Tag Archives: fast
Greek Tomato Salad
Greek Tomato Salad was featured on my original blog, “The Ardent Cook” which posted more food recipes than baking and pastry. It was also a TV segment during my TV days. This is super easy to put together and while, best the first day, I have been known to eat leftovers a couple of days later. The feta cheese and calamata olives give it a distinct Greek influence and the simple dressing doesn’t overtake the other ingredients.
As you can see I can’t get enough tomatoes and basil, especially in the summer when they are fresh and plentiful. Just looking at the colors when the Greek Tomato Salad is finished picks up my day. Continue reading
Hot Peppered Pecans
Hot Peppered Pecans are perfect with the super bowl around the corner. I originally discovered these Hot Peppered Pecans when the St. Louis Art Museum wrote their cookbook, “Artists in the Kitchen”. Some of the testing was done in my bakery kitchen
These pecans are a standout. Heat Alert – they are hot!! So if you don’t favor a lot of heat, tone down all the pepper and the hot pepper sauce. Start with half and go from there.
If you’re going to a Super Bowl party these are a great hostess gift. Or if you’re hosting a Super Bowl Party these Hot Peppered Pecans make great gifts to send home with your guests. Choose little containers or put them cellophane bags and tie with decorative ribbons. They are also great on a cheese tray, crumbled in a salad or included in any recipe calling for pecans, including sweet ones. The kick they add to chocolate chip cookies is amazing. Add them to Cocoa Brownies for an unusual twist. As an added bonus they are gluten-free
Including baking, these Hot Peppered Pecans shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. Continue reading
Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread
I hope your cookie baking is just about finished and you can turn your attention to other things. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do is think about on a holiday is making a big breakfast. What if this Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread is stashed in the freezer waiting to add to the festive feeling? Continue reading
No Churn Nutella Ice Cream
A mere four ingredients makes this Nutella Ice Cream. Even easier, there is no churning or machine needed for this quick treat. I have made a Double Chocolate No Machine Ice Cream on this blog when I was on TV. The one thing I didn’t like was how hard it froze. It was literally rock hard and difficult to dip. But a little trick has solved that problem.
This summer has turned unexpectedly busy and blogging has had to take a back seat to everything else going on. Still, I wanted to keep in touch and bring you something easy, fun and delicious.
This Nutella Ice Cream takes literally minutes to make. It is best frozen overnight to set up. The big trick to keep the texture great and make it easy to scoop is the addition of a bit of alcohol. I used vodka since I wanted to make sure the Nutella came through. But anything will do. I don’t usually use vodka in baking and not wanting to be stuck with a huge bottle, I got a little airline bottle. It was just enough for the recipe.
Remember, four ingredients and twenty minutes and you have an unbelievable treat. Continue reading
