Strawberry-Cheesecake Trifle

I made this trifle for my father-in-law's welcome home open house Sunday. The bowl got cleared out, so I guess that's a good thing.

What You'll Need:

1 qt strawberries

1 10 oz pound cake, cubed (I used Sara Lee frozen pound cake- much easier to slice)

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, divided

1 carton Cool Whip, thawed

1 chocolate bar, grated

How To Make It:

Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, and slice. Place the berries in a medium bowl, and pour 1/2 cup sugar over them. Stir well and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Fold in the Cool Whip to combine. In a trifle bowl (3.5 quart should do it), layer half the pound cake cubes, half the strawberries, and half the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with half the grated chocolate. Repeat the layers, finishing off with more grated chocolate. Cover the trifle and refrigerate four hours to overnight before serving.

Blueberry Lemon Trifle

I finally got a trifle bowl last Christmas, so I'm excited to have the chance to use some of my trifle recipes!

What You'll Need:

3 cups blueberries, divided

2 21 oz cans lemon pie filling

3 6 oz containers lemon yogurt

1 container Cool Whip, thawed

1 10 oz angel food cake, cubed

How To Make It:

Set aside 1/4 cup blueberries for garnish. In a m

edium bowl, combine the pie filling and the yogurt. Mix well to combine completely. In the trifle bowl, layer a third of the cake cubes, a third of the lemon mixture, and a third of the blueberries. Repeat this process two more times. Top the trifle with the Cool Whip and sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.

Chocolate Biscuits

This is a southern thing. Anytime you try to describe this dish to anyone not from Kentucky and below, they think you're weird. Trust me. It's not at all nutritious (neither is most breakfast food sold at the grocery), but very yummy and I'm pretty sure I had it for breakfast for half the Sundays of my life, from the time I started eating solid food to the time I got married and moved out. This recipe serves four people, with two biscuits a piece.

What You'll Need:

One can refrigerated biscuit dough

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla

How To Make It:

Prepare the biscuits as directed on the packaging. While they're baking, heat the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. When it's done, it'll be about the consistency of chocolate syrup. Split two biscuits on each plate and pour the chocolate sauce over them. These must be served with a very large glass of milk (or a can of Mountain Dew, if you're my dad.)

Roasted Carrots

The simplicity of this recipe is astounding. Sometimes I roast some carrots just for the heck of it. They are so stinkin' delicious.

What You'll Need:

24 carrots or 2 small bags baby carrots

6 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

4 tbsp minced fresh parsley, optional

How To Make It:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If the carrots are thick, halve them lengthwise. Otherwise, just slice them diagonally in about 1 1/2 inch slices (about baby carrot sized.) Toss the carrots in a bowl with the oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer them to a sheet pan in a single layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes*, until a little browned and tender. Toss the carrots with the minced parsley, if using, season to taste, and serve.

*If you don't stir the carrots midway through roasting, the bottoms of them may get a little black. Picky eaters (kids) may be bothered by this. The carrots themselves are delicious and I can't imagine anyone not liking them, but if you have a picky eater, you might want to shake the pan or roll the carrots around with a spatula after about ten minutes.

Basmati Rice

I love this rice! This is adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten. It serves 8 people.

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter

2 small yellow onions, chopped (if you're not an onion fan, go with just one)

2 cups long grain basmati rice

3 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 cup sliced scallions

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

How To Make It:

Cook the butter or oil and onions over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and toss to coat the grains with butter (or oil.) Add the water and salt; cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Add the scallions and parsley and fluff with a fork.

Marshmallow Nut Fudge

I think the most genius thing about this recipe is the concept of melting butter and marshmallows together. It sounds like something Paula Deen would do if she had a little too much cough syrup.

What You'll Need:

1 bag marshmallows

2/3 cup butter, cubed

2 tbsp water

12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla

1 small bag chopped walnuts (I wouldn't blame you if you put a little less in there)

How To Make It:

Line the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with heavy duty foil. Butter the foil. In medium to large saucepan, melt the marshmallows, butter, and water, stirring occasionally. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and nuts. Stir until completely mixed and chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. When the fudge has cooled to room temperature, move the pan to the refrigerator. When you're ready to divvy up the fudge, remove the foil from the pan and slice. This fudge is pretty sticky so you may need to rinse the knife occasionally.

Chocolate Truffles

These truffles are easy, but super messy. There is no clean way to make a truffle, unless you want to wear latex gloves, I guess. But who wants to eat glove-flavored truffles?

What You'll Need:

12 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp shortening

How To Make It:

Melt 6 oz of the chocolate over low heat in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and cream until smooth. Refrigerate this mixture 10-15 minutes, or until you can handle it. Shape the mixture into balls* and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze about thirty minutes. Melt the shortening and the remaining chocolate in the double boiler and stir to combine completely. Dip the cold truffles in the melted chocolate and return to the cookie sheet. Refrigerate until the candies are set.

*There is no dainty way to do this. I tried a melon baller for a while, which gives you a good sized hunk of ganache, but then you have to scoop the ganache out of the melon baller somehow. You can try scooping some up with a spoon and rolling it between your palms, but I hate that- I have to wash my hands between each truffle. No matter now messy they are to make, the point is, they're delicious. Make some, put them in a little candy box from your local craft store (filled with super cute mini-muffin liners) and give them to a friend. Or eat them all yourself, I don't care. :)

Barbecue Biscuit Cups

I have eaten a LOT of ground beef barbecue in my lifetime. On bread, on hot dogs, on hamburger buns, even in flour tortillas sprinkled with cheese. Here's another way to eat barbecue (you can also substitute your favorite barbecue recipe.)

What You'll Need:

about 3/4 lb lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced (or use a small pinch of garlic powder)

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, optional

1/4 cup ketchup (I used a little more because I like "wet" food)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 can buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

How To Make It:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, cook the beef, onion, garlic, and bell pepper over medium high heat until beef is cooked; drain. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and brown sugar. Separate the biscuit dough into 8 biscuits and place each one into ungreased standard sized muffin cups; smoosh them to make about a little bit of a rim above the pan. Spoon the beef mixture evenly into the dough cups. Sprinkle each cup with cheese. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and the cheese is melted.