Recipe of the Day: Easy Apple Strudel *National Apple Strudel Day*

Easy Apple Strudel

Ingredients
1/3 cup raisins
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled apples
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions
In a microwave-save bowl, combine the raisins, water and almond extract. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 minutes, let stand for 5 minutes. Drain. Add the apples, 1/3 cup sugar, flour and cinnamon; toss to coat. Set aside.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Combine butter and oil; set aside 2 teaspoons. Lightly brush some of the remaining butter mixture over phyllo dough. Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to avoid drying out. Layer with 7 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each layer with some of the butter mixture. Spread apple mixture over phyllo to within 2 in. of one long side. Fold the short edges over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from the long side where the apple filling is 2 in. from edge.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into top of strudel. Brush with reserved butter mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe found here: Easy Apple Strudel

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Recipe of the Day: Marshmallow Fudge *National Fudge Day*

Marshmallow Fudge

Ingredients
1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 whole reduced-fat graham crackers, broken into bite-size pieces

Directions
Line an 8-in. square pan with foil and coat with cooking spray; set aside. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with milk; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; cool for 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Fold in marshmallows and graham crackers.

Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Discard foil; cut into 48 pieces. Yield: 4 dozen.

Recipe found here: Marshmallow Fudge

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Recipe of the Day: Banana Tapioca Pudding *National Tapioca Pudding Day*

Banana Tapioca Pudding

Ingredients
2-3/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 bananas, sliced

Directions
In a saucepan, combine milk, tapioca, sugar and egg; let stand 5 minutes. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and bananas. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Yield: 6 servings.

Recipe found here: Banana Tapioca Pudding

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Recipe of the Day: Strawberry Biscuit Shortcake *National Strawberry Shortcake Day*

Actually, shortcake is a sweet biscuit, which is why biscuits are usually used. Here is a good place to check it out: Foodimentary. I love it!

Strawberry Biscuit Shortcake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup milk
2 pints strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon orange juice
1-1/2 cups whipped topping

Directions
In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in milk until a soft dough forms.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into eight mounds on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, place strawberries, orange juice and remaining sugar in a bowl; toss gently. Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Place bottom halves on serving plates; top with whipped topping and strawberries. Replace shortcake tops. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Strawberry Biscuit Shortcake

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Recipe of the Day: Rocky Road Brownies *National Rocky Road Day*

Rocky Road Brownies

Ingredients
1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box
1 1/3 cups (8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/3 cups miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup chopped peanuts

Directions
1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make brownie batter as directed on box–except stir in 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread in pan.

2 Bake brownies as directed on box. Immediately after removing from oven, sprinkle with 1 to 1 1/3 cups miniature marshmallows, remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips and the peanuts. (For softer marshmallows, cover pan with cookie sheet about 2 minutes.) Cool completely, about 2 hours. For 16 brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows with knife dipped in hot water. Store tightly covered

EXPERT TIPS

Microwave a Rocky Road Brownie in a microwavable bowl until warm (about 30 seconds), top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup for an out-of-this-world brownie sundae!

Caution: Rocky road ahead! Smooth it out with Rocky Road Smoothies! Stir bite-size pieces of Rocky Road Brownies into a glass of your favorite flavor of softened frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Recipe found here: Rocky Road Brownies

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Recipe of the Day: Hawaiian Cake

Hawaiian Cake

Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
2 cups cold 2% milk
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 can (20 ounces) DOLE® Crushed Pineapple in 100% Pineapple Juice, drained
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until cake tests done; cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine milk and pudding mixes; beat in cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cake. Top with the pineapple, cherries, coconut and walnuts. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 16-20 servings.

Recipe found here: Hawaiian Cake

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Recipe of the Day: Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 cups cold 2% milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups whipped topping, divided
1 loaf (10-3/4 ounces) frozen pound cake, thawed

Directions
In a small bowl, combine strawberries and sugar; let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping; set aside.

Cut cake into 14 slices. Layer seven cake slices with 2 tablespoons strawberries, 1/3 cup pudding mixture and another cake slice. Top with remaining strawberries and whipped topping. Yield: 7 servings.

Recipe found here: Shortcut Strawberry-Vanilla Dessert

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Recipe of the Day: Vanilla Pudding Dessert *National Vanilla Pudding Day*

Vanilla Pudding Dessert

Ingredients
2-3/4 cups cold milk
1 package (5.1 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 120 wafers)
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes; fold in condensed milk. Set aside 1 tablespoon whipped topping and 2 tablespoons wafer crumbs. Fold remaining whipped topping into pudding.

In a 3-qt. serving bowl, layer a third of the strawberries, wafer crumbs and pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with reserved wafer crumbs; top with reserved whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Recipe found here: Vanilla Pudding Dessert

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Recipe of the Day: Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting *National Devil’s Food Cake Day*

Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with water and sour cream. Transfer to two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture until frosting is light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.

Recipe found here: Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

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Recipe of the Day: Dutch Apple Pie *National Apple Pie Day*

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)

STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the egg, vanilla and sour cream; stir until smooth. Add apples; mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and bake for 30 minutes more.

For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over pie; bake 20 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Dutch Apple Pie

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