Easy Entertaining for Beginners

1 – 16.5 oz. roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup strawberries, sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1 – 8 oz. carton mascarpone cheese

1 – 3 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

Glaze

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ cup orange juice

Spray 9-10” tart pan or pie pan lightly with cooking spray. Press cookie dough into pan and up the sides and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool. (The dough will settle down the sides of the pan, but will still make a tall enough edge to hold the toppings.)

Mix all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer 1-2 minutes. Cool.

1 package (18-19 ounces) chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients needed on package

1 (8 ounce) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can cherry pie filling

Pre-heat oven and spray 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray and dust with cocoa. Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into sheet pan. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar, salt and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on cake and bake according to package directions. Cool and top with cherry pie filling.

Serve these tender, poached Bosc pears topped with the decadent Coconut Cream for a special occasion dessert. Truly delicious!

Serves 8

3 cups water

½ cup orange juice

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

8 pears, ripe such as Bosc, washed, peeled, cored & cut in half

Coconut Cream

3 cups whole milk

1 cup coconut, flaked or shredded

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

6 egg yolks, large

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons butter, room temp

In a large saucepan, bring to boil the water, orange juice sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Lower heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until thickened and syrupy. Add the pear halves and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until pears are tender when poked with a fork. Do not overcook. Remove and cool completely.

In a medium sauce pan, stir together the milk, coconut and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and slowly bring to scalding, but not boiling, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick. With a whisk, add the sugar, flour and cornstarch. Add the egg mixture to the hot milk slowly while whisking vigorously and continue to simmer over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat & cool. When almost cool, stir in butter. Allow to cool completely.

To serve, place two pear halves on each plate. Fill with coconut cream and serve.

Note: If your pears are hard when you purchase them, place them in a brown bag and leave on the counter or in the cupboard for a couple of days until they ripen.

Serves 9

1 (oz.) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
4 cups strawberries, fresh, sliced
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup water
Pinch salt
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (baking aisle)
1/3 cup cold water
5 drops red food coloring
1 cup whipped topping or whipped cream

Pre-heat oven to 350 degres. Roll out the sugar cookie dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to fit an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

In a small saucepan, bring strawberries, sugar, ¼ cup water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let thicken for 1-2 minutes and stir into strawberry mixture. Simmer until gelatin dissolves. Add food coloring and remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool, 1 ½ – 2 hours. Fold in whipped topping or whipped cream and spread over cookie crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

This Thanksgiving dessert is a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie and works well on any holiday buffet table.

1 – 18.25 oz spice cake mix plus ingredients listed on package.
1 ½ cup candied pecans, purchased (produce aisle)

Pumpkin Crème
1 – 3.4 oz. pkg. instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 ½ cups cold low fat milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ cups whipped topping, plus 1 ½ cups more for topping

Bake spice cake mix according to package directions in 9 x 13” baking pan. In a medium mixing bowl blend the pudding and milk and whisk until thickened slightly. Stir in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in 1 ½ cups whipped topping, cover and chill for one hour.

Cool and cut cake into small pieces and layer in a trifle bowl with pumpkin crème and candied pecans. Repeat for a total of 3 layers. Top with remaining whipped topping, sprinkle with a bit of pumpkin pie spice and serve. May be made 1-2 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! The saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the chocolate work together. It’s so good, it’s scary!

2 pounds thick sliced bacon
2 – 8 oz. bars semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Orange sprinkles

Fry bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cut each slice in half. Melt chocolate according to package directions in microwave and mix with butter. Dip bacon slices into chocolate mixture with tongs. Drain on cooling rack over aluminum foil and sprinkle with orange sprinkles. Let cool for 2 hours or until chocolate has hardened. Cut into halves again for bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container in fridge. Use within 1-3 days

2 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (such as Granny Smith or Macintosh)
6 large eggs
3 cups heavy cream
¾ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
1 – 16 oz loaf French bread
Cajeta Sauce
1 – 13 oz. can Dulce de Leche (cajeta or caramel sauce), International aisle
¾ cup heavy cream
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. In a bowl, coat the apple slices with 2 tablespoons sugar and add bread cubes and mix together. Place the mixture in the pan. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and add the cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread mixture and toss lightly to coat all pieces of bread with egg mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
To make the Cajeta Sauce, mix the can of Dulce de Leche with cream in small saucepan until warm. Drizzle a bit on each serving of bread pudding.
OPTION: You may add ½ cup raisins, if desired.
NOTE: If you cannot find the Dulce de Leche, purchase a can of sweetened condensed milk. Place in saucepan on low heat and stir constantly for 10 minutes until milk caramelizes and turns a light butterscotch color.

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Icing (Makes 6 large scones)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Maple Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon real Maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk, plus up to 2 teaspoons more
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder pumpkin pie spice and slat. Add butter, cut with pastry cutter or two butter knives in a criss-cross motion to form pea-size crumbs.
In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin and milk together. Add to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Knead on floured board about 5 times. Do not over mix or the scones will not be tender. Form dough into 6 inch round, about 1 ½ inches thick and cut into 6 equal-sized wedges. Bake on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for 18-20 minutes.
Cool and prepare icing by mixing ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle on cooled scones and serve.

1 – 12 oz. lemon pound cake, purchased
Warm Blueberry Sauce
2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Combine sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved. Heat to boil and add blueberries. Turn down heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until sauce is thickened. Slice lemon pound cake and serve blueberry sauce on top. Also tastes delicious on ice cream.

(Serves 4-6)

1 pkg. (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crust dough
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup powdered sugar
cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll open dough and lay flat. With a 4-5 inch bowl, cut 4-5 circles out of each dough by placing bowl rim on dough and cutting around with with a sharp knife. Taste the cherry pie filling and if it is too tart for your taste, spoon about half of the contents into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and stir. Use the rest of the filling for another use (pancake topping – mmm…). Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the middle of each dough. With a pastry brush, spread the edges of the dough with slightly beaten egg and fold over to form a half circle. Press edges down with yuour finger and with the backof a fork, press around the edges to further seal. Brush the outside of mini pies with egg and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Place powdered sugar in small strainer and shake over pies to lightly cover pies. Serve warm or let cool completely and place in a sealed container to transport to another location.