Kentucky Derby Pie

A co-worker made this for my going away lunch today and it was DELICIOUS. She had a Kentucky Derby party over the weekend (which I'm totally going to do next year) and introduced us all at work to this yummy pie.

Kentucky Derby Chocolate Pecan Pie (from Donna Diegel at www.examiner.com) has toasted pecans or walnuts, bourbon, classic pecan pie filling with brown sugar and butter, and gourmet chocolate chips in a flaky pie crust. The Kentucky Derby Chocolate Pecan Pie can be whipped up in no time, making this is great last minute race recipe. The pie freezes well, so consider making two and freeze one for later!

Ingredients~
Make a 9" pie crust or use a store bought pre-baked crust
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup Karo light corn syrup
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup gourmet chocolate chips (I'd suggest using dark chocolate--my favorite!!)
1 1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, shelled and chopped in half if desired

Directions~
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll crust or use a store bought pre-baked pie crust.
In a large mixing bowl, on medium speed with whisk attachment, whip butter, sugars, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and bourbon together until frothy.
Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in chocolate chips and pecans or walnuts. Blend well.
Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until set.
Serve warm or cool completely before serving with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Yields 8 slices.

Cranberry Banana Bread

A woman in my Bible study made cranberry bread the other day and it was delicious!! And I happen to have two bananas at home that have seen better days, so this is next on my list to bake!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 6-ounce package Craisins Dried Cranberries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 -inch loaf pan.
Mix sugar and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until completely blended.
Add banana, milk and eggs, mixing well.
Add dry ingredients, mixing just until moist.
Stir in nuts and sweetened dried cranberries.
Spread batter evenly in a loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool.
Makes 1 loaf.

Happy Easter!

I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating the Risen Savior!! And maybe even a few of these...

(You probably didn't have this one but I'm still holding out that someday they'll come to the States!)

One of my new favorite things...

I ususally don't try new products just because they're new, but these are really yummy. :) And they have the 100 calorie pack which is even better!

Amano Jembrana Chocolate

Thanks to Blake Makes I was able to try a very rare, very unique type of dark chocolate. And if you know me, you know I love dark chocolate. The chocolatier is Amano Artisan Chocolate and the type I had the chance to try is called Jembrana, made from premium cocoa beans from the Southwestern Coast of Bali. The name comes from the region where the cacao is found.

What struck me the most about this company is the passion behind what they do. You can tell they eat, sleep and breathe chocolate...don't you wish we could all do that? :)

You can visit their website at www.amanochocolate.com

Graham's ~ Geneva, IL

A little while back a couple girlfriends and I headed to Geneva to check out the cute shops. Our final destination was Graham's; with its warm fireplace and cozy couches it was the perfect spot for girl talk and chocolate.

Delicious chocolate fondue with your choice of 5 dippers!

And who doesn't love a giant owl made of snow?

FREE sample of Cream of Wheat!

Fill out your info. at the link below for a free sample of your choice of flavor of Cream of Wheat!

http://cow.promotionassociates.net/