Chocolate Crackers Bars Recipe

Here’s an update on my weight loss journey – during this week of Valentine’s Day, I’ve completely blown my diet. Yep, I made beef filet and lobster tails for my sweetie on Valentine’s Day, we had a potluck at my women’s Bible study group, and then I made this recipe for a yummy dessert to share with my husband.

The worst part of all that? This yummy dessert. It’s deceptively simple to make, with only 4 or 5 ingredients, but I’m addicted to the bars (I got the recipe from the Spark People website so I thought it would be somewhat healthful and not bad on calories). I mean literally, I just can’t muster enough self-control to stay away from them. So…I’ve gained back 1 pound, which isn’t too bad, overall. My goal now is to get rid of the remaining chocolate bars and get back on track. And I will never, ever make these bars again while I’m trying to watch my weight!

Try making these bars and tell me if they are addictive as I think they are…

Chocolate Crackers Bars

20 Saltine crackers

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Powdered sugar or finely chopped nuts (about ¼ cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13 x 9 inch rimmed baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay crackers in the bottom of the pan. Melt butter in the microwave; add sugar and still until well combined. Drizzle evenly over the crackers.

Bake for 10 minutes, until sugar caramelizes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pop the pan back into the oven for about a minute, just until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove from oven and use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly across the top of the crackers. Sift powdered sugar over the top and/or top with nuts.

Makes 20 pieces with about 100 calories each (that is if you can eat only one piece... I dare you to try!)

January 29, 2012: Steak With Pomegranate Reduction Recipe

My husband and I love ribeye steaks but the reason they’re so good is that they’re nicely marbled with lots of fat. In order to make a healthier version of this favorite, I bought thinner steaks and added a sauce to make it seem like more food was on the plate.

Steak With Pomegranate Reduction served with multi-colored potatoes with butter and parsley

Steak With Pomegranate Reduction

2 thin ribeye steaks (or other good quality beef steaks), about ½ pound total weight

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 t. olive oil

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

¾ cup dry red wine (such as Merlot or Shiraz)

¾ cup pomegranate juice

1 t. butter

1 T. fat free half and half

1 t. jarred, drained capers

Take out the steaks and leave at room temperature for about half an hour before cooking. Sprinkle one side with salt and pepper.

Heat oil to medium-high in a heavy skillet. Add steaks and cook briefly on each side (about 2 minutes) to brown. Place on a plate and tent with foil. Keep warm in a low oven.

Reduce heat to medium and add garlic cloves to skillet. Saute for about one minutes, until slightly softened. Slowly pour in wine and pomegranate juice. Bring to a slow, rolling boil and cook until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, half and half and capers; stir to blend ingredients.

To serve, place one steak on each plate and ladle half the sauce over the top.

Serves 2

January 3, 2012: Acorn Squash Crescents Recipe

Here’s a side dish loaded with flavor but slim on calories. It makes a beautiful accompaniment to a piece of chicken or fish, rice and a fresh, green salad.

Acorn Squash Crescents

1 acorn squash

1 T. butter

¼ t. curry powder

¼ t. kosher salt

1 T. apple juice or apple cider

Cut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds and tough fibers. Place each half cut side down on a cutting board and cut into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add seasonings; brush over squash.

Cover squash and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with apple juice, turning each slice to coat. Bake uncovered for another five minutes until tender and glazed.

Serves 6

December 29, 2011: Black Forest Bundt Cake Recipe

I wanted to make a really special dessert for Christmas and I knew that everyone in the family loved chocolate. Me? Not so much. But a Black Forest cake is a way to please everyone, including myself. I found a recipe for Black Forest Bars in an old cookbook but since it called for an odd-sized pan, I decided to adapt it for a Bundt cake pan. And since I couldn’t find any kirsch liqueur at the grocery store, I decided to use almond flavoring, which goes really well with cherries and chocolate. The result is this recipe, which is quite delish; the bottom crust layer adds another texture to make it extra special.

Black Forest Bundt Cake

Shortbread Crust:

¾ cup almond meal

2 T. sugar

½ t. baking powder

6 T. butter, chilled

Cake:

3 eggs, separated

¼ cup warm water

1 t. almond extract

½ cup sugar

¾ cup sifted flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ t. baking powder

1 can cherry pie filling

1 t. amaretto

Cream Filling:

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

2 t. amaretto

¼ cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare crust by blending together almond meal, sugar and baking powder. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles fine meal. Pat mixture into 9” round cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

To make cake, beat together egg yolks and water until foamy. Add almond extract and sugar; beat until thick and pale. Mix together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; pour into sifter. Gradually sift into egg yolk mixture, folding in while sifting. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Pour batter into bundt cake that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Bake at 375 degrees 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove to rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely; cut in half horizontally to make two layers.

To prepare cream filling, whip cream until peaks form. Add amaretto and powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff.

Mix one teaspoon amaretto into cherry pie filling.

To assemble cake, carefully turn crust pan upside down over serving plate and tap bottom to release crust. Spread cherry pie filling over crust. Place bottom layer of cake on top of cherry pie filling. Spread 2/3 of whipped cream filling over cake, place top layer of cake on top of whipped cream. Place remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag with decorative tip and pipe rosettes on top of cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Serves 12 – 16

December 26, 2011: Rosemary Roasted Beef Tenderloin Recipe

Normally a cut of meat like beef tenderloin is out of my budget but I found a nice little piece on sale at the grocery store recently and brought it home. I’d never cooked beef tenderloin before so I was a bit hesitant, not wanting to ruin such a good piece of meat. I did a bit of sleuthing online and prepared it this way, which turned out great!

Rosemary Roasted Beef Tenderloin

2 t. olive oil

One ¾ - 1 lb. beef tenderloin

Salt and pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce fresh rosemary sprigs

1/3 c. dry red wine

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil to medium. Sprinkle beef tenderloin with salt and pepper; brown briefly on all sides in oil. Transfer tenderloin to a plate. Add garlic, rosemary and red wine to the pan. Place tenderloin on top of rosemary sprigs. Place pan in oven and roast tenderloin for about 25 minutes for medium doneness. Remove from oven. Place tenderloin back on plate and tent with foil for five minutes. Meanwhile, add butter to the pan drippings and keep warm.

To serve: slice beef thinly against the grain and top with pan sauce.

Serves 2

December 21, 2011: Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Pie Recipe

This recipe – which would make a wonderful holiday dessert – is courtesy of my dear mother-in-law, Judy. It’s special enough for Christmas dinner and the combination of ingredients will please the chocolate lovers as well as the traditional dessert lovers in your family.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Pie

Filling:

1 14-ounce bag vanilla caramels

½ c. butter

½ c. heavy whipping cream

2 cups pecan halves, roasted

Chocolate cookie pie crust or regular pie crust, blind baked

Topping:

1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 T. butter

2 T. light corn syrup

½ t. vanilla extract

Prepared whipped cream topping

To prepare filling: add caramels, butter and cream to a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often with a whisk, until caramels and butter melt. Remove from heat and whisk until completely smooth. Stir in pecans.

Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Cover and chill three to four hours, until completely cooled and firm.

To prepare topping: stir chocolate chips and butter in a heavy, small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cream, corn syrup and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Pour over chilled pie and chill an additional hour. Just before serving, decorate with dollops of whipped cream.

Serves 10

December 19, 2011: Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

This recipe is an old one but a good one that I first tasted many, many years ago (30? 35?). It’s courtesy of a family friend in Silver City, NM who always served this beverage at his holiday parties. It’s just the thing to warm up your guests or even Santa as he goes about his gift delivery duties Christmas Eve!

Note: this recipe makes enough for lots of hot buttered rum; you may want to package it nicely and give it as a gift, along with printed instructions attached.

Hot Buttered Rum

2 lbs. brown sugar

1 lb. butter

1 T. ground cloves

1 T. ground cinnamon

Mix together (with your hands is the suggested manner).

To use: mix together 1/3 cup rum and 1 tablespoon mix in a mug; add boiling water to top of rim. Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top before serving. To make a larger batch, mix together 1 1/3 cup rum, 1/4 cup mix and about 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Garnish each cup with a cinnamon stick or mint leaf, if desired.