Mini Cannoli Cream Cups

Colleen's take: "Boy do I love a Cannoli, I am Italian after all! This recipe was a delicious fix to satisfy any cannoli craving that you might have and pretty darned easy, I used a cup lid to cut the cannoli liners."

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Start to Finish: 40 minutes

Servings: about 16 mini cups

Ingredients:

For Cups

•  Flour for dusting surface
• 1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts
• 3 tablespoons coarse natural sugar (Turbinado)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For Filling (If you want the cream to be extra thick see my tips below)

• 1 (15oz) container of whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting finished cups
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer combine all ingredients for the filling except the chocolate chips and mix well until creamy. Place the filling in a 1-gallon plastic storage bag and chill while you make the cups. Filling may seem thin but will firm up slightly when it’s refrigerated. For thicker cream see notes below.

Heat oven to 425°F. Unroll the piecrusts onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top of each crust with the natural sugar and the cinnamon. Lightly roll over it with a rolling pin so that sugar and cinnamon are pressed into the dough.

With a 2 1/2-3 inch round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out circles and lightly press them inside an ungreased mini muffin or mini cupcake pan to create a pastry cup.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until cups are golden. Remove from oven and allow cups to cool. Once cups are cool they can be removed from tin and filled.

Remove filling from refrigerator, cut one of the bottom corners off the bag and pipe a little less than a tablespoon of filling into the cooled cannoli cups.

Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Pinterest Link to the recipe

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

Colleen's take: "I made this dish for a baby shower and it was pinned on the guest of honors Pinterest wall. Normally it's something I wouldn't make, but it ended up being pretty delicious in contrast with everything else at the party. I did feel like it was missing a certain pop of flavor but I couldn't place my finger on it. I'd try this one if you are looking for something different to serve at a party, everyone seemed to appreciate it."

Crisp Cucumber Salsa
Yield 2-1/2 cups

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

1/4 cup (w/out chips) equals 16 calories

Link to this recipe.

Hot Corn Dip

Colleen's Take: "This is the perfect dish for entertaining. It's easy and delicious, I loved the chipotle in adobe sauce, it added such an unimaginable depth of flavor. This is a forever entertainment dish, much better than yellow brick cheese queso. Please try out this one!"

Hot Corn Dip:

• 2 cups shredded chedder cheese
• 1 cup shredded Montery Jack
• 2 tbs chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced small
• 1 small can (4oz) diced green chilies, undrained
• 1/2 cup Mayo
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 11oz can of corn, drained
• 1 small tomato
• 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbs green onions, sliced thin
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the cheeses, chiptole and green peppers, mayo, garlic powder and corn together. Pour into an oven safe dish.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly
4. Top with diced tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Find the original recipe here.

 

Easy Chocolate Pretzel Buttons

Colleen's Take: "I made these for my friends baby shower. My husband (the sugar hound) loved these to pieces, for me they were way rich, I could only eat one or two. I looked in two different stores and had a very hard time finding the square pretzel snaps & white chocolate hershey kisses. I only ended up being able to find peppermint hershey kisses, so they were kinda minty but it only seemed to bug me! I'd try this one for a holiday gift." 

INGREDIENTS:

Yields: 24 individual pieces 24 Snaps Pretzels 24 milk chocolate kisses 1 pkg. candy-coated chocolates

TOPPING:

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to350 degrees F (175 degrees C) Place pretzels on baking sheet lined with wax-paper Unwrap candy kisses and place one in the center of each pretzel. Place in pre-heated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until kisses are soft - not melted. Remove tray from oven and place one candy-coated chocolate in the center of each pretzel. Place tray in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from trays, place in cellophane gift bags or put in airtight container. Note: Can substitute chocolate kisses for Chocolate Caramel Candy and top with a Pecan to make Pretzel Turtles!

Find the original recipe here!

Roasted Broccoli {Annah}

I love roasted veggies. I loved the crunch of the broccoli and the garlic. If you need a fall weather veggie try this. I have also done Brussels sprouts almost the same way as the broccoli, if you want to also try them this week search Brussels sprouts on our site. Enjoy tasty healthy food!

Ingredients:

• 2-4 heads of broccoli
• olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut broccoli into florets. Rinse but make sure the broccoli is completely dry before putting in the oven. If you don't they wont crisp up as much. Mince the cloves of garlic.

Add the broccoli, garlic, enough olive oil to coat the broccoli, and a couple shakes of salt and pepper.

Mix till broccoli is coated then place on a cookie sheet and put in  the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Stir the broccoli half way thru the cooking and pull them out when they have a nice brown on them.

Original recipe from: Amateur gourmet