Dessert recipes make winter days pass quickly

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Last week I talked about how we were praying for enough snow so the kids could play and have fun in it. Well, that certainly was not popular. I received boos and hisses from many of you regarding my love and eagerness for snow. Not only is a nice snow great for the children to play in, but it is a wonderful opportunity for me to bake and cook all of those wonderful snow day foods we enjoy so much at our house. So, in spite of many of your comments, (and I know they were in fun), I still am praying for snow and lots of it.

The "soup queen" so seldom makes desserts, but recently tried this recipe.

She made it for the employees at the Senior Center to enjoy and it truly was quite enjoyable. Anyone who likes coconut will love this rich dessert.

Chocolate Macaroon Ring Cake

For macaroon filling:

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup flour

For the cake:

Nonstick cooking spray

Flour, for dusting the pan

1 (8.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding in the mix

1 large egg

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the almond glaze:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

To prepare filling: Separate eggs, placing whites in a medium-size mixing bowl and yolks in a large mixing bowl. Set yolks aside. Add almond extract to whites and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy, 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar while beating at high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Fold in coconut and flour. Set aside. To prepare the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour. Place cake mix in a bowl with reserved egg yolks. Add whole egg, water and oil. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Increase mixer speed to medium; beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again, if needed. Batter should look thick. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Spoon macaroon filling in a ring on top of batter, making sure it does not touch the sides of the pan. Spoon remaining batter over filling.

Bake cake until it springs back when lightly pressed and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 53 to 57 minutes. Place on wire rack.

Let cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake, and invert it onto a rack to let cool completely. To prepare the glaze, place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in enough milk to make a spoonable mixture.

Whisk in extract. Place the cake on a serving platter and spoon glaze over top. Yields 16 servings.

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Jodi Thompson of Jackson, Mo., has once again shared several new recipes with us this week. She must really be cooking up a storm to have so many great recipes to share with us. The chicken wings sounds really good with the sweetness and the maple flavor from the syrup. Also notice the recipe calls for a disposable pan to bake the wings in. After reducing down the liquid in this recipe it would be a thick sticky problem to clean out of a pan.

Maple Chicken Wings

3 to 4 pounds chicken wings

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup light soy sauce

2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 to 2 cups maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off chicken wing tips and snip the skin between the joints. Place in disposable large baking pan. Add the maple syrup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, toss to coat. Place pan on baking sheet and bake for approximately one hour, tossing every 15 to 20 minutes. The liquid will gradually evaporate the longer you cook it. After an hour, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Turn wings to coat evenly and cook an additional 45 minutes. Yields 4 to 6 servings.

The inviting flavor blend of pork and apples has always been a favorite of mine. I make an appetizer with kielbasa and chunky applesauce that is a winner wherever I take it, so I know this next recipe will be a keeper, too.

German Style Sausage Apple Bake

6 Granny Smith or Jonathan apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 pounds pre-cooked bratwurst or kielbasa

2 teaspoons butter, or to taste

1 small onion, diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, seeded, diced

2 zucchini, sliced thin

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Jack cheese (optional)

Peel, core and slice apples. Layer apples and sausage on the bottom of a 9-by-13-by 2-inch casserole dish and dot with butter. Then layer the onions, potatoes, bell peppers and zucchini. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for one hour. Once casserole is cooked, cover the top with cheese and bake until melted. Yields 6 to 8 servings.

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I would suggest you might read through the next recipe before you are ready to assemble the strudel. It is not difficult at all, but just make sure you have it in your mind to work quickly. Keep your phyllo dough covered with a lightly damp cloth while working for best results. As you sit down to enjoy this dessert you will be so glad to made it.

Light Apple Strudel

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 cup raisins

2 to 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced 1/8-inch thick

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup, for sprinkling

5 sheets phyllo dough

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Cinnamon, for garnish

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Caramel sauce, for garnish (store-bought)

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour rum over raisins and microwave on high for 25 seconds to plump raisins (let sit 10 minutes). In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and plumped raisins. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and egg whites, being sure to mix them well. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface and lightly brush with the oil-egg white mixture. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of sugar, panko, and almonds, then top with another layer of phyllo and repeat the process four times. Place the last sheet of phyllo on top of the sugar mixture and brush it with the oil-egg white mixture, but do not top with more sugar, panko, and almonds. Place the apple mixture on the lower 1/3 of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling, then fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you, until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, brush the top with the oil-egg white mixture and sprinkle with 1 more tablespoon of sugar. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before serving. Yields 8 servings.

The nice thing about this fruity lemon cheese pie is you can add the fruit according to what you might have on hand in your pantry. This is a very quick and easy, yet tasty dessert that is great to make together with children. They enjoy the feeling of accomplishment of making a pie, even though it uses a graham cracker rust instead of a pastry shell.

Fruity Lemon-Cheese Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups or 1 can choice fruit pie mix

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 small (8 inch) pie crusts or 1 (10 inch) pie crust (graham cracker)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

In mixer combine milk and lemon juice until well mixed. Add cream cheese.

Pour into pie shell. Pour topping on. Chill until ready to serve. Makes two small or 1 large pie.

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A few weeks ago I shared a Mexican dip recipe with you and commented that the sky was the limit as to what you can put on a Mexican Dip tray. Here is Jodi's favorite arrangement for you to try.

Seven Layer Fiesta Dip

32 ounces refried beans

4 ripe avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 to 3 medium tomatoes, diced

8 ounces cheddar cheese grated, or 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated

On a round plate, spread beans. Layer mashed avocados over beans and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning mix, then spread over avocados. Layer half of onions, all tomatoes, and all the cheese on top. Sprinkle remaining half of onions on top. Serve with tortilla chips.

That will do it for this week. We had a nice variety of recipes to share with you today. Try to send in some of your favorites to pass along to other great cooks. So until next week, have a great week and happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at mcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.