Upside-Down Pear/Blueberry Gingerbread

This decadent dessert is a recipe from our Cooking Light Every Night Cookbook.  I highly recommend this cookbook!  And of course the cookbook that features my family - the Dessert Cookbook!

Blueberry French Toast

I am taking this to my next brunch!  This coming Saturday!  Oh, it's so delicious!

2 1/2 cups cubed (1") french bread (or any bread)

4 oz cream cheese

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

8 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. sea salt (Bolivian Rose is my favorite!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Put Sunflower Mold on Perforated Baking Sheet.  Put the bread in the mold and spread evenly.  Cut cream cheese into small "pats" to be dispersed over the bread.  Top with blueberries.  In mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk.  Pour over bread mixture.

You can either bake this immediately or cover and place in fridge to bake the next day . . .

Cover with Octagonal Silpat and bake for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.  Mixture should be set in the middle.  Cool slightly and unmold.  Top with maple syrup or enjoy alone.

Ice Cream Birthday Cake

Ice cream cake was my favorite birthday treat growing up and now I know how to make it simply and best of all, cheaply!  (Have you seen how much those cakes cost in the store???)  The most important feature of this cake is the love that was poured into it by even the littlest of our home chefs!

Tools:  Medium Round Mold (having 2 makes it quicker) and Perforated Baking Sheet(s), Mixing Bowl, Set of 3 Spatulas, Heat Resistant Spatula, Pastry Bag and Tips.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of cake mix OR 2 boxes of brownie mixes

WARNING!  Using brownies AND frosting is a sugar overload!  Only make this combo if you are serious about your sweets!

1 gallon ice cream of choice

frosting of choice

Bake two cakes according to box instructions and cool completely.  Let ice cream soften while cakes are cooling.  Leave bottom layer in the Medium Round Mold to cool (on the Perforated Baking Sheet), then once cooled, add ice cream on top of it.  Put the other layer of cake on top of the ice cream, cover (Octagonal Silpat works great for covering) and put the cake in the freezer.  After a couple of hours or overnight, unmold cake on serving plate and decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  Light candles and sing your song!

Chinese Baked Pork Ribs

2 -3 lbs pork ribs

2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kum Kee)

4 heaping Tbsps Black Bean Garlic Sauce (Lee Kum Kee)

Cut ribs (I don't cut the part with bone) with our Santoku Chefs Knife - about 2" long.  Put in Flexipan mold of choice (most of them will work for this recipe) or Flexipat and stir to coat with the two sauces.  Cover with Octagonal Silpat (if using a round mold) or with the Silpat.  Marinate for more than an hour (overnight is best).    Bake at 400 for approx 45 min.

Serve with steamed rice and steamed broccoli!  Delicious!

I use my Silpat everyday! Healthy Tips . . .

Even if it's just to throw some chicken fingers on the Silpat^®, using my Demarle At Home products reduces waste and provides an easy alternative to fast food!

Here are some other ways these products make a healthy impact on our lives:

Never use oil, flour, or spray again. Not only does Demarle make everything come out perfectly, you save calories and/or reduce fat every time. Plus, take a look at your Pam cooking spray: the last ingredient is propellant. Do you really want to feed that to your family? Demarle at Home products also replace aluminum foil, wax paper, and parchment paper.

à      Cook roasts and chicken in the Sunflower Mold.  Drippings fall below the meat = not cooking in fat.

à      Roast veggies on the Flexipat^® or Silpat^®.  Make extra— use in future meals like stir-fry, soup, stew, casseroles, tacos, etc., adding veggies to every meal. 

à      Pop Popcorn with no oil, food dye, or chemicals.  More economical and better for our environment since there are no bags to throw away.  Place ¼ cup popcorn kernels in your Large Round Mold and cover with Octagonal Silpat^®.  Microwave for about 3 minutes or until popping slows.

à      Steam vegetables in the microwave.  Place washed, cut vegetables in Round Mold.  Use Octagonal Silpat^® as a "lid" to create tight seal over mold.  Microwave times may vary, but use the following as a guide:

*         Broccoli, Green Beans, Cauliflower ~ 3 min.

*         Corn on the Cob ~ 3 min. per cob

*         Potatoes (cut into 1" cubes) ~ 10 min. for mashed potatoes or 7 min. for firmer potatoes to use in a potato salad.

à      Cook ground beef or ground turkey in the microwave.  Place thawed beef or turkey in any mold and cover with Octagonal Silpat^® (tight seal is not needed).  Microwave for ~ 4 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked.  When cooled slightly, twist mold and squeeze to drain grease.

à      Use the Roul'Pat^® when rolling out any dough. No extra flour needed; that’s important because 1 cup of flour = 440 calories. 

à      Freeze fresh berries on the Silpat^®.  When frozen, pour individually-frozen berries from the Silpat^® into freezer bag and store in freezer.  Savor the flavor of fresh berries all year round.

à      Cook brown or wild rice in our Demarle Difference Stainless.  Make a large batch and keep in the fridge to go with veggies throughout your week.  Add veggies on top of rice during the last 4 minutes of cooking, and you have cooked two things at the same time using one pan.

à      Cook eggs in Demarle Difference Stainless without adding fat.

Enjoy Built-in Portion Control and Save Money by Freezing Leftovers!

à      Pour leftover stews, soups, casseroles, into an 8-oz. tray (Round Tray, Texas Muffin Tray). Place the tray on top of the Perforated Baking Sheet, cover with Silpat^® and place in the freezer. When each portion is frozen, pop them out and put in a plastic baggie. 8-ounce portions make perfect homemade lunches or dinners; preservative-free and less cost than prepackaged foods.

à      Make your own baby food. Steam or roast your veggies; before seasoning, puree a portion.  Pour into Mini Muffin Tray and freeze to have ¼- cup portions of fresh baby food.

à      Freeze any broth, pesto, or sauce in one of our ½- cup or 1-cup portion Flexipan^® Trays.

à      Make fruit smoothies. Freeze any leftovers in Muffin Tray; use as a “starter” for your next smoothie.

à      Eat just ONE Mini Muffin brownie when you need a sweet pick-me-up. Or even better, make them in the Mini Tartlet Tray and have a brownie bite. You can also substitute applesauce or canned pumpkin for the oil.  It is a 1-1 ratio.

Where did they go? Oatmeal Cookies

These oatmeal cookies don't stick around long enough for me to click a photo!

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups flour (or gluten-free substitute)

3 cups oats

raisins, seeds, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips are all optional, but encouraged!

I just throw the ingredients in to my electric stand-mixer in the order above.  Press into Flexipan tray of choice or make rounds on the Silpat and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes (a little longer if using a thicker muffin tray).

Great Football Party recipes in January Newsletter

Check out all of the specials and great recipes this month:  Click Here