When you know what this pie is made of...

You may not want to eat it. But, when have I ever led you astray? Never, I hope, and if I have I truly apologize. But trust me, despite the fact that tofu is one of the main ingredients of this pie, it really is scrumptious. And it is easy to boot! I wonder where the whole anti-tofu thing came from anyhow. What did it ever do to anyone? Plus, this recipe is good for all of those times that you are entertaining vegans, which I'm sure is ALL the time ;). Vegan or not, however, I can guarantee that it will disappear instantly once served.

My photo once again does not do it justice:

What's Inside:
-1 package chocolate chips
-1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur
-2 tbsp strong brewed coffee
-1 tbsp honey
-1 premade chocolate or Oreo pie crust
-1 pound silken tofu, drained
-1 tsp vanilla extract

How to Make It:
-Boil water in a saucepan and melt chocolate chips, liqueur, coffee and vanilla extract in a sauceplan placed on top of boiling water.
-Combine this chocolate mixture, the tofu, and honey in a blender or food processor until well-combined
-Pour into crust and set in refrigerator for a couple of hours or until firm
-Serve with whipped cream or alone, it is great either way!

The Secret Ingredient for French Toast!

Just happens to be coconut extract! Using this tasty alternative to vanilla along with topping the French toast with homemade mixed berry syrup did wonders to give a twist to this classic breakfast. I cut the recipe in half and it was perfect for serving 4, but use the recipe as posted if you plan on feeding some sort of crowd (whether it be family or friends, or some angry mob you need to calm down). I want to someday try this recipe with almond extract- could be just as successful! I woke up early while visiting my grandparents to surprise them with this morning treat and they gobbled it right up.

Coconut French Toast with Mixed Berry Syrup

Coconut French Toast
What's Inside:
-8 slices white or wheat bread
-6 eggs, lightly beaten
-2 cups fat free half and half
-1 tbsp. coconut extract
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-2 tbsp brown sugar

How to Make It:
-In a bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, coconut extract, nutmeg and brown sugar until well-mixed
-Soak each slice of bread for at least a couple of minutes in the mixture, making sure both sides are well-coated
-Preheat a griddle. When hot, cook bread in batches until golden brown on each side. Transfer to plate and serve with homemade syrup (recipe below)

Mixed Berry Syrup
What's Inside:
-1 cup black/blue/raspberries
-1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on your preference
-1/2 cup water

How to Make It:
-Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil
-Crush the berries with a spoon and allow to simmer for about 3-4 minutes before serving. Allow to simmer longer for thicker syrup

Grasshopper: A Disgusting Insect, but a Tasty Pie!

Minty, chocolatey, marshmallow-ey, Oreo-y goodness! What more could one want from a pie? Oh, right, alcohol! Well, if you are craving any or all of the delicious ingredients above, I recommend whipping up (literally) one of these Grashopper Pies topped with mint Oreo pieces. It is a hit for any occasion and realatively easy to make! With that uneventful introduction, I present the recipe for Grasshopper Pie!

What's Inside:
-1/2 package of mint Oreos (if you want it to be marginally better for you, omit these)
-Pre-made Oreo pie crust
-2 cups marshmallow creme
-1/4 cup creme de menthe liqueur
-2 cups whipping cream

How to Make It:
-Mix together creme de menthe and marshmallow creme- you will likely need to use a hand mixer to beat it until smooth
-Follow the directions on the whipping cream carton to make the whipping cream
-Fold the whipping cream into the creme de menthe mixture
-Pour into the prepared pie crust and top with crushed cookies if desired
-Freeze for at least 2 hours and serve right out of the freezer- the alcohol in the pie makes it easy to cut and serve!

By Far the Second Most Disastrous Thing I have Made

I figured I might as well stick with this theme. It is amusing, if nothing else, and lets my readers (if I have any) have a nice little chuckle at my expense. I am a huge fan of using recipes on the back of things- backs of chocolate chip bags, backs of sugar bags, backs of shirts (just kidding about that last one. Unless there is a shirt back with a good recipe in which case I would like to hear about it!). In this case, it was a recipe that I got from the back of Heath Toffee Bits O' Brickle (there would be a little "registered" or "trade-marked" symbol next to that name if I new how to make one). Now, the only issue was that I had already used about half the bag, and the recipe called for the whole thing. I somehow did not think that this would present itself to be a major problem and almost ruin my entire dessert endeavor.

The issues were numerous. First off, I did not have nearly enough toffee, and second, I did not "stir constantly" when I was trying to make the "chewy toffee" part of these bars. Therefore, I not only ended up burning it completely, but did not make enough, so it only covered about 1/4 of the shortbread which makes up the bottom of the bars. The only part which ended up being salvagable was the part without the toffee. So mine ended up as a sort of shortbread, coconut chocolate bar. They were still really good, but I figure I will provide the authentic recipe from the back of the bag- hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and make it as the people at Heath intended!

What's Inside:
-1 cup butter, softened
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-2 cups flour
-1 1/3 cups (8-ounce package) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits (THE WHOLE BAG!)
-3/4 cup light corn syrup
-1 cup sliced almonds
-3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

How to Make Them:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees
2) Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating until well blended. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.
3) Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned
4) Combine toffee bits and corn syrup in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 10 to 12 minutes).
5) Stir in 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup coconut. Spread toffee mixture to within 1/4-inch of edges of crust.
6) Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and remaining 1/4 cup coconut over top.
7) Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

By Far the Most Disastrous Outcome Thus Far

I bet that got your attention! So, my experience with this recipe was far from ideal, but I think I have figured out all of the issues that I had with it and altered it accordingly so that no one else needs to experience what I went through. For the Super bowl last weekend, I decided to make a dessert (shocking) for the people I was watching it with. They requested a peanut butter dessert, and in retrospect, I probably should have just gone with those tasty peanut butter bars I made a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to try something new so I could post it on this blog. I was a bit crunched for time, otherwise I would have tried something fancy like a peanut butter pie. However, that was not the case, so I chose a recipe for peanut butter brownies, as it sounded simple enough. Oh dear was I wrong! The recipe did not call for nearly enough flour or cooking time, and it was really difficult to decipher when they were done. I ended up taking them out of the oven and putting them back into the oven about 3 times, and then by that point I decided to try and raise the oven temperature, which ended up burning them except for a couple of the ones cut from the center which were just right. Needless to say, I showed up to the Super bowl gathering empty handed.

Peanut Butter Brownies

What’s Inside:

-2 ½ cups flour
-1 cup peanut butter
-2/3 cup butter
-1 package chocolate chips
-4 eggs
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp vanilla

How to make them:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan
-Mix all ingredients and spread evenly in pan
-Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Better than Bailey's??

Well, I suppose that is a matter of opinion, but in mine, which is the one everyone should listen to, this homemade Irish cream is as good as it gets! Perhaps it is one of those things where you don't really want to know what makes it taste so creamy and delicious, but I have to say that this drink is sure to please you and all of your friends. I found a lot of recipes that called for eggs, but aside from the fact that I find the idea of drinking raw egg to be rather disgusting, it also happened to be unnecesessary. This recipe is rather flexible- you can use coconut extract, almond extract, vanilla extract, or mix-and-match them as desired. I used vanilla and almond because I could not find coconut extract. Without further ado, I present a recipe for Irish cream that will provide your palate with a new flavor sensation of sweet goodness that you will likely never experince again. Modify it as you please- this recipe calls for a LOT of whiskey, I put a little less and it was still VERY strong! So, alter the whiskey addition accordingly.

What's Inside:
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-1 to 1 and 2/3 cups Irish whiskey (I used Jameson, the best!)
-1 tsp instant coffee granules
-2 tbsp chocolate syrup
-1 tsp of one or more of the following: almond extract, coconut extract, vanilla extract

How to make it:
1) In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until well combined and refrigerate! Serve straight up or on the rocks, in coffee or over ice cream. The possibilities are endless- feel the luck o' the Irish as you enjoy!