Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

From Denny: OK, I'm a total foodie for macaroons, send me to some addict's group... :) One of the best flavor combinations on the planet is coconut and chocolate! Here's an easy quick recipe from the Kraft Foods folks that only requires a mere 7 ingredients.

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 1 hr 5 min

Makes: Makes 3 doz. or 36 servings, 1 cookie each


Ingredients:

1 pkg. (14 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut

2/3 cup sugar

6 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 tsp. almond extract

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate


Directions:

HEAT oven to 325°F. Combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Add egg whites and extract; mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased and floured baking sheets.

BAKE 20 min. or until edges are golden brown. Transfer to wire racks. Cool.

MELT chocolate. Dip cookies halfway into chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Storage Tip:

Store in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Recipe: A Gumbo You Will Only Find in Louisiana

First you make a roux! Image by scottpartee via Flickr

From Denny: What a GREAT name for a recipe! It sure made me laugh today! We all love this local magazine, Country Roads, because they do such a wonderful job of covering the French culture, history, restaurant reviews, recipes and much more for Louisiana. There was a time when they had humble beginnings and now they are a publishing force in their own right! Congrats go to the folks over at Country Roads!

Louisiana chefs are known for their innovation, finding ways to interpret traditional local foods, using local ingredients. Hunting is still a big part of Louisiana culture as this state is known as The Sportsman's Paradise. Bass fishing tournaments have been popular here for a long time. From generation to generation children have learned the traditional French and Native American values of how to live off the land. This recipe reflects those values.

From: Chef Forrest Dillemuth, published in Country Roads Magazine

Ingredients:

1 lb Louisiana crawfish tails

1 rabbit (store-bought will work)

1 duck breast (trim any fat and again, store-bought will work)

1 lb Andouille sausage

1/2 lb boneless buffalo stew meat

1 lb shrimp

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp oregano

1 chopped purple onion

2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)

2 gallons water

2 Tbsp of roux mix

1 tsp filé powder

2 cups white rice

1 Tbsp olive oil


Directions:

Bring two gallons of water to boil. Add 1 clove of chopped garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano and salt to water. Once boiling place whole rabbit and boil slowly (until meat is soft and tender). Once rabbit is boiled pull from pot, let cool, remove all meat from bone and set aside. Also pull out 4 cups of water from the stock and set aside.

In new pot add olive oil and heat. Once heated add remaining garlic, onion and bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender. Now add sausage, duck, buffalo, shrimp and crawfish and sauté until cooked. Then add 2 tablespoons of roux mix and 1 teaspoon of filé into pot and sauté at high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining stock from rabbit and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To cook the rice take the 4 cups of stock you set aside and place into small pot. Bring to boil and add 2 cups of rice. Stir and then reduce to low heat. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

Recipe: Chocolate Pine Bark

From Denny: People are always looking for recipes that are easy to do, take little time AND are crowd pleasers! This is one of those popular recipes.

Pine Bark

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 35 squares

Ingredients

35 saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

5 (4-ounce) milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lightly spray foil with a non-stick cooking spray.

Place saltine crackers, salty side up, in prepared pan. In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Pour mixture over crackers and bake for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven, top with candy bars, and spread evenly as chocolate begins to melt. Cool slightly and transfer onto waxed paper. Allow to cool completely.


© 2009 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Chocolate Bar as...

Chocolate Bar
Originally uploaded by Pink Sushi

Boyfriend replacement! :)

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Uploaded by Pink Sushi on 8 Sep 05, 11.50PM CDT".

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Image by Smaku via Flickr

From Denny: From Chow.com this is one of those simple recipes you can do with the kids or if you are a beginner cook. Also good for a weekend when you don't have the time to stop and do several steps for a recipe. Here the slow cooker takes care of it all!

Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Ingredients:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 pint sour cream

1 package instant chocolate pudding (any size)

1 (6 oz.) package chocolate chips

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup water

Directions:

Spray crock-pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients, pour into crock pot. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Do Not Lift Lid!

Serve hot in the crockpot with ice cream or whipped cream.