I can’t believe Easter is just around the corner and here in Texas, that means HOT weather is on the way.  We’ve already had some warm days so I’ve been on the prowl for easy, cool desserts.  I’m sure this Strawberry Mousse is something several of you already know about, but I’ll admit, it’s new to me.  I was planning on making chocolate mousse using Philadelphia Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese but couldn’t find it in my small town, so I settled for Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese.  I’m glad I did, it was a big hit here on the ranch!

This is another one of the easiest recipes ever.  I beginning to wonder if I’m smart or lazy ’cause if any recipe requires too much work, I’m outta there!  Anyways, everyone in my house loved it and we had ages of 18 to 5.  Two thumbs up from the Falcon household!  I’m even thinking about taking this is a snack for the kiddos in Truett’s class.  Enjoy y’all!

These are your ingredients….super easy y’all!

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Just because you want to offer healthier snacks for your next party (and maybe the next Super Bowl party) doesn’t mean you have to cut ALL the goodness out!  Offering foods that are cooler make a party lighter.    Try these 3 very simple, but tasty food ideas at your next get-together and I bet you’re gonna be surprised at how big a hit they’ll be!

Tip: To make things even healthier, you can substitute several of the items with low fat products like the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream.And I always shop at Walmart for everything I need!

Knorr’s Spinach Dip

• 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not use fresh)
• 1 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 c. mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s)
• 1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
• 1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• Round Loaf of King’s Hawaiin Bread

Squeeze spinach until dry. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut slice from top of round loaf of pumpernickel bread, hollow out loaf to leave shell to contain dip. Use bread removed from shell and top slice to cut into bite size pieces. Butter inside of bread shell, fill loaf with dip and place on platter and surround with crackers or even vegetable sticks.

Meat and Cheese Platter

Obviously no recipe involved but this was a hit! Cubed cheese surrounded by a variety of deli meats.  Oh so good!

Basic Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese,softened
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. For Marshmallow Fruit Dip:  Add 1/2 cup marshmallow creme to the basic recipe.

What kind of finger food do you serve at home parties? And are you as challenged as I am?

You’ve been waiting all week haven’t you!  This is definitely drool worthy and is super easy to make and a great recipe for the kiddos to lend a helping hand in!  They can dip the strawberries in chocolate and braise the cake with Strawberry jam! This was made in the Stoneware Fluted Pan from Pampered Chef and are you ready?…..IN THE MICROWAVE!

Man was this good!!  And the pan was awesome of course. We laid it upside down on a beautiful bamboo platter for a good ten minutes to rest before lifting the pan.  Viola! It came out so pretty, no sticking.

You can find the main dish we served with this (and giveaway) and see more pictures from the Party.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil,  divided
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels
• 1 package (18.25 oz) devil’s food cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 jar (12 oz) seedless strawberry jam, divided

Glaze and Garnish

• 1/3 cup melted vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
• 1 quart fresh strawberries, divided
• Additional ice cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Brush Stoneware Fluted Pan with 1 tbsp of the oil using Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush. For cake, combine chocolate morsels and oil in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until melted and smooth, whisking after 30 seconds. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water, ½ cup of the jam and chocolate mixture; whisk until well blended. Pour batter into pan.

2. Microwave cake on HIGH 9-12 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove cake from microwave. Wipe rim of pan clean using paper towel, if necessary. Center Simple  Additions Large Round Platter over pan and carefully invert. Without removing pan, let stand 10  minutes. Remove pan.

3. For glaze, combine ice cream and chocolate morsels in Small Micro-Cooker. Microwave on HIGH 20-60 seconds, stirring after each 20-second interval, until melted and smooth.

4. To finish cake, place remaining jam into Prep Bowl and microwave on HIGH 30 seconds or until melted; brush evenly over cake. Holding by stems, dip 16 of the strawberries into glaze; arrange around bottom edge of cake. Drizzle top of cake with remaining glaze. Slice remaining strawberries using Egg Slicer Plus; place into center well of cake. Serve with additional ice cream, if desired.

Cook’s Tips: For best results, bake this cake in a 1000-watt microwave with a built-in turntable. This cake can be baked in a conventional oven, if desired. Bake at 350˚F for 45-50 minutes. Proceed as recipe
directs.

Yield: 16 servings

Stoneware Fluted Pan

Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush

Small Batter Bowl

Small Micro-Cooker

Because I’m trying to lose weight, I’m really watching what I eat.  Every morning I wake up and decide what to eat.  I usually go for oatmeal, a healthy cereal or have a smoothie. Today is smoothie day!  My two favorite fruits, strawberries & bananas, in a drink!  And to make sure I’m getting a good dose of calcium, I use whole milk. You can substitute 2% or fat free if you want it non-fat but I think it’s healthy to have a good glass of milk throughout the day.

I have a blender that I just LOVE. The  Chris Freytag Personal Fitness Blender is my absolute favorite and it’s cheaper at QVC than at Amazon.  If you’re not a member of QVC, it’s a 30 sec sign up folks.

The blender is basically a mug that you can use to drink your shake or smoothie and comes with a to-go lid.  You put your ingredients in it, screw the top on (with the blender blades) and flip over onto unit. When done, you flip back over and swap out lids with the to-go one. I LOVE IT!  And you can also get extra mugs if you want more for other family members.

INGREDIENTS

• * 1 cup frozen strawberry
• * 1 cup milk
• * 2 packets of Truvia (or your favorite sweetener or 1/4 cup sugar)
• * 1 banana
• * 8-10 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.  VIOLA!  Super easy and VERY good!

What is your favorite kind of smoothie?

Pound cake is great, but pound cake with a fruity topping is even greater!  With this recipe, I decided to use Strawberries, Blueberries, and Bananas.  With so much going on on the fruit side, I needed a balance to which I chose simple but tasty pound cake.  This is a super easy recipe to make and is great when you’re short on time.  While the baking of the pound cake is an hour at the least, everything is done within 15minutes.  So, you ready for the recipe?  Let’s git-r-done!

INGREDIENTS:

For the pound cake

• 1/2 pound butter (or 2 sticks), a little extra for the pan
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, a little extra for the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the fruit topping

• 1 cup of strawberries (sliced)
• 1 cup of bananas (sliced)
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1/2 stick of butter
• whip cream (optional) I didn’t use it but it would be good!

DIRECTIONS:

First, preheat oven to 350′.  CAKE: Cream butter and shortening together.  Add sugar, a little at a time.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each one.  Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to the previous mixture, alternating it with milk.  Mix in vanilla.  Pour into greased and floured loaf pans (2 of them) and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick comes out clean.

During the last 10 minutes of baking time, heat a nonstick skillet and add your butter, sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, and fruit.  Saute for about 3-5 minutes.

Take out pound cake, cool, and slice.  Pour sauteed fruit mixture over pound cake and devour!

Serve with whip cream if you like.