No Bake Chocolate Clatite Cake

  

A coworker has a birthday next week, and I asked him what he wanted. He said anything chocolate. So  I had this brilliant idea for a no bake cake made from clatite. He wanted chocolate, so I made chocolate clatite. I made it and had it yesterday with when some of my dearest friends came over for dinner. It was delicious! It's not nearly as sweet as it looks.

Chocolate Clatite
Whisk 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 2 cups skim milk until smooth.


Over medium heat pour about 1/4 cup batter into a greased (Pam works fine) 9 inch skillet. Cook both sides (usually about 2 min).

Cheesecake Filling

This is my standard recipe. Whisk 8 oz lite cool whip, 8 oz lite cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar.  Add 1/4 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup.

No Bake Chocolat Clatite Cake

Place 1 clatite in a 9 inch pie pan. Spread a thick layer of cream cheese filling and repeat until all the clatite are gone, ending with the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate to set. 

No Bake Chocolate Clatite Cake

Semi Romanian Lunch

In the midst of studying, I was craving some mamaliga (aka corn meal mush, polenta) with feta cheese. So I put down my laptop and started cooking. I made mamaliga with broccoli cole slaw fry. It was yummy.

I started by frying three pieces of bacon. Once done, I removed the bacon and sautéed one onion and 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms. Add a bag of broccoli cole slaw. The bacon grease should be absorbed by this point so add 1 tbs EVOO. Sauté a few minutes.

You can now start on the mamaliga. Follow the directions for corn meal mush. I added 1 tbs of garlic salt too.

Add 1 tbs apple vinegar and 1/2 tsp soy sauce to the broccoli cole claw. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring often for about 5 min.

I chopped up a tomato and added a little salt as a side. I plated the mamaliga over feta too. Crumble the bacon over the mamaliga. That is my semi Romanian lunch. :)

Figs and Pudding Summer Cake

I am a fan of using what I have on hand to create new recipes. I did just that for a BBQ. I had a few packages of Fig Newtons so I came up with a dessert,

Lay fig newtons at the bottom of a 13x9 pan.

Make 1 package of vanilla pudding and pour over the figs. Then mix together 8 oz Lite Cool Whip, 8 oz low fat cream cheese, 1 tbs vanilla, 1/4 cup Splenda. Pour over vanilla pudding. 

Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours until set. I made this late the night before. A couple of hours will do just fine. It's good as is, or you can cut up fruit and decorate. 

Road Trip Chicken Salad

I made this a few weeks ago for my road trip to Atlanta. It was yummy! I grilled 2 chicken breasts instead of using canned chicken. I get funny about meat out of a can and prefer the real thing instead.  ;)

Road Trip Chicken Salad


Start by cubing 2 grilled chicken breasts and chopping 1 small onion. In a large bowl, mix with 1/4 cup low fat Marzetti cole slaw dressing, 1/2 cup lite Hellman's mayo, 2 tbs mustard, 1 tbs honey, 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped almonds.

I wrapped them in whole wheat tortillas. Super easy to make and delicious.

Clatite din Cafea

I love Clatite (Romanian crepes). They are super yummy combined with fond memories of Bunica (grandmother) teaching me how to make them. They're not too terribly difficult to make.  I also love coffee. I buy my coffee from Laughing Man. And since I do love to experiment in the kitchen, I decided to combine two of my favorite things.  Introducing Clatite din Cafea.

Clatite din Cafea

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbs vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups Laughing Man Java Reserve

1 cup skim milk

Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the 2 cups coffee and flour followed by milk. You want the consistency to be smooth and soupy, not as thick as pancake batter. 

Spray a round skillet with PAM and heat over medium for a minute. Using a ladle, pour the batter so it thinly covers the bottom. It takes about a minute or two for each side to cook.  Flip when you can easily move the clatite by moving the skillet.  Repeat until the batter is gone. 

Add your favorite jam or preserves, even cream cheese with cinnamon and roll. Some people eat these with a fork. Romanians eat them with their fingers. Enjoy!

Raspberry Sheet Cake Goodness

It's time for yet another office birthday, plus we had a new employee start this week. I usually bake for both. This time around, I made a Raspberry Sheet Cake. I knew it was good when the birthday came to my office and stated, "This cake is amazing!" God Bless him! Comments like that will keep me baking.

Raspberry Sheet Cake
1 box white cake mix
Sub 1/4 cup applesauce for oil
Sub skim milk for water
1 box raspberry jello
1/4 cup raspberry jam (I made this from scratch a week ago, but you can use store-bought)

So I do things a little differently. I beat the eggs first and then add the milk, applesauce, and raspberry jam. You want it nice and frothy because the cake will be fluffier. Add the cake mix and raspberry jello powder. Then follow the baking instructions on the box.

It's super easy and oh so yummy. The applesauce sub makes it healthier. I use milk instead of water because it adds calcium and it makes it taste richer. Water doesn't add any nutritional value.  Enjoy!

Moscato Sweet Chicken and Green Beans

I was playing in the kitchen while drinking a glass of wine when I got inspired. I made a chicken and rice concoction and green beans. I like to be creative and cook with my heart instead of always following a recipe, and that's what I did when I made this. I followed a whim. And I just so happened to be enjoying a glass of Moscato.

Moscato Sweet Chicken
I sautéed a small onion with 5 garlic cloves in EVOO in an oven friendly pan. I removed the onions and garlic once the onions were translucent. Then I slightly browned 4-6 chicken breasts in that same pan.

Mix 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth, 1/4 Moscato, and 2 Tbs dijon mustard. Add it to chicken along with 1/2 cup brown rice. Cover and cook in the oven at 325 for 1 hour, uncovered for the last 10 minutes. Serve with the garlic and sautéed onions on top of te chicken and rice.

Sweet Green Beans
Sauté 1 small onions and 4 garlic gloves in 2 TBS EVOO. Add 1lb fresh green beans and sauté for 5 min. Add 1/4 cup Moscato and simmer for another 5 min.

These dishes don't require salt. I didn't think it was needed, but you are welcome to add to taste.