Chocolate Almond Dessert Crepes~So yummy

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Chocolate fudge ice cream topping and whipped topping
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs and butter. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is clear. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix sugar and cocoa; add cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet. Stir batter; pour 1/4 cup batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. Stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between. Spoon or pipe chocolate filling down the center of each crepe; roll up. Drizzle with fudge topping and garnish with whipped topping. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve crepes immediately. Yield: 12 servings.

Chocolate-Almond Dessert Crepes published in Taste of Home Cooking School Collection Spring 2008, p71

These are some of the best dessert crepes I have ever made. Enjoy

Cranberry Swirl Loaf Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, cubed
• FILLING:
• 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter or margerine
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts( or pecans or almonds or pistachios)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, divided margarine is acceptable too

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the water, milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter, walnuts and lemon juice. Cool.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 20-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place in a zigzag pattern in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.
• For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in 1 tablespoon butter until crumbly. Melt remaining butter; brush over dough. Sprinkle with topping. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 50 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Carefully remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Cranberry Swirl Loaf published in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2005, p149

Cranberries are one of my favorite festive fruit.  This bread is amazing. You will want to make more than one batch.

Venetian Almond Ribbon Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond paste
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 drops green food coloring
• 4 drops red food coloring
• 2/3 cup apricot preserves
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

• Grease the bottoms of three 8-in. square baking dishes. Line with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside.
• Place almond paste in a large bowl; break up with a fork. Add the butter, sugar, egg yolks and extract; beat until smooth and fluffy. Stir in flour and salt. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir a fourth of the whites into the dough, then fold in the remaining whites (dough will be stiff).
• Divide dough evenly into three portions, about 2/3 cup each. Tint one portion green and one portion red; leave the remaining portion white. Spread each portion into a prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately invert onto wire racks; remove waxed paper. Place another wire rack on top and turn over. Cool completely.
• Place green layer on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread evenly with 1/3 cup apricot preserves. Top with white layer and spread with remaining preserves. Top with red layer. Bring plastic over layers. Slide onto a baking sheet and set a cutting board on top to compress layers. Refrigerate overnight.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate. Remove cutting board and unwrap dessert. Spread melted chocolate over top; let stand until set. With a sharp knife, trim edges. Cut into 2-in. x 5/8-in. bars. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 2 dozen.

I love to bake at Christmas. Shortbread, Gingerbread, Pumpkin pies all of these remind me of the holidays.  To celebrate the holidays I will be posting a recipe a day of my favorite holiday treats for you to enjoy with your families.

Happy Baking

I have been searching for a great gift for my husband this year. We are trying to keep the handmade Christmas movement going in my family so I decided that I would make him a chainmaille bracelet.  Now you must understand that I have never attempted this before.  I did some research found some patterns and started out.  I was so frustrated by the time I had done half and inch that I dumped all the rings back in a baggie and left them on my desk.

That was 2 weeks ago. This morning I pulled them out again with the intention of taking it all apart and leaving the world of chainmaille to someone else.  When I voiced my frustrations on Plurk a lovely lady named Diana volunteered to help me figure it out. Within an hour I she had helped me figure out what was wrong and how to do it right. She didn't need to and probably could have been marketing herself elsewhere but she helped me instead. I feel that every good deed deserves a reward so I am promoting her today.

Diana of Nightmaiden Designs is a great lady.  She has a passion for causes and a soft spot for animals that is enhanced by her experiences as a Vet Tech. Her beauty is illustrated in the kind deeds she does for others, her activism and her jewellery.  She creates fantastic chainmaille pieces and beautiful gemstone jewellery that is sure to please a descerning eye.  Her photography is exquisite and detailed. Treat yourself to a look into her studio.

She also has a lovely collection of photography. The peony above is one of my favorite of her photographs.  If you are looking for chainmaille or chakra jewellery or a stunning photograph for your wall I would recommend Nightmaiden Designs. She also does custom designs ( you need to check out her gallery )and accepts both Paypal and Amazon payments.

Thank you Diana for all of your help today. I am lucky to count you among my friends.

You can find Nightmaiden Designs here:

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There is a story told of Socrates and a young man who came to him seeking wisdom. 

The young man approached Socrates and asked him to share his knowledge. Socrates took the young man down to the water and they waded in. Socrates then proceeded to hold the young man's head underwater.  The young man objected to this treatment by thrashing about.  When the flailing has stopped Socrates pulled the young man out of the water. When the young man regained his composure he came again to Socrates for an explanation of his actions.  Socrates then asked him what it was he wanted the most when his head was under water.  The young man replied that he wanted air more than anything. Socrates then answered :