rack. Press to deflate once more.

5. Using small icing knife, gently loosen sides of cookies from pan. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cookies again. Place wire rack on top of pan. Holding rack against pan, invert cups onto rack. Cool completely. Repeat process once more with remaining dough and cooled popover pan (you will have dough left over, which you can refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month for another use).

6. With small pastry brush, paint insides of cookies with thick layer of melted chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Serve filled with milk, chocolate liqueur, or coffee liqueur. Once filled, serve cookies within 5 minutes. Store unfilled cookies in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

The Many Yous

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Enjoy!

Vincent Mars's avatarboy with a hat

Frida Kahlo Digital Art - Picasso Blue Women by Sandra Silberzweig (c) Frida Kahlo Digital Art – Picasso Blue Women by Sandra Silberzweig

First, there’s the you of flesh and blood

And then there’s the you in my memory

And then there are other yous:

The you in my imagination, better than the actual you

The you in my thoughts, frequent and insisting

The you in my fantasies, naked and wild

The you I think I know

The you I don’t know at all

The you that is kind

The you that is mean

The you that you show me

When you are with me

The you that lingers after you leave

The you that inhabits me

The you that is all mine

The you I don’t have to share with the world

The you I cannot lose

The you that for me is more you

Than you

The you that is I.

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Sunday Reflections

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Happy Sunday and have an amazing week!

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Some Days Are Just Special

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Even for myself, a woman whose half full glass manages to somehow overflow, even by those standards, this was a great week. Thursday, May 28th was amazing for a couple of reasons: 1) My work to provide better access to quality health care for some people considered part of this country’s underserved populations was realized. 2) The quest to bring more value-adds in health care services for our New Mexico market/plan was a slam dunk!!

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Memorial Day Salute 2015

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Sunday Reflections

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Enjoy your Sunday!

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Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

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Peanut butter crackers get stuffed in chocolate cookies made with cookie mix. Delicious!

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Ingredients

Cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut-up
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 pouch chocolate chip cookie mix
1 egg
30 mini peanut butter cracker sandwiches

Drizzle
1 cup peanut butter chips (6 oz)
1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Stir in cookie mix and egg until well blended. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes or until firm enough to scoop.

2. Heat oven to 375°F. For each rounded measuring tablespoon dough, place 1 peanut butter cracker in center, forming dough into ball around cracker. Onto ungreased cookie sheets, place dough balls 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until tops are dry (cookies will still be soft). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

4. In 1-pint resealable food-storage plastic bag, add peanut butter chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 1 minute, kneading bag after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Cut 1/8-inch slit diagonally across bottom corner of bag. Squeeze drizzle over cooled cookies. Let stand until set. Store in airtight container.