Dolce » Recipes

Summer Slump?

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:32:55 +0000

We are half way through the Summer and it’s hot outside, vacations are over or underway and some of us are running out of fresh, fun ideas to finish out this Summer strong. We came across this quote today that inspired us:

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”- Abraham Lincoln.

So we thought of some ideas to put a little more “life” into the end of Summer. Here is a small list of of fun pick me-ups to enjoy with with friends and family to lift your spirits!

Cool Drink & Snack

Freeze-A-Rita!

This is a very simple, easy to make margarita mix. You simply mix with a bottle of your desired choice, add water and freeze over night! What would be better than this late afternoon on the porch? YUM!

J&M Cheese Straws!

Dolce loves Cheese Straws and these are the perfect taste of cheese, spice and deliciousness all in one! It’s also a great snack anytime of day!

**Both of these items are available to purchase through Dolce

Ten Easy Fun Things To Do

1. Build your own Slip N Slide

2. Play a board game with friends!

3. Get someone take pictures of you and your family sun-kissed and happy

4. Read a novel

5. Canoe down a river for an afternoon

6. Run through sprinklers!

7. Make a homemade bonfire and cook smores

8. Sleep in one day

9. Watch the sunrise at least once with someone you care about

10. Go for a long walk down the beach or on a wooden path

Hopefully this post will spark some “life” back into your daily routine and you realize the importance of enjoying the small, fun things that make life SO fun!!

Have A Great Weekend!

Thanks for the Sweet Potato Recipes…Here’s One That Looked Great!

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:16:05 +0000

Thanks for sending in your sweet potato recipes. I thought I’d share one that looked yummy. This recipe came from a friend of mine who had torn it out of Southern Living Magazine in 2002 and has used it every year since. She was excited to type it up for me so she could throw away the original copy with all of her crumbs and spills on it! Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 1/2 pounds sweet potatos
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake at 400° for about 1 hour (they should be soft).
2. Let cool, peel and mash.
3. Beat potatoes, sugar, milk, softened butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
4. Spoon into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.
5. Combine cornflakes pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle in diagonal stripes in rows 2 inches apart.
6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove and let stand 10 minutes. Don’t turn the oven off yet!
7. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 more minutes.
The dish should look striped on the top. Be sure to serve part of the marshmallow AND part of the cornflake topping to each guest!

Mmmmm…Noodle Kugel

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:17:57 +0000

Sweet foods are the main focus of the Rosh Hashanah meal, meant to symbolize sweetness for the New Year. For this reason, the apples and challah are often followed by a sweet noodle dish called Kugel.

Because of this, I wanted to bring you the best Noodle Kugel recipe I could find. After baking up a bunch of batches, I settled on my favorite. I kind of felt like Julie in Julie and Julia, except I can’t cook half as well as Julie, and Julia didn’t have a recipe for Kugel. I am sure the recipe below was published in a book years ago and I would love to credit the rightful owner who initially came up with the recipe, but the only person I can credit is a family friend, Sharon Shniderman.

Sharon‘s Noodle Kugel (not that official sounding, but that’s all that is on the recipe card)

16 oz. wide egg noodles
8 oz cottage cheese
1 large can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
5 large eggs beaten with a fork
4 heaping tablespoons of sour cream
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1/2 stick butter
1 c. Corn Flake crumbs (or crushed Corn Flakes)

½ stick butter to grease the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook and drain noodles according to package directions. Let cool.
Mix all ingredients together except corn flake crumbs and butter.
Melt 1/2 stick butter and use it to grease 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
Pour mixture into pan.
Top with Corn Flake crumbs and small pieces of remaining 1/2 stick of butter.
Bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let cool 1/2 hour before trying to cut into squares.
Makes 12-16 pieces.

This kugel freezes well. You can also half bake it and then freeze. Just make sure to thaw it completely before baking for additional 1/2 hour. Leftovers can also be reheated in microwave, but we doubt there will be any leftovers!!

Please share your favorite recipes with us. Obviously we love good food. We will be happy to post them on the blog to share with our friends.

BYOT Party…

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:31:28 +0000

What is the “T”? Topping, of course. It’s an ice cream sundae party! This is a great, easy and inexpensive way to entertain. Invite your friends over and all you have to provide are the beverages and the ice cream. This past Saturday I had a BYOT party and it was a huge success. The favorite topping of the night, as simple as it sounds, was Homemade Hot Fudge. The recipe is from Nancy Ferreira and thanks to Abby Brunelle for making it and sharing it with all of us. How easy and impressive it was all at the same time.

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups confectionary sugar
1 can evaporated milk (13oz.)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour chocolate chips, margarine, sugar and evaporated milk into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cook 8 minutes.
Keep stirring the mixture so it doesn’t burn the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat.
Add vanilla and cool.
Reheat for serving.