Hi All Happy Monday!  Funny story as to why I picked this post.  I am a little tight on time as a last minute trip to Vancouver sprung on me Friday evening with a sudden retrun trip from Vancouver came right after on Saturday morning.  I arrive home Saturday night to pack for my conference in Philadelphia starting on Sunday.  We are at Blue Bell PA staying at Normandy Farm.  Ever been?  It is quite nice so far.

There are about 9 of us who traveled together and as I was sitting on the plane I could hear one of my colleagues behind me asking his seat buddy this… Hey ever spend any time in Philadelphia?  My other buddy says ” No but I hear they make one heck of a cream cheese”

I turned around with a smile and said…. this is going on Zesty!  So as I am a little pressed on time – I wanted to share this post with you to get your taste buds grooving for the week.

Hey Zesty Cook readers, it’s Jenny over at Picky Palate.  I am thrilled to be guest posting here at Zesty’s!  At Picky Palate, I create simple family friendly meals and desserts for even those picky little eaters, come on over for a visit sometime

I am sharing one of my all time favorite sinful desserts today that I think you will love!  Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars.  I was even lucky enough to be featured on Bettycrocker.com with these bad boys!

The best part of this recipe is that it’s a breeze to whip up, the kids can help and you can find all of the ingredients at any grocery store.  Hope you all enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal, ground in food processor
• 1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 21 oz can apple pie filling
• 1 -  5 oz package Nature Valley Oats N’ Honey Crunchy Granola Bars (2 count), crushed (I use a rolling pin to crush them right in the bag before opening)
• 9 -  5 oz Kraft Caramels
• 1/2 Cup half and half

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine melted butter and ground cereal into a large bowl; press into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.  Crumble half of the cookie dough over partially baked crust.
4. Place cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a mixer; beat until smooth.  Pour over crumbled cookie dough layer.
5. Bake for 25 minutes then remove from over.  Top with 3/4 of the apple pie filling (I chose to just add part, but you can add the whole can if desired).
6. Next top with remaining cookie dough, breaking off into little pieces evenly over top.
7. Sprinkle with crushed granola bars and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center.
8. Let cool completely then cut into squares.
9. Melt caramels and half and half according to package directions.
10. Drizzle over each bar.
11. ENJOY!

Take care

zesty

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I hope that your week is going great so far.  Today, I want to share with you a super simple dessert that’s perfect for when you are in a pinch or when you are simply craving a sweet treat.   Beat the HEAT with this simple and easy dessert for a crowd.

I don’t do this very often but I went with a frozen pastry tart as the base of this dessert. For one, they are simple to use and second they are very tasty and flaky.

This dessert literally only takes 17 minutes to prepare and yet it’s a delicious simple treat that you can dress up whatever way you like it.

Ingredients

• 12 Pastry Tart Shells
• Ice Cream
• Caramel Sauce
• Blueberries

Method

1. Prepare the tart shells as per instructions.

.

2. Let tarts cool.



3. Drizzle bottom of tart with caramel.



4. Add ice cream.
5. Top with blueberries.
6. Drizzle with more caramel.
7. Set back in the freezer to harden.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: How to ensure a tender pastry crust? Minimal handling helps to achieve a tender crust. Think of your fingers as feathers, gently mixing the dough. Handle the dough just enough to mix it and roll it- it’s that simple. Lots of handling lengthens the gluten in the flour, making a chewy pie crust.

Before I leave for another day,  I was wondering - what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? For me I am pretty plain on most days and love vanilla ice cream.  Sometimes, when I’m feeling adventurous, I branch into Neapolitan.  Have a great hump day – the weekend will be here before you know it.

Stay tuned for some house pictures on Monday.  The landscaping is complete and looks great!

Take care

zesty

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I can’t believe it is the middle of the week.  I have been buried in work all week and it feels like I am just coming up for a breather to write this post.  As you all know, we had a little birthday celebration on Sunday and with that came a few snacks prior to the cake fiesta.

I decided a little apple dip would be a nice touch and somewhat festive.  A simple mixture of caramel, cream cheese and brown sugar makes a nice dip for crisp granny smith apples.  Super easy to make and always a great crowd pleaser.  The one thing to look out for with this dip is you want to give it plenty of time to chill in the fridge and set up.  As far as leftovers, this should be safe in the fridge for 3-4 days after if it lasts that long.

Ingredients

• 350 g Caramel ( Found in the produce section )
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 8 Oz. Cream cheese ( softened)
• 2 Skor bars ( broken up in small bits)

Method

1. Beat cream cheese and brown sugar together until smooth.
2. Fold in caramel.
3. Stir in Skor bits, reserving some for the top.
4. Add remaining Skor bits on top
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Another alternative presentation is to use a large serving dish and smear the cream cheese and brown sugar on the bottom, then add the caramel mixture on top of that creating two layers.  Top the caramel with the skor pieces and you are complete.

Weight Watchers Info – Because I was featured on Friends For Weight Loss as recipe of the week,  I added the weight watchers information for you to have on hand.

Makes 4 cups or 64 tablespoons

Note: You can lighten up the recipe and save on points plus by substituting fat free cream cheese.

• 2 points plus per 2 Tablespoon serving using full fat cream cheese
• 1 points plus per 2 Tablespoon serving using fat frree cream cheese

Alright, I am going to head off and get ready for work.  If you have any questions on anything zesty, drop me a note and I will be happy to help.  It is December 1st and Christmas is on it’s way and today also marks the start of the Maritime Electric Challenge.  For the month of December, we have to use less electricity and if so we get a % off our monthly bill.  The kids have been practicing for two weeks and are really pumped about this.  As I sit here and type this, I have unplugged my laptop and am sitting the dining room in the dark.  It is going to be a fun month!

Take care

zesty

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Let me start off by saying that viewer discretion is advised for today’s post.  OK now with the story that preludes possibly the greatest brownie I have ever sunk my teeth in thus far in my life.  Last Saturday Mrs. Zesty had a baby shower to attend and she was designated for a dessert/sweet treat for the girls.  Last week was a bit of a zoo and I think I forgot about prepping this dessert until Friday afternoon at work.  After work I did a quick scan for some ideas and came up with a chocolate caramel brownie.  I figured that would be a hit with a “bunch” of girls.

I knew time was tight and I didn’t want to spend all night Friday night to prep a dessert.  With that said, I counted on Google and did a quick chocolate caramel brownie search.  At that point you can say my life may have changed forever.  See below for all the details.

This recipe, I cannot take any credit for and nor will I try as it is compliments of Nestle Toll House and as you can see from the reviews…. I am not the only one that liked them.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup chopped nuts ( Optional )
• 1 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 35 (10-oz. pkg.) caramels, unwrapped
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine cake mix and nuts in large bowl. Stir in 2/3 cup evaporated milk and butter (batter will be thick). Spread half of batter into ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.



3. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Heat caramels and remaining evaporated milk in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Sprinkle morsels over brownie; drizzle with caramel mixture.







5. Drop remaining batter by heaping teaspoon over caramel mixture.





6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set.
7. Cool in pan on wire rack.



8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The only tip I could recommend for this recipe is too make it at least in double batch form.  It is absolutely amazing.

If you like gooey, chocolate, caramel and oh did I mention brownies…. if so you have to make these TODAY!  As I know a lot of people have great brownie recipes from scratch but too follow this recipe which literally takes 10 minutes to prep, the results are so satisfying.  Girls if you are reading from the shower, let me know what you thought of the brownie in the comments.

Have an awesome Wednesday and let me know if you have any questions concerning this recipe or any other recipe that you see here.

Thanks

zesty

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So finally a formal recap of a Zesty food presentation which took place last Saturday.  Before I begin, I just want to say it was a lot of fun.  It was a bit nerve racking preparing under a time crunch to get ready for a live act but I would do it again in an instant.

I was not really sure what I was getting into as I just took the request and said “YES” without asking to many questions…. that is normally how I live!  Terrible I know but fun.  So I stopped in Friday evening to check out the venue and was totally impressed.  Nice big kitchen to work in, labeled cabinets and drawers for supplies.  There was even a chef from the culinary institute there prepping for the lunch.

On the video side of things – they had wireless mics, huge video screen displays – great sound system.  Overall this was a great event.  The topic of the whole event revolved around tips for having a less hectic Christmas Season.  So of course I tried to adhere to that and make a super simple treat.

On to the Food

I know I know – the title made you drool.  I can tell!  This little treats are super easy to make and actually quite cheap to gather the ingredients.  It consists of three simple ingredients and a total of 4 minutes of cooking time.  Can you really beat that?  I think not.  Here is the scoop on how to prepare this little single bites of heaven.

Ingredients

• Flat waffle pretzels
• Chocolate caramel balls
• Pecan halves (roasted)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper



3. Spread out waffle pretzels on the parchment paper
4. Add a chocolate caramel balls on top and bake for 4 minutes





5. Remove from oven and press a roasted pecan halve on top until the chocolate and caramel begin to ooze
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you want to use Jumbo Rolo candies instead – they work great as well but my only concern is the cost if you are making them in large batches.

In addition to the treat I thought I would share a couple of not so boring vegetable dishes for the crowd.  With that I had to share the dazzled carrots with pear and balsamic – which is literally just as easy as boiling carrots.  I also presented the simple brussel sprout recipe with figs and maple.

Some more food shots

Some kitchen Mayhem shots

I had a great time on Saturday and realized that I love food and everything about it.

I hope you have a great day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Friday the 13th! To end treat week what better way to end it than with a simple easy homemade chocolate cake. Not just any chocolate cake however, this one is crusted with fudge cookies, topped with fudge icing and drizzled with warm caramel. How does that sound? Yeah I know – I love chocolate!!

I guess the good thing about this cake is that it’s super easy. I adopted this recipe from Anna Olson on The Food Network. This recipe actually has enough batter to create two cakes.  You can choose to stack them with icing in the middle or make two cakes and ice them separately as I chose to do.

As I was taking multiple pictures of the cake to trying to get a good shot, some of the caramel started to drip, so I could not resist sharing this picture.

Craving chocolate for Valentine’s Day? Try this recipe!  Be careful though, it may knock the socks off your loved one.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups pastry flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream (low fat)
• 1 cup fudge cookie crumbles

Frosting

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 12 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• Caramel for drizzling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
2. Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a small pan stir water and chocolate over low heat until melted. Allow to cool slightly before beating into butter mixture.
4. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter alternately with sour cream.
5. Divide evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool 15 minutes in the pans, then turn cakes out onto a plate to cool completely.

Frosting

1. Beat butter on high speed, scraping sides frequently, until light and fluffy.
2. Add melted chocolate and mix in.
3. Add vanilla, salt and icing sugar and beat until smooth.
4. Spread icing on cake in whatever pattern you like and then coat the outside in the fudge crumbs by pressing them into the icing… it is messy but don’t worry  – it will taste great.

Zesty Tip: Chocolate should only be melted over low heat. The microwave is a good appliance to use because the cooking time is so controlled. If you stand there at the stove and stir constantly, you can melt chocolate in a pan set over very low heat. A double boiler (watch out for condensation) is a good method; make sure the water in the bottom is barely simmering.

Well there you have it!  I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s day and I welcome your favorite chocolate cake in the comments. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Take care

zesty

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Since apple picking was just this past weekend – I wanted to share another really quick classic treat. The caramel apple! Now this recipe is dead easy and tastes so good.  The flavours are endless with this treat but I chose just a quick simple method to tantalize your taste buds and bring everyone back to their childhood.  After trying this recipe make sure you check out some other quick ways to enjoy your apples from my day at the apple orchard.  Needless to say – we made a few caramel apples… as you can tell by the picture below.

Ingredients

• 6 apples
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 Cup Peanuts

Method

1. Insert a craft stick in the center of the apple to allow you to dip and roll the apple when needed. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a sauce pot and melt over low to medium heat, and stirring regularly. Allow to cool briefly.



3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. After a few minutes – Roll in your favorite topping while the caramel is still warm.  As you can see here – I went with the classic crushed peanuts. Place on prepared sheet to set.



4. I sliced the apple in two to try and get fancy with the pictures.  These little treats were oh so yummy.
5. Enjoy!

But before you leave and go to another favorite… tell me what you like to dip your caramel apples in or if you prefer them just plain. I am always excited to hear new ideas…

Thanks everyone and have a great day.

Zesty.

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